Friday's walk

My tally of walks for this year is pathetic, but in my defence, I lost the summer's walking due to my asthma, and then damaged a tendon in my foot, then the other ankle came out in sympathy, bouts of bad weather, flooding, and now I have a feminine problem.  Anyway, I managed to get out on Friday and it was so warm I ended up walking in my t-shirt (plus jeans of course!!)    Here is the view going down the hill and then, below (next two) crossing the river . . .

A neighbour has paid someone (a pittance I should think) to cut some hedges for him, and totally eradicate an outer belt of Hazel trees around woodland he was given a grant to plant 12 or so years ago.  I HATE to see hedges trashed at the best of times, but this had been left to grow for a few years and there were some biggish branches in there which are now splintered and the trees (below) that had been well-established, are dreadfully damaged.  This is not good hedgerow management.

A peaceful view into the larch woodland on the bend.  We used to walk through here and back across the field beside the river, but it's got very overgrown now.  There are a couple of established ponds which are brilliant for wildlife (only there because of another grant . . .)

Where there used to be Hazel . . .  quite a loss for the wildlife, but that said, still plenty of trees around for the birds.  A little gaggle of Long Tailed Tits were Tzeee-Tzeeing beyond that oak tree.

A neighbour's homestead.

The lane ahead, down over a stream which flows through a culvert under the road.  This floods sometimes too . . .  Until 3 years ago we used to have a regular road gang who knew every ditch and culvert, anticipated problems before they arrived.  Then the Council had to make huge budget cuts and our bods are now working on the road between Llandovery and Builth and no-one has been near our lanes in the meantime.  Hence the problems in bad weather.

The hillsides going up the valley.

Another neighbour's Thoroughbred brood mares.  

Here's his lurcher bitch, just whelped - I held my hand out to her and said hello (from the other side of the road) and she lifted a lip and snarled at me.  Knowing the neighbour, that doesn't surprise me . . .

The other side of the valley is more heavily wooded - it's the other side of the Cothi, so another valley in itself.

Above and below: sunlight through the trees by the river.

Finally, slogging up our hill . . .

Now, time to try and get an appt. with the GP . . .