In The Woods

Winter sun at its best in the woods where it penetrates to the floor and picks out the bronze colouring of bracken and beech leaves. Two large stags were alert to the occasional dog walker in the afternoon.

These two noble animals would have been rivals 3 months ago but now enjoy each other's company.

It's a part of Blacka that has many qualities of an unspoiled natural refuge. But it's under serious threat, not least from the wildlife trust itself which installed the barbarous wire fence and occasionally sends out groups of resident heel-kicking chain-saw maniacs to murder trees leaving dismembered corpses piled up within the barbed wire compound, bringing images of concentration camps to mind.

A fallen tree across the footpath is a victim of the heavy snowfall.

Nature as it works. But will the chain-saw operatives now intervene and leave clean-edged logs around emphasising managerial involvement?

There are other threats:

Mountain bikers have identified a lovely quiet and untouched area and are starting to create a downhill, thrill-seeking run.

Before we might have thought we were the only ones who walked this way. Now hyper-active madmen (avge age 35?) are set to change a part of Blacka that has been till now a secluded haven for roe deer. red deer and badgers. What are SWT doing about it? As of now, absolutely nothing. They've been told that it's happening but stick to their national guidelines by which employees have all the Christmas and New Year period off duty.  What clowns. See below.

POSTSCRIPT.

Have my final comments above stung SWT into action after all these years. It could be that or a case of a new and better manager. Anyway my email resulted in him appearing onsite and confronting the perpetrators. Well done, and only too pleased  to acknowledge it. Let's hope that regular appearances during holiday periods become standard and help to prevent things like this happening at all.