The 9-Year-Old Test

One of the measures of value in a place for me has always been what I would have thought of it as a 9 year old.

This woodland passes the test with flying colours. It has life and mystery and secrets guaranteed to captivate a child. And these features are not static but change with the seasons. Today we didn't need the sun we had yesterday. New leaves added perspective as well as colour. Many birds sang and there was always promise of others.

And ground level is astonishing as bilberry shrubs get higher each year providing plenty of cover for birds and mammals - and children.