Llamas and wild garlic

No it's not a recipe...I haven't changed my mind and decided to eat meat...I just want to share with you what I've found on my walk.....
The rain wasn't really being serious about it so it seemed like a good opportunity to get out for a walk...but where to go? I shuffled through my little pack of village walks and realised that I'd never "done" the Piggs Hill route in it's entirety (just bits of it incorporated into other walks)
The info on my charming little sheet reads as follows: The Walk climbs steadily from the start on the bridleway towards baydon. The hilltop provides grand views over Aldbournes and to Piggs hill , with  rolling cornfields.Preston: An old man who was born in the Toll House said that it used to be told that if the water flowed in the Whitton Ditch which is a Winterbourne (  old English word 'winter-burna' meaning 'winter stream' - dry through the summer months - Winterbourne streams are mostly fed by ground water held in the chalk rather than surface water. The water bubbles up in springs which feed the streams. As the water table drops during the summer, the springs dry up and the streams gradually stop flowing. Only when winter rainfall recharges the groundwater supplies will the streams flow again - which is why they are known as “winterbournes”. Because the water has been filtered through the chalk, it is crystal clear and stays at a fairly constant temperature, making it an ideal home for wildlife) by the 5th of January, (Christmas Day on the old calendar) you can expect a wet summer. (I'll confirm for you now that the Whitton Ditch has been proper soggy since about November I think...you heard it here first folks!)

I started out at the little toll house

 

and the geese made sure everyone knew someone was walking along the track

 

The Whittonditch as you can see is certainly flowing...crystal clear now - was very muddy when we had the heavy rains.

 

I love the fact that I can go off walking for a couple of hours and see absolutely no one  - I guess I'm just anti - social :o)

 

 

Only a few signs of spring so far....lots of this yellow blossom

 

 

I took a close up so that I could identify it when I got home...my trusty Collins little gem (1980) tells me that it is cornelian cherry...it flowers in February and March it adds...errrm try 14th April!

 

 

 Not a great photo...it was really windy up on the hills..what I was trying to capture was that finally the buds were starting to fatten so we should have leave soon (please!)

 

 

Not a soul around though..

 

Not even a dog walker...if these photos had sound you'd hear the wind , and lots of birdsong coming from every hedge and tree

 

Not from this little chap though...wonder what happened there then?  Poor Maggs!

 

Then a wafting smell....finally - wild garlic!! Hurrah! early days...see - not a single flower yet. I always have a sandwich bag stashed in my pack so I crammed it full of wild garlic leaves and continued on my way with softly garlicky aroma hands (wild garlic recipe to follow later in the week)

 

still not a soul around though :o)

Yellow is the only floral colour it seems...still some primroses around (love these...they self seed all around my garden)

and here is the first cowslip I have seen....just coming into flower...I'd love some of these in the garden too

 

and bright buttery celandines..

 

what's this? sheep?

elegant long necked sheep?

 

No...llamas methinks...or alpacas

 

 

lots of them...

little specs in the distance

 

This is my view down the track once I had climbed Piggs Hill...sound effects here are puffing noises!

 

You can really see we are on chalk where the badgers dig it up (if the crystal water and the plants hadn't given it away beforehand)

ahhh...the gentle amble downhill....I'm quite good at these bits :o)

  still not a soul around (yaay)

more gentle downhilly bits...

 

 nearly there

 and back down to the Whittonditch again :-)

 

2 and 1/2 hours and not a soul was seen - I love it when for a little while it's mine, all mine!!