# August walk.



## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Since I installed a new gate into the fence at the bottom of the garden, It makes it much easier to get into the local nature reserve that backs onto us. Having nothing better to do today, I decided on a leisurely stroll with my latest phone camera. (Samsung Note 20 Ultra)

What's behind here then?









Our own little nature reserve. Foxes, deer, rabbits, red kites, buzzards, owls and a host of others call this home.









Let's make a start.









20 yards in and I come to the stream. It's a bit low this year due to the weather.









After a 10 minute walk along the stream, I come to another nature reserve at Charvil and start the circular walk around the lake here. The place is deserted and I just have the birds for company.









The path meanders on with the River Loddon on the right and the lake to the left.


















Still no one in sight as I continue up the path and turn left to walk along the rear of the lake.









I've walked about a mile now and as I approach the edge of the lake, the expanse of grassland opens up, dry and crisp from the heat of the last few weeks.









The path narrows as I come to the reed beds where the elusive Bittern likes to hide.









There are several different species of reed here, the most obvious being the majestic Reed Mace with its poker shaped flower heads. Lots of people mistakenly call these 'Bullrushes' but that is a totally different plant. The male part of the flower is the small, withered spike on the top, while the female part is the smooth, velvety brown part below. Come autumn when they are ripe, those brown 'sausages' will explode in a cloud of fine, fluffy seeds.









There are other reeds here, too... their striking flowers making a gorgeous display against the sky. Reed Buntings love this carefully managed reed bed and dragonflies abound here.



























Rounding the third side of the lake I am aware of the free fruit that is available at this time of year. Luscious blackberries to make blackberry and apple crumble...









... and plump sloes to make sloe gin just in time for Christmas.









Having covered about 2 miles now, I enter a patch of scrubby woodland and spot several Speckled Wood butterflies, basking in the dappled shade.


















I reach the point where I entered the reserve and start the walk back home. I've been out for an hour or more now and still seen no one. It's absolute Paradise, no car horns, no traffic noise, just me and the birds.









I make a detour over Ashenbury Park. It's hard to believe that 30 years ago this was a landfill site for the whole of Reading.



























As I approach home, two long dead trees point their architectural limbs to the sky.


















I've been out for a couple of hours now, walked about 3-4 miles and seen not a living soul. Fabulous!


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## Duncan U. (May 16, 2021)

Thanks I enjoyed reading that, it looks and sounds idyllic :thumbs_up:


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## tall_tim (Jul 29, 2009)

Great post!


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## Welsh Wizard (Jun 18, 2021)

Blimey after reading that I'm thinking to mee self what as nice joint to nick from and 'es given me all the instructions of how to get in.

Looks absolutely idyllic and I do envy you. As a cautionary tale be careful there are a lot of people out there who pry on the forums and I would hate for any harm to come to you or your family/friends. You live in a lovely part of the world .Here's wishing you good health to enjoy it for many years.


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## Always"watching" (Sep 21, 2013)

What a lovely OP, @Roger the Dodger. Just what I needed after today's marathon appointment in my local urban hospital. :thumbsup:


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Always said:


> What a lovely OP, @Roger the Dodger. Just what I needed after today's marathon appointment in my local urban hospital. :thumbsup:


 I hope the outcome was for the best, Honour. :thumbsup: And thank you for posting your enjoyment of the thread. I intend doing more of this kind of post as they seem to be popular.


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## Always"watching" (Sep 21, 2013)

I'll know more about the outcome later on, dear @Roger the Dodger. And "Yes Please!", do keep the posts rolling in. I love the step-by-step illustrated form that many of your posts take; it allows one to become truly engaged, whether the subject is an outdoor walk, a personal DIY project, or even a tour of your lovely garden.


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## Alpha550t (Mar 31, 2020)

Thanks for this, we have our own David Attenborough !


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Welsh Wizard said:


> Blimey after reading that I'm thinking to mee self what as nice joint to nick from and 'es given me all the instructions of how to get in.
> 
> Looks absolutely idyllic and I do envy you. As a cautionary tale be careful there are a lot of people out there who pry on the forums and I would hate for any harm to come to you or your family/friends. You live in a lovely part of the world .Here's wishing you good health to enjoy it for many years.
> 
> View attachment 52073


 I thank you heartily for your kind concern, but I don't think I gave away too much in the pics I posted to be unduly worried. Sadly, these days with the advent of Google Earth, the crims must be rubbing their hands together. With the high resolution pics of every house in the UK, they can now pick and choose which properties to target, along with escape routes and potential trap areas. If they access 'street view', they get even more info. Even though I have a 6ft close boarded fence at the bottom of the garden, the arris rails at the back of it provide a 'ladder' for any potential crims to clamber over. At the end of the day, if they want to get in, they will. I do have an infra red activated floodlight that illuminates the whole back garden, and a burglar alarm, so maybe a deterrent. Even companies that provide services use Google Earth to see your property before giving a quote. As I mentioned in another thread, when the wife phoned a gutter cleaning firm, they wanted to know the postcode so they could actually see the house they would be quoting for via GE.


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