Not far from where I live is a lovely rural village called Buriton. When we first moved to Hampshire, we discovered the place by accident and fell in love with it and their beautiful pond.

It is always peaceful there, something to do with its location, I’m sure, as it nestles in a lush green valley quite close to the South Downs. Unfortunately, it is quite a popular spot and you have to take your chances, but it is always worth a visit. Always something going on, from ducklings in the spring to the changing of the seasons.

We have gone there in the summer, winter, sunshine and showers, (and the ice and snow) Spectacular at any time of the year, and always conjures up a deep spiritual peace.

Yesterday, I played hooky from all the writing, blogging and all the millions of other jobs that nag to be done. Telling myself it was probably a good opportunity for a blog post at the very least, I was determined to enjoy both the warm weather and the time off.

The first thing I noticed when I stepped out of the car was a grey crane, wading through the shallow water. We ended up following him all around the pond, as he obviously didn’t like the look of us at all.

We like to walk around the edge, seeing the pond from every angle, and as we passed a tall clump of yellow iris, we saw something small and brown busily chewing on a stalk at the water’s edge. We crept towards it, fully expecting it to scurry away, but it did not. It seemed to be just as curious about us, peering up at us with its little beady eyes. I went closer and closer, camera at the ready and ended up incredibly close.

Not sure what it was, but it studied us with great interest. We offered some of the wholemeal bread we had brought for the ducks, and he nibbled away, keeping an eye on us.
Just then, a couple with a dog came along. Quick as a flash, we surrounded the creature to keep the dog away. When we turned back, he had gone and we knew we could stop worrying.

If there is one thing I am grateful for in this digital age, is that you no longer have to have a several rolls of film in your pocket. I can take as many photographs as I like, and by heck, I do!