Our ancient neighbours

Feeling rather sleepy on rising this morning, I went downstairs to make tea in my dressing-gown. I took my camera with me, as I knew the sharp frost and the morning's sunlight might offer some shots. Whilst the tea brewed, I went out onto the patio and looked across to Butterow, which always receives the near horizontal sunbeams after dawn.

Then | heard some rustling from the bottom of the garden, and thought I would have a look. It seemed a bit early for the neighbour's kids to be playing. My furry slippers slipped off me on the frosty grass at one steep point. Then I saw the misty breath of a few cows munching in the undergrowth below the ancient sycamore, which I think is an old marker tree on the boundary hedgeline. They are doing the job exactly as animals have been expected to do for many centuries - grazing the wooded pastures in summer and keeping this old landscape intact and in balance.

I love this view, having been a-blipping here before. It changes throughout the year and in winter when the leaves of the tree have retired, we get a whole new vista, showing the complete width of the Horns valley, across to Oakey Grove and the remains of the Wayhouse.

The tree has been here for centuries. You can see both of its main trunks, which are climbing up from the old pollarding point, between which Bomble is scratching to mark his territory, so the cows know to keep away! This point is about ten feet above ground and our garden boundary is now elevated at the point where the underlying hard limestone outcrops and stops the land slipping away, I hope!

I have blipped early, as I must work hard today and if I don't post it now, I will be distracted by looking all day for just another possibility. Not the best of shots, as I was hurried by their movement and half asleep, shooting into the light and consequent flaring. I could have tried to fiddle in Aperture. But hey - it is very rare to see this.

ps
You can just see a smudge of a buzzard, silhouetted against the woodland, circling round to climb up out of the valley opposite.