A cool spot...

in the baking heat of an August morning.

This was my favourite place in another morning of exploring the flora of South Lincolnshire. I knew that it was going to be a hot, hot day, so had set off early. At Careby churchyard the grass was still dew-soaked, and I was watched by an inquisitive oriental cat, her soft beige fur merging into deep sepia points, her cool blue eyes following me on my meandering route round the gravestones.

By the time I moved on to my next site, a disused quarry, the heat was already quite intense, exacerbated by the lack of shade. There I was followed by a small group of young cattle, who once again were intrigued by my progress. I left them in the shade of the adjacent woodland, and trudged back to the hot car. 

I was flagging a bit by this time, but decided to explore one more location, on a footpath that headed underneath the former Edenham & Little Bytham railway, which closed in 1959. I hadn't realised it was so close to the river, and loved the juxtaposition between the beautifully crafted tunnel, the cool water and the brilliant green of the surrounding woodland, which was busy with feeding tits and darting dragonflies. The rather rickety wooden walkway added just the right frisson of fear to make the experience perfect.