Lambs' Tails

I ran an errand to the hamlet of Edney Common in the countryside near Chelmsford but didn't take any pics as it was raining. :( 

After lunch I poked my head into Longlands hide at Fishers Green. The only bird I saw was a distant robin. From there I went to the Norman's Pond area. A gorgeous collie was carrying a big stick in the company of a couple of Jack Russells, lovely for the three of them to play together. I've posted an image of some nice dangly 'lambs' tails' with my yellow S2000 in the background. Male hazel tree catkins form in the autumn and start to dangle and release their pollen from in mid-January. The female flowers, on the same tree,  are tiny and inconspicuous with bright red styles.

I read in the paper this morning of a man in The Forest Of Dean having part of his finger bitten off by a wild boar. The entry in my Wonderland book for 9th of January mentioned the "unexpected thrill" of meeting a wild boar when walking in the woods. I remember our family setting out for a walk in the woods on the shore of the Kekova Roads. The Turkish locals, who spoke no English, warned us about the wild boar by grunting, squealing and snorting and making the shape of tusks with their fingers. 

Today's entry in Wonderland is winter reeds. I used to wonder why the reeds were cut in nature reserves. I now know that it is because the reedbeds will turn into scrub if left and the reedy habitat will be lost. Reeds are giant grass, I love their whispering.

PS Thanks to Rob Macfarlane I've just seen this. https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1315
The artist collected the hazel pollen for years. How wonderful it looks en masse!