just you watch me

...a strange day, weather-wise. The day dawned with beautiful sunshine but, within moments, it became as black as Old Harry (strange because Old Harry Rocks are as white as can be!) and the rain and hail belted down to the accompaniment of fierce gales. By lunchtime, it was all over and, this afternoon, we had delightful sunshine.

With everywhere so boggy, we decided to pop into Arne on the way to the supermarket because, the paths are mostly good and, when all else fails, I can usually rely on the Sika Deer to provide a nice blip. As usual there were plenty of deer around but mostly with their heads down grazing on the marshes. I noticed this stag moving in my direction and wondered what he would do when he reached the fence. With amazing litheness and some obvious experience, he proceeded to twist his neck 90 degrees to the side and stepped between the wires without so much as grazing them with his antlers. Incidentally, the fence and posts are much taller than those normally found around farmland. Sika are not as tall as Red Deer but are still a good size.

Tomorrow, I have the countryside rangers coming over to cut and clear a local wildflower meadow that I have taken management responsibility for, so I hope it stays dry...