Mundon On My Mind

Today I read of a huge leatherback turtle that was found dead on the shore of Mundon Creek recently. This is the first sighting on the Essex Coast. I've had the Essex village of Mundon on my mind since Bom told of a talk she went to which mentioned the disused St Mary's church. I've been there a couple of times and as I had an errand in that neck of the woods, decided to visit again. I must admit that I was more interested in photographing the 'petrified' trees than the church. It has been claimed that the oak forest in Mundon is first mentioned in the Domesday book. Later, the oaks narrowly missed being cut down for use as masts when a fleet was built to sail against the Spanish Armada.

Last time I was there it was possible to walk amongst these huge dead oaks, which were killed by the seepage of salt water from a channel that was cut to enable boat access from the estuary to the nearby house and farm. The area is fenced off now and lots of saplings wrapped in protective plastic tubes have been planted. In my view this is going to completely destroy the unique atmosphere of the place. :( 

We had our first snowfall of 2020 this morning. I've included a pic of a flying duck in a snowstorm and cherry plum blooming on the bank of our neighbour's lake.