Wet foot day

I've been limited this year during the local deer rut. I over enthusiastically twisted my knee right at the start of the rut but limped on through until my knee let me know I had to stop. 

After a few days of taking it easy I decided to go out today regardless. As usual the weather was pretty poor, overcast and drizzling to start.

I decided to go to an area that I had pretty much neglected this year as since the lockdown it has seemed to become a haven to dog walkers and ramblers alike. As soon as the deer observe people turning up they just melt into the treeline. But I thought that I would have a look today in the inclement weather hoping that maybe the throngs of locals would decide to stay indoors.

I didn't see a lot to start with until I observed across a leaf strewn brook a brace of youngish stags. I gingerly stepped forward into the seemingly ankle deep water which gave way slightly under my my weight and I felt my foot sink a little into the mud. 

Resigned to the fact that this was the only way across I took another step forward and then one more. The bed of the brook seemed to be holding firm-ish so I less cautiously stepped forward with my left wellington boot clad foot which immediately sunk underwater right up to the middle of my thigh.

You might be thinking at this point that I would be feeling pretty fed up and you would be right I was. 

I heaved myself out of the water looked up and the stags were nowhere to be seen so I surreptitiously emptied my wellington of some of the filthy water that was in there and squelched onwards.

I caught up with the two youngsters a while later, they were play fighting in a field at some distance. I took a few record shots until they moved off and then I wondered around for a while. The young stags had by now melted into the trees. 

At this point I usually move on but I thought today I'll have a look to see if by any chance I can get a pic of one of the stags through an opening into the trees without actually entering.

The pic posted is the result, not the best picture in the world and I wont be hanging it on my wall but hey I was happy with it..

I squelched on, emptied my welly again, squeezed my sock and watched the rivulets of muddy water run down my hand then drove on to another location..