Hiding place

The country lane out of the village is straight and pothole-free. It is wide enough for two vehicles to pass one another without any risk of collision, all of which means drivers go fast enough to make a walk up to the apiary less than relaxing, even when most are considerate enough to leave plenty of room

My attention is always drawn to the fact that, on both sides of the lane, the field boundary is set back so far that there is easily room to fit another road on either side, should anyone ever be mad enough to try. The council, of course, only mows a narrow strip close to the road so, over the decades, the unmown area has developed into a multi-layered, linear wood. 

I wonder how many decades. To what use was that wide area put and when did it stop, and the succession to the current state begin? When rail transport of livestock took away the need for drovers? When motor-vehicles became so numerous that local smallholders could no longer use it for opportunist grazing? When social pressures drove away travelling people? We have some excellent local historians; I'll float the question

In a brief burst of late sunshine, MrsM noticed the fungal fruiting bodies, glistening damp in the base of the wood. The sodden, grey day was not to our taste, but it's an ill wind that blows nobody good