The resurrected pond on Minchinhampton common

Soon after I returned from meetings today, I got a call from Helena who desperately needed a lift to her second job. So after rushing over to the far side of town, and then driving back and further up the valley to Brimscombe, I thought I would take the opportunity to visit the old road running round the northern edge of Minchinhampton common for blip purposes.

I parked on the ridge over looking the Golden Valley and just sat for a few minutes in the warmth of the car, before getting out into the strong winds under the cloudy sky. I spotted swathes of wild primroses in flower on the traditional grassland which is grazed by cattle on the common from May till October as per the National Trust's regulations. I then saw an unusual and tiny white flower in the grass, which was too small to show without a macro lens, but was very beautiful. aI also chased a big bumblebee for a few minutes but couldn't get a sharp image as it flitted from place to place. Surprisingly it wasn't interested in the flowers but chose small holes in the ground. Perhaps the cool weather is making it rethink its hibernation policy.

I then drove on a few hundred yards because on my last visit to the track through this isolated part of the common I had seen the old pond had received some attention. In fact it has had its boundaries revealed with lots of small trees cut down and the neighbouring scrub cleared back. Until now the pond was hardly noticeable perched on the side of the steep hillside and just below the summit of the common, where a spring appears marking a band of clay lying beneath the top layer of the carboniferous limestone strata.

The spring washes across the road but the pond has been filled with mud, plants and probably lain unused for decades. It is great t see the intricate and very solid stone of the pond's boundaries which I had no idea were there at all. At the moment the pond hasn't been cleaned out but I expect it will be in time for the cattle's annual return in a few weeks time. I will try and return to show them using the pond, as they do a couple of others on other areas of the common.