The Woodland Trust at Hucking

A packed day today. A meeting at the Ministry of Justice in Petty France meant I was up at 7.00 and on the road to Greenwich by 8.00 (funny I used to do this every day once) to catch the 8.49 from Mottingham to Charing Cross. The journey to Mottingham was excellent but it was all downhill from there. The 8.49 was cancelled and the following train was delayed by "congestion at London Bridge" and a 5mph speed restriction into Charing Cross station. The train crawled from signal to signal all the way from London Bridge to Charing Cross.meaning that instead of arriving at 9.34 it was 9.50 and I sill had to get to the MoJ for 10.00.

The tube worked well though and I arrived at the MoJ at 10.01 but true to form we were not collected for the meeting until 10.10 anyway. A good meeting, now I have more idea of what's required on this virtual campus for young offenders institutes.

The journey back to Maidstone was just as bad, broken rails, signalling failures and failed trains meant the 12.56 didn't depart until 13.20. But once at Mottingham it was a quick drive home for 2.45 and time for lunch.

Susan asked what I was planning to do for the rest of the afternoon and suggested we went to the Woodland Trust area at Hucking Wood - one of her favourite places. It is a lovely place in spring with the green mist of new growth, the bluebells coming out and all the spring flowers around - cowslips, violets, woodruff, primroses and a host of others. Bird song too, including woodpeckers which we heard but did not see. We came across a couple of lambs who had got out of their field and were being driven by people down the footpath with the hope of getting them back in - their mothers following them down the field all accompanied by a lot of noise.

This shot is where the Trust land opens up onto the top of the North Downs and shows one of the many wood sculptures that can now be found on the site. I liked the juxtaposition of the two seated figures. Totally unposed. It was difficult to select an image today - many shots of sculptures, views and landscape to choose from form rural to urban.

Finished off the walk in the Hook and Hatchet pub at Hucking - just reopened after a year or so of being shut and vandalised. It is a pleasant pub, if a little isolated at the top of the North Downs hidden down narrow and rutted country lanes. I hope the new owners are successful in their venture. It'll be good to see it flourish.