I thought I’d share my weekend walk through Woldingham, a village well within the confines of London’s orbital motorway. Alas, with houses starting at $2million or so, I can’t afford to live here.
Back in the eighteenth century it was said, “If we plant a tree here – and here – and here, in two hundred years we will have a landscape of rare beauty and they will say of us that “Such, however, was the effect of this genius that when they were the happiest men, they will be least remembered; so closely did they copy nature that their works will be mistaken”.
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And others have given portions of this landscape for the enjoyment of all of us.
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And at this time of year, the woodland beauty reaches its peak with a green so fresh that it’s almost painful and a carpet of bluebells that so arrests your attention that you trip and measure your length in the nettles. Urticaria is not a flower…
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Round the next corner is grove of oaks that was planted – planted for shipbuilding but luckily, for me, not harvested – before Columbus was born.
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A spread of wild garlic with a smell – you can’t call it a scent – so strong that it takes your mind off the nettle-rash for a few moments. Wild garlic flowers in a tempura batter deep fried for a few seconds and dipped in wild garlic mayonnaise! Mmmmm…
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Hey it’s Sunday. Let’s go fishing!
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Ah, let’s not…
Neil 🙂
p.s. Obviously, please feel free to disagree with my comments about this being the most beautiful country. I’m biased.
However, you will have to provide proof.