A walk in the English Countryside….

Michael and I spent this past week in England. Michael was doing some of his conservation research and I was there as the photographer!!

Michael found a great deal with purchasing airline tickets and we ended up flying First class for less than our normal tickets!! It was great to be able to sit in the Sky-Lounge and get some work done….

We were met at Heathrow by our guide, Joe and he immediately drove us to our “MANOR” in the small village of Tring…..more about that tomorrow!

Seeing this view out the window reminded me that we were in for a fun (although wet) week……

After checking into our “Manor” and doing a quick change of clothes, we headed into the countryside. We were first in search of a Muntjac Deer.

They were native to China, introduced in the UK in the 1800’s and are now considered to be an invasive species. The problem is that they can reproduce year round (most deer only have babies during certain seasons) and they have quickly multiplied. Mix that with the fact that they are very destructive and you know why gardeners and other property managers don’t like them.

The other species he was looking for was a “Chinese Water Deer”……

And yes….he has fangs!! Their round ears, face shape and fangs have given them the nickname of “Vampire Teddy Bear”. Both of these deer “bark” and it was fun to hear them as we walked the fields. This deer was also introduced in the 1800’s and has proven to be adaptable to the English countryside…..ie there are thousands of them!!

As we hit the fields I noticed one thing…..

IT WAS WET……

…..REALLY WET……

I was pleased that my boots were waterproof…..

….although after slogging through fields, the mud added weight to ever single step…..

But, all that wetness meant that it was also green…..

….including some gorgeous fungi…..

….in all different colors…..

Although it was cold, it was fun to see bushes starting to bud out….

I spent much of my time watching these two do their thing…..

….continually “glassing” to look for animals to study.

While waiting, I busied myself taking photos of the area…..

I loved playing with the “panorama” function on my cell phone, holding it sideways and scanning upward….

I particularly loved these “Snow Drops”……

As the days unfolded, we walked along MILES of hedgerows……

and fields of old corn (called Maize)….

I kept stopping to take photos……

…meaning that I had to hurry, hurry, hurry to catch up again!!

We were not alone in the fields. There were houses along the way…..

And typical to the UK, there were public walking trails all across the private land….

You can see one woman walking her dog…..

I spent two days out with Michael and Joe and fully enjoyed my walk in the English Countryside….

Tomorrow we visit the Manor…… be sure to come back for more!!

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Michael and I love to travel and see new parts of the world and then I love to take those memories and turn them into quilts!!! I hope that you enjoy traveling along with us!!

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