March the Month 7

And Bill said those beautiful words. “I have some coffee”. So now we are gathered around a bench next to a track in Oversley Wood. There has been logging and I can smell the resin from the newly logged trees. Warming my hands on my coffee, I look up. “Are those Buzzards?” I can never tell the difference between Buzzards and Red Kites. They are Buzzards and there are seven or eight of them circling high above us in the pale blue sky, like airliners stacking above Heathrow.

We have had quite productive walk. I have learned a lot. 1. The current price of fertiliser 2. The difference between a Red Kite and a Buzzard 3. That London Irish thrashed Worcester last night 3. A crop of peas can be grown for animal feed. My head is spinning. And we are only half way through our walk.

This is the first time I have shared a March the Month walk and I love it. The steps have slipped beneath our feet, lubricated by easy conversation and laughter. Still chilly, the sun has come out but we are protected from the breeze as we walk along the southern side of the wood. Now, fortified by Bill’s coffee, we continue. Surprisingly, we only meet one or two fellow walkers. One, oblivious to our greeting, glued to her earbuds. Another, an elderly man, struggling with his Nordic poles.

We find out why we have passed so few. The car park is locked. But we leave the wood now and amble gently downhill, whereupon I learn more. The use of chicken pooh in a farming context and is that mushroom compost? Maybe. Sadly our walk comes to a comradely end back in Alcester and we part company. Great fun, we’ll do that again!