The rain forest

After midnight, the moon rises above the hill behind the steading.  The sky is clear.  Stars are out. It is mildly breezy.  Everyone has gone to bed.  Except the moon.

The wind got up and brought cloud and rain this morning.  We fought our way through the wooded wilderness.  It is wet and muddy underfoot, with the added hazards of brambles and fallen trees.

It was tragic to see this huge tree felled by age and the weight of its branches in leaf.  (Not like we had a big storm or anything recently.)

The damp and shade loving plants thriving under native hazels and birches - a natural rain forest.  Delighted to see Sweet Woodruff coming into flower and to smell the heady scent of the bluebells.