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Are we ever going to get a dry expedition again? The forecast
said heavy rain and it did lighten up a bit when we had our
break, but we all got good and wet again. I was really prepared
to draw a blank but we got three stalwarts: Fern, Robbie L.
and Rowan, with Claire, Richard L. and Sharon to carry the
gear and Honey along to play her own special game with a toy
she found.
We had a bit of a setback at the start when Robbie got stung
by an unidentified creature, probably a wasp since they are
ill-tempered at this time of year. Claire found some form
of rudimentary treatment in her kit and he was instantly cured
and away like a rocket. He wasn't the only one in the wars:
poor Fern had a nasty cough and was barking louder than the
dog, but she wouldn't give up.
We made our way along the forest track, which was running
with water and well populated with little frogs and toads,
almost everyone caught one at some time or other. We made
a detour to visit the lookout point but you could barely see
Moidart through the rain. Then we pushed on down the road
to the old house at Derrydaff, where we forced a path through
the bracken and brambles to get inside the building. This
is a big house with no chimney and it might just have been
a long house with animals at the east end - we found a second
doorway there which had been converted into a window. This
is one of the few old local houses showing cruck slots where
the old chimney timbers were placed.
I had hoped to visit the old oak woods below the track but
the undergrowth was soaking and almost impenetrable so we
stuck to the track. When we finally found a usable route it
was too late to make the diversion, so we stopped and had
our wafers.
Then we made our way back to the cars, picking up frogs and
toads on the way. The most spectacular animal we saw was a
small shrew, which came down the path as if it wanted to meet
us. Rowan held back the heather so that everyone got a good
view of it.
The weather was dark and horrid so I didn't take any photographs.
Also, people were pretty wet and cold when we got to the Pantry
and the drawings were rather limited. I picked out Robbie's
picture of the toad.
John
Dye
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