A misty morning at the point where a gravelled track passes through a gateway and divides into two, to encircle the wildlife pond, re-joining at the far end, to continue along the valley. The left fork separates the pond from the adjacent stream, but during a wet winter the paths and pond are overwhelmed as the engorged stream bursts its banks, flooding the upstream field and overflowing into and through the pond, now just a deeper part of a wide fast flowing river. This short stretch of boardwalk rises out of the flowing water like a wooden island. With my size 9 wellies I can generally wade to the boardwalk, carefully feeling for the gravel of the submerged path beneath my feet, and, if the flooding is not too excessive, I can continue beyond the raised boards along the path, now a riverbed beneath a foot or so of water, with the dogs splashing excitedly around me, eventually reaching a much longer boardwalk, where the water flowing beneath the boards stretches into the distance as a large lake, the surface broken by gates and hedgerows. In such circumstances this is a place of peace and tranquillity. After all, @shepherdmanswife only has size 5 wellies, too short to even reach the first boardwalk…
