I found myself missing summer as I walked by North Pond today. The weather was wet and dull, but the temperature was 13 degrees C. The above image is of the southern end of the North Pond Chain in summer.

A huge crane derrick dominated the northern marsh skyline. A new bypass is being constructed and the crane is there to assist in the building of a new bridge across the canal and river, a little way beyond  the northern boundary of the Reserve.

Work has started on improving our 16 acre island. Trees have been felled and skylined  across the river to be stacked in readiness for transportation off-site. The once hidden island ponds and pools are now becoming visible again.

In the image below, I’m standing in the corridor to the Tenant Farmer’s Field and looking west across the River Stour to the island. The green colour beyond the riverbank is one of the pools that can now see the light of day.