Working in the dark...

Another long day recording trees at Chatsworth. As Chris's foot was still delicate, Alex's ankle painful, and the terrain was likely to be rough in places, Pete and I went off alone, just after seven. I have to say I find it rather amusing that the two oldies were the only ones intact enough to do all of the most difficult parts of the survey!!

When we arrived there was still quite dense fog, particularly in the river valley. My photographic fingers were twitching, but there just wasn't time to get a good viewpoint. By the time we'd signed in and climbed up to our first trees, the mist had evaporated...

We slogged our way round the site, glad that it was a perfect autumn day - just the right temperature and with enough breeze to stop us getting overheated on the more strenuous sections. The fungi were starting to appear - I've never seen so many beefsteak fungi in my life! Unfortunately all my time was devoted to the recording, which continued after the sun had set. I'm sure I was doing the last few lichens by touch!

Anyway, this was a snatched view of the gloaming, enlivened by a tiny S-shaped cloud, a sheet of pearly cirro-cumulus clouds, and the silhouettes of the parkland trees. As we walked back down to the car in the dusk we were surrounded by the ghost like shapes of the pale fallow deer while the more substantial red deer warned us off with guttural groans.

The journey home was uneventful and when we finally returned, about half-past ten, there was a beautifully cooked meal waiting - venison sausages braised in red wine, mashed potatoes, carrots with rosemary and green beans. I don't think Chris will ever starve!!