The Dell is less than a two minute walk from my parent’s house – the house I spent most of my ‘growing up proper’ years in. Its bowl shape is suggestive of meteors and magic, but it could easily have been man-made in a previous lifetime.
The trees are aged now, and bear the scars from generations of children playing there. It’s changed over the years, areas have been fenced off and efforts have even been made to prevent children making their dens and planning their adventures. Houses have been built too close, and fences now block our numerous escape routes, but it remains a favourite place of mine.
It’s no real surprise then that my children love it too. They scale the exposed tree roots to scramble up the sheer sides and race along the top edges, ducking under holly bushes, scraping shins and elbows as they go, before racing, full pelt and yodelling down the far embankment to restart their game.
We’re lucky it’s there, even in its altered state, and I have taken countless photographs there. The one I’ve chosen was taken almost a year ago. There was an unnatural glut of ladybirds, you saw them everywhere you went, and East Anglia was really badly affected.
We heard tales of the carcasses of millions of them being swept from Cromer Pier and other Norfolk holiday hotspots, but here in The Dell they created a magical carpet. The 3yo LOVES ladybirds – she cannot walk by a ladybird without paying it extra special attention and making an attempt to bring it home with her, and in August 2009 she was in ladybird heaven.
In this image her siblings have long since run off to do the whole scramble/race/yodel thing, leaving her to count ladybirds. Her attention is unwavering, and I love how carefully she is lifting her shoe to ensure that she doesn’t crunch down on a cosseted coccinellida.
and also, because it fits with the theme, here’s another dell picture – unidentified funghi:
This post was written for Tara’s Gallery – Week 21. The theme this week is ‘Nature’
Lovely post P! Nature in all her glory!
Gorgeous. Have actually said ‘crunch down on a cosseted coccinellida’ out loud several times (like a loon) because it’s such a fab combination of alliteration and onomatopoeia!
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Lovely….reminds me of this…..”So they went off together. But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on top of the Forest a little boy and his Bear will always be playing” – final para, House at Pooh Corner, AA Milne.
ahh, how lovely.
Beautiful, all of it, Paula.
Great pictures of nature at it’s best. x
Lovely post and what a great black and white shot 😉
Superb pictures done with colourful aplomb! We’re off to this neck of the woods next week! Must check this out, or is it a closely guarded secret? 😉
Nice – are you sure there weren’t any passing American tourists? The funghi looks like nasty American yellow mustard…
Love the first photo, so cute:) Second one, american mustard maybe, but def indian curry powder 😀 Jen
I love the detail of her picking her shoe up and the fact that that tells you everything you really need to do in that movement. I wish we could notice it all, all the time like this. x
That just sounds magical. Perfect places from our childhood. How lovely that your children get to experience it too.
You accuse me of making up real words? I’ve learnt a new one today. The top photo is gorgeous.
I’m late to this one…what a gem! I love this post and the top photo is beautiful!