Our first Sunday walk of the year was yet another flippin’ wet day, with continuous light rain. We walked through the dell, admiring the winter trees. Not many birds about, just Wood Pigeons hunkered down in thicker parts of the trees, Crows, Jackdaws and Magpies calling, a Blackbird scuttling across the path and some Blue Tits in a shrub. We also spotted one, or maybe two, Wrens, in the darkest corners of the dell bank. Grey Squirrels were racing around tree trunks and pursuing each other energetically: it’s that time of year. The only wildflowers were some Daisies in the grass, but there were some neat clumps of Snowdrops. Further on we spotted some buds of yellow Crocus showing through the wet grass.
In June last year we saw a shrub near the church gate, and one of the possibilities was that it was a Witch Hazel. If it was, it would have been blooming characteristically today, but it wasn’t. Scratch that idea. One early Forsythia flower was out, far too early, but we weren’t sure it was the same shrub. But there were a couple of winter-flowering shrubs to brighten the day, Viburnum x bodnantense (no common name) and Laurustinus.
We went into the garden centre to use their restrooms, and in the absence of any other dry seats, went to eat our lunches in a shelter on the station platform. On the way we admired a couple of Foxgloves growing on the outside of a garden wall. After lunch, dispirited by the rain, we headed home.
Public transport details: Train from Liverpool Central at 10.15, arriving Port Sunlight station at 10.32. Returned from same station at 12.39, arriving Central at 13.00
Next week we plan to go to Sefton Park, meeting Elliot Street at 10.00.