We woke up at 4am, snoozed the alarm for another 8 minutes and stumbled about in the dark to make a brew and get dressed. Armed with flasks of hot coffee, torches and a blanket we set off to the top of Wild heart hill to start our last full day at the campsite as early as possible.
We have been at Wild heart hill for 19 weeks having arrived just before Christmas to the event of the third lockdown in England. It's one of our favourite places to be, our home from home. We feel so lucky to have somewhere to hole up and wait out the winter. Coming into spring we are watching the fields, trees and plants come alive. It's such a pleasure to have the time to enjoy nature. We love it here ❤.
Today we sat at the top of Wild heart hill and listened to the dawn chorus in fridge temperatures (3 degrees!) 🥶 and we reflected on our time over the last few months.
Daphne in the early morning sunrise
Ivan heading out of the campsite on our 1959 Matchless motorcycle. We have been using this bike for our main transport to and from the site.
In the last month we have dug out our Ural sidecar out of storage and got it ready to take with us when we go on our travels. Luckily our dog Otto has taken to it well and he is snug in the sidecar on one of our laps 😊 We have encountered all kinds of weather over the winter, however a fresh dusting of snow took us by surprise in April and the early mornings and night times have been chilly 🥶 By contrast this photo was heavy frost, taken in January on the south downs.
However, spring is finally here and coats are off, in the daytime at least!
Otto checking out the daffodils on Wild heart hill 🌱
The fields are coming alive with cowslips and violets on the hillside
We are foraging in earnest and making the most of the abundant wild garlic and dandelions 🌿.
Finally, we can see friends again and go to the pub 🍻🥂. Photo by Karen
Otto spent time with his best mate Dave 🤩. Photo by Vanessa
We can go on walks in groups of up to six. Photo by Carol
Picnics outside are allowed 🥖🍏. Jane with her sister Carol and Mum & Dad. Plus Otto and Casper 🐾
Ivan, Otto and Ivan's Mum plus Trixie the dog in the bluebell woods 🌿
Our neighbour Bill giving treats to Otto and his lovely dog Tilly 🐾
We spent some fun time around the campsite with our nephew Lewis 😀
Altogether the time has flown by and we are looking forward to travelling again. Restrictions are lifting. Most campsites are opening with limited facilities. Shops and pubs are opening up. So, tomorrow we are off again. We are trailering our sidecar and motorcycle behind Daphne and heading west to Wales. Hoping for adventure we will see what we can find. We will keep you posted.
Thank you for reading and stay safe and well 😊.
One last photo of the sun rising behind our tree of life at the campsite ❤
