THE HEATHERS CLOAK THE HILLSIDE

 

The Heathers cloak the hillside

And Buttercups dot the meadow

The Bluebells carpet the woods

And Orchids pepper the hedgerow

In an understatement of radiance

Where the wild flowers grow

THE SURREY HILLS

 

I walked along a hill top path

With my old dog Jake

Beneath a cloudless sky of azure blue

The path led us into a sparsely wooden copse

Its leafy canopy defused the strong sun

And provided welcome shade

I decided to rest a while in the cool shadows

I slipped off my back pack

And sat against a trees trunk

I wiped the sweat from my brow

Before taking a bottle from my pack

I poured water into a bowl for Jake

And took a generous swallow for myself

Then I lit my pipe and relaxed

In an aromatic cloud and enjoyed the scene

Specks of sunlight dappled the ground

And midges danced around the sunbeams

As Jake chased the shadows

The time came to move along

And we followed the path back into the sun

And onward along the ridge

After a long slow crawl up the ever steepening path

We reached the summit and were duly rewarded

To see the countryside stretching far to the south

Spread like a great patchwork quilt

This perfect view from the Surrey hills

BENEATH THE LEAFY CANOPY

 

Beneath the leafy canopy

Moonlight pierced the darkness

And shafts of lunar light

Like a brilliant laser show

Illuminated the forest floor

BENEATH THE FOREST CANOPY

 

Beneath the forest canopy

In the Emerald darkness

Of the ancient wood

It was refreshingly cool

But shadow soon gave way

To the dappled shade

Where the sun pierced

The leafy veil

Littering the floor

With Golden discs of light

And when the forest thinned

We came upon a Deer

Grazing in a forest glade

IN THE EUROPEAN FORESTS

 

In the European forests

The wild boar can be vicious

But it’s worth the risk

As they’re bloody delicious

WISPS OF WHITE

 

Wisps of White

Decorate the azure blue

Like absent minded stokes

Of an artist’s brush

While the sun bathes the land

With its benevolence

AT DR DOOLITTLE’S ANIMAL CLINIC

At Dr Doolittle’s animal clinic

The Animals do the lot

The chief vet is a Labrador

Assisted by a dog called spot

 

But it’s not a cheap option

With extra charges of all sorts

For PET scans and Polly grams

Cat scans and Lab reports