Sika Deer at Arne

A few pictures of the Sika Deer during the rut at Arne.
At first the sun shone but then we had a very heavy down pour. Fortunately we were in a hide at the time and so we stayed dried and eventually the sun came out again.

Stourhead

John has a few days holiday so we took a trip to Stourhead (national trust property) Some beautiful autumn colours in the sunshine. Of course just after we arrived it poured with rain! However the sun did reappear for a while and we were able to walk around the lake.

Protests in the Forest

At the end of August the National Park Authority published their Draft documents for the future of the New Forest. 300 pages of gobbledegook! They propose sweeping changes to the way people use the Forest. Horse owners face many restrictions on how they keep their animals , dog walkers will be barred from parts of the Forest.They talk about Road Pricing and the closure of more car parks,also closing many minor roads to car users, the list is endless. If the proposals go ahead much of the forest will be a no go area and people will no longer be able to use it. Their argument is that the Forest must be preserved. For 1000 years the Forest has survived and people have enjoyed it If these proposals go ahead, very few will continue to enjoy it .
Today about 1000 people joined a protest organised by the Horse riders, where both our elected Members of Parliament pledge their support and called for the abolition of the Authority. Next week the Dog walkers are arranging an all day meeting to help people fill in the complicated objection forms.
Other protests will follow as we fight for our rights to enjoy the Forest