Wild Moment: Rachel Hickley
Returning wildlife in a restored Worcestershire wetland creates a haven of peace in changing times.
For 20 years we have spent Christmas Day with friends, our plans for the day evolving over the years into traditions: soup, cheese and fresh bread for lunch (it’s an early start for the bread maker); a short walk followed by tea and cake; then round to theirs for a celebratory meal in the evening, all accompanied by plenty of talk and laughter.
During 2019 John’s health deteriorated quickly and he went into a care home. We supported his wife as much as we could but she found it hard, could not face Christmas and announced that she was spending the festive period with friends in France for a complete change of scene.
We encouraged her, agreeing that doing something completely different was for the best, but it faced us with a real dilemma: what were we going to do on Christmas Day?
Last winter was long: not cold, but wet and miserable with constant grey skies and thick mud underfoot. Dreich is the Scots word for it. On Christmas Day clear skies and sunshine were forecast – a break in the gloom for just one day - and the prediction was correct.
We cycled quiet, empty lanes, enjoying the blue above and the clear views. There was even a bit of warmth from the sun, enticing a peacock butterfly out of hibernation. Our route took us across Longdon Marsh, flooded fields providing a perfect mirror reflection of the hills behind in the still air.
We sat in the sunshine in a churchyard, watched flies buzzing round glossy ivy leaves and enjoyed a flask of coffee and mince-pies, smug in the knowledge that the slow cooker was bubbling away at home cooking our evening meal.
Four months to the day later, we cycled the same route on a day of sunshine and warmth, along similarly quiet roads, almost devoid of cars or people. The fields on Longdon Marsh were sere and dry after the warmest April on record. Orange tips and brimstones fluttered along the hedgerows.
We stopped briefly in the same churchyard, now a golden haze of buttercups, the air heavy with the scent of May blossom and full of birdsong and enjoyed the moment – a haven of peace in this Covid-crazy world.
Photograph of Longdon Marsh by Rex Hickley