Our walk began beside the church, pausing a while to view

St. John the Baptist, in Norman style, a listed building too

Passing the former school house, a private home today

Beyond the local hostelry, our path before us lay

Crossing a footbridge, the stream was shallow

Far reaching pastures all fell fallow

Past grassy banks adorned with flowers

To marvel at Mother Nature’s powers

After a pond, in a hollow concealed

The final footbridge was revealed

At last to encounter a shimmering sight

The bluebell woods blooming, to our delight

Bright, sweet-smelling, bashful yet bold,

An ocean of sapphire – a sight to behold

A sign of ancient woodland – a habitat special and rare

Is when acres of English bluebells are seen to flourish there

So enter the woodland’s dappled shade

See nature’s beauty thus arrayed

To seek the joy that the bluebells bring

In Middleton Woods in early Spring

Anne Nash – May 2022