Fairy rings

One morning each autumn, on the East Street towpath, a Christmas wreath-like fairy ring springs up next to one of the old wooden pilings. English folklore: cavorting fairies; German tradition: witches; the Danes: devils. The true provenance, though, is stranger still. Neither plant nor animal, fairy rings begin in a tight cluster, ground-level fruit of …

Hunting rabbits

Wildlife inhabits the woods, scrub, sward, brush, and hedgerow of Grandpont nature park, four footbridges from Osney. Approaching a Grandpont meadow this evening, the grass appears dotted with wholemeal cobs. Closing in, they spring to life; a flash of white tail and they dart back down the rabbit hole. The younger, braver bucks and does …

Winter’s a comin’

Heat shimmers off the unmoving Isis. Beneath the surface, abundant perch and trout and crayfish outdistance the hungry anglers stalking along the towpath further down the river below Osney Lock. Fruit, flowers, flies, 'n' fishes, all are ripe in today's bleach-white sun. Branches are heavy and harvest-ready. Winter must be just round the corner.

The bridges of Osney Island

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