11.20 a.m, mid-height stratus, cool breeze: I’m reminded of the piece of childhood writing that I re-read the other day (Blue Remembered Hills):
‘I found a dry bog plant and a stone with water trickling down the middle and green on the stone around it’
That was when I was aged nine and here I am, over half a century later, still fascinated by the plants and rocks of millstone grit moorland. No wonder I feel as if I’ve come back down to earth every time that we get out here.
I add colour using watercolour pencils but, once again, I’ve forgotten to bring my water-brush so I dab it with a finger moistened in a puddle on the moorland track.
Giant Club Moss Fossil
I draw the club moss fossil in the comfort of the Bank View Cafe at the end of the walk. I’ve spotted a few impressions of Carboniferous plants in the millstone grit blocks that make up some stretches of the path at Langsett and someone has brought together a small selection of plant fossils on the windowsill in the cafe. Shouldn’t every cafe should have a collection of local fossils, rocks and minerals?
We live in Ontario,Canada, in the small city of Owen Sound which sits just below the Bruce Peninsula. This area is full of fossils and interesting rocks, and I love finding fossils and leaving a small gathering for other people to notice. I am also very interested in what others have found. Yes, I agree that cafes in the area should have these interesting collections. The Bruce Peninsula is supposed to be a protected area and collecting rocks and fossils is frowned upon, but leaving a few close to where they were found isn’t too bad perhaps?