Choose a place in the forest to sit. With the sap rising, deciduous trees are quickening into bud and bloom. The wild white cherry blossom is just bursting out of brown bracts and like tiny yellow mice a pair of chiff-chaffs forage for insects, the male bursting into jubilant song between every few mouthfuls. A rose-madder male bullfinch scatters the emerging petals like confetti.

Two pink-breasted wood pigeons sidle along the bare branches of the grey ash feasting on the delicate festoons of tiny maroon flowers clustered at the twig tips.

A larch pushes out sweep’s brushes of viridian green hosting couples of coal tits hissing excitedly as they pick out lunch from between the needles. 

And on the willow, blue tits and great tits raise puffs of pollen as they swing amongst the pale stamens, silhouetted against a spring blue sky.

What a wild recipe book, with colour illustrations fit to make Ray Mears green with envy, it all makes!