We went for a bit of a walk on the edge of heath where the fire was back in the summer. I'm glad to say that the big Chestnut tree has survived the scorching and this is the best year for chestnuts I can remember- if you have a tree nearby go there directly and pick up some chestnuts- if you boil them after cutting a small "X" in the bottom of the shell they peel more easily. If you have a lot (our kitchen contains a fair few now) then you can freeze some for Christmas.

The sun over the skeletons of nearby trees.

It is possible to get an idea of how far the fire spread, although it was actually a lot bigger than this conveys.

The blackened stems of burned gorse bushes made for an interesting texture.

The sun in the branches of a blackened birch tree.

It has also been a very fine year for fungi, this was one of many spectacular Fly Agarics on the common.

The sun over the skeletons of nearby trees.

It is possible to get an idea of how far the fire spread, although it was actually a lot bigger than this conveys.

The blackened stems of burned gorse bushes made for an interesting texture.

The sun in the branches of a blackened birch tree.

It has also been a very fine year for fungi, this was one of many spectacular Fly Agarics on the common.