Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours

Confession: I don't believe that I have ever watched an episode of Neighbours. If Kylie Minogue had been singing Padam Padam when starring in Neighbours, maybe I would have tuned in. At least once!

I do, however, agree with the sentiments in the title of this article and we count ourselves lucky (cue for another Kylie song?) to have such good neighbours here! The recent proposal to convert one of our local pubs to a Hindu Temple has drawn the local Littleworth Common community closer together and we now feel (drawing on all the local households) as if we have another 40 sets of neighbours!

Of course the neighbours who live next door are our closest neighbours and we are fortunate to have Mic on one side and Leanne on the other. While Mic has lived locally for many decades, Leanne is the new girl on the block and has been a great neighbour for the five years she has had to put up with us!

I mentioned to Leanne the idea of sharing photographs of our Common and she leapt at it! Savour this superb collection ...

That's a great set of photos, Leanne. Perfectly capturing the sun and the shade, the frost and the ponds of the Common. We both live on the other side of the Common with great views of the sunset so I really appreciated the morning/sunrise photos. However this collection wouldn't be complete without Leanne's dogs, Dave and Jack. Here they are in this short movie, albeit not in a starring role (the Common is, as ever, the star):

Thanks, Leanne!

I opened this by referring to one of my favourite Australian singers. A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to see (but sadly not meet) one of my favourite Australian actresses: Nicole Kidman. She was probably one of the last actresses to star in a Netflix series (The Perfect Couple) that was part-filmed at the Jolly Woodman. I saw her walk into the Woodman just a couple of months ago, and waved. She didn't wave back. But with neighbours like Leanne, who needs Kylie or Nicole ...  

Little Worth? Totally Uncommon

I recall remarks made years ago that we should “re-brand” Littleworth Common. The name may deflate house prices and it certainly doesn't communicate how exceptional our Common really is. But “MuchWorth Uncommon” doesn’t sound quite as good.

So I'll just have to show a few pictures I've taken over the years to show how exceptional our Common really is.

No matter what the light, whether bright and clear, or foggy and misty, the Common is a wonderful place to walk. If one needs cheering up or escaping, the Common can help lift one's mood. During Covid, in particular, the Common was stunning, and I reflected it must have cheered people up during pandemics, global wars and personal tragedies over many centuries.

No matter what the light, whether close-ups or panoramas, roads, paths or tracks, all beautiful.

With dogs and, in our case, with goats, “creative” or just plain beautiful!

 

Please feel free to share your best photos (maybe ten or so?). I’ll follow up on this post showing yours. I’m trying to create an album for us, but more importantly trying to create a permanent album for the children, grand-children and successors of today's Commonners!

Our beautiful, peaceful Common

We love this video starring Littlewood Common made by our friend and lady of the woods, Mimi. 

Mimi doesn't live in Littleworth Common but she is definitely a friend of the Common who enjoys it and who shares its pleasures both with women (she calls them the Wild Women of the Woods) and children as Forest School Leader. For more information about Mimi, head to Wild Wood Rangers! Or come and meet her on the Common some time!

Mimi wrote very eloquently about Littleworth Common in her objection post to the Jolly Woodman development:

"The many families I work with have been collecting data of the huge biodiversity rich environment of Littleworth common over the last 4 years to ensure we protect these beautiful habitats We have observed many species of macro invertebrates such as water beetle some classified as scarce who inhabit the ponds on the common, the rare star fruit flower also grows in one of the main ponds, the spotted flycatcher, bullfinch, marshtit, kestrels, red kites, swallows (roosting nearby the Jolly Woodman) all nationally scarce birds who have found a home to breed within these local lands. I have recorded the bearded chestnut moth, tiger moth, the green brindled crescent moth and much more. We have recorded grass snakes, slowworms and the very rare crested newts. 

As an amateur lichenologist the common is rich in diverse species along with liverworts and mosses all which provide densely populated ecosystems for microorganisms to larger animals. The list goes on. The detrimental impact of what is proposed is far reaching beyond what we can see. Someone like me who has been observing and recording the wildlife nearly everyday for 4 years would know the changes in and about the season. We are seeing increases in biodiversity especially the funghi kingdom in the last 2 years. 

If you change one species moved out because of destruction, loss of habitat, pollution and the biodiverse ecosystem that is Littleworth Common will crash. Those that have site assessed do not have access to this knowledge and wisdom of these lands. . The preservation of our local historic woodland would be at risk."

Mimi is clearly very knowledgeable on scientific issues and has also put together a very emotional video starring the Common. She "gets" the Common from both perspectives!