This is not an entry I had planned today. It was while thinking about what to write about this evening that a post appeared on my Facebook feed. Robert Wilton was writing on Paula Wolton's account to inform that Paula had passed away on September 21st. I can't say why but it really shocked me reading this. I know Robert and Paula through work. Robert is a hedge-wildlife specialist and I recorded a couple of Living World's and other natural history pieces with him. Both he and Paula were very friendly and accommodating at their idyllic Locks Park farm near Oakhampton in Devon. Paula was the farmer, first running some beautiful Devon red cows, then moving to Dartmoor whiteface sheep which coincided with her project One Hut Full to re-establish this breed for its wool, and promote sustainable traditional Dartmoor farming. I recorded an interview with her about this when working on the Farming Today programme. But they were more than plain interviewees. They loved wildlife, I have fond memories of sitting drinking coffee, or lunch provided by Paula in their lovely kitchen watching all manner of birdlife coming to the feeders just inches from the window. Aside from hedges, Robert championed dormice on the farm, creating wide base hedges perfect for their habitat needs. Paula told a lovely story of how when they first moved to the farm swallows would enter the bedroom and fly above their heads as they lay in bed with the swallows prospecting for nest sites, all told with a joy in Paula celebrating what nature does best, bring joy to a life. Which is what Paula did and that makes me so sorry to hear she's no longer with us. A truly lovely lady, a truly lovely couple.
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