FOR most of the last week the sun has been hiding under a canopy of cloud. There have been some bright spells, also 9.5mm rain in midweek.

The trees look increasingly beautiful in their livery of autumn colours, probably more vibrant than for many years.

I have recently attended the annual forum of the North Wessex Downs AONB , where we were informed of the heritage of the area , particularly the historic landscape characteristics.

The forum was held in Pewsey, which sits in the heart of the Pewsey Vale. Although it looks like a small town Pewsey was never granted a charter to hold a market, so a village it is.

In the afternoon the attendees were taken on guided walks , one was around the village, the other to visit the Pewsey White Horse.

I choose the latter, with a walk of about a one mile to the site from the Bouverie Hall. The Pewsey White Horse is one of the smallest white horses, sitting on a steep slope to the south, cut in 1937 to celebrate the Coronation of King George V1.

It measures 66ft long, 45ft wide and looks out towards the Alton Barnes horse . Some of the eight white horses to be found in the North Wessx Downs AONB date back 250 years,with Westbury the oldest and Devizes the most recent, carved to celebrate the millennium.

It was a lovely day for a walk and the steep climb to the Pewsey horse was well worth the effort with stunning views across the surrounding countryside.

Here on Manor farm, following maize harvest, Richard has ploughed, cultivated and planted two of of the fields with winter cereals.

We employed our neighbour Harry to plant the third field with his combination drill as the weather was about to deteriorate.

This drill can do the final cultivation and plant at the same time, also of benefit to the ground as one pass will mean less compaction. The plough has been cleaned , greased and put away til next spring.

One of my jobs is to check the two groups of ewes and rams now grazing on Manor Farm. This, so far, has not been an arduous task, as I enjoy walking around the farm taking in the changing seasons.

The two fields currently occupied by the sheep are some distance apart, so the walk is invigorating.

Checking the sheep for any signs of illness or injury takes me a while as the fields have hidden dips and I have to make sure I have seen every sheep.

While walking I have seen and heard many birds including skylarks, wrens, robins, pied wagtails and finches. Small birds have bred and survived the milder winters of late, with increasing numbers seen around the farm.

When crossing our newly established grass leys I have noticed a great deal of chickweed growing through the grass.

Chickweed is a cool season annual plant, native to Europe, germinating in autumn or late winter. It forms large mats of foliage, has small white flowers followed quickly by seed pods, which can set at the same time.

It particularly likes disturbed ground and grows vigorously, often out-competing young grass as it has larger leaves.

The Stowell Farm sheep will mob graze these new leys, which should help control the chickweed. Eaten by sheep or calves in very large quantities it can cause digestive upsets, as it contains saponins.

It has been used to treat itchy skin and pulmonary conditions, although it's medical effectiveness has never been scientifically proven. The name chickweed originates from the fact that the seeds were fed to chicken and caged birds.