THE hot July sun beat down fiercely on my head in Chipping, despite the fact that it was early morning.

Swifts screamed overhead and were soaring to a great height. An old countryman once told me that when swifts and swallows fly high the weather is good but when the atmosphere is heavy and rain threatens the birds fly low.

They are obviously reacting to the position of flying insects on which they feed.

I shared my breakfast with a flock of chaffinches, obviously having completed rearing their first brood of youngsters. The name chaffinch takes us back to the time when the old harvesting techniques left lots of seeds and chaff lying in the fields. The chaffinches made good use of this bonanza.

Chipping is the place to explore another slice of ancient industry. Berrys' chairworks began operations in the village as long ago as 1840.

The company now exports throughout the world and as I reached the site I could smell sawdust. I climbed down a set of stone steps to reach the stream which once provided the power for the chairworks.

By the side of the stream a pied wagtail explored the stones in search of food. This black and white species always looks neat and tidy. In the old days it was known as "washer woman" because Elizabethan women used rivers to rinse their washing and they habitually wore black and white.

There is plenty of parking in Chipping with the main area within easy reach of the church.

The word Chipping actually means "market" and in the days before fast transport people made one weekly visit to the centre of trade and religion. The sundial in the churchyard indicates this dual function. The top tells the time while the base steps are part of the ancient market cross.

Also part of the church "furniture" is an ancient yew tree and as darkness fell a tawny owl called from the dark foliage and a blackbird issued a strident alarm call in response to the presence of the predator.

It was then around 10pm and I realised that I had spent more than 12 hours exploring this glorious countryside.

The summer's first blooms of evening primrose are now appearing and, as the name, implies the flowers do open at night. The colour of this species is primrose but it is not a member of the primula family. The evening primrose was brought to Britain from North America. The oil of the plant was used by the "red Indians" to help women following childbirth. This is interesting in the sense that it is still used to treat female complaints.

Although I had a long day in Chipping it was worth every second spent in unlocking nature's secrets.