AS MARCH gave way to April and the clocks sprang forward, I made my way alongside the M65 between Burnley and Nelson and followed the course of Pendle Water.

This pleasant little stream has a weir which once accelerated the current to provide power for a mill waterwheel.

The mill has gone but the workers' cottages remain.

Close to the weir I watched a dipper and a grey wagtail and followed the footpath into Brierfield Woods, which I feel is one of Lancashire's gems and very much underrated.

The woodland is dominated by birch, a graceful tree which should be regarded as one of the most beautiful and useful. It can grow well in exposed areas. It does not live as long as oak, beech or ash but while they are growing the birch provides them with vital shelter. It is often described by foresters as the nursery tree. It was also used by schoolmasters of old who used the supple twigs of the tree to "birch" their naughty pupils.

Packs of branches were also tied together to make besoms.

In remote areas, priests were not always easy to come by and couples were allowed to live together until a priest came - but they had to undergo a ritual in full view of their family and friends.

They placed the birch brush on the ground and stepped over it.

This satisfied everyone that the couple were "wed until they could be properly churched.

"We still say that unmarried couples are "living over the brush."

Around the woods at Brierfield were a number of tiny streams which were full of frog spawn. The year 1996 has so far been cold and slow to get cracking but the frogs and toads are now in full swing.

The spies tell me that flowers are now waking up and, although there is some frost still to come, spring is now well and truly with us.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.