It was a day of colours.
Yes, it is autumn now, and the trees are turning, but the colours I saw today were actually the colours of animals.
While I was busy feeding Sonny and Jack, our heavy horses, I glanced across the field and spotted a white fallow deer grazing alongside a black one in the neighbouring field.
My plans for the day meant I had my new Sony bridge camera with me, rather than my lovely Nikon with its huge lens. I grabbed it and managed to take some photographs and a short video before the two deer disappeared back into the woodland.
Black fallow deer are common in this area, but a white one is a rarity, much like the white red deer stag recently photographed and featured in the headlines. I wasn't expecting anything like that sort of attention; I was simply delighted to see this beautiful, unusually coloured creature grazing so peacefully in the field.
Once the horses were happy, I decided to head over to Lydford Gorge. I hadn't been there for years, and the beautiful valley didn't disappoint. Sadly, the visit was marred by an encounter with a couple of walkers whose dogs were off lead, despite the Gorge's strict dogs-on-leads policy.
Their dogs approached Willow, and although the owners called them, the dogs ignored them. When I pointed out the leads policy, I was met with rudeness and asked what my problem was. It was an unpleasant encounter that genuinely upset me and took much of the enjoyment out of my visit.
Willow can be reactive around certain dogs, so I am always careful about introductions and do my best to keep her and other dogs safe. That's why leads policies matter: they help everyone enjoy these places safely, without putting dogs or their owners in unnecessarily difficult situations.
In the afternoon, I headed out again with Willow and spotted a grey heron on the river. I managed to capture a photograph from a considerable distance before it flew off.
As we returned from our walk, we came across a couple of red deer hinds with their calves, grazing peacefully amongst the gorse.
A peaceful scene at the end of a day full of unexpected sights.