Enter Xenon by Custard Flux

 

Detroits' renaissance man Gregory Curvey returns with his sixth serving of custard flux, the fantastic Enter Xenon. Custard Flux developed from a project of Luck of Eden Hall front man Gregory Curvey to restore a 100 year old harpsichord. From that restoration Helium was born, a solo album written and performed entirely by Curvey. Since then Custard Flux has developed and evolved, five albums later the sound has transmuted some and an ensemble has burgeoned: Nick Pruett on drums and percussion, Timothy Prettyman on bass guitar, Vito Greco on guitar, Andy Thompson on the mellotron, and Curvey on vocals, guitar, synthesizers mellotron, and tape Loops. Evidence if needed that mighty oaks from little acorns grow. Now, it's impossible to pigeon hole the Flux sound, beyond that it has Curvey running through it like Brighton through rock. There's so much going on.  Enter Xenon is a suite of unique and deftly arranged numbers which seamlessly blend progressive, psychedelic, pop, and rock flavours with a smidgen of je ne sais quoi. Enter Xenon is an exercise in musical alchemy. Pure magic. Playful sounding fast paced jangle psyche tracks juxtapose with prog-tastic flights of fantasy, there's noticeable space rock aesthetic running through the entire album too. Take The Oblivion Capsule, a wonderfully drifty space rock number with a spoonful of early 90's ambient psyche making it a blissful listen. As you'd expect from Curvey there's no filler, every track furthers your journey of aural exploration until you enter the The Floating Chamber. The pièce de résistance, The Floating Chamber is a progressive space rock opus which glides gracefully through a psychedelic expanse, pulling you in its' wake until you're slingshot into infinity. Smashing track. If I had one complaint it would that I'd have liked the titular Enter Xenon, a psychedelic synth number with an after rave chill out ambience, to be longer. As you'd imagine all the tracks are beautifully crafted, wondrously lyrical, performed to perfection with superb production, a testament to the calibre of the musicians, every instrument shines brightly, and together they've created magic. Custard Flux represents the gold standard of progressive psyche, and I doff my cap to another exceptional album. Check it out here, and whilst you're there be sure check out the back Custard Flux catalogue too.

Gnarly Oak

A Denny Wood oak. Gnarly.

Mately Passage

 

Well established Alder (Alnus glutinosa) coppice flank the headwaters of the Beaulieu River as it  runs through Mately Passage. These stands haven't been coppiced for many years, they're what they class as notable alder now. Once it was wood much prized for the quality of the charcoal it produced, an important forest industry. I don't know about nowadays. This morning it was quiet, verdant and lush through Mately Passage, and the stands felt cool and airy. It was lovely walking.

Lulworth Ranges Chieftain bridgelayer

 

The Armoured Fighting Vehicles Gunnery School was established towards the end of the First World War in 1918, it's ranges are utilized by all three branches of our armed services. Used as targets you'll spot old battered tanks scattered about the landscape, look carefully and spot mechanisms for moving targets. Most of the tanks are way off the marked safe routes, well within the range, though this Chieftain AVLB Bridgelayer was close enough to the path to take a look. 

Range walk

 

Today's walk was not a long one, though a challenging one. A particularly hilly route through Lulworths' military range; Whiteways car park to Flowers Barrow to Arish Mell to Bindon Hill to Mupe Bay. We paused at Mupe for a welcome rest, some refreshments and a chilly dip in the crystal clear sea. Noice. Then; Mupe Bay to Bindon to Arish Mell to Flowers Barrow to Worbarrow Bay to Tyneham to Whiteways car park. That's only 8.7 miles but with a 2,256 ft elevation gain. Bloody lovely though, top of the leader board of this years walks.

Summer Solstice

It’s 0430 in the morning. Geoff and I make our way up around the Encombe Bowl to Swyre Head in order to see in the sunrise. There's a cool breeze, though it's warm enough for me to be wearing a T-shirt. The air reverberates to the sound of the dawn chorus, heard though unseen residents move amongst the undergrowth. Above us a bird of prey glides silently careful searching for breakfast. It's beautiful out. Dawns don’t get better than this. The horizon to the east is slowly turning orange red, we've reached the head just in time as a few minutes later dawn breaks. Crowned by the Goddess, today the Sun is at his zenith, King of summer. Tomorrow though the Holly Kings' reign begins, and we slowly process towards the waning year; make time to enjoy, as the wheel never stops turning. Solstice blessings. /|\

Mast

 

It's looking a good year for Mast, the forests' Beech (Fagus sylvatica) are putting on a good show; of course, time will tell. Though fiddly and time consuming to process, 'beechnuts' are potentially a valuable wild food resource. Found in prehistoric contexts beechnuts have a long history of use; traditionally they're dry pan toasted, crushed and roasted for a coffee substitute, pressed for oil, and more. Come autumn the pigs at pannage love them too. 

Brinken Wood

 

Brinken Wood

Stag Beetle

 

I noticed Bo (our young cat) was walking uncertainly around something in the garden, I had to investigate. To my surprise, and joy, looking down I saw a male Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus) with its antlers raised in defence and defiance; no wonder Bo was so hesitant. Britains' largest beetle, now a protected species listed as 'nationally scarce', though when I was a child I remember them as a common sight. There was one amongst our log pile some years back, and I've seen several grubs over the years too. It's a privilege to have these magnificent creatures frequent our garden. 

All aboard

They'll have a long wait, passengers haven't boarded at Holmsley since May '64.

Pyramidal orchid

A Pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), an orchid fond of chalk grassland, so right at home on the rampart of Chiselbury Camp.

Anthonys' Bee Bottom

Looking down over Anthonys' Bee Bottom and Holmesley Bog from Turf Hill the forest was a bit overcast and moody this morning, though the sun trying to breakthrough showed the potential for better to come.

Haws

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) appears to be having a good year so far, trees covered in blossom at Beltane are now heavy with burgeoning haws as the Solstice approaches.

Bolderwood Hill

Bolderwood Hill

Oysters

It doesn't matter what the season, nor where you go in the forest, after the rain you'll commonly find Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), mostly on the trunks of fallen beeches. 

Heath Spotted Orchid

The acid soils of the New Forest heathland and bog are perfect for Heath Spotted Orchids (Dactylorhiza maculata), which are currently popping up all over the place. There's a rolling succession of flora in the forest, everything has it's time to shine, and it's their time now. 

Replanting

I'd imagined that the harvesting of conifer stands in Brock Hill and Vinney Ridge enclosures was motivated by restoration of woodland pasture, but some stands are already being replanted with oaks in the case of the tubes I looked down. Of course that doesn't meant this isn't part the woodland pasture program, restoring deciduous woodland is part of it. More broadly, the amount of forestry work going on a round the forest is on a scale I can't remember, nowhere appears to have escaped the woodmans' axe.

Woodminton Down

Woodminton Down, with the Chalke Valley beyond.

 

14 pebbles reborn

Back in July of 2023 I came across a small circle of rounded pebbles that someone had created on the hollowed out stump of ancient tree; often disturbed I'd frequently tidy or reconstitute the circle, adding pebbles when some had gone missing. At the beginning of the year I discovered all the pebbles gone, and vowed to restore the circle. In the meantime someone else who must've also been attracted to the woodland feature created a rough circle of sub angular stones as a replacement.  This morning I formed a new circle of rounded pebbles of different types I'd gathered from Mupe Bay.  I hope the others approve. 

Wartime relic

I glanced down as we navigated the undercliff of Mupe Bay and spotted a 1945 type guilded metal clad steel .303 cal. projectile.  You can tell it's 1945, or after, by the position of the crimp; pre-1945 the crimp would have been lower down the projectile. The bullet was unmarked, I suppose it could've hit something soft, though I think it was more likely a dropped round later set off in a bush fire on the coastal grassland above. I saw lots of examples of that on Godlingston Heath, another wartime training ground, projectile and case often laying less than a meter apart.

Mupe

Just look at that. 185 million years of strata, Earths' ancient geological history on show, representing the entire Mesozoic era. It's no wonder that the Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage site; a landscape of international geological importance, particularly the section between Mupe Bay and Dungy Head, where the strata is buckled and folded highlighting the raw power our planet is capable of. Mupe was our destination this morning, such a lovely spot, and what a lovely day for it. I've always loved this place, it's wild and rugged, with moods that change with the weather; welcoming today, though in stormy conditions another place altogether.