Minnow

The forest streams appear to have healthy stocks of Minnow, a good sign.

Coltsfoot

Coltsfoot is a common plant on wet waste ground and spreads easily producing 1,500 to 3,500 seeds per year, also spreading by rhizome and long runners. Both the flower and leaf have practical applications. The plant acts as a relaxing expectorant, antitussive, demulcent, anticatarrhal, diuretic and is used to treat bronchitis, laryngitis, pertussis, asthma. Specifically indicated in chronic spasmodic bronchial cough; as such it may be found as a major ingredient of many herbal cigarettes and also taken as an infusion or tincture. The flowers are collected in spring, whilst the leaf can be collected until July.

Caution should be taken when using Coltsfoot as there is concern that they contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids and may cause liver damage, although research suggests that they are destroyed by boiling.

Sunken Sentinal

Time and tide wait for no man, nor any of mans works. Once part of a last ditch defence line, this World War 2 concrete type 22 pillbox, one of some 1,209 recorded constructed, has, over the last 70 years, traveled down the cliff and is slowly disappearing under the sand and off into the sea. I remember when you could still crawl inside at low tide; I've not seen the door or firing embrasures for a few years now.

Wonderful Woodland

More '44

Another, or rather, the remains of another piece of wartime graffiti from Burley Old Enclosure; unfortunately, time has taken its toll and all that remains visible is '44'. So far that makes 4 pieces dated '44, surely not mere coincidence, points more to either military exercise or some such. I'm sure there is, or was, more. Many of the Beech in this part of the wood are covered in lush green moss, which obscures any marks on the trunk.

St Aldhelm's Head Quarry

Winspit

Seacombe

Bratley Splinter

As if a giant had grasped its trunk and twisted its crown off, this mature Beech is now little more than a splintered stump. Contorted like a cough candy twist and laying on a bed of its own splinters, from a few inches to a few feet, another tree is humbled by the elements, another tree lost from our ancient woodland. In Bratley, a most wonderful wood, all too many have fallen; critically weakened and opened to the elements by the storms of 1987, every year more ancient trees fall.

Smoky Hole

Signs of elemental struggle are clear on the woodland floor. This winter appears to have been mild, yet still the forest is rife with seasonal destruction, broken limbs, fallen boughs and humbled hulks, all testament to the ongoing battles of nature.

Redrise Sundown

The time for silhouetted trees at sundown is soon to pass as buds appear on every branch.

Spotted!

These Deer came close and grazed a while before they spotted me, even then there was a period when time stood still; they'd seen me and knew I'd spied them, yet they remained stationary, until, without warning they scattered through the woodland, pausing occasionally to check I wasn't following. I've noticed Deer have a system, a defencive strategy when fleeing, which appears consistent. The group move as one, then periodically groups of 2 or 3 will peel off in all directions, creating choice for the pursuer, which in turn prompts hesitation, allowing the Deer an advantage. Though, I still believe the forest Deer have become to comfortable with humans, which could be to their detriment.

Burley Old spring

Soon these views will be obscured by fresh vibrant growth, lines of sight over great distances shall be reduced to mere meters as the woodland clothes itself, encloses itself, creating secret places and hidden groves.

Vernal Equinox

Equinox

The youthful Sun, now returned our way;
today sets equilibrium between night and day.

The spring Goddess walks throughout our land;
the offers there to take her hand.

To set the seeds of hearts desire;
so through their growth our dreams aquire.

Birds now sing of the things to come;
of longer days and warmer sun.

The land awakes, sap starts to rise;
soon new growth will reach the skies.

A time of preperation, a time to plan;
the burgeoning time is close at hand.

Green Man Gargoyles

The Green Man, a name only recently coined to describe imagery which has been around for hundreds of years, is a common sight on churches, castles and alike. The image has its roots in pre-christian culture, a symbol of regrowth or rebirth. These four are from Highcliffe castle, yet are likely to have originated in France as the faux castle is build from château masonry shipped to Britain in the 1800's. There were other green man carvings, but unfortunately time, weather and damage have all but done for them.

Wilverley

Corfe

Misty March

Spring

Today no picture could really capture or do justice to the forests beauty; for the essence of spring which filled the stands was overwhelming. All your senses are assaulted; feast your eyes on springs bright pallet, ears filled with the urgent riotous cacophony of birds singing their joy, the fresh smell of new growth fills your nose, taste the air of change and feel the growing warmth as the returning Sun draws nearer.

Racists!

The nature of the scaring suggests 1970's / 1980's, the names tie in with that era and the NF suggests they were racists; NF representing in style and form the monica synonymous with the national front, for runner to the BNP. Racists visiting the forest! It's almost like they were human! Obviously though they're not, merely thick, misguided or just nasty bastards.

Kimmeridge Bay

By the Gads!

Gads cliff towers over the western end of Kimmeridge Bay, beyond the cliffs lay Worbarrow Bay and the deserted village of Tynham and on the horizon Portland can just be made out. The beach below Gads cliff is always out of bounds due to the areas use as an artillery range and presumably hasn't been cleared; it's always held an allure as possibly the only place I've not walked on the Purbeck coast....one day though.

Gnarly Beech

Broken and bent, twisted and deformed, nestled on the ridge of a slight escarpment about wet heathland this gnarly Beech refuses to yield to the forces levelled at it and against all odds continues to soldier on.

Hold on it's coming.

Spring approaches and heralds are sent forth to show us seasonal change is on its way.

!

Another graffiti masterpiece 'Fuck ! Sex' what's it all about? Surprise or dissatisfaction, that must be the question.

Chair

Don't ask me what's going on, I was bemused myself when I passed this chair in a field last week, it was still in the same spot today, so I thought I'd take a photo. I wonder what was going on?

Boiler

Just beyond the intertidal the cylindrical form of a ships boiler is all that remains of a ship that grounded here sometime in the early 1900's, local recollect it being there in the 50's and 60's. The boiler is visible at low tide and particularly so at spring tide. I don't know much more about the remains but will endeavour to find more information.

Sealed pillbox interior

Oh, Dr Beeching!

Once part of integrated public transport system that connected our land in a fashion unimaginable in today's piecemeal public transport mess, this section of former railway, its tracks removed under Dr Beeching's destruction of the railways in the 1960's, now forms a waterlogged wildlife haven, where grass snakes can regularly be seen swimming in the summer months.

Secrets

Tucked in the hollow folds of a tree bole was spied a white container, on examination it contained another container which contained a note book and a rubber stamp; obviously part of a geocache type forest walk. It belonged to the 'Medway Well Wishers' and had last been visited in 2009, they were wished well and the pot returned. It's in Burley Old enclosure, good luck.

Homeward bound

The cliff erodes into the sea or rather, is eroded by the sea. The muddy clay is packed with a myriad of sea creature fossils, laid down when the area was a vast warm shallow lagoon, make their way back to the waters from which they began 40 million year ago.

On white horses

WW2 American graffiti

Another World War 2 period piece of graffiti found in Burley Old Enclosure; it comprises of what appears to read 'NY VE USA 44' and is about 300m from the other 2 examples from the area.

Highcliffe Castle

When in the 1980's we used to visit the fenced ruins of Highcliffe Castle, burnt down, a dangerous playground for local youth, overwhelmed by bramble and climber and looking beyond redemption, I never envisaged it would, or could, be restored to its former glory. But today the faux castle is well on the way to complete restoration and a popular local amenity.

Snowy Birch wood

I've been reading 'The Bone Forest' a mythago cycle book in which events are played out in part in a winter Birch wood; today Great Huntley Bank was blanketed in a shallow dusting of light snow, complimenting the trunks of a Birch stand and bringing the book to life.

The Run

Red Rise Brook Iced

The winter's been mild and Jack's presence has been infrequent to say the least, today though the brooks frosted edges were a reminder that winter's not past yet.

Studland cliff icicles

Studland Walk

Imbolc

Imbolc

Where Brigid walks new life now spouts.
Summoning tender growth to banish doubts.

With the first signs of life renewed.
Our hearts with light and love imbued.

Our Sun returns with glowing rays.
Proclaiming the approach of better days.

Prepare your plans, let fly your desires.
For seasons move fast and time really flies.

A hope for you, a hope for me.
Our dreams in due time will fruition see.