Nine Stones

Dead Ringer

I remember this mighty Oak on the fringe of Burley Old enclosure being ring cut over 15 years ago and yet it still remains standing, its now leafless boughs protruding from the canopy like a gnarled crown or a stags pride. The endurance and determination of long dead trees to hold fast their place in the forest never fails to impress me.

Flat Oak

The wheel perpetually in motion continues to turn and although the forest has much to do, you sense calm and contentment beneath the boughs of ancient trees who've seen this seasonal transit many times before. Snaking through the stands Highland Water moves so slowly now that its process for the most part goes unperceived. The cool breeze swirling softly amongst the towering trunks belays the fierce strong winds test the leaf clad crowns as fluffy clouds are forced across the sky at speed.

Further on, deep in Wood Crates, a magnificent ancient Oak with about a 4m or so oblong girth, many hundreds of years old, is all but lost out of sight. A wondrous find.

Beech Root

Foxy

Baby Apple

Foxy

White Shoot Sun down

Buryley Old

Chuck

This is the first Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), also commonly known as the sulphur polypore I've seen this season, young and fresh, yet to be devoured by the myriad of woodland creatures who would relish it, it would make good eating. Only collect Chicken of the Woods growing on an Oak trees as it has been suggested that those growing on Yews could be poisonous.

Sound of summer

The forest is beautiful at any point of the year, even in the depths of winter when stark and bare, besieged by winds, sodden and sombre, but now. At this point of the wheels transit the woods transcend beauty for another level. Vibrant greens of every hue overwhelm the senses, the stuff of life and fecundity are never more apparent. There's a riot going on, but there are no barricades though, no oppressor to subdue, this is a riot of life. The deeper you penetrate, the more distant the hum drum sounds of human activity becomes, replaced by forest song.

Gypsy camp

Deep within the woods, well away from any discernible tracks, along the fringe of mixed mature woodland are a cluster of sites which possibly represent the remains of Gypsy camps. Once common throughout the forest, Gypsy life amongst the woods was curtailed through encouraged settlement, sometimes as with Thorney Hill on established Gypsy camp sites and finally demonized and marginalized by society. Hundreds of years of nomadic living truncated.

Endurance

Defiant. Although badly mauled, damaged by time and the elements, snapped, its boughs ripped asunder, with half its ancient trunk bereft of bark, gnarled, weathered and decaying; this mighty Oak continues to endure, vigorously thrusting young branches brimming with verdant new leaf upwards towards the Sun. Determined to maintain its tenure in the woodland.

Beech

Oak

Highland Water

The rapidly developing canopy adds welcomed dappled shade as the air is close, oppressive and hot, only relieved by occasional cool winds that probe the woodland fringes. There's a storm coming. The forest closes in creating a magical world, in the open glades and covered groves all nature rejoices.

Mystery Fire

What's the story? This site of a mysterious fire was found deep in Wood Crates , well away from any roads or occupation, under a Beech tree adjacent to an old infrequently used woodland track. It appears to have burnt intensely at its core, leaving little remaining other than a linear trench of fluffy ash. The fire had spread amongst the surrounding leaf litter, but with no real power it hadn't the strength to take hold, and had burnt itself out without much damage. There's no sign of human intervention nor any signs of human presence in the vicinity; so how did it start ? Does this mark the spot of a lightening strike? What ever its cause, with all the dry weather we've had of late, it could have been disastrous.

Queen and her King

As appears common throughout the forest, Oaks and Beech grow in close pairs; it's not uncommon to find them embracing each other, as with this pair in Huntley Bank. This pair have grown together for 200 years or so, boughs entwined as if each offering the other support, 'I'll carry you if you carry me' The Levellers.

Greens

Speaks for itself.

Cleaved Tree

At some point the tree in background has been cleaved in two, by what forces I don't know, although even what one would think of as a catastrophic event and even though it's heavily scared, with its heartwood exposed these two halves of one tree have endured for years and look to continue for many more.

Beltaine

The wheel, forever turning, now arrives at Beltaine, the sacred union of earth and sky, joining the bright one and the maiden; cleansing fires will purify the night and prepare the land. For where our May Queen, our Flower Bride passes stem, bud and flower burst forth with youthful vigor, symbols of purity, new growth and annual renewal; she is abroad and new life burgeons.The eternal race has begun and all life eagerly takes part, fertility floods our lands. Plans and dreams hatched through the dark half of the year are now energetically undertaken, goals pursued. Run swift, keep keen senses, be true to your dreams and yourself, and may all your aspirations see fruition.