Fossil

These fossilized shells represent the marine detritus of a extensive shallow lagoon which covered this region 30 million years ago.  The seas of the past must have been so bountiful, so filled with life and so different from the increasingly barren waters of mans creation.

Poppy Feild

Just loving the combination of colours.

Yellow Hammer

A Yellow Hammer. I don't think I've ever seen one of these birds before. Nice.

Durdle Door and St Oswald's Bay

The milky blue sea in the distance is testament that the massive landslide in St Oswald's Bay is already being washed out to sea. Outstanding section of coast.

White Nothe

White Nothe, an interesting climb up the steep and moderately terrifying famous smugglers path climaxes in another one of the finest views along the Purbeck coast.

Ringstead relics

The Ringstead Bay area has its fair share of Second World War relics. The beach is lined with Pilloxes from the invasion period during the early years of the war; later these defences would have served as protection for a radar station which continued to see service throughout the war and also through the Cold War.  The top image is of one of the wartime radar buildings which would have collated the information from the nearby wooden radar masts; the lower image is of a Type 25 pillbox variant, variant as it is larger than the standard Type 25.  The beach around the bay has several more examples of various wartime defences and in various conditions.

Chaldon Down

Looking inland from the coast between Durdle Door and White Nothe, across the South Dorset/ Purbeck Downs; a Dorset landscape.

Poppies

Emmett Hill, Houns Tout and Swyre Head

No matter the weather the coasts beauty always shines through.  I'd gone over the coast to watch the Solstice sunset as an old fisher guy, had been told by an older fisher guy, that if watched from the barrow on Emmett Hill, the Sun went down on the summer Solstice through a notch in the nearby hillside of Swyre Head, the highest point of the Purbecks. Intriguing. On arriving at Emmett Hill it appeared the Purbeck hills were bursting forth out into the channel like puffing stream trains, as clouds formed on their faces and raced inland forced by driving winds.  Still the sun shone and and the scene was magical. The Sun didn't go down in a notch, rather over the Bowl Barrow which crowns the head, which was significant in itself.  Interestingly though, as well as the barrow, there are two notches in Swyre head, all three features appear equally spaced, it could be that the notches are significant for other sunsets. I intend to visit on the Equinox and Winter Solstice, to see if there are alignments.

Summer Solstice

As the Sun goes down,
we'll pass the crown,
now the Holly king takes the throne.

The Oak king yields,
he's sown our fields,
and duty done departs to nurse his wounds.

Now with luck our wheat will grow,
and in our hives the honey flow,
so rejoice and make merry as harvest's soon to come.
Solstice blessings to y'all.

Follow the red brick road

Being the study of past human individual, communities and societies, archaeology starts yesterday. I've lived or passed through my area for well over 20 years and throughout that time walked a path across our common. I'd noticed the odd brick or concrete piece or dump of building rubble, often used to fill holes in said path and thought little of it. But dig a little deeper and it's amazing what you'll find; this red brick path for example. It's been covered as long as I can remember, I've never seen it.  On examination it extends for some distance in both directions.  Who built it, when and how did it fallout of use and become forgotten? The path is well used and in wet conditions often impassable, when a raised brick path would be a boon. Funny, it's the same questions I'd ask of a site hundreds or thousands of years old, archaeologies great :o)

Silver Birch

The Silver Birch Betula pendula is the tree that keeps on giving. Good wood for fire, wood for crafts, sap for sugar, sap to drink, bark to create containers, boats and other craft items, bark as tinder, bark as source of oils and resin.  I pondered the Birches position in the useful tree list and so far it comes in at number one.

Doe a deer

Doe a deer, a female deer.

Clearbury Sundown

The last flashes of sunlight beam down from between racing clouds, threatening clouds driven at speed by a strong wind, cool but not cold as the close warmth of the day hangs on. The hillside at Clearbury Rings is covered in the seed pods of thousands of Cowslips, it must have been quite a sight, and one to remember for next year. Although don't think the hillside's now bare, no, the Cowslips have been replaced by Orchids, beautiful. As you pass the ancient hillfort, ramparts now shrouded in thick trees and shrubs, although you see no one, there is movement all about and you sense mischievousness in it's shady confines. The Fairies are abroad this evening.  

Hidden tracks

This has never been a public path, but I've used to get up to Clearbury Rings hillfort since the late 1980's, over that period it's become more and more overgrown.  It's still walked, and not just by me, the path through is still well defined, even if encroached upon by nettle, bramble and myriad of wild plant.  For me these are magical wooded causeways between sites in our landscape, enabling the traveller to move about unseen, thus less likely to disturb wildlife and giving you better chance of seeing nature as it goes about it's daily business.

Chicken of the woods

First sighting of Chicken of the woods this year, too high to harvest or be eaten by most animals. I'll watch it's development.

Highland Summer

Sopley Camp

Once the scene of frenetic activities through the latter part of World War Two, then the cold war, later in the 70's the home to Vietnamese boat people, now most of the decommissioned Sopley Camp lays abandoned and vandalized. It's a shame really, the site could be so much more; some buildings are in use for a variety of activities, but too few. 

A quiet table for three.

Is this the best table in the house, the one reserved for those special guests or is it the table reserved for those who complain too much.  I think it quite idyllic, although I wonder about the service. You never know what you're going to come across in woods. 

Highland Water, on course.

Highland Water running back where it oughta. The remodeled stretch of Highland Water through the lower reaches of Great Huntley Bank is healing nicely, with grasses, plants and shrubs retaking the barren ground caused by earth movers and dumpers. Not bad considering the works to restore the streams older course only began a few months ago.

Brinken contrasts

This mornings thunderous rains have freshened the forest. The earlier winds have dissipated leaving a clean cool breeze amongst the now Sun drenched stands. The woodland is alive, busy birds flutter and swoop through the canopy and skittish deer make the most of moist grasses. The longer you sit the more you see as the woods become accustomed to you, the closer you listen more you hear until it's as if the forest is shouting.  Though, there's a peace to be found amongst natures hustle and bustle which is priceless.

Hurst

Timber!

The 'Dead Ringer' I mentioned in a post on the 25th of May, which remarked that a mighty Oak on the bounds of Burley Old Enclosure had been ring cut way over 15 years ago, has recently succumbed to the elements, time and its deadly wound.  Having been marked for death by some unknown, it was defiant to the end and finally toppled smashing the nearby wooden bar gate to splinters and pulling down a section of fence.  The forest appears timeless, and to some degree it is, but it's also always changing; the fallen tree will be removed,the gate and fence replaced and only a stump will remain.  Soon you'll never know a mighty tree once held this ground.

Apples

The Apple blossom on the common trees was good this year and held (unlike last years, where the wind and rain destroyed many of the flowers) and a bounty of immature apples have formed. If these reach fruition I'll be having a go at making cider again; last years was nearly there, but not quite.

Stinging Nettle

Ah, the Stinging Nettle, the wonder plant of hedgerows and verges. So versatile, so many applications, a food and drink, a medicine, a fibre for clothing, a companion plant and fertilizer, a yellow dye from it's roots and a green from its leaves and finally beer. What a plant, and it grows in abundance. I've several bunches hanging drying now to be used later as an addition to meals and as a seasoning.

Summer

Summer? Who knows, but we'll make the most of it whilst it's here.