Before the storm

Between scudding showers occasionally the Sun broke through, infiltrating the thinning canopy and illuminating the woodland floor, so long in the shade. These were fleeting moments though, mere interludes in the weathers grand design. Even then, with a clear sky, the winds continued to gust. Embracing a tree you could feel it flex and twist as its boughs were shaken under duress. Amongst the Oak it continued to rain even when the sky cleared, a hard rain of acorns which litter the floor creating a crunchy carpet and ample meals for foraging pigs. They say the storm will be intense, like the storm of '87, we'll have to see. The damage caused in '87 is still visible about the forest in the rotting hulks of fallen leviathans and numerous holes in the canopy. I hope the forest is spared, we've lost too many trees already this year.