West Kennet

An important message from our youth

A portent of the storm we walk towards, a potent sign of how are children have been failed on so many levels and in so many ways.

Tarrant Rushton

A view from Tarrant Rushton a former World War 2 airfield from which Horsa gliders took off for the D Day invasion of Europe, towards Badbury Rings, the clump of trees on the horizon, an Iron Age Hillfort.

Hare Moon

Another month, another full moon, names for the May full moon are many, Milk Moon, Flower Moon, but the one I favour would be the Hare Moon. The moon shone down from a clear sky this evening and the air was still and cool, perfect night to be sat about a fire with friends.

Highland Spring

A beautiful walk along Highland Water below Roman Bridge was had today.

Rowan

This years Rowan trees are in full bloom and are particularly well covered in blossom, their creamy white flowers contrast with the verdant green of the Beech and Oak, making them easy to spot.

Green Oak

Wild Garlic Soup

 

I used some of the Ramsons (wild garlic) I'd picked on yesterdays walk over the Purbecks to make a meal, cream of wild garlic soup and some wild garlic and cheese scones. Both soup and scone turned out well and tasted lovely, although the term 'garlicky' can not be over stated. Simple though, both in under 30 mins.

For the soup. (20g butter, 2 or 3 medium potatoes, cut into sm cubes, 1 medium onion, chopped, 1 litre stock, 3 or 4 handfuls of chopped wild garlic leaves, 100ml cream, salt and pepper to taste) Melt the butter, added the chopped potato and onion and saute until softened, add your stock, simmer for a while, add chopped wild garlic and heat through for a few minutes, blend with a hand blender, serve with cream.

For 6 scones. (175g self raising flour, 80g grated mature cheddar cheese, 25g butter, 1 egg beaten, 3 tbsp of milk, pinch of salt, a good pinch of cayenne, 1 tsp of mustard powder, a hand full of chopped wild garlic) Mix the flour, salt, cayenne, mustard powder, rub in the butter to a crumble, add cheese and wild garlic, mix with beaten egg and milk, roll dough to 2.5cm thick and cut into rounds, place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 200c.

 

Mmmm garlicky :o)

Post Industrial Landscape

The Purbeck coast throughout the ages have been a landscape of industry, from the Roman shale luxury production at Kimmeridge, through centuries of stone quarrying to the modern tourist industry; the heathland too has seen it's share of activity. Below West Hill the landscape is undulous, deeply scared by ravines and massive ominous craters, this is the landscape of former clay production. A landscape now being reclaimed by nature, her envoys having secured tenure, now consolidate their claim to land which was formerly theirs.

Corfe

King Alfreds Cakes

I've commonly found King Alfred's Cakes on Elder and Ash, they range in size from 2 or 3 cm to hand sized, black or dark brown in colour and hard to the touch.  When dry if you break one open and the interior reminds you of charcoal and easily takes a spark from a fire steel; you can scrape some into your tinder ball too for ease of combustion.  Once lit you can transfer the ember to a tinder ball for fire starting or you can carry the ember for fire starting later.  A resource worthwhile  collecting if you come across them.

Knowle Hill Wood

Entering Knowle Hill wood was entering a magical  wonderland of sound and colour, nature run wild and free. Open stands of old Oak, Ash, Birch and neglected Hazel coppice reach up to the crest of Knowle Hill, shafts of sunlight break the thickening canopy.  Thick swathes of lush green with spikes of white flower clusters carpet the woodland floor, Ramsons, wild garlic, in such abundance, they are all you can see in all directions. Birds fill the crowns with busy song, a woodpecker drills, a distant Cuckoo sounds off and a pheasant alerts the wood of our presence, whilst other woodland critters get on with whatever they're getting on with, squirrels scuttle at speed, some deer graze near their woodland beds and a fox disappears into the green. Taken by the scene, time passes and you realize your jaw hangs like the proverbial 'slack jaw yokel'. I am blessed to know such places.

Wild Garlic

Often found in abundance, Ramsons or Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum) is a lovely spring flower and great wild food source.  Known to have been utilized since the Mesolithic, all parts of wild garlic are edible, leaf, flower and bulb; used as flavouring in soups or as salad leaf or as a pot herb.  Make sure you know what you're picking though, as Ramsons can be mistaken for Lily of the Valley; if you crush a leaf it should release a garlic aroma.

Seeds of time

Thing

Fungi of some kind?

Cat P 48

The forest never stops throwing up surprises. Take this graffitied Holly tree, I would've never thought a tree this size could have been so old, but the graffiti, which reads 'Cat P 48, suggests this Ilex is way older than 65 years old. Another surprise is that the graffiti appears not to have stretched or distorted, suggesting that in 65 years the trunk has not grown any. Of course, that's all reliant on the 48 representing the year carved and not something else. Scarring looks old though, and the tree a good height.

Tree House

I knocked a few times, but to no avail, I think the occupants were out or maybe sleeping in preperation for long nights work.  Shame, a cuppa and a chat with the woodland folk would have been nice.

Bluebell chase

Even though the day is overcast, with large grey rain filled clouds scudding across sky, a day of alternating blustery rain and bursts of bright Sunshine, it is certainly Spring. The woods of Cranborne Chase are heavy with the heady scent of bluebells, which carpet the floor in all directions; the blend of blues and greens act to create an archetypal British Spring scene.

1878 or 1978

This tree has long since stopped producing leaf, the barks all gone, no crown, but still this graffiti remains.  I think this graffiti reads 'HK 1878', it looked right and running your finger around the digits, it felt like 1878, although the photo makes the first eight look like a nine. I'll have to check next time I'm about these parts.

Bramble Hill

Spring was really in the air on this evenings walk, the first time this year I've only needed a t shirt at 2000. Birds sang merrily and deer were abroad as the Sun sunk below an unseen horizon, casting beams through the stands as it went.  The leaves have almost taken the woodland, only a few trees now resist the inevitable. The forest now is closed off again, the distance and line of sight are greatly restricted; we walked upon a large group of grazing deer before either we or they were aware of the other. The forest has a certain beauty this time of year.

Breakthrough

Back in 2009 the water rushed through these woods as a log jam blocked Highland Waters course and scoured the woodland floor exposing the tops tree roots. During the following years, the waters continued to scour and erode, whilst wood debris and forest detritus clogged, then filled the streams old course.  Soon the former course will be unrecognizable, no more that a shallow curved depression. The new course has a way to go, though mind, still little more than a meter at its widest, the stream either side is three meters and more wide.

Buck Hill

An evening walk in the forest.

Lady's Mantle

Droplets of water cling to the feathery edges of Lady's Mantle leaves, the drops are supposed to contain magical qualities, an elixir to beauty some say.Whether that's true or not, the plant is a valuable natural healing resource and veritable treasure chest for treating women's health issues.

Great Barrow

The Great Barrow at Knowlton is said to be the largest barrow in the county, it certainly is a magnificent specimen.  Ariel photos show the barrow is sited in the center of an formidable causewayed ditch, possibly of earlier date as barrows do not usually have such a broad flat area between mound and ditch, also there appears to be a barrow ditch around the mound. The whole Knowlton complex represents an impressive monument to prehistoric ritual life, retaining such power into the middle ages that the Normans built a Christian Church within one of the Neolithic Henge circles. 

Dowsers

Dowsers were at work at Knowlton today.  There was quite a large group of them tracing geological faults, where, if any, stones laid buried and other energies, then marking what they'd identified with coloured flags. There were archaeologists amongst the group, which is good to see. I believe dowsing has several archaeological applications, I first saw dowsing in action years ago when council engineers would locate and trace old sewers, too old to be mapped, and I saw it work nearly every time.

Beltaine at Knowlton

Another fine ritual with the very friendly Dorset Grove at Knowlton Henge.

Houns Tout to St Aldhelms Head

Swyre Head

Swyre Head commands excellent views east and west along the Purbeck coast. 

 Looking Westward over Kimmeridge and Broad Bench, past Gads Cliff and Warbarrow Bay to Mupe and beyond to White Noth.

Looking Eastward towards Houns Tout and Chapmans Pool, and beyond to St Aldhelms Head.

Leafs

Gossamer haired leafs now crowd the boughs of burgeoning Beech, bring the woodland alive. A few days of Sun is all the forest needed to burst into life. All the stands are in bud and soon the forest will close in, creating secret groves and hollows, screened and hidden, for us to find as we thread the woodland paths. Birds chatter busily up on high before darting off through the branches, it's game on, they've a lot to do.

Cowslips

Primula veris or the Cowslip.

Goats

Sections of the gorge have been cleared of shrub and undergrowth and goats employed to keep the slopes grazed. They're an ancient breed of goat, it is believed they were probably first brought to Britain by Neolithic farmers 6000 years ago.  Rough and ready, they don't mind heights, this mother and kid are perched only about a meter from a 200 meter drop.  They roam freely and are essentially feral. It's nice to see. 

Cheddar Gorge

Beltaine

For the last few years Beltaine atop Glastonbury Tor had been a windy grey affair, not so this morning as we ascended the Tor under clear skies, the remnants of last nights stars still visible.  A fair group had gathered on the summit, all waiting for the rising Sun, now heralded by a growing glow at the eastern horizon. Shortly, Rollo appeared, a circle was formed and the Beltaine ceremony began with the sound of a horn; sadly not Rollo blowing, but another. Rollo's  trumpeting never failed to raise a smile. Rollo led the ceremony, with a nice woman called Suzanne performing the roll usually taken by Donna. Ritual over and circle closed, folks attention focused on the horizon, where slowly at first, then with noticeable speed, the Sun rose into a clear sky. Beautiful! Beltaine is one of my favourites, come rain or shine, it never fails to uplift and fill you with joy. I took some film which I shall put on soon.