Rosemary

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a funny plant, it flowers at the most peculiar times. Ours has flowers on it now, lovely purple pink flowers. I use Rosemary quite frequently in cooking, it's always available and versatile too. We put a £2.50 plant in, 5 years ago and now it's like a head high shrub. I wonder how easy it is to take cuttings from it?  I had this idea of propagating herb plants and guerilla planting select combinations of them, seeding useful herb communities. They could be culinary or medicinal, 4 or 5 plant combinations. My hope for them would be twofold, firstly that they would self propagate and become self sustaining populations, secondly, that they'd become a useful resource for people. I know how much I value and cherish the herb/plant resources I know. Might be a worthwhile undertaking. 

More mists

They're playing misty again.

Misty Morning

A Misty morning over the common, everything is quiet, muffled. The sun through the mist gives an alien feel and adds to the atmosphere of weird. It great how a simple weather anomaly can transform a well known landscape in to something magical and exotic, and allows your mind to wander and fantasize.  

Last light

I love those last beams of light as the sun sinks in the evening, those ones which pierce and illuminate the stands, always a deep rich orange in hue.

The sounds of Christmas

I did well this Christmas for vinyl, some things old, some things new, something orange, some thing blue. A new copy of Pink Floyd's 'Meddle', as mine has always had an awful squeaking noise throughout 'Echoes', and you don't want that. Copies of the Levellers 'Levelling the Land' (double album) and Primal Screams 'Screamadelica' (double album), both of which I'd only ever had on tape, and always wanted on vinyl. Three from the Fruits de mer stable, Us and Them 'Fading within the dwindling sun' (on orange 10inch vinyl), The Honey Pot 'Ascending Scales' (double album different blue discs) and Winkle 26 Fruits de mer compilation (7 inch). And finally, something I wanted, though would never have bought myself, The K Foundation (Kate Bush) 'Before the Dawn' (luxury 4 vinyl disc, plus booklet). I'm a lucky music listener and very grateful. They all sound magnificent.

Winter Solstice 2016

I hope the birth of the new Sun warms the soil ready for the seeds of your future dreams.

The Levellers @ O2 Academy Bournemouth 9.12.16

I wasn't going to go this evening, I'd got myself into that weird head space I can sometimes occupy, the cutting my nose off without rhyme nor reason head space. I'd had the tickets from the day they went on sale, the Levellers are a favourite band of mine, whose music is never off my playlist and they were playing their seminal album 'Levelling the Land' in full. Still, I wasn't going to go, damn those puppies of the black dog. But then I was told to go in no uncertain terms, though with love. I'm thankful for that push. I arrived late missing the first support and half way through the second. As I queued for a drink (long queues) I somehow got to the bar before the guy who'd been in front of me, so as is only right I let in front. And, he bought me a drink. Which was nice. I then made my way towards the front and the stage. The second support finished and as I looked about a woman asked me if I was looking for my friends, I said 'no, I'm on my own' to which she gave me a hug and suggested I join her and her group. Two acts of kindness one after another, I felt uplifted and even more grateful for that push to attend.

Then the main event. The band showed a short pre show film, a montage of news clips from the 80's to now, political, social, cultural, interspersed with adverts of the periods. The Levellers have remained true to their original values throughout their career, which is laudable.  If you know the album then you know the track listing, if you don't know the album you should, Levelling the Land. From the get go the crowd seethed, a sea of smiling faces, arms in the air, choruses joined in with on mass, the atmosphere was electric, the energy was fantastic, love flowed through the audience, it was brilliant.  Every track delivered with a passion undiminished, masterfully tweaked slightly here and there, but still to perfection; the band understands how cherished these songs are by the crowd. They didn't disappoint, each musician producing a faultless performance. An album, no matter how magnificent, doesn't last long and soon enough the final notes of 'Battle of the Beanfield' merged with fevered cheering. That was Levelling the land. Fucking marvellous!  All I'd hoped for, now even happier I'd been cajoled into coming.  Of course there was more though. Now a parade of favourites, 'This Garden', 'Carry Me' and 'Men a Tol' to name a few. All were delivered with the same level of gusto.  The first encore saw 'Julie' and of course 'Beautiful Day' had to have an outing. For the final encore some of Ferocious Dog joined the band for a rousing rendition of 'What you Know'.  What a fantastic gig, enjoyed with lovely people, memorable. Nights don't come much better.

Practice makes .....

At this time of year, with the threat of harsh weather to come, my mind turns to bushcraft skills. If truth be told, my mind often turns to bushcraft usually prompted by some threatening government policy or disturbing news article, the consequences of which may find me having to survive in the woods, eating squirrels or similar and bark. Though today I kept with the basics, fire. Whilst walking I gathered the required materials (papery birch bark, bracken, graded kindling), and finding a suitable exposed gravel river bed prepared my fire. It didn't take too long to get a fire started, it shouldn't have, the conditions were good. A much harder feat when the elements are against you. It's always worth keeping that in mind.

Fight, fight!

Who'd win in a fight, brambles or bracken? I ask as there's a battle for supremacy going on over the common as to which which of these two species will dominate. You see, a couple of years back some yoof burn a huge swathe of the common, it's a fairly regular occurrence, although this time it was on a grand scale. All but the larger trees was razed, even some of them were damaged beyond saving the ground was charred black. As time has passed brambles and bracken have colonized in equal measure, climbing over each other to get a foot hold.  I get the impression they're both opportunist invaders, taking advantage of our environmental ineptitude.  Time will tell who will be victorious.

Pony stripping

Further to my recent posts about ponies stripping Beech tree in the forest, an in-particular around Mark Ash, I came across this short piece of footage taken in Mark Ash of ponies stripping beech bark. It really needs dealing with urgently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW-_xOVk4Qc

Footwear

A good learning method if you're looking to hone your skills in relation to understanding terrain, is to take a walk in seasonally inappropriate footwear. Not boots in the summer, you'll gain little from that. No, go walking in the autumn/winter in summer trail shoes. That'll learn you. You'll pay far more attention to your footfall, learn to understand possible ground condition by flora, learn to look for subtle changes or indicators which will help your feet stay dry and most importantly learn to read the land ahead, making better informed path choices. Some changes or indicators can be very subtle too, you have to really look.  It's a totally different experience to walking in all weather, all terrain boots where you can just clump along protected; you have to think a lot more. Your reward, you'll notice a lot more though and gain a greater insight into terrain in general, and most importantly, you'll stay dry footed.

Fearless

For the most part the New Forest deer must be either fearless, reckless or complacent; I go for the latter.  The consequence of predator-less environment, no doubt. If you were of a mind, I'd imagine taking a forest deer would be a breeze. I got to within meters of this group of stags before they ambled away; it wasn't the first time on today's walk that I got close to deer. 

Red raw

Another Beech stripped bare by ponies, a worrying trend. This red raw example stuck out wildly amongst the other trees.  I saw dozens of trees like this on my walk today, not all freshly gnawed, but stripped in recent times. This example was, again, in Church Moor, a hot spot for this behaviour, as I can see. Chris Packham reckons says it's 'heartbreaking to see', and, man, I too feel that pain too when I see the forest I love being destroyed through mismanagement and greed.  The bodies supposed to be managing and safeguarding the forest are the very same responsible for the damage.  Action to reduce the pony population is needed quickly if we are to save the forest. Over dramatic? No.  Gnawing on Hollies has been commonplace for years, the Hollies appear more resilient and endure, whereas, I don't remember seeing Beeches gnawed until relatively recently (last few years), but this year I've seen an explosion in the number of trees damaged and, more urgently, destroyed.  I've also pointed out to those walking with me, the lack of saplings setting and growing up to take the places of the fallen. If something isn't done soon, there'll be no future forest.....and that doesn't bare thinking about.

Chill

The forest was proper frosty this morning, and all the more beautiful that frosty dusting. The was a magical ethereal atmosphere amongst the stands. The canopies were silent, the ponies stood motionless and throughout the forest nothing appeared to move, a deserted landscape where every footfall could be crisply heard.  If there were other walkers about, I didn't see or hear them, to all intents and purposes we was alone, the forest was ours.  It may have been f*cking cold, and it was (the coldest I remember for some time), but it was welcomed, I'd have a morning like this over a wet one any time. Lovely.