Beach profile

At Hengistbury Head, beyond the Double Dykes, the beach turns from predominantly sand to predominantly pebble until the sand returns towards the long groyne and continues to the far end of Mudeford Spit.  This pebble beach stretch is fluid and susceptible to change, it's profile moving between a gentle gradient and a more acute gradient. Currently the winter waves have scooped up the pebbles pushing then back towards the cliff and piled them up, sculpting a huge step, so high as to obscure your view from the bottom, 2 meters plus, easily. The power of nature.

In memoriam

You may have noticed something blue in the bottom left of my recent photo of the pillbox remains. I checked it out this morning and it looks to be a painted stone, left by someone in memory of a much loved canine companion named Gilbert. I feel for them. 

GI's on the beach

Serendipity; yesterday we passed the slighted remains of Second World War fortifications, and today, a short way along the beach, we encountered three World War Two American GI's amongst the dunes. At first I put our meeting down to us stumbling through a fissure in time and space back into the 1940's, although such notions were soon dispelled by the nearby film crew. Shame, I wouldn't have minded a bit of space time travel. Turned out it was Channel 5 were making a documentary about a particular African American GI in World War Two, I think I heard the name Walter Williams? If that's right, Walter Henry Williams Jr. is an American artist who served in France During World War Two. It got me thinking, you rarely see wartime footage depicting African American servicemen, even though there were some million black men who fought in American forces both European and Pacific theatres. Sign of the bias of the times? I think so. I'm not singling out the US, if you look at commonly played British footage of the period coloured faces are rare, although huge numbers of commonwealth soldiers saw action (10 million from across the Empire), if shown at all it's usually white commonwealth soldiers depicted. Recently you had the minor media furore when a Sikh shown in the film '1917', with calls that it was wrong and 'PC' gone mad, although historians pointed out it was historically correct. The whitewashing of history gives people a very skewed impression, underplays the importance and role of non white servicemen/women, which perpetuates and fuels the ignorance and hateful division indicative of current nationalism. An example of this ignorance, though on a very different tangent, was the propaganda of the far right in Britain of the early 2000's which was directed at Polish migrants, and used the image of a Spitfire as an iconically British symbol, though the Spitfire shown was clearly from one belonging to one of the 16 Polish squadrons who fought heroically through the Battle of Britain and throughout the war....pure ignorance, born of media depictions of the war, limited historical understanding and plain old bigotry.  Add colour to that cultural bigotry and the 'other' disappears almost completely from the history of World War Two; I suppose it made it easier for us to continue the segregation and abuse of minority communities, post war. I hope the documentary is well done, recognition and depiction of the coloured faces of World War Two has been too long coming, and essential if you are to understand history and it's webs of interconnection.

Dark Sky

It was a mistake not to take a coat on this morning's walk along Hengistbury Head, a mistake which only became apparent at the furthest point of our walk. When we set off on our walk the sky was mostly blue and it appeared my decision was the right one. It wasn't until we reached the big groyne at the far end of the Head that I turned to see the horizon to the west, beyond the Purbeck Hills, was leaden. And, it appeared to be coming our way... at speed. You'd be surprised how fast the clouds moved, you could see the wall of rain approaching, it was upon us so fast that even running we only just made it to the Noddy Train (that's what the land train which runs from the Double Dykes to Mudeford Spit has been traditionally known as) shelter as a ferocious hail rained down.

WW2 debris

Hengistbury Head was a hive of activities during the Second World War, there was a Chain Home Low radar station, gun battery, pillboxes, anti tank obstacles, mines, trenches and entanglements, the whole WW2 set.  After the war these features were broken up buried or removed.  Just before the head rises there's a jumbled mass of concrete and bar protruding from the cliff face. It's been visible for years. Recently, and most likely due the elements, several large pieces of concrete have slid from their resting place near the cliff top towards and onto the pebbles below. On one of the pieces you can clearly see a firing embrasure with what looks like a steep angle of downward fire, suggesting it was once a cliff top pillbox.  It's a real shame how we've been so careless with, our World War Two heritage. 

After the storm

We'd been lucky with the weather on our walk this morning, for the most part it was drier and balmier that the weather wizards predictions. Although, as we made our way up Mogshade Hill from the head water of Highland Water in the valley, a gentle rain began to fall. Wherever we walked today broken branches, severed boughs and truncated trees were visual evidence of Storm Dennis' recent passing. Every turn of the wheel brings more desolation to the forest. At one point near Wick Wood, three veteran beech in close proximity to each other had been floored since last we walked this way a couple of weeks back. The face of the forest is changing. Of course change is natural, it's a necessity, though the change, and pace of the change, we're experiencing now is far from natural. It's hard not to be saddened seeing a landscape you love and thought was timeless, disappear. Another lovely walk thoug

The Bay

As we walked along the Beach towards the Head the weather was in flux, changing from a wet leaden sky to what would become a near clear blue sky. The waters of the bay were choppy, all white crested and foamy, the waves crashing relentlessly upon the sands, sands which after recent storms still concealed most of the promenade, with lines of blown dunes clustering along the under-cliff.  It was a strange walk, it felt like we'd started it in winter and finished it in spring, quite a transformation in an hour, both in weather and temperature. Geoff loved our walk today, he does love a sandy beach and there were so many other dogs out.  

Testing testing

Looks like someone's been out in the woods testing their bushcraft skills, really recently too, those pine branches on top aren't too long cut, and there's still fresh food waste nearby. Nice little shelter, simple but effective, and definitely left to be reused. Interesting choice of site, it's a closely packed young coniferous plantation, though recently (last couple of years) damaged by fire, leaving it far more open and exposed that it would naturally be.  Still, the close stands provide good cover, enough to conceal a small fire from a distance, and a degree of shelter from the elements. More people practice their bushcraft/survival skills or wild camp out in the forest than you'd think. I come across the evidence regularly, and that doesn't include those who leave little or no trace behind them.

Resilience

 That's just showing off, man. The resilient Pine.  

Red Rise Brook after Storm Dennis

Standing in ankle to shin deep water, which extends at least 10 meters behind me, with Red Rise Brook 30 meters or so in front of me...the forest is wet. Falling on already sodden ground Storm Dennis' heavy rains have nowhere to go, so just stand waiting their turn to flow down stream. This section of Red Rise Brook was restored a good many years ago, the meanders restored and it's width and depth reduced, it's only about a meter and a half wide normally, not so today. This is one of the desired effects of the restoration though, that the water remains on the land longer, thus reducing the chance and severity of flash flooding further down stream in more densely inhabited areas. 

The video is taken a short ways up stream, on a corner where there's a very deep pool, even in the dry season. Just beyond the corner is a crossing point (normally either very shallow or a mix of very shallow and gravel banks), we passed here the other day and it was easy to cross, the gravel exposed in the middle. I would say the the shallows are waist to chest deep, the corner pool 2 to 3 meters deep, and that water would easily force you over and take you off.  As I wrote yesterday, the tame forest streams can become anything but tame.

Camel Green

Camel Green this morning, awash, oak and beech trunks rise from the expansive waters. And this is before storm Dennis! When you see these forest streams flowing normally, or through the dappled summer stands, it's easy to think of them as tame. I've seen what they look like unleashed, and I'll tell you they can be scary. Jumbled debris, deep deep corners, and a fast bore turn them into genuine threats, the main channels will easily rise a meter in places. By this stage on Highland Water we are well down stream the catchment area is massive and the waters here can take on a menacing aspect, properly dangerous. We're walking here today, though we wont walk here tomorrow.

Finally fallen

There was a tree which had stood at a 30 degree angle over Highland Water for 25 years or more. Over those long years we watched it slowly decaying, all it's boughs and branches had gone, though it remain steadfast and solid. When passing I'd test it, pushing and pulling at the trunk setting up a rhythm which would vibrate it to it's tip, and as I'd walk off secure in the knowledge it endured, I turn to watch the tip of the truck wave us off. Today I found it destroyed, not directly through the elements, though through the agency of those elements. In the recent strong winds an adjacent tree had lost a main bough and crushed the old veteran, sending it shattered to the ground. Having a look at the old fellows timber, I'm certain it would have endured for several more years without the other trees intervention. Sneaky winds, could take him on their own.

Purbeck

The sky was a glorious blue as we approached the Purbeck Hills. It's been a long time since we've been out this way, too long, and it looked like we'd chosen a good day to return. The walking was fantastic, though early on I did make a rookie mistake by attempting to negotiate the section of path running along the bottom of the ridge between West Hill and Church Knowle in winter, it was foolish, and the Corfe Valley rang with the my shouts of profanity. Whilst Geoff acquired a distinct Purbeck mud plimsoll line. Though once on top of the Purbeck Ridge the walking became much less laboured and fraught. And the views!  Well.  From high path you can see along the entire curved length of the ridge, as well as fabulous views along the Jurassic Coast and across the world's second largest natural harbour towards one of the south coast's largest conurbations...that juxtaposition never fails to amaze me.  One of my favourite parts of this particular walk is the path which runs along the top of Nordon Wood. Bare Ash now, soon enough the steep hillside wood will come alive and the woodland floor will become a carpet of Ramsons, Dogs Mercury, Bluebells and Spring Orchids. By April/May to walk the path along the bottom of Nordon Wood is to walk through a pungent sea of Ramson flowers, it's something to behold...and to smell. Then it was the long ridge top walk towards Corfe and more sublime vistas. It was a lovely day for a walk, and a lovely walk was had.

Sentient by Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Walta

I read a lot of comics and graphics, and thoroughly enjoy them all, they're one of my means of escape, comics are my bag, I love 'em. Though occasionally I come across one's that stand out, which just grab you, real gems, 'Sentient' by Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Walta is one of those gems. Ostensibly a simple story, though really much more, very cleverly written by Jeff Lemire, well, he's got form for great writing, hasn’t he. I don't want to give too much away, so simply, it's a story of children on a ship carrying families to an outer colony, and their interaction with the ships AI. As I say, it's cleverly written, leading you to think you understand what's going on and what's going to happen, before showing you, you don't. This illustrations too by Gabriel Walta are beautifully executed, very nice lines, expressive faces and the measured use of subtle colours are perfect for conveying the story. I consumed all 163 pages with gusto, and was left wanting more. A recommended read.

https://www.comicextra.com/comic/sentient

Shelter

You could feel and see the weather changing as we crossed the open wet heathland of Red Rise Furze Brake towards Stag Brake, so we picked up the pace. The temperature dropped, the wind rose, the sky darkened, and as we reached Stag Brake, then the rain began to fall. Slow and light at first, though with more force as the drops got bigger and the winds picked up further. The speed of the change from clear and dry to wet and windy was swift. The brake is for the most part deciduous, so affording little shelter at this time of year, though we hunkered down at the base of a mature Scots Pine and prepared to sit the weather out. With the thick trunk at our back, facing the prevailing wind and rain, and a good sized Holly a few meters in front of us, we remained remarkably dry. We watched from relative comfort as the landscape outside was lashed. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the winds dropped the rain stopped, the sky once again cleared and we continued on our way. Had we been caught out in the open it would have been a different story, and we'd have definitely been soaked. Had this been Sesame Street, the word of the day would have been...changeable.

Cary Grace 'Lady of Turquoise'

Cary Grace (and band) continues to soar, excelling herself (themselves) with the band's latest release, Cary Grace 'Lady of Turquoise', which was released at the end of January in Delux Edition 2x Glass mastered CD's in a mini LP replica  gatefold sleeve or digital download formats. Cary dropped a track a day through the beginning of December to wet our appetites and, man, what an absolutely phenomenal album, thoroughly engaging throughout. Over recent years I've been lucky enough to discover a few artists whose work I love, Cary's one of them; original, innovative and imaginative, she consistently delivers beautifully crafted music, and what she creates is always of the highest standard and quality... be that on single, album or if you really want to experience the full magic, then live, where her performances, and those of the incredible Cary Grace Band, are always mesmerizing. Lady of Turquoise continues in an already well established mould of excellence, although Cary doesn’t rest on her laurels, always looking for opportunities to evolve her sound and raise the bar, and she's certainly achieved that on this release.

Lady of Turquoise is an astonishing album, there's nothing not to like about it, nothing! It's engaging from beginning to end, never dull, no filler, all the tracks show real care and attention paid to their detail, all individual, though all flowing wonderfully to create a cogent whole. Cary's stunning image as Egyptian Goddess Hathor sets the tone, and opening track 'Khepera at the Dawn' perfectly sets atmosphere, together transporting you to the dusty world of a hundred temples rising through the morning haze. That theme is enhanced by Cary's vocal delivery on tracks like 'Letterbox' which conjures ritual invocation, nice acoustic guitar on that one too. A striking feature of Cary's work is her wonderful voice, distinctive and quite quite captivating, and Cary uses her voice to full effect on this album, sometimes sensual, sometimes sombre, sometimes palpably magical, and always powerful and perfectly suited to the narrative and the tracks aesthetic. Like a sirens song Cary's voice draws you into her lyrically eloquent numbers. On 'Afterglow', a gorgeous spoken word number which builds magnificently, at times there's a sort of Patti Smith quality to Cary's delivery, which is cool. When joined by Victoria Reyes on backing vocals on the fantastic 'Without a Trace' it's pure aural bliss, their voices are a perfect combination, creating lovely harmonies, great track. The aesthetic of each track is different, though all 13 remain thematic in feel, many have a sumptuous progressive rock aesthetic woven into their distinctly psychedelic fabric, others elements of folk, rock or pop. Another musical alchemist, Cary has gathered all manner of disparate elements and subtle influences to create something of her own, something emphatically Cary Grace. Cary's not just a talented singer/writer though, no, her talents extend way beyond that, a wizard on synthesizer (her resplendent synth on Lady of Turquoise is testament to that), a multi-instrumentalist who plays all sorts on this album, and on top of that she's an analogue synthesizer builder, artist and crafter of quality.

Cary's gathered a stellar ensemble of musicians together for Lady of Turquoise, there are of course the Cary Grace Band regulars: John Garden, a most excellent guitar player who shows his manifest skills on guitar across the album. I really couldn't single out one particular track on which John shines, because he's refulgent throughout, as well as providing some tidy synth on a couple tracks and even drums on 'Letterbox'. Although, drums are really the domain of David Payne, whether slow tempo or belting it out, David's drumming is the dogs, clean, powerful, consistent, and always right on the money...the engine of the band. Who together with rhythm supremo Andy Budge, one of the psychedelic scenes premier, and much in demand, bass practitioners on bass, provide the solidest of rhythmic foundations for the duration, and they do it in style and verve... a dream team. And, of course, the superb multi-instrumentalist Victoria Reyes on keyboard, organ, and not forgetting wonderful backing vocals on 'Without a Trace'. As if that wasn't enough, the band are joined by a host of prodigious guest artists. You've legendary guitarist Steffe Sharpstrings (Here and Now, Sentient, Gong) who's unmistakable sound shines on 'Khepera at the Dawn', 'Film Noir' and 'Castle of Dreams', there's something blissful to Steffe's peerless ethereal guitar sound, and his distinct talents are employed to glorious affect here. A real treat is 'Castle of Dreams' where you've got Steffe and John together, magnificent, man. Then on 'Without a Trace' and 'Sacrifice' musician, composer and producer Steve Everitt (Eat Static) is enlisted for guitar duty, and is none too shabby, with some particularly nice rock guitar on 'Sacrifice', a track with a nice heavier yet laid back groove to it. Whilst Gong's saxophonist Ian East lays down some wonderfully mournful sax on 'Film Noir', a favourite track of mine, with a brooding theatrical atmosphere to it, which I thought evocative of the 1980 movie Breaking Glass soundtrack. Then you've got Andy Bole (another renowned multi-instrumentalist) who brings a flavour of eastern Mediterranean exotic to 'Costume Jewellery' on the laouto and bouzouki, a track with something of a Doors/Floyd flavour to it, a wonderfully expansive sounding number with 60's/70's sensibilities, an epic track full of drama which builds impressively before a long spacey synth fade out...nice! Also on 'Costume Jewellery' another legend, Graham Clark, brings his extraordinary violin skills to mix and does an absolutely exceptional job, lending a sort of urgency through them, as well as playing guitar on a number of tracks, including the instrumental 'The Land of Two Fields', a short number with a solidly 70's progtastic synth flavour which acts as an tasty entrée, feeding seamlessly into the final and titular track. Lady of Turquoise completes the album on an up beat euphoric note, an energetic synth driven pop psyche joy, with a faint echo of vintage era Hawkwind. Outstanding eh, man! Cary's raised the bar high with this one, what an absolutely sensational album, stunning in every aspect, thoroughly listenable... again and again. An epic album through which Cary's flexed her impressive progressive muscles, and so much more, Lady of Turquoise is a triumph.  There's depth and drama in every one of the 13 faultless tracks, all beautifully crafted and perfectly executed by a decet of accomplished musicians, who’ve ensured every facet of this album is flawless, a glistening gem. The result is an hour and a half of aural rapture, a sublime release. Bravo y'all, and big up Cary, and big up the Cary Grace massive. I'm certain Hathor, being a Goddess of music and dance, would approve. I'd recommend you do yourself a favour and check it out here (whilst your there check out her back catalogue, it's a gold mine)... satisfaction guaranteed. Guaranteed I say!

Pig out?

We were not expecting to come across a pig out in the forest at this time of the year, a big feisty sow, normally you'd only see pigs out at pannage season, much later in the year. Without provocation she trotted towards us, now I don't know if her approach was out of inquisitiveness or aggression, but I wasn't going to wait to find out, and made off in haste. Only to accosted and chased shortly after by a small herd of bull calves. It was like Animal Farm, the animals were throwing off their shackles and revolting. The forest is full of the unexpected.  

1825

On the Allum Green side of Bramble Hill we came across another piece of early 19th century graffiti, this time even earlier than the '1850' I found a few days ago, and this one I'm more certain about. The piece, although stretched by time, clearly reads '1825'. The only figure that I pondered over was the 2, which I thought could've, could have, been a stylized 7? Although the more I looked, and the more I look, it's surely a unevenly stretched 2. Nice find.

Forgotten paths

A fading monument to a lost forest from a different time, a long neglected foot bridge, on a long forgotten foot path. These simple wooden remains now stand in isolation, no hint of the path they once served is discernible.  You'd easily miss this feature if you walked a few meters either way, just as you'd so easily miss all those other signs of past activity which are scattered throughout the forest.

Battered Bramble Hill

When slighted by the elements, many of the forest's trees simply fall to the ground, making the stand against time and the elements from there, whilst others are more obstinate, forming dramatic shapes amongst the stands, determined not to be completely humbled. I love these trees for their defiance, their outlines add something to the stands, they're natural sculptures expressing the eternal elemental struggle, rallying the other trees to hold fast. 

Snowdrops

Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis), natures way of telling us Spring's coming.

Straight drain

Although many of the larger drains have been remodelled, or their depth greatly reduced, there are still plenty of straight drains in the forest. Saying that, you sometimes wouldn't think so what with the forest as wet as it is.

1850 graffiti?

This looks remarkably like 1850 carved into the tree, although of course, the tree is scared at the crucial point. Though looking at it closely, and feeling it, I am more convinced than not, that it is. That said, the beech canvas is not that big, though the letters have stretched, and their style and execution are old school, I've also seen old graffiti on young looking trees. There are so many variables, man, you'd be surprised. You can only really date wholly legible pieces. I'm still going with it being an earlier example of forest graffiti. I have to wonder how many of these older pieces were lost through earlier timber harvesting. 

Commoners' Passage

The forest can be a challenging landscape to navigate in the winter.  The plains, whether high or low, are for the most part waterlogged, and the hidden boggy hollows of this undulating world are thoroughly sodden. It's easy for your walk to turn into an arduous soggy trudge. The forest would be impassible without track-ways like 'Commoners' Passage', which would have been serving locals and travellers for centuries. It says on a commemorative plaque the track was restored in 2004 (you'd not have known), it just shows how such passages weather, as although the short causeway over the bog remains in fair condition, the track itself has been heavily degraded in places by countless walkers, riders, cyclists and ponies. On the ridge above, a well preserved, though robbed out, Bronze Age Round Barrow is testament to the history of human activity in the area, and the sanctity of these isolated wet places to our ancestors.  

Frogger

Checking past posts recording when I've first see frog spawn, they've all been between 28th of January and 4th of February. That's quite a tight grouping. I always think it's too early, with the chance of devastating frosts still too high. But hey, what do I know, frogs have been about since at least the Paleocene (66 million years ago), so they must know what they're doing.

Deer Geoff

Dear Geoff, he's a good boy. Well, he was a good boy, until the deer, who'd been blissfully unaware of our presence, became acutely aware of our presence and done a runner.  Geoff triggered an instinctive response in the deer, and they in turn triggered an instinctive response in him, though in was good to see Geoff's learning quickly, abandoning his somewhat lacklustre pursuit, returning at my call. We'd been there a while too, Geoff just sitting a watching. Unexpected meetings and moments like this in the forest are priceless.

Imbolc song in Bratley Wood

The high crowns of the ancient and veteran oak and beech of Bratley Wood were alive with song this morning, as the assembled birds celebrated Imbolc, and heralded Spring's approach...they feel the subtlety of the seasons more keenly than we do. As the young sun grows and the soil warms, out in the forest the seeds and embryonic buds of potential begin to swell, closer to home, our hopes and dreams for this turn of the wheel are awakening. Imbloc blessing y'all. /|\

(I neglected to focus the camera, so the picture's not all that, but it's really for the bird song I posted.)