Samhain

 

Samhain's (pronounced  Sow-en) arrival marks the end of a cycle; all the crops are gathered in, all the fruits have fallen, and it's time for last harvest. Has the wheel turned quickly, or is that just me? I hope last harvest finds your physical and metaphorical barns brimming with bounties born of the seeds you sowed earlier in the year. With a job well done, it's now a period of rest, a time to reflect, and to prepare for the birth of the new sun and the beginning of the next cycle. Samhain blessings y'all /|\

Samhain

 

With Samhain upon us and the veil between the realms thinned, I spent our walk this morning remembering family and friends who've over the years passed beyond aforementioned veil. I spoke to them all, said their names out loud and recounted a memory relevant to each, it was lovely how whoever I pictured always appears in my minds eye smiling back at me.

Cauliflower

 

A perfect example of a young Cauliflower fungus (Sparassis crispa) on the edge of Dames Slough; often they'll grow through sticks and bracket, the lobes and folds becoming filled with debris, but these folds were clean and pristine. Listed as 'edible good' they're a tasty mushroom; this one would be a good one for cooking as usually their a bugger to clean.

Autumns' developing pallet

 

For all but 20 minutes of this mornings' walk we enjoying various degrees of rain, none of it not wet. The 20 minutes break was about 2/3 through, when out of nowhere and within moments the rain had stopped and the skies had cleared revealing the sun, causing steam to rise from the stands. There's no doubt the forest's lovely in any season, though unquestionably it's spring and autumn that steal the show, and the forests' autumnal pallet is developing nicely.

Sweet as a nut

 

It used to thought (and it still could be so) that the non native Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) arrived in Britain during the Roman Period AD43 - 410, although it appears that as yet there's no evidence of them before AD650. Whenever they arrived, they're a useful nut. Our route this morning took us through my favourite sweet chestnut wood, where the branches were festooned with open cases, and the floor beneath littered with nuts. You can tell when the Sweet Chestnut season is drawing to an end, as their spiky green cases, still on the branch, look like open face hugger eggs (think Alien film).  Although many of the nuts were again smallish or average, there were a respectable number of stonkers. I got to wondering if the sweet chestnut had an early drop, a bit like Apple trees have the 'June drop' when some fruits are discarded for the benefit of the remainder, hence the abundance of empty nut sacks a few weeks back. Shredded cases emptied by wildlife were present in huge numbers, the woodland critters have been enjoying a proper feed. I had to grab a load, well, it would've been rude not to. If you're looking to collect some I'd be quick.

That'll be a no then.

 

That'll be a no then.

Yellow Staghorn

A clump of Yellow Staghorn (Calocera viscosa) bursting through a thick carpet of sphagnum moss in one of Vinney Ridge enclosures' coniferous stands.

Looking up

Looking up into the canopy.

Hedgies

 

One of the mushrooms that appears to have done really well throughout this peculiar fungi season is the Hedgehog (Hydnum repandum). I've seen hedgehog mushrooms where ever we've walked for months now, and it good numbers too. Hedgies are on my edible good list for a couple of reasons; firstly they're edible good and suffer cooking well, secondly they're not easily misidentified due to their distinctive nature. I like that. Unusually Hedgehog mushrooms don't have gills or sponge rather spines, hence the mushrooms' name, they also don't vary much from their creamy salmon pink colour. There are a handful of others in the Hydnellum family, and although these differ noticeably from the Hedgehog mushroom care should always be taken to check every metric.

Southern bayous

 

I hadn't expected things to get wetter this quickly. Through Dames Slough the woodland adjacent to Black Water has the look of a bayous too it; making our walk quite exciting. The nearby raised forestry track and bridge are in risk of being overwhelmed; the bridge has scant space remaining beneath it and the track is already ankle deep in water for 40m or so towards Burly Old and higher ground. When the forest's like this it reminds me of what a forbidding landscape it must've been to traverse prior to fair roads and bridges.

Things can only get wetter

 

With the arrival of the wet season proper the inundation begins. Reliable access to our regular routes is becoming less certain as every subtle hollow and shallow ditch across the lower-lying regions of the forest are now regularly water filled, especially on stream adjacent tracts. Hey ho. Things can only get wetter.

Appetite for destruction

For over a decade now we've been encouraged to pull at the threads of society and civility; over the same period what had began a slippery slope has developed into free fall, as an anti intellectual anti science mind virus swept through society. We've been actively undermining social cohesion by stirring resentment and division as we descend into the rampant inequalities of burgeoning neo-feudalism, and as a consequence hard won social victories and cultural progress are being dangerously eroded. In the blink of an eye we'd slipped comfortably from reason into a post truth landscape, and on into a post reality one, and are now entering an uncharted territory where neither claim or counter claim require objective evidence. Discussion and debate have become obsolete, or worse weaponized. Seeing your opponents position, or even humanity has become a heresy. Whilst the idea of agreeing to differ in the pursuit of cultivating effective consensus is inconceivable. As for nuance, unthinkable. We've stepped into a zero sum express elevator, it's going down and we're encouraged to scream to go faster; in unison, and with gusto, we do. A war of polemics delivered by ideologues and defended by the dehumanizing of opponents, or for that matter anyone who'd dare to question, via ad hominem attacks, no evidence of guilt required, no evidence of innocence accepted. Every take has to be the worst one. It's exhausting. Whether people were ever thus or this is something different our appetite to indulge in self defeating behaviours at this pivotal moment of existential crises is all very disappointing.

Pin Oak

I think this is a Pin Oak or Swamp Spanish Oak (Quercus palustris), as a non native species it's gorgeous red foliage sticks out like a sore thumb.

Chestnuts

Recent winds have brought down a good number of Sweet Chestnuts, allowing an appraisal of the nuts so far. Well. Firstly, if you're after some be quick, a fair number have already been eaten, the evidence is all about. As for what's left, far too many are simply empty nut sacks for my liking, no kernel to speak of, or at all. The rest. A reasonable quantity of average sized nuts, with the occasional good sized one. At this point, I'm going to call an average chestnut year.

The woods are the place for me.

 

Of outdoors sorts I think there are loosely two types of people, those who favour woodland spaces and those who favour open spaces. Myself, it's woodland all the way. I enjoy walking whatever environment is afforded me and love all that nature has to offer, although there's something special about the embrace of woodland. I feel my deepest connection to nature is achieved whilst walking or sitting in woodland. I know there are those who find woodland claustrophobic, not me, I find comfort in woodlands' caress; the woods feel like home, they always have. You?

Pigs!

 

This morning the forest appeared quiet on the surface, although underneath that quiet there was a lot of natural energy amongst the stands. We could hear stags growling, barking and clashing racks somewhere off deeper in the woods as they vied for mating rights; cattle watched us pass with suspicion as they mooch and graze the open woodland; a stampede of a dozen or more ponies thundered through the Rise towards us, only veering off at the last moment; whilst a troop of pigs eagerly at pannage grubbed up the woodland and riverbank with their noses in search of acorns and mast, only pausing briefly to investigate us and say hello. It's fascinating to watch the pigs at pannage and their antics, they're real characters. This is natures last hurrah before our current cycle ends, and the welcome rest until the new suns' birth when the cycle begins again.    

Carlton Melton @ The Winchester Gate

 

I was lucky enough to get to see the fabulous Carlton Melton for the second time in less than a week, and they were, again and as one would expect, truly phenomenal. This time it was closer to home at another of my favourite pub/venues, the fantastic Winchester Gate in Salisbury. What I wrote regarding Carlton Melton and the qualities of their King Arthur performance remains true for tonights' gig, I'd only be repeating myself, and anyway I've already used all the available superlatives to describe this prodigious bands performances. The only difference I'd say was that whereas the Arthur performance had a wild frenetic nature to it, this evenings' was a more considered and focused affair; viva la difference I say, both were far out. It was also a treat to see Carlton Melton supported by Salisbury band Carpet. I've seen Carpet 3 times (?) previously, each a unique experience as they appear to have a wonderful fluid nature to their sound and performances; tonight they were joined by a nervous looking fellow singing in Hindi, damn fine stuff, the cultural mix of electronic psych and traditional style vocals worked well. Check Carprt out here. 

All in all another wonderful evening, great venue, two superb bands and the fine company of friends old and new; again my cap is doffed to all who made this evening the respite from modernitys' tribulations that it was.

Juniper

 

I walk a lot, over a wide range which takes in a variety of environments, and I only know of a handful of wild Juniper trees (Juniperus communis). I understand this native tree used to be more common, though in recent decades they've seen a marked decline ascribed to over browsing by wildlife and disease. I've watched this particular tree struggle for over a decade, holding on as it is in the most difficult circumstances, and although it's in decline, and continually threatened by erosion, it still endures. A female tree with numerous berries on it. Here's the thing, I only know of this juniper in the area, but juniper are dioecious, single sex trees which are wind pollinated; which means there must be a male tree somewhere. I don't know how far pollen travels on the wind? Can't be that far can it?

Gives you the chills

2 degrees this morning, which felt a hell of a lot different to last Sundays' 20 degrees. Brrrrr. It used to be that you were eased into the seasonal changes, not now, every day's a random wheel of weather day now. It can't be right.

Fly agaric

 

The Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) are out in force at the moment; they don't stay looking like this for long though, the forests' wildlife appear to like them, and they're not that sturdy either. Probably the most recognizable mushroom in the forest, the archetype toadstool and a source of boundless folklore and culture where ever they're found. Pretty too.

Carlton Melton @ The King Arthur Glastonbury

Until this evening I'd not been to a gig since the outbreak of 'rona', so it was a real joy to be back at my favourite pub/venue, the King Arthur in Glastonbury; to see psych rocks' finest Carlton Melton create their magic. If you get the opportunity to catch Carlton Melton live don't hesitate, you'll not be disappointed. Carlton Melton are Andy Duvall on drums and guitar, Clint Golden on bass, Rich Millman guitar and synth, and Anthony Taibi also on guitar and synth. For me the essence of Carlton Melton's music is it's immersive nature which is dialled up to 11 live. Tonight's performance epitomized that, although differently to previous shows I've attended which have had an ethereal nature, whereas tonight’s performance had a more driven nature. An evolution in sound which is reflected in their phenomenal new album 'Turn to Earth'. At the core was Andys' drumming which had an affecting tribal vibe to it, organic and shamanistic, which along with Clints' solid bass lines drove the rich rhythmic groove which under pinned this evenings' performance. If you've seen Carlton Melton live you know to strap yourself in and prepare to be taken on an aural trip, their music has the capacity to create a collective flow state, and tonight was no exception. Every track was delivered masterfully with gusto, driven hypnotic drone all solid psyche rock riffs and rhythms had the audience moving, it was smiles all round, every track receiving enthusiastic applause. Right on! Out front Richs' performance was electric, delivered through his bold and energetic stage presence, throwing himself and his guitar into the music tonight literally had him lying on the floor amongst the crowd. I know not how. Importantly though he was okay, and with smiles all round he crawled back on stage as Dead Otter's Omar Aborida picked up the guitar and filled in for him. I'd previously seen Carlton Melton as a three piece, tonight was the first time I've seen Anthony perform live; I've enjoyed his contributions in White Manna and DDT (two bands I'd thoroughly recommend), he delivered an impress live performance. The band looked like they were enjoying the performance as much as the audience were. Then sadly, all too soon, as with all good things, it was over; as the music faded we were returned to reality, all the better for our journey.

 

Genuinely you couldn't fault tonight’s performance, capital show all round, Carlton Melton were outstanding. In fact everything about this evening was perfect. I mentioned Omar, that's as Dead Otter were one of two other bands on the bill along with Thee Crow, both also acquitted themselves magnificently delivering exceptional performances. As for the Arthur I love it, great staff, friendly clientèle and a wonderful atmosphere which makes the traveller feel like a local; the sound guys do a great job too. I doff my cap to all involved in thoroughly uplifting evening; I for one feel better for it.

Orange Birch Bolete

 

One member of the Bolete family which has done particularly well this year is the Orange Birch Bolete (Leccinum versipelle), wherever there's open rough grass and heather edged woodland you'll find dozens fruiting, all shapes and sizes; they're always a prominent autumn mushroom, though this year they're that and some. There are quite a few similar looking mushrooms in the Leccinum family that you'll see out and about, some much rarer than others, but the Orange Birch Bolete is by far the most common. They're listed as edible good; personally I'm not a fan. Firstly, because you have to cook them good and proper (20 minutes) as they're mildly toxic creating common gastro issues associated with fungi; I'm not that hungry. Secondly, they turn black when cooked, and can colour whole meals; again not that hungry.  Looking good out there though.

Why twice?

 

I'm puzzled by this. Two pieces of graffiti, same name, same date and clearly carved by the same hand which read 'John Jan 1 1978'. Why twice? Why would you do that?

Cyclists think

 

Not the sign you'd expect to find tucked away amongst a stand of tightly crowded young conifers. The explanation? Conscientious mountain bikers. Some time ago by the look of the mossed berms, worn trail furniture and obstructing debris some folk crafted a cycle trail which snakes the hillside, which must've been nice when first built. I don't see many pedestrians wandering through, still, nice thought.

Nuts

 

We've both regular hazelnut and cobnut/filbert variety trees in our garden, several of them annually bear fruit. This year we've not seen as many as we'd expect, and usually the cob produce a noticeably larger nut, though this year their nuts are near comparable, the cob being slightly smaller than usual and the hazel slightly larger. Both varieties though are equally tasty.

Climb out of Swanage

From Ballard Down we'd approached Swanage via the inland Whitecliff route and climbed out of Swanage up to Ballard Down via the coastal path this morning; a picturesque route with lovely views, and one that appears to have changed little in the decades I've known it. The first time I walked this route was on an ill fated camping mission at 14; a friend and I, enthusiastic though poorly equipped and prepared, had walked from Bournemouth to Swanage, had a disastrous camp amongst the old quarries above the town, and after spending our bus fare home on ciggies and chips, tired and weary, had trudged up this very path towards Ballard Down before descending to spend a cold night in the dunes followed by the first ferry across the harbour mouth. I learnt a lot of what not to do camping on those early camping trips. 

Return to Studland

 

Studland beach is off limits to hounds between May and September, which is reasonable, though with October here the magnificent dune backed sands are once again accessible. What a joy to be back, what a glorious sunrise to welcome our return, and what a fabulous walk; Shell Bay to Swanage and back via Ballard Down and the end of the Purbeck ridge. Whether it was the beautiful walking conditions, or the coffee and cake that fuelled my return leg, but the walk passed easier than I'd expected... you can't underestimate the sustaining qualities of coffee and cake! Ever been to Swanage? It's great, a traditional seaside town in a beautiful setting, pretty much as I remember it in the 70's and 80's; a rare thing.

The end of the day

 

The end of the day.

Ceps

It hasn't mattered where we've walked in the forest I've seen a good turn out of Ceps everyday. I admit to being a bit surprised in light of the lack of rain and subsequent dryness of the forest; pleasantly surprised.

Red Rise Brook

It's beginning to feel more like autumn out in the forest, it's still a touch too warm, and a touch too dry, though beyond that it's a close facsimile of autumn.  

Wootton passage

There are some picturesque walks to be had in the hidden corners of the forest.

Extraordin - berry

 

The holly berries are looking wonderful, so many branch ends adorned with tight clusters of bright red berries, dozens of them (holly berries are poisonous and shouldn't be eaten).  Though this year across the board berries have been knocking it out of the park ... it's been extraordin-berry! Of the edibles I can't think of a berry producing plant or shrub that hasn't been loaded with fruits. At the allotment I'd never had so many strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, both green and red gooseberries did marvellously as did the blackcurrants; and out here in the forest both sloes and rowan are well served, whilst the haws' magnificence stands out, an unbelievable show. Folklore says an abundance of holly berries (and other hedgerow berries) is a portent of a harsh winter to come; here's to hoping, eh, we could do with a proper winter. 

Time

October already, so quick? Sh*t, man, I can see the end of the year racing down the road, bringing into sharp focus that by every metric I'd choose to employ I've failed to achieve many of the goals I set out at the beginning of the year.