Sun kissed canopy

 

Early morning sun just catching the top of the canopy. Nice.

Canopy

 

Canopy

Looking up

Looking up into the canopy.

The canopy cometh

It's nearly canopy time, high above the buds of Oak crowns are on the brink of bursting forth. It's always lovely watching the buds form and burgeon on all the different trees. The oaks are often the last to the leaf party, their arrival marking the beginning of Spring's end and heralding Summer's approach. The season of dappled light will soon be with us.

Lockdown

I laid on the ground in the middle of Burley Old this morning, the leaf litter on the floor of wood is dry and crunchy. I settled in and just gazed up at the still bare canopy as its constituent parts gently swayed around each other, it was hypnotic, mesmerising, my mind wandered. I pondered our present trajectory into dark territory, into lockdown and the heart of the storm, although there's a strange unreal-ness to our current reality, this shit's getting real, I thought.  

Grove

There are a couple of places scattered about my favoured roams that we'll regularly visit and hang out a while. One is a spot in Burley Old, where I'll sit amongst the mossy buttressed roots of a veteran Beech, taking it all in, connecting, whilst Geoff does his thing. This cycle I've paid particular attention to the roof of my favoured grove, noticing the faint changes which precede the more profound transformations. The whole hue of the woodland has subtly changed, as has the nature of the light, everything has lost its lustre. It's most noticeable in the canopy, which although still dense and full, is beginning to look tired, now with the odd flush of gold hinting at what's to come. The sound and smell of the stands is changing too, the woodland is audibly quieter, the bird song seems to have less urgency and the trees are holding their breath in anticipation. Sound is also beginning to carry again, so you can hear further out, and still it's quiet. Each season has an identifying smell, and the forest is starting to smell autumnal, all we need now is some rain and we'll be there.  It's a lovely season autumn, so many facets to enjoy. There's really something to be said for getting to know the groves you frequent more intimately.   

Grey day

When the sun's shining you can easily forget that it's February, bathing in that faint warm glow, imagining spring has sprung. It came over really quite grey this morning as we sat amongst some veteran beech in South Oakley, and looking upwards I was reminded that winter still reigns.

Up, up and away.

Always remember to look up when walking in the woods, the patterns created by the boughs and branches of the canopy are lovely and quite absorbing. The best way to enjoy their patterns is to take some time, lay down, relax and loose yourself for a while.  You'll be surprised at the depth of what you'll see looking up through natures kaleidoscope.  Go on, you know it makes sense.

Camouflage and concealment

Do you ever think about camouflage and concealment, or things like escape and evasion when you're out walking? No. It's just me then, isn't it. Today I was wondering how hard it would be to be spotted from above whist travelling beneath a summer canopy. A person must be near impossible to spot, don't you reckon?

Going, going, go......

Going, going, gone. That's it, all but for a few here and there, the forests stands are bare, their leaves a rich carpet of russet hues on the woodland floor.  Now Jack and the Holly King rule unchallenged, for a while anyway, until Sol and the Oak King are in ascendance, and the fight for dominance starts again.