Autumn skies

Autumn in Burley Old

Autumn

Cider

With such a good apple season this year it would be rude not make good use of them; apples stewed, crumbles made, freezer filled and boxes of apples wrapped in newspaper, tucked away in the shed, all that was left was cider. So I've two demis' on the go, one made from next doors cookers (an experiment) another from eaters collected from a tree near the grannies leg (a notable local tree). Both should be ready for the Winter Solstice or possibly chips.

Stoney cross pond

Web server

A gossamer fine spiders web, strung between the lower branches of a mighty old Oak, is brought to life in an explosion of colour by the sun.

Nothing better

Fox

It's not until one rests a while by the banks of a woodland brook, in quiet contemplation, that the forest truly reveals itself. Insects busy themselves in the fleeting autumn sun, birds chatter, ponies lazily graze; then suddenly a sense of shock and wonder as a Fox saunters nonchalantly in the view. So accustomed to seeing foxes around town and therefore coming to associate them with the urban environment they appear out of place. That said, bushy tailed, and bright, it looks healthy and content as it uses its nose to navigate the stands on the hunt for a morsel.

Ghillie

One of the finest pieces of outdoor kit, the Ghillie kettle is a master class in efficiency and functionality. No fuel need be carried, boils a litre of water in minutes, using twigs, leaves or merely paper rubbish. A warming brew just when you need one, top shelf!

Nutty

A good crop of nuts are available this year, said to be a indicator of the winter to come, they suggest that the coming season will be harsh. Hazelnuts are always a favourite and are a common find on prehistoric archaeological sites, high in nutrients and vitamins they are good to have in your diet. Chestnuts too are a healthy option, having around 180 calories per 100 grams, which is much lower than other nuts and dried fruit. Chestnuts also contain no cholesterol and very little fat, most of which is unsaturated. They are the only "nuts" that contain vitamin C; the amount of vitamin C decreases after heating. Chestnuts dry easily and once made into flour will store for up to 3 years.

Meadowsweet

Usually associated with wet meadows and not a plant you regularly find in the forest, these Meadowsweets were found on the bank of Ober Water just below Markway Bridge. A useful herb, the dried flowers, as well as the other above ground parts are used as a soothing healing herb with astringent, aromatic and antacid properties, helping to relieve rheumatic muscle and joint pain as they contain Salicylic Acid, a main component of Asprin.

Nuts

Like hazelnuts dropping into the pool of wisdom, acorns fell from the branches of Oaks overhanging Avon Water; striking the still surface with a satisfying ploop, sending ripples radiating out. A group of Deer hurriedly cross down stream, aware of our presence they don't dilly dally and disappear quickly into the dense cover of Rhienfields Sandy. The sun floods the wooded banks, casting a mottled blanket across the autumn scene, a last flush before the fall and a well deserved winter sleep.

Ober

Splintered Oak

Cleft in three some time back, the splintered stump and bowed boughs of this once proud Oak have created a hidden haven. Beyond the fallen boughs, now covered in brambles, dog rose and shielded by invading shrubs grateful of the light , is a secluded grassy area, an eye of the hurricane which is life in the forest. Without a closer look at the stump, a spot easily missed.

Pannage

It's that time of year already and the pigs have been released into the forest to feast on the seasonal glut of acorns. Braver every year some of the piglets will approach and sniff you out before recognizing the scent of danger and scuttling away squeaking.

Happy equinox

Although never still, for a moment equipoise as the wheel turns through Mabon, light and dark in equilibrium; soon night will conquer day and the land will begin her sleep.
The old Sun now returns to the Goddess, both to rest, the fruits of their labours gathered and stored; they have worked their magic to great effect, due gratitude is given for natures bounties.The harvest moon shines from high, while below nature prepares for dormancy; leafs begin to curl and fall, a chill wind stalks the fields and stands, hibernation is at hand.

Celebrate your successes and give thanks, now reflect and rest, lay the plans of new campaigns; the wheel is turning.

Crusty

A baby Panther Cap.

Sweet Chestnut

What a beautifully patterned Sweet Chestnut tree.

Hurry on sundown, see what tomorrow brings

Foxes riddle

A foxes riddle and a monkeys dance. That's what my mother used to call simultaneous rain and sun; I adopted the saying although never thought to ask what it meant.

Stag

One down

An early victim of autumns turmoil this mighty Oak was cleft in half by a split caused by the recent winds which raked the stands of Red Rise. Broken but not yet beaten the Oak continues to stands firm.

Hedgehogs 2

Possibly my favourite wild mushroom, the Hedgehog mushroom, Hydnum repandum, comes in all manner of shapes and sizes. Normally rounded or irregular sub rounded their flesh is firm and ranges from buff to salmon pink. Commonly found in groups amongst both conifers and deciduous trees. Remembered a bag today.

Hedgehogs

The Hedgehogs are out and doing particularly well amongst thick lush mosses found in the dense stands of Burley New Enclosure. No bag though! Another good sign of a hopefully fruitful season.

Autumn afternoon

Beech mast

The Beech boughs hang low with mast, fairly easy to access although fiddly to shell, Beech mast with its high fat content was processed and the oil extracted was used for cooking and lighting. The masts kernel can be eaten raw, they were put in soups, turned into bread and used as a coffee substitute. This year is particularly productive.

Moist

It is though, isn't it!

Ominous

Ominous clouds cloak the remains of ominous times. The heaped remains of a prefabricated pillbox from the invasion scare period of 1939-1941; survived the war, with all the training leading to D Day only to be blown with demolition charges in the late 1970's early 1980's by which time they had become a problem due to misuse.

Top

Two and a half pence! Them were the days, collecting bottles for pence, often finding enough to furnish me with a reasonable bag of sweets. The condition of this cap, assuming it has languished amongst the dune for 30 years at least, was surprisingly good.

Seacombe Quarry

Some places are just special, there's something there, something beyond the beautiful views, the rolling landscape, glimpses of rock amongst the shrub like trees, something that you can't articulate, something the speaks from within a connection to without. Seacombe is such a place.

Autumn Sunset

Heather

Heather (calluna vulgaris), Bell Heather (erica cinerea) and Cross-leaved Heath (erica tetralix) provide bees with rich fragrant pollen and bring a purple hue and a beautiful scent to the open areas of the forest. A feast for eye, the nose and the spirit.

Shroom

A seasons shift sometimes passes imperceivably until, before you know it, everything has changed, not this time; autumns arrival is most definite, clearly visible and intentions understood. The air is cleaner, cooler, the wind has spirit and harasses you whenever you break cover and the ground is softening, becoming water logged, with standing water now becoming more common place. The fungi are loving the shift and burst through the soften ground in appreciation. All manner of mushroom can be seen, of particular interest are the Boletus; several good feeds have been enjoyed already.

Summer Ceps

Although one or two here and there have been sighted, today was my first proper pick of Ceps this season. The Summer Cep (Boletus reticulatus).

Late Summer on Red Rise Brook

Although the stream through Red Rise is back within its banks, evidence of water racing amongst the stands is clearly visible. The woodland floor is scoured, in places revealing bare soil, whilst jumbled clusters of forest detritus, gathered in the torrents have been redeposited by the receding flood waters.

Pinnick Summer

The far reaches of Pinnick Wood are simultaneously tranquil and yet so alive, so vibrant, so filled with vitality. Dappled light pierces the canopy and mottles the woodland floor. As the season draws to a close and the race nearly run, a last spurt of energy is evident; the trees and shrub plants hang heavy with fruit. Nuts and berries are bountiful this year.

Kimmeridge

Summer sunset

Burley Old late summer

vertebrae

Like giant vertebrae the roots of long toppled leviathans litter the woodland floor. Their unusual forms create strange shapes seen from a far.