Egmont Point

Although the day was for the most part warm and sunny, sea mists were frequently rolling in and out causing visibility to be periodically reduced, not to the point where you couldn't see the landmarks, but to where they were shrouded enough to deny you detailed definition. The sea at Egmont Point was calm, only gently lapping between the rocks which litter the foreshore, rocks which once crowned Houns Tout high above. Calm today in the sun but in stormy weather this stretch of coast can be treacherous and unforgiving.

A walk in the woods

A walk in the woods, a communion with nature and a way of escaping the overwhelming and all invasive noise and mental clutter of modern life.  A time to be alone with your thoughts or even better an opportunity for mindfulness and just being in the moment. Burly Old Enclosure has always held a special place in my heart, it's in one of a group of roams I walk with some frequency. One of the older Enclosures, 122 acres enclosed in 1700, and you can sense its longstanding. A mix of mainly mature straight Beech destined for the admiralty yards, Oak and where the under story allows or, where the canopy has been opened to the light by a falling leviathan, a range of shrub trees. When the canopy is full it's like being in a mighty natural cathedral, you look about and upwards with wonder. A special place. 

Autumn evening clouds

It's funny really, we watch sci-fi films which woo us with representations of strange, colourful and wonderful alien worlds. Though we tend to be blasé and ignore the wonders which our world has to offer and which play out all about us every day. Take the sky for example, every day a unique shifting canvas of incredible shapes, textures and, man, those fabulous colours; although how many people take notice? Take the time to stop and emerge yourself, I guarantee you'll be filled with awe and find yourself smiling. You've got to love nature.

Another Cep

Though there are some Ceps (Boletus edulis) about, I've not found them in any great quantities around my usual mushroom roams; of course that could just be me. Ones or twos appear the order of the day and although I'm tempted I tend not to pick them when they're so sparse on the ground. I don't know, it feels wrong. The ground appears to be the problem, it's dry, it's really dry, it feels and sounds like you're walking over rice crispies (other cereals are available) for the most part; nothing like the usual sodden walks you'd associate with mushroom season. Still, I maybe being a bit previous again as it's still early days and the weather wizards are forecasting some rain for next week. Ceptember may yet materialize.

Cauliflower fungus

I came across three clumps of cauliflower fungus (Sparassis crispa) in the same area of woodland, which was quite unusual as in the past I've found them to be isolated, usually only finding a single clump on a wide ranging walk.  It's always worth remembering where you've seen this fungus as, if treated with respect and not completely removed, it will return for several years (although maybe not every year).  Commonly found at the base of coniferous trees, usually Scots Pine, the cauliflower fungus is unmistakable and a tasty treat, although it does take some preparation as the numerous folds will contain woodland debris and insects it's well worth the effort. Medicinally, studies suggest that the cauliflower fungus may contain substances which aid the immune system, which is always good.

Dry Stone

There must a dry stone walling program in progress in Purbeck as the fresh clean lines of new walls can be seen all over. Here, like a puzzle or a Lego construction, all the pieces of stone have been sorted and lined up ready for use. It's really cool to see this old skill being reinvigorated, ensuring the craft of dry stone work continues for at least another generation. More of these 'real' skills and crafts need to be saved from extinction, it's them that make up much of the fabric of our rural cultural environment, dry stone walling, thatching, hedge laying, woodland management and so much more. I stood and looked for a while at who carefully each stone had been laid, how much thought and preparation had gone into the job and thought of the pride which was being taken in a job well done.

Tilly Whim cliffs

Even though the day was calm the sea threw up quite a swell below Tilly Whim caves.

Shaft

The hills above Swanage are like Swiss cheese, riddled with the shafts and tunnels of the long gone booming industry which grew the town, only the remnants of which remain and don't reflect the real extent of what went before. According to some local elders, this shaft on the Townsend Nature Reserve was renovated some years back, the entrance stabilized with some beautiful dry stone walling and although an ironwork gate was fitted for safety, you could still view the interior. Though shortly after some vandals broke through the gate and trashed the inside of the mine, which still contained machinery and equipment. After that the site was fenced off, fell back into neglect and at one point the shaft could no longer be seen for invasive plants and shrubs; again a couple of years ago the foliage was cleared, but as you can see, it encroaches again.  It's sad when history is vandalized and neglected, it's sad that communities lose contact with their pasts. Eventually, the shaft, it's place in local history and the folk that toiled there will be forgotten.

Millwall

Another new graffiti category for me... football graffiti.  Maybe it's my disdain for football culture, but unlike most of the other graffiti I find I just see this a tagging, like a dog pissing on a lamp post. You could rightly argue that all graffiti is tagging of a kind, marking time, events, loves, bands and so much more, the categories are endless. Maybe it's because Millwall supporters have a particular reputation for senseless violence with right wing associations, sporting firms (gangs) like the F-troop and Bushwackers. I don't know, but I reacted unusually negatively towards this graffiti; I suppose more than other graffiti I've found it has genuinely negative values associated with it.

Beef Steak fungus

On the older, more established, Oaks in the forest the Beef steaks (Fistulina hepatica) are out and about, I've seen a few developing over the last few day. Still young and fresh, they're just right for the cooking.  Though it should be noted that as they grow on oaks they can be bitter (more so with age) as they leech tannic acid from their host.  So before cooking it's advisable to boil Beef steak fungus in water, changing the water several times, to removed some of the bitterness before adding them to stews and casseroles or drying them for future use.

Miz-Maze

Tucked away, set in a magical Yew woodland grove, atop the chalk hills of the Hampshire Wiltshire border, Breamore Miz-maze is a wondrous place to visit and I imagine even more wonderful if you stumble upon it unawares. The current Miz-maze is said to date to the Medieval, though there is some speculation that this maze is on the site an older maze maybe stretching back into prehistory. It's certainly situated on a prominent hilltop and there's a Bronze Age barrow adjacent and many other prehistoric sites nearby. What ever the date, there is no doubt that this place has a lovely atmosphere and energy; some quiet time spent here is time well spent.

A berry good year

It's certainly looking like a very good year for hedgerow fruits; Elder, Haw, Sloe and Rose-hip bejewel our hedgerows and shrub land. I don't remember seeing such large numbers of Haws on the trees or such large Sloes, they too in great quantities. With such bumper crops available, jams, sauces and wines should be on the agenda of many a bush craft and wild food enthusiast. Some folklore suggests this is natures way of preparing her inhabitants for a harsh winter to come. Here's hoping. We could do with a good crisp winter.

Hollow trees

There is a group of mature Beech in Whitley Wood, an area of ancient semi natural woodland, which are all hollow. Strange I thought that all the trees in the group had gone the same way, it's common to find hollow trees, but no so so many together. I wonder what factors were at play here? Although their heart wood has long gone and light can be seen through the fissure in their trunks, they appear to be doing well, with thick healthy looking canopies. Nature's great isn't she.

Holly

The boughs of forest Hollies hang low with berries this year, I can't remember a season where the trees have had so many berries on them. Although still mainly green, they're starting to yellow and hints of orange can be made out on some as they continue their journey to the deep red berries with associate with the winter season and Yule.

Ceptember?

Easy now, steal yourself, it's only one Cep, one lovely Cep I agree but as we well know from previous mushroom seasons...one Cep does not make a risotto or even a breakfast. Though, I have to hope that this could be the start of Ceptember.

It’s the End

 Photo by Bridget McKenzie from NY Times article

An interesting article and well worth a read for those weary of standing against environmental or social wrongs and the endless onslaught of bad news in the media, and who are struggling to continue to remain positive whist things appear only to be getting worse.

It’s the End of the World as We Know It . . . and He Feels Fine

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/magazine/its-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it-and-he-feels-fine.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

Turning time

September's arrived and with it autumn. Already some of the trees are starting to show elements of the raft of colours which will soon cloth the forest trees. Rich colours, through faded greens and vivid oranges and yellows, to the deepest of russet browns. The forest is beautiful at any time, though autumn is particularly magical and as always I look forward to embracing it. 

Chicken tree

Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) is currently to be found in bountiful quantities throughout the older deciduous woodland of the forest. After not seeing much of it about I thought it might have been a subdued year for Chicken of the woods, though it would appear I was being a touch previous as in the last couple of weeks it's come on rather splendidly. In certain woods you can't turn round with seeing another clump.

Burley Old

Created in 1700, Burley Old enclosure was one of the first enclosures made under the 1698 New Forest Act. Lovely.

Hermitage

Set deep in old woodland, this strange piece of woodland art puts me in mind of a hermitage, just big enough for a person to sit in and take some degree of shelter from the elements, whilst still being able to enjoy the view. A perfect place for contemplation and communion with nature.

Freindly pony

More than not the forest ponies don't really want much to do with you, but occasionally one will, for what ever reason, take a liking to you. This pony took a liking to me today, coming up to me I made a fuss of her.  When I stopped though she nuzzled me to continue and did so every time I tried to stop; remaining content whilst being fussed over. Then when I started to walk off, she followed and followed for a ways too.  They're real characters the forest ponies.

Summers end

As I walked along Highland Water I mused that Summers end would soon be upon us. This year my feelings weren't tinged with regret and disappointment as in the last couple of years, for this year we've had a summer and a reasonably good one at that. Not that I don't welcome the changing seasons, I welcome them all, as I enjoy them all, look forward to them all. Though you feel you've missed out, or somehow been diddled, in those years where a season has failed to fully materialize. No, hail and farewell Summer and hail and farewell Autumn.

Chunky Chicken

Cutting through a Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) 'shelf' it's clear as to where it gets its name from and why. The interior looks strikingly like cooked chicken and also exhibits a very similar texture.  

Baby Oysters

A little bit of rain and the forest fungi wakes up. Bursting through fallen, or still standing, decaying Beech trunk and bough, the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) can frequently be found after rain at almost any time of the year and is always a welcome find due to their good eating.  In my opinion best caught young, within a day really of appearing in drier periods and two or three at the most in wet periods, as they tend to spoil quite quickly.

Flow

A brief episode of rain and the dried woodland streams come back to life and flow again. Although I think it wont be long before they're once more dry. No, it wont be for a few more weeks until their flow is once more guaranteed. Still, the forest looks refreshed and the greens a little greener for the welcomed shower. 

Three Kings

Three Kings stand proud, aware of our presence, aware of the danger we pose to them and their harem of 30 or so Does and ready to disappear into the tangled shade of the nearby woodland in a heartbeat.  They and their massed Does do just that as we move towards them. Dispersing like a fractal, in half, then each half in half again and so on until groups of 2 or 3 head off in multiple vectors through the dappled woodland and disappear. A splendid survival strategy; confuse any hunter by creating more targets than they know what to do with. And before you know it they're gone, too far ahead and spread out to successfully capture.

Autumn calls

You can't yet see it, though carried lightly on the breeze you can occasionally smell it, you can certainly sense it, feel it.  From somewhere deep inside of you, there is a registering, a registering from a long distant period, a primal understanding from a time when our connection with nature was deeper, more immediate and vital. Change is coming; Autumn calls.

Brinken

Dead wood

I read somewhere theres an old saying that an average Oak trees life is made up of 300 years growing, 300 years living and 300 years dying. Well it's certainly true that even when an a gnarled old Oak has long since ceased to to bear leaf and its bark withered and dropped, it still retains a presence, and importantly a purpose, in the woodland.

Summer Boletus

Oh my, always a lovely sight, a boletus. On this occasion the, not so common, Summer Boletus (Boletus reticulatus). Rarer in Britain and more common in Southern Europe, you do see the Summer Boletus and it's a good eater too. Though, as I say, it's not so common, and so I left it; it shouldn't be too long, hopefully, before the Ceps appear, I can wait. I've seen these before, but never so young. This young specimen still retains a velvety cap; that'll go as the fungi matures. Nice find and a further portent of autumn.

Changes

Ch ch ch changes, as Bowie sang, the forest is entering a period of change. I know that nature's always in flux, though mostly it goes unnoticed. But there are periods when it's very tangible. I smelt it first last week, subtle on the breeze.......Autumn, or rather the outriders of autumn, heralding the seasons approach.  You can smell it, the sweet petrichor. You can feel it, fresh on your skin, filling your lungs. But beyond the physical, you feel it. Spring and autumn, the most trans-formative of the seasons; the two seasons I enjoy the most, both so full of anticipation and hurried activity.  I think it's natural to be moved at these times. Not too long ago autumn would have been as important to us as it is to the other animals, before globalization the coming of autumn and the certainty that winter was to follow, would have been a period of heightened anxiety as we gathered in the harvests which represented our survival.  Naturally that echoes in us.

Chase Avenue

The majestic Chase Avenue, running east west for about a mile and a half through Chase Woods, is quite the sight. Set in the rolling downs of the Dorset Wiltshire border, Chase Wood covers about 470 ha, with a significant proportion of that being recorded as ancient or ancient semi-natural woodland, it is a great place to loose yourself; if you were of a mind to, you could keep walking within the shade of the canopy all day. Chase Avenue, is a planned avenue of paired Beech trees, and in some sections doubled, cuts through the woodland with purpose, creating a most excellent walk. Composed of two straight sections which meet in large open circle in the middle, the avenue runs up and down combes over rises, so isn't a boring linear affair; each and every way you look there are differing woodland views. There are a few paths marked on the OS map (Explorer 118 Shaftsbury and Cranbourne Chase) cutting through or skirting Chase Woods, though the best paths are the 'permissive' ones, identified by wooden posts marked with a black directional arrow on a white circle, they afford you the best walking. The path along Chase Avenue is a permissive one. The photo above is taken from the eastern end of the avenue.

Stour morning

An early morning walk along the River Stour.

Sloes

Sloes as big as cherries! Autumn is coming and I'm look forward to it. In the forest, in a good year, autumn is a season of bountiful blessings, berries, nuts, mushrooms, all are for the gathering. Lovely. I'm already planning what wines and spirits to make, as well as what I'm going to do with, fingers crossed, this years mushrooms. It's a busy season, but one in which you feel really connected with mature and grateful for her bounties.

Avon Water

Feral Tractor

I came across a feral tractor on the hill overlooking the Encombe Valley, I say feral it has obviously lived all its life outside in the wild. No storage in a shed for this beast. Rusty and ragged and with the appearance of neglect, you'd have been forgiven for thinking it another abandoned piece of farm machinery; a common sight. Though you'd have been mistaken. This tractor was still working and in use. It amazes me how so often you see farm, and other, machinery just left out apparently neglected and yet they still appear to remain serviceable for years. It crosses my mind if they last so long with no care taken over them, how much longer they'd last if treated with more care; a life time maybe.

Egmont Bight and Freshwater Step waterfall

A view across Egmont Bight towards Houns Tout, Chapmans Pool and in the distance St Aldhelm's Head, taken from the cliffs above Freshwater Steps waterfall. Dark grey Kimmeridge clays dominate the geology of this section of coast, fragile and subject to slides and collapse, the sea is often coloured by fresh its deposits. Freshwater Step waterfall is small, although it can be transformed during the winter months, what is notable though about the waterfall is the protruding Kimmeridge clay step which gave the waterfall its name. Sticking out into the sea as it does, even at low tide, it cuts across the beach creating an impassible obstacle, making a walk from Kimmeridge to Chapmans Pool along the seashore impossible.  We first found this out many years ago after walking the considerable distance from Kimmeridge, along what is in places is an arduous shoreline, only to be faced with the even more arduous walk back. There used to be steps up from the beach to the coastal path on the Kimmeridge side, steps we had hoped to climb in order for an easier walk back, though sadly these fell in to disrepair, decay and finally by the time we required them, oblivion. Today though, the walk was along the cliff top, in glorious sunshine and the views were equally as glorious. No matter what the season or what the weather the Jurassic Coast never fails to lift and inspire. 

Chicken in a tree

I noticed some Chicken of the woods about 3m up an Oak amongst the stands of Camel Green. Last year these woods were full of Chicken of the woods, on one walk I counted 11 or more good sized specimens; not so this year though, this young clump is the only specimen I've spied in a while.  I didn't collect any, too young and there's plenty of time (as long as anyone else doesn't see it) for it to get bigger. Still though, I wanted to see if it was get-able and so, using the Ivy which clings to the tree, I climbed up to a position where I could have collect some. It's good to practice.

lughnasadh

Blessings at lughnasadh. 

First harvest, the grain harvest, may your dreams and desires be as successful as natures bounty.

Lightning?

I've never seen this before in the forest. A large straight quite mature Oak has a strip of bark peeled from the crown to the ground, and into the ground. Thin strips of bark hang from several places along the trunk and all around lay splintered pieces of bark; up to 15m from the tree. At first I though a branch must have fallen and pulled a strip of bark down with it, but there is no branch to be seen. What's more, on inspection it's clear the bark wasn't ripped or stripped from the trunk, more exploded with force from within, from under the bark. How else can the splinters 15m from the tree be explained? I mean splinters too. From 5cm to 30cm, and everything in between, and from 2mm or 3mm to no more than 10mm across. Some weird stuff. I spend some time wandering about and pondering and all I could think was it must have been lightning. Though, there were no scorch or burn marks to be seen. Like just the energy without the heat and fire. There was another oak close by which appeared to have experience something similar but not to the same extent. This tree is gnarlier and the damage line snakes across the trunk from a few meters up down into the ground; the bark here has been popped of the trunk in rough pieces about 30cm long. I'm sure the two events are connected. Crazy, nature always reserves the right to amaze and astound.