Lodge Hill

 

Morning sun through Lodge Hill wood, Holmsley enclosure.

New X Men - E is for Extinction

 

With Cassandra Nova reportedly the villain in Deadpool 3, I though I'd reacquaint myself with her by revisiting 2001s' superb New X Men run by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely; I'd quite forgotten what a rancorous malevolent force she is, her origin story's surprising if not shocking too; and she's powerful. I'll say no more though, as the twists and turns are best read spoiler free; hell of a romp. Frank Quitely's one of my favourite artists with a unique style and wonderful lines which hold the gaze, and Morrison has always been a solidly good writer, when paired they create damn good reading. This is X men done well.

Ay up chuck

 

Small yellow bubbles of Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) burst out of the trunk a veteran Sweet Chestnut on one of Wilverleys' forestry tracks. The first I've spotted this year, and right on time too.

Avon Water

A straightened section of Avon Water near it's source on Stony Moors.

Beltane

 

Bels' fire warms the soil, and in the greenwood the Goddess and the Green Man are united; through that union fertility and abundance again return to the land. Flora, Ēostre, Rana Niejta, Brigid, Ashanti, Freya, Dilga, Sopdet, Persephone, she is known in every corner of the world, by many names, hail and well met the Goddess of Spring. Now's the time to plant seeds literal and figurative. Beltane blessings. /|\

Cherry Blossom

 

It's been a good year for Cherry Blossom.

Clouds at sunset

 

Clouds at sunset

Forest pool

 

Forest pool

First foal

 

Continuing on an equestrian tip, the first foal I've seen this year. Ah.

A Thelwell pony?

 

This little beauty put me in mind of the Thelwell ponies. Do you know of cartoonist and illustrator Norman Thelwell? Thelwell was a famous cartoonist and illustrator of the British countryside and contributor to the the magazine Punch. One of my early girlfriends was a horsey girl and introduced me to Thelwells' enchanting cartoons having several volumes of them. If you know them, you'll instantly see what I mean. Made me smile.

Frying tonight

Fry basking in the warm spring sun in one of the head water rivulettes of Avon Water in Holmsley enclosure. I think they're Brown/Sea Trout (Salmo trutta) fry, don't hold to that though. These fish born in the headwaters of small streams have an interesting life journey, some remain in the streams of their birth, others venture out into the sea where they morph into Sea Trout, returning to their stream of birth to spawn and die. Bonus point if you get the title reference 'frying tonight'.

Can't stop the flow

On a narrow restored section of Blackensford Brook running through North Oakley enclosure a bank side tree has toppled into the stream, it would've blocked the flow of water completely, though Blackensford Brook was having none it; first it flowed around the obstruction, then it bored a tunnel through the obstruction and normal service was restored. You can't stop the flow.

Hold on they're coming.

Hold on they're coming, hold on they're nearly here. The buds are all there, bursting to open, and it wont be long before the entire floor of this wood will be carpeted in white and pungent Ramson flowers. I love this time of year; all energy and anticipation.

Clean sweep

 

What do you notice about the woodland floor here? No leaves. Black Water meanders through the woodland here, and whilst in flood has scoured the floor of last autumns' leaves and detritus, leaving a swathe of green through the stands; highlighting the strength and extent of these small forest streams when engorged. 

Electric Crayon Set - Laughing in the Clouds

 

Upon receiving my last package from Fruits de Mer Records I discovered an additional album with an accompanying card reading 'It's a windfall! A complimentary record from Fruits de Mer Records, just because we're in a good mood...and we found a few spare copies down the back of the sofa', how cool, eh, and much appreciated. I'd never heard of Finnish psyche pop combo Electric Crayon Set; I have now and they're bloody good. Electric Crayon Set are Seppo Tyni on bass, guitars, synth and keys, Timo Lilja on drum and precussion, and Timo Paakko vocals, guitars, synth and keys; with additional guitar from Juha Kormano, harpsicord from Pekka Tyni, vocals from Vilma Paakko and backing vocals from Katariina and Veera Lohiniva. 'Laughing in the Clouds' is a wonderfully upbeat romp through the world of psychedelic and progressive music, and although Finnish there's a real Britishness to their sound, specifically 70s/80's progressive pop psyche with a side helping of Mod aesthetic. Electric Crayon Set have added their own contemporary spin on the familiar to create a original take and sound on a favourite genre; each track is an aural joy, it's a lovely album, thoroughly listen-able. A stand out track for me is 'Calling on the cards', especially loving the vibe and production on that one; beautiful vocals by Vilma Paakko, first class. I wholeheartedly recommend this album, and a band to keep your eye on.

'Laughing in the Clouds' by the Electric Crayon Set is available on Psychotron Records; if this is the calibre of their releases, a label to watch.

Mucky work

Timber extraction is a messy business at the best of times, and these are not the best of times. The unseasonal wet has really softened up the forest; it's like walking on a sodden sponge, easily churned up by heavy forestry machinery, broad tracks of deep ruts and mucky puddles quickly form.

The Incal: Psychoverse

 

The Incal: Psychoverse, a prequel to legendary 'The Incal' by Jodorowsky and Moebius is a stupendous new romp through a familiar universe. Written and illustrated by contemporary artists, it's done so well, with such love and reverence for the source material that it's near seamless in aesthetic. Wonderfully written by Mark Russell and beautifully illustrated and coloured by Yanick Paquette and Dave McCaig respectively it's a joy to read, and a damn sight easier to follow. The tale of universes at war, of mad nuns on a mission and an insight into events that led to the events of the The Incal. It's a hell of a bonkers ride too, with is the Metabaron, Kill Wolfhead, and of course private investigator and space chump John Difool driving the story. Apparently there are more graphics set around the characters, worlds and events surrounding The Incal, and if they're as good as this, well.

Path art

 

Created from a mixture of leaves and small stones, I imagine this piece of ephemeral art was a beautifully imagined green flower. Situated in the center of an main forestry track it was never going to last that long.

Keep to the footpath

What with the sucking bog and all, walking in these parts can be frought with problems, you'd be wise to keep strictly to the footpath.

Magnificent Oak

Oak

Roe harvest

The harvesting of Roe enclosures' Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) which began at the back end of last year is moving on at a pace. I reckon maybe 2/3rds of the trees are in the process of being removed in parts, the timber stacks on the sides of the tracks are piling up.

Topsy turvy

It's a topsy turvy world out there.

Here comes the Sun

 

At the slightest hint of any Sun, no matter how fleeting, the Wood Ants (Formica rufa) are out and active. A good sized nest can house upwards of 250,000 ants, and I can't imagine how many nersts in the forest, there must be hundreds of millions, if not billions of Wood Ants out there. That's quite a thought.

Dockens Water

 

Dockens Water looking upstream from the Digden Bottom footbridge. About twenty years ago (?)  there used to be a fairly decent Fairy Garden; bright and colourful, sensitively made, mainly organic or degradable items, kids loved it. I remember bringing the family here for picnics. Of course the Fairy Garden is gone now, corrupted by well meaning though misguided contributions and excesses; it happened to them all in the end. So passed the the modern age of the Fairy Garden.

Soft Hearted Scientists

 

There's nothing not to like about 'Waltz of the Weekend' by Soft Hearted Scientists, and so much to love. Originally released on CD in May 2023, Fruits de Mer records have recently re-released it on vinyl, and as you'd imagine it's really rather special. Soft Hearted Scientists are psychedelic beat combo out of Wales, a band of highly accomplished musicians and lyrical bards sui generis in their field. With a wonderful mid 60's musical aesthetic, the period when the mods met mushrooms and music took on a distinctly psychedelic flavour, the band create tracks which span genres and flavours. The scientists are Michael Bailey on bass; Paul Jones on guitars and backing vocals; Dylan Line on keyboards, electronics and sound effects; Nathan Hall on Lead and backing vocals, guitars, keyboards, electronics and sound effects; and Spencer Segelov and Frank Naughton on drums. And collectively they conjure magic.

A magic that transports the psychenaut into the unique psychedelic world of the Soft Hearted Scientists' to be regaled with weird, whimsical and wonderful musical tales. Musically high order, and lyrically peerless 'Waltz of the Weekend' is a psychedelic masterpiece, utterly original, a reflection of the Soft Hearted Scientists themselves. This is psychedelia done different. 'What Grows Inside The Garden' kicks off the album divinely, a dreamy pop psyche number with a happy and sunny disposition lifted higher by some lovely guitar and nice harmonies. Whilst the titular track 'Waltz of the Weekend' puts one in mind of music you'd imagine you'd hear on Summerisle, it's processional folkish hypnotic melody has you swaying along as if in a trance. The 'Sea Anemone Song' has a haunting quality to it, a quality which runs through the entire album, something intangible; 'The Things we make' with it's beautifully drifty otherworldly atmosphere has oodles of that vibe, it's a truly beautiful track, loveliest on the album. Side two begins with the quirky 'Rode my Bike' about a frustrated and ill fated cycle which with it's infectious melody is psyche-poptastic. 'Gadzooks' is more optimistic singing of hopes for better rides and days to come, an eloquent and defiant counterbalance to its predecessor. Next 'Who loves the Moon' exemplifies how Soft Hearted Scientists enchantingly blend jaunty upbeat melodies with wistful and melancholic lyrical themes. There's genius in their composition and writing, their adroit juxtaposition of dark themes with catchy melodies are always exquisitely executed. Take the 'Fixer', an upbeat tale of a righteous hitman, a mod revivalist sounding tune if ever there was. Then psyche pop takes a particularly dark turn in 'Vicious Vivian'. Finishing side three 'Creeper and the vines', a charmingly wistful warning of the joys and perils of alcohol has a jolly sing along feel to it.  The 'Venus Fly Trap Song', is a dark tale of defiance in the face of systemic injustice and eventual escape from it. As for the final track 'Lost Mariners', it's simply the bollocks. A bitter-sweet tale of oceanic adventure and loss, like the ocean it's a track with depth, a richly textured and sweeping sound-scape of guitars and synth accompanied by haunting vocals, with an eerie 70's sci-fi synth fade out. Unequivocally fabulous. Cap doffed.

That's where the album ends on the CD or digital versions, although if you buy the vinyl copy you've still a third disc of outstanding remixes to enjoy; 'Sea Anemones in the Benthic Abyss', 'The Garden of Wavering Fronds', 'My Bike Verses The Dandy Horse', and finally 'Waltz Through The Weekend' a glorious 16.42 min mix exploring the entire album, you also get a nice colour booklet of the lyrics.

There's not a moment on this album I don't love, I can't say enough good things about it. An album with genuine warmth, every note is performed to perfection, every musical t crossed and i dotted, absolutely faultless throughout, you can tell the love and attention poured into it. If you buy but one album this year, buy this one. Check the Soft Hearted Scientists on their bandcamp, everything they do is sublime, as is Nathan Hall and the Sinister Locals material. Or, if you're after the vinyl release of 'Waltz of the Weekend' go check out Fruits de Mer, purveyors of quality music.

Why?

Why are people such arseholes? The fly-tippers hadn't just dumped the cab of a truck, but they'd severely damaged the gate in the process; luckily not completely though as the gate leads directly from Wilverley Plain straight on to the A35. The frequency of fly-tipping, burnt out cars or caravans, and the meaningless vandalism of forest furniture, not to mention the litter, is on the increase. It would appear that not enough people give a shit anymore.

Blossom

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) blossom is coming out all over the forest.

Barrow Moor track

A view along the track running through Barrow Moor along the edge of Woosons' Hill enclosure. I know there were forestry trains running through this part of the forest transporting timber to the nearby sawmill at Millyford Bridge during the First World War. I'm not sure whether this track was the route of one of them, but it has a certain something to it that makes me feel it might have been.  That aside, look at the vibrancy of the mosses, how green everything is, this is being replicated in pockets all over the forest. Though not marked on maps highlighting remaining islands of British temperate rainforest, a number of areas in the forest exhibit many of the identifying features and species, and that appears to be increasing every year.

Self sufficiency

 

I've noticed from the labels on new gates that the gates had been fabricated in Frome, some way from the forest, and I can't understand why. After all the bulk of woodland in the New Forest is managed for timber, you'd have thought it would be easy to be self sufficient where timber products were concerned; and if not why not. They grow many of the raw materials on site, for negligible price. For me this type of thing is indicative of how we got to where we are. The New Forest shouldn't be an importer of timber products, if anything it should be exporter; the forest should become a hub of sustainable and sensitively managed production, and the preservation and continuation of traditional skills. I can't think of anything greener. 

Slow worm

Although most days you wouldn't know it Spring has sprung, and out in the forest there's stirrings everywhere. This morning we happened upon a Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis) basking in what passed today for sun;  no doubt recently emerged from hibernation. It's always a thrill seeing wildlife up close.

Preparing for extraction

This bridge over Linford Brook has been temporary strengthened in preparation for timber harvest and extraction from the surrounding Milkham enclosure. There's a lot of forestry activity around the enclosures at the moment, mostly the thinning of mature Douglas stands. Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) timber is of high quality and much sought after and valued by carpenters for a wide range of uses. 

Obsidian pools

The sky touches an obsidian pool.

Magic circle

Finding things like this make my day, I absolutely love them. Well off any track, deep within a mosaic block, an oval of small branches built around a conifer tree. The feature has some age to it, with mosses having become established and colonizing the oval. This is a favourite block of mine, and one that I've wandered through frequently, reminding me that no matter how well you think you know a piece of woodland there's always more find. Clearly built with purpose, it's a purpose I'll never know; another mystery, another fragmentary context-less glimpse into someone elses' world.

Ogden's Purlieu

 

This mornings' long walk was spent mainly roaming some of the forests' plains. The plains are exposed and windswept, an open landscape of heather, bracken and gorse heathland, and of waterlogged hollows and wetter valleys. An environment that can become difficult to negotiate, though affords the determined walker superb views. It's a funny thing that in our imaginations the forest is just that a 'forest' all trees, whereas in reality at least 50% of the forest is wild open heath and bog. Above is the view across Dockens Water and over Ibsley Common and Ogden's Purlieu, with Hasley Enclosure on the horizon.

Red-Belted Bracket fungus

I'm fairly certain this is Red-Belted Bracket fungus (Fomitopsis pinicol); it'd be mad if it wasn't, what with it having a distinctive red belt and all.  Sources conflict as to whether this fungus is common or rare in the UK, all say common across all of Europe, some though say rare in Britain and Ireland. Either way I think this is one.

Ramson buds

I spotted the first Ramson (Allium ursinum) flower buds this morning, the wheel of the really is turning with speed, alarming speed in my opinion. Still, I'd better get my wild food head on, the season of the spring greens is upon us. 

What are the odds.

 

Lost keys hung on a branch. It's not uncommon to see dropped items visibly displayed on the sides of tracks by good folk in the hope that they and their owners might be reunited. Though these keys are not on a well worn path or track these are hung on a very random low branch in a block of anonymous mixed woodland of varying density, with no paths to speak of beyond ephemeral wildlife  tracks. Losing things is easy, too easy, and losing your keys, well, that almost a cliché. What are the odds though of someone finding them, the floor and understory of this block are wild and unkempt, an environment that stacks the odds in losses favour. Then. What are the chances of me whilst wandering in the same pathless woodland finding them hanging there. The good Samaritan must be a true believer. The ring is rusting well, so I'm going to suggest they've hung here a while. Un-retrieved. Made me think. Because I never see others when wandering off piste, I imagine, or assume, no one else walks where I walk. Taking into account that evidence suggests people must, what are the odds of us all passing that apparently very random anonymous spot.

Tanglewood

 

Tanglewood

Larch Blossom

 

Larch (Larix decidua) blossom, an enchanting flower that as it happens in folklore protects you from enchantment. 

Misty morning

A beautiful misty morning in Mark Ash Wood.