I have no photos of yesterday’s visit and nothing much to report in terms of woodland activity. If you’ve found this post looking for information on forestry management or pretty pictures, then sorry you’ll be disappointed today. I still want to post something because yesterday was significant to me in several ways. I’ve entitled it Connections because that was what it was all about. If you decide to read on I’ll explain and if any of it rings true to you, then you have made that connection too.
I’ve said it many times, that owning my little piece of woodland is more than just that. There might be numerous reasons why someone wants to own one – a hobby, a financial investment, a place to watch nature, a source of timber for fires or woodwork and it’s all of those. For me though, firstly it is a place to connect to nature and the earth. As human beings, our heritage is about being a part of nature but sadly, in this high tech age, we have largely lost touch with that connection. I wanted to re-connect to the planet and Mother Nature and refresh my part in it. Look around you, we are the only living things that have wilfully shaped and transformed this planet into something unnatural. Although we have benefitted with a comfortable and relatively safe lifestyle, we have lost so much of our true nature, which is to live in harmony with the earth and the other life-forms that share it. Apart from the oceans, woodland is the most richly diverse habitat for living things. Compare a rain forest to a desert in terms of living things. Then look at a typical first world city or town. Take away the humans and what is left – a concrete desert? So it’s no surprise that many of us head off to the coast, the hills, lakes and forests to recharge our batteries at the weekends and what we are doing, consciously or not, is re-connecting with nature and our true selves.
There are other types of connections that are important to us humans too and I’m going to tell you about some of those that I made yesterday. I’ve had my piece of woodland over two years now and surprisingly, never driven around it. It sits like an island in the middle of farmland – flat, open fields which are now devoid of crops, just bare earth and scrubby, organic debris. I guess I always want to spend the maximum time I can in my woods. I have seen how the woodland lies on a map but wanted to see it from the outside. I was not disappointed. I drove part way around it and stopped for a while, imagining I had x-ray eyes and could see inside it to my small plot. I know what the inside looks like and marvelled at how rich it is in life forms. Thousands of different lives are hidden from the outside world and the casual observer. How it nurtures, feeds and protects them. The food chain in perfect synchronicity – lichens, mosses, fungi, insects and invertebrates, small plants and animals, birds, mammals and trees. It was then that a fantastic wave of calm euphoria came over me. All I can say is that it was of being fully connected to my location and the moment. Not just to my little piece but to the whole landscape that surrounded me. It is hard to describe but if you have ever felt like this when looking at a wonderful sight, you will know what I mean. I get this feeling almost every time I am in my woods but this was the first time I have felt that way for the whole area. It felt like I belonged there. Like home.
The other connections I’m talking about are with people. I am always pleased to meet the woodland neighbours, to catch up on their lives and swap notes. I met five yesterday and must have spent half the day chatting to them. The plots over the border from mine have just been sold and the new neighbours were there, a lovely young family full of excitement and enthusiasm. I gave them the grand tour of mine and explained a few things and it was a relief to know I have neighbours I like and will get along with. My good friends on the other side of me were there too. You know that not all people you meet will connect with you but when you do find that bond, it is like gold. As I get older, I value friends more than ever before. That leads me to one last thing to tell you about. Through my recent interest in bushcraft and country life skills, I have made some very good new friends and one of those is an artisan blacksmith called Simon Reed. He won’t mind me naming him. He is funny, feisty, kind and caring and has lots of stories to tell. He makes beautiful small items of jewelry and other ornamental things and is definitely one of my connections. He wrote this poem for me and I think it is wonderful.
Oh wise man o the woods
Loving and being loved by mother earth
In touch with things untouchable
Seeing the unnoticeable
In awe of nature and accepting her complicity
Enjoying not taming.
Thank you Simon, you nailed it with your usual high quality craftsmanship. (Not so sure about the wise bit though!)
Check out Simon’s website and Facebook page. He operates out of the forge in the farmyard at Temple Newsham House near Leeds. He runs one-to-one blacksmithing sessions and if you fancy bashing some hot metal (as he puts it) book yourself in, it’s a unique experience.
http://lilliputforge.co.uk.websitebuilder.prositehosting.co.uk/home
