I guess everyone is sick of hearing about the virus and the madness surrounding it. There’s panic and fear and total disruption and threat , not only to health but our finances, our social lives and so many other aspects we have probably not thought about. A day in the woods or anywhere in nature reminds us that this worldwide problem is just about humans. I look around and see the trees and plants coming back to life, birds singing and busy with their nest building and once again it brings to mind how far removed from a natural way of living we have got. The rest of life on this planet is ticking over nicely (global warming and pollution caused my man being their only real problem) totally unaware of the chaos afflicting us. Things will be very different in a couple of years time and sadly I don’t think we will have learnt much from it. But it could be a time for reflection and as people find themselves out of work, distanced from their social circles, it gives us the opportunity to spend time with more creative pursuits. As we steer away from crowded and polluted cities, we might find ourselves taking walks in the countryside and that gives us a chance to restore balance and appreciate what we actually have on this planet.

Yesterday was to be a day of sanity and sanctuary from this madness. As I drove up the ride, I was greeted by a buzzard taking off from my woods. Primroses, Dog violets, Wood Anemones and Blackthorn are in flower. I spent the first hour or so just taking it all in, feeding the birds and sussing out plans for some future projects and feeling so grateful to have this amazing space to enjoy.

It was to be a day of hard work too. The sycamore trees I have felled needed cutting into moveable lengths and stacked. I shan’t be felling anymore until winter but I want to get the chainsawing jobs out of the way as soon as possible so the woods and birds can have some peace during nesting season. It was hard, back breaking work but I pretty much completed it. More hard work to come shifting it all now. My friendly neighbours came too and offered to give me a hand with some of the heavier pieces in the near future. As well as the physical aspect of hauling heavy logs around one at a time, the time element of walking backwards and forwards, trip after trip is a long process. A wheelbarrow helps with the smaller logs but many of them are four feet long and very heavy.Very satisfying work though.

I don’t have much more to report this time, when I have edited the latest trailcam videos, I’ll post a link to one or two of them. So for now, try to turn this horrible virus situation into something positive. Get creative somehow, get out into nature – it’s one of the best times of year to be out in the woods, along the riverside or on the moors. This place is about to burst into life soon regardless.Best wishes to all of you.