Almost three weeks since my last visit and I was in need of some woodland therapy. Numerous small tasks to tick off but I wanted to embrace the experience and get that lovely feel-good factor. It was just coming light when I arrived and a low thin mist hung through the ethereal woods and all was quiet. It was a good start. We had storm Arwen after my last visit, so first job was a walkabout to check for damage. Apart from a few small dead branches, all was intact. My shelter was just as I’d left it and the sight of it warmed my heart. I was going to spend some time here, do a few jobs and just enjoy the place. I felt real gratitude for my friend who had helped me build it – thanks mate.
I have made a fire bowl from an old helium gas tank that I cut in half, drilled holes in the bottom, added legs and a removable grill. I don’t want a permanent fire place at the shelter but something I can move around, have a brew on and maybe cook a simple meal on. I wanted to try it and hey, it worked fine. Here are before and after photos of the inaugural fire – and the “elevensies” to celebrate it – filter coffee and a mince pie and what could be a better setting to enjoy them?
It was a good time to get to know the shelter better, make a few adjustments and plans and just simply enjoy. I filled my trugs with logs to take home, each time I took one to the car and came back to the log pile, my friend the robin was there. Taking advantage of the newly exposed areas where tasty titbits might be lurking, all the while checking me out to see if it was safe. I just love that interaction with wild creatures.
Some woodland neighbour friends arrived who I haven’t seen since early Spring and it was great to catch up. This year I have seen very few of any neighbours, I guess the covid thing has put some people off travelling though I can’t think of a safer place to be.
Below is a tiny Yew sapling growing in the rotten centre of a small birch log. It speaks volumes to me, a symbol of the tenacity of nature, hope and positivity. It also poses a certain moral issue – leave it or transplant it? Well left alone it will never make an adult tree. It will outgrow it’s source of water and nutrients and die. Often nature film makers will just let nature do it’s thing. They feel they have no right to interfere but I don’t agree entirely. We interfere all the time just by being here and ruthlessly using the planet’s resources. So if it’s not robbing another creature of it’s food source but helping another life to survive longer, then I feel it’s justified. So I will pot it up, nurture it at home for a few years then return it to the woods to live out it’s (hopefully) very long life.
Having done all the jobs on my list I took time just to walk around and take some more photos. We have this misconception that nature goes to sleep in winter but there’s still plenty going on and some nice photo opportunities to be had. The lack of foliage reveals things we wouldn’t see in Summer. I’ll leave you with a selection of wintry scenes. First one is some new hazel catkins. They will stay dormant now until Spring when they will open.
