Hazel catkins – male flower
A cold clear morning yesterday, sun was out and there was a distinct but faint hint of spring. The woods were quite dry, the old leaves from autumn starting to get absorbed into the soil and there was a real clarity, partly because I had some new polarised distance glasses on! The polarising cuts reflections and saturates the colours which seems to bring things more alive somehow. There is much talk about mindfulness – being consciously aware of the present and your surroundings and how it helps our mental health. Well a pair of new glasses worn while walking around a beautiful winter woodland on a clear sunny morning doesn’t get any better than that.
As well as the hazel catkins, bluebells and Lords and Ladies are poking through. There were plenty of birds on my feeders and I heard a thrush singing. This gnarly sycamore trunk just had to be photographed.
My main jobs were to collect logs for home and cut up some of the trees I felled last visit. As it was such a still day and I had the chainsaw, I decided to take another three trees down. Two came down perfectly, one got hung up. I repeatedly under-cut it hoping it would fall out but it is still wedged in a fork and now hanging like a pendulum! A job for the winch next time. To say I have now felled over 100 sycamore trees in the plantation, you would hardly tell. Granted they are mainly small to medium diameter ones. The plantation has never been thinned since planting in the 1960s. Many are weakly or misshapen due to squirrel damage and will never make decent examples. By selective felling, it allows a little more light and nutrition for the remaining ones and hopefully improve their health. The extra light will help with ground cover species too.
Turkey tail fungi on dead stake.
One of my neighbours came to chat, then another two then another. It was like a meeting of the woodland clan, reporting back to each other on various forestry matters – plus a bit of gossip. Nice to connect. My camper van drew a few admiring comments too.
On Saturday I went to a local timber suppliers near home who mill trees into planks. They had a sale and open day. There were various individual small businesses with stalls selling or demonstrating skills. I met up with a spoon carver who I’d met a while ago. He’s hoping to start a spoon carving club and I would love to be part of it. For the last nine months my creative juices have dried up but I’m starting to get the urge to do some woodworking again. I bought a gorgeous little eating spoon from him. He’s also invited me to see his workshop and have a chat and cuppa tea. Good things to come.
Spectacles are for scale. I believe the wood is cherry.
I’ll leave you with this lovely hazel stool enjoying the winter sun.
