Sunday, January 22
Blow you Bugger, Blow
Thanks folks for the kind welcome back.
Back from where? Ah that's another tale, and one that will have to wait awhile.
For the moment - some snaps from today's New Forest saunter.
Whitten Pond near Burley is usually a place of peace and tranquility. However today's gusts seemed to think this a little tame, insisting on trying to push the pond content's down to one end.
First time I've seen waves like this on an inland NF pool.
(yes I know its side on. Bloody Smartphone cameras. You'll find a "rotated" version below but the sound and picture are even worse)
And later, wandering away from my usual route, I chanced upon this victim of the local gales.
These snaps don't really show the wind force - the trunk is approx one metre thick, but still its been cleanly snapped off at a point some 3-4 metres above ground.
Oops there goes my hat again!
Labels: ; New Forest, nature
Saturday, August 28
Scarecrow Festival - Bisterne (Ringwood)
If you do happen to travelling in or through the Bournemouth\New Forest area before 6th September try to take a detour south of Ringwood along the B3347.
Once again the annual Bisterne Scarecrow Festival is making its presence known in its usual and highly entertaining manner.
Each year the number of scarecrows on show increases, and there is always something suitably innovative or amusing to bring a smile to those passing.
One note of caution.
Last year I noticed an increasing number of people pulling over to take a closer look. A similar thing was already happening earlier today when I grabbed these snaps.
This is a narrow & fast B road, with minimal parking, so beware vehicles suddenly braking, or even parked verge side in unexpected spots.
There are 23 'locations' this year, so its worth paying the £1 charitable donation for the map from the Texaco petrol station on the southern edge of Ringwood.
Which is amazingly the first roadside 'location' you'll spot coming from that direction.
(and as its not shown on the guide map - I make that a total of 24 to find)
Have fun.
(Watch for the bees buzzing around the honeypot - all clever stuff)Labels: ; New Forest
Saturday, January 30
A Once in a Lifetime Event
The seed had fallen to the ground some twenty years before, one small hope amongst several thousand siblings. They succumbed to drought, starvation or local predators.
But not this one.
Feet dug ever deeper into the soil beneath. Grey trunk body thickened year by year whilst branching arms stretched newly bursting bud tips ever higher towards the sky with the start of each Spring.
Oh yes it was hard work.
Older & stronger trees had claimed this ground scores of years before when the seedling's parent was little more than the same hopeful shoot hidden deep in the undergrowth.
But the niche the seedling had carved out for itself was a careful one. Balancing nutrient from the earth around about, while threading its head upwards in a continual challenge to touch the sun despite the growing shade crown of mightier neighbours.
And even whilst competing for that light our tree & its neighbours talked together, as trees so often do. If only one stops to listen.
On calm sunny days little was said. The sun's life force beaming down made all else secondary.
But bare branched, during winter gales, the trees swayed and rocked as one. Chattering to each other as they told tales of mighty storms now long past. The movement of their branches exciting a temporary camaraderie.
Today that feeling was a distant memory. Maybe something that would not occur again.
For something was not right.
An orange spot, a splash of paint, had appeared on the tree's trunk. One chosen alongside others across the area. The mark of Cain? Or a sign of promising things ahead?
No matter - what will be will be. The tree waited. For it lived patience.
A lone walker, black and white dog at heel, appeared at the crest of the rise moving steadily down the track alongside the tree's domain.
And then it happened.
It arrived with that wisdom of inevitability. A product of hindsight's clear path to the moment when a world changes.
The tree felt its solid grasp on the earth's surface slip. Slowly it started to topple. Its airy head moving towards the ground far below.
The walker looked up at the sudden noise of something heavy tearing through woodland. Looking groundwards he expect to see a regular movement of deer. Or perhaps a few bulky New Forest cattle crashing through the dead bracken.
Instead a blur of green swaying leaves moving above his eye line grabbed at his attention.
He concentrated on the sight until the fall was complete.
The tree, after one storm too many & the increasing weight of rampant ivy around its trunk, had accepted the inevitability of physical laws and toppled to the ground.
Not with a crash. More a gentle murmur of rustling foliage, before a final dullen flat thud. The shared noise that comes with any large & very heavy object returning to earth.
For a few moments the walker continue to stare, taken aback by the event's suddenness.
And then, leaving the path, he walked over to the tree. Leaves once again still after a final airy flight. Roots snapped clean. The ground from whence they had been torn already resettling. This disturbance, obvious now, to quickly disappear with a few weeks of rain & frost.
One uniquely precise & fleeting moment. An infinitesimal hap chance amongst endless trillions of complex life force interactions across the Earth. And of all space and time.
.jpg)
I went for a walk in the New Forest today.
By chance I saw a tree fall to the ground.
No-one else was around.
And yes, it made a sound......or rather two.
One while it fell.
And a second that still rings deep inside me at the incredible odds of seeing it happen.Labels: ; New Forest, nature
All site material © John Hee - ask before you snatch
Back from where? Ah that's another tale, and one that will have to wait awhile.
For the moment - some snaps from today's New Forest saunter.
Whitten Pond near Burley is usually a place of peace and tranquility. However today's gusts seemed to think this a little tame, insisting on trying to push the pond content's down to one end.
First time I've seen waves like this on an inland NF pool.
(yes I know its side on. Bloody Smartphone cameras. You'll find a "rotated" version below but the sound and picture are even worse)
And later, wandering away from my usual route, I chanced upon this victim of the local gales.
These snaps don't really show the wind force - the trunk is approx one metre thick, but still its been cleanly snapped off at a point some 3-4 metres above ground.
Oops there goes my hat again!
Labels: ; New Forest, nature
Scarecrow Festival - Bisterne (Ringwood)
If you do happen to travelling in or through the Bournemouth\New Forest area before 6th September try to take a detour south of Ringwood along the B3347.
Once again the annual Bisterne Scarecrow Festival is making its presence known in its usual and highly entertaining manner.
Each year the number of scarecrows on show increases, and there is always something suitably innovative or amusing to bring a smile to those passing.
One note of caution.
Last year I noticed an increasing number of people pulling over to take a closer look. A similar thing was already happening earlier today when I grabbed these snaps.
This is a narrow & fast B road, with minimal parking, so beware vehicles suddenly braking, or even parked verge side in unexpected spots.
There are 23 'locations' this year, so its worth paying the £1 charitable donation for the map from the Texaco petrol station on the southern edge of Ringwood.
Which is amazingly the first roadside 'location' you'll spot coming from that direction.
(and as its not shown on the guide map - I make that a total of 24 to find)
Have fun.
(Watch for the bees buzzing around the honeypot - all clever stuff)Labels: ; New Forest
Saturday, January 30
A Once in a Lifetime Event
The seed had fallen to the ground some twenty years before, one small hope amongst several thousand siblings. They succumbed to drought, starvation or local predators.
But not this one.
Feet dug ever deeper into the soil beneath. Grey trunk body thickened year by year whilst branching arms stretched newly bursting bud tips ever higher towards the sky with the start of each Spring.
Oh yes it was hard work.
Older & stronger trees had claimed this ground scores of years before when the seedling's parent was little more than the same hopeful shoot hidden deep in the undergrowth.
But the niche the seedling had carved out for itself was a careful one. Balancing nutrient from the earth around about, while threading its head upwards in a continual challenge to touch the sun despite the growing shade crown of mightier neighbours.
And even whilst competing for that light our tree & its neighbours talked together, as trees so often do. If only one stops to listen.
On calm sunny days little was said. The sun's life force beaming down made all else secondary.
But bare branched, during winter gales, the trees swayed and rocked as one. Chattering to each other as they told tales of mighty storms now long past. The movement of their branches exciting a temporary camaraderie.
Today that feeling was a distant memory. Maybe something that would not occur again.
For something was not right.
An orange spot, a splash of paint, had appeared on the tree's trunk. One chosen alongside others across the area. The mark of Cain? Or a sign of promising things ahead?
No matter - what will be will be. The tree waited. For it lived patience.
A lone walker, black and white dog at heel, appeared at the crest of the rise moving steadily down the track alongside the tree's domain.
And then it happened.
It arrived with that wisdom of inevitability. A product of hindsight's clear path to the moment when a world changes.
The tree felt its solid grasp on the earth's surface slip. Slowly it started to topple. Its airy head moving towards the ground far below.
The walker looked up at the sudden noise of something heavy tearing through woodland. Looking groundwards he expect to see a regular movement of deer. Or perhaps a few bulky New Forest cattle crashing through the dead bracken.
Instead a blur of green swaying leaves moving above his eye line grabbed at his attention.
He concentrated on the sight until the fall was complete.
The tree, after one storm too many & the increasing weight of rampant ivy around its trunk, had accepted the inevitability of physical laws and toppled to the ground.
Not with a crash. More a gentle murmur of rustling foliage, before a final dullen flat thud. The shared noise that comes with any large & very heavy object returning to earth.
For a few moments the walker continue to stare, taken aback by the event's suddenness.
And then, leaving the path, he walked over to the tree. Leaves once again still after a final airy flight. Roots snapped clean. The ground from whence they had been torn already resettling. This disturbance, obvious now, to quickly disappear with a few weeks of rain & frost.
One uniquely precise & fleeting moment. An infinitesimal hap chance amongst endless trillions of complex life force interactions across the Earth. And of all space and time.
I went for a walk in the New Forest today.
By chance I saw a tree fall to the ground.
No-one else was around.
And yes, it made a sound......or rather two.
One while it fell.
And a second that still rings deep inside me at the incredible odds of seeing it happen.Labels: ; New Forest, nature
All site material © John Hee - ask before you snatch
Once again the annual Bisterne Scarecrow Festival is making its presence known in its usual and highly entertaining manner.
Each year the number of scarecrows on show increases, and there is always something suitably innovative or amusing to bring a smile to those passing.
One note of caution.
Last year I noticed an increasing number of people pulling over to take a closer look. A similar thing was already happening earlier today when I grabbed these snaps.
This is a narrow & fast B road, with minimal parking, so beware vehicles suddenly braking, or even parked verge side in unexpected spots.
There are 23 'locations' this year, so its worth paying the £1 charitable donation for the map from the Texaco petrol station on the southern edge of Ringwood.
Which is amazingly the first roadside 'location' you'll spot coming from that direction.
(and as its not shown on the guide map - I make that a total of 24 to find)
Have fun.
(Watch for the bees buzzing around the honeypot - all clever stuff)
Labels: ; New Forest
A Once in a Lifetime Event
The seed had fallen to the ground some twenty years before, one small hope amongst several thousand siblings. They succumbed to drought, starvation or local predators.
But not this one.
Feet dug ever deeper into the soil beneath. Grey trunk body thickened year by year whilst branching arms stretched newly bursting bud tips ever higher towards the sky with the start of each Spring.
Oh yes it was hard work.
Older & stronger trees had claimed this ground scores of years before when the seedling's parent was little more than the same hopeful shoot hidden deep in the undergrowth.
But the niche the seedling had carved out for itself was a careful one. Balancing nutrient from the earth around about, while threading its head upwards in a continual challenge to touch the sun despite the growing shade crown of mightier neighbours.
And even whilst competing for that light our tree & its neighbours talked together, as trees so often do. If only one stops to listen.
On calm sunny days little was said. The sun's life force beaming down made all else secondary.
But bare branched, during winter gales, the trees swayed and rocked as one. Chattering to each other as they told tales of mighty storms now long past. The movement of their branches exciting a temporary camaraderie.
Today that feeling was a distant memory. Maybe something that would not occur again.
For something was not right.
An orange spot, a splash of paint, had appeared on the tree's trunk. One chosen alongside others across the area. The mark of Cain? Or a sign of promising things ahead?
No matter - what will be will be. The tree waited. For it lived patience.
A lone walker, black and white dog at heel, appeared at the crest of the rise moving steadily down the track alongside the tree's domain.
And then it happened.
It arrived with that wisdom of inevitability. A product of hindsight's clear path to the moment when a world changes.
The tree felt its solid grasp on the earth's surface slip. Slowly it started to topple. Its airy head moving towards the ground far below.
The walker looked up at the sudden noise of something heavy tearing through woodland. Looking groundwards he expect to see a regular movement of deer. Or perhaps a few bulky New Forest cattle crashing through the dead bracken.
Instead a blur of green swaying leaves moving above his eye line grabbed at his attention.
He concentrated on the sight until the fall was complete.
The tree, after one storm too many & the increasing weight of rampant ivy around its trunk, had accepted the inevitability of physical laws and toppled to the ground.
Not with a crash. More a gentle murmur of rustling foliage, before a final dullen flat thud. The shared noise that comes with any large & very heavy object returning to earth.
For a few moments the walker continue to stare, taken aback by the event's suddenness.
And then, leaving the path, he walked over to the tree. Leaves once again still after a final airy flight. Roots snapped clean. The ground from whence they had been torn already resettling. This disturbance, obvious now, to quickly disappear with a few weeks of rain & frost.
One uniquely precise & fleeting moment. An infinitesimal hap chance amongst endless trillions of complex life force interactions across the Earth. And of all space and time.
I went for a walk in the New Forest today.
By chance I saw a tree fall to the ground.
No-one else was around.
And yes, it made a sound......or rather two.
One while it fell.
And a second that still rings deep inside me at the incredible odds of seeing it happen.Labels: ; New Forest, nature
But not this one.
Feet dug ever deeper into the soil beneath. Grey trunk body thickened year by year whilst branching arms stretched newly bursting bud tips ever higher towards the sky with the start of each Spring.
Oh yes it was hard work.
Older & stronger trees had claimed this ground scores of years before when the seedling's parent was little more than the same hopeful shoot hidden deep in the undergrowth.
But the niche the seedling had carved out for itself was a careful one. Balancing nutrient from the earth around about, while threading its head upwards in a continual challenge to touch the sun despite the growing shade crown of mightier neighbours.
And even whilst competing for that light our tree & its neighbours talked together, as trees so often do. If only one stops to listen.
On calm sunny days little was said. The sun's life force beaming down made all else secondary.
But bare branched, during winter gales, the trees swayed and rocked as one. Chattering to each other as they told tales of mighty storms now long past. The movement of their branches exciting a temporary camaraderie.
Today that feeling was a distant memory. Maybe something that would not occur again.
For something was not right.
An orange spot, a splash of paint, had appeared on the tree's trunk. One chosen alongside others across the area. The mark of Cain? Or a sign of promising things ahead?
No matter - what will be will be. The tree waited. For it lived patience.
A lone walker, black and white dog at heel, appeared at the crest of the rise moving steadily down the track alongside the tree's domain.
And then it happened.
It arrived with that wisdom of inevitability. A product of hindsight's clear path to the moment when a world changes.
The tree felt its solid grasp on the earth's surface slip. Slowly it started to topple. Its airy head moving towards the ground far below.
The walker looked up at the sudden noise of something heavy tearing through woodland. Looking groundwards he expect to see a regular movement of deer. Or perhaps a few bulky New Forest cattle crashing through the dead bracken.
Instead a blur of green swaying leaves moving above his eye line grabbed at his attention.
He concentrated on the sight until the fall was complete.
The tree, after one storm too many & the increasing weight of rampant ivy around its trunk, had accepted the inevitability of physical laws and toppled to the ground.
Not with a crash. More a gentle murmur of rustling foliage, before a final dullen flat thud. The shared noise that comes with any large & very heavy object returning to earth.
For a few moments the walker continue to stare, taken aback by the event's suddenness.
And then, leaving the path, he walked over to the tree. Leaves once again still after a final airy flight. Roots snapped clean. The ground from whence they had been torn already resettling. This disturbance, obvious now, to quickly disappear with a few weeks of rain & frost.
One uniquely precise & fleeting moment. An infinitesimal hap chance amongst endless trillions of complex life force interactions across the Earth. And of all space and time.
.jpg)
I went for a walk in the New Forest today.
By chance I saw a tree fall to the ground.
No-one else was around.
And yes, it made a sound......or rather two.
One while it fell.
And a second that still rings deep inside me at the incredible odds of seeing it happen.
Labels: ; New Forest, nature
All site material © John Hee - ask before you snatch
