Trips to the woods are cancelled but …….

Wood Anemones this time last year.

You don’t need reminding that we are in lockdown due to Corvid19. We are bombarded with it every day at every corner we turn and it’s worrying and stressful and it sometimes feels like we are waiting for the Apocalypse and the inevitable to happen. It’s hard to stay positive and just when I really want to be at my woods, I can’t go. There are jobs and fun projects to do there and it’s the best time of year to see it as it clothes itself in it’s finest spring glory. I’m going to continue adding some posts because it’s one way we can enjoy a bit of nature even though it’s only in pictures and words. Those two things are powerful reminders though and can trigger good memories and for a while we can boost our feelgood factors a little. I shall post some photos from previous years and some new videos of wildlife at my woods that you haven’t seen yet.

We can still take a nice walk for exercise so if possible, try to find a route that takes you through some green spaces. If you are lucky there might be a woodland, river, stream or hillside nearby. Just being there will lift your spirits if you can switch off from the bad news and turn your attention to what is going on around you. It struck me the other day, as I walked over the old packhorse bridge near my home, how everything apart from the human race is just carrying as normal. It’s only our species that is in complete turmoil and chaos. It’s a beautiful time of the year in nature. Plants are emerging, trees opening their leaves and flowering, birds singing and calling and building their nests, oblivious to what we are experiencing in our daily lives right now. But we can still be a part of that wonderful metamorphosis, it’s abundant and it’s free.

It’s also an opportunity to reflect on our lives and what’s important. Use the time to enjoy what you still have. Do some sorting out, read that book you’ve been meaning to but not had the time. If you have children at home, teach them some valuable lessons that they don’t get at school. Just enjoy the luxury of time, which is a rare commodity for working folks. I’ll leave you with a couple of links to my woodland videos I have compiled. Take care.

Some sanity and sanctuary in the woods

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.

Early spring in the woods

I’m drowning in Coronovirus news. The media is unrelenting with it’s reporting and fear mongering, so a day in the woods was just the medicine I needed yesterday. Spring has notably stepped forward since the last visit and these are the first showings of Wood anemone flowers. In the next few weeks the woodland floor will be totally transformed from the drab brown of winter with a carpet of green and white. These plants are only to be seen in early spring, taking advantage of the sunlight before the tree canopy closes in. Some of the mosses are looking amazing too.

As I took my early morning walk around the woods, a loud gaggling could be heard above. I expected to see a flock of geese and was surprised to see 20-30 swans flying above the tree tops in formation. I checked the pond and cleared out some of the many leaves. No sign of frogspawn yet. As I filled the bird feeders, the little birds were already gathering in the small oak trees that the feeders hang on. As soon as I finished and stepped back, they swooped in, eagerly taking a seed and flying off to a quiet spot to eat it. Then back for another. They will need to build their strength for the nesting season.

The recent storms have set me back with my tree felling/thinning plans so I wanted to take down a few more before spring really kicks in. I took down eight sycamore and left them on the ground to deal with later. There are still lots more to thin out over the next few years before the area can be left for a while. The gradual thinning is preferable to a more active felling approach, so that the humidity and light levels aren’t disturbed too much to the detriment of ground cover, mosses etc. These will be the last until next winter.

Time for a brew and a rest. I bought a rubber stamp with a logo I designed to use on my various crafts – woodwork, leather etc. I wanted to add my makers mark just to add some professionalism to my products. This little pouch is one I made to hold a vesta match case which lives in my vintage camp stove kit and I tried the stamp out on it. It’s slightly smudged but I don’t mind. The name I chose for my logo is Erthe Crafte. Most of the materials I use are derived from the Earth originally and I like the medieval spelling.

Back to work, dragging and carrying out some of the four feet long logs I had previously cut so they can be stacked for seasoning and cutting up in the future. The pile is looking good and no doubt the gaps between the logs will be used by various small creatures as shelter and nesting places.

I took another walk around to see what elements of nature have woken up from Winter. My feral honey bee colony is still alive, several bees could be seen in and out of the hole. Primroses are in flower, wild garlic leaves are shooting up and the leaves on the smaller trees like Hawthorn, Hazel and Elder are opening. I spotted a Peacock butterfly enjoying the sun but it closed it’s wings before I could take a photo. Nearby a small bunch of wild daffodils were in flower and a large Bumble Bee was out foraging. I’ll leave you with a few more photos of the woods at this amazing time of year.

Peacock butterfly with folded wings

wild Daffodils

dead Beech leaves left over from Autumn

Hawthorn leaves opening

A magical day in the woods

Hazel leaves opening.

It was cold and foggy as I drove to the woods yesterday but that was about to change and in a few hours, the first taste of spring would arrive. We have had weeks of windy, wet weather and although some plants had started to emerge from the cold wet earth, it has still felt very wintry. I have been feeling quite low, overwhelmed by the persistent drag of winter and now the continual references to coronavirus and how it will (supposedly) devastate the world population. So I was truly in need of some wholesome, healthy time in the woods.

I had lots of jobs to do but first – feed the birds. As soon as I stepped back from the replenished feeders, they were swooping in, grabbing a seed and heading off to a secure place to eat it, then back for more. It filled my heart with joy to see them. I took a long slow walkabout, literally soaking in nature. I was a sponge. The weak sun, a welcome old friend, followed me as I took in as much as my senses could provide. Young new growth pioneered the return of life and the birds joined in the celebration with their various calls. I was in the moment and wanted it to stay this way forever.

My feeling of connection to nature has deepened so much since taking guardianship of these woods, working to improve it’s health and encouraging the wildlife. I recognize that it does my mental health the world of good too. I’ve been thinking how I would like to find a special spot, hidden away from the paths, where I can sit and just soak in the beauty and energy of the woods. Not only for me but for any guests that might also need a bit of solace and feel the magic of this place. This is one potential spot. It’s a pair of mature ash trees close together on the edge of an ancient ditch and bank feature. Next to it is a lovely hazel tree with it’s straight cluster of rods. This spot always plucks a string when I visit it. At times, the early morning sun streams through and illuminates it. A few years ago, I fixed an open fronted nest box there and hid it with the pile of deadwood but no birds have ever used it. I plan to clear it out and can imagine sitting between the two trunks with a nice mug of filter coffee or just taking some time to absorb the ambience of it all.

If this sounds a little bit “airy fairy” to you and hard to digest, then let me assure you. I am by nature a very practical down to earth person. I worked in the telecommunications industry as a technician and actually, that’s what eventually burned me out. I can say for sure, that time spent in a beautiful natural environment like a woodland, is the best medicine for our fast paced, stressful lives. Slowing down our minds and feeding our senses with wholesome, natural sounds, sights, smells etc will raise your serotonin levels and bring that sense of calm and relaxation we all need. Once you put yourself there, the key that will open the door is awareness. Try to find that long lost child inside you. The one that explored the world around you with innocence and intrigue and a sense of playfulness. The one that was fascinated by the small lives – insects, birds, etc going about their business. Be part of it and not apart from it. Look and watch, listen and smell and take note of how you feel and how you can be part of this microcosm of life around you without intervention. Be a silent observer.

I won’t bore you with the details of the jobs done, they were necessary but also help to ground me. Physical work, lifting, pulling and endless trips back and forth are also good for our health. They build muscle strength without the boredom and egotism of a gym atmosphere but also create a link with you and the other elements of life that reside there. I can’t wait to get back for more.