January, 2022
Monday 17th
The old stone wall is bearded with the red bristles of juniper haircap and crowned grey with an unkempt rug of reindeer lichen.
Sooty black buds sprout from the tips of ash twigs, like three-pronged arrow heads, while sycamore limbs bud green.
Hazel catkins blush as the red buds of nut-bearing flowers grace the ends of stems, like the tips of matchsticks.
A heart-shaped stone is feathered white with shield lichen and bloodied with rosettes of iron red, while a shady alcove harbours a colony of pixie cups.
For days the world has seemed shrouded in clammy fog, under sterile skies of steel grey above fields and hedges of barren brown, but now as rays of sun return, a robin pecks for worms in muddy ruts of tractor tyres, ivy berries ripen—blue as midnight—and fresh leaves of cow parsley green the verges.
Monday 31st
Shrivelled copper leaves hang tinder-dry, and a winter-brown lattice of brushwood belies the recent rain; yet blackening ivy tells of waterlogged roots.
Ash keys hang like clustered strips of old parchment over the remnants of a turnip crop, ripped bare by autumn grazing, a field of mud and stalks.
Ash—the Norse tree of life.
In the hedge, trunks have twisted around a hollow to form a heart from which they radiate, like pulsing aortae, carrying vitality back to the branches; and new growth sprouts in the black velvet buds at the tips of twigs.
Brambles are barren stalks of purple, yet beneath stone walls, white blooms of nodding snowdrops herald the slow awakening of spring.
Thanks, George . . . Fortunate aren’t we, having stuff like that on our doorsteps. A lovely read.
Thank you, David. Yes we are very fortunate indeed.
A change of style, George, which is always worth doing to refresh yourself. At times, the intensity of the focus upon the leaves and flowers of the hedgerows was reminiscent of ‘The Wind in the Willows’.
That’s a mighty compliment, Martin. Thank you.
Well that was a treat. So many familiar faces from the New Forest when I was growing up. I’ve not heard that called witches butter, excellent name.
Thank you, Geoff. Delighted you enjoyed it. Witches’ butter is indeed an excellent name.
Brilliant – you are like a Lakeland Richard Jefferies.
Thank you so much, John.
Very nicely done, and informative as always.
Thank you, that’s very kind.
Really good article(s) ! Don’t think I ever heard of Lesser Celandine before. They are among my favorites of your photos. The forget-me-nots too. And the kid.
Thank you, Neil. The kid was adorable. Lesser celandine flower early which makes them a welcome sight. They are supposed to be natural barometers, unfurling their petals in good weather and closing up against the wind and rain. They’re all gone now. Replaced by buttercups or crowfoot, which they superficially resemble l.
I was looking for inspirational poetry in my books yesterday, but found it here in words and wonderful pictures.
Hanna
That’s a lovely thing to say. Thank you do much.
George, thank you for sharing such an enjoyable diary and processional, elegant writing and wonderful photos. The obvious sincerity of this paean to your corner of the earth is heartwarming, and even the intrusion of news from the Ukraine fits in, honest reporting, like becoming aware of ominous buzzing from a disturbed hornet nest. The colors may change and fade, but I will remain green with envy that this wealth of nature is available for your lunchtime strolls.
Thank you, Robert. That’s a wonderful compliment. I love the hornet nest image.
P.S. I’d wanted to comment on your Loweswater article, that the tale of supernatural death has prompted me to add to my List of Dangerous Things to Avoid, Even if Properly Sanitized After Usage Near Wrong End of Horse: “Crupper/Horsey Bits of Demonic Leathergoods Leaping Out At You in Stairwells/Entanglements & Possible Stranglings,” actually a brand-new category.
Yes, very wise. Perhaps they should come with a government health warning.
—and someone asked me the other day: ‘have you any holiday plans this year’?
Christina (Cockermouth)
Yes, indeed! We are very lucky living where we do. Cockermouth is beautiful.