Alder

A warm Sunday in January spent kayaking on the Avon with Ben. The river high, fast and brown is lined with (common) alders who seem to like their roots in water.

6. British Trees in Colour - Cyril Hart & Charles Raymond

Two snow walks

A walk through Charlcombe Vale. Found two frozen owl pellets in the the hollow of an old tree stump. Took one home. Two rodent skulls and various other bones and claws inside. The stump is a lone high point in an ungrazed field and I would imagine on future visits there will be others to find. Further on a small old maple tree covered in lichen overhangs a watering trough. It still hangs onto some of last years helicopter pods. Near the church a sulky buzzard skulked in a tree, unimpressed by the day.



The following day a walk into Doynton civil parish past the four farms: Toghill House, Babwell, Boyd and Woodlands. Followed an old overgrown by-way, made two aborted attempts to climb a tree, saw a tree creeper vertically circling an Ash trunk, then saw a wren doing the same thing in a more erratic manner, both I like to imagine know the tree well and during their search for food map out holes and nooks for roosting.

5. The White Diamond - Werner Herzog

Trees in town.

A walk into town looking at trees trying to share space with buildings. Pleased that so many have nudged their way in, or survived the chop. Yesterday all the trees in the park were glowing with hoarfrost.


4. Robert MacFarlane - Wild Places

Dusk drive to Devon

Drove to Devon through the dusk, buzzards and crows adding new branches to the silhouettes of trees lining the motorway. On arrival warmed by the wood burner and its fuel of thin Eucalyptus logs.

3. Jean Giono - The Man Who Planted Trees

Ash

Apparently, if you take an Ash seed and soak it in lukewarm water for three or four days and then cut it open longways down the middle you will find within an Ash tree in miniature. Failing that, Ash wood is good for burning if you can't wait a year.


2. Roger Deakin. Wildwood - A Journey Through Trees

Rainbow Wood

A walk to Rainbow Woods via the skirts of Prior Park. Saw the burnt out tree that lives on. Climbed a bit of a tree with natural steps. Saw a mature Arbutus Menziesii (I think) lit by late afternoon sun.


1. John Stewart Collis. The Wood.