Monday 28.11.2022

 Best of both worlds today and it felt like two worlds in some ways.

Had been going to settle down and diligently embark on Christmas lists and cards but it was such a glorious day it seemed a terrible waste of daylight - isn`t that what the long dark evenings are for?

So late morning off we set, the sun probably as high as it was going to get though still casting long shadows but actually surprisingly warm and intensifying some of the spectacular colours on display.

Warm in the woods, no breeze and the light chasing us in and out of the trees. 

We added a little extra loop to the walk, down the road a little and back up skirting the `Arwen` woods that I attempted to get through the other other day. Won`t necessarily do it every time but on a day like this it was irresistible.

Then, after an afternoon spent in front of the fire trying to start on those seasonal lists, the other world. The sun long down, up on our back hill, freezing cold still air, that waxing moon starting its passage across the eastern sky (it turned a beautiful orange just before it set later on), a few stars out and there it was again - that special magic.

Sunday 27/11/2022

 On Friday, it being this week a year ago that Storm Arwen hit, to inspect the woodland which was laid flat and most of which still lies brown and dead, a strange kind of memorial to an extraordinary event. By the time we got in there it was too dark to see if we could find our way through, too dark really for a decent picture but this demonstrates the problem...........

 

.....so we retraced our steps and emerged into an evening turned very cold. 

Just before we`d gone into the wood, several hundred geese - the most I think I`ve ever seen at one time -  had lifted up from a field in the distance and circled round and round, silhouetted against the horizon. By the time we came out they had disappeared, settled back in the field for the night perhaps, and the silence was deafening in the still atmosphere.

Today we set off a little earlier, about quarter to three, not long before the sun disappeared,

so most of the walk was done under a pale blue evening light

with the last of the sun tinging the clouds a soft pink.

More geese flying over as we turned for home though not in such huge numbers, a sliver of waxing moon briefly appearing over the horizon before sinking again and the first few stars. Winter magic.

Thursday 24.11.2022

 Two mornings in a row now we`ve gone out before lunch to avoid rain which duly arrives. Wet underfoot, quite muddy in places, the ground churned up by horse hooves though we haven`t seen the riders that use these woods for a while. The sky is busy, cold easterly wind making the gates sing, swirling the clouds round, shaking the trees and sending the last few  leaves twisting and spiralling to the ground. 

Back indoors feeling weather beaten but a bit smug as the wind gets stronger and the rain begins to hammer on the windows.

Enjoyable enough but with none of the magic of Tuesday`s walk when we set off later in the afternoon and ended up coming home in the gloaming: quite still, very cold and getting colder by the minute, the first stars appearing as well as lights in the distance. 

Just as we reached the road on the way back, two owls - possibly Tawny Owls? - shot out from the woods and swooped over our heads before flying away - presumably on their nocturnal hunt. Meanwhile a few geese, silhouetted against the last of the daylight, circled over an adjacent field looking for somewhere to rest for the night and a bevy of pheasants lifted up, squawking and cackling at us as we walked past. This and several flashes of lightning mysteriously lighting up a small layer of cloud over a nearby hill. No thunder, just lightning. Strange, a bit of winter mystique. Perfect for walking and for a minute was tempted to keep going.  But a warm fire and a cup of tea won in the end - well, it was properly dark by then.

Sunday 20.11.2022

 Monsooning on pause, wild winds subsided, skies clearing and temperature plummeting a late afternoon walk in the woods was magical as little patches of mist curled upwards from the grass or hung between trees. The very best of walking weather as the sharp air wakes the senses and has you throwing back the shoulders and stepping up the pace.

Yesterday, for a birthday, we headed away from the floods and driving rain towards the coast where miraculously there was a window of blue sky and even the occasional glint of sunshine. Nothing like a stroll along a windswept beach for enlivening the spirits...or a fish and chip lunch for satisfying the stomach (though not sure what that "salad" was all about.) 

Nevertheless, birthday duly marked. 👍 Back home it was still gloomy and dreich and we settled happily in front of the fire.  Today at least has been drier and brighter, the trees reflecting the gold of the sunset as we squelched over  thick beds of fallen leaves.

And as we came back down the road, the air really cold now, winter whispered it`s on the way.

 The smoke from our chimney suddenly seemed a very welcome sight.

Tuesday 1.11.2022

 Back on home territory, clocks back so out a little earlier in the afternoon and suddenly it really feels like autumn. Quite a strong breeze pushing against us up the road was a lot cooler than I`d expected though in the woods still felt relatively mild for the season. Big, bright, paint-washed skies, clouds swirling, the breeze setting the birch leaves shimmering in the late afternoon light and a nice thick blanket of leaves for shuffling through.

 

Favourite time of year, no doubt.

Friday 28.10.2022

 Coming to the end of the week here in Lennoxtown and, the occasional deluge  and a bit of seasonal mist aside , it has been an autumnal treat to walk round those nascent woods and along by the river. And all week it`s been nothing short of warm.

And it`s clocks back tomorrow so walks may have to be a little earlier in the day from now on.

Monday 24.10.2022

 Once more billeted at Lennoxtown for a week with a chance to see how the trees are growing here:

Turns out they`re looking good and against a dreich day like today the autumn colours are looking particularly splendid.

In the woods back home there have been half a dozen late afternoon/early evening walks that catch the dying of the light,

the cool, still air enriched by the autumn scents of wet leaves, damp earth and bonfires: completely impossible to convey with a picture

but memorable anyway - especially as the clocks will have gone back by the time we next walk there and time outside will be more limited.

And talking of limited time, lately have discovered it`s possible to listen to something as you walk without it intruding on the pleasure of the walk. No headphones - definitely no headphones - and no music. Simply holding my phone, or having it in a pocket, my walks have increasingly become my podcast time which is not something I ever thought I`d say. It`s like having folk alongside making interesting conversation as you walk but without distracting from the surroundings: folk who can in fact be switched off or at least paused whenever you want and best of all walk at the same pace as you.

There are already way too many podcasts in the world but these three are currently keeping me entertained and informed and so I recommend:

The Rest Is Politics is micro-politics, follows national and international events (almost as they happen sometimes) and is an interesting take on "disagreeing agreeably" between two very different people, Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart, who have both quite often been at the centre of things. 

Kermode and Mayo`s Take is a follow on from their slot on Five Live which they were basically chucked off and for anyone interested in films.

Empire does what it says on the tin: discusses the history and implications of Empires - all empires that is though they`ve started with the British Empire. One of its real delights is the relationship between the two presenters - William Dalrymple and Anita Anand. And if nothing else it`s worth listening to Episodes 8-11 about the Koh-i-Nor diamond which is particularly interesting given the upcoming coronation next year. (Episode 12 is also a fascinating story btw.)

There will be others to recommend no doubt -  Shaun Keaveney`s The Line-Up (for music geeks really) is a good one - but for now those three keep me marching merrily along while still being able to hear the birdsong and the wind in the trees.

Thursday 6.10.2022

 Another glorious, restless Octrober morning, the cool wind on the our hill battling it out with the warm sun - and winning mostly. Sometimes tend to forget how nice it is to have that bit of land to yomp through: not a "proper" striding out walk but nevertheless it takes nearly half an hour to stroll round and the dogs love to cavort about,burying their noses in the, not so much re-wilded as undisturbed, grasses failing to catch the little furry creatures that scuttle about and obviously taunt them.

                                                                                                                                                                              Late morning yesterday, the sun won out once we were in the woods, warming us up and casting a subtler autumnal light across everything.

Still more green than gold and the mushrooms proliferate - did a dry summer prompt them to be fruit so abundantly

?

Wednesday 21.09.2022

Two or three perfect September days. About to change of course but this morning it was warm with just enough cooling breeze to make for perfect walking. We went a bit further than usual, discovering little gems buried in the grass 

and checking out some roadside blackberry bushes remembered from years ago but unfortunately not offering much up today.

Nevertheless, the rest of the walk was one of those where you just want to keep on going over the hills and far away......trees reflecting the morning light, circles of mushrooms which seem to emerge and then disappear in the space of 24 hours, birds quietly acknowledging the downturn of the year (or at least it sounds like it!) and that unmistakeable scent of autumn - a little smoky, a little earthy.

Yesterday was interrupted by work but Monday  - an historically momentous day of course* (though not because it was staging the "greatest event the world has ever seen" - get a grip Mr Speaker.🙄)  actually started off  crisp and chilly but then, as a blanket of high grey cloud was slowly pulled across the sky, it became milder and milder - and very very still.  Occasionally we just stopped to listen. Perhaps the world had paused after all for the "great event".

*R.I.P. Your Maj

  

Friday 09.09.2022

 Definitely that time of year: a beautiful September walk on Wednesday afternoon where the stage was being set with all the right props.

Since when it`s been crashing thunderstorms, drenching deluges and all enveloping mists. British weather is the best.