Thursday 20 February 2020

The First Signs

I quietly made my way to the porch window hoping to see the Jays that sometimes come to feed just outside my door. There was no sign of any birds, or even the squirrels who raid the bird-feeders on a regular basis, but there was a suspicion of white on the distant hedgerow. It wasn't frost, it was blossom; one of the first signs of Spring.



"Time to get your boots on, John, and go out for a walk", I said out loud - and we all know what talking to yourself is the first sign of!



My steps led me alongside hedgerows and along muddy paths. The wind had an icy edge, but thankfully the grey clouds were not releasing any rain for the time being. There was even an occasional glimpse of sunlight. But my mood was mostly brightened by the discovery of some foxes' tracks where I wasn't expecting to see them. Rooks passed overhead on their way to the fields.



A little later I found that the recent storm-force winds, which claimed my neighbours' garden fence among its victims, had also brought down an ivy-clad tree across my path. This little scrap of woodland is not managed in any way and casualties of earlier gales lay littered around.



All the nourishment which the roots had extracted over a century or so was being slowly returned to the soil and, in the meantime, providing a home for countless insects and fungi.



Other trees were still standing but already full of nooks and crannies for tiny beasts to set up home - and make interesting diversions for the curious photographer.



Is it just me, or is there a face in there? It could be the old man of the woods or even the king of the jungle keeping an eye on me. Spirits and wildness lurk in even the most civilised places!



The spell of Springtime compelled me to stroll on to a little local nature reserve. Unlike areas in the care of bigger organisations, this place doesn't have armies of volunteers armed with strimmers and chainsaws tidying it to death; nature is left to its own devices.



You don't see much of this rampant, primitive nature on most nature reserves. And you rarely encounter such disorganised and barbaric landscapes in landscape photographs.



Ever since mankind started controlling nature according to his own tastes, and artists began painting the scene as idealised parkland, we've constructed some pretty rigid rules about what's beautiful. Many years ago I had the good fortune to be looking at some of that year's finest landscape photos in the company of a work colleague. She suddenly let out a loud sigh, "Ah, so beautiful.....but...."



".....so beautiful but they remind me a little of the photos of Princess Diana in the glossy magazines; the photographer is brilliant at showing us the beauty, even hiding some small flaws, but there's not much empathy or understanding of the subject". Those words came back to me recently listening to a talk about landscape photos; there was a lot about gear, technique, viewpoint and quality of light, but the photographer was ignorant of what crops were in the fields, what trees grew in the wood, or the geology underlying the scene. 



Perhaps those things don't matter to everyone as they did to my friend, though back then we didn't know that those who chased after the Princess were about to destroy the very beauty they sought. And increasingly there's a real danger that some of the most celebrated locations are also threatened by the sheer number of people who want to see and photograph them.



Even more worryingly we might stop looking at and appreciating the less obvious appeal of places nearer to home, places that we can enjoy with minimal impact on this tired old planet. 



While my mind has been off on its unfettered travels, my feet and eyes have been firmly fixed in the rather muddy and unkempt scenes around me. I detect Mother Nature muttering away madly to herself as she prepares, in her own unfathomable fashion, for her expected guests who are approaching slowly from the south. Springtime and Summer are on their way and when they arrive all this chaos will be covered up with greenery and birdsong.



And, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, they're soon coming to a place near you. I hope you get out there and enjoy them.

Take care.


23 comments:

  1. You are quite right about the value of, and lack of appreciation of, uncluttered nature. It is still the very best of all, and once we accept that everything is not, and should not, be designed for our own whimsy we learn to appreciate randomness very quickly.

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  2. Thanks for the reminder of the wild beauty out there! Great photos!

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  3. John - this is an absolutely perfect post. That first photograph and its reminder that Spring is not far away despite the awful flooding. And yes, I can see a face of the wise old man of the woods quite clearly - his eyes, his nose and his mouth. It is a kind face but there is a lot of wisdom there - more than we shall ever know.

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  4. What a beautiful post. The countryside is not a manicured themepark, its paths Instagram friendly. Nature will do what nature wants to do, in the end. Thank goodness.

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  5. Great to consider how man has manipulated nature to his ends, and with the aim to appreciate beauty, but still may not be aware of how many other side-effects he leaves behind!

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  6. So glad you got out there and walked in that wild space. Love seeing the sights there. And yes, as soon as I looked at that photo, I saw the face. Interesting to think about photography and the scenes we photograph.

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  7. Ah! some lovely Spring like scenes John.
    When the rain stops and the sky clears I would like to go out for a walk. Fingers crossed.

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  8. Those things matter very much to me. Here, we have very little native habitat left. It's sad as they aren't making it anymore.

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  9. First thing I notice from our kitchen window is pink blossom on the prunus in the next door garden then we get a light shade on ours. The snowdrops are out in force along with daffodils popping up. I. jealous you have Jays in your garden, a I get is Magpies

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  10. Such a lovely post. Neither of us can get out into the countryside now but your post did it for us. Talking of faces, there was a hat on the back shelf of a car in front of us today and the way it was squashed and having two little rivet air holes it looked just like a face looking back at us. lol
    Briony
    x

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  11. A very thoughtful post, John. One of the reasons I love photographing my local patch is finding beauty where others might not take time to see it - and you're so good at that. I see the face too, a Green man if ever I saw one.

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  12. I sure hope I can get out and enjoy some wildness, too. LOL We always loved the wild spots when we were kids. Of course, we soon wore a path to them till they weren't so wild any more.

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  13. One of the things I particularly like about where we live is that quite a bit of the land has been left to run wild for one reason or another. As such it creates wonderful habitat for insects, birds, animals and wild plants. It is continually changing and I always enjoy my walks down the familiar road nearby. Thanks for the encouragement about spring coming! -20C here tonight.

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  14. I did so much enjoy your post, and your photos.

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  15. You certainly made a lot of good comparisons in this post, John. Yes, I did see a face in the tree. I am less caught up in technical aspects and concentrate more on seeing what’s around in everyday life as you do too.

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  16. There are times that I wish I did live in the Northern hemisphere John, right now would be one of those times, I'm not a summer person.. but then I know autumn, winter and spring will be along soon and all is well with the world. I relate so well to your lovely images today, much of the bush we see on our hikes is left to look after itself, beautiful in its own way 💚

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  17. Hi John - is that blackthorn ... while the second blossom I'm not sure about. Love your take on life out beyond the walls ... so many know so little, and I don't know much - but your descriptions of Princess Diana's fate ring so true; I see a lizard in your tree stump - but wonderful photos you've given us ... and thankfully the green is coming back.

    I've started reading H for Hawk - set in your part of the world ... someone said it was depressing - so far I'm loving her descriptions of the lands ...cheers Hilary

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  18. First signs everywhere! I do see the face, and I talk to the plants and birds all the time.

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  19. Fabulous bit to brighten anyone's day!! I enjoy taking strolls with you and seeing your first signs of spring :)


    Feel free to share at My Corner of the World

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  20. First signs are always a pleasure to see and it gets better as the days more forward. Great photos, John!

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  21. So beautifully written and a very nice collection of photos alongside the words.

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