It is impossible to blog in the fantastic family chaos of our Christmas, so here instead is a photograph post, pictures from the last few months as autumn turned to winter in our wood. (Some of the photographs are taken from my Instagram (@treesofsanctuary) and Twitter (@peaceinthewoods) posts, and some are new.)
‘It’s officially cold! But the skies today are clear and blue; the perfect day for a walk in the woods…’‘Minus 3… but what a magnificent day! I have a ‘to-do’ list as long as both arms, but today, I just had to be in the woods. I allowed myself two hours – it was sooooo hard to tear myself away.’‘The sun is low and shards of bright light stab through from the wood’s edges, penetrating deep. The contrast is hard on my eyes; the sunlight flickers on and off as I pass through the trees, in and out of their shade.’‘Jigsaws in the sky, each tree’s space perfectly interlocking with the next.’‘With the increased rain of the last few weeks, the wood floor is damp, but unlike spring time, there is no new growth of plant life on the ground. Instead, I notice the moss, vibrant and green, swathing limestone, tree trunks, anywhere there is damp. In the summer the moss dries becoming pale, in the spring it is hidden by bluebells and wild garlic, but autumn is the time for the moss to shine. It is everywhere, reaching half a metre or more up some trees, its brightness at odds with the fallen leaves around it.’‘Beautiful shapes.’‘Ivy garlands festoon the otherwise bare boughs; pretty today, but a vital oasis for wildlife in the cold days ahead.’‘Brooding skies over the wood…’‘The ground was hard and the mist swirled over the fields, gathering in any dip. I found the sheep huddled under the wall of the wood.’‘At this time of year, when most trees are bare of leaves, it is not hard to see why the gnarled old yew is chosen as a symbol of eternal life – yew can even regenerate, re-rooting where branches touch the soil, or by putting out new growth to fill its hollow trunk.’
‘Tiny Toadstool! Just a few days of autumn left now, but there are still fungi to be found. I spied this minute umbrella peeping out of the leaf litter on the woodland floor.’
‘Sun rises on the cold wood, gently painting the tallest branches…’‘Sun shines beneath dark clouds, on the way home from the woods, conjuring a restless mood.’Our woodland Christmas tree.Light shining though a cut birch trunk section.Hot spiced apple juice and gingerbread – perfect for the festive season.
Trees of Sanctuary 