After the Storm

Perhaps it's tempting fate to say it, but we've been quite lucky, while the rest of the country has seen hurricane force winds and torrential rain, we've just had a bit of a storm.

Even so there is a bit of damage, on a bright breezy Sunday morning I found this fallen willow, full of catkins, blocking Rake Lane.

Fallen Willow, Rake Lane (click to enlarge)

A little further up Rake Lane a hawthorn has bitten the dust.

A Hawthorn bites the dust, Rake Lane (click to enlarge)

Moving further up into the field next to the A64 the mature ash in the cattle pen has snapped and lies in ruin across the broken top rails of the pen.

Broken Ash (click to enlarge)

It's sad to see established trees go and we should appreciate the ones we have left, here fresh spring sunlight picks up the subtle red and green tones of bark and algae and near Keeper's Cottage conifer trunks lurk in dark green gloom.

Study in colour and shade (click to enlarge)

Conifer trunks (click to enlarge)

Here some of the smaller trees have been thinned out and snowdrops are pushing up around the fallen trunks.

Snowdrops promise spring - I (click to enlarge)

Snowdrops - II (click to enlarge)

 Snowdrops are everywhere now, this carpet of white is next to the track that winds up the hillside track back to Herbies:

Snowdrops - III (click to enlarge)

Spring is on its way! Hooray!



All material © Philip Stone 2014