Tales from Triangle Wood

1st March ... lovely day!

2012-03-01T11:54:00.000Z

Well, I always feel that spring has arrived with March even if the weather is not good ... but today it is glorious! Having a new puppy means that you wake up early ... and it was really interesting to watch the mist, first of all rising from the river, then falling back and then rising again as the sun began to draw it up. Finally it dispersed as the sun warmed it through and burned it off ... I don't think I have ever watched that sequence before.

OK... so it's the wrong time of the year... but it sums up the river!!!

Sunday 26th February ... and it is (sunny!)

2012-02-26T10:30:00.000Z

In the garden there are one or two early primulas coming into flower, pink and orange, so I went on a quest to see if there were any wild primroses showing yet in the wood ...

The fresh green leaves of the primrose plants are vibrant in the leaf little, and there are some tiny buds still coiled tightly into little packages, just waiting for a bit more sunshine, before they burst open. How exciting. It wont be too long before they look like this ... then we really will feel spring is on the way, but judging by the dawn chorus this morning, the birds have no doubt that it is!

Primrose wine was once a heady favourite at Mayday celebrations ...
but I have always wondered if it was drunk so early simply because they could not bear to leave it any longer!

24th February - warm and sunny!

2012-02-24T13:00:00.000Z

Even at this time of the year, walking through the woods, it's hard not to WANT to see flowers! Of course, there are not many about at this season, but if you know where to look there are always some. The nettle family - much despised because of its stinging members - can usually provide a bloom at any time of the year, so maybe they should not get such a bad press!

The dead nettle sounds as though it should be a dull, morose sort of a plant ... but its rich mossy leaves and deep purple flowers are a joy, especially when the late winter sun catches them - and you - unaware ....

"When the deep purple falls,
Over sleepy garden walls,
And the sun begins to linger in the sky ...."

23rd February .... now it's the warmest day!

2012-02-23T11:52:00.000Z

Those of you who follow me on facebook will know that I have not had time "to go down to the woods today" for quite a few days ... I have a new puppy! Of course, when he is older it will be another REASON (if one was needed) to do so, but at the moment, puppy sitting is rather the order of the day, though he is allowed in the garden!

Still, I sneaked away for a while this morning... the woods are looking lovely and changing by the day. Today the temperature is around 16 degrees - the warmest so far this year. Crazy: two weeks ago it was almost that many degrees below freezing! That's English weather for you!

The catkins and lamb's tails are looking so sweet - no pollen quite yet, though ... although a hopeful brimstone butterfly was looking for some. Pollen from early "flowers" like this are essential to many insects in their first flights of the year.

11th February ... the coldest of the year!!

2012-02-11T11:38:00.000Z

Well, apparently last night the temperature went down to almost 18 degrees below ... not too impressive if you are in Russia or Alaska, but pretty low here!! The milk in the bottles on the doorstep was frozen! The sun is beautiful, though, and everything sparkles!

The grasses are crisp with frost ... they snap off if you touch them...

... but the sun has melted the snow from the branches of trees and shrubs, and they are stark grey and black against the white background.

How long will the cold snap last, I wonder?

7th February - snow beneath the trees!

2012-02-07T14:51:00.000Z

Woodland Aristocracy!

After the weekend's snow, the woodland floor is patchy with ice and crystallized snowflakes ... in places, where the sun has made its way through the canopy it has already melted - and suddenly there is a little flash of "living" snow: a stoat in ermine, it's white coat shimmering in the winter sunlight. Magical!!!

2nd February - Groundhog day!

2012-02-02T11:44:00.000Z

Well, there was no chance of meeting a groundhog in Triangle Wood, but if there had been one about, he would have made a bolt for his home, as there were shadows aplenty around! It's a lovely, sunny morning, though bitterly cold! There didn't seem to be much life around at all except birds, everything must be snuggled up warm waiting out the last of the winter! But one joyful sight: a few tiny violets popping their pretty little heads above the parapet of the frost!!

Truthfully, not quite as open as these - but still an inspiration on such a cold morning!

And for those of you who would like to see Groundhog this cold, February morning, here you are anyway:

1st February - cold and bright!

2012-02-01T10:57:00.000Z

OK, I confess, I have not made it down to the wood for several days. I cannot really blame the weather, although it has been unpleasant, but I shall make up for it today... I was determined to find more than just the odd hellebore in flowers, to I really looked closely in the little dells and dips of the woodland floor, and there I found tiny gems hidden away ... the first were like little stars of white light against the leaf litter - chickweed.

Chickweed, as it's name suggests, was one of the herbs used to add variety to hens' food at the end of winter - and the chickens int he wood were making the most of the green shoots. Then, I saw little sapphires, too! Tiny speedwell flowers rioting in and out of the early grasses. And all this while there was still heavy frost on the ground.

The magic of nature is at work in this shortest, sometimes most dismal, month of the year!

25th January ... signs of new life.

2012-01-25T10:55:00.000Z

After a few days of really miserable weather - cold, wet and dull - the wood looked brighter this morning ... and the hazel coppices were dancing with little lambs' tails! Still yellowy-green, it is too early for the pollen to be showing, although there was one hungry bumble bee who had awoken early and looked as though he needed something more than was on offer from the travellers' joy!

22nd January ... this wind wasn't forecast!

2012-01-22T12:01:00.000Z

Woke up this morning to hear a high wind howling around the eaves of the cottage. I am sure "they" didn't tell us this was on the way!!! Down at the wood the tree tops are tossing and the knotted tangles of last year's honeysuckle swaying crazily ... it makes you feel a little seasick!

... But, it's Sunday so home for a good lunch, feet up in front of the fire and some stitching this afternoon!!

There's no place like home ...

19th January ... after the rain, the sun.

2012-01-19T11:27:00.000Z

Well, it certainly rained last night, and this morning the leaf litter is soggy and squelchy underfoot. But now the sun is coming out and is surprisingly warm ... there are tiny snowdrops pushing up through the brown litter and even a few crocuses - though goodness knows how they have found their way into the wood.

I noticed that there were a few early crocuses in my garden, too! I think the very mild weather so far this year has fooled them into believing we may have an early spring ... the recent cold snap must have been a bit of a shock! Strangely, there do not seem to be any leaves, just the sweetly mauve flowers!

In the wood they had better watch out or the squirrels will make a early breakfast of them!

17th January - the sun melts the frost!

2012-01-17T13:10:00.000Z

As I walked through the wood today I could not help thinking about the summer to come ... I shall be having an exhibition in July and already my thoughts are on subject matter. Roses will be playing a big part and I was amazed to see that even now, in some protected corners, there are a few rose hips to be found. They wont last long if the current frosty weather continues, but the warmth of the sun this morning has melted the icy surfaces and the ruddy red fruit is showing through ... tempting the hungry birds, no doubt!

13th January - Friday - lucky for some!!

2012-01-13T08:51:00.000Z

Last night we had a sharp frost ... one of the few this year so far! This morning the sun came up red and orange and bright over the dark line of the woodland's horizon. Everything sparkled! There was some REAL birdsong, too, not just the sleepy twitters of a winter morning and the squabbling of hungry rivals, but some true, melodic warbles. How lovely!! The tiny Jenny wren was making herself known, too: such a loud voice for such a little lady!

Spring, must surely be not too far away on the morning like this ...

11th January - footsteps in the leaves ...

2012-01-12T10:39:00.000Z

Well, I am afraid it's been a week or more since I have been down to the wood ... as some of you will know from my facebok page, I have suffered a loss ... my beautiful cat, scourge of small wildlife beasties has passed away... and life is the poorer for it.

Today the woodland is quiet, with a breeze tossing the tops of the trees and hardly stirring the leaf mould underfoot. Like everywhere else, I feel the lack of that little presence I had come to rely upon for company and diversion in so many ways. But life goes on and there are ALREADY stirrings of new life and (dare I say it) spring in the woodland plants and shrubs. Tiny, tiny budlets are appearing in the crevices of twigs and branches - hardly green and yet tantalizingly gold, yellow and pink.

As if to prove that all ill fortune finds a positive somewhere, the rabbits are out in force. Raggy's rabbit hunting skills in the village were legendary and I can only misquote an epitaph given by the poet Robert Bloomfield to a favourite dog ... "Rabbits rejoice, here buried lies your foe". RIP.

3rd January - technology defeated! Woodland life continues ...

2012-01-03T09:35:00.000Z

I am pleased to say that the hiccough with the blog has been overcome... I know now not to ask too much of it! Meantime, down in the woods, of course, everything jogs along in the same old way!

"Hey, where did my home go?"

It has been a really windy night, there's lots of fallen branches and some very disgruntled residents ...

Still trying to sign in...

2012-01-02T20:10:00.000Z

Experimenting with technology ... which doesn't seem to want to work ... here's hoping...

Yay... and summer will come!

Tales from Triangle Wood: 2nd January ... a party!

2012-01-02T13:25:00.000Z

Tales from Triangle Wood: 2nd January ... a party!: Well, there's a lot of gossip going on down in the wood today! It is a lovely sunny morning, and all the birds are out and about... anyone ...

2nd January ... a party!

2012-01-02T13:01:00.000Z

Well, there's a lot of gossip going on down in the wood today! It is a lovely sunny morning, and all the birds are out and about... anyone would think it's a new year or something ... here are a few of main participants in the chatter... it's a real rouges' gallery of winter birds...

Banter with the blue tit...

Gossip with the gold crest ...

Blarney from the blackbird....

Good news from the gold finch ...

Waffle from the wren!!!

Happy Holidays!!!

31st December... ring out the old, ring in the new!

2011-12-31T11:36:00.000Z

Bluebells, Canterbury bells, Bellflowers, they all appear in Triangle Wood at their allotted season ... but not in the winter ... we need something else to ring in the new year ... What better than the first snowdrops, little bells proclaiming the coming of 2012 for all to see!

... and for such delicate little beauties they are remarkably strong, pushing up through the leaf little and bark on the woodland floor and competing with the ivy, like little troopers and standing to attention! The Dragoon Guards meet the Ballerinas! And maybe that is how we should face the New Year ... with a combination of strength, fortitude, faith and inner beauty. Like Nature herself! Happy New Year from all in Triangle Wood!

29th December - wind and a little rain...and sunshine to come!

2011-12-29T12:56:00.000Z

To get to Triangle Wood I have to walk along a quiet lane and over a small bridge, which crosses the river Lark ...

Today, after some rain and a very blustery night, the river was running quite high, chattering over the stones and washing the banks making little splashes and splutters dance in the odd, rare, bursts of sunlight. There are not many flowers around at this time of the year, but buttercups, in their many guises can always be found. Alongside the river bank, by a clump of yellow flowers, a little creamy coloured water wagtail was bobbing and paddling in the water for all the world as though it were a summer afternoon! Bless his little sun-shiny heart, he made me feel as though behind the darkest cloud, the sun is just waiting to come out for us.

What ever the new year has in store - let us thanks the Powers that Be for things that are yellow!

They promise the sunshine to come!

22nd December - a little night music

2011-12-22T12:37:00.000Z

One of the few advantages (if you call it that!) of these long nights is that you are more likely to see nocturnal birds and animals than you are in the short, light evenings of the summer...

Last night the screech of the barn owl gave notice that he was out and about taking advantage of the long darkness to find food.

Keen eyes, soft feathers.

Pity the small animals who came to his notice ... those eyes miss nothing and the silent approach gives little chance of escape. I have known a barn owl to pass so silently that a brush of the wings on your cheek is the first indication of his approach, maybe then a swish of downy feathers, maybe a lightning fast stoop to snatch up his prey. The darkness is both friend and foe depending on your allegiance!

December 20th ... almost the shortest day!

2011-12-20T11:37:00.000Z

Christmas is coming ... and ...

What would the Druids think??

... it's a good thing that the mistletoe is soooo high up the trees, otherwise it might not be there at all! Apparently there has been a lot of unauthorised "harvesting" going on... personally I think if you want to steal a kiss under the mistletoe the best time to do it is with rosy cheeks and a pink nose after a long, cold, Christmas walk... if he loves you then, he will love you always! Incurable romantic, aren't I?

17th December ... real frost!!

2011-12-17T12:51:00.000Z

Slippery slope for a spider!!

There was a SHARP frost last night - the first time we had a real sparkle first thing in the morning. It makes everything magical and seems to enhance shapes, too. Especially angular ones... this teasel head look fabulous any time ... but in the frost... WOW!!!

16th December - Snow!!!

2011-12-16T11:10:00.000Z

The first snowflakes of the year fluttered down this morning. Not enough to lie on the ground - it's too wet and not quite cold enough yet ... but maybe a taste of things to come?

What's that???

It must be really strange being a tiny animal when winter first arrives ... snow must come as a big shock!!

A single snowflake on your nose and you would not be able to see a thing!

15th December ... more visitors!

2011-12-15T10:07:00.000Z

The pine cones were popular again today ... this time the blue tits were in residence!

I took the time to take a closer look at the structure of the cones themselves - what little miracles they are! Angular and perfect, and looking rather like those strange "fractals" that are so beloved of the boffins and mathematicians!

... even the pine needles are exqusite when you really take the touble to look! Complete with tiny cones, which are the products of this year's "flowers". They will not start to look like cones until next year and then mature the year after that!

15th December - ten days till Christmas...

2011-12-14T16:42:00.000Z

... and I'll swear that Jack Frost's litttle helpers were in and around the Old Man's Beard!

13th December - a wild night!

2011-12-13T15:14:00.000Z

Wow, it was a really stormy night ... and there was plenty of old wood which came down from the canopy of the trees together with pine cones. Very wet, too, and so soggy underfoot this morning, just the thing for a brisk walk to clear the cobwebs...

I heard a high pitched bird call and looked up to see a beautiful gold finch looking for seeds in the pine cones! Did you know that the design we know as "paisley" is actually based on a pine cone pattern? The original concept came from India where the pines of the sub continent were large and spectacular ... the pattern travelled to Scotland, in particular to "Paisley" and was incorporated into fabric made up into shawls ... hence its popular name!

Nature's Christmas decorations!

The several stages of the cone's development are often visible together on a single branch ... which is why the swirls of the "paisley" designs graduate from small to large and back again ... fascinating! This little fellow looks as though he is planning the Christmas festivities by decking his very own halls with pine cones!

Dember 12th - Finally back to the Woods!

2011-12-12T15:07:00.000Z

Well, I must say I AM feeling rather guilty, what with the 'flu/cold/whatever plus my weekend classes to teach and some private tuition is it three weeks since I have managed to get down to the woods - serious withdrawal symptoms setting in!

Kestrel hovering over the edge of the wood

It was a beautifully clear, though cold, morning with a fresh light blue sky and what should I see almost immediately but a glorious kestrel hovering over the headland at the edge of the woods. The wind has been brisk, but as he hovered, his head moved not an inch ... so intent on watching the small creatures below.

Water vole .... taking cover!

In a sheltered corner, there were still a few toadstools which had survived the recent colder weather - there has been nothing cold enough to create a frost inside the wood. These will be very useful energy sources for non hibernating animals...

Late night - or early morning? - shopping!

21st November already - honestly!

2011-11-21T11:04:00.000Z

It's fascinating how escaped garden plants can make themselves so at home in the wild... "honesty" is a good example. During the summer the pretty pink flowers are commonly seen in woodland, especially if nearby cottages have the plant in their gardens.

... and then at this time of year the seed pods, looking like little oriental fans, stay quite whole for many months. They are excellent as Christmas decorations if you have the patience to strip them of their outer membranes - and even if you don't you can take a short cut by spraying them with glitter or gold paint. Oh, no!! I mentioned Christmas again!

20th November - Berries!

2011-11-20T14:52:00.000Z

They do say that if there is a fine crop of berries in the autumn it presages a cold winter to come ... and if the holly berries are following tradition we may be in for some really chilly days ahead. Today I noticed that there is a fine, dense crop of berries in the wood, and also along the lanes, paths and hedgerows nearby.

At some point in the past a cultivated holly must have cross pollinated with a native bush to produce this "sport" with cream, variegated leaves. They are so pretty!

November 17th - Jack Frost's first visit!

2011-11-17T11:23:00.000Z

There was just a suspicion of frost on the trees this morning ... enough to make you think that Jack had breathed on them for a moment before going on to more important things! Sadly there are few elms around these days, but we are lucky to have one close by ... and in it some mistletoe! The mistletoe is high up in its branches - safe from the most avid collector, and I am always amazed by how spherical the balls of this strange plant are ... like ethereal footballs suspended in some strange net!

Maybe Jack Frost is a football fan ...

The snowberries are becoming smaller and harder now, too - like little white footballs! Earlier in the year some of them seem to "blow up", become soft, and are then tempting and eaten by birds ... others seem to "petrify" as the cold weather begins and remain on the plant until the birds are really desperate for food later in the winter. Nature's cold-store.

Not appetising now, but wait until January!

16th November - early morning ...

2011-11-15T09:02:00.001Z

I was up very early this morning and so saw the dawn - there was a mist over the fields and then the sun came up, even this late in the year its heat burning off the mist very quickly. Watching it evaporate was magic - the sun big and red ... I know, "red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning"... we'll have to see what weather follows!

I was not the only one up early!!

14th November - the less, the more ...

2011-11-14T11:46:00.000Z

A very quick visit to the wood (I have to confess I was in the car, on the way elsewhere!) made me realise that sometimes, just an impression can speak volumes... As a stitcher, a few strategically placed seed stitches can create the impression of a distant tree, a tiny landscape...

"Through the eye of a needle..."

11th and 12th November - from sombre to bright ...

2011-11-12T10:35:00.000Z

Remembrance Day was rather dismal and sombre weather-wise, drizzly and chilly, too. When I got home I lit a great big open fire in the hearth of my cottage and said a big thank you - for life, liberty and a warm home!

Today, it is much brighter - though down in the wood you get the feeling that the small animals are beginning to pull down the shutters for the season! The birds are busy feeding on berries - and there seem to be plenty about - whilst the cottage chickens seem to have abandoned the outskirts of the wood for the garden.

Waxwing

Some unusual visitors can pop in at this time of the year... the waxwing is a lovely bird and if often attracted by the ripening fruit of the wood's outer perimeter... looking closely at the rowan berries you can see hoe juicy they are ... I have a Rowan tree in my garden, too, and the blackbirds love it!

Invitation to lunch!

November 10th - after a moonlit night!

2011-11-10T11:20:00.000Z

The sky was clear last night and the moonlight made for a chilly one! I'm not sure it is one of those "predictors" of a cold winter to come, but I saw a stoat - in the summer a glorious chestnut brown with a black tip to his tail, in the winter snowy white in "ermine" - and his coat was already beginning to turn... does that mean cold weather soon, I wonder?

Starstruck stoat!

It's fascinating the was the tail tip always stays white, even when the rest of the fur is white. Hence, of course, the heraldic colour "ermine": white with black swatches. Celebrity status to say the least!

November 9th - Goodbye leaves!

2011-11-09T11:33:00.001Z

In just a couple of days the landscape seems to have changed completely ... there is that certain something in the air that makes you want to wrap up warm and walk that little bit faster! After the rain came more wind and even more of the leaves have fallen. Then there was a moonlit night and for the first time this year the trees took on their winter persona! My sycamore is still sporting a few bright yellow leaves, but some of the less sheltered specimens are rally beginning to look "witchy"! The oaks aren't quite as bare as this, but it's coming!

Moonlight in the wood.

Remember, remember, 5th November!

2011-11-05T14:59:00.000Z

I haven't made it down to the wood for a few days - during which the rain has brought down a lot more leaves. Now the canopy is looking sparse and the rain is able to fall down into the leaf litter unimpeded! This seems to be good news for insects and other small animals - which feed on them. There are some very fine worms and snails about ...

... which seems to be good news for certain other inhabitants ...

... just in time for lunch!

1st November ... and the rain has arrived!

2011-11-01T09:38:00.000Z

Well, it had to come, the rain is finally here. So far only a light shower, but I get the feeling that we are in for rather more. On the canopy of the wood - still quite a few leaves in situ - it patters with a gentle, rhythmic sound ... peaceful and yet a little melancholy, it sounds like the end of the last remnants of summer!

"What's that?"

The sound made one little fellow look up as though he thought manna was falling from heaven... and maybe it was... the nuts were beginning to fall with the rain!

"Hazel nuts!!"

Halloween - 31st October

2011-10-31T19:31:00.000Z

It has to be said that the spookiest thing at the moment is still the weather! Today I saw common mallows in bud and flower - they are usually flowers of high summer!

Mallows in flower!

Along side them were real autumn treats like "lords and ladies" the berries of the cuckoo pint! Strange bedfellows indeed on this evening of "trick or treat"!

Lords and Ladies!

28th October - flying visit!

2011-10-28T22:32:00.000+01:00

On a quick walk to the woods today (busy time at the moment, preparing for a weekend class, so making the most of some lovely sunny evening hours) I passed by an area on the outskirts of the wood where some of last summer's sunflowers still retained some of their seeds. Several finches, including the noisy greenfinch of a few days ago, were arguing over the largest flowers, but a sweet little redpoll had found one low down to the ground and had made it his own! The seedling must have escaped from a nearby garden, as they are certainly not native ... but this little guy thought they were all the better for that! Exotic far to fill his tummy and make his tubby for the winter ahead!

"How to I get down there?"

I hate to miss the changes in the wood for even a few days ... but sadly over the weekend they will have to happen without me!

26th October ... still confusing the seasons here and Down Under!

2011-10-26T10:18:00.001+01:00

Everyone's still saying it ... this late warm spell and the strange weather earlier in the year really has confused everything. Nettles, of course, do tend to flower all through the year, given half a chance, but it's incredibly late to see a holly blue butterfly, even from the second flight!

Did you know that the holly blue is sometimes called the Christmas butterfly? Quaintly, it is because during their two flights, one in the spring and one in the autumn they feed on "Holly and Ivy"! Which reminds me, going off subject for a moment, of a lovely butterfly project I have just had published in the Australian magazine INSPIRATIONS... This is the Ulysses butterfly, with he Christmas Bush! Sorry, I've just realised that I have got back to Christmas again ... promise not to mention it again until December!!

Triangle Wood Aussie style!

25th October - wake up call!!

2011-10-25T15:39:00.000+01:00

Today, I realise, it is just exactly two months until Christmas ... no, don't sigh!! I mention it only because it seems incredible, looking around the wood, that Winter should be so close, it really still feels like late summer. Even some of the nocturnal residents don't seem to be able to get used to it, despite the shortening days and longer nights. This little owl was up and about still, at around 8.30 a.m. when I took a friend's dogs for "walkies" this morning!

"Who..ooo...ooo's keeping me awake?"

Next weekend we put the clocks back, so maybe that will suit him better!

22nd October - back to green!

2011-10-22T14:08:00.000+01:00

As if to disagree with my comments about everything beginning to turn gold, this little fellow was down in the wood today - a greenfinch!

Busy taking seeds from a dry thistle head, he had better make the most of it, as rain is predicted soon. Greenfinches are rather aggressive little birds, and this one took a real dislike to a siskin who was also interested in the thistle head. The siskin looked thoroughly appalled at his language!!

Another Autumnal Day - glorious!

2011-10-20T11:25:00.000+01:00

How long can this sunshine last? One again the wood is bathed in golden light. The balance between green and gold has finally swung, now, toward the latter, but still in treetops there is a mixture of both.

There are marvellous shapes to be found, too ... this is last summer's teasel flower, now dried out and spiky and turning - you guessed it - gold! It is a very convenient home for over-wintering ladybirds which find their way down into the depths of the seed head and make a cosy place for themselves to wait out the hard weather. I never cease to be amazed at nature's ingenuity!

18th October. The wind in the ... treetops!

2011-10-18T13:14:00.000+01:00

Beautiful sunny, breezy day... with the autumn leaves swirling around my feet as I walk, and other tiny airborne flotsam and jetsam too! Birds must be loosing some of their summer plumage, because there are little feathers blowing in the wind, caught in brambles and cobwebs! They create tiny "dream catchers", reminding me of the ethnic pieces created by the native American peoples... fascinating, I wonder if that is how the idea first came about?

Dream catcher?

There are still a surprising number of wildflowers down in the leaf mould and among the twigs of the woodland floor. Periwinkles are like twinkling blue eyes winking up at you!

16th October - back to the Indian Summer?

2011-10-16T11:07:00.000+01:00

Still summer?

This is the second day of glorious sunny weather - a wonderful weekend. Some of the smaller inhabitants of the wood must be getting a little confused - surely now should be the time for eating lots and getting ready to hibernate? It IS chilly at night, though, so hopefully instinct will kick in and preparations for the winter ahead will still continue!

There was almost a frost last night, so the colours are beginning to get spectacular, too. The golds are beginning to give way to crimson and shivering, silvery peppermint on the willows.

Autumnal ... to say the least!

2011-10-15T17:35:00.000+01:00

It's hard to describe anything in the wood today without reverting to cliches! Gold, brown, crisp... everything sounds a bit hackneyed! So I looked back at inspiration I had found special in the past and came up with this beautiful leaf ... an oak leaf treated in medieval fashion, and brought to life with gold thread and various "contemporary" techniques!

... and then I realised ... what seemed like and "old" idea to me - maybe 3 years since I designed this motif - - is just a few moments in the life of an real oak tree, maybe 400 years ... which, in its turn, is just a flash, compared to the life of the wood itself ... thousands of seasons, spring upon spring, autumn upon autumn... so maybe I should not be downcast about looking back at previous designs. "For everything turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn ... and a time to every purpose under heaven!"

13th October - overcast but warm...

2011-10-13T11:21:00.000+01:00

Today, this little fellow was waiting to say "hello"! Truthfully, he didn't stay chatting for long ... one look at me and he scuttled away in rather a hurry, but I was able to watch him for long enough to admire his agility. Stoats are fierce little hunters and often "glamour" their prey by "dancing" and mesmerizing rabbits and other small animals until the performer suddenly becomes an attacker!
There are still plenty of plants seeding on the woodland floor - like this dandelion. Protected by the trees, the little parachutes do not fly far in the wind, so it will be interesting in the spring to see if there are clumps of dandelions all in one place,or whether the seeds have managed to scatter despite being becalmed!

11th October - mild and muggy!

2011-10-12T12:35:00.000+01:00

Well, it's a funny sort of a day toady, warm, and yet you don't feel as though you really want to take your jacket off!!

Of course, if, like Mr. Fox, your jacket is a permanent fixture, that's not a problem. Red does seem to be the fashion in Triangle Wood at the moment, after my visit with Foxy yesterday, everywhere I look it seems to be the colour of the moment!

Stylised leaves seemed to scream "fashionista" at me!!!

Some residents, of course, have their dress code sorted for the festive season already ... did I nearly mention Christmas there? Hunting for insets and worms on the woodland floor the robin was far too interested in lunch to take any notice of me, so I was able to enjoy his plumage without disturbing him!

Cute waistcoat!

11th October

2011-10-11T13:43:00.000+01:00

Well, a quick walk down to the woods this morning - lots to do today and also it a bit chilly!! But that didn't put off one of Triangle Wood's largest and smartest residents - Mr. Fox! Oh, what a lovely sight on a rather bleak morning! Slipping between the trees, minding his own business and not at all worried at my approach. I must say he was looking very sleek despite the turn of the year ... hopefully NOT because of the local chicken population ...

The foxgloves may be over ... but their namesake is in fine form!

8th October - Cool and Calm!

2011-10-08T12:17:00.000+01:00

After some rather high winds, the wood is looking a little "shaken"! Not surprising really, as the leaves took rather a battering and many are now fallen - some caught in the lower canopy, some in twigs and branches on the way down, and even some in cobwebs ... so it looks as though they are suspended in mid air by some arboreal magic!

There is still an amazing jumble of wild things in flower, seed and leaf all the the same time. This gives you an impression of the woodland floor at the moment!

Autumn on the woodland floor

It really is true that every season has its own joys ... I am thinking of lighting the first fire of the year in my bog fireplace this evening! Always a lovely time!

5th October, flying visit!!

2011-10-05T16:26:00.000+01:00

Looks like the Indian Summer is coming to an end ... rain clouds gathering!

Might be nice weather for ducks!

Golden October!

2011-10-03T13:11:00.000+01:00

It's been my birthday weekend and glorious weather - so had to go down to the wood, taking friends! The honeysuckle is still incongruously blooming next to the blackberries and now the "Old Man's Beard" (the seeds of the willow herb) are ripening and becoming fluffy masses which fly away on tiny gossamer parachutes.

First, the long seed pods begin to open revealing the webbing inside:

Next, they open up fully and the minute seeds are borne away on the wind looking like swirls of delicate snowflakes, but wonderfully warm to the touch if they land on your skin...

... then the small birds begin to pursue them as though they were fruit flies or gnats! Suddenly the air is full of movement and life.

29th September - Michaelmas

2011-09-29T16:40:00.000+01:00

On the local news they were discussing the fact that this glorious hot weather has confused many garden shrubs into thinking that spring had arrived again - there were blossoms in amongst the autumn leaves... so down in Triangle Wood, I went to visit the honeysuckle vine that I had followed in great detail in the early summer - see my facebook page!

Sure enough there were fresh honeysuckle flowers, smelling sweetly of June!

In amongst the flowers were ripe, juicy blackberries - usually, of course, the shared thicket produces only one of these treats at a time ... but this year there are some very strange bedfellows to be found!

According to country lore, this is the last day you should pick and eat blackberries - because on Michaelmas night the Devil spits on them and turns them bitter! So make the most of it - I just have and they were delicious!

Blackberries and ice cream for supper tonight, I think, too!

28th September - Flying Visit!

2011-09-28T12:53:00.000+01:00

Too many chores today to spend long at the wood ... but dropped in on the way around the village delivering the Parish magazines ...

Glorious sunshine and so very warm ... this is a real treat!

Autumn gold!!!

27th September - here comes Indian Summer!

2011-09-27T12:24:00.000+01:00

This time of the year is my favourite ... if the weather is good. And it looks as though we are in for a treat over the next few days ... Strolling down to the wood today, everything is in shades of gold: golden fields, golden trees, golden sunshine.

Autumn landscape

Even little brown birds are not brown - but GOLD! I caught a glimpse of a little fellow who usually makes his presence felt in the evening - the nightingale. They do sing during the day as well, of course, but with the other birdsong all around it is not so easy to pick out those beautiful, silvery tones. I have a feeling that the next few days are going to be rather magical...

Nightingale

23rd September - dressed to impress!

2011-09-23T11:14:00.000+01:00

Its wonderfully colourful at this time of the year! Down in the wood yesterday I was met by a delightful little nuthatch in his autumnal best - all the muted shades of the season. He didn't seem at all shy, just scuttling up and down the tree trunk in search of tiny insects in the bark. I watched him for some time until he moved onto another hunting ground... Christian Dior and Chanel look to your laurels - Mother Nature is on good form!

Cheeky little nuthatch

Down at the base of the tree the "lords and ladies" were not going to be outdone in their finery. The berries of the cuckoo pint - a type of arum lily - they make a fabulous splash of bright red against the browns and golds of the woodland floor. But beware, they are VERY poisonous! I often wonder how the small creatures of the woodland are able to interpret mother nature's messages so easily: sometimes red means "Hey, look at me, I'm red and I'm really good to eat!" Other times it means "Look at me, I'm red and really dangerous ... don't come near!" Just more of the mysteries that make the natural world so wonderful!

"Lords and Ladies"

Sadly, I wont be getting down to the woods for a few days now as I shall be teaching a Masterclass ... I bet there will be a few changes when I get back...

Wet, wet, wet ...

2011-09-21T11:14:00.000+01:00

A flash of summer's memory!

Last night it really rained! Several downpours during the evening and on into the early hours of the morning. The leaf canopy is still quite fall, so it was maybe not surprising that in some places the ground underfoot had stayed quite dry, whilst in others it was rather soggy! But this morning the sun is coming out and the moist warmth seems to have woken up some late summer visitors! Several beautiful red admirals were in the middle reaches of the trees!

Autumnal!

2011-09-20T13:05:00.000+01:00

There is a tale told that the Great Spirit was walking through His creation one autumnal day when he suddenly realised that he had forgotten something ... there were no songbirds! Looking around to find inspiration he saw the leaves turning colour and falling, taken dancing into the wind. With a wave of His hand, he turned some of the falling leaves into little birds - and songbirds came into being. What a lovely tale! And as I walked through Triangle Wood today, with the leaves beginning to fall, swirling in the wind, it came back to me. Beech leaves are turning the most wonderful shades of yellow, orange and gold.

Beech leaves and mast (nuts)

The redpoll (below) seems to have all the right colours to match the autumn leaves ... it must surely be one of the first that the Great Spirit thought of when the leaves swirled part His divine ears! Praise be for the colours of autumn!

Redpoll

Glorious!

2011-09-18T12:10:00.000+01:00

Well, today is a real bonus, "they" forecast overcast with showers, but what do we have, sunny and warm! Walked down to the wood, but all the action was happening on the outskirts... in one corner of the wood there is a little house, with a small "farmyard" containing dogs, chickens and various other voluble residents!

These are REALLY free range chickens... there seem to be as many cockerels as hens (obviously the owner makes no distinction as to which chicks are allowed to grow up, lovely!) and so each cock has only one or two ladies, which he guards jealously from rivals! They all strut about in and outside the fence, in the wood, along the lane, in just the way their universal antecedents must have done centuries ago, when they were jungle fowl!

Suddenly I heard a burst of tiny, high pitched "peeping" and there, with their Mum, were 7 tiny chicks, minute balls of fluff, in every colour from white, through cream and brown to black. The hen bird was busily pecking away with Dad guarding his family! In autumn, as in spring, nature provides! It was a magical moment, and so unexpected!

17th September - Sunshine, showers and ... more sunshine!

2011-09-17T11:21:00.001+01:00

Well, it's a few days since I have been down to Triangle Wood, and though I have missed it, of course, it has been going its merry way without missing me!! More leaves are beginning to fall now, especially as there has been a fair amount of wind, and the canopy overhead is thinning slightly - which, of course, lets a little more light in. There are more marvellous fungi popping up all over the place, they seem magical because the really do appear overnight!

Some of the leaves still on the blackberry bushes are being eaten, or just deteriorating to leave marvellous skeletal traceries of themselves ... it's another use for the "honeycomb stitch" that I have often used before for dragonfly's wings...

... and some of their colours are amazing. Maybe it's because it is so breezy, but I can't see many birds or animals today. Of course, when the wind is rustling the leaves you can't hear them, so it is hard to spot them, too ... but they must be there somewhere!

12th September - Wild and Windy!

2011-09-12T12:06:00.000+01:00

"Steady as she goes, Capt'n!!"

Couldn't resist a trip to the Wood, although I am so snowed under ... it's colossal!! the wind is tearing at the treetops and the whole wood sounds like a great sea, tossing in the storm. In amongst it all, I spotted one little fellow... hanging on for dear life!!!

11th September - Still breezy, but warm.

2011-09-11T11:35:00.001+01:00

What a treat!!! Walking down to the wood, a beautiful deer leaped across the lane right in front of me! Well, quite a few yards ahead really, but they are such large animals that it was quite overwhelming.

Beautiful beast ...

I suppose I should not have too too surprised. Back in the spring I remember sketching this little fellow quietly awaiting the return of his Mum... may be I have just seen Dad!

"Shhhhh...."

After tomorrow I might not get down to the Wood for a few days, so it's a lovely memory to take away with me, sunshine filtering down through the leaves ...

10th September - Storms Coming?

2011-09-10T11:02:00.001+01:00

Yesterday afternoon it suddenly got really warm, way above the usual for this time of year and everything went very still down in the woods - as it they were waiting for something ... now the weather forecast is warning of storms later today and over the rest of the weekend into Monday - the hang-over of the US hurricane, I understand. At times like this you really can understand the old pagan Anglo Saxon idea that EVERYTHING is joined together by gossamer strands of "wyrd" or destiny ... so the events on the other side of the world eventually have an effect on us. Of course, these days it can be proved, but back then ... well, they just knew! Watching the way nature behaved, of course, often gave a clue ...

"Do not disturb..."

Squirrels, like many other animals do not hibernate, but when the weather gets bad they just curl up and try to wait it out while asleep! Night, night little fellow!

9th September - Cool and Cloudy

2011-09-09T10:36:00.001+01:00

Didn't manage to get down to the wood yesterday - but today made the effort to go down quite early in the morning. There is so much going on just as the day begins ... we tend to think of the dawn chorus as being a spring-time phenomenon, but the birds wake up and start "chatting" all through the year, not quite the same as their springtime singing, but still a wonderful sound, full of life and "laughter"! The big birds, too, are less shy at that time in the morning. The beautiful, colourful jay was out and about ...

Noisy fellow - "laughs" like all the the crow family!

Some of the smaller birds were busy too! The blue tit is one of the least shy of all the tit family ... gregarious with each other, and very patient when the observer tries to get close! Such amazing colours ... a totally different shade of blue to the jay. I reminded myself to collect some pine cones and put them on one side for Christmas decorations ... oh no! don't start thinking about Christmas yet!!

Christmas is coming???

7th September - Sunny, but Cool!

2011-09-07T10:19:00.000+01:00

After a breezy and damp night, the sun was shining first thing this morning - but there are plenty of clouds around, and I think we may get a bit more rain yet! Have you ever noticed how wet leaves have a wonderful sheen and shimmer? I was about to have a little grumble about how damp everything was when the sunlight caught the rainwater on the leaves and, it was like a magic lamp had been switched on. Everything sparkled!

Tiny gnats danced in the sunlight....

So, every cloud really DOES have a silver lining.

The colours were amazing, too...

A little later in the morning the sunshine had even woken up a few late butterflies - the comma has two flights each year, one in the spring and one in the autumn - obviously this is the latter! The little white "punctuation mark" on the underside of the wing was so bright that I feel sure it was only recently hatched.

Comma butterfly

6th September - Blustery!!

2011-09-06T12:17:00.000+01:00

Woke up this morning to find the wind really shaking the trees on the village green - and down in the wood the canopy is tossing like a ship under full sail. The squirrels are hanging on for their lives, like sailors up the rigging! There are a few toadstools beginning to come up now, and judging by the nibbles around their edges, the mice and other small creatures (insects, too, I suspect) are missing no opportunities to stock up on calories even this early in the season. Does this mean there will be a hard winter in the offing?

Russula atropurpurea

The purple, dimpled toadstool above is really pretty (though NEVER eat anything you are not sure of!!) but the infamous fly agaric is really beautiful, though also highly poisonous ... it's amazing how nature knows what to avoid. Little mousie here has found a late grain to nibble!

These spiders seem to be getting everywhere!!

September 5th - Sunshine and Showers

2011-09-05T15:01:00.000+01:00

The last couple of days have been a mixture of lovely, sunny interludes and short, sharp showers ... well, that's English weather for you!! Guess what? Having told all my students that the project for my next three day class was going to be a hedgehog, and several people hoping that I would see one ... I did! I think the damp weather has brought out the slugs and snails - plus some juicy worms, as he was rooting about in the leaf mould looking for a snack - and finding a three course meal.

... I can hardly believe it, but I thought I saw a red squirrel! There are some in a local pine forest - or so rumour has it - but it would be amazing to think that they have spread to little Triangle Wood. Still, stranger things have happened. There are otters in the nearby river, so who knows? Here's a sketch,and I'll pop up a finished embroidery soon ...

Planting an acorn!

September 3rd - Bright and Breezy!

2011-09-03T13:19:00.000+01:00

Today, there really is the first feeling of autumn in the air ... or at least there was first thing this morning - a very slight mist, and even a few leaves falling. Now a breeze has popped up and the leaves are rattling in it - they sound dry and papery, almost ready to begin falling in earnest.

Sloes.

There's so much fruit in the wood this year! Maybe because of the warm spring, who knows. These are sloes - the fruit of the blackthorn bush - much used to create sloe gin! They are terribly bitter to the taste but the birds still seem to love them.

The birds are enjoying windfall apples, too! On the village green, blackbirds are trying the fallen apples which are already beginning to ferment! They get a bit tipsy and can't quite fly straight after a while!

I made a few sketches of the leaves and berries - they are always useful to bring back to the drawing board ready to prepare new embroidery designs. This is a honeysuckle in fruit ...

The finished embroidery would look like this:

2nd September - The sun is shining!

2011-09-02T12:41:00.000+01:00

Well if this is going to be autumn, bring it on ... the sun is filtering through the canopy of the wood leaving everything dappled green and gold. There's plenty of activity. The blackberries have attracted more than just MY interest. Long fronds of bramble are pushing upward toward the light and seem to invite small creatures to clamber or flutter amongst them - as if they are trying to do the Indian Rope Trick! Two tiny acrobats are the wood mouse and the long tailed tit!

If you like this picture, by the way, it is available as a bookmark from my website www.helenmstevens.co.uk ...

Other ropes are dangling DOWN, including wonderful swags of ivy... I'll see if I can find some pictures of those for tomorrow!

2011-09-01T15:43:00.000+01:00

There is always plenty going on ... little characters making themselves at home ... in amongst the wild clematis, often called Travellers' Joy, the bumble bees look as though they are hoping to find some pollen - too late, I'm afraid little guys!

It's the first of September, the day on which I always feel autumn begins, so lets start here and follow the events in the Wood over the next year. I don't promise an update every day, but I'll try and keep you really up to date so that you feel as if you are watching it all with me.

Welcome to Triangle Wood

2011-09-01T15:19:00.000+01:00

Triangle Wood is a magical place. In a quiet corner of Suffolk, England, it hides away as it has for hundreds of years. In Triangle Wood time almost stands still... except for the passing of the seasons. Right now it is autumn and the blackberries are ripening. Me? I'm just a visitor ... I'm a textile artist, an embroiderer, and the countryside is my inspiration. So Triangle Wood has a very special place in my heart... I hope you will enjoy joining me as I explore its seasons and stories, through the eye of my needle.