The last few months have been characterized by gray. Gray clouds, gray streets, gray rain…but in amongst that there grows a steady mass of green. The moss on the trees has bloomed to almost an inch deep in places. There are up to six different kinds of moss and fungus on one tree. The grass is lush and verdant. Rhododendrons and Magnolia are already in bloom. All about there buzzes the promise of life.
I went out in search of green today. I took the camera and the time to stop and look and take in the life around me. I contrasted shades, angles and textures. I looked for order in chaos. Framed shots with the lens of my camera, making neat little boxes out of the vast and intricate world before me. As I went about this collection, my thoughts too began to order.
If you saw a lone female, early one Sunday morning, crouched, staring intently ay a patch of mould on a roadside tree, and wondered if she was OK, worry not. She was just fine.
We've been on a few good hikes recently (here walking is something you do from the car to the front door). We visited Tiger Mountain and Mt. Si. In the process, we discovered that one can drive for an hour, hike for an hour up a mountain (literally, out of the car, 1 hour vertical climb, 35 minutes descend) and hike back down and be home for tea. There are only 2 mountains in the UK. That's pretty cool.
When you're used to walking on the Mendips, the idea of poles, crampons and survival gear are furthest from your mind. Tony and I always feel woefully underdressed in our rolled up trousers and wooly socks as we pass the locals decked out in most of REI'S outdoor department...then we reach the top of Mt Si and see a plaque dedicated to a young man who fell to his death there. A man who had summited Mt St Helens 60 times died on the top just recently, after warning others in the group. While the trails may be easy and well-maintained, we have to learn that you can never second-guess nature.
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