Thursday, August 24, 2006

A COLD MOUNTAIN STREAM, MOSSY BANKS AND BEECH TREES

After the incredibly hot months of June & July, August has been cold and very wet, so, when the sun managed to peek through for a little while on Monday afternoon, John and I enjoyed a lovely walk deep in the valley.

How good it was to be out here, breathing in the fresh clean air and feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. We walked along side this pretty stream, the waters of which tumbled nosily over rocks, it not only looked cold, but felt so too, as I discovered on dipping my hand in.

A recent post on Alice’s blog (A Growing Delight), has made me think about trees more and take note of the beauty of their bark. I was very mindful of this as we walked through this small grove of beech trees, It was interesting to see that many trees had dates and initials carved into their bark, dating back over many years. Yes, I thought, this cool shady place must have been a favourite spot for lovers to meet and sit on the mossy banks alongside the river. I could imagined the pride the girl would have felt to see her boy carve their names for passers by to see, or maybe holiday makers, enjoying their time here, simply wanted to record their visit with name and date with a promise in their hearts to return again one day.

For whatever reason the trees were carved, this truly is a special place and I can well understand that over the years folk have wanted to linger here for a while, just as John and I did yesterday.


DOUBLE CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE









14 comments:

Val said...

Lovely images. They manage to convey the atmosphere of the place beautifully. The last photos reminded me of the Moss Temple garden (Saiho-ji) in Japan - the quality of the light, and the feeling of antiquity somehow.

TJ said...

what a beautiful spot!
:-D

TJ said...

what a beautiful spot!
:-D

Susie said...

How wonderful that you were able to enjoy a walk in such a serene setting. I truly enjoy walking alongside a meandering stream.
Lovely post....
((hugs))

Ramblins of a middle-aged goddess said...

Marion, I have a passion for trees. I have always thought (you can laugh if you want here( but I have always thought that trees have seen so much!! Just think what they old, old trees have seen. Now of course, I know they are not human but I just love to think about what has gone on around them. Here in the South in Ga where the CIVIL WAR took place we have some of the biggest old live OAK trees. I just love to think what they have seen. When I was fortunate enough to go to California and see the Redwoods I was just in AWE!! How wondrous they are!! They are gigantic!! I hope you are feeling good now!! It takes time. My blog is new today too!!

Carole Burant said...

That Alice is going to have us all taking pictures of trees...now I'm even inspecting our trees more closely! lol What beautiful clear pictures and that first one, the tree roots showing look like huge dinosaur toes!! I loved the trees with all the names and initials...imagine the history behind every little carved memento!! Hope you are doing well Marion and recovering nicely? Hugs!

Alice said...

Oh, they are so beautiful and majestic, Marion. It would have been a lovely place to walk on a hot day, too. I love the streams in Britain because they are shallow enough, and the banks low enough, to get a good view.

I had visions of paddling in the River Erme at Ivybridge when we were there in the summer, never realising that it wouldn't ever get warm enough to do that.

I hope you will take photos of those trees in the autumn, Marion, as well as the carpet of leaves underfoot. I guess you probably get a little tired of fallen leaves, whereas we don't have so many so they are still fun to walk and play in, or collect for the compost.

Let's hope there will be many more days yet that you and John can enjoy a walk in some of the beautiful areas of your village, before the winter comes.

Kerri said...

What a delight your pictures are Marion! Such a beautiful place to walk. I can almost hear the water babbling over those rocks!
So happy to see you are out and about and soaking up some sunshine after so much rain. We've had beautiful weather lately too.
Lovely to hear from you and will answer your email soon.
Hugs to you dear Marion.

Sigruns German Garden said...

Hi Marion, this photos remembers me at the last holidays in Wales!

Sigrun

Carol Michel said...

I am a first time visitor to your blog. Love the pictures of the trees. I shall return!

Boxwood Cottage said...

Hi Marion,

I'm glad to read you again! What a beautiful post and a beautiful place with so many memories. John and you should carve your names in as well! I love the moosy benches!

The weather here was and is exactly like you've described it! Let's hope for a few more summer days together before the autumn really sets in!

Pear tree cottage! said...

Marion, what a lovely moment to share with us all I am so pleased and happy to visit again today to see so much nature in your pictures.

We are all truly blessed and at times forget to see just what is beyond the edge of a forest. Your pictures have brought to us those wonderful spots on this earth that the trees (yes them too! lol lol) along with the forest beyond, even the running waters of the creek protect and keep safe for those who will walk this very same path as you have done today long after we have all gone we hope they will discover it all over again.

What a powerful thing nature is.

I am so pleased it has cooled down now and while the grey skies are not much fun the cooller weather must be such a treat for all my dear friends in the north of this world, you have had such a hot summer.

dear friend have a lovely day.

Homemaker's Heart said...

I love your pictures. The one with the river, I can almost hear the water. Thank you for being such a blessing to me.

~Dee

herhimnbryn said...

Beautiful images of ancient 'old men of the woods'. I could almost smell the air and feel the chilly water.
Thankyou for sharing. At the moment in Oz we are having much needed rain and everything is green with splashes of yellow Wattle.
I was in the UK in May and rejoiced in the Bluebell woods. Your post has made me a little homesick.....but pleasantly so!