Today’s Pictures: 26 Oct 20

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography

The morning looked dull with skies full of potential rain, so we waited until after lunch for today’s walk. As it happened, the morning rain was sparse and short lived. But our afternoon saunter found us in a world full of contrasts in both light and shade and colour. Parts of the woodland have turned but other parts are still very green.

I was feeling a little short on energy, so we took a relatively easy route initially. But we always like to challenge ourselves and decided to ascend one of the shorter valleys. From the slope up there, we could look back on the facing slope of another valley at right angles to the one we climbed. The variety of trees there illustrated the many different colours now on show in the forest.

We finished the climb and then took some of the wider trails, including a forest road that rises and falls in slow, gentle undulations. Our favourite track back down we deemed too slippery with last night’s copious rain to risk, so we took a more roundabout trail to descend, taking us past a semipermanent large puddle that often serves as a breeding place for newts in the spring. It was full, but devoid of new life at this time of the year, of course.

We passed that and descended a steep track where we had once met a family of wild boar. They had stood on the crest of the rise, looking down at us, while we stood at the foot of the track looking up at them. Today, we saw plenty of evidence of their work, digging for acorns, hazelnuts, beech mast and sweet chestnuts along the sides of many tracks and in the adjacent woodland floor, but none of the beasts themselves.

Our final stage took us along the dark vale where the boar have a favourite wallowing place. Recent rain has left that track very boggy now, but our boots coped well with the mud. And we ended the walk along the flatter, wider path that follows the line of the old railway line. A good walk, covering 3 miles, with total climbs of 130 feet. Hope you enjoy the pictures I took along this walk today.

If you’re visiting this blog, please be generous to those who can’t escape their own four walls at present, and share this post widely with them on social media, so they can enjoy it. It will also reach more people and hopefully remind them what a wonderful place this world is. Perhaps that might help restore some love and respect for nature and slow down our destructive urge to ruin the environment. Thank you.

17 thoughts on “Today’s Pictures: 26 Oct 20”

    1. Thanks, Sobia. I also love the changeable weather of autumn; each day here in the forest is diffferent. Mind you, rain may be good for the plants, but it often doesn’t help the photography!

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      1. I am a rain lover and always struggle to stay dry whenever it rains. So, I hope you get a huge umbrella or something and take some lovely rainy clicks as well. 😉💕

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        1. Unfortunately, Sobia, umbrellas don’t mix well with forests, the overhanging branches tend to tangle with them! So it’s a hooded waterproof and good boots. I’ve taken a few shots in the rain, but need to keep that camera dry!

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          1. True that Stuart. I forgot about the troubles of the forest while living in coastal plains. Your pictures remind me of the time I lived in Virginia. Beautiful place. Well, you stay safe and keep up the great work. 👍🏻

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            1. You’ll no doubt be missing the stunning autumn colours of Virginia, Sobia. Here in the UK, ours tend to be a little less spectacular, but nonetheless beautiful for that. You keep safe and stay well.

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  2. Pingback: Today’s Pictures: 26 Oct 20 | In the Net! – Stories of Life and Narcissistic Survival

    1. Thanks, Lynette. The trees are on a slope that’s effectively inaccessible, but my guess is they are Sitka Spruce, a tree that’s grown in many upland Forestry Commission woods for its timber. The blue effect stems from the light; the sun is behind the hill, so the trees are illuminated only by skylight, which tends to give a blue tint.

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        1. I’ve not seen that tree before, Lynette. My guess is it would be considered a decorative garden variety here. But I can see why you would think those spruces in the top picture might be the same. As you know, photography is painting with light, and one of its fascinations for me is the way natural light can change a scene so much from hour to hour.

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          1. They are very hardy trees and grow to lofty heights of around 35 metres. One of the yards I used to own had a gigantic one.
            Yes, photography is all about the light. I like how you describe it as “painting.”

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