13th August, and already it feels more like September. I am certain that the year, in the rush to escape the last grasping clutches of the summer's heatwave, has over run and got a whole month ahead of where it should be. Not that I'm complaining however; this is my favourite time of the year, …
Continue reading "Local Patch: jumpers at dawn, fairy street-lamps by the ditch."
August 1st. I walked to work today, taking a route across the common to avoid the busy main roads. I felt the need to spend some time in nature, as thought it were trying to catch my attention over something important I had near forgotten. As my steps dropped into a rhythm of root rock …
May was a frantic month; the peak of the busy season at work and at the allotment. June will be no different by the looks of my diary. I decided to take a walk in some local woods, to calm my soul ahead of another wave of commitments. It is amazing to see, thanks …
If March is the month of winds and the last snows, April is certainly the month of showers. So far this year, in my little corner of Sussex at least, it has been a cold, wet spring. Following the thaw that swelled the ditches with melt water and liquified within the ground to create sodden …
It has felt like we have been poised on the cusp of the seasonal change for weeks. The cold weather we associate with winter lingered long into the 3rd calendar month of the year, and according to the weather forecast, hasn't yet been completely banished to the mysterious artic north. But snow isn't just a …
I have taken to walking often on the heathland. I leave work for an hour at lunchtime, follow the path through the wood and cross the busy main road. As soon as the gate clunks shut softly behind me, I am in a different world. For a short time I can put all thoughts of …
Continue reading "Patch Watch: February 15th, Bumblebee and Bullfinches"
After a relatively dry 2017, the first month of the new year seems to be excited to have discovered rain, and has been enthusiastically demonstrating this day after day. Few bright days have punctuated the curtains of rain, but when they have, they have been glistening gems. We may complain about the wet weather, but …
Continue reading "Patch Watch: What a Lot of Wellie-Weather!"
A bright sunny morning, and a quiet day to myself. Time to pour a refreshing drink of sparkling water infused with healthy fruit and herbs, shake off that post christmas fuzziness and settle down with pen and paper to plan the coming year. I am getting ahead of the game and drafting out some January …
I have fallen behind somewhat with this seasonal diary, drifting off in a similar fashion to the way autumn is sinking into the soil under the weight of winters approach. After the first flush of inspiration that came on the winds that turned the leaves to crisp flowerings of golden hues, I have been feeling …
Continue reading "SFN Journal – Autumn Almanac: Windblown and Washed Out"
I find it interesting to note that to the untrained eye the word solace although derived from Latin, sōlātium - comfort (or sōlārī to console), appears to contain the same root as the term for sun or solar (from Latin sōlāris, from sōl the sun). Perhaps it is just the perspective of my current experience of longing for brighter days that makes me connect the letters 'sola' …
