It was a beautiful spring day
the woodland was looking wonderful.
the woodland was looking wonderful.
I searched for the small patch of violets,
and the wild garlic which we planted last autumn.
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| borrowed image (? The Guardian) |
I found four patches of the ramsoms, all spreading very satisfactorily.
I also found a large new clump of violets quite some distance away from the original ones.
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| borrowed image |
I was thrilled.
It quickly became apparent that things
It quickly became apparent that things
which I find exciting about the little woodland
are not the same things which make George tick.
And, although our grandchildren have fun in the woods,
love playing there,
love playing there,
their parents scarcely ever walk round.
Memories of Owl Wood will be happy
but vague,
things will be forgotten.
but vague,
things will be forgotten.
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| We all remember things differently...! |
So I decided to make a map
and a journal.
and a journal.
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| Owl Wood Journal Cover |
like the year these three beauties were hatched
in our owl box.
Tawny Owls, all three survived and fledged.
We are waiting for the 'Owl Men' to come and check the owl box.
One of these years we may be lucky again.
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It was such a privilege to watch them grow and stretch their wings.
I would also like the grandchildren to remember some of the small things.
The fairy doors in the wood,
the trees which have 'eyes'
the stumps we jump on
and off,
the sleepy tree, which defies gravity,
the red squirrel which came to visit a few times,
the young deer which was reunited with her mother in the Owl Wood,
the pheasants which come and scrounge the hen food
while the hens prefer to raid the compost heap and scratch around.
Little things.
The apple trees which we harvest from the barley field,
the plum trees which get harvested by something else
as well as the fun
of Easter Egg hunts
and the numerous times we have searched the wood for dragons..
and bears.
Magical times.
Thank you to everyone who has commented recently.
Our internet connection is terrible right now,
if this post makes it to Blogger it will be something of a minor miracle.
I have been unable to even see it in preview.
x
A wonderful gift. I do hope Albert and old John live just on the edge of Owl Wood and can peek over.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful idea!
ReplyDeleteJane x
PS Perhaps you'll find bears this year....I've told them Harry would be thrilled.
Joanne, If you imagine that the right-hand border is a long,narrow garden, then Arnold's paddock is just off the edge of the paper. I can never sneak a walk around the wood without Arnold standing and staring - the result being that I have to pop across to see him, with edible gifts.
ReplyDeleteJane, There are two very large bear statues at the watermill. On special days some magic happens for they make their way along the road to our little woodland. Fortunately, this only happens on the days when Harry is at a loose end. ;)
What a wonderful thing to do - it is beautiful and full of magic - a bit like the Owl Wood itself I imagine. x
ReplyDeleteI love your map; so much more interesting than photos. I didn't know you could buy 'wild garlic' seeds, I wonder if they'd grow here?
ReplyDeleteElaine, the map is exactly the sort you expect to find X marks the spot. The treasure though is Mother Nature's bounty. Please tell us more of Owl Wood and your family association. I would wager a pot of gold there's lots to tell.
ReplyDeleteLLX
such a lovely idea, i'd love to see the map close-up.... so glad your wild garlic is coming up!
ReplyDeleteScarlet, It is amazing what a little fairy-dust can achieve. I reckon you sprinkle that same fairy dust on your wonderful creations.
ReplyDeleteCro, We used wild garlic bulbs, although I do believe that it can be grown from seed too. It was partly your blog post about the map you drew which made me put pencil to paper, so 'Thank you'.
LL, Somewhere or other, there lurks a pirate's treasure map which George drew for Harry, that one has plenty of 'x' marks the spot! Nothing exciting about us, I can assure you.
Dom, I plan on doing a blog post about the wild garlic and how you pointed us in the right direction. It really seems to have taken off and is thriving, we hope to add to it this year. Thank you for pointing us in the right direction.x
What you have created is a treasure! Better than Pooh Corner.
ReplyDelete