Yesterday I went to the tide pool. It was windy and I wobbled as I walked out to the first ladder. Great swathes of seaweed had spread since I’d last been and they were spread-eagled beneath the surface, black through milky grey. I climbed down the ladder into chest clenching cold, swam across with theContinue reading “02/04/23 – Mermaid’s purses and egg sacs on the shore”
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11/03/23 – Seals and roosting rooks in Norfolk
I walked down the slope towards the waves and their heads popped out; sleek dark bodies, everywhere. Big dark eyes, backs curving out of a cresting wave. I was told there’d be seals here, but I never thought they’d be so instant, so obvious. I walked beside the water, waves white and loud, rushing intoContinue reading “11/03/23 – Seals and roosting rooks in Norfolk”
03/03/23 – Turkey tail mushrooms and budded daffodils
I went for a lunchtime walk by the river. At first I noticed only cyclists and joggers, bits of rubbish among the leaf litter. Then I watched a dog charge into the water. Chasing a gull, it launched itself, paws paddling furiously, a triangle of wake lanes rippling behind it. The bird planed low overContinue reading “03/03/23 – Turkey tail mushrooms and budded daffodils”
12/02/23 – Low tide at West Wittering
At the weekend I went to West Wittering for the first time and it was packed. I’d hoped a grey February Sunday wouldn’t be too busy, but there were huge groups of people all over the wide expanse of sand. I turned right, towards East Head, which I hoped would be quieter. The tide wasContinue reading “12/02/23 – Low tide at West Wittering”
06/02/23 – Cleared undergrowth and snowdrops
Yesterday I found that the undergrowth in the wood has been cleared. The narrow path I usually squeeze down is wide now, the bracken and brambles gone, with only a few brown stalks left to show what was once there, what has been there for years. The trees still made a tunnel overhead, and IContinue reading “06/02/23 – Cleared undergrowth and snowdrops”
21/01/23 – Frozen sunset in the woods
On the way to the woods I spotted the furry buds of a magnolia. The end of one branch had snapped, leaving a silky prong on the pavement. I picked it up and carried it with me. The birds were loud as I went through the gate and up the mulchy path. I don’t knowContinue reading “21/01/23 – Frozen sunset in the woods”
11/01/23 – A falling down fort and an early moon
Yesterday I went to the end of the road and down the back lane to where a small track runs off into the undergrowth. The path was sticky after so much rain, but solid still, bouncy underfoot. I walked along the back of the houses until I came to the woods, then turned down theContinue reading “11/01/23 – A falling down fort and an early moon”
11/12/22 – Frozen birdbath bubbles
This morning I took a hammer to the bird bath. I started with a wooden spoon to break the ice and let a robin drink, but the ice wasn’t a crackable layer as it had been before; it was solid, bubbles suspended below the frozen surface. I used a hammer to break up the iceContinue reading “11/12/22 – Frozen birdbath bubbles”
4/12/22 – Ghost leaves
Back at home and there are ghost leaves in the garden. The green flesh has yellowed and fallen away, leaving the intricate web systems exposed. Their skeletons are more beautiful than when they were fully fleshed. The Japanese maple in the corner is rustling with a fiery orange red, and the grass is tall, halfContinue reading “4/12/22 – Ghost leaves”
Mawddach Residency – DAY 12
Today we swam from the steps, walked down into slapping water, opaque and almost milky. Somehow the cold clutched tighter with the sudden descent, but the waves were low, and we swam out to Jeff, buoy number two. Emily had to be forsaken for the day. When we got back everything disappeared in grey. LowContinue reading “Mawddach Residency – DAY 12”
Bonnie Radcliffe 