Tuesday 16 November 2010

More Autumn Leaves and Lanes

The first Sunday in November was a dry, bright day after nights of gales that had stripped the trees almost bare. Above are the beech trees in the header to my blog, but this time they frame a pathway into the woods of an autumn afternoon.

Through a gap in the hedge, the sloping paddocks of a Commoner`s farm shone lush and green.


Young beeches grew straight and close together, while the old parent trees stood in their own spaces and rose taller, reaching towards the light.



Even when branches were bare, new buds shone against the sky, waiting for winter to pass.


Deep in the shelter of this wooded valley, some held their leaves a while longer.




Out along the streamside path, bog myrtle glowed a coppery bronze against the duller browns of heather and the damp, rusty bracken on the heath.


Holly by the bridge.....


...and a trickling fall of peat stained water dripped and splashed into a draining stream.


The path not travelled. This was far enough for Old Dog and his arthritic legs, so we turned back here and climbed up the hill towards home.


Light was falling over the heath....


....but the sun came out, enough to catch silver birch bark where woodpeckers drill to feed on a crumbling tree stump.........


.....and enough to light patches of gold on the beech leaf carpet crunching beneath our feet.


6 comments:

Bovey Belle said...

What a lovely walk (as always). I especially appreciated the Bog Myrtle - I can smell it even now.

The Weaver of Grass said...

A lovely walk again - isn;t it funny how the leaves lingered for so long and then - wham - one gale and they are all gone. It is the same here in North Yorkshire.

Karen said...

I'm absolutely fascinated with the fact that your woods seem to have very little undergrowth unlike here in North Carolina. Every time I set out to walk the path around the lake near me, I feel like I need a machete.

Morning's Minion said...

Much as we long for the green leaves of spring, aren't the bare "bones" of the trees in autumn so lovely?
We've had wind and rain here all day and continuing after dark. I think when it clears our landscape will be rather changed.
I especially like your photo of the beech leaves underfoot.

WOL said...

We had quite a blow Wednesday, gusts up to 40 mph (64 kph)and even had a bit of a wind chill factor going. Unfortunately, I had to get out in it. Tis the season for blustery weather, evidently! I like the first photo with the road into the dark and mysterious wood. . .

ChrisJ said...

Your posts and photos are wonderful. What a beautiful place you live in.