Tree fall?

Posted on March 18, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged beavers, dams, Fallen trees, felled, lodges, Nature, Rain, Storms, Trees, Weather, WindLeave a comment

Trees leaning over a lake. Perhaps they will fall if the ground becomes too wet or the wind blows too strongly. With global warming making the weather worse you can see how damage can increase.

Some efforts are being made to reduce the damage. In a few places there has been a reintroduction of beavers to lakes and rivers. It seems strange that an animal that actually fells trees could reduce flooding. But by building lodges (dams woven from tree branches that they live in) beavers slow the flow of water in rivers. The water pools behind them and so less water is released downstream. This can reduce the speed of water rising and so stop flooding.

So in some ways it’s good that the trees have been felled. But I guess the reintroduction has to be in a controlled way.

Geese

Posted on March 10, 2022March 10, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bird, Environment, Geese, Lake, Nature, Poem, Poetry, Water, Westport lake, Wind, wingLeave a comment

Two lone geese

Sitting in a lake

Cold wet feet

But they look sweet.

Ripples in the water

Dancing on the lake

Geese are very calm

Not leaving a wake.

Twigs and branches fall

Whipped by the wind.

Soon the geese may fly

Then see them on the wing.

Willows

Posted on March 6, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cold, Dog, fronds, Imagined, muzzle, Nature, Short story, Walking, Willow, willows, Wind2 Comments

A short story…

A cold wind blew across the lake, finding gaps in my coat and blowing my hair around. The branches and fronds of the willow trees streamed like ribbons on a kite, lifting and waving. The ducks ruffled up their feathers against the cold. We had walked out of sunshine into shade and the temperature had dropped noticeably.

The man and his dog walked towards us. It was muzzled with a band of leather round it’s mouth, but it still pulled the man along. It was a big dog. A hound of some sort. It was difficult to see in the gloom. As we came level with them the dog jumped up. It’s paws landing on my shoulders. I was knocked over by its weight. I sat down hard in a puddle. The weight of the dog pushing against me.

The man looked alarmed. Shocked. He tugged the dog away. All he said was ‘sorry’ and walked off! I sat there freezing and wet….. What a day!

Duck dive

Posted on March 6, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged bottom feeder, drake, Duck, duck diving, Environment, Lake, mallard, Nature, Photo, Sparkling, SunshineLeave a comment

Duck and drake Mallards. The male duck was doing some duck diving. The lake was so beautiful and the reflection was sparkling. The duck dived and I grabbed a shot of it. Ripples circled it. The water almost looks like quicksilver. Worth going for a walk to catch this. X

Walnut tree

Posted on February 14, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged England, Environment, Growth, Nature, Plymouth, Squirrel, Stoke-on trent, Tree, twenty five years, WalnutLeave a comment

We bought this tree about 25 years ago as a sapling from Plymouth and planted it in our garden. It is now as tall as our house but as the garden slopes you could probably add another five or six foot to its growth. Since it was quite young it has produced walnuts which the local squirrels collect and store over winter. That has resulted in some unwanted saplings which we have dug up and given away. Walnuts don’t do well if their branches are cut. The sap tends to flow freely and can cause the tree to bleed sap. This can also allow infections which can damage the trees. Walnut wood is apparently very good for carpentry, but I intend to leave well alone. If it can get that big in twenty five years how big will it get in fifty…

Beat

Posted on February 8, 2022February 8, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, beat, Bird, Drawing, Felt pens, Fine line pen, Life, Nature, Sketching, Wings3 Comments

I finally decided to draw something different to a whisk which was what other artists in the group had done. I’ve drew a bird beating its wings to take off in the garden. This is for Sundays #bandofsketchers prompt Beat.

Birds?

Posted on December 4, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Birds, curled paper, Cut paper, Life, Nature, Paper, resemblance, snowflakeLeave a comment

Off cuts of paper fly across a desk. The curl of paper behind is meant to show the wind swirling. The pieces were cut from a large paper snowflake I made to show a friends child how to cut shapes out. But to be honest I prefer these birdy shapes. Once I had curved their ‘wings’ out they took on even more of a resemblance of birds.

Overgrown

Posted on December 2, 2021December 2, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Digital drawing, finger drawing, Garden, hedges, inheritance, Life, Nature, Old House, Short story, Very short story, WildlifeLeave a comment

A thicket, overgrown, a hedge tall and wide hiding the house behind it. Who lives there? No sign of movement. The gate locked shut. Curtains and boards up at the windows. Abandoned? Hidden, a haven for birds and wildlife. The smell and calls of foxes. But a house in need of care.

He looked through the hedge and wondered. Where had his family gone? Inheritance had finally happened and he was the only person found. He would start by cutting back the trees and hedges, but gently. He wanted to keep the wildness, but with some flowers and vegetables. It would take time.

He looked for a long time. Yes he could do it. Nature and garden would be in harmony. Life would be preserved and given its chance.

It’s a little world

Posted on November 15, 2021 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Nature, North America, Painting, sea and land, Storm, view from spaceLeave a comment

A small painting I did in acrylics a few years ago. It features North America and was an attempt at painting clouds. Its not as accurate as I would have liked but then I needed to possibly use smaller brushes. The cloud patterns stretch across the width of the continent and show the direction of the winds as they curl and blow and bend in them. I always think its interesting how clouds tend to cling to the coastlines, except where s major storm appears to be in the gulf of Mexico. Also the lack of cloud cover over California. I’m not sure I’ve got the colours right. I tried.

Woodpecker

Posted on October 1, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bird, Environment, Fun, Garden, Life, Morning, Nature, Trees, Willow, WoodpeckerLeave a comment

This morning I saw a woodpecker in our garden. I’d never seen one in real life and I’m not sure what type it was but it was climbing up our willow tree, pecking at the bark. Looking for insects? I hope it comes back tomorrow. If it does I will try and get a photo then try and identify it. We do have lots of trees in the garden even though we are in the centre of a city. I guess we are trying to do our bit for the environment.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Nature