MY WORLD ~ Winter in the Wild Wood

A few days ago I went to our little Wild Wood which is left to it's

own devices, in other words, given back to God.

It had a carpet of last season's leaves and vibrant green coming

through after our autumn and winter rains, as well as bright

sulphurous lichens.

Here you see the yellow on the dead wood and a great deal

of storm damage. My excuse for a wonder in the wood was a

search for the daytime roost of a new owl I had been listening

to night after night. I had no luck as far as the owl was concerned,

it is probably hiding somewhere in the boundary pine trees or

even further afield.

Looking back along the sheep-track, the winter creek-bed

is choked with fallen trees.

I have not seen it this bad in many, many years, even the big

poplars are snapped and uprooted.

This massive nut-pine was uprooted some years ago. It is

much bigger than it appears, the diameter is at least 5' and

that rootball is at least 10' high.

past the nut-pine and along the dam (getting my feet wet

in my leaking Wellingtons). Just beyond our dam, the wood

ducks that had taken flight at my approach, were regrouping

and thinking of flying over the fence to the neighbours dam

and this is looking back across our dam towards the wild wood.

Even with the devastation, it was a nice walk, freedom, fresh air and

delicious solitude.

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World Bird Wednesday & Nature Notes - White-Plumed Honeyeater

Nothing spectacular today, just a White-Plumed Honeyeater,

Lichenostomus penicillatus, that spends its summers on our

farm darting around at high speed.

photographed in our wild wood across the creek with shadows

everywhere.

For a better view it can be enlarged.

Thanks to World Birds Wednesday for providing this venue to show our birds,

and to Rambling Woods for Nature notes. Both can be accesses by clicking on

the respective Logos.

Wildwood Dreaming ~ Nature Notes

This post is for Ces, my little sister-friend who
inspires me to experience once again the child-like
pleasure of seeing the world a new every day as
though it had just been created for my delectation.



The wild wood is my refuge
there I can dream of spring...

the poplars waking early
telling tales in silky voices on the wind



wild quinces bank along the creek, pale green
their blushing buds displaying



while the humble plum, industrious as ever,
is weighted down with half ripe fruit.



Dogroses on the eastern side are tardy in their flowering
while in the west their sisters smile in foolsome bloom.



The hawthorns have tight button-buds,
just one, a little bolder,
has opened up her sleepy eyes
to greet the warmth of longer days.



Dragonflies or damselflies, whatever they may be,
hover over water

thick with frogspawn as a morning frost
with promises of concerts yet to come.

The watchful unicorn , her pride by day concealing,
yet holds the golden key to all our silent dreaming.

Thank you Ces for the love and friendship you so

generously share and the immense inspiration that you are.

MY WORLD ~ 31 In the Wild Wood

The fog having settled in my brain, my feet led to the
Wild Wood, the children's secret world where goblins
roam and faeries frolic in the dell. Where the owl hoots
at mid-night and the blackbird calls at dawn, where
diamonds sparkle in the grass and Unicorns are known
to pass and children are both safe and free to roam and
wander as they will.



Just go down hill and leave gates as found till you
come to the creek with trees all around. The willowy
breeze is different there, the leaf litter thick and dank,
you feel there is magic in the very air with wing beats



around you everywhere. The old tree clothed in green
moss where he lies where others more recently lay down
by his side. A carpet of shamrocks covers the ground and
stealthy rustlings follow you around.



Look up and gold still bedecks the trees with blue
peeping through to gladden the eyes.



A giant of the forest lies across the creek, a highway
to the little folk whose dwellings lie the bank beneath.



King's ransom gold hangs on the trees to dry
as children through the ages pass near by

A witche's house? a castle? a tidy up of sorts of drought

dead trees that block the way but not a thing that is the

wood's is ever taken out ... wood gently turning back to earth

to bring forth more of its own kind.

The Wood is left to nature's way to do with as she wills,

wild quinces line the creek bed, a clump of age old pears,

surviving many fires, still dressed in snowy white in spring
vies with the row of hawthorns to the bees' unending joy.

The tangled wood tells tales of old....

The creek here widens with some stepping stones

glinting silver in the sun's warm light. Frogs hide in the

watercress and turtles wander here and there, small barefoot

children squat beside the pool, watch water bugs and lambs
who come to drink, make nests of plaited grass or when the
the creek is dry, build cantering horses in the creek's soft bed

of sand.

Their happiness still sings within this quiet place.

The magic steals along the bank, turns silver poplars

into precious gold

to float in pools of blue...

with faery diamonds sparkling in the grass as to the
molten silver pool I pass.

The laughter of the children follows me uplifting spirits
so once more I see.

To explore the world, click on the Logo at right.

To Klaus and The Team, thank you for clearing my

head with this meme.

The Unicorn

Painting by Anna-Louisa Flint aged about 5 at the time.

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By moonlit night

she wakes and wanders

the wild wood path adorning

so seldom glimpsed by human kind

shimmering through the dappled light

she wends her way along the creek

her eyes with stars aglimmer

reflections from a sighing pool

only the open mind can see.

*

A small girl hurries dreamily

a summer garland in her hand

knowing there is a unicorn

in noon-day's heat she's singing

and lo the singing draws her nigh

to answer childish dreaming

their wishes realized

the garland round her neck lies gleaming

*

Believe the tales that children tell

the truths we have forgotten

drink deeply from the unspoilt well

and drift into the world once lost

to marvel at it's splendour.

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