Reflections

This was taken at the end of May, when we were near Doncaster, South Yorkshire... it's part of the community woodland that was Brodsworth Colliery (closed in 1990). We stayed nearby 4 years ago for a while & this time it was a re-connection.

 Looks really peaceful doesn't it? It is. However, just behind those trees is the motorway & traffic noise is constant.  I walked a path with only a few hawthorns between me & the road & wondered what the trees thought of the noise... the answer seemed to come straight back "what noise, we don't hear it".

I found as I wandered round, that it did cease to exist as i enjoyed the landscape around me... But for the trees, it isn't a case of shutting it out or getting used to it... i really don't think they are aware of it at all... it's beyond their frequency range. They're operating at a much higher level, and perhaps for me the sound disappeared as i walked in a state of semi-meditation.

See those steps by the weir on the left? I sat there one early morning chanting 'Awen' over & over... starting off slowly... consciously... breathing inspiration out to the water & trees, breathing it in from them... but after a while the chant took on a life of it's own and speeded up... became undulating... it had the resonance of another language and I was transported to another place, another time. It was cold & snowy, I was wearing furs, moving between tent like structures covered with skins... like the reflections on the lake it was slightly hazy, real & unreal at the same time...

Same picture, rotated... how many different images do you see from this angle? Patterns, portals, creatures, faces... they were all there before, but changing perspective... like changing consciousness brings unseen things into view. They're all part of our landscape, whether in front of our eyes or in our minds... or elsewhere... How close we look & how deep we go is up to us... by changing the way we look, shifting focus, we can go beyond the surface reflections...

And there further along the bank... a heart... reminding me to follow my heart and look deeper. A heart that is completed by taking notice of what is above & below... our world & otherworlds... real and unreal...

Hawthorne... the white & the red

Well, we have wandered down to South Yorkshire with our caravan as Steve is working near Doncaster.  Just outside our window are some gorgeous red hawthorn trees.

I've only ever seen the odd one here & there before, but this is a row of fairly young trees. The hawthorn is related to the rose, and these flowers do look like clusters of mini roses.

Gorgeous aren't they? Quite different from the wild hawthorn that I have usually seen, and i think these are much more 'rose-like' than the red flowers i have seen before.

Across the world there are many varieties but in the UK there is mainly the 'Common Hawthorn' & the 'Midland Hawthorn'.

 I have noticed some variations of the white flowers & leaves in some places... especially in hedges or areas that have been re-planted. It is the Midland Hawthorn that has the variety of colours, but they will cross-fertilize & many hybrids occur.

The leaves of the Midland are glossier & not so deeply indented as those of the Common Hawthorn. This is the main difference stated in many online resources, but i have also read that the Midland has a double head to the stamen, whilst the Common has a single one. (Any input gratefully received!)

Firsts...

First green leaves on the Hawthorn... 

in the first light of the morning sun...

(and hopefully the last of the frosts!)

And for the first time, I'm hosting the May edition of The Festival Of The Trees & I'd love to include something posted by YOU, dear friends! You may have seen the link before as I've often included it in my posts, but if you haven't followed it before, I'll tell you that it leads to a monthly collection of posts about... da-daaa... TREES (as if you hadn't guessed!)

14th march 

So... I'd love it if you posted something during the month of April that shows how trees whisper to your soul... or your heart or your mind...  I love the factual as well as the spiritual & less tangible...

Go on... share how trees inspire you... whether it be artistic or poetic, photographic or scientific... or  something we might not know.... whether it's about how they grow or heal the sick.... taken from ancient lore or something quite futuristic....share something about trees that makes you tick!

Then just email <suziscribbles [at] yahoo.co.uk> by the end of April with a link to your post.... and if you stumble across something that you think might be good to include, i'd appreciate it if you let me know.

Hawthorne in Full Bloom

8th may

16th may

23rd may

for Wordless Wednesday

Hawthorne

I've been out looking for May Blossom, or Hawthorn flowers this weekend... unfortunately none made it out for May Day in my neck of the woods... but I found this goddess tree...

8th april

The new hawthorne buds are also known as 'bread and cheese' in some areas... have you ever tried them? You can eat the buds straight from the tree... quite tasty!

 20th april

The leaves and buds have developed quickly throughout April, rapidly filling the hedges with green....

24th April

The flowers have certainly been racing to appear, and the boughs are so full, they will be spectacular...

28th april

But although there are glimpses of white beginning to show in the odd bud, the blossom is yet to unfurl... 

1st may

This is what we have to look forward to though, and it won't be long....  The Queen of May!