Saturday, June 25, 2011

A thank you for a bitter sweet gift.

                A couple of friends, Helen & Lee unexpectedly came by today to drop off a belated gift for our wedding anniversary. It was hand made be Lee and was a surprise totally out of the blue. But why bitter sweet I hear ye ask? (yes I am telepathic, so be very careful what you think when reading me blog..). Well firstly let me show you the gift;-



           Yep that's right, a hand painted picture of our beloved Lucy. Even though myself and Clare have never truly got over losing her at the end of last year the six months since her passing had dimmed the sense of lose which only would creep up on us when something simple would spark a memory of her. So yes it was a bitter gift in a way, bringing tears to both our eyes. 


         But the sweetness and thoughtfulness of this gift far out weighed any other feelings. To receive such a present was absolutely breath taking for the both of us. It is a rare occasion when I am lost for words, and an even rarer event for it to happen to Clare ;o), but this gift did just that. So a heartfelt thank you to Helen and Lee for perhaps one of the nicest and most thoughtful gifts that we have ever received.


         For interest Lee stole the picture from my blog here, and I think you'll agree that it's an exceptional conversion from blog picture to canvas.


Till the next time, take care all,


John

Thursday, June 23, 2011

A rare event....and a betrayal...

The rarity;-

An extremely rare photograph of the Warthog standing still in the woods on yesterday’s ‘before the Grind’s nightshift’ walk to clear my mind and plan for my upcoming weekend off from that hell hole of work and time with my beloved Clare (I sense more chores a coming!);-



Of course it took less than milliseconds for her to stop posing and resume her usual antics;-


 
The betrayal;-

Whilst on the walk the small lake that I may well have mentioned upon occasion hove into view. 



A plan formed within the usually empty void between my lugholes. A cunning plan which unfortunately involves returning here minus one cavorting hound! I have an all to rare window of opportunity of free time this coming Monday so I’m planning to visit this wildlife haven upon my lonesome to sit awhile and let nature wash over me, which might be a bit literal if I get another cloud burst like today!

Problem being that the place has signs upon it forbidding entry and it’s in a livestock field, hence no Warthog. Should the signs worry me? Not really for if rumbled I should be able to blather my way out of a predicament which would certainly not be the case if I had a ‘pot dog’ alongside of me. I guess you could say that I’m being a tad hypocritical here as I’m willing to ignore the fact that I’ll be trespassing on Monday whilst if I caught anyone on my humble property devoid of permission all hell would break loose. But I’m not going to be after game with a gun, only with a camera (if I’m very bloody lucky!) and it’s not as if I’m going to cause damage or disturbance to the flora and fauna her, just going to immerse myself for a couple of hours in whatever nature may have to offer me. And anyway to be honest nobody owns land, we are just looking after it for a while…

Till the next time take good care everyone,


John

Sunday, June 19, 2011

The primitive in me...

            You know sometimes people ask me why I walk; usually it’s folk that I work with, friends or general acquaintances. These folk seem to have one thing in common and that is they have appeared to  have lost their connection with Mother Nature.  Now don’t mis-understand me here I’m one of the least qualified to lecture folk about how to lead their lives and lets not be forgetting it has taken me years of trying to live in, and be successful at the ‘rat race’ before realising that it is truly in unimportant and there are far more rewarding things to be done with my life.

            I have to admit that these days I do not think all that often about the reasons why I walk or just enjoy being outdoors because I guess it’s becoming second nature to me. But sometimes when I’m on the trial certain thoughts come to me, usually triggered by something seen, smelt or heard in the deepest part of the woods when all feelings of being part of the most destructive species this world has known fade from my senses. 


           It can the simplest of things that trigger the warm glow of belonging to nature that fill with a sense of utter contentment and inner warmth, rather like a dung beetle being first on the scene of a mound of fresh cow shit I guess. Take the other day, I’m dawdling along some scarce walked trail through the woods, the Warthog now doing her customary blasting through the surrounding cover (anywhere but the path it seems), when a though hit me. I guess it was brought on by a visit to my dad’s and realising once more that my parents are not immortal, so I had headed to the trails in a slightly sombre mood. But one thing I then thought, as I meandered deeper into the undergrowth, everything has a time limit no matter how hard we wish it wasn't so sometimes. But then as my vision was caressed by the freshness of the rain soaked fauna in the dappled sunlight I thought ‘yes everything does eventually pass, but then from this rebirth happens’. You only have to sit a look around you when in the woods to see long dead trees, whether brought down by man or by nature’s storms but over time these are absorbed back into the cycle and give life back from their death.





It made me smile inwardly at my earlier sombre mood and think to myself ‘take the day for what it is’. Sadness will indeed touch me with the passing of time but it won’t stop me smiling at the joys, messages and tales a walk with nature brings me. I now realise why I walk, it’s the primitive deep within me; fill my belly with simple food n ale, let me sleep when I’m truly knackered, let me feel the love of family n friends, let me hold and be held by my Clare and let me taste, see n feel all that nature throws my way and I’m a happy man. Primitive n simple? Oh damn right but there is no harm, I feel, in asking for the simplest of things from life;- it’ll do for me that’s for sure.


I guess this post has been a tad meandering but hey, it is what it is and if you like it then all the better, and if you don’t? Well there is always the cancel button but I’m not going to worry about it one way or the other ;o)

Till the next time, take good care my friends,

John

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Time out... for a change....

            To be perfectly honest I was not going to write anything today, what with ‘the grind’ looming tonight and a million and one things to be done (does the bleedin’ list ever get shorter?), taking the time out to write a little blog post seems a luxury these days. So I thought I’ll just log on and check upon a couple of blogs and see if I had anymore junk e-mails offering to sell me Viagra or five million ways to quadruple me money (oh that’ll be twenty pence then!) whilst slurping upon a large mug of tea to brace myself for the traumas of the day and fortify me self for the dreaded night shift.


But then I stumbled upon my good friend Casey’s latest short post and it reminded me that sometimes just stopping and kicking back awhile is something that we all need to do upon occasion. So ‘balls to it’ thought I, I’ll write a little and then run around in a headless chicken type manner achieving absolutely bugger all before work calls me to its inevitable cloying grasp. So what to write? Oh I guess it’ll just have to be more of the same rambling about meandering as usual, what were you expecting, earth changing, deep and meaningful diction from this lowly scribe? A shame on you for not knowing me any better you fickle folk.

Me last post about meandering along the trails reflected about the change of mood that walking the wooded trails through the dimming evening light brings to me, where primeval fears bubble to the surface and our limited human senses become all to obvious. Every noise is magnified into a stalking creature and the shadows hide all manner of dark and foreboding hints. But these very same woods in the daytime welcome me with the chatter of birds and sights that fill me with awe, not always upon a grand scale but sometimes the smallest of vistas can still take me breath away.

Take my last couple of walks up at Nercwys Forest over the last few days. We’ve had showers and some heavier rain over the last week but each time I’ve dragged Willow to the fun cruiser the rain has magically eased and with enough blue in the sky to patch a sailor's trousers we set off. 


The first thing to hit me as a reach the tree line is the smell. You know me and my lack of descriptive skills but the smell that greets you in the woods as the last of the rain drops splatter the ground fills me with can only be described as a high. Far better than anything when I used to dabble in the odd bit of weed or the odd mushroom (many, many years ago!), it feels like everything is fresher, some how more alive. Then there is the chatter of wildlife, no territorial bird ranting, just what sounds like birds singing for pleasure – almost as if the high of the freshly soaked woods is infectious. Then there is the light, with patches of sun beams now peering through the tree canopy, catching the jewel like glow of rain drops still clinging to branches. This light seems fresher and somehow purer than the usual early summer’s sunshine.


It’s as if the whole effect is one of renewal and rebirth even the trials have had all sign of footfall and tracks washed away and where the water has been heavy enough to gain a flow they could be mistaken for river deltas, but in miniature of course.


The joy of the walks even passed onto my thick companion, the Warthog! I thought that she was fast before but the speed that she blazed through the trees was jaw dropingly fast and all I could do was chuckle at her antics.


All that remains then is to share a few pictures with you, I hope that they convey a little of the joy felt upon these sodden trails. Oh and the feeling of mud squeezing through your toes as I walked barefoot for a time is one not to be missed, although me thinks Clare’s frown at the general mud splattered state of us as we tumbled through the front door did make me think twice (only for a moment) about repeating this trick. But her smile as she placed a plate of new potatoes and lamb chops and a glass of cider before me let me know that above all I was home and all was well. Oh the pictures…..













It’s when walking through the woods at this time that I feel a deep connection, far deeper than that which is normally with me and all thoughts of the rat race and any troubles that I may have evaporate with the gentle vapours of the rain in the pools of broken sunshine. I understand once more what draws me to nature and why my back sports the image of the Green Man, for this is where I come from and inevitably where I’ll return when I die, my body nourishing this planet which gives me so much joy and my atoms being passed onto to build something else. Rebirth or whatever you like to call it, it’s all part of the cycle of life on this planet. But that’s for the future, there are chores to be done, work to suffer, love to be cherished, joy (and pain) to feel before I’m done with this world. But on days walking when the woods are refreshed all this may be forgotten for awhile.

Till next time, take good care my friends,

John.

Oh and I will be playing catch up on more of your blogs shortly as well as sending out some belated e-mails. But for now the chickens and me are going to have an hour in the sun whilst a drink I tad more tea, so sod the chores today – I’ll catch up in the week, honest ;o).



Thought for the day;-
Kinky is using a feather,
Perverted is using the whole chicken.

Friday, June 10, 2011

THE CHICKENS ARE LOOSE!!!

The shortest of posts my friends; just enough to let you know that, with clipped wings, Cruella Deville and Penelope Pitstop (sorry Rach, but Rach the chicken? Didn’t fit your personality ;o) ) are free and about. Look out world; - the chickens are coming!!!

Cruella

Penny

Run for your lives....

Till next time take of yourselves and your loved ones, your grumpy friend,

John

Monday, June 6, 2011

More evening trail pictures....

Hello all,
            Being as time is a limited resource for yours truly at the moment I thought that I’d just share with you a few more images of  Willow the Warthog’s and mine, evenings' meandering. Hope that these will quench your thirst for my wondrous blog and keep your attention rapt until I have time to craft a ensnaring web of words once again. OK enough of the male bovine excrement, just thought you’d like the pictures and to know that we haven’t been caught by the Banshee…… yet!
















            Hope that you enjoyed my basic efforts and that they cheered your day, till next time take care my friends,

John

Oh I do believe that if you click on them they get bigger! Bloody marvellous this technology stuff, absolutely bloody marvellous..........