the field in december

 

 

 

 

Everything sparkled in the field with frost and the grass crunched underfoot as I walked. The sky was clear, woodpeckers were drumming on the trees and robins flitted from bush to bush looking for food. Even when the trees and wildflowers are dormant the field is glorious on a day like this.

christmas walk

 

 

 

 

 

The Christmas Day (and birthday for one of us!) walk. This year we went up and over Moel y Golfa with amazing views of the Severn floodplains. Nestled between two other Briedden hills, Middletown Hill and Rodney's Pillar, Moel y Golfa has two gypsy king monuments to add a point of interest, as if the views weren't enough. The light of the sinking sun was a beautiful end to a special day.

the hawthorn tree in december

 

 

 

The stalks of the absent berries enhance the hawthorn tree's thorny silhouette. A lone fly rests amongst the lichen on a branch. Bereft of leaves and haws, a chance to see the maze of trunk and branches which are peppered with lichens. 

Joining in with Loose and Leafy's 'Tree Following' project.

the field in november

 

 

The first frosts of the season highlighting the pattern and structure of leaves, flowers and leaves. The low misty cloud making silhouettes of the bare trees. The hawthorns are getting stripped of their berries, only the red stalks remain. Any remaining leaves along with mosses and lichens are the sources of colour now (...and some of my favourite colour shades too).

foraging for christmas

 

 

 

Gathering larch cones with Christmas garlands in mind. Have been wanting to do this for the past couple of years but never seem to be near a larch tree at the right time. Today I had an hour to spare, a car and had noted the location of said trees AND the sun was shining so off I went. And what a blissful hour it was!

the hawthorn tree - november

 

 

In the fading afternoon light, the hawthorn tree is a silhouette of thorny branches and berries. The leaves have gone, but the berries remain. The colour of the lichen covered bark and the deep red of the berries is gorgeous. 

Joining in with Loose and Leafy's 'Tree Following' project.

the field in october

 

Before going to The Field to photograph this post, I expected that autumn leaves would be the main feature of this month, but it was the fungi that caught my attention.

 

This tree was a magnificent Copper Beech, before it started dying a couple of years ago. This autumn, it is covered in clusters of white fungi.

Different coloured fungi are sprouting up in the grassland too. 

 

And finally, the trees that I expected to photograph with their falling leaves. 

breezy hills

  

  

Exploring some of Montgomeryshire's wildest (and windiest!) hills behind Trefeglwys. This is Karl's childhood stomping ground, so it was a gentle walk of rediscovery and sharing memories.

Ancient hedgerows and lanes, with glimpses of tumbledown cottages (where we were itching to climb over the fence to explore!). Fence posts covered in lichen and moss.

 

Up on the top of the hills, the light, colour and big skies make it my favourite sort of place. Bleached grasses blowing in the wind and a brooding Cadair Idris in the distance - love it!

We made our way down into the village and wandered round the churchyard (we just can't help ourselves!) which was full of beautiful slate. You can see that here
A campfire by the river to cook our supper as the light faded was probably the highlight of the day for the boys. Stones, water... sticks and fire... they could not have been anywhere better!