I’ve dreamt of you

I lovely person on Bluesky had reposted one of photographs and added micro poetry with it which triggered a happy memory during the “lockdown” in 2020.

A friend, Hector posted an improvised musical track on Facebook and I spontaneously painted a picture and shared it back. At the very same time his Japanese drummer friend upon hearing the track added drums and shared it back.

It was an act of spontaneity and synchronicity.

I beleive that human sharing is a gift of nature which creates flourishing through unconditional love.

It is reciprocity of nature which makes life flourish.

We often forget that we are nature too.

It drew thoughts on Robin Kimmerer Wall book “Braiding Sweetgrass”. where the indigenous community states that the fruits of nature are gifts to share.

Another ingredient was added to my photograph by their talent and gift with words, and then shared it to the world. This for me is magical.

Bees create honey whilst helping the flowers flourish by spreading their pollen and so on.

Another thing Robin Wall Kimmerer stated is that nature needs interaction. Her academic work revealed that where the sweetgrass was harvested by the basket weavers it flourished and where it did not the sweetgrass declined. Both needing each other.

I think Hector song title “ I’ve dreamt of you” is an inner calling that each one of us are from one source of energy with different expressions of life.

When we connect to something it is through our inner knowing and drawn to it as if it is part of ourselves and our wish to add another layer is through the reciprocity of life to endure. Not to steal but to honour what has been created so we all flourish.

We forget ourselves in a world of individualism that we are all inter connected and our endeavours in life are meaningless without connection and reciprocity.

Respect with consent creates a wonderful connection but sometimes like this a beautiful moment was created by a pure of heart expression.

Allowing people to interact with you unconditionally is the purest form of resilience and when the intention is love magic happens .

Imagine a world where people uplifted other people, encouraged and collaborated through unconditional love.

Bull Crag Peninsular

My first August visit was quite early but the sun was already beaming down. I do not wish to complain for a warm sunny day but it doesn’t help photography, however, my mind was also off track and found it difficult to connect to what I was doing. We all have those days , Right !

One of my meditation trainings is to be “off duty” within a formal meditation as it releases the tension of over trying. It was a beautiful morning just for a walk and I live 5 miles from here. Just enjoy the walk , take whatever photographs i can and return.

Enjoy the moment rather than resisting due to created conditions of needing to produce things.

I thought this was the only Rowan tree with berries on until my not so observational skills realised that the woodland opposite the front of my houses had a large Rowan tree full of berries. I think the phrase is “not seeing the wood for the trees” .

Now , everywhere I go to , I see Rowan Tree with Berries !

The Berries are early , last year in North Yorkshire I was harvesting berries to make ink in September.

I had swapped one of my cameras for the Fuji 80mm Macro to see whether I can evolve my work. I love the lens as not only it is 1:1 macro but it has a bit more reach to get those little nature stories that my 27mm lens cannot get to. I am not the one for ploughing down nature for a photograph ! However , the 27mm lens does has some magic to it with its ƒ1.4 aperture it creates such pretty little moments. I also noted to myself that I need a pad as my knees looked pocked marked for days after.

To my surprise along the open areas of Bull Crag Peninsular trail there is a new cycle of colour which has popped up since 2/3 weeks ago when I was here last. Knapweed is everywhere in full purple bloom but there are huge clumps of beautiful yellow intermingled and along the way punctuated with lovely white flowers. Once again it looks spectacular.

I will be back within the week on a cloudier day so I may take some pictures of the Yellows and Purples. But at the moment there is a storm so it’s painting time.

Foxgloves are now gone and and now it’s waiting for July to see them once again.

Compared to Hareshaw Linn there is only a wee bit of Cow Parsley but what is there is still showings its colour and where the paths were lit up with yellow Dandelions they now are a treasure of wishes with their seed heads waiting for a journey for next year. Dandelions are another plant which seems to have a bad rap in the UK. I mean who calls a plant which is a source of food for our native insects , bees , moths , flies and birds plus have so much medicinal use as “Perennial weed: ?

Dandelion is a plant with a deep connection to our ancient past and the Fae.

We need to re establish our affinity to our native plants and wildlife as this is our real heritage before Politicians and Corporations destroy it all .

Back in Nidderdale where I walked I never spotted Raspberries but here there is so much abundance of them and mostly ripened but the Blackberries are still to fully form and ripen which normally is the end of August and September. The creatures this year are blessed with such an early harvest.

I have still an obsession about Clover. They have almost finally stopped flowering along the pathways but in the woodlands areas of the leaves create auras around trees stumps and I am wondering whether they get to flower or the light is not sufficient for this. Time will tell , I still have to spend some time checking whether there isn’t a 4 leafed one.

Hareshaw Linn

Along the paths before you enter the woodland are beautiful displays of wild plants and flowers. Due to the sun this year Cow Parsley in these area have already turned into so many subtle colours of browns and muted greens , whilst one or to remain to provide compositional contrast. Isn’t nature a wonderful artist ?

I could not help myself as I see so much abundance I want to photograph it. I could do a whole blog with Cow Parley passage of time. Perhaps a new project.

In the areas of sunshine there is so much ripened berries. Raspberries are everywhere you look and blackberries are coming along too. Hawthorne Berries too are blushing red , ready to harvest. Hawthorne is another difficult process to make ink as they are so rich in pectin you are in danger of making jelly rather than ink but if you do , it has secret colours dependent upon the alkali content of paper.

This is a time not to missed as it brings so much vibrancy and joy. The daylight is long giving time for an early morning or evening walk to enhance your health. There is nothing complicated , the intention is just Joy and there is nothing more to do than just walk amongst nature for an hour or two.

Bakethin Nature Reserve

I didn’t think I would have any images for this weeks diary for Bakethin. A storm passed and the weather forecast was so changeable , too windy then rain and I managed at 6.30am Friday to go out just before it begun raining. Bakethin mostly being protected from wind though delicate plants are still swaying

The mushrooms have arrived. Only one or two , so here is (maybe) your first 2025 mushroom.

This is when I start seeing diversity in Kielder Forest as it is distinctly different feeling to Bull Crag. Bull crag is bursting with new flowering plants outside the wooded areas and in the wooded areas is less lush and green than Bakethin.

One or two buttercups are remaining and a few purple knapweeds and along the open areas some purple flowering plants still flourish. Generally now Bakethin is green. Like Bull Crag the Foxgloves are now gone.

What you feel in Bakethin is something quite comforting and serene.

There is a huge abundance of Raspberry wherever you look along the path edges and verges between the forest areas. But now structure is revealed as the plants dry and begin to die back. Its inner soul momentariliy shines before it commits itself back to the ground.

It is a gentle reminder of our innate wellbeing shining through

The lushness of the nature ponds remain and it is still full of energy. My favourite the bull rushes remain intact after the storm. I have now committed myself to take an image of this beautiful micro eco system every month even if it looks the same.

As one door closes new doors open. Although the area is mainly woodland rather than heather moorland there is still heather flourishing along the verge banks and where the light is allowed through at sufficient strength they have begun to flower. I am not even sure whether there is anything as so beautiful as a flowering Heather Moorland. Maybe it is this time to visit somewhere as a special feature.

Heather is another deeply rooted plant in the UK. Its utility of baskets and thatched roofs to an aromatic bedding. The Bees love it and make wonderful honey , to our own endeavours of adding it to tea and ale. It is a lovely plant to have a sprig in a small vase in your home to bring in some luck or maybe send a romantic gesture to a loved one in an envelope. The plants beauty and resilience of residing in such extremes on the northern moors of Britain is for me a plant which represents our strength in solitude.

Clover is still vibrant surrounding the trees and in large patches on the forest floor. Will they flower ?

You can begin to see changes of green colours. As the last month of summer the colours will change from vibrant primary to secondary hues to more muted and mysterious tertiary colours. It is keep going to your own nature place and connecting to it to notice these nuanced changes through its yearly cycle of time.

It is a good time not only for a joyful walk in nature but also to sit and just feel its change of energy from the vibrancy to a more deeper and mature vibe.

Sometimes people make things complicated but to connect to nature is as simplistic as sitting down , breathing and using your senses to notice things , to look, to smell , to touch and to listen : this is the essence of mindfulness. Maybe try and and sense something within you , a feeling and be with it without the need for words.

Thank you for reading my diary