Some things I saw in June and early July 2016…
nature connectedness
Along the River Breamish
Along the River Breamish
Like the seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring. ~ Khalil Gibran
What’s not to love about Spring?
Days are lengthening, the sun is shining (I might be pushing it a bit here)…and…people start to feel just that little bit brighter, that little bit more enthused, a bit more optimistic.
And what could be nicer than sitting a while alongside gently flowing water?
Harthope Valley (Spring 2016)
Sister valley still flowering
About this time last year, I took a walk with Margaret and my good friend Paul along the Harthope Valley – our sister valley. Well, we repeated it again this year. And, once more, we were not disappointed.
South-west of the market town of Wooler (just 8 miles from the Breamish Valley), the Harthope Valley’s burns trickle and flow through high hills. And in Spring each year they are marked along their length by tumbles of bright yellow gorse.
Bulby’s Wood (Early Spring 2016)
Bulby’s Wood: Early Spring
It’s that time of the year again – temperatures begin to rise and flowers begin to bloom.
Spending time alongside the River Breamish at Bulby’s Wood [55°26’28” N 1°59’20” W] is a real joy. There was no one there when I took the following photos just under two weeks ago.
River Breamish at Bulby’s Wood, Northumberland National Park
Signs of Autumn
Signs of Autumn in Breamish Valley
Mirabelle plums fruiting in Branton
Autumn is the in-between season. It’s the transition between summer and winter. A time when, by and large, the growing season ends, as the days become shorter and the temperatures drop.
Glorious mimulus
A few weeks ago, at the beginning of April (Early Spring at Ingram), I noted that the Breamish Valley was beginning to turn green again after the winter and that, especially, the yellow flowers of the gorse had started to brighten the whole valley. A month later (Spring Nature Walk: Part 1) the gorse was in full bloom and it had been joined by yet more yellow flowers, this time from the hundreds of broom shrubs along the valley.
Do something wild
Can you do something wild?
Are you going wild in June? The Wildlife Trusts are encouraging everyone to do something wild every day. And to motivate us they’ve started a campaign called ’30 Days Wild’, encouraging us to do something wild every day in June.
There’s a growing body of research evidence demonstrating that spending time with nature has many health and social benefits. Living in the Breamish Valley, as we do, means that we have an abundance of nature right on our doorstep. But do we take the time to just stop…and appreciate what we have?
Spring nature walk: part 2
Spring along
This blog article continues my Spring nature walk in the Breamish Valley. You can read Spring nature walk: part 1 here.
I’d begun my Spring nature walk in Branton Nature Conservation Area a couple of weeks ago with the idea of taking a fresh look at so-called ‘mundane nature‘: looking again, at what, without a second glance, might be thought to be humdrum and unexciting.
Spring nature walk: part 1
Spring forwards
There’s something to be treasured about a Spring nature walk in the Breamish Valley. Daffodils and tulips bloom, the days grow longer and the heavy, wet ground of winter begins to dry out. Hawthorns begin to leaf, blackthorn begins to flower and it feels a little warmer. And…did you notice? It makes us feel a little better as well, doesn’t it?
