spring forward: cherry blossom season

Why does spring seem to take an age to roll around, and when it does, it seems to come all at once? I feel like after the excitement of Christmas,and then the dull stretch of January and February, March and April are the most exciting months. They give me that autumn-feeling, when I'm desperate for the crisp weather and the change of the leaves. So you slog through March, taking peeks at the cherry tree in the garden, which is stubbornly refusing to show any signs of progress, until one morning you wake up, and the whole garden is green again, and the blossom appears literally overnight.

So I apologise if you're sick of seeing a thousand snapshots of cherry blossom plastered all over your Instagram or blog feed - but I really couldn't care less, haha. I'm happy to pretend it's not grey and miserable outside this morning, but spring is fully here - and that means summer weather is just around the corner. 

This is the stunning cherry tree that lives in my dad's garden, and has this stunning white blossom all over it. It lasts about two weeks in this state, and it's already shedding it's petals all over the garden, but for those sunny two weeks, it is alive with bees, which makes me inordinately pleased to hear the background fuzz of them crawling all over the tree.

the snow day that never was

Last week (or the week before, time is running into one, apparently) I was off work, and had intended to go for an early morning run - however I opened my curtains and it was snowing. I hung about for a bit, but then the snow wasn't stopping, so decided to drag my mum out for a walk with my camera, instead. By the time we got to the lake, the snow had stopped and all but melted.
We walked around Virginia Water, up to the hill and the heather garden, then back around to the ruins of Leptis Magna, one of my favourite local ruins, haha. It was cold and brisk, and we made friends with a few puppies and some swans that tried to bite me, before having a cheeky hot dog and burger in the new cafe overlooking the water. It was really nice, but I miss how nice this place is in the spring and summer, I need some life in the trees and a bit more greenery about...

autumn's swan song

I took these pictures a couple of weekends back, before everything took a turn for the worse with my grandma, when autumn was still raging brightly, and the rain November was yet to fully descend on us.. A few weeks later and the tree's have lost all their leaves, the sun rarely makes an appearance and the temperature has gone from brisk to bracing. I don't hate it though, because I know the dark nights don't last for long, we only have a month or so until they start getting longer again, I know the rain won't last forever. Even on a dark Friday morning in a sad little cemetery on a hill over-looking the disused red-brick mills of Manchester, when the wind is so bitterly cold it brings tears to my eyes and my toes take an hour to regain feeling... I still don't hate it because it all feels necessary.

stumbling around savernake forest

I really like trees, as a general rule. I prefer being around them to people, most days, as anti-social or hippy-ish as that sounds. They're easier, let's be honest, and a lot less hassle, most of the time. Where I live there are a few forests nearby, which is nice, but they consist mostly of recently planted pine trees where there used to be heathland, and after a while, the sight of Scot's Pines' gets a little boring. So I've been bugging my dad to find out where an actual ancient woodland is and to take me for a walk there, for about a year now. 

He takes walks very seriously, not like me and my casual jaunts around the common - he uses compasses and has proper walking boots - so he found out that Savernake forest wasn't too far away, near Marlborough. After having a bad night sleeping and generally feeling a little sorry for myself, my dad dragged me out for a 'stroll'. It turned into more of a 6.5 mile walk and the weather wasn't that kind to us..  

However, the walk was pretty great. I'd like to go again, not in the rain, because I was starting to feel like it wasn't helping my mood! Savernake is actually ancient woodland, and has some really amazing trees. We didn't see as many of the ancient oak's that I would have liked, as we got a bit turned around when some of the pathways were shut, but we did see lots of fallow deer, which was worth it. The further you go in, you can tell that it's old woodland, from the way the trees are thick and twisted. I highly recommend going, even if you just walk a little way into the woods, it's a really lovely place with a history that is pretty interesting, too.

snowy daze

I know everyone must be sick of snow-photos.. but this my blog and I loved them. Went for a little walk in the woods near my house, it was so quiet and peaceful (except for the occasional dog) and it started snowing whilst I was out.. I went and sheltered under a big tree where no-one was near and it was so calming. I have been writing my dissertation about the power of wandering, journeying and pilgrimages, amongst other things, and in writing it, I kind of forgot WHY I found it so interesting in the first place. So after finishing my first draft on Saturday (9971/10000!) I slammed my laptop lid shut, shoved on  my new boots and went for a tramp around in the snow. It was everything I needed, at the time, though my heels are a little sore from the new boots, haha..

Below the jump are a load of other photos, which I pray you look at, cause some I am quite proud of!