Went back to the lotty, it's looking so good
but from the work Sal has done I knew that it would
It's the first time I've been here so far this year
but as always this place oozes fun times and cheer
So I set out with a plan I had made in advance
with gaffer tape ready prepared for a chance
and fixed the loose panes in the greenhouse with ease
cable ties for the job with which I am pleased
Then armed with a fork I dug out five holes
for the fruit trees we've saved supported by poles
before taking a seat and surveying the plot
satisfied in the moment with all here we've got
Found a field of snowdrops
along the Pilgrim Trail
it was a wonder to hehold
and latterly regale
So much so that we all paused
to take pictures for a while
as this little slice of heaven
was a thing to bring a smile
Yes I know it's a bit shorter
but the slip-sliding away
this year is quite amazing
as it's February's last day
Now March is nigh upon us
and the winter's almost done
so I suspect in thirty more
we'll know the spring has come
So though another month
has left us now this year
I'm not that disappointed
as the warmer days are near
In October red I paused beneath
its lofty heights in wonder
at the absolute magnificence
of this redwood tree asunder
So imagine my dismay today
to find that storms with thunder
and a lightning strike reduced it
to a stump and piles of lumber
Yes, there's like still there but
its pride is lost for good
a sad, contrite reminder
of a once proud tall redwood
This what the Redwood at Sheffield Park in Sussex looked like back in October 2022. It had towered over the landscape for over 140 years but the top was blown away by a lightning strike in a storm on Wednesday 16 November 2022. The team at the park are now looking to how best manage both the tree and the land around it to give it the best chance of survival. The plan is to work with natural processes to see it can take on new shoots and growth over the next couple of months and years. As a start to that, the felled topmost part of the tree has been mulched and added to the ground around the base of its remainder.
Bereft of foliage great trees stand
proudly gracing England’s land
There amongst the winter green
the rolling landscape clearly seen
And pausing here before this view
we are completely thrilled anew
This is England where we live
where nature has so much to give
And we feel a peace when in this place
bequeathed to us by simple grace
Vibrant this colour
at this golden time of year
when greenery fades
And the sunset comes
The years' full swansong sings loud
with echos to gold
Leaving me speechless
Silenced by this golden awe
at the curtain call
Went for a walk in a painting
the colours vibrant and bright
the artists' palette singing to me
as a I swooned in this wonderful sight
Reds and golds and yellows and pink
with green in the background were there
a wash of pale blue and a purple for depth
conveyed by the artist to share
And my words were so insufficient
the poet's voice silent this time
the honour and glory to the better hand
providing this picture sublime
Heard them first a-honking, a crescendo from the West
before the 'V' right overhead, formation at its best
A goose display of perfect flight for us there in the field
as we walked Obi in the rain deep in the Sussex Weald
And it was quite magnificent, it made us laugh aloud
full of the joie de vivre that sings and make the heart feel proud
A little chap waddled by the lakeside today
whilst I was eating my lunch
his gait had a purpose as he tucked his head down
which was evident there with a hunch
For just out of shot in the shade of the trees
a mother goose watched with an eye
as her offspring fought bravely to catch her back up
whilst the world there at large wandered by
...all about me and my life in words. I write most days, carrying an ideas book around in which I capture a word snapshot of life around me. So there's a lot here about Sussex and the sea and anything else I see that inspires.
The pictures are mine too. Some taken to match a poem; some poems written to match a pic; others chosen because they work well with words written.
Jemverse is life in words. Hope you enjoy the reading as much as I enjoy the writing...