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Day 23 – 30 Days Wild…

Leaf Patterns…

 

On a walk home from work I was drawn to these leaves laying in the undergrowth. It is obvious that they are suffering some kind of disease but I couldn’t help but notice that they looked as though they had been tie-dyed! Even in the face of something so negative, isn’t nature wonderful!!

On my walk I also found these oak leaves and early Horse Chestnuts on the ground…not the most exciting of wild days but it got me noticing more than just what was at eye level!!

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Day 14 – 30 Days Wild…

Watching Me, Watching You…

 

 

 

Since I began posting for 30 days wild my regular walks to work have become a lot more interesting. I still take the same route through the park gardens but I have a new heightened awareness of what is around me.

Unfortunately I did not have a camera with me to document my journey in pictures (N.B. that’s an idea for another day!!) so the image attached to this post was actually taken this evening as I watched the garden birds ‘sharing’ the feeders. I have a background in animal behaviour and I have always wondered while watching animals who exactly is observing who and this example summed up my day of ‘observations’.

My observations began while walking down the hill towards the park, I was suddenly aware of a rustling across the road and out popped a squirrel from an overgrown driveway. It started galloping along the footpath parallel to me and then crossed the road, both of us arriving at the gateway to the gardens at the same time. It seemed really wary so I took a few steps backwards to allow some space for it to pass and it paused to give me a little look (I’d like to think it was thanking me…) and then clambered down the steps and disappeared into a garden.

From the moment I walked down the steps I started to become aware of all the sights and sounds before me, and despite initially thinking the park was empty it was actually breathing with life…wild-life!!

On the way through I saw four squirrels (foraging and scurrying around tree trunks), a family of wood pigeons, three Mr Blackbirds and two Mrs Blackbirds (separately scuffing around in the undergrowth of trees) , eleven feral pigeons (feasting in the distance on some food a passerby left for them), a jay (flying from tree to tree), three magpies, two crows, several gulls swooping overhead (always optimistic), a common blue butterfly, two smaller unknown butterflies dancing and spiraling beneath a tree.

I also noticed the shapes of all the leaves in the trees, the different shades of green and silver, the smell of the elder flowers, the smell of cut grass, the long grasses swaying in the breeze in a wild area and the amazing sounds of park life!!

❤ ❤ ❤

 

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Day 9 – 30 Days Wild…

Looking Up…

 

 

 

 

After a day of feeling down yesterday I decided that today was a day for looking up! As I walked my daily walk through the park gardens I spent a few moments looking up into the trees and watching the sun dance through the leaves. I just love shadows, so don’t be surprised if they dominate my 30 Days Wild posts!

The shadows and silhouettes cast by the overlapping leaves in the horse chestnut tree were stunning, defining every little detail of the leaves as they swayed gently in the breeze. I also noticed a little heart shape silhouetted on the lower leaf…I took it as a sign of hope for positive times ahead…

❤ ❤ ❤

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Day 6 – 30 Days Wild…

A wet walk to work…

 

 

 

 

As I stepped out of the house this morning it was hard to believe we were in the middle of a heat wave only yesterday. The slight rain that started early evening quickly turned into a fully blown storm over night and was still lingering as I walked to work.

As the rain poured down and the wind blew around me I couldn’t help but notice the trail of destruction left behind. Leaves, branches, flowers and seeds strewn all over the park but the wildness it created was really quite beautiful…a natural artwork.

I decided to collect a few pieces to identify and finally got around to using my press to preserve some of the leaves to use at a later date. So what started out as a wet miserable day was actually quite productive and wild ❤ ❤ ❤

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Day 5 – 30 Days Wild…

Safely Home…

 

 

 

After a busy day I took a late evening stroll through the park. It was so peaceful, hardly any people were around and just the sound of bird song could be heard coming from the trees over head. As I knelt down by the pond to photograph the ducks I had a sudden awareness that I was being watched.

As I looked up from my camera I was surprised to find I was not alone at the waters edge…I was surrounded by pigeons! I assume as I knelt down they spotted me and thought I was there to feed them!!

I spent a few minutes watching the ducks preen themselves in the low evening sun and then walked around the pond. I was alerted to the sound of loud moor hen calls and at that moment I spotted a family of 6 chicks being herded back to their nest by the parents. One of the parents was calling loudly and circling the chicks ensuring that they were all following until one by one they were all safely back ‘home’…

 

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Day 4 – 30 Days Wild…

A walk in the woods…

Walking through the woods this evening with my partner we spotted some foxes trotting along a pathway before slipping quietly into the undergrowth. This one seemed a lot less shy and after every few steps it stopped to watch us for a while before continuing on its journey.

We felt quite privileged to be sharing this precious moment with such a beautiful animal in this peaceful setting. It was really uplifting for the mind!!

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Kindred Spirit…

‘My inner peace is set free by my kindred spirit.’

The cemetery is a place I frequent to find sanctuary and stillness away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. This cemetery is unfamiliar to me and represents being at peace somewhere new while my kindred spirit watches over me from the other side. The cat, a stranger to me, symbolises new people in my life.

Chasing Shadows II © Lisa Cullingworth, 2014

Mixed media, digital image.