Sunday 5 October 2008

Afternoon Abundance

White Coppice - a swathe of swollen green and undisturbed spellbinding blue. The Goit rushes with thick brown silt and Dean Black Brook is in a clear amber rush awash with blinding brightness. Too joyful to diverge round rocks, it chooses to spring over them in a mass of impromptu fountains. Lovers sit and watch it, sharing flasks - but I will not feel alone. Three buzzards circle Stronstrey Bank - small against the enormous blue. Then one swoops, revealing the magnificence of each black primary - size and colour so relative to our point of view.

My legs spring easily up Great Heights Wood, on and up to Healey Nab and the quarry top. Blackpool, Barrow and Kirkcudbright are easily in view as tiny goldcrest pick their way through the pines just above my head. Four ravens re-establish bonds over Rough Lee, each pair crrronking space in this sun-filled sky.
A pair of cormorants sheer over Heapey Reservoirs, sixty rooks claim the field beyond and I dream of the kingfisher, perching on my arm, scattering turquoise dust through a perfect afternoon.

Photos of commin buzzard and goldcrest by Mike Atkinson - follow the link to his website.

4 comments:

Crafty Green Poet said...

I love your description of the joyful brook.... Sounds like good birdwatching too,

The Weaver of Grass said...

That was a lovely description of an afternoon's walk Carol. You painted a series of pictures - the buzzard, the ravens, the brook and then the distant vista from the top. I enjoyed reading it.

Dave King said...

You make the walk live and enable us to share in it - but you make me, at least, very envious.

Mistlethrush said...

dk - at this time of year I only manage to get out at weekends and then only for few hours so I'm determined to make the most of it.
I recently wrote about my affinity to White Coppice. It's not finished but here it is so far:

Remember me
at grid reference 624190,
quarry to the south,
achievement to the west,
on and upwards to the east…

Don’t rush –
allow yourself to turn,
admire the view so far,
and then look forward to the pipits
just over the next brow –
I’m with you now.
And if you would remember more,
fashion a pair of muddied boots,
poems scuffed into their skin,
feathers sprouting from their heels,
wide-winged on words,
circling,
keen-eyed predator,
clasping images.

from the field book

from the field book
An inspiring gift for anyone who enjoys watching nature.