Derbyshire, English Woodland, Everyday Life, Oak Woodland, PHOTOGRAPHY,

We Pass This Way But Once….

I thought this may be of Interest….

Autumn-low-res

Novembers Gold

The image above is of one of several  very special  Veteran Oak’s that we often pass:- it was taken at the end of November.  A rich canopy of golden and brown Oak leaves.

Fast forward to  June 1st the first meteorological day of summer and the same scene looks very different….

DOI_8522

It is an area of Woodland that without any doubt can tell many a story of events in its life time.  Veteran Oak trees many hundreds of years old have seen Kings hunting for Deer, Soldiers in the Civil War seeking cover, followed by Nobles again  hunting but also to enjoy their new found activity of leisure….thankfully this is one custom continued today by the visitors who’s only thought is to enjoy these woods and adjoining countryside.

But of all the many magnificent Oak’s there is one in particular that we find very special.  It must also be special to others as it actually has a name “The Old Man of Calke”.

Reputably aged at well over 1000 years it is no surprise that the Old Man does show its age.  So each spring we make pilgrimage to see if it has made it through another winters weather of cold, snow, ice and gales….and once again it is sprouting a thick canopy of leaf from its sparse branches

We Pass This Way But Once….or so it is said.

For the Old Man that may well have been but once…though it has seen a great many of our lifetimes.  I often wonder just how many folk have passed this way.

2nd June

(C) David Oakes 2016

 

13 thoughts on “We Pass This Way But Once….”

  1. THAT was one grown up oak!!! It looks to me as main branches must hav broken off and fallen to the ground while new sprouts have continued the life cyclus? But where are the old ones? Become earth again? That three must be a tousand years of age?

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    1. Certainly is at least 1000 years. The old Oak trees are fantastic really for as they get older they tend to get thicker trunks, the inner gets eaten away by beetles and other insects and become hollow leaving just a strong outer circle which seems much more able to withstand winds that the younger solid trunk. And like us all everything goes back to its source.

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  2. Breathtakingly beautiful. The OAK is a mythical tree in several religions and you can see why. Strong, sturdy, full of llife. I had almost forgotten that last November still many trees had their leaves on. Even green ones. There are more special oak trees in England. I am thinking of BBC the documentary of Satish Kumar (Earth Pilgrim): A Year on Dartmoor. I have the DVD here. This documentary is also fabulous by the way. But these oaks are magnificent for all the right reasons. 🙂

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    1. I have always felt the Oak is special and whilst we still have forests of veteran Oaks it is also worth noting just how many forests were devastated to provide timber for our wooden Naval Fleets plus buildings. I am just amazed at how many veteran Oaks we still have left (including myself of course Ahh!) 🙂

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  6. Pingback: We Pass This Way But Once…. – that little voice

      1. nope me too – I longed for Spring and here we are in the middle of summer. I am getting out a lot more so I feel I am appreciating the better weather. However we are not far off June 20 and I tend to suffer from a glass half full. I must try some of this mindfulness approach and stay more in the now and worry less about the future.

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