Autumn reflections

Reflections in water offer the opportunity of doubling the impact of a shot. This example shows, mainly, the deep colour of autumn beech and oak trees next to Hartleton Lakes, near Ross on Wye. I took a couple of photographs from this point. The other example didn't include the near vegetation or the fishing platform. When I asked a few people which of the two shots they preferred only one, my eight year old grand-daughter, liked the wider view with the platform, the view that I also prefer.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Ornamental oaks

Britain's two native species of oak are the English Oak (Quercus robur) and the Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea). Both are relatively widespread, are often long-lived and have suffered greatly at the forester's axe. Today they are particularly prized for the great conribution they make to the richness of nature in the areas where they are found. More oaks were introduced into Britain following the exploration of North America, and decorative species such as the Red Oak (Quercus borealis), Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea) and Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) can now be found in parkland, large gardens and some woodlands. The leaves in the photograph above are on one of these non-native oaks.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Oak Meadow, Ross on Wye

In the centre of the view from The Prospect in Ross on Wye is Oak Meadow, a big field that fills much of a large meander of the River Wye. It is named after the old oak tree at its centre, presumably planted as shade for farm animals that used the field. Photographs of the field taken in 1886 show the "rare old oak" and local attempts to age the now split and partly hollow tree are many. It has been called the "Domesday Oak" suggesting it dates from around 1087 when the Domesday Book was compiled. Attempts to link it to the time of Elizabeth I or Henry VIII suggest an age of 500 or 600 years. All this is speculation without the support of dendrochronology. As we looked out from The Prospect recently we noticed the farmer taking what appears to be the first steps in erecting fencing around the oak, as protection from animals and farm vehicles perhaps, steps that will help ensure it continues for many more years.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Medieval timber porch, Brampton Abbotts

Quite a lot of the oak timbers of the south porch of St Michael's church, Brampton Abbotts in Herefordshire, date back to the 1300s when the structure was first erected. Any wood that was rotten and unable to be salvaged was probably replaced in 1907-8 when a wider renovation was undertaken by the architect, W. D. Caroe. The wooden pegs that hold the pieces together would have been drilled out where required and then replaced with new. It is not unusual to find timber porches that have lasted for many centuries. The fact that oak hardens as it ages, and that the tradition is for a south porch that dries out quickly in the sun accounts in part for this.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Sheep in shade

On a walk that took in paths in and around the woodland known as Penyard Park we came upon meadows and fields of maize and wheat. Climbing the stile out of one of the latter we stepped down into a pasture holding a large flock of sheep which, despite the extensive nature of the field, were tightly packed in the shade of a large oak tree. The day was hot and humid with clouds and long periods of sunshine, the sort that invites sitting or laying out of the sun and the sheep were all of that mind. As we approached a few stood up, thinking to get out of our way, so we gave them a wider berth not wishing to spoil their pleasure.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Europe's oldest castle doors

It is remarkable how well-made wooden doors can survive the ravages of weather, man and wood-boring beetles. During my travels I've come across several church doors that date from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and one that may be even earlier. Castle doors, of course, have more to contend with than zealous parish clerks pinning notices on them. Battering rams, cannon shot and more mean that not only do they have to be strongly made, they must also be ready for an onslaught at all times. The doors in today's photograph hung in Chepstow Castle's main gateway until 1962 when they were replaced by copies and the originals displayed under cover. Dendrochronology dates them no later than the 1190s, making them the oldest castle doors in Europe.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

A May landscape

On one of a recent series of unseasonally hot days we visited a number of places in and near the Forest of Dean. A bright blue sky, the absence of cloud and a significant haze encouraged me to point my camera down. A location at the top of one of the ruinous walls of Goodrich Castle near Ross on Wye provided this photograph of an oak tree in a field of wheat, the carefully tended crop contrasting with the pasture, trees and woodland beyond.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100