Spring is close, Almondell Beechwood – Pencil and ink in a plain Moleskine Sketchbook

This scene will change very quickly in the coming weeks. At the moment these beech trees are just coming into bud. The canopy, above, therefore lets in plenty light and this part of Almondell Park feels wide open and exposed. Once the leaves open, however, it becomes quite dark along this pathway. This explains why little grows, on the floor of a beechwood except very hardy, small ferns or different types of fungi hell-bent on recycling any vegetable waste. It might get dark but I find this sort of place quite magical in Spring and Summertime. Its quiet and still and dry – even in wet weather. Because of the stillness birdsong echoes throughout the woods, the only other sounds being that of the River Almond as she navigates her way past the rocks and small waterfalls nearby. After this hard Winter this experience is something to look forward too. I haven’t forgotten it, just missed it.