I had to start with that old Zep line after hearing it (including ‘When I look to the west..’) said by friend T today!
Back at my John Muir Award, things may be drawing to a close – or maybe not. I had committed to do this project from April to September and as I write it’s the 30th September. However, as the earth’s journey round the sun continues past the equinox I know the changes will keep on coming, although I’m not so sure I can commit as much time to my ‘seasons’ project now that the daylight hours are diminishing and other obligations are crowding in. I’d love to follow all my plants and special spots along the West Highland Way over the autumn and winter, so I expect I’ll try to do that while declaring the project complete for JMA purposes at some stage soon. The project has fitted in well with volunteering at the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. I would say it has changed the way I see some of my volunteering: while from a nature-connectedness viewpoint I’ve been exploring more detail, for volunteering, I’ve been more aware of the big picture, why certain tasks are being done, listening to the story of why we’re doing what we’re doing to fit into larger plans, for example, Wild Park 2020. I’ve not managed everything in my plan, although the project sort of took me along its own road.
Nostalgia, wistfulness, just getting old(er)? I do get a feeling of anticipation when the mist takes a while to clear in the morning, when the leaves take on different colours – this from the person who complained that it was all very green during July and August! – and when brambles are at last gatherable. The first frost really is special as the smell of woodsmoke hangs in the air.
Still learning, adding new plants that I have photographed and identified – often with a great deal of help from patient friends – thanks!
I am planning another visit to my special JMA place between Balmaha and Milarrochy Bay next week (I hope) to see what wonders are on show, to take some photos and to visit my oak tree, even though the season for Track a Tree lies well in the past.
Today I took part in a session with trainers from Opal (Open Air Laboratories) and TCV. The Opal project is about Citizen Science and the training, arranged by Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, was brilliant, very interactive (oops! forgot to use that word in my evaluation) and a great way to learn. We tried the Soils (and Earthworms) materials and also looked at Lichens (part of Air Quality materials) and Tree Health as well. The resources are colourful and clear. It was lovely to be encouraged today to personally relate to trees: something I’ve enjoyed lots of on my JMA project! And the session met my JMA criteria in supporting my own exploration and enjoyment of the natural world; of course, it offered ideas and materials for sharing with others in all sorts of contexts.
Today’s presenter, Matt, used the Hand, Heart, Head model (see below) to review our experience of the session: it’s a model used in the JMA materials as well and is based on the work of Patrick Geddes, a thinker active across many realms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Credited variously with giving birth to town planning and eco-politics, to my mind, one of his major achievements was trying to get teachers and learners out of subject silos, perhaps to get a better view! As a former teacher myself, I can relate to an integrative approach that engages the ‘learning domains’ of participants through taking practical action, exploring their feelings and gaining understanding. Geddes was a bit of a polymath and I like to think of him as a geographer (well, I would, wouldn’t I?), seeing the big picture and making a difference – promoting transformative learning.
The last time I looked at ‘my’ Guelder-rose (last weekend) on its sunny outcrop by the WHW, I was pleased to see that the berries were, at last, red. Here is a photo from 12th August and one from 27th September:
The Alder at Manse Bay that I’ve visited over the months (and I am so pleased to be able to use that expression!) is one of my favourites. Here it is on 20th May and 3rd September:
So, when you look at the tree, it’s all green, but I like the change from see-through to screening.
It looks like the shorter days, something I seem to go back to time and again, are making me think about endings more than beginnings: so far, pursuing the JMA has definitely helped me connect more explicitly and meaningfully with nature. The strong sense of place I’ve felt for a long time in relation to this beautiful area – its uniqueness, familiarity, ability to surprise and lead you in – is probably rooted more in the larger landscape than in the smaller detail that makes it up and gives it new and changing life. This growing season, I’ve been trying to learn as much as possible about the smaller, component parts of the natural world from the well informed people I am privileged to know. Slowing down and looking, listening, learning remains both the ultimate goal and also an achievement of my project on an ongoing basis! And September has been sunny, hopefully in time to give we west of Scotland folks a boost of Vitamin D before the great darkness sets in. Yep, this is sounding like an ending!
I’ve still to write a wee bit about values and the outdoors – or I should say, some explicit things about values and the outdoors, since I sincerely hope ‘values’ such as accepting responsibility for the future (and thus the benefit of planning for it?), choosing to try to conserve the natural world because it is a choice for justice, fairness and health are part of my efforts most of the time.
thetallgrasswaves 