Last Autumn on one of many walks in 2020 I came across the above scene. It was a chilly yet sunny morning with a clear, blue sky. Also atmospheric with the sun’s heat burning off the dew as a mist that hung in the air. 

For some time now I have been interested in trees. They have nearly always been a part of the landscape in most places I’ve lived. Yet most of the time I am  largely unaware of their presence. After reading Wohlleben’s book ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ it prompted me to buy a guide book on identifying them. Most of the time it has lain on the bedside table. Have not had much success with identifying factors such as the kind of bark, type of leaves, the fruit and the flowers. The process challenges me to observe more, something I sense I have lost over time. 

As a child I was an avid astronomer. I used to spend many hours under the stars using my telescope to identify stars and constellations. There was a thrill in naming things that you saw along with a sense of wonder at the immensity of the distances and time scales involved. A friend and I would hand write laboriously in little notebooks our observations and any new knowledge. I still have one of these and for some reason it seemed important to me to write down the height, weight, hobbies and colours of hair/ eyes of NASA astronauts!

Older now but less aware of more down to earth things like whether I am looking at a birch or an oak.

Maybe it’s time to dust off that book from the bedside. 

As this is my first blog post a word of explanation.  ‘Run with endurance’ comes from Hebrews 12 verse 1 in the Bible and encapsulates my aspirations for this site. If you wish to know more click the ‘About’ menu tab or to know a bit more about me then check out ‘Bio’.