Seasonal notes from Stockport
From our little corner of Stockport it’s just a short distance to some beautiful wild spaces. But our much-visited suburban park is where we see the daily rhythm of the seasons playing out in the trees and the wildlife.
In the absence of a cold snap or strong winds, autumn is still clinging to the beech trees, the oaks and the silver birch. On a frosty morning, when ice crystals have rimed every blade of grass, when nostrils and lungs ache with the cold and boots crunch through layers of crisp leaves, the unseasonal bright orange and russet leaves shine like so many miniature suns.
The grey squirrels have ceased their autumnal foraging and storage activity and can now be seen in the treetops, conserving their energy and keeping warm in their dreys.
Birdsong is more muted but still reveals the variety of species overwintering in the park – from the sweet bubbling of the wren and the piercing call of the mistle thrush defending their berry larders to the chink chink of the blackbirds roosting at dusk. Grey wagtails have joined the more commonly seen species – blue tits, long-tailed tits, goldcrests, nuthatches and of course magpies, jackdaws and robins.
In spite of the traffic sounds, the church bells, the many signs of human activities that carry on all around this little oasis – here the deep potential and quiescence of the season are almost palpable as we descend towards the winter solstice and the time of maximum yin.
Photos by Fiona Bullock
Fiona is a five element practitioner with a practice in Stockport, Greater Manchester. She graduated from the College of Traditional Acupuncture in Leamington Spa in 2005 and is now delighted to be working as a third year tutor at The Acupuncture Academy.
From anywhere in the world you happen to be – and in any format you like – we’d love you to send us your seasonal notes
