I took this photo on Tuesday 12th May at 5.30am -I was unsure if it would be ‘safe’ for me to walk here later in the day. Thoughts like this, once reserved for cities (and sometimes dark places) are currently fairly common. The definition of a ‘safe place’ has changed.

The Prime Minister has announced that, from the following day, it would be permissible for people to travel to The Lake District -and, I knew, that would mean the removal of these boulders.

When the rocks were first put in place, it felt quite ‘dramatic’, however, soon their presence reassured me. Their solidity now seemed an appropriate line of defence. The thought of their removal now caused me to feel somewhat vulnerable: How many people would return? Would it be safe for me to walk here again? When would I, safely, be able to return? Whilst regulations changed, the questions and uncertainty in my mind remained constant. (The content of the questions in my mind changes but not their frequency.)

When the boulders were first put in (around the end of March) this oak tree was still bare. In Rydal woods, some Hazel leaves were emerging but it was the catkins that were predominant -amidst the muted and toned down colours of March. Now, the woods are filled with copious shades of succulent green -punctuated with the blossoms of Rowan and Hawthorn -and the Oak tree is fully clothed in leaves. Nature has flourished, whilst human kind has floundered. Despite the unfamiliarity and uncertainty of these ‘unprecedented times’, nature has carried on -dependable, unerring and steadfast as it continues through its familiar cycle.

Joanne

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