A small, dense, difficult wood .The ground here is wet, home to midges, hoverflies and bees whose drone underpins the birdsong which rises and falls and trills and squawks in the canopy above. Most of the trees are relatively young , mainly birch and sycamore but there is evidence of a much older wood with grand coppiced birch and hazel , their size and shape indicative of such a practice. I draw an old willow at the edge of the wood. The main trunk has snapped and broken, its centre hollow, yet the tree flourishes none the less. I had thought it worth the investigation to see if it was a place where I could make some large paintings but due to the density of planting there is little space to lay down big paper. Still, I might think it over, as it is a wood where no- one seems to come. Its privacy and difficult terrain are perhaps advantageous. I follow deer tracks through the trees, there is no human footpath here.
