Downsizing Christmas

I germinated this spruce tree from a seed that was sent to me eight years ago, with the intention of growing it as a bonsai specimen. This year it's finally big enough to cope with some Christmas decorations. If I'd planted it in the garden it might eventually have grown to about 50 feet tall; as a bonsai it's unlikely to grow to much more than a couple of feet, but it'll be a family Christmas tree that I can hand on to my children. Once Christmas is over it will get some careful  pruning and training.

Best wishes for a Happy Christmas to all who have visited and commented on this blog throughout 2013.

Regeneration

It's three and a half years since we last drove through the Stang Forest, on the road from Barnard Castle in Teesdale to Reeth in Swaledale, so it was a bit of a surprise today to find that most of it had disappeared - or, more precisely, had been converted into logs that were waiting to be transported away. In the past we've stopped here quite often to follow a trail through the forest rides to Hope Scar - a cliff where, from a height of  450m. a.s.l. you can view a magnificent landscape away to the north. Now that the trees are gone you don't need to do that any more and for the first time in a generation you can enjoy the view from the road as you crest the top of the hill.

This is the lower part of Teesdale and the valley of the River Greta, bathed in every-shifting patches of sunlight. In the foreground lies what's left of this part of the Stang forest - great piles of branches. Double-click on these three images for a bigger panoramic view - I've loaded them in a slightly larger size than usual.

Almost directly to the north, 6km. away and in the centre of this picture lies the market town of Barnard Castle (see Adrian's Images blog for some fine pictures). Right centre is the famous Bowes Museum, modelled on a French chateau and filled with art treasures and an amazing mechanical silver swan automaton. To the left of that are two small wind turbines that power the GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceuticals plant, while the very large wind turbines on the horizon are at Tow Law, 30km. distant. 

Turn your eyes 90 degrees to the east and Middlesbrough and the cooling towers and chimneys of industrial Teesside can be seen, away on the coast, about 40 km. away. One of those tall objects on the horizon, just above the farm gate, is the famous transporter bridge - the last bridge across the River Tees before it reaches the sea.

Now that all the trees have been felled you can admire these unimpeded views from the brow of the hill....... but don't take your eys off the road for too long, because it's a 14% descent with double hairpin bends on the way down.

Back at the top of the hill the spruces may have been felled but their progeny are already growing away - no doubt the whole forest will soon be replanted, but this seedling wasn't wasting any time.