The woods.
Sometimes it’s a place where small animals peep from cosy homes inside wizened old oaks. Where fairy folk mingle with small children, giant beanstalks twist and curl towards voluminous clouds; and gingerbread houses breathe sweet sticky aromas that beckon and tease.
At other times it is dark and chill. Cold eyes watch from predatory shadows. Baleful calls stalk the night and the air is choked by a heavy veil of indecipherable whispering. And you know that you should stay away, but still you are drawn to the edge and in.
To me, woodland pictures represent a childhood of escape through books. From Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree, C S Lewis’s Narnia, A A Milne’s Winnie The Pooh, Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy, The Giant Under The Snow by John Gordon and The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien, forest scenes always take me back to being young and small and so so ready to be enveloped in something magical.
I took the photo above on my epic Hadrian’s Walk last week; not as a reminder of our 84 mile trek, but more because woodland walks seem to evoke such wonderful memories for me. There is something so humbling about wandering through a green canopied forest, untouched, nature ruled, where you are treading a path just moments ago followed by a rabbit, a squirrel, a deer.
I recently fell in love with this image (below) from William Scott, ‘Winding Path, San Francisco’. And hope to have it hanging in my bathroom soon. It immediately whisks me away to that childhood place where dreams and stories collide in a Tim Burtonesque way. When I look at it it makes me feel small, wide eyed, kind of excited and strangely hopeful.
So although lovely Tara’s asked for “A photograph which represents a favourite book or novel or even children’s tale.”, I cannot choose just one book. All the above meant so much to me at different times, and I cheated a bit on the photo too. Bad Jo. But you’ll forgive me right Taralara??
Photo Credit: Me, William Scott/allposters.com and edited at the fabulous picnik.com
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July 21st, 2010 at 7:47 am
Beautiful photos! It felt so magical just to look at them!
July 21st, 2010 at 8:01 am
Day 3, above the loch down to your right. Was really pretty.
July 21st, 2010 at 10:06 am
I have that picture in my kitchen!
July 21st, 2010 at 11:40 am
It’s gorgeous isn’t it? Makes me feel all calm and happy. Or do you mean the witch one?? ;D
July 21st, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Who’s that witch?
Relieved to see it is not just me who talks to fairies, Jo. Some people don’t believe they are real, which I find very shocking.
July 21st, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Hi Jo, I especially like the first photo. We’re loving ‘The Bog Baby’ at the moment, set in just such a wood.
July 21st, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Lovely pics – but what does it say about me that the last one just makes me feel terrified?! Too many films I suppose, like Blair Witch Project, Sleepy Hollow and a gazillion others that just give me general feeling of forest-unease.Having that in the bathroom would give me heeby-jeebies at night!
July 21st, 2010 at 1:51 pm
I forgive you JoBo – and the witch is NOT me!
July 22nd, 2010 at 7:18 am
Lovely photographs. I do like the last one a lot and would like to walk there myself, but I’d like to walk in your photograph too, although I don’t have the energy and power to do Hadrian’s Walk.
July 22nd, 2010 at 1:27 pm
How wonderful! I really enjoyed reading this. I’ve got photo envy now too!
July 22nd, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Great photos, love the last one so much
))
July 24th, 2010 at 6:56 am
Ooooh I absolutely love all these photos! Fantastic!
July 31st, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Oh Jo, that last picture is just magical… I love it!! The top photo is also in the same league though you know. Maybe a little bit of Tara has embedded itself in my head as I’m starting to love pictures of trees!!
August 3rd, 2010 at 7:23 pm
wow… it is fantastic photos.
i like to take a picture trees and nature