Thoughts in Darrick Wood - Covid 19

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 01 May 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) The peace and calm which has descended upon Darrick Wood has also pervaded the locality. The number of motor vehicles driving about has descended considerably and it reminds me of the 1960s. We have far fewer jet planes flying over our house even though we live near Biggin Hill Airport. When I was a teenager in the 1960s, I could play a record without being disturbed by traffic. Music was reproduced electro-mechanically and the most popular method of playing music was with a turntable and a long-playing vinyl record at 33 rpm or a 45rpm single. The concept of playing music from a digital file downloaded from the internet did not exist. All audio-visual reproduction was analogue rather than digital. Most homes only had one television, one radio and perhaps a record player. I played a couple of LPs from the 1960s yesterday at reduced volume levels to remind me of what I was missing. ...

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 30 April 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) When I go for a stroll in Darrick wood, I often daydream about walking the coastal path in Pembrokeshire which has some of the most rewarding views of anywhere in the world. In autumn, the seals are giving birth to their pups which can be seen on beaches which are inaccessible to humans. Atlantic grey seals are as emblematic as any other creature and they are on the doorstep of the residents. I never tire of seeing them either in the flesh or in my dreams. Pensées dans Darrick Wood par Trevor Morgan 30 avril 2020 Lorsque je me promène dans le bois de Darrick, je rêve souvent de marcher sur le sentier côtier du Pembrokeshire, qui offre des vues parmi les plus enrichissantes du monde.   En automne, les phoques donnent naissance à leurs petits, qui peuvent être vus sur des plages inaccessibles aux humains. Les phoques gris de l’Atlantique sont aussi emblématiqu...

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 29 April 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) It always comes as a shock to me when it starts raining again after a significant period of sunny and dry weather. Initially, I am reluctant to go out for a walk until I get used to the rain again. At times like this I like to visit the sea. I never tire of visiting the sea even if there is a storm brewing. Unfortunately, a visit to the sea is not possible during social confinement even though it is only thirty miles away. The social confinement is now beginning to wear people down, hopefully everyone will remain calm. Pensées dans Darrick Wood par Trevor Morgan 29 avril 2020 Pour moi, c’est toujours un choc lorsqu’il recommence à pleuvoir après une période importante de temps ensoleillé et sec.   Au début, je suis réticent à sortir pour une promenade jusqu’à ce que je m’habitue à la pluie à nouveau.   Dans des moments comme celui-ci, j’aime visiter la mer. ...

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 28 April 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) The one thing I miss the most about not being to get out and about is the conviviality of meeting friends and family in a café, a restaurant, a wine bar or a pub. I am afraid that WhatsApp and Zoom video calls are not a good substitute for me, in fact this type of virtual reality reminds me on what I am missing – the authenticity of meeting people in real life. The audio on such calls is insufficient to convey non-verbal information; the full tone of voices is either incomplete or distorted by poor audio reproduction, so they lack subtleness. Likewise, the video lacks perspective and perfect colour rendition so it is difficult to perceive subtle facial expressions. Also, such interaction reminds me of some dire audio or audio-visual conference calls that I have had during my working life. One conference call included someone in a children’s playground and another person at an air...

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 27 April 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) I often think of my late father as I walk around Darrick Wood; he was a lover of nature too. I often think of one of his favourite expressions when he saw politicians and their sycophantic administrators that fawn around them, whilst they all dissimulate at press conferences. He used to say, “bullshit baffles brains”. Pensées dans Darrick Wood par Trevor Morgan 27 avril 2020 Je pense souvent à mon défunt père alors que je marche autour de Darrick Wood;   il était aussi un amoureux de la nature. Je pense souvent à l’une de ses expressions préférées quand il voit des politiciens et leurs administrateurs sycophantes qui se faufilent autour d’eux, alors qu’ils se cachent tous lors de conférences de presse. Il avait l’habitude de dire « la foutaise déroute l’intelligence». http://friendsofdarrickandnewsteadwoods.co.uk/

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 26 April 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) Spring is in full swing in Darrick wood and we are having an exceptionally hot and dry period after tremendous rain. Just being here lifts my spirits, the roads and the surrounding area are much quieter and there is a feeling of peace and tranquillity -most of the time. Pensées dans Darrick Wood par Trevor Morgan 26 avril 2020 Le printemps bat son plein dans le bois de Darrick et nous traversons une période exceptionnellement chaude et sèche après d’énormes pluies. Le simple fait d’être ici me remonte le moral; les routes et les environs sont beaucoup plus calmes et il y a un sentiment de paix et de tranquillité - la plupart du temps. http://friendsofdarrickandnewsteadwoods.co.uk/

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 23 April 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) We have a lot of agricultural land in the nearby vicinity of Darrick Wood, but we have very few cattle. The London Borough of Bromley has the most farmland of any other Borough. The thought of cattle sets my mind wandering to the beautiful French Island of Corsica. This island is one of the jewels of the Mediterranean. You can see that there are many influences especially French and Italian. Many of the local people speak Corsican which, to me resembles a mixture of Italian and French, but it is a dialect shared with the Italian people on the other side of the Ligurian sea. The island has international and historical importance. Napoleon Bonaparte was born there in 1769. Horatio Nelson visited Corsica but not as a tourist; he lost his right eye from shrapnel wounds during the siege of Calvi in 1794. The cattle of Corsica have no interest in history or the glories and disasters of war...

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 25 April 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) Darrick wood is a confined space, but nowhere near as confined as a back garden. An apartment balcony is a miniscule space. The covid-19 confinement is now taking its toll mentally. I liken it to house arrest. We are lucky we have some green space in our garden to exercise and we have plenty of green space all around us to go for a walk or run. We can now hear the dawn chorus so much better which cheers us up. We are lucky. It is important, however, to spare some thoughts to those who are confined in an apartment or on their own. It must be worse still for people confined in nursing homes or hospitals. I am fearful that the UK statistics for death in care homes will be in their thousands when they are finally released next Tuesday. The older people in care homes and their carers have unfortunately been neglected. This does not reflect well upon our society. The resources to help everyo...

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 24 April 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) We went to Canada in 2005 to visit some friends in the state of Quebec. They lived near the Gatineau Park. The park is a fantastic wildlife reserve with black bears, white-tailed deer, beavers, bald eagles and wolves. We did not get to see a wolf as these cautious creatures have powerful senses of smell and hearing and they are able to keep well clear of human beings – I wonder why? One day we paid a visit to the park and near the fire station we saw an eagle soaring above. The lenses on our cameras were not powerful enough to take a photo but we could see the eagle clearly. It was a golden eagle, a raven was harassing it, so we could easily gauge the relative sizes. We reported our sighting to the park ranger who said we were mistaken as golden eagles were exceedingly rare in this part of the world. He insisted we had seen a bald eagle. I replied that we regularly see golden eagle...

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 21 April 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) We do not see peregrine falcons in Darrick wood but some of the falconers nearby fly them. The environment in our woods is not suitable for the hunting tactics of the falcon and they would have to compete with sparrow hawks. Much of the coastline of the UK can support this iconic bird. The French coastline is also colonised by peregrine falcons and it was in Yport were we saw a dramatic chase. Yport is on the north coast of Normandy and it has steep white cliffs made of chalk. On a recent trip we were walking on the coastal path. Above us was a flock of rock doves who were flying fast and performing aerobatics. Suddenly, a peregrine falcon appeared, and it was hunting the doves using horizontal flight rather than diving at the flock. The falcon could fly faster and was soon penetrating the flock. The doves were flying faster and faster and were swerving to avoid being caught. I could not...