Notes from April Cottage in September

This has been a wonderful month for photography. Warm sunny days with increasing amounts of mist in the mornings and hardly any wind. These are perfect conditions for both garden and landscape photography.

I have been concentrating on getting to know the landscape of the Sussex Weald and Downs near April Cottage as well as seeking out ancient and champion trees. There are a good number of ancient yews in small village churchyards near me and all but one that I have seen so far have been female. As they become hollow over the centuries they take on increasingly sculptural qualities as well as a presence that is undeniable and very moving. The most ancient trees remind me of The Ents from Lord of The Rings and I feel that if I was able to spend long enough with them, they might become aware enough of me to communicate.

It has been a wonderful year for fruit and there is a very old plum tree in a corner of the garden which has produced many tiny cream yellow fruits this year. I sent a photograph of it to my friend Peter Collet who says it is a variety called Mirabelle de Nancy. It is always a pleasure to be able to put a name to something unknown in the garden. A name lost when the person who planted it moves on.