A sad Sabbath walk

Moses telling of creation:

“So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God created he him;

male and female created he them.

And God blessed them , and God said : ” Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it… work with it, says Sandy. Genesis 1 ( All science needs a ‘spot’ of faith, and this does too. It is faith that God gives me ” I believe, help my unbelief.“

So here is yesterday’s Sabbath Walk in five photographs the fourth a collage.

It seemed like five miles because of the grey close or clammy feel of the air and the rather steep ups and downs of the land.

Walking always brings joys and this did too, but I choose to focus on the warning signs.

I will show you each photograph and then give you some facts and a link.

‘ Remember that life’s big changes rarely give advanced warning.’

H. Jackson Brown Jr.

‘One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warnings.’

James Russell Lowell

‘ History is a vast early warning system.’

Norman Cousins

The first sign on a beautiful trail.

Warning

‘ Ash dieback disease weakens the structure of Ash trees and causes the trees to become unstable. It is now present throughout this site and poses a significant threat to public safety.

Visitors should be vigilent  at all times on the site to the risk of falling trees.

We advise avoiding visiting during high winds.’

Here are some facts I found.

Ash dieback is a chronic fungal disease of ash trees in Europe.

Here is its progression through time in Europe:

1992 Poland

Mid 1990s Lithuania, Latvia,Estonia

2008 Scandinavia, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland.

2012 Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg,  the Netherlands, Romania, Russia

February 2012 Britain and Ireland.

By 2016, it was already identified in central Norway, the northernmost distribution area of the ash tree.

Mortality rate:

85%  in plantations

69% in woodlands

It is particularly destructive to young ash plants, killing them within one season of initial symptoms becoming visible. Older trees succumb after several seasons.

A Lithuanian trial has identified resistant trees. This is a viable strategy but will take decades to replace the loss.

How to spot the signs and symptoms of ash dieback. This is a forestry commission posting on youtube if you would like to know more.

The second sign.

I unfortunately blurred this second sign, but here is what it says:

‘ Oak processionary moth OPM caterpillars and nests could be in this area.

The caterpillars of OPM are pests of oak trees and a hazard to human and animal health.’

We didn’t see any caterpillars, as they come out in April while the moths could have been there but live a short time and are well camouflaged. Sadly, the oak trees didn’t look healthy. Large populations can strip trees bare, leaving them weak and vulnerable to other threats.

The moth now has an established population in the UK. The eggs arrived on oak imported to the Richmond and Ealing areas of London in 2006, and the range of the species in the UK has been steadily expanding despite efforts to get rid of it.

Oak processionary moth . This is a helpful link from the forestry commission.

My conclusion is that Gormley’s naked men may stand rising and sinking into the landscape with their arms by their sides, noting the passing of time in a significant provoking manner.

But!

Man can not afford the luxury of keeping his arms by his side. He needs to bend his face to the earth and work with his hands.

It is still a beautiful Earth!

‘ It takes considerable knowledge just to realise the extent of your own ignorance.’

Unknown to me.

I appreciate the postings I read on WP. Thank you.

Take care,

Happy Sunday.

Sandy 🙂