The shadow of trees in winter

2-trees

Sometimes you go through life and at a certain point – you start to notice something, that had always been there, but for some reason you never paid any attention to.

There are many things all around us, that can easily pass us by – but then something subtly changes, and we start to appreciate it. There have been many things, from classical music to meditation and aspects of nature, that for a long time I didn’t recognise, but at a certain point, you develop an appreciation for, and then you wonder why you never noticed before.

Winter

Winter is always that quiet cold few months, where you impatiently wait for flowers to bloom and trees to come into leaf. Winter in the UK can be on the dismal side – grey skies, wet and windy. There is always part of you wishing the winter away.

tree-silhouette

However, there is a different kind of beauty in winter. Usually, when I’m cycling, I have my head down, training hard – trying to keep the average speed up. But, sometimes I take it easier and have the relaxation to look at the scenery. In winter it can be quite bleak, but this winter, I have become fascinated at the simple beauty of bare trees illuminated against the sky. It is not the abundance of spring or summer, but it has its own beauty of nature’s contrasts.

tree-shadow-2

Rather than wishing away winter, when cycling around, I’ve taken a keen interest in looking for the bare shadows of trees. Rather than complaining at the barrenness of a Cotswolds winter, I have enjoyed ‘tree spotting’ – looking for the variation of shadows, shapes and complexities of the twisting branches, which, despite all nature’s twists and turns, still manage to come together to create that wonderful dome. A silhouette of avant-garde branches, creating the perfect geometry of the trees shape and crown.

tree-sunset