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Field recording: Harmonica and a playground
Everything and nothing is normal.
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Everything and nothing is normal.
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Note: I’ve included points about edibility because I’m interested in foraging generally, but foraging is not allowed the area I describe.
We went to Stinson Beach again recently, have got in to a good routine of leaving early enough to just barely beat the crowds and get a decent parking spot, but not so early that it’s a slog to get out of the apartment.
This time, we walked up Dipsea Trail to a lookout point with a large, lone eucalyptus tree with a tree swing. It was a little over two miles round trip with about a 500ft elevation change, nearly all uphill out and all downhill back. The first section follows a little stream from Panoramic Highway through a grove of California Bay Laurel trees which bent over the path. It was quite damp and cool even though it was getting pretty warm elsewhere, smelled amazing.
A note about California Bay Laurel: The leaves are edible, but they tend to be much stronger than the stuff you buy in shops. Proceed with caution if using for stock or something similar.
The rest of the way was more open, with terrain that reminded us a little of the moors in Yorkshire. A lot sunnier though!
Flowers we saw (native plants are linked to the Calscape website for further info):
And a few more I just have not been able to identify…
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This past Saturday, I went on a guided foraging walk with Daisy in east London. Got way too much sun!
It was so helpful to have a guide. I’ve considered just trying it with a book, but it’s hard to beat being able to ask questions and watch the way someone else watches. It reminds me of learning how to draw or paint, part of learning how it works is learning how to change your perspective. So it’s useful to observe the way someone else sees things. I’d still like to get a good book about it, but now I feel like I have a better idea of what I’d like to get out of that book.
The walk was from 10:30am to 2:30pm with one bathroom break but pretty much no other stops. Didn’t really need to stop for lunch since we were grazing anyway, but we did pause at the floating bakery. I had one of the best muffins I’ve ever had, felt like I needed to lie down afterward. He’s open Friday to Sunday, worth checking where he’s at online since he moves around a little.
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Went on a great walk in Epping Forest with SB over Easter weekend. It was ridiculously nice out for April.
See below for the route we took, very roughly speaking. Next time I think we’ll explore some of the northern bits, supposedly that takes you through farmers’ fields.
Map from Google
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There was a really bad fire in Wanstead Flats in July. We walked past the charred area today, all of the trees are sticks of charcoal. There are a few tiny plants starting to pop up though.
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