We Spring Back Into Hazelwood

Yay! Our first 'Bards In The Woods' for 2016 on Sunday, 6th March, in Hazelwood, first day of National Tree Week.

Some of our regulars had gone off to other events and the weather forecast was not great. Teresa from Boyle asked me for a car share seat, so I knew it would be at least two of us. On arrival, a bit early, some people were waiting for us. This was a lovely surprise as nearly everybody is a few minutes late. While waiting I took some pics from the car park to capture the mood of now.

Not as cold as I expected but there was a lingering threat of drizzle and a lot of grey colouring in the landscape ...


Some more of the subtle grey colours here ..


A child with his father feeding the ducks and other birds. They must have been there awhile as Hubert turned up to join us later and he captured some lovely pics of these two also ...


His father is not in that pic though, but notice that dead wood on the shore like some sculpture left behind.

Here is how that wood was two years ago, very dragon-like ...


and this one from last year ...


We start the fascination for the trees, but for some reason not all people with us managed to get into the photographs. There was a lovely gentle lady from near Tobbercurry, Jenny, who is missing from the pics.

There were six of us starting off, and six more caught up with us later.  From the 12, 6 came to us through MeetUp, 3 through Facebook, 2 from the Moylurg Writer's and 1 was a referral through someone in Dromahair.


Here is Teresa and Barbara looking at something of wonder?


With hoods up it must have seemed cold or a start of a light drizzle. ...

But they were looking at the 'Elephant Tree' ...


Some of us were fascinated by a Sweet Chestnut tree that had fallen, rotted, yet fresh branches were born, lifted to the sky and became a new regenerated tree :-)


The drizzle came in and created a lovely ghostly view from one of my favourite viewpoints here ...


Fionula, Michael and their son Dominic from Ballyhaunis then caught up with us ...


We moved along the loughside path and past the folly cairn that everyone loves ... 


At the next turn off everyone voted to take the return path to get back to the cars and picnic.

As we took that path we met up with Hubert, and this is the first of his pics, on this path ... 

 pic by Hubert Flanagan

Lots of lovely woodland colours along here, where autumn colours meet spring colours before the autumn totally vanishes. 


A few wooden sculptures still remain here ...


Hubert took a lovely portrait pic of Barbara ..

pic by Hubert Flanagan

and of Teresa ...

pic by Hubert Flanagan

 and then we met up with our kind regulars, Violet and George

pic by Hubert Flanagan

and then we started to set up for picnic :-)

pic by Hubert Flanagan

and we enjoyed a picnic ... through a mere modicum of drizzle


A couple of bird pics taken by Hubert ...

pic by Hubert Flanagan

pic by Hubert Flanagan

Before leaving Hazelwood, I explored a little more and found this pond near the car park. Wondering if it is a pond or an overflowing spring well ...


Maybe I will find out more next time :-)


You may also enjoy reading about our past 
Bards In The Woods meet-ups at Dooney Rock Forest ...

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