The Sleeping giant wakes today
Or perchance it merely stirs.
The trees of Durlston creek and sway
In the storm that now occurs
The giant shifts in its repose
Perhaps a troubled dream?
I hope it returns to a deeper doze
And the weather shall be serene
The park was under siege from heavy winds today – with an average speed of 33mph and gusts of up to 56mph, comfortably within gale territory. The trees and shrubs were all quivering under this withering assault. The handsomely decorated Norwegian Spruce outside the Learning Centre being no exception. A lot of the trees in the park were supporting flourishing patches of Oakmoss, and extremely misleading name for a Lichen species.
Traveling through Large Copse, I admired the fresh log footpath border currently under construction by some of our volunteers, which supported a few Hairy Stearum fungi. Several Magpies and Carrion Crows fluttered about, but most birds seemed to be keeping a low profile. The only others I spotted out on my excursion were a single Stonechat, barely keeping airborne and a Common Gull which seemed to be flying backwards (I imagine unintentionally).
I had several instances where I had to fight to stay upright, especially on the clifftop, the Downland and in Brian Johnson Meadow where I was nearly blown over climbing a style. I spotted a few Brown Garden Snails and Banded Snails on the grass below, blissfully ignorant of the maelstrom above.
The ocean was moving with a very deliberate purpose down by the Tilly Whim caves. Each wave crashed against the shore in sequence, foam and spray launching high into the air. I stood on the hill above the blowhole, hoping to see a spout, but after a few near stumbles I set off again. A Rock Pipit took off into the headwind, was blown back a few meters and then immediately thought better of the idea, landing swiftly on the rocks again. I think I’ll follow its example today.