Photo-a-Day  (Thursday, 9th January, 2020)

I was knocking on that door for a full hour the other day. theres no one in...

You can talk sense to a man with a wooden leg. But not a wooden head.

I like the top right, it reminds me of cartoon character the door mouse.

knock knock'

Aww I love the fairy door....it reminds me of The Magic Faraway Tree.

As soon as I saw the top right photo, my mind went straight back to The Babies' Class, (as we used to call Reception) at Ince Central School. and the first poem I ever learned there...."Someone came a-knocking at my wee, small door". I have never forgotten it and can still say it.

There's an issue here. Fair enough if the tree bark is already removed eg by disease, but to remove the bark of a healthy tree to create these carvings is vandalism of the worst kind.

If the keeper from the 1950s was still around the tree carvers would be travelling in space from a boot up the backside.

Let's just say there's more art/craft in those carvings than the bald headed dummy sweeping the stick over the floor.
My favourite is the door, even without a latch!
Well done for capturing the 'collection'

Good thinking, JJ. And I feel it quite likely that the artist would have been given a knowing nod beforehand. The carving at top-right is the winner for me, while the other three have something of the Burne-Jones about 'em'. Thanks Harry.

I have a crabapple tree with a great lump of bark missing owing to damage caused by another tree falling. It happened about fifteen years ago, no effect on trees health whatsoever. Maybe I should do a carving.

The more I see these carvings the more I think they look like Fairy -story book illustrations!

Borsdane Friends Group commissioned the wood carvings (16 in total) from a nationally recognised local tree carver with Brighter Boroughs funding. There is no lasting harm to the trees, and the kids and their families who do the Nature Trail Worksheets (available at Hindley and Aspull Libraries) absolutely love them!

Walked through Borsdane Wood yesterday and saw these.Lots of toddlers with parents looking at them.

those trees will die in a few years

Unfortunately so will some of WW posters janet. :(

Have faith Janet. I'd seen Ray Mears plug the hole in the tree that he'd once drawn sap from, and heared him say that the wound would heal nicely - poor lad must have been spittin' fithers.

Nice photos and very interesting. When I was a young kid I visited (about six times) Borsdane Wood, starting at the Aspull side, on entering the Wood I would get a strong feeling of foreboding, I can't explain it , but it did happen each time I went there. Perhaps that is why I only went so few times. Perhaps the Rev. could make a comment?

No lasting harm I hear you say ,
And the children adore them as they pass by
this way,
What kind of message do we teach to our young ,
Carve into that tree, don’t worry it’s strong ,
Why can’t we leave things and accept what they are ,
door for the Fairies ? But I just see scar...

Old Love

We carved our names on solid elm,
The initials told how our hearts did feel.
Now that ancient tree has never fell,
And our names in the bark have never healed,
Though once they cut an orange hue,
They're faded now like me and you.

Ken, I know exactly what you mean about Borsdane Wood. We used to take our dogs through and I got the same feeling of foreboding. I used to feel I was being watched from entering to leaving, I would never have walked through alone. I'm glad it's not just me who experienced that.

Folk stop in their tracks, without alarm,
Carvings on tree trunks,symbols of charm,
Only impressions, indented to last,
Adorned with care and beauty to blend with the past...

This is all because of film shows like Lord of the Rings and soft mothers, some of these soft mothers are hanging all sorts of stuff from the trees in the Fairy Glen wood in Appley Bridge

Thanks all, sorry for the delay only just seen it, H.