Force of Nature

Well, if yesterday's weather was wet & miserable, at least it was consistent. Inconsistency was the name of the game today; we had everything. Not even a matter of 'four seasons in one day' more like 'four seasons in the space of a few minutes'.

The heavy rain of the morning turned to bright sunshine but, just as it looked like a good day for a walk, we had a ferocious hailstorm in this part of central Scotland, followed a few minutes later by the benign sunshine once more. Lest we be drawn into a false sense of security, the hail returned in frequent bursts and at one point it was snow that seemed to be falling in its place. The only constant was the buffeting wind which gusted and howled most of the morning and afternoon.

I had decided to go for a walk round Callendar Park in Falkirk, a frequent haunt, this afternoon and moments of pleasant strolling in the sun were followed by moments where my rain jacket had every button clicked and every strip of Velcro fastened. It was as if spring and winter were playing games of 'catch me if you can'.

At one spot in the woods I came across this overturned tree. Looking at the roots, it must have been some force of gale that blew it down. But the way that the upper branches are now positioned reminded me of a person's arms or legs after they had tripped on an object or slipped on some ice. It was as if the tree had flung out its upper limbs to break its fall, or perhaps in a vain appeal for assistance.

A reminder of the force of nature; a force to be reckoned with whether human or arboreal.