When the sun beats down on pine trees, they emit a specific scent... one that conjures up for me hot days by the seaside in France, or by the conifer screen in my parents' garden on Cleveland Road. Below: the wood at the top of the track between Jakubowizna and Machcin II. Out where the pines grow wild and tall. No plague of insects (so far) this summer; very pleasant walking, filled with qualia memories snapping back, congruent and clear.
Below: I wrote recently about the importance of familiarity - this holds true of landscapes. Summers in Jakubowizna remind me both of Sandy Lane, Oxshott Common, Surrey, which my family would often visit throughout my childhood, and of Stella-Plage in northern France, venue for several summer holidays in the 1960s and '70s. The mix of deciduous and coniferous trees growing on sandy soil is very Oxshott Common, the pines in the sand on a hot day very Pas de Calais.
Below: one of my many beloved spots; where the forest (above) gives way to orchards on the track that leads from Machin II to Jakubowizna, the back way.
Below: exactly three months earlier: 3 April, exactly the same spot. Note the difference in leaf cover and consequent increase in shade.
Getting our heads around UFOs
This time four years ago:
Bristol-fashioned
This time five years ago:
The imminent closure of Marks & Spencer in Warsaw
This time nine years ago:
Along mirror'd canyons
This time 11 years ago:
Mad about Marmite
This time 12 years ago:
Komorowski wins second round of Presidential elections?
This time 13 years ago:
A beautiful summer dusk in Jeziorki
This time 13 years ago:
Classic cars, London and Warsaw
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