Hurry to the forest

The words of a Polish scouting song, which I'd sing over 50 years ago, come to my mind: Bracia skauci, dosyć kurzu, dosyć kurzu łykać nam. Trzeba spieszyć nam do lasu, by wypocząć trochę tam... ("Brother scouts, enough dust. enough dust for us to swallow. We must hurry to the forest, to rest a little there..." A long walk today. Below: following familiar paths, to my jumping-off point. The goal - to get to Rososz, through deep forest, skirting Dąbrowa Duża.

Below: but first, I must skirt Machcin II. My attention is drawn by this field of poppies - the first ones I've seen in any number this season.

Below: this is what I'm after - if there is a beaten track, it's one that's been beaten by hares and deer; this is not marching along a path, this is bending, stooping, clambering, double-backing, jumping ditches - a much slower pace. Although I covered over 14km, I only managed 16 minutes of medium- to high-intensity walking today. This is the kind of progress made when foraging for mushrooms.

In a little shop. I need bread and lentils; as I'm browsing, in pop Pan Heniek and Pan Ziutek. Amiably brusque, Pan Heniek places his order in the voice of a 40-a-day smoker: "Cztery najtańsze." [Four of the cheapest. (beers, obviously).] The shopkeeper, knowing her clientele, reaches for the required bottles and replies "Coś jeszcze?" [Something else?] "Szampon." [Shampoo.] "Jaki?" [Which kind?] she enquires. "Najtańszy." [The cheapest]. And then in pops a boy, obviously sent round by his mum, to buy a jar of mayonnaise. He, too, chooses the cheapest one of the three brands the shopkeeper offered. 

Left: Marian shrine at the convergence of five roads - the unpaved track to Machcin II in shot, to Zbyszków to the left, Dobiecin to the right and two roads into Rososz behind me.

The four people in the shop were the only humans I saw on my walk. Ah - and two tractor drivers seen from a distance.

Wildlife outnumbered humans: I also saw seven cranes; three walked across my path - cranes are massive birds - at first I thought they were runaway emus, but they were just across the way from the wetlands where I've already observed them, though from a greater distance. Further on, I entered a long, rectangular clearing, looked around, and saw a deer, about 80 meters away. It froze - I froze. Slowly my left hand reached for the telephoto zoom in my trouser cargo-pocket, but before I could change lenses, the deer turned, made a near-vertical bound, and disappeared off into the forest. With the long lens on, I could discern at the far end of the clearing another four cranes.

Below: after lunch (sausage, bread, beer) in this relatively less-dense part of the forest, I get on hands and knees to photograph this oak sapling - one of thousands growing here. Few will make it into maturity, destined to be crowded out or cut down.

Below: carved out of the forest of mature cultivated pine trees, a lane designated for the medium-tension power lines running north towards Machcin.

Almost home - the last bit of forest proper from my działka, before it gives way to orchards.

Spending four hours amid the trees, surrounded by nature, by birdsong, away from the traffic and noise and stress of civilisation is supremely good for the old samopoczucie.

Left: bonus shot - yesterday evening; Airbus A320 neo over Jakubowizna, turning into final approach to Okęcie. Play is an Icelandic airline, flying from Keflavik. The red of the plane against the blue and white caught my eye. Today marks the second month of flights of the airline to Warsaw.

This time last year:
Stills from Katowice

This time two years ago:
Prepare to have your horizons broadened

This time 12 years ago:
Szmulowizna

This time 13 years ago:
Jeziorki's Storm of Storms

This time 15 years ago:
How to tell you're flying over Poland

This time 16 years ago:
Poppy fields