This blog has been written by Emma Andrews, a local resident who has taken some amazing photos of the George Fentham Arboretum. Many thanks Emma for submitting your thoughts.
I’ve not written a blog before, but there’s a first time for everything and I’m a big advocate of trying something new at least once (unless I might die, I usually think twice then!) This ramble of mine is to celebrate the beautiful Fentham Trust Arboretum. I have visited this wonderful place regularly for the last 10 years or so; since moving to the Midlands from North Yorkshire it’s been a bit of a saviour. I need green, nature, trees etc to keep myself steady, and this place did that for me. It’s easy to see how….
I have taken many a photo of the Arboretum over the years and thought a good place to start a celebration of it was to talk about the differences in the seasons. Everyone feels differently about all seasons, some like the heat, others less so. I find that while I have likes and dislikes about all seasons, as far as the natural world goes, they’re all amazing. This lovely little piece of the world showcases that beautifully. As we’re in the back end of Autumn at the moment, lets start there and work our way through the year back to Summer. As far as the seasons go, Autumn is one of my favourites, because you quite simply cannot beat the colours that happen all over our country. The
Arboretum is a prime example of this, and the variety in trees show this off fantastically well. Just look at the different colours on this one tree!
What gets added to that, is the very changeable weather, and the inevitable moodiness of the sky. Not too long back, I caught this wonderful sight on camera, of the colourful trees, a cloudy sky and a hint of a rainbow.
Like I said, hard to beat! However, following on from Autumn, we move into most
peoples least favourite season, although I still love it, Winter. When you see the first frost on the Autumnal leaves, it’s quite a special sight. This photo of one of my very favourite trees (check out the texture on those leaves!!) sums that up quite well, I think.
There are other gorgeous photo opportunities too. I have several photos from here that could easily be turned into a Christmas card, if I had the gumption to do things like that! My dog, Daisy, is my usual faithful companion around the place; occasionally my husband decides to join me too, but he’s less excited by the smells! Last winter, I saw this picture, as she went and sat by the trees herself. 
Obviously I had to put her back in position when I got the camera out, as she wandered off almost instantly, but the original sight was organic! It’s one I keep meaning to have printed large and on a wall, when I have the time and motivation to do stuff to the house!
And then, finally for Winter, there are the fruits that keep the birds and insects, as well as the photographers, happy. I can’t resist a naturally frosted fruit!
Then….the dark mornings and nights come, and photo opportunities are more limited…although this is more because I work full time in my day job, and then I’m tired and it’s cold and dark when I can get myself out and about; to be honest I get a bit lazy and enjoy the cosy dark nights at home. But once Christmas is over with, and the days start to get a touch longer, we have the very start of spring and sunrises to look forward to. Those early early Spring sunrises are a thing that cheers up my soul after the darkness of Winter, as I know they mean new life is on the way!
Then….Spring springs! As I mentioned earlier, Autumn is one of my favourites, however, seeing the new flowers shooting up, the bright happy colours and the days starting to lengthen mean that Spring is up there with it. I’m not going to ramble too much about Spring, because I think the pictures speak for themselves on how amazing this is. The woods and fields get carpeted with gorgeous wildflowers and the sun shines more often.
See the bluebells….
Wildflower meadows….
Happy little buttercup carpets….
Then, once the days are properly longer, Summer starts. Now, I’m a little controversial, in that Summer is probably my least favourite season. This is nothing to do with the natural world, really, and more just that I don’t handle high heats well; that’s the Northern genes for you! What I do love about it though, is the sunshine and the way it makes everything looks just lush and green and beautiful.
The woods start to dry out a bit and you can spend more time in them, which Daisy really loves (she likes to chase squirrels and the like round the bottom of trees).
And finally, I can’t blog about the Arboretum and not mention that gorgeous little lake. The reflections off it are a photographers dream during the summer, and as a nature lover, the tadpoles, mini frogs, dragonflies and any number of other creatures just make it feel alive.
And then, we come full circle, back to where we are now in the stunning colours of autumn.
If you’ve read this far, thank you for taking the time to listen to my very first ramble about the beauty of the local area. I hope I can bend your ears through this medium more often and show off the fantastic work that the George Fentham Trust do with this little piece of heaven.
Check it out for yourself, and if you also want to rave about the loveliness you find, drop me a line!