After the 2nd World War the Forestry Commission planted a lot of pine trees. These pine trees are all over the Blean where I am walking today. I noticed signs saying Forest Operations and the pine trees that had been blown over during the winter storms were now being cleared and logging activities were being carried out in this part of the woods.
The pine trees were always a crop and would be cut down one day and today is that day. I thought the works were just along the edge were the trees had blown over….But….I realise that a corridor as wide, wider than a motorway has been cleared!
In fact it is unrecognisable sky where there were trees, the paths I knew so well totally covered with debris and it looks like Hiroshima in here, completely flattened. It is really difficult to walk across this as deep voids make it more like wading than walking. Cosmo finding it just as difficult but he has found a way of traversing this. Amazing to think that in a couple or years or three this will be unrecognisable again, all growing back. Native trees this time. Birch probably.
Then I see a logging machine, I had seen machines like this many times before and they were called Timber Jacks, but this one was brand new, an upgraded one, a new model. It says John Deere on the side, and has a stag type logo badge. The image of the deer stayed with me and I remebered a strange deer/rabbit creature I drew on more than one occasion, even worked with a chain saw carver to make a sculpture of one.
Me and Cosmo explore it, looks very comfy inside with buttons, levers, handles, reminded me of the bridge on the Enterprise.
I even said aloud ‘Full Screen Mr Sulu’.
Then I thought it reminded me of the giant machines in Avatar which smash, destroy and burn the forests. This was a huge machine with a long hydraulic arm with a powerful multitool on the end.
I found a padlock on a tree stump? To What I could not see. I left it there.
I was enjoying just looking at wood, seeing the equipment and seeing if the wheels on the machine were as tall as me? No.
I have been working with wood at the moment, the wood I’m using is Groyne Timber given to me by Canterbury City Council to make a bench, public seating. I have used Oak to make benches before ….but this….I don’t know what it is called. I have two types a yellow type and a red type.
Here are my drawings and experimental model for the bench.
I think slate is softer than this wood.
The detail on the bench is for a walk another day.
