[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 26 February 2024].
a nice pear
visions from the big tree
untitled #246
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 24 December 2021].
the big tree
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 8 December 2021].
you're living all over me
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 3 December 2021].
shelf life
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 12 November 2021].
moss yew like crazy
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 15 June 2021].
Sometimes obsessively checking in on Swarm pays off.
A couple of weeks ago, wandering around the churchyard at St Andrew's in Totteridge with my camera, I checked in on Swarm. As my check-in was recorded, I was tipped off that I was within metres of possibly the oldest tree in London.
A tree that, to be honest, I would likely have overlooked otherwise. But I was so pleased I didn't, as it was so much more interesting (and photogenic) than I realised until I got closer to it.
The yew tree in the churchyard is believed to be 2,000 years old. If true, that would make it the oldest tree in London. It is considered one of the Great Trees of London either way.
Though inclined to tree-climbing as a child, it's been a long time since I've felt the urge or the confidence to attempt such things. This tree and its boughs felt somehow tempting and welcoming, though I resisted the urge to climb into its arms.
Instead, I settled for capturing some abstract details of the trunk, the moss upon its surface, and the whorled and distorted shapes it presented to my lens.
Its shapes and colours reminded me of an oil slick. A terrain map. An aerial view of another planet.