My walk to uni
We are very blessed to live in a location not too far out of the city (distance-wise that is, time-wise it is a completely different matter!) that is surrounded by forest. While we have to live in a concrete jungle of high-rise buildings, it really helps with the adjustment to apartment life that I have to walk through the forest to get to uni.
The walk is about 2 kilometres, which takes me 20 minutes on a fine, sunny day, and up to 40 minutes when the ground is icy and slippery. I could catch the bus, but given that the bus which goes around to uni can take up to 45 minutes to come (and there is no timetable), I prefer to walk rather than stand in one spot freezing my tush off! My daily walk varies between confident strides and truncated, tentative shuffles. At least it is not dull 🙂
We have been here just on 3 months now, and in that time I have seen the forest go through many changes. Sometimes it is s0 beautiful that my phone camera just cannot do it justice. One day I hope to have an SLR to better capture the things that take my breath away.
It is sadly disappointing that not everyone treats the forest with respect. The forest is also a destination for locals to build little campfires and cook shashlik. Unfortunately, many of them do not take their rubbish home, and so the paths can be littered with the detritus of some long forgotten event. People also take their dogs for walks through the forest, and I don’t think anyone in this town has even heard of a pooper-scooper, let alone used one. That, and the many homeless dogs that wander through make for a bit of an obstacle course on occasion. The snow mercifully covers the signs of disregard, but the thaws reveal again what is simply hidden, not gone. Makes me think of many life parallels…
Anyway, I have posted several photos to share with you what I get to experience almost daily. Enjoy!
This lush undergrowth is beautiful, but in the warmer months it can also harbour ticks carrying deadly bacteria if the forest has not been sprayed.
Which way now???
Someone’s party remains
I just don’t know how people can do this 🙁
The squirrels are mostly hiding now, but this one was busy collecting food while the sun still shone!
The summer green is beginning to fade
The path is getting difficult…
Something Russia is very good at – puddles!
Less than three weeks into Autumn and the frosts have begun.
The leaves are turning
The forest floor
Leaves in a puddle
- Within the space of a month we went from balmy days and green leaves, through autumn and into the beginnings of winter!
Within the space of a month we went from balmy days and green leaves, through autumn and into the beginnings of winter!
Snow is beautiful. Until it melts and turns to slippery ice.
A little like Christmas? This Aussie girl is trying to convince herself 🙂