Magnolia

Another stunner of a day :)

After work I headed off for a walk and found myself drawn towards Isel Park, a local park full of big old trees which had (apparenlty!) received a severe beating at the hands of the recent storm. Each time I've been there since the storm there has been a somewhat intimidating notice on the gates warning about entering the park and threatening fines and such.

Today the signs were still there - but then I spotted a couple of ladies in there walking about and NOT being chased by batoned guards! That seemed like an open invitation to me so I too went in......... It turned out we weren't the only ones in there! I spotted about a dozen others so I think I'll be heading back there again!

Anyway, once inside I simply couldn't believe the devastation that was all around. I did a wedding photo shoot down there about 3 years ago - the difference between that idyllic setting and the bomb-site look of today was heart breaking. Trees with trunks of over a metre diameter had been snapped like matchsticks; 30-metre high trees had been uprooted and blown over , crashing through everything in their paths; historic trees of 100-plus years were either completely downed or had branches ripped from them. By the time the clean-up is finished the park is going to look so empty........it's so sad.

This park was one of my favourite spring time locations with all the colourful azaleas, rhodedendrons, bluebells etc. Thye're still evident but so many have suffered so much damage.......this magnolia was a fortunate survivor - very fortunate!

PS This YouTube video is of another tree incident in Nelson during the same July 30th storm........!!!!