An Old Oak Tree.

For a while now, I’ve been less than happy with the cover for The Portal Between. The designer didn’t use the tree I wanted, and the resulting cover, although good when it was made, isn’t quite right any more.

Then, when preparing Kate’s interview for the Osier Direct bonus material, I started reading through it again. I’m feeling the need for a re-edit and a fresh edition. Which will require a new cover.

Did I mention that I moved house recently-ish? I’ve gone from the heart of English deciduous woodland, Sherwood and many, many Old Oak trees that I could have photographed…. to South Wales.

Not quite so many Old Oak trees here.

Or so I thought after a weekend of wandering round the local country park and finding only a couple of tiny saplings not even as tall as I am. Plenty of other species, lots of beech, including copper. But sadly, not the copper beech that inspired a scene in The Portal Sundered, that one’s recently fallen. I sat on the broken trunk and felt the loss. It was a beautiful tree, massive and old, and with a curving twist to the trunk.

But, trees grow, age and fall. Then new trees grow. Exactly as it should be.

However, no oak trees.

I’ve walked up and down the local Cwm several times. Back and forth to the garage as we try to work out what the problem is with my car. I’ve spotted holly, rowan, possibly young beech, some conifers, willow of various types.

So, on Sunday the car warning alarm went off, again. Straight back to the garage on Monday. Can you drop it in on Tuesday and we’ll take a look.

Mutter, grumble. Dropped it off on Tues, walked home via a nice man, lots of chickens, a horse, 2 dogs and the hairdressers to make an appointment. So I didn’t walk home through the Cwm. On Tues afternoon the garage called to say they can’t find anything wrong with the car and they think it was an air bubble and it’s now cleared.

Off through the Cwm to fetch the car.

And there they were.

Oak trees. Old, large, imposing, Oak trees.

One I’ve loved since I first saw it but had convinced myself, before it came into leaf, that it wasn’t an oak. Two more large trees, and a scattering of tiny babies and saplings.

Today I spent over an hour, with 2 cameras, taking lots of pictures. I have over 100. This is a splat of a few of my favourites. I think, somewhere among them, I may have the source image for a new cover.