Aspen and Avatar

Today I manage to tag along on a TFL trip to Dundreggan.  Alan and Mick are going to a meeting with the FCS, Jane is along for a meeting with Steve, and Dan is going to take me Aspen root collecting.

Jane comes with us in the morning, and we set off to find GM47 (Glen Moriston stand no 47).  Some quality map reading later and a long walk into the woods near Ceannacroc Lodge and we find the Aspen stand.  Dan shows us how to take samples and then takes a GPS reading and some photos of the stand.

Aspen send out suckers to create new trees.  It is rare that they flower and produce seeds, but they can send out large numbers of suckers. As a result, a group of Aspen trees, like those we’ve found today, are usually all part of the same “clone”.

After taking the GPS reading Dan realises that we are nearly 3 km away from where we’re meant to be.  But this is good news!  We’ve been taking samples (19 – a good haul) from a previously undiscovered stand of Glen Moriston Aspen.  It’s time for lunch, so we walk back to the van, feeling somewhat fortunate.

In the afternoon Mick joins us, whilst Jane has her meeting with Steve.  The burn where GM47 is actually growing is spectacular, a narrow gorge headed by a waterfall.  The Aspen stand seems to originate from two very old looking, twisted trees near the top of the gorge.  It’s harder to get samples here, we have to guess where the suckers are and dig for them.  But we collect a few samples and head back to Dundreggan to pick up the others following a successful day.  On the way home all the passengers in the van sleep at one point or another.

Last night myself and Jane went to see Avatar, in 3D.  During the adverts before the film, I felt slightly sick, especially when anything on screen was in the extreme foreground.  However, thankfully, the makers of Avatar have not thrown in too many of these extreme close up moments, and after a couple of minutes of the film I forget these feelings.

I must admit, I loved Avatar.  Life on Pandora is stunning, the 3D worked for me, although it’s maybe not as spectacular is it’s made out to be.  But, more importantly, the story, which millions of people are apparently watching, has a very strong message.  Hopefully, when the kids watching Avatar today, are making tomorrow’s big decisions, they’ll pay heed to what they felt during the film.

If you haven’t seen it, see it at the cinema, in 3D if possible.  Leave your cynicism at the door, immerse yourself in the film and love it for what it is, a simple but well told story with superb visual effects.