Wednesday 11 November 2009

Lovely day - not many of them this time of year.







Yet another beautiful day here in Wensleydale - low sun, long shadows, no wind, quite warm.



Tess and I had a lovely walk through the fields - not so good coming back though as I have an eyesight difficulty which means I really can't see when facing into the sun - which meant that I trod in an enormous cowpat! Have left my shoes out to dry in the sun and am hoping that the farmer will take pity on me and clean them for me.



Our field barns, which were a very important part of farm life a century ago - particularly in Winter, when they housed milking cows - are quickly falling into disrepair. The barn in the photograph may look very picturesque with an ash sapling growing through the rafters but really it spells the beginning of the end for two or three of our barns in this same state.



Outside the kitchen window, under the Scots Pines a veritable town of fungi has sprung up over night. If these little clumps are really inhabited by "the little people" then what a lot of activity there must be on our lawn after night has fallen.



A fortnight ago I gave a dinner party and the people coming bought me a lovely bouquet of flowers, most of which are still as good as they were on the day. One of them is this exquisite little ornamental cabbage. Don't you think it is lovely?



I am very busy today as our writers' group are producing a booklet and a group of us are proof reading it today. The worst thing of all is the great mountain of paper which we have to keep sorting through. There is surely an easier way to do it, but if there is then we haven't discovered it. So I must get back to wading through it all (good job I am not having to wade through it in my shoes!)

23 comments:

Unknown said...

Your ornamental cabbage has lovely colours. it looks like it is made of porcelain. Proof reading papers I find to be labor intensive but necessary. I hope you manage to get through it all quickly. I love the photos of the farm. Thank you for posting.

Bovey Belle said...

I envy you that sunshine. We are now in the grey days of the Welsh winter, which come with optional rain . . .

Cat said...

I'm afraid I leave my shoes out for cleaning too. My husband usually takes pity on me but wonders how I manage to step in some of the things I step in.
Have a good time reading!

Tess Kincaid said...

I think the little people are enjoying your moss, too, like a carpet!

Jeannette StG said...

Your first pic is sos interesting (with the tree growing out of the house!). Are you going to eat your ornamental cabbage?

Travis Erwin said...

Love the look of that old rockfall barn.

Heather said...

Thankyou for the kind comment you left for me Weaver. You can buy Moonshadow mists from www.ario.co.uk - they are an Aladdin's cave of gorgeous temptations! Glimmer mists are obtainable from www.graphicus.co.uk.

Leenie said...

Glad your weather is nice enough you can still wander through the fields even if you brought some extra fertilizer back with you. I am curious about the breed of cows in your header. They look so contented. If you have mentioned them earlier please post the link. Thanks

Totalfeckineejit said...

Lovely (but sad) old barn Weaver and a lovely day too.I'm glad not just because you enjoyed it but also because I've noticed that sometimes when you have bright weather we get it the following day.So here's hoping! Also if you spy one of them little people try and catch him ,for if you do he has to tell you where his crock of gold is hidden. Be warned though Weaver, take your eye off him for a split second and he will disappear and his treasure with him.

Naturegirl said...

Sunshine can lift ones spirit as did your comment on my blog recently! Thank you for caring! hugs NG

Dinesh chandra said...

Nice old stone house My Maternal Grand PA also live in such house in the days of warm with their animal, In school holidays I also used to live them. Such houses found, Gharwal in India. I rember the houses very much. I live in Chandigarh, I like the life of countryside very much.

Golden West said...

Love the stone barn!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks Linda. I have tried to grow ornamental cabbages but never had much success.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Bovey Belle - yes Wales seems to get the weather long before us, then it begins to creep over. But surely it is worth the rain for the beautiful scenery.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Cathy - our husbands obviously think along the same lines - that is exactly what mine says!

The Weaver of Grass said...

willow - that moss shouldn't be there really, although I expect for their little feet is must be like a velvet carpet.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Jeannette - I don't think ornamental cabbages are eatable - but am not sure. It is so perfect that I couldn't bear to anyway.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks Heather - shall look out for them at the Embroidery exhibition.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Leenie - the heifers in my header are pedigree Limousin. They are in the field opposite our house but do not belong to our farm. I took the shot at dusk on a misty evening.

The Weaver of Grass said...

TFE I have just re-read your comment and realise that I misread it the first time - I thought you meant I always wrote about it when it was a lovely day! Sorry. However, I am surprised if you get the weather from us as I thought the prevailing wind here was west, which would suggest we got your weather, not the other way round.
Have noted your comment re the little people, and am keeping my eyes open. Fear not - if ever I catch one, I shall not blink and shall not let go.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks Naturegirl, shall visit you again.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks Dinesh for your comments - glad you like my photographs.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Golden west - it is a shame that these barns are all falling into disrepair, because they are all so well built. But we do not use them any more.