Friday 19 June 2015

At last!

The grass in the meadows has been cut and silaged, so it is short again.   This means that any 'ups and downs', and 'potholes' and any rabbit holes are easy to see and can be avoided by yours truly who is never absolutely easy on her feet these days and falls over at the drop of a hat.

So our afternoon wander this afternoon took in two of the silage meadows.   I was looking for wild flowers and for the family of twelve half-grown mallard ducks which the farmer keeps seeing on the beck.  Tess of course had only one thing on her mind (although yesterday she chased a half-grown male deer sporting half-grown antlers across the field.   He cleared the hedge by several feet and was away like the wind.)

I found my first dog-rose.    It is the favourite of all the flowers for me - coming as it does in all colours from almost white to the deepest pink.   The little patch of silverweed (potentilla) which always appears in the meadow gateway was already in flower and pink campion grew everywhere.

Buttercups, that most goldenyellow of all wild flowers, are almost over but the hay paddock is not yet cut and there are still enough flowering to make the field quite a sight.

Tess found a little 'house' under the hedge, which she investigated.  I would love to think that Cloudberry and Sneezewort from BB's 'Little Grey Men' had set up home there and that if I could see down that hole there would be a tiny Welsh dresser filled with lovely china, and a bookcase full of books on the countryside, and two tiny rocking chairs either side of the woodburner (plenty of wood around) for the little men to sit in and smoke their pipes in the evening after doing what little grey men do all day.   But I fear it is much more likely to be the home of Rag, Tag and Bobtail and that Mrs Floppy Bunny is in the process of 'persuading' her offspring to leave home as she prepares for another brood shortly to be born.

No sunshine, but no wind either after a very windy day yesterday.   So we had a lovely wander.   We didn't see the young mallards; in fact I couldn't see the beck at all as the grass was so long along its edge.   I did contemplate coming back through the big pasture but as there are fifteen very frisky bullocks in there I thought better of it, discretion being the better part of valour.




17 comments:

Heather said...

I feel as if I have accompanied you on your walk Pat. Lovely wild flowers and that is a very interesting hole that Tess is studying.

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Lovley pictures and post.
That "home" is scary. Its huge! Fox maybe?

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

You live in such beauty it takes my breath away!

Mac n' Janet said...

Love your description of the "maybe" burrow, books, china, rocking hairs and all.

Joanne Noragon said...

A lovely walk. How nice that we share Queen Ann's lace, buttercups and dog roses. I like the stone fences, and that the white dots in the field must be sheep.

Barbara said...

Looks like a great day for a walk. Such pretty flowers. I do wonder what lives down the hole Tess discovered.

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Oh Lord, Apple would have disappeared straight down that hole before I blinked. Stuck inside like a cork.
Beautiful walk.

xoxo,
p

Hildred said...

A lovely post, and beautiful pictures, - would like to have been on your wander with you, Pat.

angryparsnip said...

Thank You for taking me along on your wonderful walk with Tess.
You live in a beautiful place.
When the farmer cuts the silage do all the wildflowers add to the mix
and make it better ?

cheers, parsnip

Bovey Belle said...

What lovely flowers. I love the dog roses too, especially the really deep pink ones. I don't blame you for not cutting across the field with the bullocks in it!

donna baker said...

What a wonderful place you dwell in. It must be beautiful. Now tell me this, do you and the farmer look for buried treasure in those fields? I surely would. A hole like that at my farm would be an armadillo den, but other things often take up residence in them.

Totalfeckineejit said...

:)

Cro Magnon said...

I so agree about the Dog Roses, they make me smile when I see them, and that can't be bad!

thelma said...

All I will say is not June wonderful, what I would call a very fulfilling walk, taking the 'pulse of the earth'. Do you eat rabbit pie by the way?

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Wonderful photos - so glad you could take such a nice walk. And I must ask - why are they called Dog Roses?

Frances said...

I am so glad you took your camera along on this wander. The dog roses are truly beautiful. The photograph of Tess investigating an interesting possibility is priceless!

I'm hoping that you will eventually get a peek at the elusive ducklings. xo

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for calling in everyone.