Monday 27 May 2013

My header.

The rape field in my header has been much admired by all and sundry.   I have to say - as some of you guessed - it was taken during our week on holiday in Norfolk, where it is a big crop - acres and acres of it as far as the eye can see.

We do get a few fields around here as we are just on the edge of arable land, but on the whole our fields tend to be grassland for sheep and/or cows.   For one thing our land stands at 6 to 700 feet
above sea level.   For another, we are not really in an arable area apart from some farmers growing feed (barley, wheat etc.) for the feed for their own cattle over Winter.

For this reason it is a joy to drive through these golden fields, although a little goes a long way and I think a lot of fields of rape is rather tiring on the eyes.

One of the things the farmer enjoys most on any holiday, wherever it is, is to look at the fields, see what sort of condition they are in (fences, crops, quality of the soil) and see what crops are growing.
The hugs fields of wheat in parts of the US and Canada took his breath away - as did the huge herd of cattle.

Here most of the farms are quite small - maybe something like 150 acres average - but every time a farm is sold then it seems to be bought by someone who wishes to enlarge an existing local farm.   The trouble is that it is no longer financially viable to run such a small enterprise at a profit. Such days are long gone.

Today is a Bank Holiday here in the UK and the farmer is taking a day off from farming to work on the front garden - a never ending job as it gets overrun with couch grass which has its roots under a concrete path.   As the day does on it is getting more and more cloudy and the wind is getting up making it cooler too.

What have I done?   Three loads of washing, two of which are now dried and ironed and up on the airer.   Very mundane stuff for a Bank Holiday wouldn't you agree?

16 comments:

Unknown said...

Rape...really pretty but oh so allergy aggravating. I don't have a huge problem with it myself but I've heard of quite a few people (including the hubby) that really suffer from the pollen. Still, the bees love it :)

Crafty Green Poet said...

I don't like rape to be honest, too garish for me, and as Tanya says, very aggravating for hayfever sufferers

NanU said...

Rape fields in flower are so pretty. We have quite a lot of it around here, but all cut up into small fields. It would be stunning to see one of those endless american fields planted in brightest yellow, though I agree with you: would be tiring after a while.

John Going Gently said...

I. Have been on fox look out pat..it's raining......I envy your ironing

Heather said...

Glad you have both had a restful Bank Holiday!! We worked ourselves to a standstill over the weekend so have taken it easy today.
The rapefield header is a lovely sight. There are quite a few fields of rape in this area and I love to see it with the sun shining on it but against a slate grey sky - wonderful colour scheme. Could that be why we get the snuffles in May - I wonder.

Angie said...

I love to see the golden yellow fields but alas the rest of the family get watery eyes and sneezing fits, so dread the flowers bursting into bloom.

MorningAJ said...

I hate oilseed rape and it hates me. As soon as the fields round here start to turn yellow my asthma triggers and I have difficulty breathing. It's horrible stuff. Maybe I should move back up to Yorkshire if you don't have much round there!

Rarelesserspotted said...

Funny isn't it, I love the smell, the sight of rape seed in flower, yet I have friends who can't stand it for all the reasons your correspondents have stated. I noticed th eother day that I thought there was a lily type fragrance to a field near me.
XX

Elizabeth said...

You seem to have had a producitve weekend.
We biked along the Hudson.
Our daughter went away for the weekend in Sussex (England) and sent lots of rape seed pictures. Very lovely.

Em Parkinson said...

It's been raining like mad here so I envy you your washing out on the line!

Titus said...

I do like the occasional field of rape, especially on those (rare!) sunshine days when the colour seems almost too bright to be natural.

Love the stories of the farmer looking at fields - on any holiday with my father and brothers, if walking through a town, they were ineluctably drawn to the butcher's shops. In the days when there used to be butchers!

No Bank Holiday here. It was in Glasgow and Edinburgh, but for some arcane reason the UK holiday didn't touch Dumfries and Galloway. Our bin men were working, the children were at school, etc.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

We are having a holiday here too - Memorial Day - honoring soldiers who have served in wars - and also it has become a time to visit cemeteries with flowers for loved one who have gone on before us. Banks and the post office close - very few shops close and people generally mark this as the beginning of our summer with barbecues and picnics - if the weather is nice.

We have those amazing wheat fields of wheat in Eastern Washington and we've been over to see them - stunning for sure. A friend is a wheat farmer and they have 31,000 acres in wheat. Can you imagine plowing that much land?

Joanne Noragon said...

I passed a rape field with a friend who grew up on a farm. She said the canola's about ready. "That's rape seed," I replied. The friendly argument went on for a couple hundred miles. At the motel we consulted the internet. I read years ago that canola oil is a shortened version of Canadian oil (long story short), and is rape seed oil. How fast a word passes to the vernacular. I could not believe I trumped a farmer's daughter.

Cloudia said...

So lovely a day. Glad your walking is getting easier, Dear

ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
~ > < } } ( ° > <3
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angryparsnip said...

I am one of the ones who love you header photo. Now I must look up what all the fields will be used for.

cheers, parsnip

The Weaver of Grass said...

Opinion seems to be divided on rape - I agree with those who say it is a lovely sunny sight in moderation. Sorry for the hay fever sufferers though. Thanks for calling - always nice to see you.