Wednesday 26 June 2013

My New Header.

Is there any flower in the British Countryside more perfect than the Wild Rose?    Well there certainly isn't for me.   Every year I look forward to it coming out.   There are certain bushes dotted around the hedges on the farm and I know where all the roses are.  I also know which one comes out first.   So today - as the first flowers emerged into the sunlight - I took this photograph.   I have put it on larger than life - but you can't get too much of a good thing, can you?

The Scottish poet Tom Scott, who died in 1995, said it for me in one of his last poems, "Let go who will."   He was writing of getting old and approaching death and he wrote,
"spare me the sensitive nerve that sings,
the stormcock
and the rose".

For anyone who doesn't know what a stormcock is - it is a song thrush - quite rare round here these days but with a song which once heard is never forgotten.

The wild roses are short lived, so I shall enjoy them while they last and keep going down to this particular bush to sniff at the delicate scent they give off.

Tess will be happy to go with me as there is an old weighted barrel at the bottom of the yard which the farmer uses to weight down the back of various bits of equipment when he is towing them on his tractor.  Tess is convinced that something lives under it (she may well be right) and would spend her whole day barking at the old barrel.

16 comments:

John Going Gently said...

I like it

Dave King said...

I absolutely agree with you re the wild roses. They are quite unbeatable. Lovely post.

Loren said...

One of my favorite flowers, but it makes an awfully big header, taking up my whole screen :-)

angryparsnip said...

What a beautiful flower and photo !

cheers, parsnip

Heather said...

Such a simple flower but so evocative of an English summer. Your photo is wonderful.

Judy said...

Wild roses are indeed one of the joys of summer...
And terriers are sooooo determined!!! At least she goes home with you, rather than waiting for the something!

Rachel Phillips said...

My father was a farmer and every year on one day he brought home from the fields after a day's work a wild rose for my mother. He did not buy her any presents as far as I can ever remember. It meant a lot to her and as a widow for over 40 years she never forgot the wild rose. He died very young. Thank you for the photo. Rachel

The Solitary Walker said...

The wild rose is absolutely one of my favourite wild flowers. We saw two stunning examples in the hedgerows on the way back from town today.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

We have wild roses here too - all along the roadsides. The pink ones like your header are blooming now - with many others to follow - I love to drive along on a warm day and smell the roses.

Barbara said...

How beautiful! Here in the US, our wild roses are mostly white. But, they do smell so sweet.

Twiglet said...

I spotted some wild roses in the hedgerow today - and a Chiffchaff - chiff chaffing away too. x Jo

Hildred said...

I must go along the back road to Cawston and smell the beautiful wild roses that line the road. Thank you for reminding me, Pat.

Gwil W said...

Please don't get stung by a bee when you poke your nose in there ;-)

Em Parkinson said...

So delicate with the pink fading into the centre. Lovely.

Crafty Green Poet said...

I love wild roses (as you know!). lovely new header photo. This year is particularly good for them i think.

I thought the stormcock was the mistle thrush?

The Weaver of Grass said...

Juliet - I bow to your superior knowledge - you are in Scotland after all. So correction - the stormcock is a mistle thrush and there certainly are more of them about although their song is not quite as beautiful as that of the song thrush.
Thanks for calling and joining in.