Monday 5 May 2014

Far brighter than that gaudy melon flower.

To quote a bit of Browning's Home Thoughts from Abroad, when talking about buttercups.   After lunch today, walking up the field, I found two large buttercups in flower - the first I have seen this year.   They are such an iconic flower for me, such a Summer flower, soon the field will be yellow with them but these are the first two and all the more welcome for it.

The may blossom on the hawthorn trees is going to be prolific this year but as yet it is only in bud.  I know it is full out in many places further South, but we are seven hundred feet ASL and a long way to the North of the country, so we must wait patiently until suddenly one morning it is full out and the air is full of the smell of its almondy blossom.

The cows have all gone today.   I was hoping they were going to be let out all at once to gallop away down the pasture, tails in the air.   But these are sedate, pregnant ladies and were going to three different places, so they were all taken away by tractor and trailer.
Three who were 'springing' to use a local word (showing signs that calving was near) were taken back home to await the births.  Another group who are not far off calving were taken to a field nearer to home, and the final group, only recently put into calf, were taken to a pasture further away where they could enjoy some good, luscious grass for a few weeks.   I am always sorry to see them go.   Friends who call always go down the yard to look at the cows before they come in - it has become a ritual.

Three loads of washing done this morning, so now three loads of ironing to do before tea time, so must sign off.

9 comments:

Crafty Green Poet said...

the first hawthorn is starting to flower here, though mostly still in tight buds. Lots of buttercups too. Lovely to see all these signs of spring

angryparsnip said...

Buttercups sounds so pretty.

cheers, parsnip

Frugal in Derbyshire said...

Lots of daisy in our paddock at the moment. When we were travelling to/from Cornwall this weekend the hawthorn was spectacular!

Becca McCallum said...

That's funny - I am in the South West of Scotland, and our hawthorn has been out for weeks...

Heather said...

I think our garden must have been a meadow once as I grow magnificent buttercups! I love them but do have to dig them up when they appear in the middle of a border. I've got some pretty impressive dandelions too.
The only drawback with three loads of washing is all that ironing!

Cloudia said...

This post strikes me as poetry.
Ah, the yellow blossoms are a treatment for all ailments an panacea when we walk on them and under them. Surrounded!
And scent! Aromatherapy is nothing new either. Thanks for bringing cows into my day. I almost see them ambling out of the barn to morning. So different from my urban/beach world - yet so close through your heart and skill, P.


ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral

=^..^= <3

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

A lovely spring day - we have the buttercups all over too - just wonderful spring flowers.

I love the smell of freshly dried clothes being ironed - such a friendly sweet scent.

Cro Magnon said...

Our Mayflowers are well and truly over, the only remnants being the confetti strewn ground beneath them. No Buttercups here; I wonder why!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for calling in and joining in the chat.