Did someone mention Spring?

Well, it came and went

Cold winds blew

Then the sun shone, but it seemed no warmer, although the sight of a curlew always warms the heart.

Then clouds blew by again, I’m fascinated by how different fields ‘hold’ the snow longer than others.

Strangely the life force that is spring growth, has kept moving despite the chill of winds from the artic , you know I’m a sucker for larch trees

The icy jewels were a very pretty adornment, that kept my rapt attention, for quite some time. 

Then it was drawn to my attention to the fact,

that I did promise I’d play ball….

Under the fleece

I’m a bit late into the field on this one, but I hear there is a rather splendid film on BBC 4 at 9pm tonight,  Addicted to Sheep . 

by all accounts it is beautifully shot in stunning landscape. It repeated on Wednesday at 11pm if you miss it tonight.

Theories Welcome.

In a bit of a dash between dental appointments and a Macmillan Cancer Support coffee morning, I squeezed in a couple of photo stops.

Well who could resist? It’s near Wildboarclough, Macclesfield Forest.

There is a lovely little holiday cottage, just around the corner and a cosy pub.  what could be nicer?  (Doug’s Dad should take note… )

Then, chasing the light, I zipped  off down towards Derbyshire Bridge, the light was too fast for me. But this caught my eye.

I’m not sure how best to explain, the terrain is rough moorland, peat and heather, as you look at the next photo, you can perhaps see (or imagine) how there is a clough, or gully, running from the  ‘10 o’clock’ position towards the centre of the image, where it opens out into a boggy area, full of rushes, I’d expect the rushes to look like the swath of bright green in the centre of the image, 

but something has laid them flat, like a thatch, a surge of  water maybe? Or a vortex of wind? its a very exposed place.  It did make me think of crop circles.  Maybe at a certain point in the year, the rushes need a lie down?

Come along dear reader, what do you make of it?

Other Routes are Available

I’m not a fan of the A515, if I can find an alternative route I will.  Especially if it is as photogenic as this,

It’s taken near High Wheeldon 

I was returning from Hartington Wakes Show, which had a lovely atmosphere, and is set in a beautiful location. I even bumped into my geography teacher from secondary school, he was fresh out of university back then, and now he is retired…  don’t know how that happened, it doesn’t seem so long ago that I left school.

Vintage tractors, horses a plenty.

A sheepdog herding ducks, and ladders for every occasion, not sure how you are supposed to get them home.

Prize livestock

Of all sizes

A glowing produce tent (my Chinese lanterns, never even flowered, only just surviving the slugs). 

I wonder what the farms of the future will look like for these young competitors

Taddington Moor High Mere

Taddington Moor High Mere looked nothing like this when I stumbled upon it today. I was on one of my pre work diversions again, I thought I might be in with a chance of mist mantled hills, punctuated by field barns or piercing church spires. But I simply couldn’t get above the cloud that has superimposed the inversion mist I’d hoped for.

Never mind, the beauty was in the detail.

Scabious seed head

Rosebay willow herb

There were so many beautiful flowers, but it was the cobwebs that stole the show.

Here soggy  thistledown has caught in the web

I’ll go back another day in search of the view

It only took until lunch time for my trousers to dry out….

Working with Nature

We’ve been visiting this part of Devon for many years, having our summer holidays here for the last 14 years; with each passing year we’ve noted the village of East Portlemouth  struggled to keep its community vibrant (no criticism intended, we know  a committed team work hard at many events) but the fact is there are less villagers and more holiday homes,  as an older generation passes. Indeed Mr Uphilldowndales aunt N was one of that community

So it was very exciting to see (and hear)  a new vibrancy to the village that has been brought my new tenants of the farm that wraps itself around the village, the aptly named Village Farm. The farm has lain unworked for a number of years and now its not so much being worked, as nourished, regenerative farming ;  delivered with an infectious enthusiasm and acres of passion.  I could try and describe their work, but I couldn’t do it as eloquently or a knowledgably,  So I’ll send you to the website of Village Farm,  do watch the video.

They use a method of grazing called ‘mob grazing’ a large number of animals, sheep in this case, in a small area of land for a short period of time, you’ll have to believe me if I tell you there are 800 in here somewhere…  happily and noisily munching away.

Here they are coming down the village, with resident neighbours willingly mucking in with traffic and sheep herding (no dogs were used)

They can move at quite a pace

A view from the other side of the estuary gives an idea of what’s involved, this field, which will house the Field of Light, later in the year was grazed over three days

Then it was time to move on to pastures new, with the sheep back off up the village again.

The photographs on Village Farm’s facebook page are gorgeous, the sort of work that oozes from knowing your subject, field skills and, as mentioned,  acres of passion .

(We can’t wait to see the pigs next year).

Cut, Muck and Roll

The field was mown, and basked in sun, once it was rowed up and baled there was haste to get it wrapped and off the field, we’ve had some dramatic storms and torrential rain.  The contractors worked through the night, it was about four thirty AM when they came into our field.

My patch of meadow flowers in the foreground is left for Mr Uphilldowndale to cut with his precious scythe, when it has fully seeded.

Today the field was mucked, Spud was delighted.