Spring has sunk into high summer. Days of hot sunshine and sneezes, the air thick with pollen and a rapidly expanding grasshopper orchestra. My time has been stretched. A new issue of Fallon’s Angler has been tied up and released, a sample chapter for a potential project picked at and almost certainly over-scrutinised. A newContinue reading “Garden Party”
Bloodlines
Such is the power of the current Brexit storm, that any issue unconnected (and many things connected) is swept out of thought almost as soon as it comes to mind. And having turned the most complex of sociological and economic issues into a straightforward question of ‘Yes or No’, it seems that every pointContinue reading “Bloodlines”
Reality
I have come to realise that I do not much enjoy living in ‘interesting times’. If that is indeed what we can call the now. We are certainly living in a time of confusion. And mess. Working twice as long for half as much, and then waking to discover that yesterday we hadn’t even beenContinue reading “Reality”
Wye do we fish?
A week ago I was heading north-west with Chris and Merv, the passenger window down and a familiar tale of footballing woe emanating from St Mary’s via the speakers of the car radio. The day was soft and hazy. The sun warm and the breeze light. We chatted, laughed and spoke excitedly of the fishingContinue reading “Wye do we fish?”
Perfect Air
The first brush of autumn frost glistened beneath this morning’s sunrise. Nothing too hard, certainly not enough to drop any fruit from the hedgerows, but a glittery crunch that made me shiver as I peered out the window to a new day. It soon vanished as the Sun cleared the ridge to the south ofContinue reading “Perfect Air”
Quiet
Nearly three months have passed since I last walked the Common. I’ve been frequently tempted, particularly when I have woken early and the air has been fresh. The prospect of a parachuting tree pipit always stirs me, especially against a backdrop of willow warblers and whitethroat. But then I remember the ticks, and my skinContinue reading “Quiet”
Dust
My Dad planted an apricot tree a few years ago, grafted onto apple (I think). It has flourished in the clay soil and spread itself wide against the south-facing wall beside which it stands. The relentless sun has ripened the fruit beautifully this summer – lovely plump apricots with a subtle sweetness and delicate flavourContinue reading “Dust”
Butterflies and Thistles
My daily checks of the grass snake colony (8 individuals is my best count so far) now have an added distraction. The landowner has left an area of old paddock to it’s own devices and the grasses and wildflowers have flourished, growing deep and dense enough for a roebuck to mooch within. Prime spotContinue reading “Butterflies and Thistles”
Parsley but no sage……yet.
I cannot recall a more stunning display of cow parsley than the one we have enjoyed over these past few weeks. To be honest, it is a flower that I don’t usually pay the attention that it deserves. After the kaleidoscope that builds from snowdrops and ramsons through bluebells, buttercups and red campion, theContinue reading “Parsley but no sage……yet.”
Off-line
It’s been a peculiar 10 days or so. Having become conditioned over the past fifteen years or so to a life online, a cow with an interesting appetite has thrown our routine into a vague chaos. A fallen tree had brought down the telephone cables a mile or so down the valley, breaking a telegraphContinue reading “Off-line”
Kevin Parr 