Boy's New Trick

'Boy', in Shanghai, has been in training.

(sorry, any ads which appear are nothing to do with me.
I think the second video is free of them.)

A few days later...

Somehow I don't think that Sparky and Millie would be up for this.

Double trouble!


They'd rather be outside hunting defenceless little critters
they work as a pair
although Sparky gets first choice of which bits to eat...

A Gate Post

Gates in

Gates out

Harvest gates,

Dog gates,

Hen gates,

Child containment gates

(who are we kidding?)

Gates used rarely,

locked and bolted,

Busy gates

One of my favourite gates is the one near the bird bath (second collage)

 we use it after the barley has been harvested

when

 the enormous barley field becomes our playground

as

Harry uses his metal detector, hoping for treasure

while I walk the dog

and

play ball with him.

The holiday air lasts

until

 Farmer T the younger comes along

 with the plough.

Then the gate gets locked for another year.

Talking Boots

A couple of months ago I developed a stress fracture in my foot

and was completely unable to do more than hobble a short distance.

As you can imagine, after a couple of months 

I was getting pretty desperate and wondered whether I would

ever get back onto the lanes and tracks which I love so much.

Then I remembered these old boots.

I wondered whether I could support my still painful foot with the boot

and perhaps

get out and about a short way

without causing more damage.

I gave it a try.

The boot were comfortable, supportive, reassuring.

The first few walks were short, scary, and a little painful,

but so exhilarating!  

Now I am almost back to normal

the pace is a little slower to accommodate the damaged foot,

but each walk is a cause for celebration.

My boots led me past the watermill and through the lanes to Belleau

(fields are off limits at the moment)

as I walked through the farmyard I could see some sheep had

been penned up and were about to be sheared.

They looked very hot and a bit stressed

so I didn't stop to photograph them

but continued on my way.

The reason they were hot is admirably demonstrated by this big girl.

Ming Ming, I know how much you love the sight of these flowers growing wild and free

so specially for you...

I called in for Arnold, met Old John, and had a chat.

He is busy with his bee keeping

and has just taken delivery of a new honey extractor.

He is, perhaps, a little frailer

and

feeling the heat a bit more,

but what a man!

Ninety-eight and still going strong and showing an interest in so many things.

Arnold was nowhere to be seen.

I checked his paddock,

the stable - no sign of him.

Finally I noticed a slight movement in the small barn

across from his stable.

He was taking shelter from those pesky flies which make life so difficult in the warm weather.

He wouldn't budge,

so I went to him

and got the loveliest surprise

as a big and beautiful Barn Owl flew past me and out the other door.

Arnold enjoyed his treats and a bit of a fuss,

then I went to chat with John again and tell him about the owl.

He was every bit as excited as I was

and hadn't realised that it was 

living in the little barn.

A red letter day.

The reason I called this post 'Talking Boots' is because

no matter how well they are polished with dubbin 

these boots creak and seem to keep up

a running commentary.

Signs of the Times

In the last few months our small village has acquired several new signs.

Two decorative name signs,

one at either end of the village.

They are immense and impressive.

Brick and cobble bases, surrounding a very chunky post,

which is topped with decorative wrought iron work.

This is farming land, so agriculture is represented

by the horse and plough.

The train is there because we used to have our own railway station,

just down the road, until it was closed, thanks to Dr Beeching.

The other horse and man is a reminder that until very recently

we had a working village smithy.

The second sign is a cautionary one 

stating that the road under the old railway bridge

is liable to flooding.

Of course it warns you about this at exactly the spot which floods,

no advance warning!

The third was brought about after a long campaign by George.

He succeeded in getting the 30mph stretch altered to include the lane

outside our property.

The parish council had tried and failed.

George persisted.

It took a lot of patience

but we got there in the end 

 and most people comply.

Harry has been taking his driving test this weekend.

His little electric car has a top speed of 5mph 

so

Grandpa insisted on a written test,

a sight test

and a practical test...

much to Harry's delight,

before he was allowed to drive it around the Owl Wood.

He passed with flying colours

and even had a short drive around the little woodland.

The two younger cousins were both thrilled to have the opportunity to sit in the car.

Ming Ming, I'll email you some more photographs.

x

.A Wild Man

Dear old Arnold lives just across from Owl Wood. 

I try to visit him most days.

I could walk over there in just a couple of minutes

but I take the long route

of a little under 3 miles, this way he gets his apple

and I get my exercise.

The walk takes in two hamlets and a village.   

The prettiest one, Belleau,  nestles in the lower folds of the Lincolnshire Wolds.

It has about a dozen houses and a pretty little church.

Belleau is also home to the source of the Great Eau, 

a chalk stream

There are just over two hundred chalk streams in the world,  

so they are very special,

 internationally rare habitats.

However,  that's not the reason I love this place so much.

The early 16th century dovecote is octagonal in shape

and built of red brick.

Inside is filled from floor to ceiling with brick

nesting boxes.

The next leg of the journey takes me down a farm track,

past the right-hand side of the dovecote,

and through the middle of a working farm yard.

Sometimes the yard is busy,

littered with machinery and men.

On those days when all is quiet I take the opportunity to have a look

at the 1904 stable block.

That marvellous arch is 16th century, taken from the former gatehouse

to the mansion which once stood here and which belonged to

the Willoughby d'Eresby family.

The "Wild Man" was one of their symbols,

possibly one of fertility.

This engraving is said to be of the remains of Belleau Manor, 

many years ago.

There is nothing like that now,

but there is an incredibly beautiful old barn,

brick built and with a patchwork face which shows the alterations

undertaken through the centuries.

This is another early 16th century building,

the Great Hall,

now a barn, listed

and (I hope) protected.

One of the elders from our village

was brought up on this farm.

Home was a late 17th century manor house

with medieval features.

Unfortunately, it was demolished in 1978.

She simply remembers it as a large and uncomfortable,

cold and damp house...

The whole of this site is surrounded by a moat

which extends approximately 140m x 95m.

This moat measures 14m in width,

so in effect it is all on an island,

or it would be, were it not almost completely silted.

The track leads me along the bank of the Great Eau

over a wooden footbridge and

up through this field

although some days I take a detour through our village cemetery

and past the pub

before turning off the lane to Arnold's paddock.

The story doesn't end with the buildings,

I have so much more to share with you

about one of the former inhabitants.

That's the trouble with blogging,

it turns me into a digger and delver,

a chatterbox.

Owl Wood on a Quiet Day

If this works you should get a glimpse of Owl Wood and the frothing sea of cow parsley.    Ming Ming, you always see it when the cow parsley has finished flowering, this is what it really looks like - beautiful!

 What I was also trying to capture was the 'quiet' of the countryside.

The second clip was filmed down by the swing area, you may be able to hear some of the noises made by the geese and the sheep and you can see the water of the fish pond through the trees.

I am having great fun exploring all the functions of your camera Jonny.   I know it takes me a while, but I get there in the end!

Dusting Down the Cogs

OK, so here I go again.    Ming Ming has missed my blog and, truth be told, some small part of me has missed writing about life around this place.      

Over the years I have found many 'treasures' around this place.   These two large lumps of metal were buried deep underground, I still recall my excitement as I carefully dug them out.  They now grace the foot of the old Rowan tree which marks the end of the garden and the beginning of the woodland.

May is such a special month as everything begins to celebrate the warmer days and suddenly the woodland is filled with a froth of cow parsley and a marvellous and ever-increasing array of wild flowers.

The cow parsley reaches a height of almost six feet in some places and grows so quickly that if tracks and pathways are not used for a few days they become difficult to follow.   Toby Too used to love having a game of 'fetch' in here - nowadays we keep losing the balls.  I suppose we shall find them all come autumn.

We also lose the hens, but they are easier to find as they come running as soon as we call them.   Here we have Do-Do in the lead with (left to right) Queen Mab, Shaggy, Frankie, Suzie and Dusty.     

I love having this motley crew around.   It definitely makes it easier to learn about individual hens - for instance - Shaggy (the white one in the background) is always the first one to go to bed in the evenings, way before the others even think about it.

The bluebells are incredibly beautiful and somehow we also have a single white one this year, stuck all by itself on one of the tracks.

Some pathways are strewn with small yellow flowers, golden pathways which fill me with delight.    The wild garlic has definitely taken hold and is in full flower right now.   I harvested some of the leaves and used them in salads and as a garnish, I also whizzed a lot up and froze them in small cubes ready for cooking through the year.

Meanwhile, the gardener has been busy, though there is still so much more to be done.

The gardens are filled with flowers and burgeoning foliage.   This is my small white patch, tulips, Solomon's Seal, and hidden below are my longed-for lily of the valley flowers.   Each year I hold my breath as I anxiously check to see whether they have survived (the woodland ones all died) and I am happy to say that they are flourishing.   My mother would have loved them, they were her favourite flower.

Despite being pruned the old Bramley Apple tree is covered in plenty of blossom, fingers crossed for another decent crop later in the year.   

So, there you have it.  A whistle-stop tour of the place, Ming Ming.    

I have lots more to show you, but I have a sewing project which I hope to finish later today.