Rural Reflections
Covering ponderings and all things rural in North Devon.
by - Steve McCarthy
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 106
According to Google the meaning of the word aspire is to direct one's hopes or ambitions towards achieving something. This definition led me to question whether the word applies to everyone. After some consideration I came to the conclusion that it depends on the extent to which the word is interpreted. Personally, I know many people who do not regard themselves as ambitious, something that I feel is a direct consequence of us living in a culture where the word is linked to one's work status. Yet if, for example, a person has a disability [employed or otherwise] which impedes them from doing everyday activities, then aspiring to successfully carry out day-to-day tasks can be regarded as an achievement; and having lived with epilepsy all my life. I feel I have some background knowledge on the subject. But I digress . . .
Google's definition of the word aspire also led me to consider people in society who do good deeds for their fellow citizens - something that the pandemic has undoubtedly brought to the fore. The more I contemplated this, the more it seemed to me that such people fall into two groups; those who are somewhat conceited and boastful and those who are modest and humble. Although I feel the former group are a minority in our society, I have, unfortunately, come into contact with quite a number of people who aspire to seek the highest mountain top to tell their stories of great deeds to anyone who is willing [or not] to hear them. Such proclamations are, I feel, for two reasons. Firstly, they enable the person's alter ego to swell to an even larger size than what it already is, but more significantly, it allows them to receive as much gratitude as is possible from all those connected with the good deeds they undertake.
To me, this is the key difference between these people and those who are humble and modest; for this latter group do not carry out their good deeds with the intent of seeking praise. [It is important to remember, however, that it is acceptable to receive praise when it is given rather than bat it away.] There is one such 'person' who I know that is modest, giving pleasure to everyone all year round - or at least to those with whom they come into contact - and never expect gratitude: our natural world. However, that is not to say there are those of us who give thanks for the beauty of nature in our own way whether it be through prayer, meditation or whilst in direct contact with our natural surroundings; and whilst our countryside may not expect obligatory praise for the contentment and satisfaction it provides, it would do us no harm to at least give nature the respect it deserves, rather that inflict any further damage upon it. One can only live in hope that as a society we have culturally reached a turning point to recognise the past consequences of the damage already inflicted upon our natural surroundings.
But back to the subject of praise; and, more significantly, the fact that this will be my last Rural Reflections article and so time to say thank you to all those who have helped, contributed towards and encouraged me to write over 100 articles during the last twenty-two years. Firstly, you the readers, and not forgetting those who have passed away, without whom there would have been no articles; your positive comments have made me feel that my efforts to devise and compose my contributions have been worthwhile. Secondly, to Paul and Debbie who have produced wonderful illustrations [often at short notice!] to accompany my articles. Thirdly, my husband Dean for typing up 106 articles, the fingers of his two hands being somewhat quicker on the keyboard than the index finger of my left hand and thumb on my right hand [the latter only used if a capital letter would have been required!].
And finally to Judie, especially for her bi-monthly nagging [her word, not mine] for another submission. Judie, there were times in the past when I wondered if I should call it a day. But it was my loyalty to you and my admiration of your dedication to this newsletter that kept me going and ensured another article was forthcoming. So, from Dean and myself, a huge thanks for all the effort and unrelenting hard work you have given to the Berrynarbor Newsletter over the past years.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Steve McCarthy
29
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 105
Nigel Stone was Chief Executive at Exmoor National Park Authority for eighteen years from 1999. A keen photographer, he spent much of his leisure time capturing the moor's stunning and varied scenery. It was a pursuit that would eventually lead to a ground-breaking publication, Exploring Exmoor from Square One. In his book, Stone divides the National Park into a matrix of numbers and letters so that each square can be cross-referenced with accompanying pictures and text that highlight something of interest. By the end of the book the reader is left enriched with Stone's bountiful knowledge of Exmoor. For example, square K13 refers to a close-up image of the replacement for the original Cussacombe Post, erected to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Stone explains the original post was replaced in 1977, the year of our current Queen's Silver Jubilee and that a plaque was installed for her Diamond Jubilee. (I wonder if another will be attached for her Platinum Jubilee?)
Stone also mentions place names that reflect an Exmoor before roads, such as Sandyway, lying halfway between Withypool and North Molton, perhaps its unsurfaced track connected the two villages? There are pictures too of Exmoor's fords and packhorse bridges which take one back to a time before the motor vehicle. Going much further back in our history, Stone alerts the reader to enclosures on Exmoor that date back to the late Neolithic period and shows where monuments, cemeteries, barrows and cairn remains from the Bronze Age can be found. Within Exmoor's boundary there is also an Iron Age promontory fort as well as a fortlet believed to have been built in 50AD, seven years after the Roman invasion of Britain. Further evidence of Roman occupation on Exmoor includes archaeological investigations at Sherracombe Ford and sediments found on Anstey Common.
Stone contemplates a battle that may have occurred between the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings at Wind Hill and shows where the Normans were present on the moor; forever keen to protect their land from invasion, the outline of a motte-and-bailey castle can be seen near Parracombe. Further west, on Exmoor's boundary, there is clear proof above ground of Combe Martin's mining history, with records showing that activity first occurred in the late thirteenth century. Clue's to mining within Devon's Exmoor can also be found near Heasley Mill which is thought to date back to the fourteenth century. Moving into medieval times, Stone provides evidence of deserted settlements and mentions Holywell Bridge, the origins of its name thought to have derived from the nearby site of a holy well. At North Furzehill, meanwhile, there are the remains of a ruined building which is part of a medieval mill.
Confirmation of our ancestral farming is littered across the moor.
In his book, Stone provides pictures of field patterns created as a result of the eighteenth and nineteenth century Inclosure Acts. He also shows early nineteenth century farmhouse remains and refers to place names such as Butter Hill which, he suggests, reflect the richness of the area for past grazing. He also mentions past engineering work such as the Payway Canal and Warren Canal, both partially built and which start close to the man-made damn, Pinkworthy Pond. Heading north-east from the damn towards the coast one begins to discover deep elongated cuttings into the earth, embankments, bridges and lines of scrub, all acting as historical reminders of the Barnstaple to Lynton railway line. In operation between 1898 and 1935, a reminder of its service within Exmoor National Park can be spotted at New Mill in the form of a dysfunctional and seemingly out-of-place railway bridge.
The running of the line spanned the years of the First World War, with Exmoor offering its own timely reminders by way of coastal gun emplacements. Meanwhile, several areas on the moor were used for military training during the Second World War, including Brendon Common where the remains of 5-inch rockets have been uncovered.
If you have an interest in our National Parks then Exploring Exmoor from Square One is undoubtedly a book for you. For it does not just refer to its layers of history, Stone also talks of the flora, fauna, woodland, landscapes, villages, night skies and, of course, its ponies. His aptitude for photography is also reflected in the quality of his pictures which, in my opinion, define the book as one that can be comfortably perused whilst enjoying a hot drink. My overview of the book only skims the surface of its content. What's more, I have ensured that the number of place names to which I make reference are limited; however, a keen observer may have noticed that these places are all in Devon, an area that accounts for only one third of Exmoor National Park. The other two thirds lay within Somerset, so to discover the wealth of information Stone provides across the border, you'll need to get hold of a copy!
Having chronologically outlined some of the historical evidence that the book features, I should like to conclude this article with three sites that have either an unknown origin or involve legend and folklore. Firstly, the two standing stones on Lyn Down which, as a result of being moved from their original location, now means that their origins are unknown. Then there is Mole's Chamber, its name derived from the legend of Farmer Mole who, along with his horse, entered the mire and disappeared into the bog. Finally, there are the earthworks at Shoulsbury Castle which, according to folklore, was held by King Alfred in a battle against the Danes. A more popular opinion, however, is that the earthworks date from the Iron Age - but personally, I always prefer a good old folklore tale!
Artwork: Paul Swailes
Steve McCarthy
20
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 104
I am sat at my writing desk considering the composition of this article. As I do so, I rest back in my carver chair, gaze out of the window across the valley and look for any seasonal changes in the steep woodland on the far hillside. Tiny raindrops are falling, barely visible to the naked eye yet frequent enough to dampen the ground. Although my outlook is northerly, I can sense a low sun in the southwest sending rays too weak to cast shadows but strong enough to create an arched spectrum within the valley. In turn, I find myself singing, "There's a rainbow 'round my shoulder; And a sky of blue above; Oh the sun shines bright, the world's alright; 'Cos I'm in love"; lyrics from a song by Al Jolson, featured in the 1928 film, The Singing Fool. Seven years previous to this film, Jolson had first sung another weather-related song, one with lyrics very appropriate for the timing of this issue: "Though April showers may come your way; They bring the flowers that bloom in May."
Of course, it not just our flowers that interact with rainfall, for water is the lifeline for all of our natural world. The lives of humans, too, have been dictated by the presence of rain over thousands of years. For example, geologists describe the solvent action of rainwater upon limestone areas as 'the birth of preferential pathways'. Put simply, as water droplets are sent across the surface of limestone, so they begin to etch out the course they take. These minuscule corridors then create shallow channels, which in turn attract the flow of subsequent water. As each season passes, so it provides its own unique quantity of cloudbursts, each ensuring that these infant fluid passageways become more scored into the rock. Eventually a hairline crack emerges which over time develops into runnel, equivalent to a small stream or brook. This finally causes the ground to fracture and, as it widens, so a clearly defined escarpment, a hollow with sloping land on either side, emerges.
In global areas such as the West Bank, where limestone is a major surface formation, these large scale fissures, long narrow openings caused by the splitting of rock or earth, often play a major role in the development of footpaths. Guided by these pre-configured habits upon their terrain, early humans and their animals became dependent upon these clearly defined routes - routes which had evolved over time from the simple fall of water droplets.
In a similar vein many of our own soft-stoned counties are webbed with holloways, a word derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'hol weg', referring to a sunken path that has been grooved into the earth over centuries, first by the weather and then the passage of feet and cartwheels. With many now over twenty feet deep and hidden beneath brambles and nettles, the author Robert McFarlane decided to seek out the holloways around the village of Chideock in Dorset with a close friend. Recalling these adventures in his book The Old Ways, McFarlane tells how they discovered fascinating stories associated with many of the passageways; tales of sixteenth century recusants taking refuge from persecution, of priests holding Masses in the seventeenth century and of fugitive aristocrats seeking shelter from twentieth century pursuers. McFarlane describes how the holloways felt active and co-existent, 'bringing discontinuous moments into contact' with them.
Two years later, his friend died young and unexpectedly. Four years on, McFarlane returned to the area and found himself unintentionally venturing along the same holloways, walking where they had cut sticks from holly bushes and camped out at night in adjacent fields. As he did so, he experienced startlingly clear glimpses of his friend, regularly seeing him at the turn of a corner or ahead of him on the path.
In the book, McFarlane later makes reference to W.H Hudson's A Foot in England, in which Hudson describes an experience whilst walking along the coastline of the Norfolk Broads during an exceptional low tide. Watching herring gulls whilst far out on the beach, he observed the beginnings of a 'soft bluish silvery haze' which caused the sky, sea and land to 'blend and interfuse' so that it produced what he called a 'new country', which was 'neither land nor sea.' Hudson interprets his experience as mystical - 'a metaphysical hallucination brought about by material illusions'. To him, the gulls temporarily appeared as ghost gulls; spirit birds that merely 'lived in or were passing through our world'; rather like McFarlane's encounter when seeing his close friend who had died four years earlier.
McFarlane refers to Hudson's 'new country' as somewhere we feel and think significantly different and imagine such transitions, which he has experienced himself when walking, as 'border crossings'. He adds that they do not, however, necessarily correspond to a change in the weather, climate, terrain, boundary or surrounding landscape.
I can relate to McFarlane's connection within invisible border crossings as it is something I have also encountered whilst traversing the countryside. For example, rambles upon the Cairn would often provoke a halt in my steps as I chanced upon a sudden change in atmosphere - despite there being no immediate alteration to my wooded surroundings. From recall, all these experiences aroused a warm, comforting sense of security at a mental, physical and spiritual level.
Yet other rural vicinities have induced cold and unwelcoming emotions, even a sense of morbidity. I can still vividly bring to mind one such area which was close to where I lived at the time. The area's terrain was flat and comprised a network of lush green fields, all bordered by low hedges with some dotted by sheep. A farmhouse, its accompanying barns and two bungalows were accessed by the minor road that dissected the land along with two footpaths - neither of which I felt inclined to trek; just driving across the landscape brought a shiver to my spine, such was my desperation to vacate a zone that felt bleak and sombre, no matter what time of year.
A little over twelve months after moving to the area, I was chatting with a neighbour who I discovered was a local historian. Having first regaled tales of the hamlet in which we lived, he then broadened his knowledge to the surrounding locations - including a notorious bloody battle that had taken place during the English Civil War upon the precise land where the fields, buildings and country road were now located. It is no wonder I experienced such negative vibes.
Yet not all ground connected with death need provoke an unwelcome reaction, especially when the bodies decaying beneath lay within hallowed earth; for solace can indeed be sought in many a graveyard, particularly at this time of year when their coniferous trees are blossoming or coming into leaf and their spring flowers are in full bloom. This sense of retreat and safety was perhaps best portrayed by the clergyman and author Richard Warner who wrote a number of topographical books, including A Walk Through Some of the Western Counties of England. Whilst traversing Exmoor, he came across Culbone Church and its accompanying churchyard, the latter to which he found himself being more drawn. After consideration, he concluded that the churchyard provided an 'indulgence of meditative faculty' to the extent of leading one's 'mind to thought' and soothing 'their brow to tranquility'.
Living, as we do, in these troubled times, I feel we all need a special place, be it inside or outside, where we can seek such inner peace and contentment. Happy Easter.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Steve McCarthy
28
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 103
In my 100th article I reflected upon the material I had covered in previous contributions and, in so doing, found that they fell into distinct categories. For example, whilst some were about wildflowers, insects or trees, others related to the seasons or the weather. Another topic was also featured, albeit unintentionally, when I realised that the last twenty-plus years since that first offering have also followed me, quite literally, through the course of six property moves. The first was our move from Brighton to Ilfracombe in 2000 and then ten years later a brief stay in Combe Martin before heading to Riddlecombe. Just over twelve months later we upped sticks again, this time to Yelland. An unexpected job loss led to a further move to Weston-super-Mare within eighteen months.
The reasons for our move away from North Devon - and sacrificing as a consequence living in rural surroundings - have been mentioned in previous jottings, but for the relevance of this article it is worth recapping the three main reasons that led to our move to Weston. Firstly, we were specifically looking at locations along the M5 corridor where we felt there would be better job opportunities. Secondly, we had both previously lived in large conurbations and felt confident we should be able to adapt back to an urban lifestyle. But, most significant of all, we adore the Art Deco period with its unique architecture and decor - and stepping into the bungalow that we found was like entering a time warp back to the 1930's.
However, despite finding what we thought was our ideal property, it did not turn out to be our forever home. On reflection, the appeal of the bungalow perhaps outweighed its location, for it is fair to say we did not do our research. For example, we failed to acknowledge that the fields of the Somerset Levels are "what they say on the tin", dead flat, and in our view, lacking in character. As time progressed, we began to realise how we had come to take for granted North Devon's rolling pasture. So, with a strong yearn to once more live within a scenic rural environment, we placed our bungalow on the market. This time though there would be no swift exchange of contracts, for we had learnt the vital importance of spending time doing one's geographical homework. What's more, unlike our move to Weston which was driven by a desire to be close to the M5, this next search was to have no boundaries. And so, over the next eighteen months our quest for a new home took us as far north as Worcestershire and down as far as Cornwall. We excluded North Devon as we have a philosophy that one should never move back.
Like anyone else seeking somewhere to live, we had certain specifications that we hoped both the property and the location would meet. To our joy Brown Bracken, situated just on the outskirts of Minehead, ticked most of the boxes. It was in a rural setting without being remote; the lounge has an open fire; amenities are close at hand; it has a good-sized back garden for our three Labradors; local dog walks are in abundance; the bungalow has character [including a serving hatch - so handy!]; and the kitchen had the facility to have Aggie - our Aga - reinstalled. But, most important of all the bungalow and its location provided the three essentials that our Art Deco paradise could not offer. Privacy, tranquility and an outlook.
These three specifications were to pay valuable dividends for me personally when, twelve months after moving, my life would temporarily go on hold. Thankfully, my mental shut down was very short lived - just three weeks - but I am certain it would have lasted longer had I not had the environment in which I now live to recuperate. It is hard to put into words what actually happened. I can only say that it felt as though my brain had pulled down its shutters and placed a notice saying "closed until further notice"; and just before doing so, it sent a message of warning to my body: "Your adrenaline tank is empty. Refueling can only commence with rest and relaxation. Until then, you will be unable to give of yourself to others." To give an example, I could not even face talking to people. Sending text messages to friends and family was as much as I could cope with, and did indeed help, offering as they did kind words of comfort and advice.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Interestingly it was suggested to me by more than one person that a daily walk would be beneficial. But even that felt too much. Something inside me said that I needed to just stay within the comfort of my own home where I could receive the support of my husband and to be able to rest and relax. As the days passed by and after many hours of sleep, I felt ready to venture outside and potter in the garden. This pottering, however, was continuously curtailed by the need to take breaks; not because I felt exhausted but because I just wanted to take in my rural surroundings. Often, I would sit indoors looking across the valley to the woodland and gorse on the southern slopes of North Hill, located on the northwest border of Exmoor. I would appreciate too how St Michael's parish church and its surrounding cottages nestled into the hillside, adding the perfect accompaniment to the vista - rather like Berrynarbor. I also spent many an hour sat beneath our veranda enjoying the array of birds as they flew back and forth from either the cotoneaster bushes or the magnolia tree to the feeders.
It was during this time that I took the opportunity to reflect upon the cumulative events that had led to my mental exhaustion. It also reminded me how fortunate I was to be living in such an ideal setting. But, most of all, it made me realise how I had taken my eye off the ball; rather ironic when one considers that the move to Brown Bracken had initially encouraged me to just sit and take in all that was around me. But during the summer and early autumn of last year, a busy social schedule amongst other things meant that I just did not relax as much as I should have. I am reluctant to say could not, for I feel that can often be used as an excuse. Ultimately, despite all that was going on at the time I could have still ensured that I took time to sit and just be.
At the time of writing this article there appear to be changes afoot with the weather. Gone are the wet, gloomy days of December and early January. For the third consecutive day the skies are cloudless so that when I look out of the window at seven o'clock in the morning and then do so again at half past four, I can sense once more how daylight is very gradually on the increase. It acts as a reminder of how this extra daylight will benefit our gardens, pots, window boxes, allotments and our surrounding countryside in the weeks and months to come; and this year I am going to ensure I do not miss an ounce of it. For making the time to sit and enjoy the very moment is so important for our wellbeing.
Steve McCarthy
34
RURAL REFLECTIONS -102
Britain has two breeds of sheep that can be regarded as truly primitive, one found in the far north of the British Isles and the other by the south coast. Both are still in existence as a result of being on land surrounded by water, the North Atlantic and the English Channel respectively And, whilst one area of land is due to the creation of a natural phenomenon, the other is a result of a manmade structure built, ironically, without the sheep's survival in mind. These two primitive breeds came to Britain by different routes, the northern short-tailed from central Asia via Scandinavia and Russia, whilst the long-tailed Celtic is believed to have come from the Near East before travelling through the Mediterranean countries.
The
long-tailed Celtic breed, whose sheep are tanned faced and horned, reach as far
back as the Iron Age. Its forbears once grazed across the heaths and downs of
the southeast as well as the countryside of south western England. Sadly,
crossbreeding down the centuries led to the breed disappearing from mainland
Britain. It was to their fortune, however, that the natural formation of a
shoal, in this case a shingle bar that rolled landwards, would guarantee this
ancient breed's immunity from surrounding influences. The shingle bar I refer
to is Chesil Beach, with the breed becoming more commonly known as Portland
Sheep.
Portland
has been a royal manor since before the Norman Conquest and a considerable
sheep run for much longer, factors that made the breed unique and famous throughout the kingdom for centuries. Able to
live on the island's sparse pasture, the
breed has a strong constitution that gives
it a strong resistance to disease and
parasites. This is a proud and independent
breed with a keen sense of its
own identity. The sheep demand respect and
are not easily intimidated, resulting in
a blase attitude towards sheepdogs. One other key characteristic of the breed
is its ability to lamb out of season, although unfortunately they barely
average one lamb per ewe.
During the nineteenth century, its pastural ground
was gradually eroded by commercial quarrying, leading to the breed eventually
disappearing from the island when the last flock was sold in 1913 at Dorchester
Market. By 1953 only a few flocks remained in Britain, with Calke Abbey
having the largest.
Even these sheep, however,
are no longer considered pure as over the years they have received
infusions of blood from other breeds, notably the Exmoor Horn.
Today, the breed's nearest descendants are the Dorset and Wiltshire
Horns.
However, in 1793 the crofters were warned by Sir John Sinclair, the first President of the Board of Agriculture, of their change of emphasis towards profit making. In his view they were no longer concerned for agriculture despite it being 'in every county the first and foremost of the arts'. Furthermore, he cautioned that if ever the manufacture of kelp should fail, it would 'bring certain ruin upon the tenants and their families'. He was to be proved right. By 1832 the price of kelp had collapsed, leaving the islanders facing destitution and at risk of famine. As a result, Traill's grandson, then laird, and his agent came up with a radical plan. Rather than encouraging the inhabitants to emigrate to larger, less populated islands, they proposed the building of a dry-stone dyke,12 miles in length, which would run the island's whole perimeter. It would also be tall enough to exceed any high tide and keep the sheep away from the island's cultivatable land. Only ewes were to be allowed in the fields at certain times of year, between lambing in mid-April and weaning in late July or early August. Other than at these times the breed has, ever since, been confined to the foreshore.
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
They have, as a consequence, become an unusual breed. Whereas normal sheep eat by day, these flocks will also eat at night for they have had to adapt to a diet of mainly seaweed which means eating according to the tide times. As a result, they have developed an instinct which enables them to know the state of the tide with their inbuilt alarm system enabling them to rise to their feet just as the tide is about to ebb. In haste, every flock will follow the retreating sea, with each beast competing to munch on the cleanest blades. Some are even willing to swim into the ebbing water to be the first to reach the best pickings. Due to this dietary dependence on seaweed, they are unable to eat too much grass as its copper would poison them. This breed is also uniquely not entirely vegetarian, being able to digest the feet and legs of dead seabirds.
The breed's coat is naturally impregnated with lanolin which repels the weather and so protects the sheep. Shearing by machine would leave their skin too bare to withdraw salt water so this has to be done by hand, the shears leaving just over an inch of wool across the skin. As mentioned at the end of my last article, tradition dictates that shearing is done on the first new moon closest to the end of July or beginning of August.
One other peculiarity to the breed is something that would bring nightmares to modern farmers striving for standardisation. For these sheep will run together on the shore, preventing individual owners from selecting specific rams for breeding with their ewes. This 'breeding-free-for-all' has led to a remarkable range of wool colour, including chocolate brown, steel grey, black, white and cream. It is an individuality in the breed that the crofters take pride in and is something they do not plan to alter. And to be honest, I don't blame them.
Have
a safe and peaceful Christmas.
Steve McCarthy
33
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 101
The other day I came across a quote
relating to the sun's disappearance beneath the western horizon just after the
moon had risen: "Her hour of rest
is haunted, her heart chilled by the cold face of her dead sister".The concept that the face of our neighbouring
satellite is "dead and cold" is an interesting euphemism which I am
certain would have been utterly discounted by our farming ancestors, for in
their eyes, quite literally, the moon's 28-day cycle was very much alive.Indeed, the four phases of the moon, from New
Moon to Full Moon and then round to the next New Moon, have long been
considered a prominent factor in planting schedules. Furthermore, with evidence
now backed up by modern scientific research, lunar farming is just as relevant
today with many modern-day farmers endorsing the practice by utilising lunar
rhythms as a tool for navigating planting periods and harvest dates.
It is a well-known fact that the moon's
magnetic forces affect the tides of our oceans and lead to a swelling in two
tidal bulges on the opposite sides of the earth. These bulges then cause the side of the earth
closest to the moon to be swelled by gravity while the earth's opposite side is
swelled by inertia.
Put
simply, the moon dictates when the tide comes in and when it goes out.Perhaps less well known is that these same
forces have an effect on ground water tables, with the moon's gravitational
pull generating greater water content in the soil, a process which in turn
enhances seed sprouting and plant growth.
Evidence of such benefits to a
plant's metabolism as a result of the moon has been proven through scientific
research on trees where, during certain phases of the moon's cycle, a tree may
have either a spurt in its initial growth or an increase in its germination
rate. This effect also extends to a
variety of plants such as root growth in sunflowers and beans and the extra
absorption of oxygen in plants such as potatoes, carrots and sunflowers.
To explain in simple terms the four
phases [or quarters] of the moon's cycle, it can be best to describe how much
of the moon [it's 'face'] can be seen in the sky. The first phase is from when the moon rises in
the west so close the sun's rising that the moon cannot be observed with the
naked eye and ends when all of the right-hand side of its face can be seen. During this period the moon exerts a force on
the earth's water opposite to that of the earth's gravity.This is considered to be a time when the
ground is consequently fertile and wet and therefore an opportunity for lunar
farmers to plant above ground and in particular leafy crops.With
each passing day of the lunar month's second quarter, a little more of the
moon's face is revealed
in the sky, with its last day occurring when we see the Full Moon. Over this period the moon will still exert a
pulling force on the earth's gravity, making it an ideal time for planting
plants within enclosed seeds such as beans, tomatoes or peas. These first two
quarters, from New Moon to Full Moon, are known as the moon's waxing phase. Lunar farmers see this period as being
suitable for transplanting and sowing any short-lived plants. It is also believed to be a desirable time
for planting plants with the intention to harvest flowers, leaves, seeds or
fruits.
The moon's waning phase occurs during
its third and fourth quarters, from Full Moon round to the next New Moon. In this period its gravitational pull on the
earth lessens and, as a consequence, tides decrease and the earth's soil
becomes drier. During the third
quarter, a period that begins on the day after the Full Moon and finishes when
we see only the left-hand face of the moon, the earth's gravity becomes focused
on a root-ward direction. Lunar farmers
will therefore use this time to plant longer lived crops such as perennials and
root crops such as potatoes and carrots. Finally, during the last quarter of the
moon's 28-day cycle, its lunar gravity [or 'pull'] is at its weakest. This allows the earth's own gravity to exert
its strongest force, in turn pushing water tables to their lowest depths in the
soil. With the soil drier and therefore
easier to work. lunar farmers regard the moon's last phase as the best time for
harvesting, transplanting and pruning. They
also see it as an ideal time for soil improvement such as soil turning, weeding
and adding compost.
As mentioned earlier, the value of
accounting for lunar cycles in farming practices has been carried over from
traditional wisdom. Moreover, so much did our agricultural ancestors place more
emphasis on the lunar months rather than the solar year, they even christened
each month's Full Moon with a name that had its roots in nature. For example, five months of the year had Full Moons named after
animals. January's was traditionally known as the Wolf Moon, named after the
howling wolves, while March has the Worm Moon because of the earthworms that
come out at the end of winter. The Full
Moon in July is known as the Buck Moon to signify the new antlers that appear
on deer bucks' foreheads around this time and in August we see the Sturgeon
Moon, named after the large number of fish in the lakes where the Algonquin
tribes of East Canada fished. Finally, the
Beaver Moon, which this year will rise on 19th November, is according to
folklore named after beavers who become active while preparing for the coming
winter.
The names of two Full Moons traditionally relate to flowers.April's is known as the Pink Moon from the
pink flowers of phlox that emerge in early spring whilst the Full Moon in May
is simply called the Flower Moon to reflect the abundance of flowers that bloom
during this month. A further two Full Moons have links with the
weather, February's known as the Snow Moon and December's the Cold Moon. Some North American tribes named February's
Full Moon the Hunger Moon due to the scarce food sources during midwinter,
while June's is called the Strawberry Moon to reflect the little red berries
that ripen at this time. On 20th October
this year we will see the rising of the Hunter's Moon, a Full Moon that
represented a traditional time when people in the northern hemisphere spent the
month preparing for the coming winter by hunting, slaughtering and preparing
meats. The Full Moon in July is also
known as the Hay Moon while other names for August's include the Barley Moon
and Grain Moon. Corn, meanwhile, is a feature of three Full Moons. In May we
see the Corn Planting Moon, in August the Green Corn Moon and in September the
Corn Moon. Finally, there is the
Harvest Moon which, as I mentioned in last October's article, is the only Full
Moon that can occur in one of two months, September or October, depending on
which month's Full Moon is closest to the autumnal equinox.For
example, this year's Harvest Moon occurred on 21st September, with the equinox
on the following day, while last year's rose on the 3rd October.
Farming by the lunar calendar, however, both traditionally
and in modern times, is not just limited to crops. On North Ronaldsay, for example, sheep
shearing is always done on the first New Moon closest to the end of July or
beginning of August.It is intriguing that this ancient custom is
carried out on a breed that is one of the few links to the primitive sheep that
first came to our isles. But more of
this next time.
Steve
McCarthy
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
30
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 100
In April 2000, having spent the previous ten years enjoying
holidays in North Devon, we sold our property in Brighton, gave up our jobs and
moved into our static caravan in Berrynarbor. Out of work and with no idea whether we would
find somewhere to live by the end of the season, I woke up the next morning and
thought, "What have we done?" But sometimes in life you have to trust your
gut instinct; and in our case we were right to trust those impulses. We soon gained employment and, just before
the site closed for the year, we found a bungalow in which to live on the
outskirts of Ilfracombe. There was,
however, one consequence of that initial move to Berrynarbor that I did not
envisage; having popped into the local village shop to purchase some goods, I
also picked up, like I did on all our previous holidays, the latest copy of the
Newsletter. Reading the editorial, I noticed how Judie
never forgot to express her gratitude to the issue's contributors, adding that
she would also appreciate articles from anyone who had not previously written a
piece. Nothing unusual, perhaps, except that on this
occasion, I had an inclination to put pen to paper.
From memory, that first offering was a ditty to do with how
we had come to move to the area. Similar contributions followed, all being
short lyrical odes. But it was in the
spring of 2001, having witnessed the extensive clearance work in our garden
that encircled our corner bungalow, that I had an urge to put together an
article. The piece made analogies
between our clearance work and the Great Storm of 1987, depicting the latter as
an opportunity for the town in which I lived at the time, Brighton, to have a
re-birth, with mature trees that had stood on guard for centuries being
replaced by fresh, juvenile saplings; and where, in the woods out of town,
grand old trees were allowed a respectable death with their decaying trunks
providing food and shelter for a multitude of creatures. I then
argued that, like the Great Storm, we too had robbed our garden of numerous
trees, not to mention the overwhelming abundance of brambles which had provided
blossom and fruits for wildlife to savour.
But, as with the Great Storm, we
too reaped benefits from our clearance work. Come early spring, a breathtaking carpet of
snowdrops appeared, followed by a mass of miniature narcissi and finally a
dazzling display of tall daffodils which, as I surveyed them swaying in a warm
spring breeze, I likened to the wagging tails of puppy dogs on a parade: all on
show and so much wanting to please us.
Having titled the article "Rural Reflections", I e-mailed
it to Judie and soon received a grateful reply, along with that renowned,
well-intentioned editor's question, "How about another one for the next
issue?" And so here we are, a
further ninety-nine contributions on. Who
would have thought?
Looking back, it's interesting to see how many articles
have, like that first offering, made analogies between mankind and our natural
world [usually concluding that nature is wiser than man] or involving other
reflective debates. For example, there
was the piece about the imminent arrival of the wind turbines appearing on the
North Devon landscape; another about local fields being given over to housing
developments and one other debating the dominance of Friesian cattle over
traditional British breeds. In relation to my own doorstep locality, I
also argued whether the felling of trees in my local public woodland for Health
and Safety reasons was, on the other hand, unfairly terminating their natural
life expectancy.
Along with trees, wildflowers have also been the focus of my
attention. For example, a run of articles followed my
observations on the variety of flora observed in the Score Valley from early
spring of one year through to late autumn.
I have also used pieces to
emphasise the benefits to nature that wild flowers can provide in a garden,
finishing one article with the line, "may all your weeds be
wildflowers!" Or as I said in
another piece, it's about regarding those dandelions in a lawn as a blessing to
nature; for whilst they may be spoiling those perfect green lines, they are at
the same time acting as a valuable source of nectar and pollen for our bees,
especially in early spring.
Viewing matters with a positive outlook has also been a
regular feature of my contributions. Without
doubt, becoming a writer for the Newsletter has encouraged me to take the time
to stop, stare and reflect. It also led me to read more books by naturalists,
many of whom I was surprised to discover experienced bouts of depression and
found solace and therapy through walking in the countryside. In my own way I have also written many
articles in the December and February issues in a bid to help readers who
struggle with the winter months. In one
piece I renamed S.A.D. "Spring Approaching Discovery" and in another
concluded that the Newsletter's February issue should be titled the
"Premature Spring" edition. In
others I have made references to how spring's imminent arrival is evident
within weeks of us bidding farewell to the old year and how, even in the depths
of winter, nature is still busy at work despite everything appearing dormant.
All of the seasons and not just winter have been the key
topic in certain articles. One piece again took on that 'glass half-full'
approach, reasoning that whilst the blossom of some trees may be short lived,
their brief displays ensure we appreciate their beauty even more. Another argued the 'for's and against''s' for
each season, but concluded with the question "Who can dislike
spring?" There was a feature on
what colours our countryside provides in autumn beyond the shades of gold,
brown, orange and yellow and one other about how an autumnal walk upon the
Cairn led me to conclude that the season is shifting and now seems later than
when I was a boy.
Other weather conditions have been a
regular topic. A scrutiny of my contributions over the last
20 years reflects how meteorological records have been continually broken, not
to mention the rural impact of unseasonable weather conditions. One article, for example, discussed the
benefits of witnessing the increase in bird species in our villages and towns
as a result of severe inclement weather in the countryside. In
another piece I reflected upon the dominance of one particular bird species in
our own gardens wherever we have lived; but more on our numerous abodes later.
Returning to weather related articles,
there was the item about a visit to friends in South Molton close to Christmas
2004. Whilst we ate and laughed, black
clouds gathered and then vigorously discharged their heavy raindrops,
continuing to do so as I attempted to drive back to Ilfracombe late that night.
Rivers burst their banks and drains
overflowed, causing roads to either disappear beneath deep pools of water or
become extensions of parallel rivers. Eventually,
in the early hours of the following morning, I reached home. Yet within days of the incident, my
experience had paled into insignificance when on Boxing Day an earthquake in
the Indian Ocean caused a tsunami which killed over 200,000 people. Nature at its cruellest.
Other significant incidents have
featured. Soon after I began
contributing articles there was the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease. More
recently it has been the COVID-19 pandemic.
In their own way, both are
examples of our countryside having a respite from the trampling heels of the
human race. During the first lockdown I
wrote a piece about the enjoyment gained from bringing the countryside to my
doorstep by watching the various birdlife in my own garden. It was something I recently discussed with my
elderly uncle who, living in a park home surrounded by fields and woodland,
used the lockdowns to relax on his veranda and observe his natural
surroundings. He explained with glee how much he had learned
about birdlife by just sitting and watching, not to mention how therapeutic it
had been for him. A lesson for us all.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Giving lessons to youngsters, both
directly and indirectly, have also been articles in their own right. Two come to mind. One centred around some youngsters who were
taking it in turns to forcefully push each into a low-growing
shrub in my local park. On politely
asking them to stop, I had to hide my shock when they genuinely assumed that,
with autumn imminent, the plant would lose its leaves and then die in winter,
allowing the park keeper to plant something else in its place next spring. A brief nature lesson followed. Another article explained how I had enabled a
group of local Girl Guides achieve their Duke of Edinburgh Award by assisting
me collate records of wild flowers upon the Cairn during the course of twelve
months. These records were then passed
onto the Devon Wildlife Trust.
The Cairn has been a regular feature of
my contributions during the ten years I lived in Ilfracombe. Indeed, on reflection I should conclude that
my initial articles ignited a desire to learn more about my rural environment
and in turn led me to write a book about the Cairn. Having that book published had been a life
time's ambition and became the feature of another article.
There have been other instances where I
have used my Rural Reflections space to share personal stories. For example, how the countryside was my
therapy and refuge after the loss of my parents; how it provided comforting
memories of Bourton and Gifford, our two black Labradors who were a regular
feature of my early pieces but who are now happily running through the fields
and woods up above; and how, by observing the way in which the branches of all
the trees in my local woodland were intimately touching, it had reminded me of
a get together I had meticulously arranged for my extended family tree.
My 'RR's' have also followed one other
personal aspect in the life of me and my husband - our numerous moves! As already mentioned, the Cairn and the Score
Valley featured regularly during the ten years we lived in Ilfracombe. On moving to Combe Martin it was another doorstep
discovery, Hams Lane [a recommended walk] that I wrote about and in particular
how I gave names to various key points along the route of the path. Our move to Riddlecombe then reflected upon
how it was the first time we had ever lived in a remote hamlet with no
amenities on hand and with the nearest shop two miles away. Yes, waking up to the sight of cows peering
over our back fence was always a joyful sight; but the extent of the isolation
proved too much. A return to
civilisation through our next move to Yelland was, therefore, a relief; and, in
any case, we still backed onto a horse's field and had farmland surrounding us.
But then I lost my job. "Let's move near the M5 corridor,"
we said. "There'll be better opportunities for work." And so the move to Weston-super-Mare.
"We've still got the countryside
nearby," we said. "And we'll soon adapt back to an urban
setting." Except we didn't - and
to think, I even wrote articles at the time convincing myself that we weren't
missing a rural outlook. But who was I
trying to fool? Oh, how we longed for a
countryside view again. So, six years
later, we moved to Minehead.
Our rural surroundings are very much
like North Devon [minus the turbines], except we're on the other side of the
moor! Better still, it's an area that
is relatively new to us, meaning new rural places on our doorstep to discover -
and, no doubt, accompanying articles to follow!
Steve
McCarthy.
14
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 99
In the December issue of the Newsletter, I made reference to a violent storm that battered the North Cornwall coast in the mid 1850's. It was a storm that, despite its ferociousness, failed to disturb the slumber of the Reverend Robert Hawker, Vicar of the Parish of Morwenstowe. It was only at daybreak that he was awakened, not by the wind but by the sound of frantic knocking emanating from the front door of his vicarage. On rushing to the door and opening it, Hawker discovered one of his choirboys stood there, his eyes streaming with tears and his hands trembling. Through uncontrollable weeping the boy struggled to describe the dreadful shipwreck that had occurred at nearby Vicarage Rocks. Then, with his hands still violently shaking, the boy raised them up and showed Hawker a creature that he had in his possession and begged the vicar to relieve him of it. It was only later that Hawker discovered why the boy's hands were shaking so. For as he wrote in his diary, "I found out afterwards that the boy had grasped the creature on the beach and brought it in his hands as a strange and marvellous arrival from the waves, but in utter ignorance of what it may be." So what was this nautical arrival that the choirboy had never seen before? A tortoise.
Tommy
As this issue goes to print some garden tortoises will be coming out of hibernation whilst others will still be tucked away enjoying the last few weeks of their winter slumber. Our own garden tortoise, however, was brought out of hibernation at the start of February. Being relatively young, Tommy only needs to hibernate for around three months. This will be extended the older he becomes. Yet some people, so I am led to believe, do not hibernate their garden tortoises at all, whilst a friend of ours is exceedingly pedantic about her tortoises's length of hibernation, tucking them up from Hallowe'en until the 1st of April.
Go on line and you will also find that advice on checking on a pet garden tortoise during its hibernation also varies considerably, from looking in on them weekly to completely leaving them alone. For the record, we do the latter - causing, I will admit, sleepless winter nights of worry; the relief when Tommy's head and legs start poking out of his shell, having been lifted out from his box, is a feeling that only fellow tortoise owners can empathise with! Oh, and in case you're wondering how Tommy keeps warm in those early weeks of post-hibernation, you can be rest assured that he knows to nestle up against the side of our Aga, turning occasionally to ensure both sides of his shell remain at a constant temperature.
Preferences on what owners give their pet tortoises to eat can also differ. When collecting Tommy from his previous owner we were informed [in no uncertain terms] that his favourite food was broccoli; to be cooked until fairly soft and served luke-warm and finely chopped; and she was right. But from the garden, au naturale, there is one wildflower along with its leaves which is also his favourite and from what I understand is adored by all garden tortoises.
The Romans called this wildflower Dens Lionis which translates as Leo Tooth whilst the French name is Dent de Lion, or Lion's Tooth. Both names are based on the jagged appearance of the plant's leaf. We know it, of course, as the dandelion, a flower which is renowned as a weed of garden flower beds and lawns and one that has in recent years spread along road verges on a massive scale being slightly salt resistant. Gardeners seeking the perfect lawn or weed-free flowerbed are also no doubt irritated by the plant's extensive flowering season, beginning as it does in February and lasting through until late summer; the reason, no doubt, why it is the staple ingredient of a garden tortoise's diet. Its early flowering is also a great benefit to our bees, for dandelions are rich in pollen and nectar, the latter something that bees heavily rely upon. It is important to remember that in a bee community only a young mated female will live on to carry hope of a new generation into the new year. Come early spring she knows only too well the need to fill her empty stomach with enough nectar to seek a suitable nest site. Every early dandelion counts. She is also fully aware at the rate at which a field of dandelions will turn to seed. Urgency is therefore paramount.
The dandelion is a very variable plant that botanists divide into hundreds of similar micro species. There are some 150 native species to the British Isles along with a further 100 foreign arrivals that have increased the overall total. Whilst the leaves are rich in vitamins A and C and can be used in salads, the roots can make an agreeable substitute for coffee. It also makes a good homemade wine. A further historical reference to the plant can be found in World War II when dandelion latex provided the Soviet Union with rubber. Gypsies used to call the seed headed dandelion 'Queen's hairy dog flower' whilst other names include seed heads, blow balls, time-tellers and the school boy's clock.
The last name no doubt refers to a school game involving the seed headed flower to tell the time or predict a future event. This would be based upon the number of puffs required to dislodge all the seed heads from one plant. I remember a game at my primary school where the number of puffs determined what age you would live to, how many times you would marry and how many children you would have. But there was one detrimental experience involving these seed heads which is forever lodged in my memory.
Allowed, as we were, to use the adjacent field during our lunch break, a girl in my class began making me daisy chains. Keen to show my appreciation I presented her with a specially chosen bunch of dandelions, hand-picked from the field. Her face was aghast. "You're not my friend anymore and I'm not going to marry you!" she shrieked. "Boys who pick dandelions start wetting beds for the rest of their life." To be truthful, I've never looked at a dandelion in the same way since!
Enjoy the spring.
Illustration by: Paul Swailes
Steve McCarthy
13
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 98
Whilst living in Brighton in the 1990's,
I attended a creative writing course at a local college. One week our homework was to personalise
something; in other words, to write
about a thing ['it'] as though it were a person ['you']. The tutor told us to think 'outside the box',
emphasising that the 'it' need not be a specific object and added that our work
could be presented in any format;[
composition, prose, poetry or even a letter. From
recall, I wrote a poem about my seizures which, in the opinion of the tutor,
gave a chilling insight into the experience of having one especially when read
in the context of 'you' rather than 'it'.
It was also an unexpected
therapeutic exercise as personalising my seizures enabled me to truly express
how I felt about living with epilepsy at that stage of my life.
So, poised with pen and paper on the
last day of 2020, I decided it was time to once again set myself the challenge.
Firstly, to think outside the box and
try not to consider a specific object. How about personalising the pandemic? Or maybe revisiting my epilepsy? Or perhaps personifying a colour, or a sound
or even the weather? Suddenly, I
chuckled, for as I gazed out of the lounge window, I once again relished the
rural view that I was now looking out upon and compared it to the outlook from
my home twelve months ago, thanks to moving last September from a town which I
decided would be my subject matter. And the format? For some reason I felt compelled to write a
letter.
Dear
Weston super Mare,
It seems like only yesterday when I and
my husband first got to know you. Where did those six years go? Such a pity, don't you think, that our
friendship did not work out? But
please, do not feel guilty, for you are not to blame.
On reflection, it was perhaps our fault
for jumping headfirst into the relationship without first getting to know you. Plus, don't forget, it was us who made the
assumption the relationship would work based on our previous urban friendships
that had been amiable and successful. However, what we had not taken into
consideration was the impact that our fourteen-year fellowship with North Devon
had on us. Put simply, the closeness we
developed with our rural companion meant that any future urban affinity was
doomed from the start. We just failed
to realise it at the time.
As I have mentioned, we did not do our
research. Nor did we consider what we
were sacrificing in my bid to find alternative employment somewhere along the
M5 corridor. We had forgotten how we
always had dog walks literally on our doorstep. Instead we suddenly had to drive everywhere.
Gone, too, were the clean running
streams that our three Labradors adore, replaced as a substitute by the muddy
riverbanks and algae-covered rhynes which edged all of your nearby
fields. Oh, how it was a constant
effort preventing the coats of our Labradors from turning black or
chocolate-brown into shades of green or grey, not to mention adorning them with
that pungent aroma of stagnant water! Yes,
you provided us with local woodland, where, unfortunately, the ground was too
rocky and sharp for the delicate paws of our eldest Labrador.
A pity too, how we found your
surrounding countryside uninspiring; for
we had grown so used to the rolling hills, the steep valleys and the hedge-banks
which our previous companion had aplenty. No doubt many people gain great pleasure from
your Levels, but to be brutally honest, we just don't do flat! And
whilst I cannot deny you provided entertainment and provisions for your
inhabitants, it wasn't for us. Where
were your farm shops, country fairs, village fetes and quaint tea rooms? But, worst of all, we had no outlook and
lived amongst the constant din of traffic. Both peace and rural views were aspects we
had taken for granted whilst being in the company of our old pal. Yes, we thought we would be able to once more
live without them. But we were wrong.
Be pleased for us though, for we have
found a new friend in Minehead. We live
on the outskirts with a rural view across to North Hill and the border of
Exmoor. Needless to say, there are
bountiful supplies of dog walks amongst countryside which looks like a twin of
our old chum, North Devon, and where our Labradors can once again enjoy
fast-flowing streams where they come out the same colour as they went in! We have yet to enjoy the many pastoral
community events on offer but have at least savoured the local amenities
including a farmer's market and farm shop. Oh, how refreshing it is to once more be
within a rural environment! And best of all, serenity surrounds us. No more hustle and bustle.
As I said at the start of this letter,
it was a pity that our relationship did not work out. But let's not be negative. Instead, let us view our six-year friendship
as an experience my husband and I needed to go through in order to realise what
we truly want out of life, and more importantly, to recognise that whilst we
both have urban roots within us, those metropolitan seeds have germinated into
strong rural branches and buds above ground. We are back in the countryside, and we're
here to stay. Best of all, with the
daylight hours increasing and with spring just around the corner, we have so
much to look forward to.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Steve McCarthy
25
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 97
Smuggling from shipwrecks
was once a regular occurrence along the coastlines of North Devon and North
Cornwall. At its worst, the practice
brought out the most calculated and deceitful nature of the coastal villages'
inhabitants. For example, a contemporary
report about the wreckers of Morwenstowe stated that they would "allow a
fainting brother to perish to the sea, without extending a hand of
safety." It was within such an
environment that the Reverend Robert Hawker [b1803], or Parson Hawker as he became
known by locals, chose to carry out his service to God when he became vicar of
the Church of St Morwena and St John the Baptist in the remote rural parish of
Morwenstowe in 1831. Yet by the time of
his death in 1875, this eccentric character, with a strong aversion to black,
was held in such high regard by his parishioners that as a mark of respect at
his funeral they chose to wear purple instead.
In fact, such was his disdain for black, any onlooker was sure to
witness a vibrant choice of dye colouring for his clothing. During church services he donned a yellow
vestment and scarlet gloves; whilst going about the
parish on his beloved mule he would be seen wearing a claret-coloured tailcoat,
a fisherman's jersey with a cross embroidered over his heart and a pink
brimless hat; and if the weather was
inclement he would sport a yellow blanket he had especially sourced in
Bideford, having discovered a hole in its middle which was perfect in circumference
for his head!
But his eccentricity was not just limited to his dress
code. He could also act in ways which
were regarded as somewhat curious. One night, for example, he decided to swim
out to a rock at Bude naked, except for an oilskin wrapped around his legs and
strands of seaweed delicately positioned upon his head to give the impression
of a wig. Once secure and comfortable
upon the rock he began singing in an unearthly voice whilst looking at his
reflection in a glass in order to comb his green slithery hair. The rural natives began to gather on the
shoreline in wonder at their discovery of a real mermaid with hair that
glistened in the moonlight! Relishing
the attention, Hawker repeated the act the following night, noticing on his
arrival that a larger crowd had gathered.
In order not to disappoint his audience, he chose to end his performance
by plunging into the sea and disappearing out of sight. The next evening an even bigger crowd
arrived, the throng now including onlookers from neighbouring villages. This time before submerging into the water he
ended his singing with a vigorous rendition of God Save the King.
Like many eccentrics he was also a loner - perhaps the
reason why he chose such a remote area to ply his trade. However, the best example of his need to be
alone was the hut he erected close to Higher Sharpnose Point, roughly one mile
from Morwenstowe Church. Built out of
driftwood and timber from shipwrecks, Hawker constructed it into the hillside
so he could look out to the Atlantic. This was a place, no doubt, where he
gained inspiration for his sermons and poems.
The original hut has since been replaced by one of mainly timber with a
turf-covered top. Now owned by National
Trust [it is their smallest property], it can be accessed from the South West
Coast Path.
Hawker probably also used his hut to observe the moods of
the weather and sea in order to foresee the likelihood of any shipwrecks; for it was in such a scenario that he carried
out what was arguably his greatest deed.
He had been in the parish around 25 years when on an autumn evening a
violent storm erupted. It rattled the
windows of the old Morwenstowe Church so furiously, Hawker had to shout during
the service so he could be heard above the din. In the churchyard, sycamore branches were
whipped and headstones knocked flat.
The storm raged throughout the night, the doors to his vicarage
clattering and its windows flapping.
Yet Parson Hawker slept through it all.
Only at daybreak did he stir, awoken by one of his choirboys banging on
the front door. "Oh Sir," the
boy cried. "There are dead men on
Vicarage Rocks." The Parson
immediately rushed out in his dressing gown and slippers, ran the quarter of a
mile to the cliffs and descended the 300 feet to the beach. He instantly began bringing to shore
sailors, both dead and alive; and, more
significantly, as locals arrived on the scene and witnessed Hawker's actions,
they instantly did the same. Looting
goods or leaving men to die was not given a second thought, such was the high
esteem in which the parson was held - in an era when, as the saying went, 'save
a stranger from the sea and he'll turn your enemy'. In sheer contrast, however, these locals
respected how Parson Hawker gave every dead sailor a Christian burial and how
he had survivors stay at his vicarage until they were fully recovered.
So what was it about Hawker that led these isolated, rural
and, in some cases, law-breaking locals to change their attitude? Why was this parson held in such high
esteem? To answer these questions, I
believe there are two factors to bring to light. Firstly, he was widely known for his
reckless generosity to the poor of his parish and those who were
shipwrecked. Secondly, people who go
about their lives on an even keel, their temperament always
calm and their demeanour
emitting a sense of solidity and security naturally gain respect. Parson Hawker was one such person. For there was an upper stillness in which he
lived. To him the remote, rural village
of Morwenstowe was a truly holy place, his church 'a chancel in the sky'. What's more, it was in that dusty chancel
that he was confident that he could see St Morwena; and whilst nobody knows quite who she was or
precisely what she did to become a saint, Hawker felt he knew her
intimately. But his bond with heavenly
forms extended beyond Morwenwtowe's dedicated parochial saint. In one of his poems he tells of how, whilst
praying in his church, he could hear angelic hymns: 'We see them not - we may not hear; The music of their wing; Yet know we that they sojourn near; The
Angels of the Spring.'
We talk of Christmas as the season of goodwill. However, this year we saw, to quote Reverend
Robert Hawker, the emergence of 'Angels in the Spring' with the onset of
Coronavirus. Tragic though this has been, the outbreak has brought communities
together and led people to go out of their way in order to support vulnerable
neighbours, friends and family during these unprecedented times. Like Parson Hawker, may your acts of
boundless generosity and kindness continue.
Merry Christmas.
Steve
McCarthy
Illustrations: Paul
Swailes
33
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 96
The Harvest Moon is the full moon that appears in the sky closest to the autumnal equinox. It is more frequently seen in September, the equinox occurring on or near to the 23rd and is observed every three years in October. This year it can be witnessed on the 1st October; the same date, by coincidence, that the first Harvest church service took place in 1843, conducted by the Reverend Robert Hawker in his parish church in Morwenstowe. But more of this eccentric character later.
Most people are likely to have heard of the Harvest Moon. Many are also no doubt aware it is the name associated with an autumnal full moon. Perhaps less well known is that every full moon has a name dependent upon the month in which it falls, some years have 13 full moons, the extra being known as a Blue Moon. This October is one such month, the second full moon rising on the 31st. If the Harvest Moon occurs in September then it is also known as the Corn or Barley Moon whilst October's full moon is known as the Hunter's Moon.
Tracking the changing seasons by following the lunar months, rather than the solar year, was common in ancient times and is the reason why full moon names have their roots in nature and their origins in ancient cultures. However, of all these names, it is the origins of the Harvest Moon that is open to debate. Some sources claim it came from Native American month names which, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, were adopted and incorporated into our modern calendar. European experts, meanwhile, are keen to point out that the Harvest Month is recorded as early as the 700's in both Anglo-Saxon and Old High German languages.
So why is it that the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox is known as the Harvest Moon? After all, the word harvest usually refers to the corn crops reaped from July through to October. One theory connects it to historical records which reveal that its name represented a time when farmers harvested the last of their summer crops in the final evenings of prolonged light before winter came along. In this case, however, the term 'prolonged light' does not relate to the period when the sun is setting and the proceeding dusk. On the contrary, it is referring to the characteristics of the full moon that are unique to this time of year. For the Harvest Moon typically appears bigger, brighter and more colourful than the average full moon.
This is due to two factors. Firstly, its placement in the sky compared to other times of year. Secondly, throughout most of the year the moon rises an average of fifty minutes later each day.
But on several nights before and after the Harvest Full Moon, it may rise as little as 23 minutes later. This allows it to rise soon after sunset for several evenings in a row so that to the naked eye there appears to be a succession of full moons. More significantly, it provides an abundance of bright moonlight early in the evening which is a valuable aid to farmers when harvesting their crops.
Of course, modern harvesting bears no resemblance to traditional methods. I was reminded of these old-fashioned techniques recently when reading Before The Lake - Memories of Chew Valley, in which the editor, Leslie Ross, has collated recollections of people who lived and farmed in the Somerset valley before it became a lake in 1956. One contributor recalled harvest time and hay making, explaining how men from the local coal pits, working fewer hours in summer time due to the lower demand for coal, would be keen to help out. The contributor describes these men as 'useful, strong, capable and willing', adding that they 'enjoyed the change of working in the open fields'.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Although not paid well, the coal workers were at the same time grateful for the tea, cider and food brought out by the womenfolk, the contributor emphasising how their home-made bread, cheese, pickles and cakes were served with 'secret pride'. She adds that all the local children would also join in at harvest time, recalling how they tussled over who would ride on the horses drawing the wagons laden with the haystacks and who would sit on top of them!
Trevor Robinson is another author who refers to harvest time in his book Working with the Curlew - A Farmhand's Life. Having initially spent his farming life in Yorkshire, he later moved to a farm near Leominster where over time he came to realise how the farming calendar was programmed in such a way as to bring together all the different forms of agriculture to a common meeting point, whether they be stock or arable. Of all these occasions, Robinson is keen to emphasise that the end of harvesting, a time he describes as 'when all the harvest was in under cover', was one 'of great relief, (having a) sense of achievement (as if) the whole year seemed to climax at this point.' He acknowledges, too, how the Harvest Festival, or Harvest Home as some locals called it, had a great meaning for the farming community. What's more, whilst openly admitting his own scepticism of the spiritual realm, he confesses how heart-warming he still found the Church's recognition of this key event in the rural calendar - and is prepared to admit to singing with great gusto, the hymn We Plough the Fields and Scatter.
Harvesting one's crops can perhaps also be used as a metaphor for our own lives, the drawing in of the evenings a period for us to reflect upon what we have worked for over the last six months and to consider what fruits we have reaped from the labours of our efforts. Are there any loose ends that need tying up in order to be ready to set new goals for the months when the hours of darkness outweigh those of daylight?
I can imagine the Reverend Robert Hawker using the concept of harvesting one's crops as a spiritual metaphor for one of his sermons at a Harvest Service. Maybe he used it at that inaugural service is 1843? He conceived the idea of such a service as a means of giving thanks to God for providing such a bountiful crop to his parishioners that year, inviting them to a Harvest Service where the bread used at the Communion was to be made from the first cut of local corn. These services became an annual event and in time led to the introduction of the Harvest Festival that we know today.
When he came to Morewenstowe Vicarage in 1834, Parson Hawker, as he became known, found that the verger had burnt most of the old chancel screen when tidying up the church in preparation for his arrival. Parson Hawker soon set to, rescuing the remains and fixing them up across the chancel arch. In so doing he managed to use the dusty chancel as an area in which to conduct his services, wearing throughout a yellow vestment and scarlet gloves, no doubt startling the church warden when a pair of scarlet hands were thrust through the screen to collect the offertory bags! In the same year of his first Harvest Service, Parson Hawker also introduced the weekly offering in church. Both eccentric and innovative, there was much more to this Reverend who rose to the challenge of plying his trade in this rural, remote parish with a coastline renowned for shipwrecks and the subsequent unchristian practice of smuggling. But more of this next time.
Steven McCarthy
26
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 95
In the June 2019 Newsletter, Jenny Williams compared the day-to-day life of a butterfly to one that is lived solely in the present moment. She then added that this is something that we can all experience with enjoyment and reward during our time on this earthly plane. My last article was testimony to this, the piece featuring the various bird activity I had observed whilst sat in my back garden. By doing so, I had been able to appreciate my natural environment at a time when, due to the COVID19 outbreak, the government had initially put in place strict safety restrictions on our movements;limitations which as a consequence inhibited usual explorations of my rural locale.
Interestingly, my observational practice did not just achieve the goal of bringing the countryside to my doorstep. It also encouraged me to remain focused on the here and now;for it was not just my visual radar that remained on red alert - all of my senses became instinctively honed in on my surroundings.This in turn helped distract my thoughts away from the coronavirus.No longer did I dwell on previous news bulletins or fret over possible negative outcomes. Moreover, it helped me maintain a healthy outlook - something I have continually encouraged others to do by seeking out positive new items whilst the crisis continues.
Positive thinking is good for one's well-being.It was therefore interesting that when the initial lockdown was imposed the government were keen for people, if they could, to still go out once a day for a non-essential walk, cycle or run for the benefit of their physical and mental health. I found it a curious choice of terminology. Whilst I cannot doubt the physical benefits that can be gained from undertaking these pursuits, I feel that any psychological gain, in particular from walking, is dependent upon the participant's mental attitude. For if a walk is to be mentally advantageous it is vital that, like a butterfly, the walker enjoys the present moment by taking in their surroundings and drawing upon the positive features that they notice within their environment.
This practice is similar to the concept of mindful walking, something Robert McFarlane adhered to on numerous walks that he undertook in his book The Old Ways. On one trip, he recalled how he had just set out on a hike with a Spanish friend along a Calzada Romana [Spanish Roman road] when he noticed what looked like a large jay feather [he later discovered it had come from an azure-winged magpie.] "You see," his friend commented, "I don't need to walk miles to find things out.Six paces will do well for me." He then added, "There is a Spanish saying, Caminar ses atesorar!, which means to walk is to gather treasure!" What a beautiful metaphor; for if you mindfully walk in the present moment, you will indeed see things you have never discovered before.
When writing his book, McFarlane was keen to emphasis how Edward Thomas [b1878] was his guiding spirit.Thomas was a singer, soldier, poet and essayist who from a young age was both a keen walker and writer.After making a reputation with travel logs, natural history books and biographies, he turned to poetry in the winter of 1914, writing 142 poems in just over four years.Yet throughout his life - one that was curtailed when he was killed on the opening dawn of the battle of Arres in 1917 - he had battled with depression.Walking was Thomas's therapy and in particular tracking along ancient ways which in his view were 'potent, magic things . . . worn by the trailing staves of long dead generations.'
On each walk, he would internalise the features of its path-filled landscape; every corner, junction, style, finger post, fork, crossroad, each small track that led off the path and all that beckoned from a hilltop.Thomas not only thought on paths; he thought of each path and with each path, allowing him to make what he called 'time as nothing'. But most critically, paths gave form to his melancholy and hopes.
The Downs were his heartland, being at the centre of his 'South Country'. For this was an area he had walked on far longer than any other. On one occasion, whilst he and his wife Helen were staying in Wiltshire, they were walking along an old track when they noticed the prehistoric White Horse figure in the hills at Uffington, formed from deep trenches and filled with crushed white chalk.Helen immediately became thrilled by what she proclaimed as 'discoveries upon the ancient ways' that allowed her to 'have a sense of being connected by footfall to history and tradition.'Her comment pleased Thomas, now satisfied that he had fulfilled his ambition to teach his wife to walk differently; not just with her legs, or even with all of her body - but to feel the landscape as she moved over it.
Like Thomas, the writer George Borrow [b1803] was also a depressive. Although he took to tramping in the 1820's, he cut a distinctive figure in the countryside, always dressed in a black cloth suit, white stockings and sombrero.He had an awesome stamina, walking thousands of miles across England, Wales, France, Spain and Russia.To help manage his depression he would study with intent his vista as he walked. When reading his prose one can sense him feel the breeze in his face, study the stars for his ceiling and use the hedgerows to philosophise. In time, this form of what Borrow regarded as 'open journeying', led to a growing cult of 'leisure vagabondage' which, by the end of the 1800's, had led to the foundation of the first walking clubs. It also inspired the writer and ornithologist W.H. Hudson [b1841] to pioneer psychogeography - the concept of walking and waiting - which he regarded as 'the charm of the unknown.'
Meanwhile across the Atlantic, the mountaineer John Muir [b1838] achieved a walk of 1000 miles from Indianapolis to Florida Keys in 1867. Fifteen years later, the Sierra Club Foundation was conceived, inspired by Muir's conviction that 'the walker's bodily contact with the wild world benefits both walker and world' and that, 'going out . . . was really going in'.
The Scottish writer and poet Nan (Anna) Shepherd [b1893] was especially expressive about her bodily connection with the land upon which she walked, in particular placing emphasis upon the union between the soles of her feet and the ground beneath them. 'Walking barefoot has gone out of fashion', she wrote in 1945. 'But sensible people are reviving the habit.'In his book, McFarlane recollects the occasions when he too walked barefoot detailing the terrains' textures, sensations, resistances, planes and slopes. He regarded these episodes as occasions when 'the skin of the walker meets the skin of the land', adding that such contact provides a tactile detail of the landscape that can go so easily unnoticed when walking.A truly mindful approach - and one that Nan Shepherd would greatly approve of.
Shepherd is best known for her seminal mountain memoir The Living Mountain, based on her experiences of hill walking in the Cairngorms. She brings the book to a close by stating that 'on the mountains I am beyond desire . . . I am not out of myself but in myself. I am.' In other words, she celebrated what is known as the metaphysical rhythm of the pedestrian - put simply, the beat of the lifted and placed foot.This is the true definition of mindful walking;and for people who, despite their attempts to take in their surroundings still have difficulty diverting their thoughts from the past or future, focusing on one's footsteps should do truly bring one's attention into the present moment.
Personally, however, I find that studying all that I see around me suffices - and by undertaking close observations, I find that I see new things every day even on the same walk. It was the same for the American essayist, poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau [b1817] who found that great happiness could be gained from the prospect of going for a regular walk and noticing something new. As he put it, 'a single farmhouse which I had not seen before is sometimes as good as the Dominions of the King of Dahoney.'
So why not try it? Or if you have difficulty getting out, maybe studying a pictorial book or magazine? Either way, you will be bringing your attention to the here and now - and in so doing, allow your fears and worries to ease away.
Stephen McCarthy
Illustration by: Paul Swailes
27
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 94
Our primitive ancestors had little time to relax and
appreciate their rural surroundings.
Had mindfulness been around back then it would not have had many
followers, the concept of living in the present moment being low on their list
of priorities. For they had more
pressing matters to deal with, including where they would source their next
meal or firewood and whether predators or enemy tribes were lurking on the horizon. It was also vital that they stored in their
primeval memory banks, previous hunts, especially unsuccessful attempts so as
not to re-enact them, as well as reflecting on fruitful outcomes in order to
plan future successful quests. Much as
this was to our ancestors' benefit, our unique DNA system has unfortunately
ensured that our brains, now three times in size, have inherited that same mode
of thinking - in a modern world where we no longer require it to do so. As a result, we have a tendency to replay
past negative experiences, each recollection making the event seem a little
worse than it actually was. Likewise,
our brains are also programmed to think ahead, often simulating adverse
situations that may never happen. Put
simply, negative thinking sticks to our hippocampus [the memory part of our
brain] like Velcro, which is why it takes ten positive thoughts to outweigh
each negative!
It is for this reason I feel it is so important that in the
current climate we restrict the amount of negative news that we watch, hear and
read regarding COVID19. Instead we must
absorb the positive media reports, for example how people are pulling together
and stepping up to support those in need.
With this in mind I am, by coincidence, compiling this article on the
100th birthday of Captain [now Honorary Colonel] Tom Moore. Having originally set out with the intention
of raising £1,000 for NHS frontline staff battling the Coronavirus by walking
100 laps of his garden, he had by the evening of his birthday raised nearly £32
million. What an inspiration to us
all! Along the way he also co-released
a charity single, You'll Never Walk Alone with Michael Ball that went straight
to the top of the charts; an achievement which at the age of 99 made him the oldest
male vocalist to have a number one hit since Tom Jones did a remake of Islands
in the Stream for Comic Relief in 2009 at the comparatively youthful age of
69. Before him, the record holder had
been 66-year-old Louis Armstrong with his hit What a Wonderful World, which
topped the charts in 1968.
The following year saw the release of the James Bond film On
Her Majesty's Secret Service. This had
We Have All the Time in the World as its featured song, the line taken from
Bond's final words spoken after the death of his wife. Although too ill to play his trumpet,
composer John Barry particularly wanted Armstrong as the vocalist feeling that
his voice could deliver the title line with irony.
The titles of both of Armstrong's songs seem to resonate, somewhat
with irony, with our current situation; for when one comes to consider our four
seasons, spring is arguably the one that, from a rural perspective, proves
beyond doubt that we do indeed live in a wonderful world. No other time of year sees as many comings
and goings as late winter merges into spring and then fulfils its potential
before blending into early summer.
There is the blackthorn, hawthorn and cherry blossoms; the snowdrops,
the daffodils, the primroses, the buttercups, the bluebells and the cow
parsley. Unfortunately, restricted as
we have all been to either remain housebound or at best be restricted to one
outing per day within a reasonable distance of our homes, we have been unable
to fully appreciate spring's transformation.
Whether you have been confined to your home on government
advice, furloughed from work or are an essential worker restricted to your
outdoor activities, one thing is certain: we currently seem to have all the
time in the world. Filling that time
productively for such a long period has, quite understandably, proved quite a
challenge for some people. Personally,
I decided that the best way to tackle the issue was to bring the countryside to
me by sitting in my back garden and living in the present moment through
observing the natural events taking place around me; and in so doing found
that, unlike our primitive ancestors, I no longer dwelt on the negative news
bulletins or concerned myself with possible outcomes.
With the sky now devoid of airliners' vapour
trails, it was the surrounding birdlife to which I found myself being
drawn. Ever present was a male
blackbird perched on the roofs of either our bungalow or our neighbours', or on
the telegraph pole, on our garage roof or in our mahonia tree. From dawn until dusk he sung his lyrical
tune which had that characteristic gap before singing a collection of new
notes. A female blackbird had been
previously present, her current absence a sign she was now perhaps sitting upon
eggs. It had been lovely watching them
have their morning dip - never together, it must be emphasised,
the male always perching on the edge of the birdbath to allow his mate to
splash and preen herself without interruption.
On the day of writing she reappeared, her clutch having possibly
successfully fledged. Before lockdown we had also watched a pair of doves
successfully build a nest in the mahonia, defying storm force winds which
interweaved the branches but failed to upset the nest. It was fascinating observing the pair's
meticulousness for choosing the correct length and girth of stick on the ground
for the next addition to the nest. In
time, two chicks hatched which we had the pleasure of watching grow until they
could barely fit in the nest. Then
early one morning they fledged.
Their hatching as chicks encouraged crows from nearby
conifers to our garden, no doubt considering them a possible food source for
themselves. We also used to see them
before our neighbour had his leylandii trees felled -
pre-nesting season I must add. For this was where a pair of wood pigeons
would annually raise offspring, attacks from crows and magpies having been
successfully overcome. Unfortunately,
the male and female had mated ahead of felling and for two weeks perched on our
fence waiting for the trees to miraculously reappear. Eventually the female vacated the scene, the
male continuing to arrive daily to either eat seed on the lawn, having first
landed on the feeder and forcibly swung on it to cause seeds to fall out, or to
take a late morning splash which subsequently required a complete replenishment
of water in the bird bath.
One morning as I stepped outside to take my seat, I was
frozen to the spot by surprise. What
occurred took place in an instant. From
nowhere, so it seemed, a sparrowhawk soared low
across our neighbours' gardens before sweeping
diagonally up and away and out of sight.
At the very same time, the wood pigeon, previously perched at ease upon
our garage roof, fluttered fast into the air across to the safe protection of
the high conifers. Presumably a female sparrowhawk, the male leaves her to take out larger prey, I
can only guess that my sudden appearance on the scene distracted her from her
attack. It is the first time I have
witnessed an attempt on such a species since living here, for they usually prey
upon our nearby neighbour's racing pigeons when they
are let out once a day to display their acrobatic flying formations. Periodically a solitary pigeon may veer off
course and it is then, with dynamic speed, that the sparrowhawk
appears overhead and takes the pigeon out.
One other nest builder has been a female blue tit. Having initially spent time checking out the
nest box attached to our garage, both the male and female disappeared, only to
return a fortnight later. Soon the
female began the construction of her nest whilst the male kept a watchful eye
on possible contenders; and a good job he did, a great tit soon wading in and
attempting to gazump the homemakers. A fierce battle took place within the
mahonia tree, the male blue tit claiming victory. Meanwhile the female continued her creation
using both moss and dog fur, the latter having been attached to the pole of the
birdfeeder after our three Labradors had been brushed! Before long just the male was observed,
making vigilant visits the to the box throughout the day to feed his
partner. Come the last day of April
chicks could be heard calling each time a parent entered the nest box with
food.
Other visitors to the garden have included a lone dunnock
eating seeds surrounding the cotoneaster at the bottom of the feeders and a
pair of gold finches either enjoying the Nyjer seeds or taking a drink at the
birdbath. Their markings deserve
appreciation; that distinctive red face, white patch behind the eye and their
black crown and nape, along with their distinguishing yellow wing patches, that
black tail and long pointed bill. Unusual sightings have included a solitary
buzzard circling on the thermals overhead, a rook perusing the lawn and a house
sparrow that paid a single visit to the feeders.
I should like to round off my article by returning to
Captain Tom Moore. On his 100th birthday
he received a card from the Queen with a personalised
message; and deservedly so. He also
received a special message from fellow centenarian Dame Vera Lynn who said,
"Like the rest of the country, I was so inspired by his achievement over
the past few weeks." All three
share a common empathy; for they are old enough to remember only too well the
last time our world experienced such a global cataclysm: World War Two. It seemed, therefore, only fitting and,
moreover, reassuring when Her Majesty concluded her recent address to the
Commonwealth regarding the Coronavirus with the words that are supremely
associated with Dame Vera: "We will
be with our friends again. We will be
with our families again. We will meet
again." And, if I may take the
liberty to add, we will someday soon be able to reconnect with our beautiful
countryside once again.
Stephen
McCarthy
24
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 93
In the February issue of the Newsletter I wrote about the
copious displays of daffodils, both wild and cultivated, that I had observed
whilst traversing my local Somerset countryside in early spring last year. Come late April, it was the turn of the
bluebells, the most dazzling display witnessed whilst driving along the western
flanks of the Malvern Hills which border Worcestershire and Herefordshire. Its woodland floors were awash with the
flowers, their density only intensified where glades and patches of large open
slopes offered ground that had been transformed into myriads of blue.
Photo: Steve McCarthy
It was the Swedish botanist and great plant namer, Carl Linnaeus who was to christen this flower which
belongs to the hyacinth family. By
then, he had already given the true hyacinth its Latin name, hyacinthoides,
which he based upon the Greek God Apollo's apparent wailing at the death of his
lover Hyacinth; with
a little imagination, Linnaeus opined, Appollo's cry
was visible in the flower's head. As
for the poor bluebell, which has a flower turning downwards towards the ground,
he unfortunately regarded it as being merely an 'unmarked' plant; and so, considering it a plant that
had no need of any particular description, he named it hyacanthoides non scripta
- a hyacinth with no writing on it.
The plant, also called the wild hyacinth, is better known in
Scotland as the harebell. It has many
country names across the UK including crow flower, goose gander and culverkeys. It is
also called both the wood hyacinth and wood bell for it is at heart a woodland
plant ideally suited to deciduous woodlands that offer plenty of light in early
spring. Yet this is also a very
versatile plant with the ability to grow in a wide range of habitats, with bogs
and fens perhaps the only two exceptions.
Shade, however, is its main prerequisite in order to thrive as well as
continuity of habitat. Humidity adds the third essential ingredient to enable
it to flourish and is the most likely reason the plant does so well in the west
country, even in open spaces.
Bluebells only grow on Europe's western fringes and cannot
be found anywhere south of the Mediterranean or extending north into
Scandinavia. This applies not just to
the native variety but also to its impostor, the Spanish bluebell which, along
with many other plants, began arriving in this country from the continent in
the 17th century.
London ports were its preferred destination
where local nurserymen had become aware of the plant's increasing popularity
due to its yielding ability to grow. Soon
they were being sold to gardeners as the native bluebell, an unscrupulous
business which according to some reports still goes on today. Thankfully the Spanish bluebell can be
distinguished from its native counterpart as the Spanish variety is more erect,
has blue anthers [the native plant has cream] and, unlike the native bluebell,
does not have flowers confined to one side of the spike. Awareness of trading this imitation of the
real thing has ironically created another problem with bluebell woods being stripped
as part of a big horticultural crime business in order to sell on the true
native bluebell. As a result, the area
covered by Britain's bluebell woodlands has halved since 1950. For evidence, just take a closer look at a
low hedge bank where you may just witness a ghostly reminder of a boundary of a
former ancient bluebell woodland.
Despite all this, the UK still accounts for more than half of the
world's bluebell biomass as the plant adores our damp, Atlantic climate. This means that our bluebell population is
of national importance, making us crucially responsible for its future; it is
imperative that we become more conscious of its threatened status.
In order for them to flourish, bluebells need to be properly
managed. For example, being allowed to
grow under a coppiced rotation. It is a
hardy plant that can endure 17-year cycles, or even longer, in areas with
inadequate light levels and then make a spectacular appearance when the canopy
is removed. In stable situations it is
able to survive for years and can endure both the wind and the cold. It is also allelopathic, producing chemicals
at bulb level which discourage competition from other plants. A truly
remarkable species.
In the 16th century starch was obtained from the bulbs to
stiffen neckties, whilst strong glue was once sourced from scraping the roots
and used for making arrows and for book binding. Modern history, meanwhile, records special
'bluebell trains' that were laid on for city dwellers. The dawn of a new millennium saw the
conservation charity Plantlife organise,
in 2002, a national poll allowing people to vote for their favourite county
flower. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the
result in twenty counties found the bluebell to have the majority vote. As a
consequence, it has been adopted as the wildflower emblem of the UK and
specially rated as Britain's favourite flower.
The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins depicted patches of bluebells
as 'falls of sky colour'. But perhaps
the most appropriate portrayal is expressed by the nature writer Richard Mabey
who described bluebell woods as 'a uniquely British spectacle.' And who can disagree with him?
Happy Easter and enjoy the spring.
Illustrations by:Paul
Swailes
Steve
McCarthy
5
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 92
In my last article I made reference to some of the wildlife
and plant life affected by the heatwave of 2018. There were both winners and losers, with
Rosebay Willowherb one of the beneficiaries as it was able to take advantage of
areas where the intense heat had either stunted the growth of other plants well
before they had the opportunity to become established or where fires had
destroyed plant life altogether.
That autumn, the plant's annual airborne dispersal of
millions of seeds subsequently colonised these areas so that last year's late
summer months saw prolific displays of the tall, pretty pink flower
spikes.
Yet as I travelled around Somerset's countryside in 2019, it
was not just fireweed, as it is also known, that I spotted in abundance. For in early spring I witnessed a profusion
of daffodils - both wild as well as cultivated, which is surprising when one
considers that the county is not known for being a stronghold of the wild
variety.
Its
Latin name, Narcusus pseudonarcusus, is after the boy in Greek mythology who
was condemned by the gods to fall in love with his own reflection. It was a plant that grew copiously in
England for hundreds of years - so much so, that in the late sixteenth century
the Jesuit priest, John Gerard, regarded it as being, "So well known to
all, it needeth no description."
However, following a rapid decline in the plant, the same could not be
said by the mid-nineteenth century where the countryside, especially across
much of central and eastern England, had been subject to agricultural
intensification and field drainage.
Demand, too, for larger cultivated varieties - native daffodils are
relatively small - also led to its demise in many areas. Now, the true wild daffodil is restricted to
particular stretches of our mainland although they can also be found in smaller
numbers in ancient oak woodlands and churchyards.
One region in which it still manages to abound is along the
border of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.
This was christened the Golden Triangle in the 1930's, at a time when
the plant was playing an important role in the region's local economy with
flowers being picked and sent to markets in South Wales and northern industrial
towns. This was also an era when the
Great Western Railway laid on Daffodil Special Excursions from London. In time, a 10-mile-long Daffodil Way began
being constructed between the villages of Dymock, Kempley and Four Oaks,
eventually opening in 1988. Today,
daffodil teas are still held in the region's local parish halls.
Another bastion is in the Lake District. It was here that on the 15th April 1802,
Dorothy Wordsworth wrote in her journal, "I never saw daffodils so
beautiful. They grew among the mossy
stones about them; some rested their heads upon these stones as on a pillow for
weariness; and the rest tossed and reached and danced and seemed as if they
verily laughed with the wind that blew upon them over the lake." Her encounter would go on to inspire her
brother, William, to write his most famous work, "I wandered lonely as a
cloud." These days the descendants
of those daffodils are conserved at Growbarrow Park by the National Trust as a
'historic feature of Ullswater'.
The daffodil is, of course, the national flower of Wales,
the original specimens thought to be the wild Lent Lily. It goes without saying that the flower is
always worn with pride by welsh people on the 1st March, St David's Day. A plant that flourishes today in the Black
Mountains, it was at the end of the eighteenth century that a welsh botanist
discovered wild daffodils growing in proliferation in fields and pastures
between Tenby and the Presel Hills in Pembrokeshire. Soon to assume a local name, the Tenby
Daffodil became so highly fashionable that within a century it was virtually
driven to extinction. Now, thankfully,
the area is again awash with Tenby Daffodils.
It is interesting to note that in his Florica Britannia [1996], Richard
Mabey suggests that the origin of the Tenby Daffodil is 'most likely a hardy
hybrid between the Lent Lily and an unknown cultivar', but adds, '. . . in
remote corners of the Presel Hills there are still a few defiant clumps . . .
whose identity cannot be so tidily explained away.'
The plant also continues to thrive in South Devon and the
Sussex Weald. So, amongst all the
cultivated varieties that will be in flower over the next few months, keep a
look out too for the smaller, native daffodil.
It is an amazing plant, records showing that it can vary in flowering by
up to two months depending upon spring temperatures. But I shall fittingly leave the last words
of this article to the first four lines of Wordsworth's famous poem:
I
wandered lonely as a cloud
That
floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When
all at once I saw a crowd,
A host,
of golden Daffodils.
Steve McCarthy
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
23
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 91
Back in the days when I owned a television, reading was just an occasional pastime. Nowadays, however, books have succeeded the square box that once dictated where all other living room furniture needed positioning. Soon after becoming an avid reader I discovered, albeit unexpectedly, that I have trends for reading certain literary genres over a period of time before moving onto another subject. At the moment it is travel journals, whether they be undertaken on foot, by train or any other mode of transport. In particular, I am enjoying accounts where an author's log is purely at the disposal of what they experience en route.
It was perhaps for this reason that I found myself writing my book about the Cairn in Ilfracombe in a mode for which I had not initially intended; that is to say a narrative, over the course of twelve months, of all the animals, insects, birds, structures, flowers, plants, trees, people and landscapes I observed. As I mentioned in my last article, I also discovered that the Cairn possessed a history and consequently had the unexpected but pleasurable challenge of intertwining this at various stages of the manuscript.
I am currently reading Robert MacFarlane's book, The Old Ways - A Journey On Foot. In it he also connects the past with the present following tracks, drove roads, sea paths, pilgrim paths, green roads, ridgeways, cartways, causeways, and other trails all of which form vast ancient networks crisscrossing the British Isles and beyond. One of these is a six-mile sea path that crosses the River Crouch connecting the Essex mainland to Foulness Island. Christened The Broomway after the bundle of twigs attached to short poles which once marked out its route, it is known to be at least 600 years old and was, until the construction of a road bridge in the early twentieth century, the only access to the island save by boat. MacFarlane warns that it is not only a tidal path but also Britain's second deadliest path, such is the speed at which the tide comes in. A sudden descent of thick coastal mist can also disorientate walkers, their footsteps misleading them out onto the treacherous mudflats.
On the day of his walk MacFarlane relays what he sees before him: low lying mist; a pale yellow sun announcing its presence on the scene as the mist begins to peter out; a man walking his dog along the shoreline's sea wall, his outline becoming more indistinct the further MacFarlane heads out on The Broomway; and two MOD signs, one reading, 'Warning: The Broomway is Unmarked and Very Hazardous' and the other, 'Warning: Do not Approach or Touch any Object as it may Explode and Kill You.' A risk of death by drowning, suffocation or obliteration? Clearly, then, a path only to be undertaken by the more experienced walker. As MacFarlane treads his course so he reflects on all those who have passed this way before; way beyond the sea path's first known record in 1419 to a period when, not only was the River Crouch ebbed into non-existence, but a time, as he puts it, when "much of the North Sea [had] drained away [so that] what is now a sea [was] dry land . . the east coast of England [being] continuous with north west Germany, Denmark and Holland." He goes on to reflect upon an area known as Doggerland which would have been exposed around 12,000 years ago during that last Ice Age. He tells how Doggerland's later inhabitants would have easily noticed from one generation to the next, a subtle rise in the sea level as increasing temperatures caused the ice to melt; enough time, thankfully, for them to head for safer shores. Eventually just Dogger Bank, an upland area of Doggerland and an area familiar from shipping forecasts, became an isolated headland before it too was swallowed by rising sea levels around 5000BC.
MacFarlane compares our ancestor's transportation by foot, together with their belongings and livestock, as "one of the earliest substantial human responses to climate change." In other words, it is not a new phenomenon. Ironic then that I should make no reference to climate change in my book despite June 2007, one of the months of my year's observation, experiencing the highest rainfall on record and being followed by a Met Office announcement that the wettest early spring had been recorded.
As my accounts recalled, the precipitated onslaught upon the Cairn spawned a dank, soppy woodland that looked exceedingly sorry for itself; yet at no point did I explain this in phenological terms. Phenology, the study of how plant and animal life are influenced by seasonal variations in the climate, was not, along with other climatic studies and reports of the day, as much in the public domain in 2007. These days climate change is constantly in the media especially when another meteorological record is broken. This summer alone saw the hottest ever day being recorded on the 25th July when Cambridge University Botanical Garden registered 38.7 degrees centigrade [101.7 degrees Fahrenheit.] Yet it was a summer of undulating peaks and troughs for daytime temperatures, the peaks never remaining high for the required length of time to justify a heatwave.
This was in complete contrast to 2018 when soaring temperatures were sustained for long periods, something that had both negative and positive outcomes upon our plant and animal life. For example, one unexpected benefit occurred in the shallow lakes of the Wigan Flash Nature Reserve. Often plagued by algae stripping oxygen from the lakes' water, warmer than average summers ironically normally encourage algae levels to increase. However, the prolonged heatwave of 2018 spurred on large aquatic plants and in so doing crowded out the sunlight before algic blooms could appear. By increasing the lakes' oxygen levels, water fleas were able to thrive that became a valuable food source for fish such as perch and rudd which in turn provided nutrition for birds like common tern. Meanwhile winged insects flourished in the rising temperatures so providing a bumper crop of food for birds like swifts and swallows. Reptiles such as lizards and adders also benefited from insects at ground level.
But there were losers too. For example, Britain's rarer alpine plants are especially adapted to live and function in our cooler conditions; in essence, they don't 'do' heatwaves. Likewise, some of our winged insects only live at high altitude and are therefore dependent upon a cooler climate even in summer. What's more, many winged insects need a particular plant for their larvae to feed on; if their host plant was one to have suffered at the hands of last year's heatwave, then their larvae numbers will have reduced. Meanwhile, intense and prolonged moorland fires such as those seen near Manchester ravaged vegetation. This in turn destroyed seed banks, allowing the newly burnt areas to be colonised by tough, fast growing species that are easily dispersed. Rosebay Willowherb was one of the prime beneficiaries.
With a British name derived from its flowers having a passing resemblance to the wild rose and its leaves to that of the bay tree, it was also christened fireweed following the Fire of London where it appeared everywhere. Thriving as it does on disturbed land, it was a nationally rare plant until the coming of the railway created embankments and cuttings. In southeast England it is also known as bombweed, becoming a familiar site after the Blitz; London has indelible memories of drifts of the plant appearing in bombsites and craters, the plant's spiral shape becoming synonymous with the Capital's revival as it went about colonising and bringing new life to the sacred earth. It was no wonder it became London County Council's County Flower.
Being the first plant to colonise barren areas with very little competition it can today be found on wasteland, roadside verges, heathland, moorland, beside railways and well-drained rivers and in woodland clearings. Perhaps regarded by some as a garden weed, it is important to remember that the re-establishment of vegetation is crucial in the recovery time of disturbed land; Rosebay Willowherb's early arrival therefore plays a pivotal role. It is for this reason that it is purposefully planted where oil spillages have occurred; once established, new vegetation will grow underneath. Each plant can produce up to 80,000 hairy, fluffy seeds that are especially adapted for colonising, their tiny cottony 'parachutes' dispersing across long distances upon the slightest of breezes.
Watching these seeds in flight at the end of autumn always makes me think ahead to Christmas - and in particular the cards with well wishes that will travel many miles to re-establish contact, albeit maybe just yearly, between family, friends and acquaintances. It is easy to regard writing Christmas cards as a laborious prerequisite of the festival period. But try to remember the happiness it will give the recipient - just like the joy you experience with each card you receive.
Merry Christmas!
Steve McCarthy
12
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 90
On a hot morning in March 1982, a middle-aged man wandered
into St George's Park cricket ground in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. With time on his hands before the start of
play, he decided to pay a visit to the ground's Secretary in order to introduce
himself. An official duly led him to an
office where a large, affable man extended a huge right hand.
"Welcome," he said. "I'm Tom Dean." The visitor stood visibly shocked and unable
to speak, realising he had just shaken the hand of the Hampshire bowler who in
1948 had sent the bails of his wicket flying in all directions. Out without scoring, having faced only four
deliveries from Dean, the match would prove to be the visitor's last chance of
proving his capability of playing at county level and with it his ambition of
playing for England. Worse still, he
would no longer be able to fulfil his dream of walking into a Test Match arena
after the fall of the first wicket to bat alongside his idol, Dennis Compton. Instead, he did the next best thing and
aspired to make a career out of writing about the sport he loved. Which is just
what Ian Wooldridge duly achieved, eventually becoming the Daily Mail's main
sports columnist for many years.
When Wooldridge relayed to Dean the story of how that fourth
delivery had subsequently changed the path of his life, the now portly
secretary replied, "For the better, I hope."
Wooldridge considers Dean's reply in the last chapter of his
book, Travelling Reserve. Having reflected upon this he concludes,
without any doubt, that he is indebted to the off stump that Dean flattened on
Southampton's County Ground in 1948; and it is not just the thrilling
cricket matches and other sporting events that he mentions. He also makes reference
to the beautiful scenery he encountered whilst globetrotting the world on
cricket tours.
Another great example of how life is all about making the
best of your circumstances can be found when one considers the events that
shaped the life of another cricket writer and more widely known commentator,
Henry Blofeld. Born in 1939, he had an
exceptional career as a schoolboy cricketer. Appointed captain of the Eton XI in his final
year, a prosperous cricket career beckoned, until, that was, he was hit by a
bus whilst riding a bicycle which left him
unconscious for 28 days. Although he
went on to play first class cricket for Cambridge University, plus a solitary
game for Norfolk in the Minor Counties League, the accident affected his
playing ability, and in so doing, shattered any chances of playing for a team
in the County Championship, let alone for his country.
So, after a spell in banking which was not to his liking, he
drifted into journalism and a career that would lead to him becoming a
composite member of the Test Match Special [TMS] team from 1972 until his
retirement in 2017. "Blowers's" exit from the TMS box heralded the last of
his breed; commentators
who, despite lacking experience at cricket's highest level, had that
journalistic gift to paint a picture so that the radio listener felt they were
actually at the ground. One can argue
perhaps that as the 21st century has progressed, fewer TMS listeners want to
know when the first pigeon of the day has flown past the commentary box,
whether the Pennines are covered in mist and at what
time a red London bus passes through St John's Wood. Blowers also used to provide a running
commentary on buses running alongside the Trent Bridge ground, something that
led to Nottingham City Council naming a brand new
Bio-Gas powered double-decker after him. The Council presented it to Blowers on the
morning of his final Test commentary at the ground.
Today, the TMS commentary team are all ex-players, each one
giving their expert opinion and analyses which, along with its more eccentric
commentators, I still enjoy. But I do
miss the wider, artistic portrayal of events occurring on the periphery,
especially as I do not have television; and it is here that I draw an analogy
between Ian Wooldridge, Henry Blofeld and myself; for it is ten years since the
publication of my book, A Doorstep Discovery, Twelve Months on the Cairn in
Ilfracombe.
The book's inception came from a procession of preceding
events. Having moved to the Sterridge Valley on a temporary basis, my partner
and I found a permanent home in Score Valley on the western fringe of
Ilfracombe. With a hillside woodland on
our doorstep, the Cairn became a regular venue for walking our two black Labradors; and with
so many paths to choose from, no two walks were ever the same. As the seasons passed, so we came to meet and
know many other canine owners who frequented the Cairn. In time, conversations steered towards the
setting up of a conservation group. We
were asked if we would be interested in joining. I considered the notion before a voice,
rising up from my deep and distant London background proclaimed, "Me, a
conservationist? You're 'aving a larf!"
- and with that we both duly signed up, albeit to make up the numbers in the
hope of enabling the new group to source much needed funds. In any case, I reasoned, I have a condition
that prevents me from carrying out physical exertion, namely epilepsy; letting
my body overheat whilst undertaking conservation work would be a recipe for a
seizure.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
The problem with me, however, is that I have never been one
to sit on the sidelines. I also felt a
fraud, knowing full well I was by now writing about the countryside in a
certain bi-monthly newsletter! But more
significantly, I felt as though I had let my epilepsy get the upper hand -
something I rarely allow. But in what
way could I be of use? My answer came
literally in the post courtesy, ironically, of the Cairn Conservation Carers' [CCC] quarterly Work Party Activity Diary. Usually listing just
the dates for planned conservation work, it also included a day for on-site
training in how to survey flora and fauna.
I perused the idea and considered
that this just might be a task I could undertake without necessarily breaking
into a sweat. Before I knew it, I was on the CCC's committee
and had my own allocated area over which I was to record my observations on a
monthly basis. From this a deeper fascination of nature
developed and with it a desire to learn more about the trees, wildflowers and
wildlife on my patch. All the while I was speaking to increasing
numbers of people who walked the woodland, open grassland and vantage points
whilst listening to their tales about the Cairn's history.
By now I had taken a career break to recuperate from the
tragic deaths of my parents, only days apart. With their departure from this earth, ahead
of their allotted three-score-years-and-ten, I felt sure I heard their voices
in the leaves as they were lifted from the branches by autumnal breezes saying,
"There is no time like the present, live for today." As
autumn faded into winter, I recalled how as a child I would only ever ask Santa
Claus to leave on Christmas morning enough writing pads and pens to last until
his next visit, for I loved to write stories.
In adulthood I fostered the dream
that, perhaps one day, I would have a book published. So, just like Ian Wooldridge and Henry
Blofeld, I decided that as I could not physically get involved in the CCC's
practical conservation work, I would do the next best thing. I
would write about it.
So it was that between the summer of 2006 and that of the
following year, I wrote all about what I saw and heard upon the Cairn, adding
history and folklore to the host of wildlife information. It was
a challenging yet enjoyable twelve months, being at the disposal of nature and
only able to write about the flora and fauna I happened to come across. Two
years in its collation of information, writing and eventual publication
following this, the book was launched in 2009 at Ilfracombe Museum. One of the proudest days of my life.
Yet there was to be an unexpected reward. The launch was attended by two dear friends,
John and George. A week or so after the
event, I received a telephone call from John. A Yorkshire man through and through, I was
certain, as one might expect, to always get a direct and honest opinion on any
matter he discussed. He began the
conversation by stating, "I've read your book from cover to cover."
"And?" I
wondered to myself, dreading his assessment.
"Now as you are fully aware, I am an amputee confined
to a wheelchair. So
I will never manage to get on that Cairn by you." I could tell by the tone in his voice he was
intent on coming straight to the point.
"But Steve," he continued, " I feel like I
have taken every step with you. I now
know that Cairn as well as you and everyone else who has walked its many paths."
His opinion gave me such a deep sense of satisfaction. For no
matter what enjoyment the book may have given to all
its other readers, to know I provided so much pleasure to a man who could no
longer walk and, more significantly, had managed to successfully paint a
picture of the Cairn for him, made every painstaking hour of effort to get the
book published worthwhile.
John sadly passed away this year at the age of 83 and is now
reunited with his partner of 59 years - George, who died three years ago at the
age of 90. I should like to dedicate
this article to them both.
Steve
McCarthy
27
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 89
An old college friend has recently
decided to come off Facebook. He says
he feels much better for it because, living alone as he does, he was starting
to replay in his mind all the negative news feeds and pictures of animal
cruelty that appeared on his page. He
told me he had also come to dislike texting, regarding it as the only way
people seem to now communicate with each other. What's more, much as he admitted to being
dependent upon social media to converse with people, he had suddenly come to
realise that using it was just making him feel more lonely. From now on, he told me, he would make more
of an effort to pick up the telephone and speak to people.
I agree with his opinion about social
media up to a point. Although I have a
Facebook page, I have not used it for many years and only really set it up
initially when I published a book; and,
much more significantly, I know people personally who have been especially
susceptible to its negative impact. For
example, a friend's daughter was the victim of cyber bullying on social media
after the bullying issue had been resolved in the classroom and
playground. But one must not generalise, especially as I
have another friend for whom his Facebook page is an invaluable tool for
keeping in touch with the people he knows.
I have written about this friend
in previous articles, one whom I have had the fortune of knowing for nearly
fifty years. We met in the first year
of infant school whilst living in Cheam, then a quiet suburb of southwest
London. We were blessed with having Nonsuch Park on
our doorstep, a 250-acre space that is the last surviving part of the Little
Park of Nonsuch, once a deer hunting park established by Henry VIII to surround
the former Nonsuch Palace which he began having built in 1538.
The park provided everything we needed
so that no consecutive days were ever the same. Whilst on one day we might explore the paths
of the elm woodland that ran the peak of the park's eastern border, on another
day we would cycle to the woodland on its western boundary and ride daredevil
stunts in the deep, disused clay pit which was christened Devil's Dyke. Other times we would inspect the small
clusters of tall trees dotted about the park which, once inside, we would
create imaginary secret camps. Much
enjoyment was also gained cycling the pathways that connected The Avenue or, as
it was commonly known by local children, Conker Alley. At this time of year my friend and I spent
many hours hurling sticks high in our attempts to knock loose the largest
conker shells that hung from The Avenue's double-breasted line of horse chestnut
trees; in readiness, of course, for pitting our conkers' robustness and stamina
against those of our school friends when we returned for the autumn term.
Exmoor
All but the eastern woodland are still
there, this being a victim to Dutch Elm Disease. Yet despite their demise, the hilltop along
which the woodland ran still holds a special memory. For
every Saturday my friend and
I would ride up to the woodland edge and then look eastwards across the
suburban valley to a high row of semi-detached houses that ran along the
appropriately named Ridge Road. Beyond
these rooftops, two grey monsters, or so they seemed to us, stretched into the
sky, these being the Telecom Tower [then the Post Office Tower] and Tower 42 [then
the National Westminster Tower and, standing at 183 meters or 600 feet, the then
tallest building in London.] Having taken in the view, we would head off
and cycle along the roads and back alleys of suburbia, arriving at Ridge Road
about an hour later so that we could look back at the woodland edge from where
we had set off.
Our journey was always interjected with
a break on a bridge that crossed the Pyl Brook, a small stream that rises in
Sutton Common, flows along Cheam's north eastern boundary and eventually joins
the Beverley Brook in New Malden from whence it flows northwards into the
Thames. Bearing mind that the Pyl Brook was the only stream in our vicinity and
that it spent most of its course underground, one can perhaps identify with my
amusement at watching this fast flowing water; not to mention the fun we had running along
the path as we raced against the sticks we had thrown into the Brook where it
emerged and watched as they disappeared out of site where it flowed underground
once more.
Trees, flowing water and distant views;
small, yet at the same time significant
aspects of my childhood that now allow me to recall happy memories. Interestingly, my friend has a passion for
just one of these three; for he still adores his views. But for him, they need to be urban; and it is
in this capacity, albeit indirectly, that Facebook gives him the opportunity to
post to friends and family the accounts of his trips into the capital. They include ventures down side streets and
squares that are tucked away, strolls through busy markets, observations on
architecture and feedback on visits to churches and museums. For him his Facebook page is, in effect, a
lifeline and one from which he reaps great reward from reading the positive
feedback he gets.
The Bishop's Palace, Wells
But for me, I still need the connection
with all three. It was interesting
therefore that our last location in North Devon, Yelland, was relatively devoid
of trees. So I was pleased to discover
that on moving to Weston-super-Mare
there ran along its hillside the densely packed trees of Weston Woods. Sadly, its rocky ground played havoc on our
Labrador's paws. Not only that, I found
I was always aware, audibly if not psychologically, that the hectic hurley burley
of the town was very close at hand. This
has meant having to walk the dogs out of town - in countryside that is on the
whole devoid of woodland, clear running waterways and undulation. Thank goodness then for technology where
online videos abound on any rural subject I may choose to watch - not that it
necessarily be in the countryside. For
in recent weeks I have watched with fascination the pen sat on her nest thanks
to the Bishop's Palace Swancam situated on the bank
beside the moat in Wells. To date, one
cygnet has hatched and she is sat on two further eggs.
However, I still feel strongly there is
a place for books and periodicals. For example, a mindful study of one of the
pictures in Halsgrove's books on Exmoor immediately relocates me back to the
fourteen years we spent living in North Devon, a place where woodlands, streams
and vantage points were never too far away, if not a feature when looking out
from one of the windows of the property in which we were living. One
dear friend who lives in North Devon now sends us the Exmoor Magazine each
quarter. Like the books, I find that the magazine's
pictures of Exmoor's flora, fauna and panoramic vistas, when studied mindfully,
help me to reconnect with its unique countryside so that I am almost
metamorphosed into the picture. It
isn't of course like having Exmoor on my doorstep. But it certainly helps.
Steve McCarthy
12
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 88
Henry Olonga was the
first black cricketer to represent Zimbabwe. Born in 1976, he is also the
youngest player to represent his country having made his international debut at
the age of eighteen. An effective
bowler who could take a cluster of wickets at key times, he spearheaded
Zimbabwe's first overseas Test victory. But he is best remembered for the brave
protest he made alongside his team mate Andy Flower when they wore black
armbands in a World Cup match, 'mourning the death of democracy in our beloved
Zimbabwe'. The act not only ended
Olonga's Test career; a warrant was also
issued for his arrest on charges of treason, an act that forced him to go into
hiding for a short time. These days he
is a cricket commentator and singer.
Less well-known is his choice for a favourite ground. Some may regard it as surprising, considering
the innumerable amphitheaters in which he would have played around the globe
during his cricketing career. Capetown's Newlands Cricket Ground would be one
such example, boasting as it does Table Mountain for a dramatic backdrop. Instead, Olonga elects an English cricket
ground in a setting with an attribute, though not as imposing as Table Mountain,
is still to the eye just as stunning. Indeed, whilst Table Mountain stands at 1085
metres (3559 feet), this feature is a mere 62 metres (203 feet) in height. But without its placement within the vista,
one can be certain the ground would not be Olonga's favourite venue -
especially as he only ever played there once in a game where his performance
was indifferent at best. But this did
not stop him picking Worcester's New Road cricket ground, where play is
overseen by its beautiful cathedral.
Olonga described it as one of the prettiest grounds he had
ever seen. It was in his view the only major sports arena that had not quite
graduated from being a little village venue, describing the cathedral as the
cherry on the cake. No doubt unaware,
his anomaly could not have been more appropriate. For Worcestershire's home ground is renowned
throughout the cricketing world for its Ladies' Pavilion; an institution
revered wherever the game is played and with a reputation that causes
Worcestershire's supporters, wherever they are, to be asked, "Do the
ladies still serve their afternoon teas with their delicious homemade
cakes?"
Olonga was clearly captured by the ground's surrounding
views, its location by the River Severn, its warm and friendly atmosphere, its
cheerful brews and homemade sponges, scones and pastries; all facets that led Olonga to portray the
ground as quintessentially English.
It is an interesting definition especially when one
considers his use of the term quintessentially, for it is a word used to
emphasise what is the most typical example of something. So why did he choose such a description? Maybe the answer is in his earlier
representation of it being like a little village venue.
So just for the moment let's lift the
pitch up from New Road and lower it into an English rural valley. Imagine that on one side of the ground runs a
country lane, beyond which is a steep woodland of beech and oak trees. It is
June and they are now in full leaf.
On the other side of the pitch runs not
the River Severn but a wide stream with waters that can be heard tumbling over
rocks and boulders all the while a match is being played. Beyond the river the hillside opposite rises
more gently. It is speckled with
cottages displaying either slate or thatch roofs.
On the peak of the hill stands not a
cathedral but a Norman church, its square tower overseeing the day to day
movements of its parishioners whilst at the foot of the valley is the village's
lone pub, The Bat and Ball.
Poplar trees line the far end of the
ground whilst the end nearest the pub sites the pavilion and scoreboard. The umpires hear the church bell chime one
o'clock, allow the bowler to complete his over, consult, check the pavilion's
clock against that of the church and call "Time, gentlemen".
Rather than the presence of Worcester's world-famous
tea ladies, a couple of villagers are serving a selection of ham salad, cheese
and pickle or egg and cress sandwiches, followed by fresh strawberries, scones
and, of course, tea. Now that's what I
call quintessentially English! Enjoy
the summer.
Steve
McCarthy
10
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 87
I remember as a young child how
the month of May was pivotal in our football-crazy family, for it held a
Saturday with a three o'clock whistle that heralded the kick-off of the FA Cup
Final. It was a match that back then
was a rarity in being televised live and having a build-up, albeit interrupted,
on either Grandstand or World of Sport.
Oh, how times have changed! Now, football's season eats well into that of
cricket. Likewise, county cricket has
expanded its span of play. This year the County Championship will start just
after this issue goes to press, on the 5th April, and finish on the 26th
September. Like England's international
calendar, the powers-that-be are also trying to pack in as many county matches
as is realistically possible; a good
job, therefore, that teams no longer play on uncovered pitches which could be unpredictable
even during cricket's native summer.
The other day, whilst contemplating these thoughts, I was
reminded of the story of Alfred
Lyttleton. Born in 1857 he was later to
become a member of Parliament for the Liberal Unionist Party and brother-in-law
to the Prime Minster, Arthur Balfour.
The youngest of eight brothers, Lyttleton was born into a family that
excelled at sports. However, he would
go on to supersede them by becoming arguably one of the most prominent
sportsmen of his time. Among other
sports, he became a distinguished footballer and cricketer, playing for England
in both arenas. But it was whilst competing in a cricket club match against
Bethnal Green Tradesmen that, having made 89 runs, a blow from a ball caused an
internal abscess. Recuperating in his
hospital bed after an emergency operation, he was visited by one of his
brothers. "Don't let them make too
much fuss of the cricket ball," Lyttleton whispered into his brother's
ear. "Just a piece of bad luck."
Illustrations by: Paul
Swailes
One cannot compare Lyttleton's take on the incident to that
of a lady who tripped and fell whilst shopping in her local town centre. Thankfully able to get herself up and walk
back to her car she was soon, however, experiencing severe leg pain and was
barely able to weight bear. Fearing the
worst, she decided to take herself to the A&E department, but not before
taking a detour so as to return to the scene of her fall. Unsure though she was as to whether a raised
surface had actually caused her to trip, she hoped all the same to find as much
so she could take a photograph and subsequently sue the council for damages and
get compensation. Again, how times have
changed.
Indeed, when I entered the workforce in the 1980's the term
"risk assessment" was far from common knowledge. That's not to denounce Health and Safety, for
life in the working environment is far safer than it was once. I may be going back in time, but I should
not have wanted, for example, to have been a navvy involved in the construction
of the Great Western Railway network, or any other line come to that. Severe injuries and fatalities are well
documented. However, whilst such facts
justify the safer environment in which we live, others would argue that Health
and Safety have gone too far; and it is here that I draw a parallel with trees.
I tend to place the lifespan of trees into one of three
categories. There are those that are felled for a useful purpose; for example, for timber or for the creation
of copses or for natural regeneration or, arguably, the provision of
housing. Then there are those that are
taken out as a result of being on land used by the general public and deemed
dangerous by risk assessment. To what extent the tree may be unsafe is
often open to debate; some will argue that the decision maker is being over
cautious for fear of an accident and subsequent costly compensation. Finally, there are trees, usually on private
land, that are allowed to live out their natural lifespan. In their twilight years, such trees
encounter storms that will snap off a few more branches and create in the
process a wizen appearance far removed from the tree's attractive and seemingly
symmetrical outline that it once boasted.
Bored from the inside out by either beetles, wasps or moths, its trunk
eventually lacks the strength to hold up its outer carcass and caves in. Insects and natural degeneration then ensure
that the tree returns to the soil from which it once grew.
So, as spring progresses and our deciduous trees come into
leaf once more, be sure to give reverence to the lone naked and crooked tree in
the field for it is doing its bit for the natural environment. Indeed, through its death it is providing new
life. Happy Easter.
Stephen
McCarthy
27
It seems to me there is a wide range of
opinion and sentiment about the period following Christmas and New Year. Some people literally experience post-Christmas
blues, their remedy a planned outing or social gathering in January in order to
prevent a come down from the adrenalin of non-stop celebrations. For others, the cessation of seemingly
endless socialising brings a sense of relief. Likewise, when I spoke to my nephew between
Christmas and New Year he, too, said he would be glad when it was all over, in
his case so he could get back to a normal work routine. Meanwhile, a work colleague justified her
negative outlook on the year's early months by stressing how the days can be
cold, the trees are still bare, there is no colour on show and the hours of
light remain short.
Although I cannot deny any of these
facts, I did feel the need to clarify my colleague's use of the word 'remain'
in relation to her last point. Yes, at
this time of year the hours of daylight are indeed outstripped by the hours of
darkness. But the length of each does
not remain the same from one day to the next. Indeed, as I compose this article, the clock
on the mantelpiece has just struck half past four and I am still able to write
this article in natural daylight. [Yes,
I still do my first draft by hand; I feel it allows me to truly express my
thoughts.] Yet it is only nine days
since the winter solstice; and by the time this newsletter is dispatched, the
sun will be setting roughly an hour later [either side of five o'clock,
depending on where you live] than it did on the 21st of December. Fair enough, we are still a long way off from
those long summer evenings - but at least we are heading in the right
direction.
What's more, for those of you who
experience symptoms of Seasonal Adjustment Disorder at whatever level, here are
some other little nuggets of comfort to help you during the months of late
winter and very early spring.
Whilst above ground all may seem
lifeless, beneath the earth out of sight and out of mind our soil is far from
asleep - and has in fact been active all winter even at temperatures well below
freezing. It is worth noting that a
considerable breakdown of plant material fertilizers and manure occurs
naturally over winter causing essential gases to be released. How
much is broken down then affects levels of phosphorous and carbon available for
spring growth. The level of gas released
is also dependent on the temperature of the soil, making insulation, courtesy
of ground cover, a key player in the process. This can be provided by grass, perennial
plant life, fallen leaves, a blanket of snow or frost.
Regarding the last of these, the
greenery you see around you in winter [it's there - you just need to look for
it] is no fool to frost for it is fully aware that soil can freeze up to
several feet below the surface in extreme conditions. To combat this grasses and plants send roots
deep under-ground - roots that throughout winter will natural discharge much needed
water into the soil. Alongside the
roots live many soil dwelling animals which have burrowed deep enough to avoid
the frost level. These include insects,
snakes, frogs, and worms. Some
hibernate whilst others live on food previously stored up in preparation for
the colder days ahead.
Such cold days can still be prevalent
as winter gives way to the embryo of spring. But in sheltered parts wild flora including
moss-loving sorrel, violets, primroses and colt's foot are free to flower. Blackthorn, too, makes its preliminary
appearance, a contrast to the dead auburn beech leaves that still cling to
their branches. It really is a case of
studying your rural surroundings for the work of very early spring is indeed
minute. There is a swelling of buds and
a sprouting of seedlings as the fabric of every leaf case is revealed. Notice
too how the trees take on a subtle inflorescence: a red haze over the elms; a thickening of the patterns sketched
upon the branches of the silver birches; a swagger of yellow male catkins upon the
hazel; a ruby glow over the larches; a
russet shine upon the alder's catkins; the
ash preparing bunches of purple flower buds within their black cases. All timid beginnings. Yet heralding so much
more to come.
Stephen
McCarthy
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
28
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 85
In his book The Old Country, Jack Hargreaves OBE [1911-1994]
makes reference to the gifted craftsmanship of his Great Uncle Harry. Using
wood from branches of tall box trees, he created polished spill-jars, one of
which he especially made for his grandfather who then expected it to be
refilled by his young grandson whenever he was around. He would watch his grandfather fold one of
the long spills, wooden firelighters, before poking it into the fire to light
his pipe from the pages of Farm, Field and
Fireside. His Great Uncle Harry also
used boxwood to make block-planes to sharpen his self-made rulers, squares and
chisel handles, all previously designed for both himself and others. Having
no children, he promised Hargreaves that all of his tools kept safely in a
chest, would one day come to him. Unfortunately,
they were instead taken by his Uncle Willie when he emigrated to America, never
to be seen again; unlike his Uncle Holmes who, Hargreaves is keen to emphasise,
immediately returned to England from Canada on the outbreak of World War One to
sign up. He was to die just after dawn
on the first day of the Battle of the Somme - his first day in action. His fate, like those of millions of others,
will be especially poignant this year when on the 11th November we commemorate
the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day.
Hargreaves's grandfather was never a man intent on doing
battle with his surrounding countryside; moreover, he felt himself to be in a
mutual, respectful partnership with nature.
For example, if a tree stood in
the way of barbed wire fencing being erected to keep cattle out of a hedge,
then two extra posts had to be knocked into place to go around it. No
nails in trees! On one occasion, a
foxglove seeded itself in a bank between a hedge. When a drought season persisted, his
grandfather carried a bucket of water from the yard to soak it every day for a
fortnight.
Hargreaves
recollects his grandfather's love of foxgloves, whose true home he felt was in
the woodland; for it seems that if ever
there was a true man of the woods, then his grandfather was undoubtedly so. Whether it be the woods or the copses upon his
beloved farmland, each was tended with his loving care. A close eye was kept over the woodlands, his
grandfather noting where tall trees dropped their acorns or seeds. Once safe in the knowledge that an heir
apparent had successfully germinated, each tall tree still in its prime, would
be felled - an act which Hargreaves argues, 'nowadays a forester would be
roundly abused for . . . especially by
those who feel trees exist simply for the pleasure of the uncultivated eye'. For in his grandfather's era, these native
woodlands were the raw material upon which industry depended. The largest
branches went to the boat builders and wagon wrights whilst the lesser limbs
went to coach builders, the makers of gun-carriages, river barges, locks, barns
and hatches and the bridge builders. Any unwanted
significant branches were
used by his grandfather to make decent fencing posts whilst smaller ones became
his raw material for charcoal burners.
Copse wood too served a multitude of uses. Every copse would be closely monitored, the
designated species of each plantation allowed to grow for anything between
eight to ten years before being harvested. In autumn, an array of craftsmen and women
would come to survey the trees that were to be felled that winter, his
grandfather making bargains with each one as to how much they could clear. The broom-maker would fell the young feathery
birches whilst down by the river the basket-maker would annually take as much
willow as was available. Another
autumnal visitor would be the man who produced chestnut pale fencing and
occasionally a clog-maker would come if the alder had grown to a significant
height. One must not forget the box
trees for Great Uncle Harry, planted at the corner of each copse to get the
best of the light available.
But the best annual deal was done with Mr. Bowman [still a
common name in parts of the country where families had trade in wood] who came
with his family to source the hazel. They
were experts in all things for which hazel could be used and, more than any
other tradesman, knew the woods meticulously - even their youngest could
recognise with ease the calls of the woodland birds. Huntsman consulted Mr. Bowman on the foxes'
movements whilst the keeper would source his knowledge on the pheasants' nests.
His grandfather's great-great-grandfather
had known Mr. Bowman's great-great grandfather. It was no wonder then that his grandfather
assumed the annual visits would continue and that a descendant of Hargreaves
would be walking the woods with a descendant of Mr. Bowman.
It was not to be. The
first blow came - literally - when Portuguese men arrived to begin chopping
down his grandfather's beloved trees; for Portugal was the only country to
declare on the Allied side at the start of World War One. Suddenly, with our country needing wood like
it had never needed it before, the Portuguese woodmen were brought over.
Hargreaves recalls them turning up in his district a year after the declaration
of World War One - specialist men who were needed, of course, because so many
of our own young men had gone into battle. Hargreaves chillingly recalls how he
knew of a little rural village close by with a war memorial that records the
death of all its young men in one day.
"Trees, and trees, and trees were felled,"
Hargreaves laments. His grandfather
looked on, knowing that his old system could never be restored. Mr. Bowman and all the other craftsmen and
women would not be back next autumn. Indeed,
they would never return. Hargreaves
considers whether this was the reason his grandfather drank. It is an interesting concept, the notion of
somebody turning to alcohol not as a direct result of military combat but
instead through an indirect consequence that war can impose on someone. No longer would new life come about through the
drops of acorns and seeds on his grandfather's land.
Hargreaves's grandfather did, however, console himself on
one matter. In his era, every farm had
on its land between two and three walnut trees.
Each one in turn provided a crop
which, especially when at full maturity, provided a significant income from
gunsmiths and furniture makers. However,
his grandfather's philosophy was that a man should in his own lifetime plant
one walnut tree, not for his own selfish tax benefits, but for the pleasure of
his grandchildren. So, having surveyed the demise of his woods
and his copses but seeking pleasure from the arrival of a young Hargreaves on
the scene, he planted his final walnut tree.
Stephen McCarthy
Illustration by: Paul Swailes
27
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 84
Jack Hargreaves, OBE, was a writer,
broadcaster and presenter who, especially during his later career as a
television personality as well as through the books he wrote, set out to
rebalance urban assumptions about the character and function of the countryside. For
example, as I explained in my last article, he used this medium as a means to
dispel notions that Friesian cattle have always been a key feature upon any
British rural outlook. He also went as
far as to question the need for their importation across the North Sea to begin
with. But more of that later. What one
cannot doubt, however, was his skill in using his soft and gentle voice to help
members of his metropolitan audience appreciate the value and importance of the
countryside beyond their 'city walls' - a concept not all urbanites were able
to grasp. Not that it was their fault; but more of that later, too.
Hargreaves was born in London in 1911 and, at the age of
seventeen, went to study at the Royal Veterinary College at London University. He
left, however, to earn a living as a copy writer, journalist and scriptwriter
for radio and films. By the late 1930's
he had already established the reputation for his pioneering approaches to
radio broadcasting, one that motivated him to continue a media career at the
cessation of World War Two. He then
began living at a variety of addresses in central London and by the late 1940's
was moving between any one of these city homes and a caravan in a field on the
bank of the River Kennett at Midgham in Berkshire. From
here he later moved to a cottage by the River Winterbourne in Bagnor, also in
Berkshire, then onto Lower Pennington and then Walhampton, near Lymington, and
then to Minstead and East Boldre in the New Forest. His final years were spent at Raven Cottage
near Belchalwell, in Dorset.
Hargreaves loved angling, a passion that led to him writing
his first book, Fishing for a Year. In
it he argued for regression - the pursuit of different fish, in separate places
and using various methods throughout the licence seasons. He was
bemused at the way fishing had for sociological, technical, financial and
population-based reasons become as he saw it tribalised by class and species. "What do they know of fishing," he
wrote. "Who know of only one fish and one way to fish him?"
The 1950's was a fruitful time for Hargreaves, a decade in
which he became editor of Lilliput and Picture Post as well as being recruited
to the National Farmers Union where he went on to organise and develop its
Information Department and found the British Farmer Magazine. In
1959 he was headhunted to the new ITV franchised
company, Southern Television, taking on the dual roles of Programme Director and
Assistant Controller. He would later go
on to be a major player in the orchestration of ITV. The year 1949 also saw his television debut
when he presented his own television series Gone Fishing. Apprehensive at talking on live television to
an audience of millions, albeit on a subject he was passionate about, his
director George Egan reassured him that each of these audiences would likely be
two or three people sat comfortably in their living room with their pet dog. It was the best advise Hargreaves could have
been given deciding as he did to aim his conversation at such mini audiences
for the rest of his career.
In the early 1960's and now living near
Lymington, Hargreaves began recording the first in a series of programmes for
which he was about to become a household name - Out of Town. The first series aired in 1963 and ran until
the demise of Southern Television in 1981.
It took him little time to grasp
how television would work best as a way for him to spread his convincing yet
logical message regarding the loss of man's connection with the land. Yet for some people, and urbanites in
particular, watching his programme was not about having a need to take on board
his rural views. it was merely an opportunity to be calmed by listening to his
relaxing, gentle voice. Take my
grandmother, for example. A woman who
through a tough upbringing was, shall I say, somewhat hard round the edges. I recall one poignant occasion when I was
with her in the lounge of my grandparents' townhouse in Walworth. Whilst Nan, still in her checked housecoat,
sat in the armchair opposite the television, I instead chose to sit on the poof
beside her. No sooner had the programme
begun when I noticed those facial lines of stress, anger and bitterness fade
away.
"Eze got a lovely voice, that
man," Nan commented, her remark directed at me but still looking directly
at the screen. "I could listen to 'im all day".
But I guess it was not just about his
voice; the programme also allowed her a
glimpse into a world that most London working class housewives never saw -
except for a two-week working holiday in Marden in Kent doing hop picking.
Between 1966 and 1981 Hargreaves
co-presented the children's television programme How, alongside Fred Dinenage,
Bunty James and Jon Miller. It was
during this period between 1971 and 1973, he was an independent member of the
Defence Lands Committee where he made a key contribution to the Nugent Report. This reviewed all the land held by the armed
forces and led Hargreaves to conclude that, whilst it might be preferable to
use the land for agricultural purposes, military exercises were arguably less
harmful to the land than the third option of opening it up to the public for
recreational use. To get his point across Hargreaves used his
media position to remind his audiences that the countryside
was a vital chain in the food process. He was awarded an OBE for his valuable input
whilst on the committee.
After the demise of Southern Television in 1981 he teamed up
with Lacewing Productions and was commissioned by Channel Four to make a
similar series to Out of Town. As a result, sixty Old Country episodes were
broadcast between 1983 and 1985. In 1985 he then made twenty-seven new Out of
Town episodes for video release. Using footage from original cut film inserts
that he had brought form Southern Television, Hargreaves sat in his front room
at Raven Cottage and did new voiceovers. These were then added to clips of him
introducing each item from his real series was shot in a studio shed. These episodes were late distributed for
DVD release.
In 1987 he had published a further book,
Out of Town: A Life Relived on Television, followed by The Old Country [1988],
and The New Forest: A Portrait in Colour [1992]. It was
in the first of these three books that Hargreaves enlightened his readership to
Friesian cattle. Now widespread upon
the rural landscape, he pointed out that they were unknown in this country when
he was born, the oldest herd line he knew not being founded until 1921. Like
most other places, it was not until after the Second World War that they become
commonplace in his local area, in his case replacing the Shorthorn cattle which
he felt were just as useful and productive. He likened the Friesian's take over to a
genocidal sweep as of the Greek population in Asia Minor, and was tickled as
how Friesians would be seen in the backdrop of films or television serials of
Thomas Hardy stories. Assuming as he did that the producers had not
bothered to do their homework and so source the appropriate cattle species, it
frustrated him that not one of the characters would have known what a Friesian
looked like; and who can blame him? For this was a man who throughout his life
was passionate about the countryside.
Hargreaves died on the 15th March 1994, his ashes being
spread on Burrow Hill above his beloved last home Raven Cottage.
On left: Jack at home at Raven Cottage
Illustration by: Paul Swailes
Stephen McCarthy
16
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 83
Frisii is a coastal region along the
eastern corner of the North Sea in what today is mostly a large part of the
Netherlands, including modern Friesland and smaller parts of northern Germany. As far back as Roman times the Frisii people
were renowned for their care and breeding of cattle, preferring to pay a tax of
ox hides and ox horns to the Roman government rather than fulfil any military
obligations. This was in contrast to
other tribes who were less inclined towards pastoral pursuits and saw it as a
duty to provide, at the very least, armouries to the Roman army.
According to historical records, the
Frisii cattle were pure white and light.
This, however, would alter around 100BC when a group of people residing
in Hesse [now a Germanic state] were displaced and migrated with their black
cattle to the shores of the North Sea close to the Frisii tribe. Although there is no historical confirmation,
it is highly likely that cross breeding occurred and led to the foundation of
the current black and white Holstein-Friesian breed.
It is worth pointing out that today
Holstein generally refers to animals traced from North American blood lines; with the development of the New World, markets
began to develop for milk in both North and South America so that dairy
breeders turned to the Netherlands for their livestock. Friesian on the other hand denotes animals of
traditional European ancestry.
I made reference to black and white
Friesians in my last article whilst recalling a summer's evening when I stood
upon Cairn Top, having witnessed two separate herds standing within fields
running the two hillcrests of Slade Valley. But this is a breed far from restricted to
being viewed from only certain locations.
On the contrary, you can be sure
that if one cattle breed is to be repeatedly spotted by a family on their
journey to their holiday destination this summer, it will be the Friesian. Yet this has not always been the case. For
although the Frisii people bred this same unadulterated strain of cattle for
centuries, it was not until the 19th century that the
first Friesians were imported into the east coast ports of England and
Scotland. However, the Livestock
Journey of 1900 referred to the Dutch cattle as being both 'exceptionally good'
and 'remarkably inferior'. No doubt
this opinion, along with an epidemic of foot and mouth disease on the continent
eight years earlier, partly explains why Friesian cattle that were in the UK in
1908 failed to even get a mention in the census. This took place around a time of agricultural
depression which encouraged breed societies to flourish, including the British
Holstein Cattle Society, formed in 1909 but soon altered to include the word
Friesian. By 1918 Holstein had been dropped, becoming
instead the British Cattle Friesian Society; interestingly, four years earlier the
official importation of 1914 had allowed ports to once again feel the hooves of
Friesian cattle upon their ground.
Whilst it could be argued that these imports were the embryo
for establishing the Friesian as a renowned, long lived, dairy breed in the UK,
it would take until the 1950's for the breed to begin its great expansion. This
continued through to the 1980's, halted in the following decade by an increase
Holstein influence in the breed. Just
prior to this, in 1988, Holstein was once more added to the Society's name; and whilst Friesian enthusiasts fully
understood the need, they were less sympathetic when they merged with the Holstein
Breed Society in 1999 to become Holstein UK.
In their view the Friesian is continuing
to demonstrate its general robustness and prove its worth, notable in its
fertility so as to provide the black and white cross for Holstein breeders. What's
more, the modern Friesian, predominantly a grazing animal, is well able to
sustain itself on many lactations on both low lying and upland grasslands, so
giving high lifetime yields of quality milk from home produced feeds; and in response to demand, protein percentages
were raised successfully across the breed. So, whilst the idea of dual purpose animals
has arguably become outmoded, it seems that Friesians are highly suitable for
many farmers, especially where grazing is a main feature of the system. Additionally, male animals are highly
regarded as producers of high quality lean meat whether crossed with a beef
breed or not. Beef-cross heifers have also long been sought
after as ideal suckler calf replacements.
So, what of the counter argument? Well,
I shall save that for next time and use as my source the opinion of the writer
and television presenter Jack Hargreaves. Wikipedia states 'his enduring interest was
to comment without nostalgia or sentimentality on accelerating distortions in
relations between the city and countryside.'
Yet when it came to Friesians, it seems his opinion on the takeover of
the countryside was somewhat forthright. But more of that next time. In the
meantime, enjoy the rest of the summer.
Stephen McCarthy
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
20
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 82
"It is surely the loveliest scene in England and the
most disarming sound." So wrote
the novelist J.M. Barrie on the subject of cricket.
Putting aside my own personal bias, for I am a great lover
of the game, I still view from an objective standpoint
that his sentiments are fully vindicated.
It is a topic I have raised in
previous articles arguing that the sight of a cricket match played within a
rural vista, especially in a village setting, beautifully completes the overall
portrait. But Barrie's statement takes
the matter one step further by emphasising the necessity for sound as well, in
this case the distinct noise of leather upon willow as bat and ball encounter
each other. It seems, therefore, that
only once the combination of sight and sound are brought together is his
"loveliest scene" truly complete.
When
I read Barrie's words I was reminded of a visit to Ilfracombe's Cairn Top one
summer's evening some years back. It is
a favourite spot of mine, providing a pleasant panoramic view at any time of
year. To the north is the Welsh
coastline encompassing the Gower Peninsula and, when visibility permits,
Pembrokeshire. Beyond, the ever
dominant Brecon Beacons. To the east
Great Hangman and Holdstone Down are visible, whilst looking southwards the sky
meets farmland on a ridge near Mullacott.
Out to the west are undulating peaks and troughs that make up the
Torrs. Closer to hand are the steep
slopes of Slade Valley through which the West Wilderbrook flows. Open fields run the crest of both sides of
the valley whilst woodland covers the slopes.
Some recent felling of sycamores close to the summit have also opened up
a clear view of western Ilfracombe.
On reaching the hilltop there was not a
breath of air. The heather and gorse
that surrounded the peak lay static. The trees that cling to the surrounding
steep slopes stood motionless. No
rustle of leaves, no creaking of branches.
Perched on the top of a pine tree, now well past its shelf life and
waiting for one final storm to send it crashing to the ground, was the
silhouette of a silent magpie. In the
distance a hang glider seemed to spend what seemed forever following the line
of the southern horizon before dipping below a distant hillcrest to land, I
guessed, upon the sand at Woolacombe Bay.
On Ilfracombe's seafront, holidaymakers were traipsing up and down the
zigzag path of Capstone Hill like an army of ants on evening patrol. Periodically flocks of gulls nonchalantly
flew through the valley in either three's, five's or seven's but always in 'V'
formation. The nearer fields on the
crest on the nearer side of Slade Valley were home to a herd of Friesian
cattle. Directly above I observed a sky
awash with insects on the wings, whilst to the right and much higher I espied a
buzzard circling to take full advantage of the rising thermals from the valley
below.
Then I noticed a train of eight jackdaws flying in a closely
packed formation in an east-west alignment.
In this particular instance it seemed an inappropriate collective term
for the species; for even when viewed
from a distance, one will normally hear something that detects a
locomotive.
Yet herein lies the point I am trying to make. Much as what I have described so far had
pleasantly added to the overall scene, it did not complete it. Sound was required. This was to be provided by various sources,
including the 'chack' of a lone jackdaw flying close behind the other
eight. His call was slow and drawn out
as if to make some sort of plea to couple up with the train and enable them to
fly in a true 'V' formation. But the
group were clearly staying tightly packed.
Maybe in the jackdaw world eight's company, nine's a crowd. Above me came the 'vit, vit' call of
swallows which, along with their silent counterparts the swifts and house
martins, were about to enjoy a supper feast by
eliminating the sky of its winged insects. In the valley below came the frequent sounds
of a dog's bark, children's laughter and whining buses as they began their
steep ascent through Score Valley and out of Ilfracombe; and much closer to
hand but out of sight, the unmistakable calls of grasshoppers and crickets. The scene was now complete.
But on the evening I visited, noise and then the subsequent
lack of it, was to play a unique role at sundown. Being a time of year when one can observe
the sunset in the middle of one of the Torr's depressions, it can appear as
though the sun is literally sinking into a trough half full of seawater. On this occasion, just as its golden ball
began reflecting upon the sea, a nearby wood pigeon commenced a boisterous rally
of 'oo-OO-oo' calls. All the while a second herd of Friesians
appeared on the crest of the highest field on the far side of the valley. Then, as the sun dipped the lowest edge of
her circle behind the sea's horizon, the wood
pigeon abruptly halted its
call and fervently flew to the other side of the valley. In turn, both herds began bellowing out a
strange chorus of calls
that resonated across the
valley. Gradually, in time with the
setting sun, their calls mellowed. Once
the sun had set, all had become eerily quiet. No birdlife above. No sound from within the grasses and
scrubland. No barking, laughing or
noise from traffic in the valleys.
Utter silence.
Then, a sudden rustle of leaves could be
heard as the gentlest of cool breezes glided through the Cairn's green
canopy. The grasses and scrubbery
acknowledged its presence with subtle movements. The breeze grew and with each gust it became
a little stronger until goosebumps began to appear on my arms. Time then to head home. As I did so, nature proffered up one final
sound, courtesy of a call of a tawny owl which echoed through the
woodland. Time for the creatures of the
night to take centre stage.
Steve
McCarthy
31
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 81
The subject of my article last autumn was a sycamore leaf I
had collected whilst walking through Worlbury woods
close to where I live.On returning
home, I had studied the leaf whilst reheating my body with a soothing mug of
milky coffee. It was at various stages of its seasonal decay, having colours
ranging from pale green through to jet black.
It no longer had its perfect five-lobed spiky outline and upon its
surface I could make out distinct patches that took on the shapes of animals
and continents, rather like one observes clouds in the sky.
To some this may sound a peculiar way to spend one's time whilst
sipping a hot beverage, but for me it has its benefits.For I was enjoying the moment, in turn
preventing me from cogitating over tasks I needed to accomplish that day or
ruminate over what had happened yesterday.
The future could wait and I could not alter the past.
In this issue I want to broaden the subject to more than
just one leaf and include with it the mention of petals;to be precise, those of the cherry
blossom tree. One such tree is situated
in my neighbours' front garden, and, in spring and
autumn especially, is a pleasure to behold.
It has characteristics which, alongside the chrysanthemum, make it a
national flower of Japan.It is also a
Japanese symbol of clouds due to its blooming en
masse. It represents mortality as well,
its blossom only lasting for a short period and having a liability to change
rapidly - especially if strong spring winds and blustery rain showers prevail.
Autumnal winds can also have the same effect on the tree
although its more robust leaves can withstand the forces of nature just a
little bit longer compared to the delicate blossom petals. A dull shade in overcast weather, the leaves
reignite and will absorb a mellow autumn sun when the clouds disperse. However, the cherry tree pales into
insignificance when compared to the vibrant seasonal shades of the oak, beech,
sweet chestnut and yellow field maple.
Indeed, any of these tree species seen en masse
provide a stunning scene for the onlooker.
Espy as a mixed woodland and the view becomes breathtaking as the
observer attempts to take in a host of russet brown, orange, copper, yellow and
gold.
For those who seek the best woodlands at this time of year,
then the Exploring Woodlands guides, published by Frances Lincoln, are a great
help. Some in the series highlight the
best woods in southern and southwest England for you to seek out. But for those wishing to stay closer to
home, they need only traverse the roads, lanes and paths of North Devon and
West Somerset to reap the rewards of this season. Hornet Water, between Dunkery
and the sea, is one such place with its cleft boasting the complete set of the
aforementioned tree species. But if
Exmoor is too far, then perhaps seeking out a row of beech trees stretching up
from a Devon hedge bank or a small copse may be within walking distance.Alternatively, a tree of any species might be
viewed from one of your own windows, providing an opportunity to observe its
subtle transformation. Or if this is
not possible, perhaps seeking out one of Halsgrove's
books on Exmoor.
Whatever way you choose to enjoy the colours of autumn, hold onto this thought. Although the end of autumn will see the trees bare once more, this is merely Mother Nature's way of resting from her labours since the onset of the snowdrops last February.
Steve McCarthy
8
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 80
Do any readers know of an old fashioned,
pedantic sender of text messages? If
not, then I must be the first. Not that
it's anything to do with owning a mobile phone where, in order to obtain the
letter 'c', you have to press the 'abc' button three times. Far from it. Like many others I own an iPhone that comes
with predictive text. It does, however,
have one disadvantage. It does not predict punctuation marks. Is this, then, the reason why, had certain
friends and relatives tapped away what you have read so far, it would be one
continual sentence?
I find the consequence infuriating as it
leads me to expend needless effort deciphering how the sentences should be
constructed and so lose the complete gist of the message in the process. And if the sender starts adding
abbreviations, I am liable to go into meltdown. Text talk amongst the younger generation is
now as common as two blackbirds communicating their evensong at dusk; but whilst the blackbirds are capable of
producing a wealth of tunes by subtle variations, I do wonder if they can
compete with the 1461 abbreviations that allow a text sender to shorten their
message - source: webopedia.com July 2017. This amount rather puts me to shame. I know
just one - although I did recently discover it had two meanings, not that it
stops me from tapping in full 'lots of love' or 'ha ha!', as it seems to make
the expressions more sincere.
Anything that is popular will by nature
expand. Hardly surprising, therefore, that the
facility to access the internet, send e-mails or carry out other countless
actions on a mobile phone, has led to scenes such as rows of horizontal heads
along a railway platform in the rush hour - to name just one site.
Illustrated
by Paul
Swailes
I, too, began a love affair with my
iPhone, until, that is, I made a conscious effort to cut the umbilical cord
whilst stood upon a platform at Bristol Templemeads station. Having placed my iPhone deep within my pocket
I kept my head vertical and scanned the vista.
No disrespect to the city - it's
a place I love - but the view from the station is far from inspiring. So instead I glanced around the station and
happened to notice a row of pictures along the wall behind me. Each
one, done by various local artists, depicted areas of Bristol both urban and
rural. With time on my hands, I began
studying each picture before moving onto the next.
At
first I felt very self-conscious, by the third picture a little less so. On reaching the last one I looked back along
the wall and noticed a passenger who had been idly waiting for our train, just
like me, moving to the second picture along having contemplated the first. Could this become a craze, I wondered? Perhaps I should try it at the height of the
rush hour.
Of course, mobile phone addiction is not
limited to crowds. A waiting room, a
park bench or, annoyingly, restaurants are cases in point, along with people
walking and texting at the same time, Why
do they never seem
to trip up? But more importantly they
are missing out on all that is around them. As are children in cars. Just think how many children will be
travelling in a car throughout North Devon during the school holidays. Will
they be looking out of their car windows? I doubt it. Now before I am put on the naughty step until
the next issue by every parent reading this, I have not forgotten that I myself
was once a child, one that on any trip to the coast asked after ten minutes, "Are
we there yet?" And ten minutes
later, "When will I see the sea?" So yes, play stations have their place. But once my holiday began, the sheer thrill
made me want to see what was around me.
So here is my case in point. The reason for my excitement was because I
was seeing something different from my urban home environment. Sheep,
hedges, fields, cows, horses, gigantic sheds with brown grass stacked high and
houses with people living with no near neighbours. Yet sadly, when a friend stayed with us a
few years ago with her two children, I could not get either of them to take an
interest in the world beyond the car window. The eight-year old boy preferred his play
station. The twelve-year old girl had a
great need to continually tap her abbreviated text messages in order to keep in
touch with her friends back home. The
sight disheartened me.
So how do we break this cycle? Indeed, can it be broken? I feel it can, but
only by instilling interest in the countryside early in a child's life. It is
why I get immense joy from reading about the activities of Berrynarbor's Primary
School and Pre-school. But what about the children who attend schools
in urban environments? Answers on a
postcard!
Stephen
McCarthy
22
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 79
William Henry Hudson was born in 1841
and spent his childhood along the shoreline of the Rio de la Plata [river of
silver] that separated Uruguay and Argentina.
Roaming the farms and ranches, he observed the surrounding wild flora
and fauna and in particular the birds that launched, flew over or came to roost
upon the area's vast plains.
At the age of fifteen he contracted a
fever that affected his heart, something he felt would significantly reduce his
life expectancy.He was to eventually
live until aged eighty-one. One can
only speculate whether his concern drove him to consolidate his passion for
wildlife;having reached his late
twenties, no doubt to his surprise, he decided to move to London to become a
naturalist.
Compared to his contemporaries he was
very much a free spirit and soon became an advocate for the back-to-nature
movement. Spurred on by his enthusiasm,
he made copious notes of his observations which he subsequently combined into
essays. However, in complete contrast
to the majority of his fellow naturalists, Hudson became renowned for his skill
in portraying vivid pictures of his observations through short pieces of work.
One such piece is titled Geese - Great
Norfolk, from a collection, Adventures Among Birds, published in 1932. In it he describes how, over a two-week
period, he observed fifty or more geese come to roost with overloaded crops
full of corn. Then one evening, to his utter amazement, he saw at least four
thousand geese appear on the horizon "like
a great crimson globe hanging just below the black roof tops of Wells". Once above the flat sands, the gaggle
circled whilst waiting for stragglers to join before dramatically descending to
roost. Hudson describes the event as
"the most magnificent spectacle in
wild bird life I have ever witnessed in England".
The spectacle clearly aroused
Hudson. But this was only half of the
story. For on one evening prior to this
display he had noticed a lone injured goose standing some way from the
marshland. Unable to venture with its
counterparts to collect corn, Hudson's heart sank upon seeing the bird raise
its head towards the geese above, as they returned with their abundance of
corn. But it's hope of a small offering
from their takings was diminished as they came in to roost upon the marshland,
for it soon became clear that each individual was protective of their corn; and
when, on the evening of that magical spectacle, not one of over 4000 geese were
prepared to share a mere clutch of corn, the goose knew it was truly
ostracised. With that the lone creature
set off towards the sand.
The story coincides with my own recent
observations close to our bungalow.
Across the road are a pair of wood pigeons nesting within the row of
tall leylandii.Meanwhile, a collared
dove is sat upon her nest in our mahonia, content as we pass by only a few feet
away and safe in the knowledge that she is well camouflaged. However, this year there are a pair of
magpies hunting the area for eggs.
Their success appears to depend upon which breed of bird is patrolling
their patch. Get too close to the
dove's nest and an aggressive response is instigated that soon forces the
magpies to flee. But watch them enter
the leylandii and one sees a violent tossing of branches; one can only assume that the magpies are
willing to take the pigeons head on in their attempt to steal an egg - a trait
with which magpies are steadfastly labelled.
But let us end on a positive note and
return to William Hudson, someone who no doubt gained immense fulfilment and
reward from an unexpected life span which enabled him to absorb in his
surroundings.
Yet it is something that we can all do -
a point I have been raising in a number of recent issues. I do not doubt that a mere glance at the
calendar in your kitchen would reflect a wealth of commitments. Some will be compulsory, others through
choice.
There is, however, one commitment that
may not be on your calendar. It
requires personal discipline to ensure it is not pushed to one side;and. if carried out with frequency, would
become an integral part of your daily timetable - an opportunity to just sit
and be in the present moment, no matter how small that segment of time may
be. In my case, like Hudson, to be at
one with nature.
Stephen
McCarthy
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
25
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 78
Over the next two months, cricket leagues up and down the country will begin their season. Although they commence, in general, during the second half of spring, the sight of a cricket match played upon a green is arguably the epitome of a summer scene in a rural village. And if the game is competed on a field beyond the heart of the village, the setting is likely to be complemented by an abundance of green shades enveloping the location of the pitch.
In the air wafts the strike of leather upon willow, the shout of "Run two!", the cries of "Catch it!", the cheers at the fielder's accomplishment and the ripple of consolatory applause as the batsman leaves the field with only a handful of runs to his or her name. Or maybe the thud of ball upon pad is heard followed by the desperate bellow of "Howzat?", the sense of anticipation drifting in the summer breeze and finally the batsman's disbelieving stare towards the nearby line of poplar trees having witnessed the fatal rise of the umpire's index finger.
Climbing the few wooden steps, the batsman smells, sooner than anticipated, the musty aromas of the pavilion and hears a comment above the chitchat, "Nice sandwiches, Fallon." "Thanks", she replies and then adds, "Though I can't take credit for the lemon drizzle cake. Jill Archer's been 'baking for England' since her recovery from that ankle injury." [Apologies to non-Archers listeners; though if the character did bake cakes for the current England side, I have no doubt it would improve their results.]
No cricket match is complete without the ticking over of its scoreboard. Whilst on the opposite side of the ground sit two characters beneath the tall copper beech. One can be heard sipping steaming tea from the thermos whilst scrutinising every change in fielding position. In contrast, the other can be heard breathing heavily, laid back fully in his deckchair with a magazine across closed eyelids that are only willing to reopen when ears hear the next loud appeal for a wicket.
This is, of course, a romantic portrayal of cricket - and not just at club level. For the game of cricket - is in crisis, none more so than at Test grounds. Throughout the Test playing nations, most games are played out in front of rows and rows of empty seats. The one-day game temporarily halted the decline in popularity until overkill made many of these matches tedious and meaningless.
And so it came to pass that the Lords of the English Cricket Board invented T20 - the twenty-twenty game, twenty overs per side. Thankfully it has stemmed the flow, for it meets the demands of a fast-moving society. Like football and tennis, a match now lasts the ideal length of time for the modem limited concentration span.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Yet it is a concept that conflicts with our rural surroundings; of the four seasons, summer provides the most prolonged period of our countryside in full bloom. Its months give plenty of opportunity to absorb its green beauty and to gain pleasure from the elegance of its flowers that will endure. Miss it one day, enjoy it the next. Spring is the complete opposite; a time when stormy showers can keel over daffodils and high winds wrench blossom from the trees. Fail to walk beside a verge, along a lane, across a field or through a wood at just the right times and you will miss the celandine, the primroses, the buttercups and the bluebells at their peak.
I often hear people comment on the prettiness of a magnolia in bloom. Yes, this positively always ends on a negative note. The trouble is one gust of wind and that's it for another year! But is that not the reason they were put on this earth? It ensures we make the most of the blossom for the short time it is on show. On reflection, maybe the leaves of the copper beech are the Test matches of our countryside - the prolonged version of the game, where one can take note of the score at any time. The magnolia, meanwhile, is the T20, on view for a very short period but providing great joy and pleasure. Happy Easter.
Steve McCarthy
15
RURAL REFLECTIONS 77
In my previous article I made reference to a form of therapy
that I use in my work to help people with mental health problems. Now mainstream and, to some perhaps just the
latest craze, Mindfulness has become an effective technique; and if those who are cynical require evidence
then just speak to the people who attend the eight week course I help to run.
The example I use for 'living in the
present moment', the basis of Mindfulness, was a sycamore leaf in the midst of
its autumnal decay and how, having brought it home from a walk, I spent time
studying it. To some this may seem a
futile exercise but not when put into context. For I had received a telephone call from a
friend the previous evening who had got himself into a right pickle - so much so
I spent all of the walk the next morning brooding over his predicament. But for what purpose? After all, no end of worrying on my part was
going to conjure up the right ploughman's, figuratively speaking, to complement
his pickle. More important, however,
was that my fretting led me to miss out on the beautiful autumnal colours
around me - in other words appreciating the present moment. I was
therefore fortunate that the sycamore leaf caught my eye.
But what if I had not been able to go for
a walk? What if say, I had become
poorly overnight? More than likely I
would have chosen to browse through a book, rural in its theme and defined by
pictures, ideally scenes from Exmoor. Not
that I have always been this way. There
was a time when these pages would have been worthy of a mere glance. But
nowadays, just as the sycamore leaf received my undivided consideration, so the
leaf of a page with a countryside view merits my time to the extent that I can
spend an afternoon on this type of book without feeling guilty or regarding the
time spent as unproductive.
Only this morning I was sifting through
the pages of such a book, looking for any one picture that might catch my
attention. The page at which I stopped
had a caption beneath that emphasised the scene's three key components: the River Barle swollen and rapidly flowing
from overnight rain; a dense woodland
stretching from the far bank upon which a sunbeam streamed onto a handful of
trees and enriched their golden colours; and the striking silhouette of a thick tree
trunk in the foreground. Facts
registered, time then to turn the page. Or maybe not. Instead, time to consider the
finer details.
I initially espied a carpet of pale
brown leaves straddling the near bank, so many I could almost smell the potent
decaying aroma they emit en-masse. Just visible within the trunk were two large
crevices, the higher one boasting deep green foliage stretching claw like into
the early morning air. Moss suffocated
the nearside bank from which two trees rose to embrace dappled sunlight. Here and there, jagged rocks jutted from the
ground to form an uneven and rugged pathway beside the river. The picture denoted a starvation of sunlight
in recent times upon the trees in the foreground, bereft of their leaves and
once again baring their winter coats; and
this in shocking contrast to the density of golden-brown trees beyond the river
where high trees permitted glimpses of a pale blue sky upon the print. A mere peep too of a mossy island in the
middle of the river which in calmer waters would have disclosed a more
hospitable show. I could go on.
However, it is this very going on that
can be dispensed not only to service users in emotional crisis but to all of
us; and the subject matter can be
anything. In cases where I am taking a
duty call at work it could be asking someone to describe their feelings,
emotionally or physically, at that very moment;
or tell me what they can see, hear or smell in as much detail as they can. If they are in a room it may be a picture,
any fabrics, decorative pieces or an ornament which if it is close by they
could hold it and describe how it feels - even better whilst stroking a pet! Alternatively, it may be what they can see
out of a window. A garden plant, a tree
or shrub, any wildlife, the sky or even just traffic and people passing by. Put simply, living in the moment rather than
concerning themselves with the past or future.
Naturally, one might argue that looking
out of a window in the depths of winter may not be ideal advice. Think again. For contrary to the first line of the
Christmas carol, the deep midwinter is not quite as bleak as it may seem. I cite as an example the weeping willow
trees in Bicclescombe Park I used to see from my lounge. Stripped of leaves, their branches bore an
orange glow, pale on bright days but a shocking and burnt shade when dull and
becoming luminous on the darkest of days. Add driving rain and a forceful wind
which violently tossed their branches and it was mesmerising. Once the storm had passed, the lane through
Score Valley would beckon, its air filled with vanilla fragrance induced by the
raindrops that had fallen upon the wintering flowers of heliotrope. Meanwhile
the bare hedgerows were now setting me the challenge of seeking out any
secluded red campion or herb Robert still in flower. An opportunity too for easier bird spotting. Climbing up to St Brannocks Road,
crossing over to the Cairn followed by a further steep climb allowed a stroll
along The Beard path where naked trees revealed once more the woodland floor's
startling nose dive. Reaching Cairn Top, I was in time to see the
winter sun send rays upon linear clouds that in turn reflected a covering of
dusky pink upon the countryside. Looking
to the southeast I was reminded of the breathtaking sunrise watched on the
winter solstice when the frozen ground twinkled with a million stars. To the north, the welsh mountains had been
beautifully draped in earlier snow. The
lack of summer haze had presented me a view deep into Wales; a sight even more astounding on the morning
when its coastline was still visible above a haunting low winter fog that
shrouded the Channel. Nearing home I
then observed a great variety of bird species upon our feeders, all of them now
seeking winter fuel having cleared the shelves of their own rural pantries. Finally, back inside with a hot drink and the
dogs slumbering in the heat emitted from the open fire, I admired the unique
outline of each bare branch upon the London plain in the park. Make the most of the season. The rural winter's special offers will end
soon; and it's therapy will not cost you
a penny. Merry Christmas.
Steve McCarthy
27
RURAL
REFLECTIONS 76
One aspect of my job role in supporting
adults with mental health problems is to receive telephone calls on my
allocated duty days. The enquiries vary enormously. It may be a patient
requesting an earlier appointment with their care co-ordinator or a third party
expressing concern about someone they have just visited. Some calls. on the other hand, are from
people in crisis which, more often than not, have resulted from an occurrence
that triggered their sadness, anxiety or anger to spiral out of control. In some cases, these uncontrollable feelings
can lead to a desire to carry out a harmful reaction either to their
environment, to other people or to themselves.
Before I go any further, I must emphasis my greatest respect
for skilled workers, both in an employed and voluntary capacity, who receive
such calls without any prior knowledge of the person on the other end of the
line. For even if I have not dealt with
them personally, they will at least be known to our service. This allows me the luxury to bring up their
details on my computer screen and, when they are in crisis, refer to their
coping strategies. These strategies are
fluid and regarded as work in progress, the person developing in time more effective
ways of coping. Interestingly, a new technique is being introduced and is one
that many of our patients are finding beneficial.
It is a form of therapy about which even
I as a professional was at first sceptical -
just a previous therapy regurgitated in a modern format; another gimmick
from America; an opportunity for someone
to make a few bucks selling their books, CDs and DVDs. Of this latter point I felt I even had proof,
two friends having bought CDs and finding them ineffective. Mindfulness, huh . . . just wait until I speak
to that mental health OT who runs the group.
So I did. She said that ideally people should not be
left to their own devices; for it to be
effective, people need guidance and support.
But what of my other points? In
response, she said there was scientific evidence, that it was based upon
Buddhist teachings from two thousand years ago and that it had comparisons with
the various principles and practices of all religions. Hmm . . .
Stripping away all its layers it seems
that Mindfulness, in its simplest form, is about living in the present moment -
a point highlighted in my previous article about all the appointments and
schedules that seem to dictate our modern lifestyle. That's not to say, of course, that we can
stop the march of time. But do we have
to live by the clock? For as William
Henry Davies wrote in his poem, Leisure. 'What is this life if, full of care,
we have no time to stop and stare.'
It is his last three words that are the
key. After all, it is one thing strolling
through an autumnal woodland admiring the various shades of gold. but it is
another to make a conscious effort to stop in your tracks and not
only stare but also to listen intently and to inhale the aromas; to study the view furthest away from you, the
area close at hand and the detail above and below you. Of all these directions, looking downwards
can feel the most unnatural. Yet you
will be surprised what there is to see, especially at this time of year when
the woodland floor is resplendent in fungal colours and shapes. But it can also be beneficial to look at the
ground surrounding your feet, for you will discover autumn leaves all at their
unique stages of decomposition. Only
this morning, whilst walking our three Labradors through Weston Woods, I
glimpsed a sycamore leaf on the path undergoing its annual decay. Having picked it up, I brought it home and
examined it whilst supping my milky coffee.
Yes, I know it seems a bizarre thing to do. Yet the more I studied the leaf, the more
beautiful it became.
Typically palmate in shape and having
five pointed lobes, this particular leaf was roughly the size of a young
teenager's hand, slightly outstretched.
The main lobe, pointing directly at twelve o'clock, was around three inches
in width across the centre with the other four lobes decreasing at various
rates with the lobe pointing southwest, have a width of just over an inch. The
outline of the leaf displayed two distinct edging patterns, one having a jagged
edge the other an irregular, ripped appearance. From its base, five veins curved upwards and
then through the centre of their allotted lobe. Some lobes had further veins
that were quite distinct, leading off alternately from the central vein. Mustard yellow dominated the leaf, covering
most of the top lobe and its right hand neighbour. A coffee cream shade followed the contours
of the main lobe's central vein with the side veins also slightly covered,
portraying milk chocolate fingers. Its
neighbouring lobe, meanwhile, could still boast green
areas whilst owning two black patches, one the shape of Africa the other
Lundy. Africa also had four dark
islands surrounding it, three on its eastern flank and one close to its
south-western coastline. Part of this lobe's edging was also dull grey as if
tinged by a smouldering fire.
The two lower lobes also contained
green; had I been an artist, it would
seem as though I had flicked a brush full of parakeet green paint over the
south-eastern lobe whilst its opposite number had a fresher shade of lime
green. Five pointed lobes on one leaf,
each boasting a unique pattern.
But what, I hear you ask, of those
people who are at the other end of that telephone line? For I can hardly advise them to get in their
car or catch the next bus and head out to the Mendips in order to divert their
thoughts and take in their rural surroundings.
After all, if they are in an emotional crisis how can what I have just
described be applicable to their situation?
As ever, I will leave that until next time.
Steve
McCarthy
I should like to dedicate this article
to my dear cousin Glenis. A fellow
author, she gave me great encouragement when I considered writing a book about
the Cairn. "Go for it,
Steve," she said. "If anybody can describe a leaf you can!"
17
RURAL
REFLECTIONS 75
Throughout the school summer break I often recall a friend
who managed a sandwich bar in North Devon. A small business, it relied heavily on the
income taken during what my friend called 'the silly six weeks'. Her profit margin at the end of this period
would vary considerably from year to year and was due to a number of factors.Yet it was the two weeks that followed on
from this 'silly spell' that ensured a steady, albeit less, guaranteed stream
of customers who she would see only during this fortnight. For this was the
time when, as one of these regular patrons dubbed it was 'the first opportunity
for the adults to come out and play since the children went back to work in
their classrooms'.
Early September was a time when we, too,
would have a holiday staying in our static caravan in the Sterridge Valley -
and for very much the same reason. This
is not to denounce the school summer break; on the contrary, it gifted us
memories of great family holidays that we shall forever treasure.But I also needed holidays when my surroundings
were less hectic, especially once I started a highly pressurised
job.It was not too long before our two
weeks away became three; how I would have coped with my job without this
vacation, along with other breaks in our 'van, I cannot imagine. But of one thing I am sure. The North Devon
countryside became a personal sanctuary - a place of healing that prepared me
for the next onslaught of reactive management in a job where, as one of my
colleagues was heard to remark, "You start every morning with a completed
jigsaw puzzle that is immediately broken to pieces and then spend all day
putting it back together again". At
least Berrynarbor enabled me to restore the frame that encased the puzzle.
As well as being my retreat, North Devon
also became my rural kindergarten where basic lessons were taught about the
extended definition of rural; lessons that were, in essence, a diversion from
my mind's racetrack where I was led to a gentle lane with a convalescent
countryside.
Hold on. Was this not the case for the inpatients of
psychiatric hospitals built within the countryside surrounding London - those
very same people I labelled as being cast aside so as to be invisible to the
public eye? Maybe not, for London's own
institutions were already overcrowded. So
was it not better to be hospitalised, albeit
permanently in the tranquility of a rural setting? After all, I did make reference in my last
article to in-patients eventually forgetting the world beyond the boundaries of
their hospital grounds; a safe sanctuary for recuperation, just like North
Devon's rural border was for me.
This is not to necessarily a case of
defending these archaic mental hospitals, merely put forward as a counter
argument to my previous article.However,
the key factor in my view is that these institutions, whether or not they were
set in a calm and rural location, still provided care that was in the main
inappropriately permanent. It is for
this reason I feel there is a need in our society for convalescent care in
restful and pastoral surroundings; places where the mind is gently sedated not
by medication alone but also by the environment.
I shall finish with the first half of
the storyline to the film, Now, Voyager. It stars Bette Davis as Boston heiress
Charlotte Vale, an unwanted spinster daughter and neurotic mess, living under
the dictatorship of a dominant mother who undermines her self-confidence on a
daily basis. When her sister-in-law realises
Charlotte is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, she introduces her to a
psychiatrist who recommends a short period of convalescence in a sanatorium set
in a restful and rural setting. By the end of her stay she has rebuilt her self-belief
and is persuaded by her sister-in-law to take a cruise. On board she meets Jerry, played by Paul Henreid, a character with whom Charlotte becomes friendly and . . well, if you don't know the rest you will have to
watch the film - I should also advise having a box of tissues to hand!
Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains and Gladys Cooper
Perhaps in this fast moving world we now
live in our society is rather like Charlotte's mother, for most of us have
lives that are powerfully dictated by constraints and commitments.I am,
therefore, astonished that it has taken a modern form of therapy to help our
brains find once more its inner peace; one that for many involves nature. But more of that next time.
Stephen McCarthy
22
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 74
One of my job roles is to monitor services provided to people
with mental health problems living in residential care.Each time I greet a resident I experience a
flashback to Saturday afternoons during my college years whilst living on the
Surrey borders in Banstead. Its
neighboring town, Epsom, is of course famous for a horse race that is one of
the highlights of the flat season and takes place just after this newsletter is
circulated. However, both towns had in
common a facility that had nothing to do with the sort of public recreation
provided by Epsom's racecourse. That's
not to say that recreation wasn't on offer;
but it was certainly not for public use.
There were five of these conveniences in the Epsom
countryside known as the Epsom Cluster and a lone offering on Banstead
Downs. All six provided a service that
was, in essence, set up so that the eyes and the minds of the London public
could pretend that a certain category of the human race did not exist:the insane [and, tragically, many other
classifications who were admitted on a permanent basis for reasons including
having an unattractive health issue or having found oneself in a situation
deemed morally unacceptable]. Like all
other mental hospitals, long term patients lived in what could be culturally
regarded as isolated, self-contained villages.
As an in-patient it was a natural progression to gradually forget the
outside world and know only of one's life within the hospital's grounds.Yet every Saturday afternoon as I handed a
cup of tea over the counter to another patient who had waited politely,
silently in the queue, I would notice a brief sparkle in their eyes;a glimmer of a dream of what could have
been. Instead, a life lost.
In many respects the principle of providing a service for
those deemed as unpleasant civilians or merely regarded as less fortunate, had
been around long before the aforementioned hospitals in the form of workhouses
and asylums.The subject of my last
article, John Clare, was admitted to an asylum in 1837 as a result of living in
desperate poverty; this despite having had a collection of his natural history
letters published. One can only wonder whether he would have gone on to publish
more had better support services been available.
Many of the old workhouse buildings can still be seen in
cities, towns and villages, now adapted for other purposes.South Molton's is a good example.Ironic, therefore, that their urban locations
were in contrast to the settings of the mental institutions.Yet it is their very situation that provides
a tenuous link with race courses;for
both were [or still are] providing services situated in a rural environment.
In the course of composing this article I have realised it
is Mental Health Awareness week and subsequently find myself bringing this
article to a conclusion that I did not set out to do - this happens a lot to
writers! On the radio they are currently discussing the sensitive issue of
abuse, something I have to be
aware of when carrying out my work role.
If I detect it, then I have to report it as a safeguarding concern.Some forms of abuse can be obvious whilst
others can be more subtle, such as emotional or institutional.I am pleased to say that to date I have not
witnessed this.
However, from a rural angle the concept of abuse becomes an
interesting matter;the extent and ways
in which we exploit our countryside is an emotive issue.Bringing both facets together, I shall leave
you with these thoughts. Firstly, if I
was a Reviewing Officer fifty years ago then what of those patients who would only
accept a cup of tea as long as I gave them permission?Would I be having to safeguard them from
institutional abuse? Secondly, if I was
employed in my post in Victorian times, based in Epsom and having to cover
rural issues as well, would I need to safeguard the countryside from the
construction of the mental hospitals - not just on physical grounds, i.e. a
change to the environment, but on moral grounds as well?
Stephen
McCarthy
South Molton Workhouse & Gates c1900 and 2001
7
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 73
Our
washing machine recently became rather poorly.
It started to suffer from
unpredictable high temperatures and severe bouts of water retention. I
telephoned a specialist who agreed to do a home visit and run tests. The results were not favourable. He said the machine could have a programme
transplant but at a cost so high it would be kinder to help it on its way to an
everlasting heavenly hot wash. Put
simply, purchasing a new washing machine would be cheaper. Bless him, he did at least give us comfort -
no, not that type - by telling us our
machine had lasted longer than its expected life span. I thought it a curious term, especially when
one considers that our laundering device was an inanimate object. Not
that it was unique, of course; a man-made item will not last forever if it is
beyond repair, too expensive to repair, severely neglected or no longer
required.
John Clare
This last example was the
focus of my last two articles, namely disused tracks and derelict buildings. Viewed
objectively neither are alive. Yet both
have not only directly terminated their shelf life; they have also indirectly
catered for a vast number of living species, present either all year round or
at certain seasons. The deterioration of
the deserted trackway and the absent abode is subtle and effected by the
weather gods imposing their extreme conditions and temperatures. It is a decline too subtle for the naked eye
to detect and is therefore unlike the delicate alterations that occur within
our rural world during the course of one year.
For we need not be intelligent or skilful to notice them. Nor do we need to possess the gift of grammar.
All that we require is a keen eye, a
notepad and a pen.
Memorial at Helpston, Peterborough
Such scrutiny does not have to be
restricted to pastoral transformations. Basic descriptions of any occurrences both
close at hand and further afield can be sufficient - and rewarding. One of the best exponents of this was John
Clare (1793-1864). The son of a Northamptonshire labourer, he initially worked
as a herd boy and then as an under gardener. Both jobs ignited a love for the wild flora
and fauna around him. So when the opportunity
arose to manage his own farm, Clare viewed it as a logical progression. Unfortunately, his instinct was to be his
undoing, failing as a farmer and subsequently living in desperate poverty.
Clare was eventually committed to an asylum,
aged 44. Yet seventeen years prior to this he had begun composing poetry about his
observations on the surrounding countryside. Spirited by his discovery to possess the gift
of narration, he began drafting a number of similar-themed letters and sent
them to a publisher. Feedback was
positive, fuelling his enthusiasm. The more he witnessed, the more prolific he
wrote - this despite never learning to spell or punctuate.
A collection of his works, Natural
History Letters was published in 1825, every misspelt word uncorrected and
without any necessary punctuation marks added. One of his letters, entitled Spring
beautifully reflects his talent for spotting the most delicate facets of our
natural environment by relaying his discovery of a snail's resourcefulness. He is
amazed by its instinct, observing that despite its slowness a snail only ever
goes far enough foraging for food, secure in the knowledge that it can return
to the undergrowth and be unharmed by the sun - and only just in time. He
also describes the snail's keen perception that, unlike night time, it must
only forage close by during daylight hours so it can return to the safety of
shade if the sun were to suddenly appear from behind a cloud.
But Clare also makes a more valuable comment
on the matter: "the snail's instinct is very remarkable and worth notice
tho such things are looked over with a careless eye". Clare and I are clearly soulmates. For
like him, the book I wrote was merely an amalgamation of the scribbles I made about
what I saw whilst taking walks on the Cairn - all purely based on the
activities of its wildlife and the changing colours of its trees and wild
flowers. But also like Clare, I did not
undertake a degree or attend a course in book publishing to be an author.
So this spring, why not take a pad and a
pen with you and either sit in your garden or find a spot in the countryside. You will be pleasantly surprised at the
goings on around you; and who knows, like Clare, you might even get your collection
of notes published.
Steve McCarthy
28
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 72
I bought my partner for Christmas a
complete Hetty Wainthrop Investigates
on DVD. In truth it was a joint gift
for I also thoroughly enjoyed the four series that were first televised in the
late 1990's. In my view the storylines
were a blend of the traditional and the modern. Back in the '70's I can recall detective
programmes where the opening scenes revealed the perpetrator carrying out his
or her sinister deed and merely left the viewer observing the private
investigator's methods in unravelling the case.
Nowadays a shadow, a hand or even the
camera itself acts as the impostor, in turn necessitating a close study of the
proceedings in order to piece together the clues on offer. In contrast Hetty's character [played by
Patricia Routledge] makes one feel as though she is solving her cases alongside
her watching public. The initial
scenes, played out before Hetty enters the story,
seem to make it obvious who will be brought to justice; so obvious, Hetty assumes the same as
you do whilst carrying out her lines of enquiry. But a twist at the end then surprises both
investigator and viewer alike.
At least all three approaches bring
their storylines to a conclusion. However, not all fictional narratives end
this way, something that utterly frustrates me - especially if I have read an
epic that has left me pondering what may have happened next. I guess I was the same as a child; and not
just with books. Nothing irked me more
than venturing down a narrow wooded path that disappeared into low lying
vegetation, so terminating my chances of discovering the path's eventual
destination. I'm not much better with
paths now I am an adult. Present me
with a No Entry sign and I will become frantic to know why I can't go any further.
Such was the case on a regular dog walk
along what was no doubt an ancient track, similar to those I referred to in my
last article. Initially lined by
beeches and oaks, the track then entered woodland, privately owned I assumed,
and the reason access beyond was forbidden.
Oh, how I longed to climb the gate's bars and discover where that track
led!
Each
day I would make a point of peering into a bay window with its now unrivalled crittall frames.
There I see an elderly lady sat in her armchair
looking out. We would wave, the dogs would stop at her
gates and bring a smile to her face and she would point across to any wildlife
or flowers in the meadow.
Then one day I glanced in and saw a troubled
expression on her face. Rather than
gently waving she was forcefully pointing an index finger. I followed its direction to a lamp post upon
which I saw a notice - a planning notice,
I very quickly discovered, conveying that the road along which she lived
would no longer be the estate's southern limit. For the field was to be built upon and her
natural world slowly disappear in front of her eyes. No longer would she see cuckoo flowers in spring,
swallows in summer and golden leaves in autumn.
The notice left me wondering if in winter she could see through the bare branches of the oaks and beeches and make out the sloping field on the other side of the track. Could she spot the sheep that wandered about seeking morsels of grass and could she detect the derelict remains of a structure built into the field's hillside a century or more before she was born? Gone without trace was the pathway to a dwelling where life once existed but had long since ceased. A construction that no doubt experienced its own beginnings of human life. Now another life form was in evidence, one that was there before the building was erected and now took advantage of the shade and protection offered by the jagged walls. Whilst wildflowers abounded at ground level, creeping ivy escalated the cobbled vertical surfaces in a desperate attempt to blend them into their natural setting.
The building's walls know neither spring nor summer, just the
changes in the weather that slowly enact their execution. Its demise encourages wildflowers to flourish; the same flowers whose existence will be
extinguished when the new houses are built upon the meadow. And therein lies their affinity. For both crumbling abode and flourishing
field are making a sacrifice for the birth of new life, both wild and
domesticated. Rather like another sacrifice that the Christian world recognises
at this time of year.
Happy Easter.
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
Steve McCarthy
34
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 71
Of all the country lanes in England, Devon's probably reflect the regular paths of the Middle Ages more than any other county. On Dartmoor especially, where wheeled carts were virtually unknown in medieval times, a road now negotiated by the tyres of a delivery van no doubt track a route once stamped by the hooves of pack horses. Similar journeys can be traced in Lancashire and Yorkshire where they were used on the cross-Pennine waysides. A packhorse's workload was often heavy though this was at least made easier by the tailor made pack saddle shaped to fit the appropriate animal used for haulage. Their chore was made less strenuous, too, thanks to the saddle blanket that sat beneath the saddle, ensuring the weight load was evenly distributed. Sometimes the transportation of mineral, firewood or goods required more than a single horse; in some cases up to forty were known to be used. Collectively termed a train of pack horses, they share one curious similarity with their modern day equivalent; for just like the express train that sounds its horn ahead of a station or crossing, so the leading pack horse would wear bells to give notice of their imminent arrival at the junction of two trackways.
As well as the movement of goods and animals, countryside tracks also evolved where communication links demanded. However, if for example in the case of a farmer whose tenancy was not extended, forcing his family to become homeless, but resulting in the dwelling becoming uninhabited, the track leading to it merely vanished beneath the expansion of nature. Moreover in cases involving moorland tracks they literally disappeared under bogs, never to be seen again. The coming of the canals and turnpike roads brought about the packhorse's redundancy, with the roads heralding a new era of travel in the form of the stagecoach.
It was a mode of transport that the gentry insisted upon, their desirable lifestyle mingling with the European bourgeoisie most inconsiderately curtailed by the Napoleonic wars. Alternative vacation on home soil was therefore required by this new form of transport. A luxury? Far from it. In the realms of the upper set the stage coach was deemed as essential progress. Imperative too that the countryside's trackways were drained to ensure that the upper class could travel in as much comfort as possible.
The issue surrounding the movement of livestock was non-negotiable. So where were sheep and cattle supposed to seek refreshment if there were no puddles along the way? And how would the condition of horses' hooves be ensured if there were no pools of water? It was ironic, therefore, that the husbandman became a slave to the same beast in the form of the coach-horse. He was also blamed for the cessation of the growing of barley and wheat; oats for the coach-horse now the greater priority.
And so it came to pass that ancient tracks only remained in their original state in remote areas where the service of the stage coach was no longer required; and whilst the ongoing development of wheeled transport forced some of the yet untouched tracks to be modernised, others became surplus to requirement where commuting was not necessitated. Nowadays such tracks are either half-lane and half-trackway or mere cleaves in the earth that are impossible to fathom; vivid imagination is required to sketch a flock of sheep being driven along its curtailed length. From where have they come? And what of their destination?
Illustrations by Paul Swailes
Isolated in these lonely spots, they were soon screened by nature's intervention and became hidden beneath arching thicket and dense scrub that boasted their blossoms and flowers when the seasons demanded. Up above trees stretched to the sky whilst below, birds, insects and bees built their new sheltered abodes. The canopy's protection also ensured wild flowers were safeguarded from the wind from spring through to autumn, whilst in summer it created a sultry biosphere. Furthermore, both the assured defence against the sun's midday rays and the guaranteed retention of rainfall, long after hill and vale have run dry, generated a haven for ferns and other green giants.
Steve McCarthy
12
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 70
As summer progressed, so the presence of
one wild flower
was always evident along the path I had discovered the previous winter; a path
following the course of two separate streams that ran within a deep natural cutting, hidden by
overhanging trees. Enchanter's
nightshade thrived in this shady region and yet, growing to fifty centimetres at
its tallest, needed to be viewed en-masse in order to
be appreciated. Such was the case where
the Lower Stream disappeared into a buried pipeline at the Hushed Hillside,
each plant showing off its numerous leafless
spikes that elongate to where the any white flowers open and twinkle.
Another wild flower to prosper in these
favoured conditions was hedge woundwort. It too found its own spot to flourish
at the foot of the short steep track up to the Old Farm gate. On a dull day its deep reddish purple flowers
can appear luminous, packed as they are in whorls that form a dense, pyramidal
spike. Its unpleasant smell, especially
when bruised, can, however, be a turn off to the admirer; as it must have also
been for ancient folk who had the plant used on them to staunch bleeding or
heal their wounds.
Bramble
blossom on the other hand is happy in both sun and shade. It could be spotted
immediately after descending Jacob's Foot, the small flight of wooden steps at
the eastern end of the pathway. There
are over four hundred species of bramble in Britain, the blossom always five
petals but the
colour ranging from white through to purplish pink. My
favourite country name for bramble is brummeltykites. Folklore says that brambles should not be
picked beyond Michaelmas 'else the devil will defile them'; a saying based, one
assumes, on the likelihood that any blackberry picked after this date will have
probably gone over. Its leaves were
once used as a remedy for burns whilst its branches were placed around graves
to keep bad spirits away. Attempts to cure diseases were also undertaken
by walking people beneath an archway of brambles.
At Tumble Bridge where the calming sound
of a gentle waterfall could be heard, one would often admire sporadic wood avens
- or as the plant is also known, herb bennett. With their five yellow petals spreading to
form a cup shape, the flowers were once hung in country homes to keep the devil
away. Its fruits meanwhile have hooked
prickles that enable them to catch onto fur and clothing.
Ahead of Borderbay
Bridge where the Top Stream runs beneath a simple wooden structure and heads
away from the path to border two farms before meandering towards a little bay,
meadowsweet could be found making the most of the damp streamside conditions. Creamy white and thickly clustered, its
flowers were held sacred by druids and were used by witches to enable them to
leave their bodies. On a more down to
earth basis, literally, the plant was also once used on floors to sweeten the air. Elizabeth I was particularly fond of the
plant and would request it be strewn across the floor of any home she was
visiting.
The high banks recede either side of the
bridge, dispersing the trees and inviting three different wild flowers to make
the most of the daylight on offer. On
the nearside the commonest of the willow herbs, the broad-leaved, displayed
their small deep pink flowers made up of four notched petals. An irritating weed to
many gardeners, the plant's relentless invasion is thanks to its hairy seeds
that easily disperse in the wind.
Meanwhile an outstanding lone marsh
thistle stood beside the bridge with its headed cluster of deep purple flowers
bursting from the tip of a stem some four feet tall. A great attraction for bumble bees, its
traditional appeal for
human consumption was to eat the young stems raw as part of a salad. On the
far side of the bank a large clump of hemlock stretched out - so thick, the
density of the flat white topped flower heads pulled the rest of the plant into
the river and diverted the course of its water.
Conspicuous by its purple spotted
stems and its unpleasant smell, the plant is poisonous; Socrates is reputed to
have drunk a fatal infusion as a means of his execution. Its country name, devil's blossom, is self-explanatory.
Just where the banks rose again to
create a new archway of branches, a wild flower that enjoys woodland margins
was in good number. With their off
white umbrels, sometimes with a hint of pink,
hogweed is also a plant to avoid as it can
give out a substance that causes the skin to become sore or blister in sunny
weather; unless of course you particularly want to pick the young leaves which
apparently taste like asparagus when cooked!
It was once an economical source
of food for the household pig, hence its name.
At The Glue, a boggy area that gave a
hint to the embryo of the Lower Stream, some escapee meadow buttercups could be
seen along the ridge of the banks. With
their five shiny yellow petals, the plant always reminds me of how children
once held them beneath each other's chins to see if they liked butter. The plant was also once held around the neck
as a supposed cure for lunacy whilst the roots, ground up with salt, were said
the help cure the plague.
At Hangman Peek, where a trough in the
bank acts as a perfect frame for Little Hangman, daylight from a further break
in the overhanging canopy had encouraged a resplendent display of red campion. Its Latin name is silena dioice; silenus being possibly from its red complexion [it
has five deeply notched petals] and its jolly appearance in winter; dioca from
its meaning of 'two houses', based on each plant having only one sex and so
needing two plants to produce seeds. It is also known as bachelor's buttons - in
the sixteenth century women wore the flowers beneath their aprons to entice
men.
Both red campion and enchanter's
nightshade were in evidence at the Hidden Falls, but it was a profusion of herb
Robert that always caught the eye here. Boasting their small dish shaped flowers, each
one's orange stamen blended with the five deep pink petals. However, in western Britain the flowers can
sometimes be white. Here is also a
smaller flowered sub-species known as little robin, a rarity only to be found in western as well as southern
Britain.
Finally at Lower Ash, where an ash
tree's branch had partly split and now lay horizontally across both banks, a
trio of one of my favourite wild flower species leant out to greet me -
foxgloves. All three displayed a
plethora of deep pink bell shaped flowers, densely packed on their tall spikes.
The origin of its name is believed to be a corruption of the word 'folks
and 'gliew', the latter an Anglo Saxon word for an
instrument with many bells. Fairy bells is a country name for the plant as it
is believed that the flowers ring out to summon the fairies; unfortunately if a human hears the ringing,
they are supposedly destined to die! On a more realistic note [unless of course you
believe in fairies] William Withering is famed for making a great medical
breakthrough in the treatment of heart failure by extracting digitalis from the
plant and testing it on turkeys. The
plant's Latin name is diigtalis purpurea. It is of course now used widespread and is a
great benefit to millions of people worldwide.
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
Steve McCarthy
29
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 69
In January 2011 I discovered a path near
to where I lived, a path described in my last two articles. Its creation came about through both natural
and human intervention. Nature was the
originator when a small river began burrowing its way into the earth, gradually
cutting in
between two sloping fields. Over
millions of years a passageway was formed.
This river would eventually divert its course. However, boggy ground
lay ahead, perhaps the sign of a natural spring; for just beyond a new stream
was born, one that would continue the channelling left off by its fluid big
brother. In time arching trees grew out
of the top of the high banks allowing Mother Nature to construct one of her
natural long tunnels. But this was a
subway man could only enter when Mother Nature chose as it required the summer
heat from her sun to dry out the stream before the ground could be tolerable
for human feet.
Man then intervened, gullies were dug
out and embankments built up so that a permanent parallel bond was established between
waterway and pathway. In time even a
diversion would be erected, courtesy of a ridge of earth allowing the walker to
avoid the area of constant sodden ground.
But where were the walkers? In fact, so sparse were my encounters that I
began to feel the path was my own. And
so it came to pass that I started to christen certain points along the
way. Little did I realise at the time
that most of these were to have one thing in common, above them were breaks in
the overhanging trees. And so, as spring
arrived and then spring turned into summer, these pockets of daylight provided
bursts of wildflowers that challenged the dominance of plants that love to
flourish in shady and damp conditions.
Spring alone demonstrated this. By early May the deep cutting was loaded
with the pungent aroma of garlic, the path being lined with ramsons' nodding
white flowers as far as I could see.
The occasional primrose or cluster of bluebells stemmed the flow but it
was only at Borderbay Bridge that both plants had an opportunity to steal the
limelight. It was a clever act, a line
of bluebells running along the edge of
the path whilst a line of primroses ran along the top of the concrete
embankment. Where they met at a
forty-five degree angle, a lone white garlic mustard plant stood directly at
the tip of the yellow and blue arrow. It
was as though the three plants were providing a natural pointer to guide any
walker across the bridge.
Of course, by the beginning of August
all of these plants had gone - even the ramsons' odious left-over! Greenery abounded by the way of ferns,
nettles, dock, goosegrass and bramble. This last mentioned plant was, however, in
blossom - for it is a weed of both waste grounds and woods. Both enchanters nightshade and wood avens
were also enjoying the shade on offer, whilst meadowsweet, marsh thistles and
hemlock took advantage of the dampness and water; and where there were breaks
in the overhanging trees, plants such as foxgloves and meadow buttercups made the most of the daylight
available.
But perhaps I shall save the exact
details until next time and take you on a walk once more from Jacob's Foot to
the Old Farm Gate, taking in the wildflowers along the way. For then it will be October, a nice time to
think back and reflect upon the flora that summer provides in our
countryside. For now, enjoy the rest
of what the season has to offer!
Left hand illustration by: Paul Swailes
Stephen
McCarthy.
23
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 68
The outlook upon a rural landscape is
constantly evolving. Sometimes the
transformation is instant such as a lightning bolt decimating a tree, a gorge
created by a landslip or an explosion that leaves in its wake a deep
crater. Other times the alteration may
be swift but still noticeable. For
example, a snowstorm can be monitored dramatically repainting the countryside
brilliant white. So too can a hurricane
be witnessed levelling a long established woodland. There are also the modifications mankind
makes upon the scene, adjustments that one is able to observe at the end of a
day's labour. And then there is the
transition of each season, so subtle it goes unnoticed until we compare it
against a previous point in time. There
is, however, another facet that impacts upon any landscape upon which we
look. It relates to events that took
place millions of years ago when the type of rock beneath the surface played a
key role, along with other factors, in laying out the contours of the
surrounding land. Exmoor is a prime
example.
The rock beneath most of Exmoor's
surface originated from sand and mud deposits around 400 million years
ago. Compressed over time into a solid
mass, these two materials formed a soft sedimentary rock - ideal for water
erosion. And so it was that over the
proceeding millions of years Exmoor's characteristic deep valleys evolved with
rivers often hidden by their hillsides' thick canopy of trees.
The pathway I had discovered and made
reference to in my last article was indicative of Exmoor's evolution. For there were clear signs of powerful
erosion; not only was the path some twenty feet beneath the fields on either
side but the banks of the river were also extremely steep and, in places, near
vertical. Where I left off last time,
my path had bade farewell to one stream but was about to greet another. Having stepped back onto the past just beyond
The Glue, I passed a couple of gullies that had been excavated to provide
drainage from the fields above. These
bleeding channels contained delicate trickles of water, everlasting in their
silent descent as they formed the embryo of a stream. Within thirty or so strides the stream was
born at The Hidden Falls where tumbling fluid was heard but not seen, concealed
behind tightly packed foliage on a sheer edge of the natural cutting.
As the refreshing sound faded into the
background so the recess narrowed, the area dimmed and dampness filled the
air. Fernbank had been reached. The stream, maturing with every step that I
took, dawdled peacefully and contentedly as though having all the time in the
world to reach whatever watercourse it was destined to meet. Only the whisper of the breeze through the
overhanging ash and oak trees and the occasional tap of one leaf upon another
amongst the Hart's Tongue Fern could disturb the silence.
As the ferns dispersed so the stream
straightened its course to allow an unhampered view of any forthcoming features
en route. The next could not have been
more simplistic, just two lengths of timber embedded into the earth to allow a
dry passageway where the stream chose to swap sides. The Kissing Bridge was unsophisticated yet
intimate, a place for lovers to stop and embrace with only their reflections as
onlookers. Insignificant in its
structure, the bridge acted as a precursor to Hangman Peek; a place where if
one walks too quickly, a brief dip in the bank is easily missed and with it a
perfect snapshot of the peak of Little Hangman.
Never was a hilltop so beautifully framed.
The stream then took a gentle curve
before straightening again, all the while gathering in depth, speed and
amplification. But at the Hushed
Hillside its waters were muted as the stream entered a pipeline buried beneath
the earth. Sporadic greenery dotted the
incline above, hinting at a landslip in recent years which probably damned up
the stream and led to the required pipe work.
A little further on the forces of nature were evident again when I
reached Lower Ash. Still alive and
flourishing, the ash's trunk lay safely in situ, supported by the opposite bank
as it bridged both walkway and waterway.
With the latter now back in the open air, its disappearance and
re-emergence had mirrored an adolescent who leaves the nest to train or study
and whose development goes unseen until they return home a young adult. For the stream had reappeared as a force now
to be reckoned with.
What a tonic it is to be in the company
of a babbling brook; and what better place to rest and appreciate its
therapeutic tones than at the Old Farm Gate a little further downstream. Rusting and held together by timeworn
lengths of twine, this long disused means of access still had a meaningful role
to play as a lean-to for any person seeking the opportunity to let their
thoughts carelessly drift like the leaves upon the flowing water. For as the stream had whispered previously,
we have all the time in the world.
Illustrations
by: Paul Swailes
Stephen
McCarthy.
18
RURAL REFLECTIONS NO 67
I have a friend who has what could be regarded as rural claustrophobia. Although I have known her for some years her condition, if it can be deemed as that, only came to light when she came to stay with us after we had moved to North Devon; and even then, not until the day of her departure. Over one final brew, she said how much she had enjoyed her stay, but then concluded with complete honesty [like only true friends can] that she could not live in North Devon. It was far too enclosed for her liking and did not compare with the open countryside of the South Downs close to her Brighton home.
I argued that the vastness of the Downs stripped away the many layers of detail that North Devon had to offer, the patchwork quilt fields, undulating valleys, busy streams and wooded slopes. She conceded the point but reiterated that the steep contours within my local peninsula still made her feel hemmed in. Arousing a need to defend my home soil [note: this was in BST time - Before Soaring Turbines], I remarked that one might feel justifiably unnerved driving, for example, through the narrow passage of Cheddar Gorge or within the precipitous mountains of Glencoe. But hardly up and down the rolling hills surrounding us.
My friend then emphasised that it did not matter how shallow or steep the valley may be. She needed to be in the open. To feel free. And it all related to her childhood; more specifically growing up on an island and being acutely aware from a young age that, with water surrounding her in whatever direction she looked, her adventures and explorations were limited. Put simply, she felt trapped - a feeling which, every time she ventured onto the Downs, she could expel.
Like my friend, I too use the countryside to take me back to my youth, though unlike her I seek out the complete opposite in order to invoke a pleasurable childhood memory, one I made reference to in my last article. It relates to the hideaways my school pal and I would seek out in the local parks, woods and alleyways; or camps as we called them, even though all the items one would expect to find in a survival camp were imaginary.
I came across one such hideaway when I discovered a path running adjacent to a stream in a deep recess - just the sort of place in which my dear friend would feel undoubtedly trapped! The path was rarely explored, as making it part of a circular walk required using the farm road at one end and then taking a significant and strenuous detour. Yet the path was at the same time exceedingly well maintained and for the third of a mile or so that it ran, it had plenty of variation. I soon grew fond if its quirkiness and began to think about what names my school pal and I would give the path's notable stops en route.
Jacob's Junior was the first to be christened, a small flight of steep wooden steps that descended from the tarmacked road. A sheer bank neighboured the path's right hand side as it headed off from Jacob's Foot, whilst on its left a young river ran below having emerged from under the farm road's cattle grid. Its clear water rushed over the large grey and mauve boulders, deflecting splashes against a tall bank on the left. Initially the path ran faultlessly straight, its uniformity dictated by embedded symmetrical logs. Tumble Bridge was soon reached, a basic wooden structure enabling water to flow underneath it and into the river from an adjacent fierce yet narrow waterfall. Before long the hastening river's passageway was dictated by deep concrete embankments steering it 90 degrees beneath the path at Borderbay Bridge. An exact replica of the previous bridge, its name reflected the river's destination after darting off within a natural dip in the bank by the path; for this river would now act as a border between two farms and then head underground, occasionally re-emerging to greet local inhabitants, before flowing out and into a little bay.
Although my path was now devoid of running water I soon reached The Glue, an area so boggy that another walkway had been created on a small embankment in order to bypass the main path. Looking around I could see gullies cut into the high sided banks allowing water to run off the sloping fields; hence the area being so wet under foot. It also validated the sound of something I could hear close at hand but was unable to confirm with my eyes. For the squelchy ground around me was the embryo of a stream about to begin its infant life just around the corner, one that would develop into adolescence as it followed the remainder of the path's course.
Together both track and waterway would provide different environments in which a wide variety of wildflowers are able to flourish. But I will save that for next time. For now, I will leave you with a wildflower I observed just beyond The Glue. It grew unaccompanied yet quite content, making the most of an unpretentious opening that allowed sunlight to reach the base of the bank by the path. There, in all its glory, grew a perfectly formed primrose; or to call it by its Latin name, prima rosa, the first rose of spring. Happy Easter.
Illustration by: Paul Swailes
Stephen McCarthy
20
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 66
Although the phrase 'never work with
animals or children' has probably been said by thespians for centuries, it was
the juggler and comedian W.C. Fields who made the quote famous. Without doubt they are words that have also
been uttered by countless celebrities ever since - just watch an old episode of
'It'll be alright on the Night'.
Whilst Fields' proclamation referred to
his acting profession, it cannot be said to relate to all lines of work. Moreover, when it comes to the care industry
and in particular to the care of people with dementia, the addition of children
or animals can enhance care towards them.
Blend both together to create an infant animal and the recipe will
result in an almost guaranteed success.
I cite as an example a lady I once knew
who lived with quite progressed dementia in a care home where I worked. Although she was able to understand guidance
from a member of staff up to a point and so comprehend what was being said to
her to some degree, she gave no visual or verbal response. Day after day she never spoke and throughout
every day her face remained utterly expressionless. Until that was I brought into work with me
our twelve week old black Labrador, Bourton.
Illustration by: Nigel Mason
When he entered the lounge where the
lady was sitting, her eyes immediately locked onto him. Gone was her characteristic distant stare, instead her eyes displayed an intense
interest in Bourton's curiosity as he went about sniffing foot stools, poofs
and fluffy slippers. Satisfied that he had received sufficient attention from
one resident, he then moved onto the next though not before he had fully
investigated their lounge footwear.
And then Bourton reached her. She leant forward in response, her eyes
still mesmerised by this bundle of black wagging fur. Bourton reacted by jumping up at her
legs. Clearly some sort of engagement
between them was taking place. I
stifled my impulse to tell him to get down and instead went across and picked
him up. Instinctively she put her arms
out to take him from me. Staying
utterly calm, Bourton was happy to be taken into her arms. Slowly she positioned him like a mother
cradles a baby and began gently rocking him.
And then I saw an image of the lady I had never witnessed. A contented smile upon her face. Somewhere,
deep within her mind, a memory had been evoked. To what point in time her thoughts had
travelled, in which location she believed to be and indeed whom she was
cradling, only she knew. But of this I
am sure, a lovable black puppy had unlocked a memory that aroused a feeling of
happiness that she was able to express.
Whilst some people with no cognitive
impairment may enjoy rocking a furry puppy as though it was a baby, there are
others for whom the notion holds no yearning.
Yet there is a third group of people who would cherish such an
opportunity but feel that the ordinance of adulthood forbids such immature
behaviour, indeed, one could argue that our lady's dementia excused her from openly
enjoying her childish act. Regardless
of which group we fall into, one fact remains, the child inside us never goes
away. For evidence, just ask any adult
who took part in a board game during the Christmas period!
For me personally, it is a new rural
discovery that can ignite those juvenile stirrings within me In an instant my mind can be transformed to
childhood days creating camps in the local park with my best pal, each one
christened a name to reflect its characteristics whether it be a natural pond
hidden away, a dense copse of trees or a deep natural dyke. And it was whilst living in Combe Martin
that I discovered a pathway right on my doorstep that allowed my imagination to
be transferred back to those days. Walking that path for the first time, I
permitted myself the opportunity to
become a child once more. It was a path
that wound its way in a deep recess, naturally created over thousands of years
by the stream that ran within it.
Before the path was created, the recess merely housed a mud track that
in winter became hidden beneath the excess water running into the stream off
the sodden fields. Now footpath and
flowing water equally shared the flat, narrow base. Within a week I had christened various
places along the path and imagined my pal and me using these as stop off points
en route where we would discuss our plans and dreams. These place names along with the amazing
abundance of spring wildflowers with which each camp was adorned is something I
will save for the April issue.
Stephen McCarthy
11
RURAL
REFLECTIONS No. 65
The dawn of December heralds the
conclusion of an annual personal period of reflection that begins in
August. It is triggered by rural events
surrounding me and in particular the sight of an occasional leaf endeavouring
to conceal its yellow colour amongst the plethora of green shades. Its success, however, becomes futile when the
tree decides to prematurely terminate the leaf's summer tenancy; and if one
regards the leaf as a tenant of the tree, then the tree is merely a letting
agent working on behalf of its powerful landlord, the sun. For not only does August bear witness to the
embryo of autumn; it also observes the demise of the long summer evening.
September and October monitor the
constant invasion of darkness over daylight and the gradual dominance of a
bronze countryside. By November the
image of two people going for an evening walk in late summer sunshine down an
English country lane has suddenly become a distant memory. Bring the same walk forward one season and
one immediately thinks of Ivor Novello's song, "We'll Gather Lilacs in the
Spring". Written for his musical romance
"Perchance to Dream", the song became the most popular and enduring of all
those in the musical. With an evocative
tune, the emotive lyrics describe the yearning for parted couples to be
reunited with their loved ones when they "come home once more".
Although the lyrics refer to soldiers
coming home from World War Two, the song has been performed at most musical
events commemorating the anniversary of the start of World War One; an
anniversary that made me go into a deeper reflective mood at the start of
November when I noted the annual arrival of the commemorative poppy. For me, this year's Remembrance Sunday not
only highlighted the 100th anniversary of the start of the War to End all Wars,
it was the first Remembrance Sunday since being kindly given my paternal
great-grandfather's World War One medals by my cousin. It was also an opportunity to recall the
stories my mother had told me about the harmful psychological effects that the
Great War had on her father.
This year also marks another family
anniversary, for it is ten years since the reunion I arranged which brought
together under one roof many of my maternal cousins and their families - a
subject I wrote about in my Rural Reflections article in December 2004. So many memories, so many reflections.
But come December my mood alters. Rather than hankering for green woodland
canopies, I am making the most of the gold that is left as well as appreciating
other trees that have returned to their raw nudity. I also start to savour once more views that
have been hidden since late spring; and as for the dark evenings, by December I
have adjusted. For the curtains are now
drawn not only to keep out the cold of the night but to keep in the warmth of
the open fire; and as the month marches on, allowing the evening to invade into
late afternoon, I embrace the darkness and recognise its value in allowing
twinkling and flashing Christmas lights to be at their most effective.
The Christmas and New Year season passes
and within a few days there are the first whispers that daylight has stemmed
the flow of darkness. For the tide has
turned and the winter solstice has passed.
Temperatures may not reflect this, but our countryside still
notices. The wild flora and fauna of
early spring begin their creation. There
is much to look forward to.
I am also looking forward to a number of
personal anniversaries in 2015. I shall
celebrate my own half-century; my school pal and I will celebrate a sapphire
friendship; my partner and I will celebrate a silver relationship; and we shall
also celebrate a tin relationship with the Archers, for it is ten years since
we gave up television and became AA's - Archers Addicts! For those who do not listen in, The Archers'
storylines run parallel with real-life rural issues of today. One of these is currently following a family
considering moving North as a result of a road being built directly through
their farm. But there is a second
storyline running alongside this, concerning the farmer's mother who has an
extended family still living in Ambridge.
Residing as she does with her son and his family, does she move North
with them and leave behind the rest of her family?
As I approach fifty I have suddenly felt
a need to be nearer family again. And,
whilst I very much miss the beauty of the North Devon landscape, our move away,
pre-empted though it was by circumstances beyond our control, has brought many
positives. I am closer to family; the new home still
ticks all four boxes [read Rural
Reflections
59]; and it has brought about new rural discoveries to explore in the coming
year. For that is
essentially what New Year is all about: making
new plans to do new things and to discover new places - places which can be
right on your doorstep. Next time, I'll
tell you of a rural discovery I made when we moved to Combe Martin a
few years ago - and it could not have been much closer to my doorstep!
But for now, may I take this opportunity
to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
Stephen
McCarthy
14
RURAL REFLECTIONS NO. 64
It wasn't exactly 'Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun', more a case of flummoxed dogs and one Englishman out in the midsummer rain!
The cows were pretty intrigued too. And who could blame them? They were after all observing a rather bizarre scene, one that had been the consequence of the interception of precipitation - in other words, plants catching hold of rain droplets which were destined for the root systems of the underworld.
I have always struggled with the word droplets when it comes to rain. It is too complimentary in my view. But then rain is at the bottom of my weather list, with easterly winds one place above it. Combine the two, so that it feels like the North Sea is being endlessly pummelled into your cheeks [albeit salt free], and I am not a happy bunny.
"Just get out in it, throw your hood back and keep going," I was told by a walker last winter. "You will soon get used to the rain and even come to enjoy it." So I tried it. And I didn't - on both counts.
I have. however. recently moved rain up one place and demoted easterly winds to the bottom on account of my experience as the afore mentioned Englishman; for I have come to realise that there is one situation when I enjoy personal participation with precipitation. The key requisite is a spell of dry weather. One that is just long enough for the soil to hint at cracking, for Lundy Island to be forgotten behind a constant heat haze and for tractors to throw up dirt particles so that they leave behind a thick trail of dust. With all three requirements met it is time for the weather gods to do a bit of polishing. Cue stage left, from the west, a plethora of wet grey dusters.
On the day in question, one such duster loomed ominously in the sky over Bideford/Barnstaple Bay. It is a sight which I have often witnessed since moving to Yelland, one that rarely stirs me into picking in the washing; for more often than not, the duster rips itself in half and soaks the North Devon peninsula and the inhabitants surrounding South Molton, respectively. The meeting place of the Taw and Torridge estuaries always seems to escape.
But driving home, having walked the dogs near Bideford, I could see that on this occasion Yelland was in for more than just a spit and polish. With a bit of luck I could get back in time to pick in the washing. It was then, however, that I made the irrational decision to let it all get wet and take a detour instead!
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
Turning into a country lane, I headed up and then through Westleigh before bringing my car to a halt at two farm gates where the hill reached its summit. As I stepped out of the car I immediately noticed a clump of red campion in the hedge-bank beside one of the gates, now fluorescent in the ever darkening atmosphere. Beside the other gate occasional umbelifers of hogweed and a solitary dog rose were struggling to stay upright in an ever increasing wind. By now Appledore had vanished and soon both estuaries were hidden behind rainfall. As the wind became gusty so the first droplets arrived. Then came a few more. Moments later the rainfall was constant - soon followed by the preordained deluge.
The resulting smell was intoxicating, none more so than from the hedge-banks, where, through intervention, grasses such as black bent, cocksfoot and timothy had held onto the falling precipitation. And by opening up their cells to allow moisture to enter, they had let out their own unique heady aromas.
While the dogs and the cows looked on, I stood and enjoyed the foolhardiness of being out in the midsummer rain.
Stephen McCarthy
30
RURAL REFLECTIONS NO. 63
It is mid-afternoon as a teenage boy
takes the family's golden retriever for a walk through the local woods. The distinctive trill of a nearby wren is
momentarily overwhelmed by the whine of an airliner decreasing in speed on its
gradual descent into Heathrow Airport.
Boy and bitch exit the woods and walk between two fields along a path
recently narrowed by a bounty of white umbelifers that brush against the boy's
arms. The boy visually acknowledges them
and in so doing espies smaller flowers beneath the shady canopy. Noting their patriotic display, he wonders
if the differing red, white and blue flowers are like those in his parents'
garden in having familiar as well as Latin names. His pondering is then distracted as he looks
up to observe another descending airliner with whirring engines that
continually lower in pitch like the song of the greenfinch on a lone copper
beech close by.
The wildflowers
cease where the path runs between symmetrical high panelled fences cloaking two
gardens. Adolescent feet and canine
paws then feel pavement beneath as they tread the streets that represent the
suburb of London in which they have lived.
As he walks, the boy recalls recent enjoyable days spent with friends
during the spring half term. It has
been later than usual, running into the first week of June and meaning that the
last day of his school holiday coincides with a family celebration. Seeing his
close and distant relatives has always excited him, a feeling he feels hard to
share with his peer group; for they seem to prefer the company of friends ahead
of family.
As he reaches home he smells the
distinct aroma of food being bar-b-q'd in the back garden and hears joyful
conversation and hearty laughter.
Everyone has arrived. Handshakes,
hugs and kisses are taking place as another airliner purrs its way up above
into Heathrow Airport. Whilst father is at the bar-b-q and mother is busy
bringing out bowls of salad, aunts and uncles chat in seated groups on both the
patio and the top lawn. A net has been
put up across the lower lawn where the boy's brothers and nephews are playing
badminton.
"Come on Uncle Steve!" one of
his nephews calls out. "We've been waiting for you to get back. It's your turn to play!"
It was hearing my name being called out
that jolted me. Where was I? As I looked around some things seemed similar. I was sat amongst family in a large
back garden. Salad was being prepared
indoors whilst on the patio meat was being cooked upon a bar-b-q. Just for a moment its sizzling noises were
outstripped by the sound of an airliner's whirring engines decreasing in speed
- heading over towards the suburb of London where I lived as a child. For it was my brother-in-law who was stood
by the bar-b-q and my niece's children calling out my name - wanting me to play
table tennis rather than badminton.
Meanwhile two German shepherds sought shade upon the lawn having been
walked earlier in the day through a local wood on the Surrey border. Moreover, a wood reached via a path that had
been enveloped with cow parsley which in turn had provided a canopy for
campion, stitchwort and bluebells; names of wildflowers, along with many
others, that have become so familiar to me through coming to live in North
Devon.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Stephen McCarthy
39
RURAL REFLECTIONS NO. 62
Hope Springs Eternal - and I am
eternally hoping for a decent spring, something that was hard to envisage just a
few weeks ago. Yet as I sit to write
this article the outside thermometer is reading 88 Deg F and the forecast is for a
settled period of dry weather. The sky
is cloudless and, almost overnight it seems, the rural landscape has awoken
from the sodden days of January and February. Signs of spring are in the garden too. Bees are industrious upon the winter heather,
celandine is dotting the lawn, the camellia bush is flowering and a small
tortoiseshell butterfly, the first butterfly to be observed this year, is
basking in the warm sunshine. And this
is just the start of spring bursting forth.
[[[
But my mind is not in forward-thinking
mode. Instead it is in reflective mood,
the result of a recent visit from a relative. She brought with her three medals that had
been in her brother's possession for over ten years. Locked away in his safe,
he had initially assumed they were associated with a relative on his mother's
side of the family. It was only when a
friend asked to see them that a name was pointed out to him, one that was
inscribed on the outer rim of one medal and on the back of another [the backs
were difficult to see as the medals were mounted]. It was the name of both his father's and my
father's paternal grandfather, Charles William
McCarthy. More significantly, my cousin
had expressed a wish that I should have them. I was overcome with emotion and could not
thank him enough. For I was now the
honourable keeper of my great grandfather's World War One medals. Viewing them for the first time in my life was
made more poignant by the fact that I was doing so one hundred years since the
start of the "war to end all wars".
Moreover the sight and touch of his 1914-15 Star, his British War Medal
and his Victory Medal made the Great War real to me.
As is often the case with genealogy,
discoveries merely lead to even more questions and whilst further research
would solve some mysteries, one question would forever remain unanswered. How did he feel when he received his medals?
It is a question perhaps only those who
have been in active service for the defence of their country can possibly
answer. I can only speculate.
The effect upon the receiver of any
tactile award will vary. In the case of
my great grandfather, perhaps it gave a sense of justice to his actions or
maybe even helped him with a sense of loss.
For others, such as an Olympian competitor, a silver or bronze medal may
help with the disappointment of not winning, whilst a certificated award for
exam success makes the hard work put in by a student worthwhile. A certificate
for vocational achievement on the other hand will instil self-confidence and
self-belief in the worker. Then there is
the medal awarded for actively taking part regardless of where the competitor
comes but which still leaves the participant with a feeling of self-worth.
Some people, however, receive
materialistic accolades merely to fulfil their egos. Such recognition is often for good deeds and
whilst the recipient of the good deeds benefits, the good-doer makes sure that
everyone else knows about it.
There is, however, a recipient of an
award who is the complete opposite to this. It is a person who goes about their daily
business doing good deeds for people along the way and as a matter of due
course, deeds that in turn bring
pleasure to the people with whom they are interacting. Such a person does not expect reward, merely
gratitude; and when given praise or an award will feel humble that they are
being recognised for something they regard as a natural instinct or a vocation.
Mother Nature is such a person. And over
the next two months she will strive to bless our countryside with an abundance
of colour that cannot be attained at any other time of the year. She will
expect no medals for the victory she has fought over the bleakness of winter,
no certificate of achievement for all her hard labours. In her modest and humble way she will give
pleasure to any observer who chooses to take notice.
Stephen McCarthy
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
29
RURAL REFLECTIONS NO. 61
This is in contrast to the dramatic
sloping ground both ahead and to my right, field's vast pasture eventually
levelling where it meets its boundary hedge on the far side. From here on the ground stays even, ultimately
becoming the flood plain for the Taw estuary. The estuary is a feature whose presence on the
scene never stays still as a consequence of its lunar
guidance. But today its master is
invisible, the moon absent from any of the sky's blue punctures that are dotted
above the vista. Instead it is the sun that directs visual proceedings,
courtesy of one of the myriad of small shower clouds in the sky. Delicately decanting raindrops upon Lundy, the
sun sends its beams through the shower and creates a sharp prism that
vertically rises up from the island's flat and barren land; a land that, seen
from a distance, impersonates a perfectly chiselled stone slab. The slab appears to sit upon welsh slate, such
is the colour of the surrounding water. It is only
when one looks closer to hand does one observe the maroon-grey liquid crossed
by lines of white, some broken and others uninterrupted, created by the Bideford
Bar. Its aggressive roar reflects recent
stormy weather and overrides other noises afforded by distant sheep, nearby
jackdaws and traffic on the estuary road. The never-silent Bar demonstrates the clash of
personalities where the Taw and Torridge rivers meet. Watching this argument form the side-lines
are the dunes of the Northam and Braunton Burrows respectively, both stretching
out into the sea to sandwich the Bar.
Like the burrows, the remaining natural
landscape is devoid of trees but for some clumps in the near distance and a
wood of conifers sprawling across a far ridge. The barren rural portrait is enhanced by the
unornamented peninsulas of Hartland Point and Baggy Point. It is therefore manmade structures that catch
the one's eye whilst witnessing the blatant cloud transformations and the
refined tidal fluctuations. One's visual
radar espies at first the monstrous windmills upon Fullabrook Down; the urban sprawl of Braunton and Wrafton; rotating blades that elevate the air sea rescue
helicopter up and away from Chivenor air base; the Lego-like low bridge
crossing the River Caen at Velator Quay; the small industrial estate and modest oil
refinery that lay adjacent to the site of the old Yelland Power Station; the unemployed jetty pointing into the water
like a little finger daring to test the temperature; Crow Point's compressed lighthouse; the snug cottages of Appledore; and the
insignificant pylons that blend with the green hills behind them to go almost
unnoticed.
One feature, however, continually draws
the eye whilst stood at the gate. It is
a white building built into the cliffs that can be viewed from any high ground
(and low ground along parts of the estuaries) surrounding the vast Barnstaple
and Bideford Bay; a building that is an
icon of the 1930's Art Deco period; a
building that acts as a beacon in summer hazes, autumn mists, winter drizzle
and spring sunshine - the Saunton Sands!
Illustrated by: Peter Rothwell
Steve McCarthy
30
RURAL REFLECTIONS 60
I recently came across my first Rural
Reflections article. It was written at
the height of the foot and mouth outbreak and made reference to the extent to
which wind direction was playing its infectious part in determining where the
disease spread. I likened the wind's
pronounced visual impact to the Great Storm of 1987, a storm that could be
clearly mapped out by viewing its path of destruction from the air. As is my disposition, I tried to look upon
the storm's urban and rural devastation across southeast England with a
positive outlook. I filled half a glass with water and saw through the half
full section the new trees that had been planted where their forebears had
stood; forebears that, where possible,
had been left alone and allowed a respectable death so that their decaying
trunks could become food and shelter for woodland creatures great and small.
Illustration by: Paul Swailes
My maiden article supported this latter
point by likening the great storm to clearance work that we had recently
undertaken in our garden. Trees had been felled, nettles severed, and brambles
uprooted; actions that could be viewed through both halves of the glass. On the one hand we had robbed wildlife of a
long established source of refuge and shelter; on the other we had
allowed daylight to return to surface level, so encouraging previously
suffocated wild and cultivated plants to bloom and flourish.
Yet there was one key aspect upon which
the two clearances differed. Where
Mother Nature had implemented her change without explicit warning and literally
overnight, ours was planned and carried out over the course of six months. That's not to say we too could have
undertaken our clearance of all the foliage overnight; a rotavator would have
seen to that. But by refining the
garden manually - albeit back breaking - meant that the transformation could be
savoured over a longer period of time.
Of course Mother Nature knows in her
heart that the human race copes better when change is gradual. It is for this reason that she subtlety
transforms one season into the next. It
is also why she ensures that even in the depths of winter an occasional red
campion will peek out from a hedgerow; a reminder of the floral abundance that
will progressively adorn our country lanes come spring. Remember - and I have written this many
times before - that come Christmas day, the shortest hours of daylight have
passed; and once the festive period is over the production lines in Mother
Nature's factories will choke and splutter back into life.
Merry Christmas!
Steve McCarthy
25
RURAL REFLECTIONS 59
Two benches have previously featured in articles I have written, one of which is situated on Cairn Top, a summit southwest of Ilfracombe. At 550 feet above sea level, its northerly view takes in the seven peaks and troughs of the undulating Tors, Ilfracombe's western fringe, the eastern slopes of Score Valley and the high points of Big Hangman and Holdstone Down on Exmoor. The vista appreciates a wide panoramic outlook to the Bristol Channel and the Gower peninsula beyond; and on a clear day the Pembrokeshire coastline.
The plaque on the bench reads: "Special Memories of Mum and Dad. The Folks Who Lived on the Hill". A simple inscription, yet one so fitting for two people [more apt perhaps for my father] whose key specification when looking for property was to live up high and have a view. My father also had a requirement for his home to be in the countryside, or at the very least on the outer fringes of a conurbation so that green fields were within stretching distance. And who could blame him? The commute home from Smithfield Market was far from pleasant, a journey that lengthened year by year as road haulage increased. Yes, the drive to work was traffic-free guaranteed; but at the expense of starting work at half-past three each weekday morning!
In contrast my mother never fully exhaled the 'Big Smoke' inside her. The countryside wasn't really her 'sort of thing' - although towards the end of her life she did express a regret that she had not learnt more about the wild flora and fauna around her. That did not, however, prevent her from expressing a wish to have her ashes scattered outside Marks and Spencer's in Epsom - the one and only place where, so she claimed, she was truly happy. I'm rather pleased to say she was dissuaded from this idea! Forever the city girl, she needed to live where 'life' was never too far away.
Which brings me back to the bench upon the hill. When I asked the Cairn Conservation Carers to erect a bench in memory of my parents, I had no idea how significant the view from Cairn Top would be in portraying their lives. There was the hustle and bustle of the town below acting as a reminder of their urban background; their preference for suburbia mimicked by the Shields, a steep estate clinging to Score Valley on the very edge of town; the livestock on the surrounding hills a reflection of my father's livelihood; and my mother's love of seaside excursions along with my father's fondness for the sea reflected in Ilfracombe's coastline and the Bristol Channel.
Illustration by: Paul Swailes
Having these subtle recollections within the bench's panorama became a great source of comfort through those early and sometimes raw days of grief. But the reminders also bestowed upon me an unexpected yet much needed sense of resolve: that my parents' traits would continue to live on in me. For I, too, had inherited the very characteristics of my mother and father that were sketched out in the vista before me: a preference for the countryside rather than the city whilst also having a need to live amongst civilisation; and a strong desire to have wildlife, livestock and wildflowers close by whilst also being near to the coast.
Perhaps my parents were trying to tell me something. If that were indeed the case, then I did not listen. That leads me on to the second bench I have written about, a bench along the country lane connecting Dolton Beacon and Riddlecombe, a hamlet where we lived for fifteen months. Yes, a hamlet. No shop, no pub, no church, no village hall. Just very pleasant properties in a very pleasant hamlet. To give it fair due, it ticked two of the boxes. Firstly, it had wildlife and wildflowers on tap and in abundance. Secondly, livestock was provided courtesy of stabled horses opposite, sheep being driven by farmer and dog along the hamlet's thoroughfare, and a field with Jersey cows to the rear - making a cup of tea whilst admiring their lovely faces is the one thing I do miss. But the nearest shop was two miles, the nearest village five miles and a trip into town meant going via Dolton Beacon if the needle on the petrol gauge was close to red. What's more, a trip to the coast was a planned excursion.
I am, however, pleased to say that a move to Yelland has resolved the problem. All four boxes are ticked. Bideford and Barnstaple are within easy reach. The Taw Estuary is a daily sight. The countryside is within stretching distance. And a horses' field borders our back garden, a garden where one can stand and hear the echo of bleating sheep; and where, if I listen intently, I can hear my parents whispering: "You have found it at last - a lovely home for you both. Enjoy it. For we will live on through you and enjoy it with you."
Steve
38
RURAL REFLECTIONS 58
When does a wildflower become a weed? Once it appears in a garden would seem the
obvious answer.
However the Oxford English Dictionary
7th Edition defines a weed as 'a wild plant growing where it is not wanted and
in competition with a cultivated plant'.
This suggests that the question is subjective and that the definition of
a weed is a personal one and solely dependent upon the person tending the
cultivated land.
Some people of course choose to leave their
entire garden uncultivated, a decision that can lead to neighbourhood disputes
- particularly if a gardener is refusing to grow any plant that may be found in
a wildflower reference book.
Both parties are arguably at fault. Whilst the neighbour with the untended
garden insists that by leaving it untouched for years they are making their
garden as rural as possible and therefore helping nature, one can argue that it
will allow certain species to dominate; species that will inhibit daylight and
consequently discourage wildflowers.
Likewise whilst one can feel sympathy for the gardener having to uproot
nettles and brambles that continually creep across from next door's wilderness,
compassion can be limited if they are cultivating a garden purely for its
cosmetic appearance, with no concern at all for wild flora and fauna.
At this point I should stress that
gardening is not my forte. But that
does not prevent me from appreciating gardeners who show empathy with
wildflowers, whether by sectioning off a specific area or by allowing them to
mingle within the lawn, amongst the flowerbeds or even in pots.
When spring finally arrived it soon
became apparent that mingling wildflowers with cultivated plants had been the
preferred gardening method of the previous owner of the property into which we
have recently moved. For example a few
wild primroses lined the hedge at the back of the garden. The lawn was at times a yellow spray of
lesser celandine. A semi-circle of dog violets appeared in the rose bed, in the
shade of a conifer tree. Native
bluebells had been left to flourish in other shady areas. Patches of germander speedwell bloomed
amongst the daffodils and within the grass and in the flowerbed beneath the
lilac tree was a lone wood anemone. One
wonders how many other wildflowers will appear as summer progresses.
Some gardeners may regard any of
these wildflowers as either 'nuisance plants' or flowers in the wrong part of
the garden. To any of you who do feel
this way I send a message, courtesy of an inscription on a small watering can ornament
I unpacked when we moved: May all your
weeds be wildflowers'.
Steve
McCarthy
19
RURAL
REFLECTIONS 57
As a celebration of a forty year
friendship that began when we were both five years old, my friend bought two
copies of the same book.
Whilst one had been inscribed by him the
other had blank pages for me to complete. Entitled 'Dear Friend, from You to Me', each
page was headed with a question, the same as my friend's book to me, I had
to answer each of the questions at the top of the page. Having accomplished the task I then
discovered I had created, just as the subtitle stated, 'a journal of a lifetime'.
Illustration by: Paul Swailes
Initial questions asked about my early
past, such as my first childhood memories and my favourite toys and games. Others related specifically to my friend
including what I liked about him and whether there was anything about him I
would change. Some were to do with both
of us, like recalling the funniest things that had happened to us and what I
would love us to still do together.
There were also questions that needed
personal reflection including whether I had any regrets and if in hindsight
there was anything in my life I would have done differently. Deciding what I would like my epitaph to read
also required great deliberation. Yet the page that took the longest to
complete was the one with the heading 'Tell me about the things that make you
happy or laugh'.
After much contemplation I concluded
that whilst laughter brings with it happiness, happiness alone does not require
laughter. As a result I drew up two
lists, the first relating to the things that make me openly laugh. These range
from the specific, such as a particular sketch or script in a comedy programme
to the generic, including being in the company of my friends.
Before drawing up my second list I
considered what my own definition of happiness was and how this differed from
contentment. Happiness, I decided, was 'an
inner feeling that brings about an uncontrollable smile'.
I
then began making a list of all the sights, smells and sounds that brought this
about. When I looked down at my completed list I was
surprised to discover that almost all of it related to nature.
Entering a cottage garden when all its
herbaceous plants are in full flower is one such example. Taking in
the scent of an old fashioned rose is another. As is the sound of a trickling brook on a hot
summer's day or the sight
that comes into view when turning a bend in a road and discovering a beech or
oak woodland displaying its autumnal
golden splendour on a hillside. Also
the magnetic visual pull of flickering flames on an open fire in mid-winter,
coupled with the occasional hissing and cracking of the wood, and pulling back
the curtains to discover heavy snow falling or the dramatic scene when the
clouds disperse allowing a low winter sun to glisten upon the virgin
snow. Then there's that day in late
winter when I look up at the sky and first realise that the evenings are just beginning
to pull out once more, and that day in early spring when I walk the dog and
feel for the first time that year
the warmth of the sun penetrating through my jacket. As spring progresses, so my mouth
uncontrollably smiles more frequently. A
cherry tree laden with blossom, a huge splash of daffodils on a roadside, a
carpet of bluebells
on a woodland floor, bleating lambs skipping in a field, trees transformed by
fresh green leaves and the beautiful
sound of the dawn chorus - so much to look forward to as spring progresses.
Steve
McCarthy
12
RURAL
REFLECTIONS 56
In my February article I wrote that 2012
could be a year of broken records, both Olympian and meteorological. The latter suggestion was based upon extremes
in our weather conditions over recent years - extremes that have occurred with
such regularity that, like the Olympic Games, one has come to view the
excelling of previous records as a mere expectation.
This year our weather hardly excelled
itself. But records were still
broken. First we had the driest ever
February, leading to hosepipe bans in the eastern counties of England. A warm and sunny March then lead to hopes of
a spring that would be a carbon copy of recent years. There was disquiet, however, that each of
these previous unseasonable springs had given false assumptions that summer had
already arrived.
This year was to be no exception. Not only did spring dissolve as April
progressed. Summer chose to make only
the briefest of visits. For our flora
and fauna this last summer was hardly a seasonal vacation, more an occasional
excursion made on the days when the clouds chose to evaporate; days that were
so rare we consequently experienced the wettest summer in over 100 years. Even the autumn weather gods failed to
deliver on their tried and trusted guarantee: 'If during August cloud and rain be here, When school bells start ringing sun and blue
skies reappear".
The absence of a prolonged or memorable
spell of good weather will make this winter hard for some to bear, particularly
those that suffer with S.A.D. But I may
have a remedy. Every winter I endeavour
to set myself an indoor project that will keep me occupied during the months of
lesser daylight hours. This year I have
taken on the mammoth task of sorting out all of my 'un-albumed'
photographs. My system, placing each
picture in an appropriately labelled box, is working fine, but it is the length
of time that it is taking. Not only am
I mulling over all the old photographs destined for the boxes labelled 'family',
'friends', or 'pets'. I am utterly losing myself in the pictures being prepared
for the album entitled 'flora, fauna and landscape', but it is turning out to
be quite therapeutic, for they are drifting me back to a time when our
countryside was awash with varied and vivid colours.
I have come across pictures of wooded
paths lined with ransoms or celandine, a lone violet peeking out from the ivy;
a cherry tree loaded so heavy with deep pink blossom, its branches are forced
to hang over a stream where newly born ducklings seek refuge, the dappled
sunshine on a woodland floor carpeted with bluebells, a parade of foxgloves
leaning out from a hedgerow, a line of swallows resting on a telegraph wire, a burnt
orange sun sinking behind the Tors, a herd of Friesians seeking shade beneath
the tall oak tree, a red admiral basking on an ancient stone wall and a low
harvest sun pouring its rays upon the deep purple heather of Exmoor.
My partner and I have also been
privileged to be given a book of which only a handful were published. Compiled by the father of a dear friend, it
is a photographic record of his visits to public gardens and houses in
Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon. Taken
between the summers of 2005 and 2011, a study of the
photographs enables me to do virtual walks around gardens such as Marwood Hill,
Rosemoor and Castle Hill when at their very best, and more significantly
allow me to forget about the dark wintry nights hidden behind my drawn
curtains. So find yourself some
photographs, a magazine or a book with pictures that reflect our countryside
when it is lush with greenery and filled with its amazing varieties of deep
colour. Remember, too, that as you wake on Christmas
morning the winter equinox will have passed.
Daylight hours will be on the increase again and gradually your curtains
will be drawn a little later every day.
Merry
Christmas
Steve McCarthy
19
RURAL
REFLECTIONS NO. 55
The Concise Oxford English Dictionary
(11th Edition) defines 'rural' as 'relating to, or characteristic
of, the countryside rather than the town'.
Of the word 'reflect' it states, 'to embody or represent in a faithful
or appropriate way'. The beech trees
surrounding Riddlecombe, the mystery hamlet in my last article, will turn to
gold during the next two months
and in so doing will become one of the most appropriate representations
of autumn.
The hamlet of Riddlecombe meanwhile has
many appropriate features that reflect the countryside. Originally a combe farmed for generations by
the Ridd family, it eventually developed into thirty or so dwellings. Bereft of a church or inn, its population was
still able to justify three shops one of which combined as general store, post
office and a one pump petrol station!
All are now gone of course.
Though the car has replaced the horse and cart, other features ensure
the hamlet retains its rural character: sheep hurriedly driven along the main
thoroughfare by farmer and sheepdog, horses slowly clip clopping in a yard,
cockerels idly pecking at the verges and jersey heifers randomly drinking at
the trough adjacent to my back garden fence.
On a personal level Riddlecombe also
represents the twilight months in the life of our dear black Labrador, Gifford,
who was put to rest in August aged 14.
When we moved to the hamlet last October his legs were already too
arthritic to go for walks. A wander to
the end of the road was sufficient.
There he would lay on the grass beneath the tall copper beech and we
would sit on the bench for as long as was needed for him to regain his strength
in order to manage the 200 yard stroll back home. At times he struggled, but he loved it,
sniffing every blade of grass along the way. And when even that short amble
became too much, he was content to just sit on the front lawn sniffing the air,
listening to the sounds of livestock and wildlife and watching passers-by. Arthritis may have got the better of his legs
but he was blessed with excellent hearing and sight till the day he died.
The death of a pet, friend, or family
member brings about what one may regard as a period of reflection. Yet my dictionary defines reflection as 'a
serious thought or consideration'.
Perhaps in the case of when we mourn the word serious is too
strong. I know from personal experience
that in the days following the loss of a loved one I can be crying one minute,
be in a serious and reflective mood the following minute but then be laughing
the next. Thinking about Gifford is no
exception. When I first realised he
would no longer be there to fetch the post it broke my heart. It was even worse
the first time I returned home from work. Not only was the post still on the
mat, my slippers were still in the bedroom. Where was Gifford's lovely
greeting? His tail wagging so profusely
it caused the rest of his body to swagger.
How proud he was to hear me coming down the garden
path so he could retrieve my slippers in time for my opening the front
door. I just sat on the bed and
sobbed. Yet the next moment I was
chuckling as I recalled how we trained him to yawn on command; and then laughed
as I remembered the day on Putsborough Beach when he ran across the rock pools
before suddenly disappearing, having misjudged the depth of the water!
If reflection involves serious
consideration, maybe the word 'reminiscence'
would better describe our thoughts when bereaved. For one is certainly looking
back; but with happy as well as sad memories. Of course you do not need to be bereaved
to reminisce. Friends, for example, can
reminisce over old times. I am blessed
to have a friendship that began over 40 years ago when we were both aged 5; and
whenever we meet up we find ourselves either reflecting on the affairs of the
day (grumpy middle aged men putting the world to right is another description)
or reminiscing over previous times spent together. On hearing of Gifford's passing, he wrote
these words:
"It
is sobering just how much can happen in the space of a pet's lifetime. Due to
all kinds of things that have happened, personal and worldwide, I think we are
all different people to what we were in 1998 when Gifford came along - perhaps
that's one of the reasons we have pets: to maintain a constancy when everything
else in our lives insists on changing. If only they could talk."
The same can be said of the beech tree
beneath which Gifford used to lay. If
only it could talk. Appropriate,
therefore, that Gifford's ashes were returned to us in a beech casket. It now rests beside the casket of his old
pal Bourton. Together again on earth, it
is comforting to know their spirits have been reunited up above. Farewell, Gifford. No more aches or
stiffness. Run free once more with your
old mates through the golden beech woods of heaven.
Steve McCarthy
Illustrated by: Debbie Rigler Cook
26
RURAL REFLECTIONS
NO. 54
Tall grasses sway in a summer breeze along the wide verges of a country lane, obscuring the hedge banks so that only the narrow hedges growing upon them are visible. Leaving the hamlet behind the lane straightens and, having passed a few field gates, reaches a tended area of grass surrounding a bench. A juvenile silver birch accompanies the bench, perhaps a favourite tree species of those to whom the bench is dedicated.
Hayes farm 1534
Rapid bird song rises up and over the hedge, courtesy of invisible skylarks hidden within the fields. Only the periodical announcement of a flock of starlings soaring low above challenges the skylark's audible monopoly. It is only as the starlings come to rest upon the telegraph wire that the skylarks cease their chitter chatter. But for the breeze rustling the leaves of the silver birch, all is quiet.
A minute passes by. Still the breeze offers no sound from the surrounding hills. Perhaps the current of air is coming from the south, a direction offering an uninterrupted, and seemingly uncivilised, view to Dartmoor. Between here and the moorland, the nearby fields gently slope before rising to meet the hedgerow lining the lane to Hayes; and beyond this second horizon, the moor itself some fifteen miles away.
A glance in the opposite direction confirms the breeze's southerly source, the steam from the chimney of the Ayelscott Feed factory being swept to the north. The silence at the bench, however, would be broken if the breeze were coming from the north; for it would episodically bring with it the swiping sound of turning blades. Invisible to begin with, the distinctive red cause of the noise would first appear above the line of trees on the horizon, then above the ever-rotating radar and finally above an apparent gigantic golf ball before rising vertically from Eaglescott airfield. Then, steering its course, the Devon Air Ambulance is, within moments, both visually and audibly a memory; and whilst the neighbouring inhabitants of North Heale would have heard every turn of its blades, the dwellings of Furze Barton, West Arson and Austins may not have even been aware, nestled as they are into the steep hillside beneath the radar station.
Meanwhile, the sound of another form of transport would give notice that the wind is coming from the west. Sat upon the bench, one would hear the distant hum of vehicles including the buses which, having climbed up from Dolton, then turn at Dolton Beacon to head either to Exeter or to Barnstaple. The wind would also bring with it the chugging of an old Ferguson working away tirelessly within the fields of East Westacott Farm.
Like the helicopter, both the tractor and the buses can be clearly seen from the bench (the latter as they pass along the western edge of Hollocombe Moor). But it is sounds brought in by an easterly wind whose sources remain forever out of site. The furthest to travel is the horn and rat-ta-ta-tat of the Tarka Line train whilst passing through, one imagines, Kings Nympton station. Nearer and just as rhythmic are the pealing bells of Ashreigney Parish Church.
Closer still and perhaps less melodious are the squawks of the peacocks residing at Churchwater, and the nearest of all are theneighing horses stabled in the nearby hamlet.
A pleasant bench to rest a while. But where is it exactly? And what is the hamlet? Why not get out a map and see if you can guess! Answers in the next article.
Steve McCarthy
37
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 53
Buzzards are usually observed in pairs.The jay on the other hand is a solitary bird most of the time.Yet for other birds being part of the gang is the preferred lifestyle.
The house sparrow is one such species. Having been born and raised, fledglings will join up to form new flocks in late summer.During winter the new and existing flocks will then roost in dense shelter such as rhododendrons or hawthorn bushes.Each flock will have its own scout bird who is regularly sent out to look for food.Once located, the remaining flock soon follows; something I remember watching as a child when living in London suburbia having scattered my broken up crusts of toast across the back lawn.
Human scraps have always been a staple diet of the urban house sparrow, a factor dictated by the holes and crevices in buildings which are their preferred nesting site.The rural house sparrow meanwhile is just as happy nesting in a farm building where there is livestock whilst exploiting any arable food that can be sourced.
Although Breeding Bird Survey data indicate an increase in the house sparrow population in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the species has disappeared from other parts of Britain.Now a Red List species, it has declined in Britain by over 65% in recent years with the south and east of England most affected. Theories include leaded petrol affecting the insect population [a vital food source for young], modern buildings having fewer holes and crevices and a lack of winter food for the farmland house sparrow.
Another bird synonymous with flocks is also one of our most common, the starling.Up until the mid-nineteenth century it was relatively uncommon in Britain until, that was, Europes indigenous forests were cleared for farming. This encouraged the species further west to take advantage of the new cropped grassland, a favourite feeding habitat of the starling with a beak powerful enough to part the ground as it probes grass roots in search of invertebrates.
Such feeding grounds are not just restricted to farmland.Common and widespread in most habitats, I would often observe them probing our back lawn when we lived on the outskirts of Brighton. From a distance their plumage could appear all black but from my back window I would admire each starlings candescent green and purple shades. Yet their wonderful sheen appears to go unappreciated by some ornitholigists, perhaps because the bird is so common.It can also be regarded as irritatingly noisy, but listen momentarily and you will soon hear the mimickery of other birds or machinery.
Like the sparrow, a feeding flock will quickly form once one starling is seen pecking away more eyes to watch for predators! But they are no Bird Brain, having excellent memories for good feeding locations, once discovered it will always be under observation by at least one bird.
The feeding flock in our back garden numbered fifty or so a snippet compared to the many thousands that would amass on the dilapidated West Pier and a speck compared to the 30 million that come across the east coast of England every autumn migrating from Europe. Their arrival almost doubles our winter starling population.
We would see fewer in the summer months, a time when they prefer woodland and farmland for feeding.Both a help and a hindrance to the farmer, they can inflict great damage but will also consume large amounts of leatherjackets.
The diet of food consumed by certain species can alter over time. The long-tailed tit for example is increasingly adding peanuts to its main diet of insects; and it was whilst living in Ilfracombe that a flock would appear twice daily around 9 oclock and 6 oclock to feast on the peanut feeder. Their arrival provided an opportunity for their most delicate of pink coloured feathers on their shoulders and under parts to be admired not forgetting their long tails which are over half the length of the bird itself.
The long-tailed tits nest building is to be respected. Taking up to three weeks to construct, the nest is lined with up to 2,000 feathers, some of which are recycled from the bodies of dead birds. A mainly sedentary bird, it will move short distances form its nesting site in winter in search for food.In doing so, a family will join with other flocks until totalling around twenty. This group can often include other species of tits. Individual families are made up of parents, their offspring and any of the parents siblings who lost their own nest that year unable to go on to raise their own brood, the siblings would instead assist the parents with feeding their young.
Flocks of goldfinches meanwhile can be initially created by nesting together in a loose colony. Once the chicks have fledged, families then flock together where food is plentiful. Their diet includes thistle, teasel and dandelion seeds they are the only bird capable of reaching seeds buried deep within teasel flower heads thanks to their long, fine beak.
Unlike most other birds, goldfinches can hold food with their feet.In the past, however, it proved to be a disadvantage, the bird being caught and caged for its party trick.In order to have a drink the bird had to pull the strings of a cart full of water up a slope without letting go.They were also caged for their pleasant, canary-like, twittering song and striking plumage, in particular their bright yellow wing bars and their black, red and white striped head.
The species is increasingly using garden bird feeders, the possible result of a steady decline of food sources naturally. Where we now live we back onto farmland, one of the goldfinchs habitats, and have been fortunate to enjoy observing a flock in our garden all winter, sometimes totalling twenty three.Admiring their beautiful plumage, it is no wonder that their collective name is a charm of goldfinches.
Steve McCarthy
19
RURAL
REFLECTIONS 52
2012: WILL RECORDS BE BROKEN?
Between
2006 and 2007 I made a twelve month observation of the Cairn in
Ilfracombe. On one walk taken on
midwinter's day I made the following note:
Both the
sound and the feel of Cairn Top's short grass crunching beneath my boots are
foreign. How splendid to witness frost; and one so hard,
the sight of a white landscape as I look out from the summit such a rarity.
A rarity indeed. It was to be the only frosty morning of what
was to be a wet and mild winter. Yet
the weather came as no surprise, mimicking as it did the mild temperatures of
previous winters where wild flowers such as herb Robert, red campion and
hogweed were unseasonably but regularly recorded.
The trend for mild winters led some
people to misunderstand the consequences of global warming. Assuming as they did that seasonal
temperatures would steadily increase, their misinterpretation gained
affirmation when the spring of 2007 saw a prolonged and exceptional spell of
warm weather. As a result, the Cairn's
bluebells peaked well ahead of time. By
early May they were already past their best; by mid-May they looked sorrowful,
their stems having been flattened by a bombardment of heavy downpours.
The rain of late spring was to be a
preliminary round to a summer fixture list crowded with wet days. June became the wettest on record; by the end
of July it was officially the wettest early summer. It was also a summer where domestic heating
systems regularly worked overtime, so cool were daytime temperatures. So what had happened to the 'warming'
effect? Some suggested it was merely a
one-off summer. Unfortunately not! Since 2007 summer weather records have
continued to be broken - but in the wrong direction.
Many now argue that such unseasonable
weather, often linked with extremities, is the true consequence of global
warming. Its effect on nature, however,
can be detrimental, with our recent spring and summer pattern just one
example. Having been encouraged out of
hibernation early by exceptional warm weather, survival suddenly becomes a
challenge in unexpectedly low temperatures and subsequent food scarcity.
Unexpectedly low temperatures can also
refer to winters of late. Indeed, the first hint North Devon had that winters
may not always be mild and 'white free' came in February 2009 when the weather
gods decided to play a trick on its inhabitants. Rather than sprinkling their usual packages
of snow everywhere and giving the countryside a delicate white dusting, the
gods decided to deliver it by parcel force instead!
Some people were frustrated at the havoc
it caused. Ilfracombe, for example, was
temporarily cut off from the outside world.
But the scene it created both in Ilfracombe and across the rest of North
Devon was purely magical. Unable to get
to work, or indeed go anywhere, everyone just put on their big coats and boots
and took advantage of an opportunity to observe our countryside shrouded
beneath a white blanket. Residents from
one village spoke to residents from another as they passed along a country
footpath. Meanwhile complete strangers
began having snowball fights in parks;
and whilst all other plants had their spring preparation halted, the
snowdrops were given the chance to stand tall and boast their splendour and
resilience in the face of harsh conditions.
The snow soon melted and within days it
had vanished. The same, however, could
not be said of the following January. As
each night passed, the temperatures plummeted, causing snowflakes to link with
their next-door-neighbours, toughening in the process and turning
transparent. Surfaces were soon
suffocated beneath thick layers of ice, too thick for the sun's weak winter
rays to penetrate. Indeed, if the
musical chords of a bolero had been rolled out across the conurbations,
Torville and Dean could have taken their choice upon which pavement to
skate! What's more, they could have
danced their routine without fear of interruption, concrete making a rare
appearance; and just like it always does when it lingers in urban locations,
the snow soon turned grey and looked dirty.
The countryside meanwhile remained
bleached. Green blades of grass were
concealed beneath the white. Hedge banks
acted as buffers for drifts of snow.
Tree branches became ledges upon which flakes could come to rest. Villages and woods mirrored the scene on the
Christmas card that still stood on the fireplace; and whilst the card would be
on view for only a few more days, the picture outside was intent on remaining
unchanged for some time to come.
The angel on the tree that was removed
on Twelfth Night in 2010 would then witness snow the following Christmas. This time, however, the snow was already in
evidence before she was delicately removed from her box. And so it came to pass that for a third
successive winter the snow lay heavy
whilst temperatures reached new lows.
This last winter again saw records broken although this time at the
other end of the scale. Aberdeen, for
example, recorded its warmest Christmas day [15 degrees] since 1920.
Autumn has also displayed unseasonable
behaviour and broken records in recent years . In 2009 a period of southerly
winds, unusual for the time of year, brought warmth which the trees interpreted
as a return to summer. Concluding it was
not yet time to dislodge their leaves, a bizarre scene unfolded in the parks
with golden trees swaying heavily in strong winds and not a fallen leaf to be
seen on any of the paths.
So with 2012 heralding the long awaited
Olympics on home soil one wonders what records will be broken this year - both
by mere mortals and the weather gods.
Illustrations
by Paul Swailes
Steve
McCarthy
6
RURAL
REFLECTIONS 51
Fullabrook:
For or Against?
"It's a bit late complaining about
them." I was told, "They're here now.
And will be for the foreseeable future."
It wasn't that I was complaining - more expressing my difficulty in
accepting what I viewed as a blot on the North Devon landscape. Making a complaint about them would not have
halted their arrival in any case, whatever form it took. For there are times when the powers above us
enforce their wishes, despite the opposing views of those beneath them -
regardless of how those views are formally expressed.
And so it came to pass that the opinions
of many North Devon inhabitants, concerned about the visual impact on their
stunning countryside, were tossed aside in favour of
the need for an alternative form of energy.
I was one of those who were extremely concerned. I did not, however, vent my feelings at any
formal meeting, for I felt that this was one of those occasions when the
decision had, in effect, already been made. The powers-that-be were not for
turning. The blades of the wind turbines
are.
Since the arrival of the Fullabrook Wind
Farm [on an area surrounding Fullabrook Down] I have tried desperately
hard to come to terms with its presence - as well as listen to the favourable arguments.
But I'm still struggling, really struggling. Pre-scepticism has
not helped, a view I expressed in a previous Rural Reflections article
[Berrynarbor Newsletter, December 2008] which I wrote whilst on holiday in
South Wales. Referring to the area's
rural similarities with North Devon, I then noted how the two landscapes
sharply differed industrially, our Welsh counterpart's natural horizon being
frequently broken by naked flames, tall chimneys and the turning blades of
turbines.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Although the windfarms
were in my view unsightly, those that I observed in Wales at least had a sense
of planning about them; if not situated perfectly symmetrically, the turbines
did at least look neat in their arrangement. The same cannot be said for Fullabrook. It is as though one of the directors, whilst
looking over a map of the area, bit into a biscuit and where the crumbs fell a
turbine was situated.
"They haven't got wires drooping in
between them. That's what I like about the turbines", a colleague said. True.
But at least pylons have some regimented order about them. They're also not as tall.
"I think they enhance the surroundings,"
a friend commented. Enhance? How can 22
brilliant-white plastic structures, each standing over 360 feet tall, enhance
North Devon's unique rural landscape?
In any case, my friend's comment carries no weight for he openly admits
that he is an urbanite through and through with no appreciation for pastoral
scenes. Living where he does, he's more
likely to donate an original by Constable to
the London City Mission, preferring instead to decorate his flat's walls with
city skylines from around the world.
Another friend, living more locally,
felt the turbines looked graceful. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. In my view a swan up above, neck outstretched
and its flight feathers producing a hum as its wings beat slowly and
powerfully, looks and sounds graceful.
The sight - and hum - of the blades of a wind turbine? No.
"I'd rather have to look at them than a
nuclear power station," I've been told.
True. But I'd rather we had
neither; not on land, at least. Let's be
honest; if ever there was a case of "water
here, water there, water, water everywhere," the British Isles has to be
the perfect example - both with its rivers and with the surrounding seas - for
sources of water and tidal power. "Our local charity is also hoping to benefit from
one of the community handouts being offered by the windfarm company," they
added. Fair enough. Having been involved in charity work I cannot argue against
that point.
But one fact remains. Whether it's
looking from high points such as Clovelly in the west, Exmoor in the east or Eaglescott airfield in the south, the turning blades will
draw my gaze and, in so doing, hypnotise me into looking at them instead of the
beautiful rural vista in which they are set. But at least that's only from
North Devon's peaks. Thanks to the
area's undulating countryside there are also just as many troughs where the
turbines are hidden from view - unless, of course, you happen to live in
Muddiford.
Stephen
McCarthy
24
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 50
The old yew tree stands at the western
end of the churchyard. Its disfigured,
purplish-brown trunk displays a colossal girth from which, only ten feet from
the ground, it splits into three immense branches. Each one immediately arches so that their off
shoots create a broad and heavily shaded canopy. The tree's trunk has a very strong outer
casing which is the sole support for the wealth of branches above, for its
innards have been devoured as has a portion of its bark, spawning a natural doorway
through which the human visitor can enter.
This yew is more than just old. It has gained immortal status. It was around when the Celts decorated its
branches with the heads of their victims; and then observed their descendants
convert to Christianity. They built a
church to keep the tree company and made it a symbol of their new found
faith. Continually outliving subsequent
generations, the tree represented eternal life whilst its poisonous berries and
strong wood, from which spears, arrows and bows were made, represented death.
Illustration by: Debbie Rigler Cook
Whilst the yew was relieved
when its wood was no longer used for warfare, it was dismayed that this was
only because more effective forms of weaponry had been developed. The tree was itself hit by a cannonball when
the church, protecting Royalists inside, was attacked by Parliamentarians. Ironic that the ball should be discovered by
a young man who in 1915 was sitting inside its now hollow trunk, creating a
personal poem about peace. The old yew
now looks down upon the young poet's name - on the war memorial.
Twenty five years later
that same hollow trunk was to be a refuge for another young man's inspiration,
this time compiling a speech about the atrocities of war. The conscientious objector's words were being
written with added emotion for an enemy aircraft had dropped a bomb in the
grounds of the local Manor House the night before.
The incident was all the
talk that following Sunday. Parishioners were fearing if and indeed when the
next bomb would drop. Yet even the wise
old yew could not have predicted that seventy years on the incident would bring
indirect pleasure. For only last Sunday
two parishioners walked past the tree whilst commenting on the beautiful water
lilies on display at the Manor House Open Gardens - in the pond created by the
bomb crater.
Two other parishioners were
discussing the rare orchids recently discovered in the disused quarry, a quarry now so densely covered in
ferns it blends in with the vista. Yet
the yew can recall how previous generations had viewed it as a grotesque cleave
within the western hillside.
The yew has also presided
over the parishioners' disapproval of the eastern hillside when the landowner
planted a pinetum, starving the ground of sunlight and destroying, in their
view, the natural spring display of primroses and bluebells. The yew observed the pines being felled last month - and then listened to those same parishioners, now much older,
discussing their lovely pine furniture.
Going further back in time,
the yew can recall how villagers had fumed about the construction of a viaduct
which subsequently blocked their view down the valley; and how other local
areas were witnessing chunks of earth being sliced out and banks of earth being
created for the coming of the steam railway.
Now the yew listened to two men, one hankering for the golden age of
steam, the other looking forward to a trip on a restored steam line. The latter had an American accent, visiting
the parish in order to trace his family history. Yet the yew can recollect when "foreigners"
were people from nearby villages and towns, using the new railway to come and
sell their goods, tempting the parishioners away from home grown and home-made
produce. Village tradesmen protested
that it would be "The downfall of our local trade!" The yew has heard that said a lot down the
years.
It was not just the coming
of the train that was disapproved of.
The yew has noted how every new mode of transport has been received with
a "Tut!" - even the bike. It can
recollect one particular parishioner forecasting that it would be the end of
human conversation with villagers now no longer stopping to talk, rather just
pedalling on and replacing the polite "Hello" with a discourteous ring of the
bell.
In fact the tree has
eavesdropped on many a discussion about just that, the dying art of
conversation. Only last Sunday it
presided over a mother remarking how computers were encouraging her children to
talk via a 'square screen' and stay indoors, yet the tree can remember when her mother was aghast at the onset of
Children's TV, encouraging her daughter to develop 'square eyes'. Further back in time the yew can recall
overhearing a mother's disapproval of the radio which had come into her home
for her children were no longer going outside to listen to the music being played
in the village square.
The yew could also recall the
parishioner who refused to buy an electrical radio in protest at the monstrous
pylons that had been put up which had, in his view, eternally devastated the
rural view. However, only last Sunday the yew heard the same
sentiments expressed about another source of energy, this time taking the form
of gigantic windmills, that had been erected locally . . . yet the pylons had
not been spoken about for decades.
Steve
McCarthy
19
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 49
I
was in the kitchen making the first pot of tea of the day, my thoughts mulling
over the subject matter for this article.
With the kettle nearing boiling point, I switched on the radio and heard
the pips for
Before
I explain, let me first complete the tale of my hideous journey home, or that's
how I saw it at the time after an evening out in
Whilst
my journey to the
Illustration by: Peter Rothwell
With
pelting raindrops lashing my windscreen, I eventually reached Wrafton, only to
meet signs reading "
I
came to a halt. In the distance I was
able to make out two white headlights of a large vehicle; lights that vanished
momentarily, only to be replaced by two red spots which then faded into the
distance. Having obviously turned round
to head back up Winsford Hill, I realized that my little vehicle stood no
chance of wading through the water. Time
to do the same - except my U-turn would be on a descending hairpin bend! No other vehicles, thankfully, came around
the corner.
So,
once again, my little car and I drove off into the rural darkness. Feelings of fear, anger and frustration began
to fill me. A fear of being alone and
stranded in the dark. Frustration that
I had not read nature's warning signs.
Anger that I had moved away from the urban life I had always been used
to - a lifestyle with people always around me and a night sky that was
permanently lit. Now all I had were the
occasional reflections of sheep's eyes and the sound of raindrops stamping upon
my car roof to keep me company.
I
was therefore relieved to see once more the lights of
A
journey that normally takes three-quarters-of-an-hour had taken nearly
four. It had been the worst rainfall I
had ever had to encounter whilst driving.
'What an ordeal!', I kept saying when I told people about it the
following week. But on the seventh day
I stopped telling my story; for one week after my ordeal, to the exact hour
almost, the true power of
water began to show its force. Whilst I
slept soundly during the early hours of Boxing Day, a Tsunami struck
Hence
the shiver that ran down my spine. As I
was contemplating this article, making that first pot of tea of the day, I
listened instead to the shocking news that was breaking of the Tsunami in
I
wish you a peaceful Easter. Let this be
a time when we are grateful for all the beauty that is coming to life in our
countryside. For that is what spring is
all about.
Stephen
McCarthy
26
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 48
In
my last article I described the first part of a car journey, undertaken late at
night, one week before Christmas in 2003.
Earlier on in the day, low grey clouds had deflected the setting sun's
intense orange rays, reddening the landscape.
Red for danger, perhaps? Quite
possibly - nature's rural creatures did seem to have an aura of urgency about
them, as though sensing an impending change in the weather.
Whilst
birds and livestock took note of the skies and sought refuge from the
heightening gusts of wind I, however, decided to ignore the signs and drive as
planned to a Christmas meal in
Having
met signs at a deserted Chivenor roundabout preventing me from progressing
further along the A361, then meeting a string of cars reversing on the lane to
Ashford [Plan B], I had attempted the back road to Ilfracombe [Plan C], only to
discover the road flooded and impassable at Muddiford. My next plan was also my final one - left
until last as it was both the longest route home and, more significantly, along
a road I had never driven before, although we had been in
Within
minutes I was questioning if I had made the right decision. The rain, so it seemed, merely strengthened
with every broken white line of the road.
At Burridge I made out a few smudged house lights; but before I could
decide whether to stop, the properties were past me, disappearing into the
murkiness of the night. Ahead of me was
nothingness; just blackness all around and only the deluge of raindrops,
highlighted by my car's headlights, to visually keep me company. Our uncomfortable partnership would
occasionally be supplemented by a flock of dazzled eyes in an adjacent
field. Their reflective stares seemed to
send back a message that only madmen would choose to be out on such a monstrous
night. They were probably right! But still I carried on, slowly and
cautiously, peeking through my windscreen in an attempt to make out anything
ahead.
Just
for a moment the rain fractionally eased, enough for me to read a sign, saying
'Shirwell'. On reflection, I should
have stopped and called for assistance at one of the village houses, but it was
now just past
Just
out of Shirwell, the pounding rain returned.
By now I felt my only option was to carry on - I had gone too far on
this cross-country route to begin the return journey. Panic started to set in whilst the noise of
the rain, pelting upon the car's roof, faded in my ears and was superseded by
my own pounding heart beat. All my
fears of the dark began to overtake me.
How I wished I could instantly return to my urban roots where, after
nightfall, I felt secure knowing people were all around me!
These
thoughts were, however, soon put aside when the relatively straight and
hedge-lined route I had so far taken, suddenly became a steeply descending road
with hairpin bends. I could just make
out a vertical bank of earth rising beside the road, up from which tree trunks
vanished into the night sky. I tried
to comfort myself, knowing that having completed the descent and then crossed
the River Yeo, I should begin climbing Windford Hill and eventually reach
Blackmore Gate - familiar territory, nearer to home.
But,
just like at Braunton and Muddiford, my journey came to an abrupt halt. The River Yeo had broken its banks and made
the road utterly impassable. Would I ever
get home? One thing was
certain. I had to move away from the
rising pool of water in front of me. This
time though, my U-turn would be at a
hairpin bend on a steep gradient. If a
vehicle failed to stop as it came around the corner . . .
[to be continued]
Stephen
McCarthy
17
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 47
'Twas the week before Christmas - seven days before, to be exact - eight years ago. The sun was bidding its late-afternoon farewell, knowing that in a few days' time it would once more begin its daylight increase upon the northern hemisphere, having passed the winter solstice.
Just before dipping out of sight, its red ball shot up a handful of stark burning rays which tinged the low crimson clouds sweeping across the sky at a menacing pace. The clouds in turn deflected the rays, transforming the fields a dusky pink. The biting wind whipped through the naked trees and hedgerows, its force increasing with each gust. Birds fluttered from branch to branch in a desperate attempt to seek refuge. The landscape looked eerie. Nature seemed angry. Moreover, the skies appeared ominous.
I was due to drive to South Molton later that evening. My instincts told me not to go. I wish I had followed them. To quote from Simon and Sue's Weather or Not report:
Between about 11.00am on the 18th [December] and 8.00am on the 19th we recorded 46mm [1 3/4"] of rain, of which 43mm [1 5/8"] fell after 7.00pm. This was the night that Braunton flooded.
Leaving South Molton around 10.30pm to head back home, I had no idea of the journey that lay ahead of me. It was as though Ilfracombe would remain beyond my reach. Already falling heavily when I turned onto the A361, the pelting rain grew stronger with every mile. By the time I reached Barnstaple my vision was down to yards and was the reason I failed to see the deep pool of water that had collected across the Braunton-bound dual carriageway at Ashford.
Relieved to have driven through it without coming to a standstill, I continued at a safe snail's pace - but then came to an abrupt halt at Chivenor roundabout when I met a string of barriers and a sign, reading 'ROAD AHEAD CLOSED'. I could only guess at who had placed them there. The area was deserted.
In fact the last sign of life I had seen had been a line of car lights winding their way up the lane to Ashford from the other side of the dual carriageway. Plan B was, therefore, to head back to Ashford and follow their diversion.
By the time I reached the lane, however, cars were reversing back down it. This route had obviously also become impassable. The Muddiford road seemed the next best option. So, leaving the lights of Barnstaple behind me I headed off into the blackness of the night.
The rain fell even harder. Waves of loneliness and insecurity swept across me. To counteract these feelings, I turned up the radio so that the presenter could be clearly heard above the thud of the rain upon my car's roof. At Muddiford my worst fears were met. The river had broken its banks, completely flooding the road. Would I ever get home? I sat for a moment and tried to think of another route. The A39 perhaps? It would be a long way round, but maybe, just maybe, it would enable me to get back to Ilfracombe.
As it happened, my journey along the A39 would lead me to regret, for a short while at least, ever having moved away from the city lights to the countryside. Until, that was, exactly one week later when a natural flood disaster on the other side of the planet would put into context the events of that night. But I will leave that until next time.
For now, I will wish you a peaceful Christmas and a healthy New Year.
Stephen McCarthy
34
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 46
Records reveal that the oak tree now buds at least twenty
days earlier than it did in the 18th century.
The same cannot be said for the ash, and with experts predicting that
climate change will encourage the oak to bud even earlier, we are unlikely to
see the days when the ash competed to be first out of the two in leaf. So what of the proverb? Will it always be a case of 'oak before ash,
there will be a small splash' rather than 'ash before oak, there will be a big
soak'?
This summer has seen a bit of both. Early on there were days with the occasional
splash of rain - by August the holidaymakers were regularly getting soaked
through! Maybe the summer months
couldn't decide which proverb to stick with.
For another saying goes, 'Oak before ash, will be wet and splash, Ash before oak, will be fire and smoke'.
As summer gives way to autumn, forcing daytime temperatures
and light levels to decrease, so the leaves of the oak and ash, along with all
other deciduous trees, will no longer receive the required sunlight to produce
the pigments chlorophyll and carotene.
Gradually the green chlorophyll will decay to reveal the orange carotene
beneath. But where in spring it was oak
before ash, in autumn it will be ash before oak. For the ash tree's carotene decays at such a
rate that its leaves are dropping well before they have had a chance to provide
an autumnal display.
The oak meanwhile is a complete contrast. Like the beech, it will hold on to its leaves
throughout autumn. So now is the time
to seek out your nearest oak or beech wood and enjoy the dazzling display of
yellows, oranges and shades of gold on offer.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Whilst enjoying this autumnal splendour, spare a thought for
the old oak tree which is being allowed a respectable death in the nearby
field. If the saying is to be believed,
it will have lived at least two thirds of its allotted life - an oak tree
allegedly spends three hundred years growing, three hundred years resting and
three hundred years declining. If
allowed to complete this last stage, the tree's trunk will be hollowed out by
the fungi already inside it. This in
turn causes the upper branches to die and snap off, in effect, shrink like
humans do. The oak, however, takes much
longer to degenerate than a human body.
Eaten from the inside out, it will spend many years tilting near collapse
whilst its 'outer wall' protects it from falling. It is only once this wall becomes too narrow
to support its hollow, cylindrical trunk, that the tree collapses, and with no
innards to protect it, shatters into a thousand pieces as it hits the surface.
During their declining years, trees will provide the ideal
home for birds such as owls, woodpeckers, nuthatches and tree creepers. Bats also roost inside them and
invertebrates will take up home within, many of which are dependent on decaying
trees. Fungi begin to thrive, eating
the outside as well as the inside, whilst lichens begin to grow. Even once the old oak collapses, its
decaying process continues. Fungi carry
on breaking down the nutrients until the wood is completely rotted. This in effect provides space for new trees
and prevents soil erosion.
Invertebrates also move in, helping to break the wood down as they feed
upon it. Others choose to make it their
permanent residence with some, such as the stage beetle, spending its whole
existence living in and feeding on the decaying wood. Yet it is not just the wood that offers
excellent nutrition. The insects
themselves provide good sustenance, both for each other [many insects will eat
others] and for birds, with the great spotted woodpecker a particular
connoisseur of the oak bark beetle.
Maybe this will be the autumn that provides winds strong
enough to level the old oak, or perhaps its trunk is now so hollow it will
collapse naturally. Who knows? One thing is certain. This grand ancient tree would not have been
able to provide in its prime a splash of gold to match the golden soaking of
the nearby oak wood if it wasn't for the cooling temperatures and shortening
daylight hours of autumn.
Stephen McCarthy
15
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 45
Early spring had seen its wooded paths lined with the bright
sunshine flowers of lesser celandine. As
the strips of yellow faded, so its woodland floor became carpeted with
bluebells. The advent of summer had
then seen the pinks of herb Robert, hedge woundwort, red campion and foxgloves
take hold.
All are wild flowers seen year in and year out upon the
Cairn. The same could not be said,
however, for the twayblade. With no one
alive today having ever witnessed it anywhere upon the area's 28 acres, the
orchid had passed into folklore history.
Only one person, in fact, could lay claim to spotting it -Joan
Robertson, the Cairn's Devon Wildlife Trust Warden between 1974 and 1995.
The orchid's name is derived from its characteristic two
broad leaves [tway blades] which grow at ground level. The small flowers, which grow to between 30cm
and 60cm high, are usually green. Had
Joan mistaken the orchid for a species of grass? Unlikely, hers was a reliable source of
information, especially if to do with the Cairn. So it came as no surprise when the orchid was
rediscovered by Cairn Conservation Carer volunteers whilst undertaking a
wildflower survey in early summer. After an absence of at least fifteen years,
the Cairn and the orchid had once again been reunited.
Reunions
of a different sort will of course be part of the events taking place on
Saturday 7th August when the Berrynarbor Newsletter
celebrates its 21st birthday. Like any celebration, it will bring together
both strangers and acquaintances, in
particular reuniting people with connections past and present with the village
or the Newsletter. I look forward to
seeing you there and may I take this opportunity to congratulate the Newsletter
on its coming of age!
The Newsletter's birthday party is to take place in the Manor
Hall, a venue which has been and still is frequently used for village
occasions. One such event was the Berrynarbor Craft Fayre. Last year Judie kindly invited me to have a
stall where I could promote my book, "A Doorstep Discovery - Twelve Months on the Cairn",
which I had recently written. At the event I was pleased to meet up with
Farmer Fred, a fellow rural-tale- teller who wrote for Combe Martin's Shammickite
magazine. We spent the day discussing
countryside stories, including those I had written in my book.
Farmer Fred asked if I had contacted Aubrey Dyer who, having
lived in Slade for many years, would no doubt have many a tale to tell about
the Cairn. I told him I had indeed been
in touch and that many of Aubrey's stories had been included in the book. Farmer Fred went on to say how he hadn't seen
Aubrey for over 60 years, yet within hours of the remark the two were reunited
once more when by chance Aubrey walked into the same fish and chip restaurant
where Farmer Fred was eating!
I was saddened to hear of Farmer Fred's recent passing. He brought great pleasure to many people
through the amusing tales he told of his time as a farmer and I should like to
dedicate this article to him. "Fred" was not, of course, his real
name; and, in the end, many people no doubt knew who he actually was. But then, for Joe, secretly letting on to
people that he was the "Farmer Fred" of the Shammickite magazine gave
him as much pleasure as writing the articles themselves!
Stephen
McCarthy
27
RURAL
REFLECTIONS No. 44
There was just one topic on the lips of people in the park
after the 6th of May. Join in any conversation and one found the
same two questions being asked: "What
will happen?" and "Who can we blame?"
Yet the subject matter had nothing to do with politics,
although the issue under discussion had striking similarities with the election
result.
The
ensuing debates, as they always are in
The ducks' temporary majority was the result of twenty or so
newly hatched mallard ducklings [this number varied depending on who provided
your statistics - another affinity with party politics!]. But with each passing night their numbers
dwindled. At the last count, only three
remained. The ducks' coalition had
crumbled.
One viewpoint not being put forward amongst the discussions
was whether the reduction was just part of the natural process. Was this because it had occurred in a public
rather than a natural surrounding? After all, would those same people be
perturbed if they came across a dead chick in a woodland? Possibly not; yet ironically their lack of
concern for some bird species at least, would be fully justified.
Take the blue tit. Every
year, one half of each breeding pair dies. This means that only one youngster from their
yearly brood needs to survive in order to keep the population steady. Yet up to ten fledglings will leave the nest. Nature,
however, takes its course ensuring that in most cases nine out of the ten do
not make it through to the following spring. Amazingly, the survival of more
than one chick would lead to our countryside being inundated with blue tits.
Whilst nature takes care to guarantee that numbers do not
increase, many of us do our bit to make sure that the blue tit population and
that of other bird species do not dwindle by providing opportunities for nest
building in our own gardens. This time
last year, however, I found myself doing more than just helping a pair of blue
tits raise a brood by providing a nest box.
Having delivered moss, grass and leaves to the box, the
female then perched herself comfortably on her nest. The male was then seen fastidiously delivering
food to her whilst she laid her eggs. Her
re-emergence to deliver food to the box herself [along with the sound of high
pitched calls] was a sure sign that her chicks had hatched. All too soon the chicks had matured enough
to peep out of the hole in order to take a glimpse of the world beyond their
box.
Then, very early one morning, they fledged - except one, the
runt of the brood, so to speak. Pushing
its tiny little head out of the box, it called and it called. The minutes turned into hours. Yet the mother was nowhere to be seen. With starvation the only forecast, the
youngster accepted there was only one option, to take to the air.
Its attempt proved feeble. Now lying on the lawn and too weak to try a
second takeoff, the pitiful creature, whose tattered and incomplete feathers
made its species almost unidentifiable, seemed destined to become nourishment
for any lurking predator. Time, it seemed, for mankind to intervene.
Gently taking hold of the youngster, I placed it on the rim
of the nest box hole only for it to immediately attempt another unsuccessful
launch. So I tried again, and then again.
It seemed that instinct had kicked in, telling the youngster's minute
brain that having left the nest it was not supposed to return. I was therefore left with only one option. Gently picking it up once more, the fragile
fledgling allowed me to restit upon a branch in our hedge, leaving it calling
once more for food, I walked back
inside and allowed nature to take its course.
A few days later I recognised that feeble looking fledgling
by its unkempt plumage which had still not fully formed. Its beak was once more wide open and calling, until,
that was, its mother arrived. Then all
fell silent whilst the youngster took
in a scrumptious morsel
of food. Looking at it perched
contentedly upon a branch of our greengage tree, it was good to see how it had
already grown in size.
At least I had given this 'ugly duckling' an equal chance to
be the one member of the brood to survive into the following year. I wonder if he is still around?
Illustration by: Paul Swailes
Stephen McCarthy
27
RURAL
REFLECTIONS NO. 43
A clump of snowdrops cling to a bank where the urban road
becomes a country lane. The emergence of these nodding white flowers
is supposed to herald the end of winter. Yet
this morning they appear to be hunching their stems as much as possible in
order to protect themselves from the biting north-easterly wind. Every
cold blast forces their spear-shaped leaves to tremble, whilst up above the
wind whips through the sycamores arching the lane. As their
branches shake in response, it is hard to imagine them awash with fresh leaves
rustling in a warm spring breeze. Where
the archway ceases, the rhubarb-like leaves of winter heliotrope dominate the
western bank.
Although some of the
pale lilac flowers have now withered, as one would expect at the beginning of
March, many are still standing resplendent; and was that a scent of vanilla I
caught in a cold gust of wind, just then?
The flowers' presence is a
testament to winter's grip despite having passed the first of March, "the
first day of spring".
Moreover, the fields which rise on the eastern side of this
tight valley are blanketed by frost; a reflection of how, yet again, temperatures dipped well below
freezing last night. The sun has only
just appeared above the woodland which adorns the ridge of this hillside; it will be a good hour yet before the sun's
early-spring rays can set to task upon the frost.
Illustration by: Paul Swailes
The only variation to the plethora of greens, browns and
greys on view are the pale blue and primrose-yellow feathers of a blue tit who
is hunting for any tiny morsels of food life available upon the nearby
branches. Yet even he is persuaded to fly off and seek
refuge within the woods when his feathers are literally ruffled by yet another
cold blast of air.
The hedgerow gives way to the old stone bridge, allowing the
An hour later, on my way back home, the sun had risen
sufficiently to shine upon the whole lane. Stopping at the farmer's gate, I spotted the
gorse flowers on the far hilltops. No longer twinkling like the lights of
Christmas, their bright yellow colour was fading fast. I knew
this to be a sign that the same hilltops would soon be dusted in the white
blossom of Blackthorn. Leaning against the gate, the hedgerows at
either end acted as a buffer from the wind's race with itself down the
lane. I turned to face the sun, closed
my eyes and allowed its mid-morning rays to warm my cheeks. Lovely! I then heard a sound which brought a smile
to my face: the bill of a spotted woodpecker
vibrating and drumming fast upon a branch somewhere in the distance - a sure
sign of early spring. On opening my eyes, I observed a lone flower
taking advantage of a sheltered spot within the hedge bank. Away
from the cold wind, the sun's rays had encouraged its yellow, shiny petals to
open up - the first lesser celandine of spring. On a
tree above the bank, a male chaffinch began calling; not just a 'pink' or a 'weef',
but his distinctive longer song that ends with a flourish. Was he
rehearsing his courtship song for the coming of spring? His
plumage, in particular the pink on his breast and the slate-blue on his head
and behind his eyes, was no longer as dull as it had been throughout winter.
Perhaps spring really is just around the corner.
Stephen McCarthy
24
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 41
"It's
nice to see the green of the countryside again," a lady
was heard to remark when the ice and snow finally melted. And who could disagree with her? The recent snowfall was incomparable to last
February when, having cloaked the valleys and hilltops, it then melted and
vanished within days.
This time, however, the night time
temperatures plummeted, causing snowflakes to link with their
next-door-neighbours, toughening in so doing and turning transparent. Surfaces were soon suffocated beneath thick
layers of ice, too thick for the sun's winter rays to penetrate. Indeed, if the musical chords of Bolero had been rolled out across the
conurbations, Torville and Dean could
have taken their choice upon which pavement to skate. What's
more, they could have danced their routine without fear of interruption,
concrete making a rare appearance; and just like it always does when it lingers
in urban locations, the snow soon turned grey and looked dirty.
The countryside meanwhile remained bleached. Green blades of grass were concealed beneath
the white. Hedge banks acted as buffers
for drifts of snow. Tree branches
became ledges upon which flakes could come to rest. Villages and woods mirrored the scene on the
Christmas card that still stood on the mantelpiece; and whilst the card would be on view for only
a few more days, the picture outside was intent on remaining unchanged for some
time to come.
When news broke that the inclement weather was to hang around
for a while, some people reacted in the way they seem programmed to do when
such events occur, panic. Or more
specifically, panic-buy!
Out in the countryside meanwhile, wildlife had its own
problems to focus on, with the day-to-day availability of food, or more
specifically access to it, becoming difficult.
The media however, fully aware of this, encouraged people to help bird
life in particular by making food available in our gardens.
Yet birds which are commonly found within our fields,
hedgerows and woodlands were not just to be seen upon a bird feeder or bird
table. Whilst taking a walk in
Later that day, on my way out of town along a busy road, I
saw a bird that I normally associate with the open fields near Ashford. From a distance they appear as a mass of black and white
spots against the green pasture. Yet here was one on a grass verge, poking
about the snow in the hope of finding something edible underneath. As I slowly passed by, I enjoyed the
opportunity of being able to appreciate at close range the lapwing's fine long
crest and its glossy iridescent plumage.
Stephen
McCarthy
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
38
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 40
Mid-November, time for the annual climb into the loft to look
for the box marked "XMAS CARDS".
Not that I'll be writing them just yet.
I do admit, however, to enjoying the task of writing Christmas cards; or
more to the point, choosing which card to send to which person. So, with the kitchen table cleared after a
very late lunch, its surface was soon concealed beneath a multitude of packs.
I surveyed all the cards on the table and instantly realised
they had one universal feature. It was
on the robin's branch; it was on the
post box into which a small boy was on tiptoes posting his card; it lay across the field in which the stag
stood; it was on the rooftops over
which Santa and Rudolph were flying; it
was even on the tall hats of the men driving the coach and horses in the
Victorian urban scene. It was, of
course, snow.
As my eyes took in the white scenes strewn across the table,
my mind drifted back to last February when another table surface, this time in
the garden, was hidden beneath real
snow. I chuckled to myself as I
recalled how the weather gods had decided to play a trick on us all. Rather than sprinkling little parcels of
snow everywhere and dusting the countryside in white, the gods decided to
deliver it by parcel force instead!
Some people were frustrated at the havoc it caused. Ilfracombe, for example, was temporarily
cut off from the outside world. But the scene it created was purely
magical. Unable to get to work, or indeed
go anywhere, everyone just put on their big coats and boots and took advantage
of an opportunity to observe our countryside shrouded beneath a white
blanket. Residents from one village
spoke to residents from another as they passed along a country footpath. Meanwhile complete strangers began having
snowball fights in parks and whilst all other plants had their spring
preparation halted, the snowdrops were given the chance to stand
tall and boast their splendour and resilience in the face of harsh conditions.
Yet those early spring
flowers seemed to benefit from being stopped in their tracks. As days passed by and daylight hours
increased, urban and rural areas were dazzled by yellow. The
green blades of open grassland disappeared beneath dandelions, daffodils
dominated the parklands and hedgerows were immersed in primroses; and when the
yellow subsided we were, once again, blessed with a magnificent carpet of
bluebells in our woodlands; a carpet of blue which, for the third year running,
peaked early as a result of warm temperatures.
The snow of late winter and the warm sunshine of spring rose
hopes of a good summer. Optimists
argued that the seasons were possibly returning to their natural pattern. A harsh spell in winter usually bodes well
for a hot, dry summer, they were saying.
Others were more sceptical; the previous two years had also seen exceptionally
warm springs - then look what happened!
By midsummer it seemed as though the pessimists were right; and by the
end of August it was obvious that the weather gods had indeed played us another
trick. Whilst the spring countryside
had been healthy and vigorous, it didn't
take a medical or environmental expert to diagnose how our countryside was
feeling as summer reached its final stage: bedraggled and washed out.
Yet in early September [just as the children went back to
school], the clouds began to break. The
sun started to appear more and more on the daily register and the temperatures
rose. Trees which had already allowed
one or two leaves to decay and even fall decided it wasn't time to allow the
other leaves to go the same way. By
October we were having a mini renaissance, with temperatures well above the
seasonal average. Midges were seen swarming along country lanes, small
tortoiseshell butterflies were observed regularly following the contours of
garden bushes and woodlands were abuzz with the droning sound of hover-flies.
Then came the strong winds - but the autumn leaves failed to
fall. Once more the weather gods dealt a
trick card, confusing the woodlands with warm, southerly winds. With the trees now thinking that summer had
returned, they held steadfastly on to their golden leaves whilst their branches
were violently tossed about. The sight
was uncanny. The dawn of November
heralded another bizarre observation closer to home, when a sparrow cleared out
a nest box in the garden and began replacing it with new feathers and
straw. Did the little creature also
believe summer was still here?
My meandering thoughts were suddenly jolted by the sound of
rain thudding against the window pane.
Only then did I realise how dark the afternoon had become, causing the
kitchen to lose much of its natural light. Unless it's just a squalid shower, I thought,
I'll be drawing the curtains and switching on the lights prematurely
today. Indeed, the next few weeks
would no doubt see the curtains being pulled a little earlier with each passing
December day.
I quickly decided upon the types of cards I needed to buy and
packed away those I already had, having enjoyed my little reflection of this
year's weather and its effects on the surrounding countryside. In a week or so I would begin the task of
writing my cards, adding snippets of news from what had gone on over the past
year. For that is what December is all
about; a time for reflection and for making contact with people who, if it were
not for Christmas, we might otherwise allow to permanently drift from our thoughts.
Christmas Day means many things to many people. For me, it represents a turning point; for we
are past the shortest day. It is a fact
that never fails to bring a smile to my face on Christmas morning, as I remind
myself that some day soon I will no longer be turning the lights on
earlier. The curtains will instead be
drawn a little later. Come New Year, the
time for reflection is over. It is time
to look forward.
Steve McCarthy
27
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 39
The sound
of a chainsaw echoed through the valley.
"I hate to hear trees being cut down," a fellow dog walker
remarked as we strolled around the park.
She had a point. A tree in its twilight
years not only provides a home for woodpeckers and bats; there are certain
invertebrate species that depend on
decaying trees. Lichen also thrive on
ageing trees, as do fungi, the latter continuing to eat away at a tree once it
has collapsed and not stopping until the wood has completely rotted.
Illustration by: Peter Rothwell
Trees,
however, which tilt near collapse on ground owned by
statutory authorities find their life being dictated by an issue commonplace in
today's culture: Health and Safety.
Whilst this can be viewed as man interfering with the natural decaying
process, society's constantly evolving "green" attitude is at least
encouraging all of us to intervene and work with nature in order to give it a
helping hand.
Examples
of this are all around me. The nest
boxes erected in our garden are currently busy with blue tit and sparrow
activity. In the park, ducks are
merrily swimming in a pond which, thanks to mechanical diggers, is once more
completely full of water and devoid of any silt; silt which was left alone for
a few days to allow its wildlife to crawl back into the pond. Meanwhile on the Cairn's grassland, orchids,
yarrow and campion are replacing the violets and
primroses of spring, all of which have flourished through the local
conservation group's clearance of bracken and gorse. The Cairn has also recently received
mechanical intervention when a chainsaw took out a significant sycamore
residing beside an open area of woodland - to the benefit of bluebells which
thrived from the increase in daylight.
The work
of the Cairn Conservation Carers was just one subject I covered whilst writing
my book, "A Doorstep Discovery -
Twelve Months on the Cairn in Ilfracombe". Composing the book was a tale of two halves
in itself. Having researched the
Cairn's history, I was able to decide on what to include and what to leave out
and so had control on what I wrote.
This was in complete contrast when writing about my observations on the
Cairn, for I was completely in nature's hands and could only write about what I
saw. Much as I wanted to go into
depths about badgers, I did not see one; as it was, the fox only just got in
the book with one making an appearance on my final walk. Neither could I describe the Cairn immersed
in snow - although recording the area carpeted by frost when I walked to Cairn
Top to see the sunrise on the winter solstice was magical and an utter pleasure
to write about.
Bringing
together in one book the Cairn's history and my twelve-month's observations on
the area's flora and fauna, along with ensuring the text flowed smoothly from
one chapter to the next, was a challenge.
But in
essence that is what has made the book all the more rewarding to see in print,
not to mention the fulfilment of a lifetime's dream to have a book published.
But best
of all was the enjoyment at being completely at the disposal of nature in
dictating what I could write about.
Next month
I shall be writing about another example of man giving nature a helping hand -
literally - and how certain paths that we take in our lives prove that, like
the writing of my book, we are in the hands of forces much more powerful than
us.
Stephen
McCarthy
Stephen's book, A Doorstep Discovery - Twelve Months
on the Cairn in Ilfracombe, is on sale at £12.99 at Ilfracombe Book Shop,
25
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 39
The
daffodils beside the boating lake sway in a gentle, spring breeze, the bright
sunshine enhancing their yellow trumpeted faces. In turn, they light up the faces of passers
by, yet their cheerful presence fails to uplift me. Instead, my mood is more akin to the
depressing layer of drab-coloured silt that suffocates the lake's bed; a surface recently
exposed when the water was emptied.
It
mirrors the emptiness I feel inside; for our dear, black
Perhaps,
when the pain of his loss eases, the void will be filled by the memories of
happiness and laughter, not to mention the loyalty and unconditional love, that
our "Mr. B" gave us; and at least I have the countryside
that surrounds me to evoke these special memories.
Take
the local green, something that is synonymous with a rural village. It will remind me of Mr B's "first
outing". Finally allowed out after
all of his inoculations, he ran wild on our nearby green. Nose to the ground, he ran and he ran, his tail excitedly wagging with every new scent of
discovery. Everything then suddenly
came to a halt for a quick stoop and a wee-wee, then
he was off again! After
a few minutes, flop. Lying on
his stomach, he panted heavily whilst his tail still wagged as his eyes took in
the new world surrounding him.
There
was a corner shop on one side of the green; how Bourton
loved to carry the wallet on his way home.
Years later, when he began to make a habit of sniffing every blade of
grass in order to drag out the last few yards of a walk, we realised that by
popping his lead into his mouth he would then instinctively trot home. Somehow though, I think he knew the trick we
were trying to play on him.
Seeing
rabbits in a field will always cause me to smile. Bourton loved to
chase them. As a young dog, taken for a
walk at dusk, he would spy in the distance a host of rabbits. Having been told to 'sit', he would then
wait for his command. On hearing
"Go on, then!" he would be like a bullet out of a shotgun. He never reached them in time, but he loved
the chase. Only once did he catch a
rabbit, in the field above
The
sight or sound of a pheasant will also remind me of an occasion when, running
through a meadow of long grass, he unexpectedly flushed one out. I don't know who was more shocked, me or the
pheasant - or who made
the loudest shriek! A field of long
grass will also remind me of our first motorcaravan
holiday with him. I can picture him
now, aged about three months, running about the field with his little body and
gangly legs peering out above the long grass with every stride he took in order
to see where he was going. The site was
a mile from
Bourton, however, was never happier than in a wood. His gundog instinct made him investigate any
little track or trail that led off a winding path. Walks in the woods are going to seem strange
for a little while.
Illustration by: Josh [Age 9]
That first climb to Cairn Top will
also be difficult. He loved to either
mooch about the summit, sniffing the trails of other recent canine visitors or
just sit with his head slightly raised whilst his nostrils flared and picked up
any scent on the wind. Other walks will
also be hard. Mr B loved the walk
from
Most of all, the sight and sound of
country streams will invoke the strongest memories. Bourton would spend all day if he could gathering
up stones from a stream bed, completely submerging his face if need be, in his
determination to bring us his chosen item; and on a summer's day, it was Bourton who had the sense to lie down in the stream to cool
off whilst watching his younger brother, Gifford, getting all hot and bothered.
When
the daffodils come into flower next spring, I am sure they will once more bring
me happiness. Even now, they are to some degree
giving me comfort, reminding me of the last walk
We
had driven to Morewenstowe, intent on walking to
Hawker's Hut. It was obvious that he
would not make it. Instead, we took him
for a little walk around the nearby churchyard. Situated on a sloping hillside, we took a
slow walk down its zigzag path, reading inscriptions whilst waiting for him to
catch us up. I can still see him now as
we climbed back up, his two back legs kicking together as he ascended through
the daffodils, nose to the ground.
So,
farewell Bourton, we'll miss you terribly, but thank
you for all the happiness you gave us during your fourteen-and-a-half
years. Run freely through those woods
and fields up above.
Stephen
McCarthy
Readers
may remember that Steve has been writing a book about the Cairn in
Ilfracombe. 'A Doorstep Discovery - Twelve Months on the Cairn in Ilfracombe' is to be launched at
So
many readers will empathise with Steve on the loss of a much-loved pet, we wish
him well. We also wish him much success
with his book.
13
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 38
I
write this article whilst on holiday.
Yet in many ways I could easily be in
Alternatively,
the stream will flow into a river which will disperse at a gaping estuary where
curlews continue their never-ending search for food under the sands and where
the call of an oyster catcher echoes across the sand dunes. For all intents and purposes, it could be
the Taw or Torridge estuary.
Elsewhere, deeply sloping valleys are replaced
by gently rolling hills and miles upon miles of hedgerows. The scene makes for an eerily familiar
patchwork quilt - even the ploughed earth is red.
However,
distant sights give the game away. To
the north lie hills which rise to become mountains. Looking west, tall thin chimneys choke out
smoke and naked flames.
To
the east is another source of industry; this time wind turbines which shatter
the rural picture. It is a sight which,
for a little longer, at least, confirms that I am not in
Within
closer proximity are other reminders that I am away from home. Gone are the cosy villages with thatched
roofs whose cottages would, if they could, tell yarns of self-sufficient
villagers who lived off the land. Hard times, but happy times. Today, the happy smiles and friendly 'hello'
can still be found.
This
is in contrast to the villages dotted in the countryside around me. The cottages lack warmth and vitality. If I was an artist, I'd repaint the scene
without browns and greys so that the drab, pebble-dashed buildings would
individually stand out. Instead, these
cottages reflect a different industrial era, one of coal rather than
agriculture, and one devoid of any happy times, or so it seems.
Standing
upon a headland, I look across the waters to a distant stretch of land - my
home. Its presence on the scene brought
my father to mind.
Oh,
how I would get upset every December when he would turn down my invitation to
spend Christmas at my place. Now, older
myself, I have become just like him!
Just as that distant land on the horizon is reminding me now,
there is indeed nowhere quite like North
Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas and happy new year.
Stephen McCarthy
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
32
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 37
Early
October. Yellows and golds encroach
upon the Cairn. Yet green still
dominates; it shows how autumn's
spectacle is shifting. Yellow does,
however, have the monopoly amongst the bracken, particularly beside Station
Path. Here, their leaves have decayed
to reveal a bench hidden since May. On
the other side of the path, a wren sings its heart out within the layered
hedge. One year on from being laid,
infant branches are shooting forth, enabling the hedge to slowly take shape
once more.
I had left
home intent on searching for one of the Cairn's long lost paths. But, as I stood by the hedge, I became
acutely aware of how crisp the surrounding scene looked; hardly surprising, a fresh autumnal breeze
taking with it the haze that had been a feature of the hot summer (remember
them?). The Welsh coastline stood out in
particular, a view that required better appreciation. Cairn Top would, therefore, be my first
call; reached by taking the most direct route, past The Spindles and up the
steep Shelter Steps.
No sooner
had I set foot on to Spindles Path when rasping shrieks resonated through the
air. They came from the southern end of
Pall Meadow, blocked from view by the surrounding blackthorn. After a few minutes, the shrieking was
replaced by the sound of slow, flapping wings.
Soon a jay appeared from over the ridge of the meadow, struggling to
gain height. Seemingly unaware of my
presence, it passed directly overhead before landing in a tree within the grounds
of the Round House. I wondered for a
moment if its slow flight was the result of an injury. The shrieks were certainly loud enough to
justify an aggressive squabble with another jay. Laboured flight is, however, a
characteristic of the species but I had not noticed any injury as it flew
past.
Instead, I had been given an opportunity
to admire at close hand the pale pink feathers of its breast and the contrast
of its white rump and black tail. These
colours, along with the striking blue wing coverts and jet black flight
feathers, blend to make the jay one of our most attractive woodland birds. It can also be one of our most elusive, yet
this was not to be the last time today that I should experience jays at close
hand.
Within the blackthorn along Spindles
Path, a female blackbird was overturning leaves in search of food. Beneath each leaf she found plenty of sloe
berries but these too were tossed to one side. And who could blame her? Now withered and imitating miniature
wrinkled prunes, they looked far from appetizing. In any case, blackberries and hawberries are
her particular fancy at this time of year.
Their seeds will not break down once inside her stomach. Instead they will pass through her digestive
system undamaged and then be deposited in individual "bags of
manure". It is a process special
to the blackbird, enabling the seeds to germinate much quicker. Furthermore, the blackbird's diverse fruit
diet allows a host of plants including rowan, bramble, haw, ivy, and holly to
benefit.
The action of a bird relentlessly
turning over twigs, leaves and stones in search of food is always a joy to
watch. Like all her fellow species, the
female blackbird knows that now is the time to build up energy in preparation
for possible leaner times ahead. Of
course, she does not need anyone to tell her. All she needs to do is look at her
surrounding scene; the hedge bank with
its grasses now pale and its montbretia leaves
and three-cornered-leek leaves now limp.
Even the cluster of greater plantain is an insipid brown colour, not a
hint of green in any of its flowers which once made up their distinguished
stalks. At least there is greenery
hanging over the hedge bank where it passes The Spindles. It is provided by ivy, a site that will give
comfort in the coming months to our female blackbird; if food does become scarce, the ivy will at
least provide her with berries late into winter.
A lone red campion flower brushed up
against the bench just here, as though needing it for comfort. It must wonder what has happened to its many
hundred counterparts which once cloaked the bench. Nowadays it looks down upon a Spindles full
of seed heads; a reminder that nature is looking after its own and ensuring that
flowers will grow here again next year.
Entering the woodland, it was clear that
the sycamores were now losing their leaves at an increasing rate. With the sighting of birds becoming easier
by the day, it was tempting to look upwards.
On the Cairn, however, October heralds a time to look down, especially
on damp mornings when the paths' exposed rocks become either slippery or hidden
beneath wet leaves.
The climb through the woodland was in
complete contrast to the brightness of the summit, enhanced even more due to
recent gorse clearance by the Cairn Conservation Carers work parties. The area would have been brighter still if
it were not for the cloud hanging wearily over the sky. Inland looked perilously dark. Yet on reaching the hills south of
Ilfracombe, the cloud base lightened and, on reaching the town, tried its
hardest to break up. Once over the
Closer to hand was an autumnal display
at different stages. With the beech
trees still green, the oaks were just turning yellow. The ash trees on the other hand were almost
gold; and whilst the maples and sycamores were fast losing their leaves, the
nearby cherry tree was already naked.
The northern perimeter from which the tree rose was a hive of activity -
not bees, but flies - with the matter of the "birds and the bees"
their apparent concern. Rarely resting
on the rock to be easily identified, a game of "kiss-and-chase" was
clearly in evidence. When the male
finally caught up with his female counterpart, the pair momentarily flew in
tandem before uncoupling, the required deed for the day having been
accomplished. The bulging red eyes of
the fly species suggested they could have been flesh flies. As their name suggests, they are normally
attracted to carrion and carcasses.
No doubt these "hot-blooded"
flies appreciated the wind blowing across Cairn Top to lower their body
temperatures following their five seconds of intimacy. Conditions, however, were far from cold,
providing an ideal opportunity to rest awhile upon the summit before attempting
to discover the long-lost path.
Not knowing the path's location, I felt an
urge to descend Cairn Top via the North Kerne Path, one that is ideal for
solitude on foot. With its surrounding
beeches still resisting autumn, the sun came out and shone through their
lime-coloured leaves to make them appear transparent. Dappled shade covered the ground, whilst
higher up the leaves rustled in the autumn's breeze, a contrast to the
stillness and the warmth of the air around me.
Yet it was not just a bodily warmth; there is an atmosphere in the beech
woodland here which penetrates the body to provide an inner glow as well. For all was indeed tranquil. But for the rustling leaves above, there was
no birdsong or any sound of movement.
Even
Loud squawking then abruptly disturbed
the silence. In the trees above me,
three jays were viciously fighting. As
they did battle, one was forced down on to a lower branch, the other two birds
thrashing their wings and smacking their beaks savagely. Eventually the singled out jay was almost
forced to the ground but, before giving up his battle and flying off, gave out
one last aggressive squawk, loud enough to disturb a nocturnal creature from
its slumber.
Out from the greenery, the bold white
wings of a barn owl flapped profusely.
At first it hovered just above the foliage before finding its bearings
and flying off across the path just a few yards in front of me - whilst
omitting an inexplicable glowing warmth.
Within moments it had lost height and disappeared into the bramble. Keen to get a closer look, I gently stepped
across the rough terrain and peered in.
The owl was nowhere to be seen.
Neither was the pair of jays.
Silence had returned to the woodland and inside me was a warm bodily
glow, penetrating from the inside out.
Stephen
McCarthy
24
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 36
Early April. The
sound of puffing is heard along the western ridge of the Cairn. A steam train pulling out of Ilfracombe station, perhaps? Unlikely; the track was pulled up over thirty
years ago! Instead, a jogger is panting
heavily as she strides out along the old railway line. Only
occasionally does she look up, revealing a furrowed brow and piercing eyes
looking straight ahead. They fail to acknowledge their surroundings.
With
her mind transfixed on her every next step, she fails to hear the rasping
shrieks resonating through the air. They come from the southern end of Pall
Meadow. After a few minutes, the noise is replaced by
the sound of slow flapping wings. Soon a jay appears from over the ridge of the meadow,
struggling to gain height, passing directly over her head before landing in a
tree within the grounds of the Round House. Perhaps its slow flight was the result of an injury, the shrieks were certainly loud enough to justify an
aggressive squabble with another jay.
The jogger passes the buddleia which
borders the old railway line. New green
shoots are fast appearing. In the undergrowth beneath, a wren bobs about
in search of food. Opposite the wren, upon a prominent ash tree,
stands a chiffchaff. His repetitive two-note song is a welcome
sound upon the Cairn, his arrival acting as a reminder that spring is on its
way. The jogger is oblivious.
Even when she lowers her head again, she
overlooks the lesser celandine which are increasing by the day. Their
splash of yellow is a welcome sight. Just
for one second, the jogger's foot, pounding heavily, sidles up against an
unblemished celandine flower. Above its heart-shaped, glossy leaves, the
flower's eight petals display a faultless, symmetrical circumference. The
flower nods its head in the cool spring breeze as though asking to be
appreciated. Primroses also line the path. One stands out in particular, its rosette
made up of twelve bright yellow flowers.
Although tucked away beneath the buddleia, the morning sun pokes through
the branches and highlights the plant.
"You are common, we are rare, so just take the time to stop and
stare" it calls to the jogger.
She trundles on, allowing the
chiffchaff's call to become just an echo.
Yet before it peters out, the two-tone songs of the great tit and the
coal tit start to replace it. For a
while, the jogger runs to the melody of three tunes, each containing just two
notes but distinguishable by their own speed. It is
as though they have been wound up like an old record player, one bird whistling
at seventy-eight revolutions per minute, one at forty-five and the other at
thirty-three. Their tunes are soon replaced by another echo,
for our jogger has left behind the wonderful sights and sounds of early spring.
No doubt unaware of the decrease in light
around her, the arched walls within the Slade Tunnel reverberate to the din of
thumping footsteps and heavy breath.
The jogger, of course, is not alone in
missing the rural delights which are literally springing up around her. The worker has targets to beat. The
parent has children to meet. The dog walker has jobs to complete. So
perhaps it is about making time
available and, at this time of year, one does not have to wait long before
nature springs into action. For example,
whilst sat in my summerhouse, collecting my thoughts in preparation for this article,
a female blackbird made regular visits as she collected material for her
nest. Admiring her patience, as
she rummaged beneath the hydrangeas and picked up each tiny twig before rolling
it within her beak in order to test its suitability, was a constant
distraction, but a most pleasurable one.
So, if you can, try and make the time to
stop and stare. This really is a
wonderful period in the countryside's calendar.
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
Stephen McCarthy
22
UPSIDE DOWN GINGER APPLE PUDDING
As February is probably one of the coldest months of the year, comfort food is called for. This dark, sticky gingerbread can be served hot from the oven as a pudding or cooled and eaten as a cake.
- 3oz [75g] Demerara Sugar
- 1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice
- 2 Bramley Apples [12oz or 350g after peeling & coring]
- 1lb [450g] Plain Flour
- 6oz [175g] Black Treacle
- 8oz [225g] Soft Dark Brown Sugar
- 6oz [175g] Golden Syrup
- 6oz [175g] Butter or Margarine
- 3 slightly rounded teaspoons of Ground Ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder 8 fluid oz [225ml] Milk
- 1/2 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda 1 Free Range Egg beaten
[Note: instead of syrup and treacle, substitute 12oz [350g] dark syrup]
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3 [325 Deg F or 170 Deg C ]. You will need a tin or dish measuring 8" x 12" and at least 2" deep, lined with baking parchment.
First prepare the base of the tin or dish by creaming together the butter and Demerara sugar with the lemon juice. Spread this mixture over the lined tin or dish. Next cut the peeled and cored apples into quarters, thinly slice and lay all over the base.
Now for the gingerbread. Sieve the flour, spices, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl. In a saucepan warm the golden syrup, treacle, sugar and butter together until they are all melted but not too hot. In another pan warm the milk and beat the egg in to it.
Now pour all the liquids in to the flour mixture and beat together until all are well mixed. Pour over the apples in the tin/dish and bake for 1 hour. Leave in the tin/dish to cool for 30 minutes. Turn it out and carefully peel off the paper. Or just eat it hot with custard or chilled with pouring cream. Yum, yum!
Happy New Year - Wendy
37
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 35
Mid morning in late February. The wind swiftly moved patches of blue across the sky; a cold wind, but one worth tolerating, the bright day a refreshing change to recent mild but wet and cloudy weather. Heavy rainfall is reflected by the quaggy earth around the style beside St Brannock's Road. A little stream flows beneath the style, its water originating out of the moss opposite. The moss blankets a high rock face, providing shelter for both red campion and herb robert to grow.
The brighter day has encouraged birdsong to be heard once again on the Cairn. Blue tits and great tits whistle their merry little tunes within buddleia which lines St. Brannocks Road, whilst in the trees of Bailey's Wood two robins are having conversation with each other. The birdsong competes with the noise of the traffic so, with my folding seat over my shoulder, I headed up through Bailey's Wood to seek a place to sit and listen to the birdsong. As I set off, the sun peered through one of the breaks in the cloud. It's good to see the sun once again creeping over the hills, sending its rays into the Score Valley. What a lovely time of year this is, knowing that each day the sun will rise a little higher in the sky and hopefully bring with it a little more warmth. I stood to let the sun's glow hit my cold cheeks. For a moment I was tempted to take off my gloves and woolly hat, but no sooner the sun was behind a cloud again, the wind blowing to send the temperature plummeting. At least the weather was dry and bright and the birds felt the same.
As I headed up through the woods, the cooing of a pigeon added to the whistling tunes of the robins, blue tits and great tits whilst further up rooks squawked loudly. But it was a sight at ground level which brought a smile to my face; coltsfoot and the first lesser celandine were in flower on the Cairn. Their arrival showed that spring really must be around the corner, bringing with it other spectral delights. Climbing some steps, I admired the coral-spot fungus growing on branches put in place for path protection. Their orange colour enhanced by another burst of sunlight, reflecting on the shiny leaves of harts tongue fern which dominates the ground.
I gradually left the sound of the traffic behind and heard instead the melodic tune of a song thrush. It was coming from the summit of Bailey's Cleave, out of sight but still managing to throw its voice for all to be heard. As I neared the top of Bailey's Wood the trees gave way to blackthorn. Dense in places, a small opening allowed me to open up my chair which, having cleared it of ivy and debris, enabled me to get it in a comfortable and level position. A branch running along my right hand side made the perfect armrest, which in turn curved downwards and then in front of me, to make an ideal foot rest too.
Having made myself comfortable, I prepared to enjoy the surrounding birdsong. It was only then that I realised the wood had gone silent, but for the "teacher-teacher" call of a great tit down in the buddleia bushes. Its call became faster and harder to hear as the wind increased and caused the blackthorn's branches to clatter. I peered through the branches above and noticed the sky fast turning black. As the wood darkened, the great tit's call became desperate as though about to take its last breath. Then it stopped. For a moment, all in the wood went quiet.
The silence was broken by a drop of rain hitting one of the nearby branches. One by one, the drops increased until the wood became a deafening deluge of rain. The surrounding branches offered little protection and I wondered whether I was better off staying put or getting on the move. Yet before I had the chance to make a decision, the rain came to an abrupt halt. As it did so, the great tit began its call once more, soon followed by the blue tits, the robins, the pigeon and finally the song thrush. Through the branches I watched the black cloud move off to the south, the sound of a seagull following on behind the shower.
To my right, I sensed movement. At first I took it to be the wind disturbing the decayed leaves, but the sound was more distinct. Suddenly a blackbird came into view, just a few feet away from me, overturning the rotted debris in search of food. I was keen to observe its activities but another sound to my left distracted me. Clearly, something was hopping from branch to branch. Minutes passed by and the sound gradually got louder. All at once, the branches close by began moving. I wondered if, like the blackbird, this creature would become aware of my presence. Then, for a fleeting moment, the source of the noise appeared just a few branches away. It caught sight of me and immediately fluttered off through the blackthorn. However, the size of the bird and its unique little upturned wing, were all I needed to see to recognise the bird species.
I then became aware of other steps. Heavier this time, I guessed they were unlikely to be that of a bird. I was right. Rather than the feathered variety, this was a species of the four-legged variety. Having caught my scent, a collie dog had made its way through the little opening and, with little space for both of us, had its wet nose virtually touching mine. Panting heavily and excited with his find, I could tell he desperately wanted to bark in order to inform his owner. I instinctively put one finger to my closed lips (as if the dog was going to understand). It clearly took my action as a sign for some sort of game. With that, both of his front muddy paws came up on to my chest and pushed me off my seat. By now its owner was calling its name, and all I had wanted was to find place of solace to listen to birdsong! Time was against me. The owner's call was getting louder. In a desperate attempt to divert the dog's attention, I pointed to the opening, gave my face a surprised expression and whispered "Look!" It was something I did with my own dogs to send them away, although the command also led them to bark extremely loudly. Thankfully, this dog turned his head and decided to go and look for what I had said. And didn't bark!
I considered staying put but then realised that when the owner walked past, the dog would merely come in through the opening again. Thoughts of what the owner might think having found a strange man sprawled out among bushes on a cold February day, made me hastily decide to get out from under the blackthorn. Having managed to pull myself to my feet before both dog and owner appeared from the summit of Bailey's Cleave, I began walking through the woodland as though nothing had happened - although I did place one arm across my chest to cover up the two muddy paw prints. As we passed on the path, we bid "Good day" to each other. It appeared that the owner was none the wiser.
"What are you doing in there?" I heard the owner ask. I turned to find him trying to get his dog out from where I had been sat. "It's okay," he said to me, "He loves foraging about in the undergrowth." I smiled and went to walk on. "By the way, does this belong to you?" I turned to see his collie stood beside him - his tail wagging frantically - having become the proud finder of a collapsible chair!
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Stephen McCarthy
33
RURAL REFLECTIONS
- 34
At Christmas time there is a great
emphasis on the value of the family. Yet for some people friends can be just as
valuable. If not more so. At least we can choose which friends we want
to be with at Christmas; we can't always our families. And it is a fact of life that for some
families this can cause a little stress.
On Christmas day I am looking forward to
seeing one of my best friends; and what a dear friend she has been. Like any good friend, she is always there for
me. She has helped me through some of
my most difficult times and never minds what time of day or night I contact
her. It is such a comfort knowing she
is there for me at a moment's notice. I
feel I can tell her any of my problems. Best of all, she never judges me on what I
tell her, preferring instead to just listen whilst I ramble on. Sometimes I don't have to speak, yet she is
still able to read my mind and interpret my muddled thoughts. Always at one with herself, her calm demeanour helps me to unwind and relax.
One of the things I like most about her
is her appearance. She has an
immaculate dress code and a wardrobe of clothes with colours
ranging through the whole spectrum. And
oh, how she loves her brooches.
No doubt on Christmas day she will wear
one of her silver brooches attached to her holly coloured
dress - a dress which only comes out of the wardrobe once a year. Green is a colour
she wears off and on at the moment although as a rule she wears outfits of a
softer shade during the winter months, cream and beige in particular. They match her hazel eyes beautifully. As winter turns to spring she wears but one colour: yellow.
Blouses, jackets and sweaters are all of varying shades yet all the while she
wears but one brooch -
made out of amethysts, and in the shape of a violet. By mid-spring she will vary her colours once more, wearing pinks, blues and whites in
particular. The amethyst is put away
for another year and is replaced instead by a sapphire brooch.
Come summer I never know what colour she may be wearing when I see her! But
whatever it is, it's sure to be shocking. It could be a dazzling scarlet or lemon, or a
deep purple or burgundy. It's a time when she really does show how many
colours are available. Yet for her brooch, she wears an emerald. Always an emerald. Then in the middle of summer she will
surprise me by occasionally wearing a much softer colour lavender.
And as summer progresses she'll wear it
more and more frequently. Yellow, too,
appears once more although these outfits aren't the bright yellow colours she wore earlier in the year. Instead, they are mustard in shade. This change to more mellow colours
is a sign that she'll soon be wearing her orange clothes again along with her
gold brooch, both colours perfectly matching her
ginger hair.
In time she will start to wear brown, a
sure sign that the holly coloured dress is once again
being aired in preparation for Christmas day.
Wondering how she will look when I meet up
with her and never failing to be amazed by the wonderful colours
she wears, is just one small attribute that makes her the special friend that
she is. Her name?
Mother Nature.
And to be specific,
the trees and flowers of our beautiful countryside.
Merry Christmas.
Stephen
McCarthy
29
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 33
Autumn is upon us, yet it seems only yesterday that Blackthorn and
Hawthorn were awash with white blossom. Now they are a mass of berries.
The
arrival of fruit within the
This season's surveys have been different in that I have been
far from alone, the result, indirectly, from carrying out research for my book
on the Cairn at Ilfracombe museum. Ensconced in an old newspaper, I was
approached by the curator regarding the work of the Cairn Conservation Carers [the
curator also being the leader of the Third Ilfracombe Girl Guides].
"It's
just that I have a few girls who need to complete their Service to the
Community and it must be an activity that will be of benefit. Can you help?"
My mind instantly recalled the
previous year's wildflower surveys and, more to the point, the time it took me
to undertake a comparatively small area.
More eyes would hopefully mean a bigger area covered. And so it was arranged that on the first
Sunday of every month between May and September, three Girl Guides, along with
their leader, would meet me outside the gates of the Pall Europe factory. From there we were to wander along the Old
Railway Line as far as
In order to give the Girl Guides the opportunity to scan the
identification books, the actual recording was done by me. The books themselves caused amusement. Keen at first to use those that were colour
coded, the girls soon came to realise that this did not always make recognition
any easier. "If it's a pink
flower, then it's bound to be in the blue section" became a standing joke.
As did the phrase "never plan to
do anything outside on the first Sunday in the month", for it rained on
every survey, even in August when we started the walk in brilliant sunshine,
and for the first time, actually felt warm. How we mocked one of the Guides for packing
her gloves and raincoat! And how she
laughed when, an hour later, the rest of us were drenched and cold!
For me, the survey had three
rewards. Firstly, such an extensive
record would not have been possible without the added help. Secondly, it was nice to see how on the last
survey the Guides no longer needed their books to recognise species which had
regularly been in flower. But better
still, at the presentation of
certificates and appreciation gifts, which took place at one of their meetings,
younger Guides could be heard calling out: "When do next year's surveys begin?"
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
Steve
McCarthy
21
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 32
As
some of you may know, I am currently writing a book on the Cairn in
Ilfracombe. The response I had from my
request for information was fantastic.
Anecdotes poured in, plus sketches and old photographs. One person even gave me her ten-year record
of wildflower observations. It has been
six months since that initial request but new material still keeps coming in,
with one lady in particular having taken it upon herself to keep a look out for
old records.
Recently,
without any real explanation, she handed me a small hardback book, its cover a
green material similar to that of my old school hymnbook. Hymns, however, were not its subject matter,
reflected in the gold lettering which read "Naturalists Journal". Turning the jacket I perused the first and
only page with printed lettering:
"The Terston Naturalists Journal. A convenient Note Book for keeping a
permanent bound record of observations in continuous Diary Form. Index at End."
Below
this was the publisher, George Waterston and Sons Ltd of Edinburgh and London,
but no publishing date; although the words "seven shillings and
sixpence" at the foot of the page (the "and sixpence" made out
beneath a faded sticker), dated the book to pre-decimalisation.
Immediately,
I flicked to the index at the back in anticipation of finding the book owner's
alphabetical list of observations from the Cairn. Instead I found an address book style index,
which only had the pale blue horizontal lines on the "A" page. Under "B" I at least found
handwriting of a traditional style, characterised by scrolled uppercase
letters. Yet the page heading showed it
had been written in a more modern age:
"Beauty - defined in Concise Oxford Dictionary 1995". Beneath were its definitions plus other
references to the word "beauty".
Clearly the rear of the book had not been used for naturalist's
observations. But what
of the front?
I
quickly leafed the pages, my fingers halting on page
three. Here at last was evidence of the
book's intended use. I noted the date
at the top of the page,
Steve McCarthy
N.B. Also on page one it reads: "on table
- 24.5.56". A further recording
is made on page three on 15.6.56. Page 4 includes "top
shelf as 15.6.56. second shelf as 15.6.56 except for genista." Further recordings are also made on 28.6.56, 6.7.56 and
13.7.56. Page 5 only reads "copolite = fossilised dropping of anything".
If anyone can help Steve unravel the mystery,
please contact him, either direct or through Judie on 883544.
27
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 31
A story partly based on true facts
Once
upon a springtime, a main road running out of town was
being repaired. With temporary traffic
lights in place,
most drivers were happy to tolerate the extra time incurred upon their
journey. One driver, however, was not
prepared to wait. His name was Mr.
White Van Man.
Mr.
White Van Man didn't like his job very much.
Every morning he would go in to work and collect his delivery list, and
every day there would be far too many deliveries for him to finish when he
should. Time, therefore, was precious
to him. If there was one thing he hated
most of all, it was road works. So when
he came upon the queue of cars on the main road, he looked at his map for an
alternative route. Luckily, he found
one along a nearby country
lane. The route saved him time, so long
as he didn't meet any people walking along the lane. Meeting people meant having to slow down. Worse still, it meant losing the precious
time he had gained. Frustrated, he
decided one day to toot his horn whenever he saw some one. This had the desired effect, with people
quickly getting out of his way.
On
this particular morning, he saw a very old man who was standing in the lane
with his back to him. Mr. White Van Man tooted and tooted
until his thumb was sore, but still the old man did not move. Assuming he was deaf, Mr. White Van Man got out of his vehicle and
loudly slammed his van door. Slowly,
the old man turned to face him.
"I
noticed you heard me slam my door!" shouted Mr. White Van Man.
"I did," replied the old man. "And I also heard your
horn."
"Then why didn't you get out of my way?"
"Because I was enjoying this lovely spring morning," explained the old man.
"But that's not my concern!" snapped Mr. White Van Man, "I've got loads of parcels to deliver."
"And what, might I ask, is the rush?" enquired the old man.
"Because if I didn't rush, I wouldn't get them delivered on time. And then I probably wouldn't get home until
this evening. Look, I'll go and get my list."
"I
believe you," replied the old man, reassuringly, "But can you not see
that by rushing you are missing out on all that is going on around you?"
"But there's nothing to see."
"Dear
boy," said the old man with a chuckle, "Just look around you. Can you not see the wonderful primroses
stretching along this bank? And look,
close by you, the marvellous sunshine flowers of celandine. And just there, in the hedgerow, a little
wren is bobbing about. And look at that
nest, high up in the oak tree. Nature's own work of art.
And all this, you see, is just the start."
"The start of what?" asked Mr. White Van Man.
"The start of spring.
Soon the wood will be a carpet of bluebells; the hedgerow will be awash with cow
parsley. Everything, you see, is coming
to life!"
"And my life won't be worth living if I don't get these parcels delivered on
time. And I won't be earning a living, either."
"Poppycock!" replied the old man.
"You
don't know my manager," explained Mr. White Van Man. "If I took my time delivering this lot,
I'd hate to think what time I'd finish.
And if I went back to the depot with any of these parcels still on the
van, I'd be shown the door. So now do
you see? I have no choice but to
rush."
With
that Mr. White Van Man walked away and got back into his vehicle. He started the engine and the old man
stepped to one side to let the van pass.
Then, just as it went to pass him, the old man put his hand up. Mr. White Van Man pulled up alongside him
and wound down the window.
The old man smiled and then said, "A poor life this is, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare."
"If you say so."
And with that Mr. White Van Man sped away and then laughed at what the
old man had said. As he did so, he
glanced into his rear view mirror.
Instantly he stopped laughing and turned icy cold. The old man had vanished.
Steve McCarthy
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
28
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 30
By
the time this Newsletter is popped through your letterbox or you pick it up
from the Shop, we shall be at least six weeks past the shortest day; although in the weeks immediately following
it, any difference to the evening sky can seem negligible. But with late December and early January
seeing an accumulation of overcast days, the difference has been almost
unnoticeable. Most of these days have
been accompanied by wet weather, something which has led to me wasting a lot of
time whilst waiting for a respite from the rain in order to take the dogs for
their walk. And when it has abated, the
respite was brief! For, no sooner had I
shut the front gate when up blew the wind once more bringing swathes of drizzle
with each gust.
These
dull, damp and windy days do, however, have their compensations. Fortunate to have a view of
Illustration by: Peter Rothwell
The
fact that winter robs the trees of their leaves, and so prevents them from
providing any shelter from the rain, is of little significance to the
ducks. They, of course, love the water. For us, however, the yearning for drier and
warmer days can, particularly at this time of year, be a strong one. Whilst the lengthening days may not be a
guarantee of better weather, one can rest assured that they will at least bring
with them a wider variety of sights and smells to the countryside. It is
a scene which, due to the amount of recent dreary days, I have found hard to
picture. To help, I have been looking
at photographs of spring wild flowers and summer scenes, beneficial up to a
point, for I am a person who likes to look forward not backward.
Today,
however, has helped remind me of what is to come. On drawing back the curtains I discovered,
for once, a brighter day outside! Not a
beautiful sunny day, for most of the sky was still covered in cloud, but unlike
the low, grey cloud of recent weeks, the sky was instead a mass of white - with
occasional patches of a certain colour I hadn't seen in the sky for some
time! It was time to get outside before
the weather changed back again. After a
quick gulp of tea, a quick 'click' of Bourton's harness [he even sits and
raises the correct leg to go through the required loop] and a not-so-quick hunt
for Gifford's collar [I know he is terribly pleased with himself when he
fetches things, but I wish he'd leave his collar where I put it] and finally we
were off up the lane.
Outside,
everything seemed so much brighter - even the puddles, reflecting the white of
the sky above. The dogs, too, seemed to
have a spring in their step, their paws splish-splashing with every stride. True, everything around was still very
sodden. In the field, the white patches
on the Friesian cows highlighted mud kicked up by their hoofs. On the far side of the field, a lone cow
stood ankle-deep in the gushing Wilder Brook, drinking the water whilst washing
her feet.
In
the trees beside the field came a sound unheard of late in such cheery tones -
birdsong! A great tit giving out his
'tea-cher, tea-cher' call; a
fast-trilling song from a blue tit. Closer
to hand, was the melodic tune of a robin and in the hedgerow up ahead, the
distinctive 'churr' of a wren.
Suddenly
the sound of the wind blowing through the naked branches took precedence. A cooler wind, its fresh feel upon my
cheeks, was invigorating and a refreshing change to the recent mild
temperatures. Heading back home, the
breeze brought with it a vanilla fragrance wafting down the lane: courtesy of winter heliotrope, the only wild
flower to adorn the lane during these early weeks of the year.
On
my return, I heard a loud 'crack' behind me.
I turned to see a magpie flying off, his beak laden with twigs - it's
obviously that time of year again.
Walking the path leading round to our back garden, I noticed another sign of things to come: daffodil spears poking through the front lawn
and on opening the back gate, I discovered more bird activity: a blue tit in the rhododendron bush eyeing up
the nearby bird box. I quickly made the
dogs sit and remained dead still.
Moments later it perched itself on the hole of the bird box, gave his
partner's potential home a long and
thorough look before flying off into the hedgerow. His actions brought a smile to my face. Soon, hopefully, the bird box will be home
to an expectant mother. And then,
beneath the hedgerow, I noticed a sight which
brought pleasure to my heart - the first snowdrop in flower. Soon the lawn will be a carpet of them. If the weather forecast is right, today's
fine day is a one off. Tomorrow the
drizzle, dullness and dreariness returns.
But the memories of today will keep me going, helping me to look forward
to all that nature has to offer in the months ahead.
Steve McCarthy
42
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 29
Last year I began carrying out monthly
wildflower surveys. My choice of
locations, the Cairn and the lane running through Score Valley, were for very
different reasons; whilst the former was
an official record for the Cairn Conservation
Carers group, the latter was for purely personal pleasure. Come autumn I then discovered a third
beneficiary.
Illustration by: Paul Swailes
It came to light during a telephone
conversation with a friend who is an art teacher. Wanting her pupils to practice with colour
toning, she had set them the task of painting four seasonal countryside
scenes. The exercise was a great
success, her class enjoying their experiments with various shades of colour: the reds, pinks and whites of spring blossoms; the greens of summer grasses; the gold of autumn
leaves and the greys and browns of winter barks. Pleased with the work they had produced,
my friend then set her charges a harder assignment: to produce four further
seasonal paintings, this time WITHOUT the colours they had previously
used. At this point in our conversation
I sensed a shade of panic in her voice.
My friend, you see, is a "townie" through and through. Not that she hadn't
planned to do some rural homework of her own in order to advise her class on
what they should paint. Pressure
of work, however, meant time was fast running out. Cue the phone call to me. "After all," she pleaded, "You must know all about rural
colours. Don't you do a regular article
down there called 'Rural Refractions', or something similar?" Having put her straight, I then consulted my
autumn wildflower surveys and proceeded to suggest the various subjects that
could be included in her pupils' orange-and-gold-free paintings.
White is still around at this time of year
courtesy of a variety of wild flowers, including Enchanter's Nightshade,
Yarrow, Hogweed and Bindweed. Old Man's
Beard offers a subtle cream colour too.
The stinging nettle is still just about hanging on to its green
catkin-like flowers whilst the stalked, paler green flowers of Greater Plantain
are still proudly standing to attention.
Meanwhile the yellow-green heads of Ivy are just appearing. Both the Smooth and Common Cat's Ear and the
stalked flowers of Goldenrod also provide yellow. All three have been flowering throughout the
summer - unlike gorse, which according to my Cairn survey, began sporadically
appearing in early November.
As for the colour blue, my friend's pupils will no doubt use it to create various shades of mauve and purple to provide their landscapes with patches of heather - a flower that is still evident in early autumn. They will also have no problem using their red paint pots, as there are numerous wild flowers of this colour still in evidence, including Herb Robert, Ivy-leaved Toadflax, Valerian and Red Campion. Hemp Agrimony is also still out, the tops of its flowers boasting the most subtle shade of pink; one which I suggested my friend's class might particularly want to practice painting. As for the fruits of autumn, the banning of orange would of course limit their choice. There are, however, plenty of alternatives such as blackberries or sloes.
When out and about in the countryside, it
is of course impossible to ignore the unique golden colours provided by our
trees at this time of year. But it's nice to know that other colours are still
around us, if not on such a grandiose scale.
Steve McCarthy
25
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 28
August
sees the holiday season at its peak with British seaside towns awash with
fetes, fairs and carnivals. Such
places, however, haven't always been in existence. In fact, prior to the mid eighteenth century, the term "coastal
resort" had never been heard of.
Until, that was, a physician named Dr Russell began recommending
seawater for his Sussex patients. Sent from his Lewes practice to the
dilapidated fishing town of Brighton, his patients were advised to bathe in,
and even drink, the seawater to ease their ailments. His prescription was to turn around the town's fortunes and when
in 1783 the Prince of Wales visited Brighton, expressing much pleasure at sea
bathing, the activity soon became a popular pastime of the gentry. Other coastal towns soon cashed in on the
idea, so much so that by the end of the nineteenth century much of the
population could be found flocking to the seaside.
Illustration by: Dean Hawker
People
were, of course, transported to the coast by that great nineteenth century
manmade power horse, the steam engine.
At Ilfracombe, a locomotive was first heard, seen and smelt in 1854. But how, one is left to wonder, did our
Victorian holidaymakers choose to spend their time? Was everyday spent promenading along the front inhaling
the benefits of the fresh sea air?
Probably not, and certainly not in Ilfracombe, where the more
adventurous explorer preferred to climb the surrounding hills for a better
view.
And so it is today. Whilst
perhaps choosing to holiday in this area on the initial basis of it being by
the sea, many will use their time exploring, too, the surrounding rural
delights. And in this little part of
the world there are plenty. To name
but a few . . . there is the variety upon The Cairn, allowing one to
experience either shady woodland walks or the openness of Cairn Top or Baileys Cleeve.
Either walk offers an array of wildflowers.
Running
along the edge of The Cairn and then out of Ilfracombe is the solemnity of the
Old Railway Line. Once through the Slade tunnel, one enters a world which is
silent but for the occasional birdsong and the intermittent sound of running
water. Alternatively there is the fluency of The Torrs, where cool offshore
breezes bring with them the sound of bleating sheep standing upon its steep
slopes. On the other side of town is
the supremacy of Hillsborough allowing one to enjoy panoramic views over Ilfracombe
and out to Lundy Island, across the Bristol Channel to the Welsh Mountains or
eastwards to the dramatic coastline of Exmoor.
It
is along this coastline that one can get a sense of anonymity upon the moor,
feeling insignificant among the vast swathes of heather that boast a formidable
presence at this time of year. In
contrast one could choose to experience the tranquillity of the Sterridge
Valley, its hills providing the quintessential sights and sounds of a summer
countryside.
So
yes, breathe in the coastal sea air to clear the airways to your lungs. But take in, too, the nearby rural delights
to help release your brainwaves from the stresses and strains of daily life.
Steve McCarthy
34
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 27
Countryside congratulations to the Berrynarbor Newsletter for reaching its centenary edition. What an achievement! Whilst other more well known publications have come and gone, the Newsletter has steadfastly delivered its bi-monthly pages of news and interest. For me personally, its two-month regularity of dropping through my letterbox makes it particularly special - all my other periodicals being monthly or quarterly.
Quarterly magazines are, of course, dated by the season for which they are published. Which led me to ponder . . . if our editor chose to title the newsletter by the seasonal time of year, what would the six issues be called?
April's would of course be christened the Spring edition. As the month progresses, our landscape is awash with swaying daffodils, the nodding flower heads of cow parsley, and the bowing branches of cherry trees heavy with blossom. In the garden, meanwhile, the male blue-tit is seen making continual visits to and from the nest box with food for its partner - without it she wouldn't put on that much needed weight to lay those all-important eggs. Although the month of June can boast ownership of mid-summer's day, it would be unwise to give its newsletter the same title. After all, one hardly expects to take a midsummer walk through the woods and see trees still coming into leaf or bluebells still on the ground. Yet this is just the case when the June edition is published. Perhaps then, it could be dubbed the "Early Summer" issue.
This in turn leads to August becoming the 'Late Summer' edition, and perhaps rightly so, even though this is the month for the family summer holiday. For there is a sting to August's tail. Was that a slight chill against my cheek as the evening breeze got up? And did I just notice a gold tinged leaf bid farewell to its tree? And what happened to those late evening dog walks through the woods? Come late August, it is then too dark.
October's instalment naturally becomes the Autumn edition - how long for, is open to debate. With climate change affecting our seasons and autumn in particular, gone are late September days of golden splendour. On the contrary, September is becoming the month of the Indian summer. Likewise November, once associated with cold temperatures, rain and even snow, is changing. Leaves now remain on trees into early winter, allowing November to become the month when beech trees are seen in all their splendour.
It is beech trees, along with oaks, that manage to cling on to their leaves at the dawn of December. Most other broad-leafed trees are bare. So too are the fields, the hedgerows, the heath lands and our gardens - just about. For each can boast its own December delicacy. In the fields, the first of the lambs are being born. Out from the hedgerows, the scent of vanilla is wafting into the air, courtesy of winter heliotrope. Upon the heaths, gorse flowers are on the increase again. And in our gardens, the blue tits, great tits, coal tits and blackcaps have come to the bird table, hungry for food. December's newsletter is undoubtedly the Winter issue.
And what of the February edition? Should it be titled "Late Winter"? After all, hours of darkness still out-strip the hours of daylight. The weather too can also be dull and overcast. In the countryside, the trees are still bare and the hedgerows have little on offer. In our garden, the flowerbeds are also devoid of colour whilst our bird feeders are frequently being visited due to natural winter supplies being almost out of stock. Surely, then, February is still very much a winter month?
Maybe not. At the start of the month the sun is setting around five o'clock. This is late enough for the commuter to leave the office, for the first time this year, in daylight. Come Saturday morning, if they awake to find a dry and bright day with winds in a favourable direction, then outside pursuits require only a jumper and shirt - the coat stays on the hanger. Meanwhile, the trees in the countryside are not quite as "bare" as they once were. A red glow has appeared, courtesy of their new buds, preparing to shoot forth. The hedgerows too are no longer bare; look closely and you will see the first of the wild violets and lesser celandine appearing. It's all a sign of what's to come. And whilst the bird table is still busy with customers, another one has appeared in the rhododendron bush eyeing up the nest box. He is no fool; for he knows spring isn't very far away and if he doesn't get in that box first, another bird is sure to gazump him.
But best of all about February is the snowdrops. Yes, the flowerbeds may still be bare but a lawn that is awash with snowdrops is enough to make the most hardened of pessimists believe that winter is departing. And all of this happens in February. What to call this issue? "The Premature Spring Edition" sounds about right to me.
Steve McCarthy
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
26
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 26
If there was a season best suited for outside decorating - or painting, to be more precise - then surely, it has to be autumn. True, one cannot guarantee a dry spell of weather, but when it comes, the daytime temperatures are just right for applying that much needed coat of paint to an outside wall or windowsill. Leave until winter and the undercoat cracks with the cold. Undertake in the summer and the baking sun dries out the gloss before you can see where you have been. Come spring, that unexpected shower causes the emulsion to drip on the outside masonry.
This is, of course, my own personal philosophy on painting - I'm no Handy Andy or Tommy Walsh! Quite the opposite. In fact, given the choice to read either the instructions on a pot of paint or the descriptions in a wildflower book, I know what my choice would be! But that's not to say there are still times when recording wildflowers with pen and paper need to be swapped for the more important duty of brightening up a wall with paintbrush and pot.
Whilst such duties mean a temporary suspension to my countryside walks, I am at least fortunate to be able to look out on beautiful rural scenes whilst carrying out such work. What's more, they are scenes that lend themselves to autumn; for wherever I paint I look out on to trees that are majestically turning golden. If it's the kitchen window I am painting, then the wooded hillside of The Cairn looks down upon me. If it's the wall to the back bedroom, then the woods clinging onto the Score Valley look at me from afar. And if it's the front of the bungalow, then the trees in Bicclescombe Park stand close by inspecting my every brush stroke.
Last autumn, however, I was applying some gloss to the front door when my strokes were suddenly interrupted - not by an unexpected visitor, nor by a sudden telephone call. It was the sound of a girl's scream, somewhere behind me, that stirred me from my semi-conscious painting trance. Swiftly, I turned my head and instantly noticed a young girl, aged around 10 or 11, perhaps even 12, lying deep within a row of hydrangea bushes bordering the park. In front of her stood two boys of around the same age, laughing to themselves and doing "high fives", both seemingly satisfied with their successful attempt at pushing the girl as far into the bush as they possibly could.
I stood for a moment as the poor girl attempted to clamber out from the bush and was about to go over and assist her (the boys did not seem intent on helping) when she suddenly sprung to her feet. Momentarily annoyed with the two boys, my emotion changed to bewilderment when I heard the girl say to the boys, "That was great fun. Push me in again". Which, of course, they more than happily did, to the simultaneous sound of screaming, then cheering, and "high-fiving". This ritual was carried out a third, a fourth and then a fifth time. By now the poor hydrangea bush really was starting to look the worse for wear.
When the girl asked to be thrown into it a sixth time, I instinctively disregarded my half-glossed door and, with paintbrush still in hand, began a slow wander across the road. It was the two boys who first became aware of my impending attendance at their scene of joviality. To put it simply, they just froze - but not before they had transformed themselves into images that the Archangel Gabriel himself would have been proud of. Bless! Their innocence, of course, was just slightly tainted by the vision of their female accomplice, still up to now unaware of my presence and still trying to climb her way out of the bush. When she finally managed to heave herself out of the almost flattened bush she was obviously still unaware of my presence. "Throw me in again, throw me in again!" she exclaimed. Discreetly, one of the boys pointed behind her, to which she gave out another scream as she swirled her head round and discovered me standing the other side of the bush.
I must admit the scene was rather comical, the girl now looking like she had just seen a ghost whilst the boys were standing as if to attention. Inside me, I felt the desperate desire to laugh but I knew I must not. Instead, I forgot the gap of 30-odd years that bridged our ages and said, "Hi guys! How yer doin?" My inquiry got no response. The three of them just continued to stare at me, occasionally allowing themselves the opportunity to blink.
"Don't mind me", I continued, "I'm just here to watch you have your fun. Please, do carry on". It was the girl who finally plucked up the courage to speak. "Well come on then", she said, looking at her male companions as though they were daft. "You're not afraid to are you?" Of course, when a girl asks a boy a question like that, the boy feels compelled to carry out the challenge. So instinctively, yet at the same time reluctantly, the boys went to push her into the bush again.
"Mind you," I quickly added, "It would seem such a shame to kill the poor bush. It's given so much pleasure to people this summer."
"And how would you know?" the girl asked, with a noticeable assertion in her voice. Thinking quickly, I replied, "Because I have sat by my lounge window, just over there and notice people smile and point at it as they've gone past". (Bit of a white lie there, I must admit, but I had to somehow keep the upper hand.) "Still", I continued, "Like I've said, don't let that spoil your fun!"
"But isn't the bush already dead?" one of the boys tentatively asked. His question took me aback momentarily - not because of what he said, but the innocent way in which he asked it. Somehow, I could sense he hadn't asked the question as an excuse for his actions. On the contrary, he appeared to genuinely think that the hydrangea bush, its leaves drooping and brown and its petals curled and pale, was actually dying. If I thought he was trying to fool me, his next question confirmed to me that he wasn't. "Doesn't the park keeper come and dig it up and replace it with another next year?"
Before I could reply, his chum standing next to him interrupted.
"Of course he does stupid! Haven't you seen him do it to the other flowers in the park?" His pal was referring to the park's summer bedding plants. "Well if the bush is going to be dug up anyway," the girl shouted, her eyes full of excitement once more, "Then let's carry on!"
"To answer your question," I quickly remarked, looking at the first boy, "No, the plant isn't dead and no, the park keeper does not dig it up and replace it every year. Now if you've all got a moment, I'll explain to you what the park keeper does in fact do to it to make sure it comes back to life next spring."
There then followed a brief little chat about the effects autumn has upon plants, and how they are just nature's way of preparing them for the winter ahead, so protecting them against the low temperatures and lessening of daylight that would otherwise cause them to die. At the end, the three youngsters strolled off through the park with their tails between their legs, whilst I returned to my glossing - having meanwhile breathed a huge sigh of relief.
On completing the door, I went indoors to put the kettle on. Sitting on the kitchen bench waiting for it to boil, I reflected for a moment on what had just taken place. In doing so, part of me became filled with the satisfying thought that I had prevented some youngsters from doing any further harm to the shrub - and without confrontation. Would I have achieved the same result, I asked myself, if I had gone over to them shouting something like: "What in hell's name do you think you lot are up to?"
Yet at the same time a feeling of dismay rose within me. It was, after all, a shame to discover children with such poor insight into their rural surroundings. Luckily, my (disappointment) was not to last for long. That evening I received a distraught telephone call from a teacher friend, panicking that she had no time to go out collecting items from the countryside for the autumn scene she was planning for her children's next art lesson - and could I please make sure it wasn't just items that were brown and yellow, as she wanted to use the lesson to teach the youngsters how in autumn the countryside is still full of varied colours.
"But I'm supposed to be painting the. . . oh of course I will!" I replied.
I decided the painting could wait - well if it's something to do with the countryside then that's a good enough excuse for me to stop painting!
Illustrated by: Dean Hawker
Steve McCarthy
29
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 25
A garden full of roses can give so much pleasure to the admirer. Their variations in colour, diversity in shade, size and appearance, plus that distinctive aroma that many of the species emit, all add to the pleasure. What's more, many of them continue flowering throughout the summer and well into autumn (and into the early months of our mild Devonian winters, come to that).
In contrast, the wild rose I have recently been admiring up the lane, the Dog Rose, has completed its flowering for this year. Its pale pink petals will not appear again until next June, though its red hips can be seen come autumn. Rosehip is of course rich in vitamin C and makes a lovely sweet drink. I personally remember rosehip in the form of a syrup, brought round in a huge jug by the school dinner lady whenever milk puddings were on the menu.
Though the pink petals of the Dog Rose have now bade farewell to the lane, a paler shade of pink has appeared bidding the lane a friendly late summer greeting. It belongs to the blossom of the bramble. Amazingly, over four hundred different species of bramble exist in Britain, each variety falling into one of three categories: erect, sprawling and climbing. Many have been christened lovely country names, including Brummelty Kites, Cock-Brumble and Lady Garten Berries.
The bramble, however, has also been mentioned in much less endearing terms. To find this reference, one need look no further than the great Book of God itself. Flick through the pages of the Old Testament to the book of Isaiah (chapter 34, verse 13 to be exact) and discover how the Lord carried out his curse on Edom: "Thorns will run over her citadels, nettles and brambles her stronghold".
Ironically, centuries later the bramble would then be used for keeping curses away. Heavy with thorns, its branches were strewn around graves, preventing evil spirits from entering the pardoned body that lay within the bramble ring. As well as being circled by brambles in death, being arched by them in life was also once an aid to the human body; walk beneath an archway of brambles, so it was believed, and you would be cured of your illnesses. One wonders if this included the illness that is said to be bestowed upon the picker of a blackberry after Michaelmas day, when the devil is believed to defile them. (This belief is probably based upon the fact that any blackberry picked after this date will have gone over and might not be too kind on the stomach in any case!).
Of course, it goes without saying that blackberries can also be a most wonderful "cure" to the human stomach if empty, particularly when they are mixed with apples into a pie or crumble; and as a herbal drink, blackberry tea is most enjoyable. The juice of blackberries is also a valuable source of nutrition for wildlife, with butterflies being the main benefactors. Snails, on the other hand, benefit from the leaves, using them for hibernation. The leaves have also been utilised as a remedy for burns and swellings, whilst further down the plant (going underground to be precise), the roots have been used in the preparation of orange dye.
Returning to the curse of Edom, I can certainly empathise with the choice of plants used; I know only too well the effects that bramble bushes and nettles can cause when they become overgrown, our garden certainly being cursed with them when we moved into our property. (Whatever her spell was, the Wicked Witch of the West Country certainly succeeded on our garden - she must have been drained of her powers for months afterwards!).
Yet up the lane, the annoying nettle seems to sit comfortably in its setting, whilst again helping the wildlife around it. Butterflies, such as the Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma are particular beneficiaries, the nettle being a vital food source for them. The young shoots of nettles were also once a vital source of nutrition for humans, being high in vitamins and minerals. Having a taste similar to spring cabbage or mature spinach, it was sold as a mainstay vegetable back in the eighteenth century. Both beer and soup can also be made from nettles, the former using young tops; and, alongside its blackberry counterpart, nettle tea can also be found on the shelves of most health shops. It is made from drying the leaves and has detoxifying qualities. Whilst detoxification is one of its main attributes, the nettle has been used for many other illnesses ranging from sore throats, bronchitis, asthma, rheumatism and arthritis. It has also been used to help skin problems including eczema and dermatitis as well as, oddly enough, burns and bites (but do you have to get stung first?). Nettles have also been used in cleansing agents for the face and hair.
But how did the nettle get its name? To find this answer, one has to go back to ancient times when the tough fibrous stems were made into a strong linen-type cloth; so strong, in fact, they could be used on fishing boats as ropes and nets. But for many people the nettle will always be that annoying plant that unexpectedly stings them as they walk along a country path. Cattle, however, do not share this point of view - and not because they are rarely ever met walking along narrow, nettle prodding footpaths. In any case, if you were to meet some in such a setting, they would be more than happy to move aside for you, for cattle are immune to the nettle's sting.
There is, of course, a natural remedy that is usually close by whenever the nettle stings. Find a dock leaf; rub against the affected area and the sting goes instantly. Yet the dock leaf hasn't always been used purely as a remedy. In the days before greaseproof paper, dock leaves were used for wrapping around slabs of butter.
Where the bramble may prick and the nettle might sting, another wildflower hinders the rural walker by attachment: Goosegrass. This is a plant better known for its fruits than its flowers, the latter being pale green and barely noticeable to the passer by. The fruits, however, have special hooked bristles that cling to the passer by and enable the whole plant to become stuck to their clothing, like Velcro. One has to admire its ingenious method of dispersing its seeds, travelling miles away from the place of origin whilst clinging to a dog's coat or a walker's sock. At the moment there seems an abundance of Goosegrass up the lane; or perhaps it is the lack of colour on show, leaning my concentration towards the various "greens" on display. At least in places white offers a contrast in the form of two "Weeds", Hog- and Bind-.
Illustrated by: Dean Hawker
Hedge Bindweed is of course another headache for gardeners, being a strangler of any branches it can attach itself to. Yet up the lane its white funnel-shaped flowers are unable to take a stronghold. (Hedge Bindweed differs from Field Bindweed; the latter's flowers being edged with pale pink).
In a patch where the lane receives little sunlight, even in summer, there is another offering of white. Here, a large clump of Enchanters Nightshade is on show, each tiny flower sparkling like the early stars of dusk. Occurring naturally in large numbers where lanes or gardens are shady, this delicate species of wildflower really is most enchanting.
Close by is Hedge Woundwort. Another wildflower that favours shady places, the origin of its name is self-explanatory as it was once used in the healing of wounds. It is a member of the mint family, producing attention-seeking reddish purple flowers that radiate the lane at this time of year.
Here and there another purple wildflower accompanies the lane, though much deeper in colour. The Common Thistle, or Spear Thistle as it is also known, rests its flowers on green egg-shaped heads, giving the plant its own unique style. A larger variety of the plant is called the Scots Thistle, though this is in fact a rarity in Scotland, leading to speculation that the Spear Thistle is in fact the true thistle of Scotland.
The Spear Thistle also has historic connections with Scotland's Danish neighbours - a connection that did the Danes little favour in their era of invasions. On one such invasion, at the battle of Largs, the Danes began screaming aloud as they unexpectedly charged through a mass of Spear Thistles. Their cries of pain were to be their downfall, alerting their defenders of their supposedly secret attack.
Another thistle-named flower is also to be found along the lane at the moment, though it is in fact a member of the dandelion family. Properly known as the Sow-thistle, it has many other local names. One is "Hares Lettuce", as the leaves are said to give strength to hares when they are overcome by heat. Another name is "Milky Dickle", perhaps because it is believed to increase the milk of sows once they had farrowed. Leaves from the Smooth Sow-thistle were once used as part of a winter salad in this country, whilst in Greece they are still regularly used. In contrast, the French feed their snails on Sow-thistle leaves to fatten them up ready for selling.
Further up the lane, where it meets the stream, the flowers of the Great Hairy Willowherb have now gone over. But another member of the willowherb family has replaced it and can be seen all along the lane instead. The Broad-leaved Willowherb, with its delicate purplish pink flowers, spreads itself by dispersing its hairy seeds in the wind - no wonder it is the most common of the willowherb family.
Though the streamside wildflowers of early summer have now gone over, another has appeared that particularly endears itself to riverbanks. It is the wildflower of Meadowsweet, sending a lovely fragrance down the lane as it catches the wind. Strewn across floors, Meadowsweet was once used as an indoor "air freshener". Queen Elizabeth I was a particular fan - so much so, she would demand it be placed on the floors of any home she was about to visit! Like other wildflowers, Meadowsweet has had spiritual connections. Druids regarded the flowers as sacred, whilst witches believed that the plant enabled them to leave their physical state. Also like many other wildflowers, Meadowsweet has been, and still is, used as a remedy; though Meadowsweet's connection is perhaps one of the most fascinating. Made up as it is of aspirin-like substances, aspirin being a tablet that can cause acidic reactions in the body,
Meadowsweet has at the same time been used in remedies for acid and indigestion!
As August progresses and September passes by, I can reflect upon the wildflowers I have admired down the lane. The Lesser Celandine that announced the climax of winter and the onset of spring seem a while away now, but it is comforting to know they will appear again next February. I have watched Cow Parsley herald the start of spring, looked on as the Bluebells swayed in late spring breezes and stood in awe when the Foxgloves of summer towered above me. And throughout all of these seasons, the delicate flowers of Red Campion and Herb Robert have never been too far away.
I hope you have enjoyed being my walking companion as I have strolled down the lane, admiring and finding out about the wildflowers around me, as much as I have.
Steve McCarthy
22
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 24
The lane running through Score Valley is but a quarter of a mile long from its start by the cadet hut to its finish high up on St Brannocks Road. Yet in that short distance it encounters back garden boundaries, field hedgerows, woodland margins, open grassland, meandering streamside, steep banks and towering walls. Within each setting Mother Nature has elected specific wildflowers to represent them. Those that were appointed for the spring term of office have now stepped down allowing new wildflowers to be returned for the duration of early summer. So as May gives way to June, a walk up the lane takes on yet another new look.
The first wildflower to be spotted is a single yellow poppy. Unlikely to be the Yellow Horned Poppy found closer to the coast and on beaches, this lone flower is probably a Welsh Poppy. A native in the southwest as well as Wales and Ireland, it is likely to be a garden escape if spotted elsewhere. Whether this flower is an escapee or one sitting naturally in its surroundings is open to debate, though it is but a seed's throw from a back garden fence. Either way, its bold attempt to stand out amongst the surrounding nettle leaves gets my admiration as well as lifting my spirits.
Lifting one's spirits is something closely associated to the next wildflower I spot. Up on my right hand side, at the edge of a small copse of trees, are a few clumps of St John's Wort. A herbal remedy for depression, some doctors have been known to prescribe it ahead of conventional medicines. In the past it was used for a somewhat different cure, being once thought to ward off witchcraft and spells. (Not so sure my GP would prescribe it if I told him that was the problem!) The past did, however, find a more practical purpose for this flower, being used in pagan summer festivals. This was later applied to the Christian celebration of St John's Day on the 24th June, from which the flower's name originated. The plant though is less useful to our farmland four legged friends, being poisonous to stock and in particular making their skin sensitive to sunlight.
A few strides further up the lane, where the copse begins to thin a little, a wildflower is growing that is also poisonous to livestock and a particular nuisance to horses, who seem to love it - Ragwort. But as with everything in nature, where there is a negative there is sure to be a positive. In the case of Ragwort it applies to the caterpillar of the Cinnabar Moth which is able to feed on the plant without any lethal consequence. On the contrary, the poison is of great benefit to the moth, acting as protection against any birds that may be viewing the caterpillar as a tasty snack. Humans too can suffer at the hands - or nose to be precise - of this flower. Bruise Ragwort's lovely flat-top flowers, whose bright yellow florets smile sweetly at you in their packed clusters, and discover why the plant is also called "Stinking Willy"!
Along the lane a little further the trees hanging onto the valley's steep incline disperse. Here a wildflower comes into view that loves to flourish on any bank side - the Foxglove. Also known as Fairy Bells, this flower does indeed wave over our countryside that extra bit of summer magic in the same way that Primroses wave a wand over a Devon spring. But beware of the Foxglove's spell ! Strikingly beautiful though it may look, its fairy bells wave a sinister wand as you drive past, just like their roadside counterpart of spring, Cow Parsley. For the Foxglove is also completely poisonous. Once again, however, nature steps in to counteract the plant's negative feature, extracting the drug Digitalis from its leaves in order to help in the treatment of heart complaints. In the past it was also used for treating oedema and blood pressure. So not all is bad about this wildflower whose name has nothing at all to do with foxes or gloves but more to do with people and music. With "fox" being a corruption of the word "folk's" and a "gliew" being an Anglo-Saxon instrument with many small bells, one can immediately see how this tall conspicuous flower assumed its name.
Whilst woodland and steep banks characterise one side of the lane, a hedgerow accompanies the other. Here at the moment Hogweed is in abundance accompanied in places by its "parent", Giant Hogweed. Belonging to the carrot family, a clan of wildflowers who look very much alike, each plant member has a specific feature that tells them apart. In the case of Hogweed, its distinguishing marks are the unique broad and hairy leaves that, if picked whilst still young and boiled, are said to taste just like asparagus. (Perhaps I will wait until there is an asparagus shortage to find out! In the meantime I'll stick to visiting Evesham.) Pigs, however, love Hogweed whether the plant is young or old and it was once a major source of sustenance for them, hence the name. The plant does have a negative side, one that is bestowed upon mankind this time. The hollow stems exude a substance that can cause the skin to become sore or even blister in sunny weather. And on the subject of weather, Hogweed has become a plant that is rarely out of flower in Devon, thanks in part to our ever milder winters.
All the same, Hogweed is undoubtedly at its most prolific just now. In contrast, Nipplewort is only just appearing alongside it. So-called because of the shape of its small yellow flowers, this is a plant regarded more of a troublesome weed than a wildflower. Perhaps gardeners could make use of this weed by picking its young leaves and then using them as part of a salad as they did in days of yore?
A break in the hedgerow at the farmer's gate brings another wildflower onto the scene. Scattered about the ground White Clover has appeared, a plant that helps out nature in more ways than one - or three, to be precise. Firstly it is a very economical fodder crop, as the sheep and cows that come into this particular field often prove. Secondly it is a great source of nectar for bees. Lastly, but by no means least, bacteria in the nodules of the plant's roots convert nitrogen into a most useful plant nutrient. Nature really does provide for its own!
Further up the lane, the East Wilder brook meanders momentarily up against the hedgerow. Here a different spread of wildflowers are always appearing, ones that prefer the damp atmosphere of a streamside. Hemlock is one such flower. Yet another member of the carrot family, it is distinguishable by the purple blotches on its stems and the offensive odour of its flowers. Once again, this is a plant that is deadly. In fact, Socrates is believed to have drunk its poison in fatal quantities as a means of his execution, no wonder it also called Devils Blossom! The flower does, however, have other names of a more productive nature, including Gypsy's Curtain, Lady's Needlework and Lady's Lace.
Near to the Hemlock another streamside companion is beginning to show itself. The Great Hairy Willow herb produces ornate flowers with purplish pink petals and cream coloured stamens. These colours give the plant its other name, Codlins-and-Cream, "codlin" being an old word for an apple. The plant though can at times be a bit too creamy - not in the sense of colour but in texture. Growing in thick clusters as it does, it can become so "clotted" it will almost block streams.
Opposite the streamside, the bricked wall of the old chapel towers high above the lane. Here the snapdragon shaped flowers of Ivy-leaved Toadflax are in abundance, spraying the wall with patches of lilac. First used in rock gardens back in the 17th century, the plant took on the characteristic of one of its other names, Roving Jenny. Gradually it roamed away from its formal enclosures, spreading along any wall, rocky side or stony ground it could find. Indeed, its method of movement leads to it also being christened Creeping Jenny. It also became known as mother of thousands, which is hardly surprising as it has such a good reproductive system. Curling away from the light, its long stalks find dark crevices into which it deposits seeds a-plenty. The plant is also resistant to drought, meaning it can carry on its method of multiplication in even the driest of summers.Whether our coming summer will be dry or wet remains to be seen. What is certain is that as summer progresses, new wildflowers will appear up the lane that are adept at coping with dry spells and soaring temperatures, but we will leave these for the August issue.
Illustrations by: Dean Hawker
Steve McCarthy
12
RURAL REFLECTIONS 23
Bidding farewell to winter, the lane up Score Valley had suddenly come to life. Almost overnight it seemed the hedgerows had awoken with yellow, red, white and blue having been sprayed upon them now, with winter transforming itself into spring, the lane begins a display that will, as always, be its most impressive of the year. And like the wildflowers of late winter, these will put on a display that is also patriotic. Enter stage left the reds of Campion and Herb Robert, from stage right, the whites of Cow Parsley, Ramson and Garlic Mustard, and from centre stage, the blue of Birdseye - not forgetting Bluebells of course, the quintessential flower of spring.
Red Campion will take lead role in this performance, its masses of flowers being on show all along the lane during April and May. Come summer it will be relegated to the chorus line and later in the year to just walk-on parts. Even in the winter, however, it will still make cameo appearances, particularly where it can find sheltered parts in the hedgerow. Also known as 'red catchfly' and 'red robin', the flowers were originally only found in woodlands; however, they were at the same time flirty little flowers, seeking cross-pollination wherever they could with other wild flowers growing just beyond the woodland boundaries. Nowadays, of course, Red Campion is as much a part of our countryside as any other wildflower.
The award for best supporting role must go to Campion's pink counterpart, Herb Robert. Personally, I love this delicate little flower. Small though its petals may be, their change of colour from purple at the stem, to pink at the tip is so subtle, one barely notices it; and edged by white as each petal is, this tiny flower offers the walker so much to admire. Its leaves are also to be cherished, sometimes offering a deep maroon colour, enabling the plant to stand out amongst the hedgerows. Herb Robert can also boast a sub-species that is a choice rarity in southern and western England. Called 'little robin', its stamens have a unique yellow colour.
The first wildflower of the carrot family to bloom this year will also soon be present up the lane: Queen Anne's lace, or to give it its more well known name, Cow Parsley. It will of course grow much more in abundance along our busy roads, the heads nodding enthusiastically as we drive past them; but greet us heartily though they might, they are a wildflower not to be messed with. This is a poisonous roadside companion.
Where the white of Cow Parsley will soon be present along the open lane, so the white of Ramsons will soon appear in the shade beneath the arching sycamores. Ramsons is of course a wildflower that reaches one's nose before catching one's eye! Indeed, many a woodland walk at this time of year can reek of garlic as its flowers are unintentionally trodden upon. The leaves, however, are edible and are said to add zest to peanut butter sandwiches; as it is one of my favourite spreads, watch this space!
Another form of garlic is already appearing up the lane against the high walled boundary of the chapel. Here, stems of Garlic Mustard are already emerging; their peaks soon to be showing off tiny white flowers. Like Ramsons, they too give off a pungent smell of garlic if crushed. However, Garlic Mustard doesn't just benefit peanut butter addicts though, as orange tip and green veined white butterflies also reap nutritional reward from it. Peculiarly, this wildflower is known by another name that makes me wonder why I find it growing up against a wall, being also called Jack-by-the-Hedge.
And so onto the blues. Birdseye, or Germander Speedwell as it is also known, is a small, bright blue flower with a tiny dot in the middle. Being one of our most delicate of wildflowers, its petals fall easily if picked. Perhaps this is why a superstition arose that harm would come to the eyes of either the picker or their mother. So don't say you haven't been warned!
Bluebells of course are a natural part of late spring, carpeting many of our woodlands. However, given sufficient shelter they will flower within a hedgerow, the Score Valley lane being no exception; and how I do so much look forward to admiring them once again as I stroll up it! As well as occasionally appearing within the hedgerows, others will flower in the shade alongside the Ramsons. Most of these will be the usual colour of violet blue but hopefully others will grow that will be a most beautiful shade of pink, as in previous years. Those that catch the dappled sunlight really do stand out amongst the rest, whilst those in the shade become almost illuminated.
Further up the lane, where the meandering East Wilder brook comes to meet the hedgerow, another blue wildflower will hopefully once again don me with its presence: the water Forget-Me-Not. With their distinctive yellow centres, these flowers offer a contrasting paler blue to that of Birdseye and the Bluebell.
But the lane will not be just full of reds, whites and blues over the next couple of months. Yellow will continue to be sprayed everywhere with existing celandines and dandelions. And another yellow flower will appear too, at the farmer's gate: the bulbous buttercup. It's the earliest of the three common grassland buttercups to flower and will have gone over by the end of May. Known in olden times as St Anthony's turnip, the whole plant is in fact poisonous and its sap can quite easily blister the skin. I'll just admire it in the meadow from the gate, I think.
Then, just before May is out, one final wildflower will greet the lane. Growing against a wall that was clearly built to support a particularly steep valley slope, I look forward to once again seeing Wall Pennywort. Also known as Navalwort, their leaves are arguably more striking than their flowers. Distinctively glossy and almost rubbery in appearance, they outshine their pale green flowers. Being small and tubular in shape, I have nicknamed these wildflowers 'premature foxgloves'. Whether it will catch on, so that in years to come wildflower books will say, 'wall pennywort, also known in millennium folklore as the premature foxglove', is something I shall have to wait and see. But I haven't got my hopes up!
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Steve McCarthy
16
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 22
It's late January as I take a stroll up the lane running deep within the Score Valley. Clouds starve the day of golden sunlight. My spirits are bright, however, for heart-shaped leaves are appearing around me in ever-increasing amounts. They announce that their striking yellow flowers will soon be on show once more. With the arrival of Lesser Celandine along the lane, I know that winter is reaching its finale and that spring will soon be on stage.
Another leaf is also starting to show itself. Taking on the shape of a lion's tooth, or "dent de lion" as our French friends call it, the dandelion will also soon be on show. Each holding up to two hundred florets, their bright round flowers will also bring a much-needed splash of yellow up the lane.
A pest to our flowerbeds and lawns, a gardener might regard the dandelion as a useless weed. "Useless", however, would be quite the wrong word to use. After all, it has various medicinal purposes; not to mention its ability to make good home-made wine. What's more, its leaves are great in salads, being full of vitamins A and C. Its roots can also make an agreeable substitute for coffee. And did you know that dandelion latex provided the Soviet Union with rubber during World War Two?
As well as springtime visual pleasure, dandelions also offer recreational fun on turning to seed. As a child, I recall playing "how many years" on the school field at break times. The rules were simple: you blew on the seeds until they were all gone. The amount of blows that you took then foretold the number of years it would take, for example, for you to become rich. I have since heard many regional variations of this game, one of Devon's being "tell the time".
Whilst dandelions will provide a deeper shade of yellow to that of the lesser celandine, another wild flower will soon be offering a much paler yellow. Known in Latin as the "Prima Rosa", or first rose of spring, the primrose is of course synonymous with Devon hedgerows and springtime. And though the primrose may also appear at the same time and in the same places as the dandelion, there the similarity ends. For whilst the dandelion is regarded as a garden weed, the primrose is seen as a bonus within any garden soil; so much so, it has become extinct in some parts of the countryside through being dug up.
But in other ways, the primrose story has a parallel with many of its wildflower counterparts, for it too has had its uses as a herbal remedy. In the Middle Ages it was used in the treatment of kidney disorders, rheumatism and gout, and has long since been used as a herbal remedy for bronchitis and coughs.
Few wild flowers can boast their own special day, but it was Benjamin Disraeli who decided that the date of his birth should be named after his favourite flower. Henceforth, the Nineteenth of April became Primrose Day. The primrose, too, inspired Shakespeare. Aware that too few insects were around to pollinate all the wild flowers of early spring, he made reference to the "pale primroses that die unmarried".
Another wild flower that hopefully will re-appear down the lane early this spring is Stitchwort. Usually growing in clumps, their masses of small white flowers rest upon slender, brittle stems. Curious name, "stitchwort". Perhaps it was once used as a remedy for a stitch or a sudden pain. Well, once it's out in flower maybe I'll run up the lane and get a stitch to find out. But then maybe not!
In any case, I might miss that shady area along the hedgerow where a small clump of sorrel grew last year. Distinctive by their heart shape, the leaves of wood sorrel have a sharp, acid taste being used once upon a time as flavouring. As for its bell-shaped white flowers, they have a much greater claim to the past. Some will have you believe this delicate flower was the shamrock that St Patrick used to illustrate the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish. (Actually, the suckling clover has a greater claim but that's another story!)
Another flower that will appear during March and be a friend to the lane until late November is the common fumitory. I love this flower. Short and squat though it might be, every stem shoots out up to fifty small floral spikes beginning pale pink at the inner and finishing a deep maroon at the tip. So much from so little and on display for so long. So with the common fumitory providing the red down the lane, the sorrel and stitchwort the white, I suppose we need a blue. And if we stretch the spectrum a bit we find it, with a sprinkling of Dog Violets soon to re-appear. Did you know that these dainty little flowers actually hang upside down? To admire a patch of violets is to give thanks to our humble and hardworking ant. It is the ant, you see, that disperses the violets' seeds.
So much within our countryside to admire, enjoy and give thanks for at this time of the year.
Steve McCarthy
27
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 21
It's early November and the day outside is a little on the dull side, but mild all the same. I say "outside" but I am not what you call indoors either, sat as I am in my now not-so-aptly-named summerhouse. Allowing my thoughts to aimlessly wander, my eyes begin scanning the Cairn wood on the other side of the valley. Today the trees' canopies are naked, crudely displaying their thick trunks beneath. Main branches can once again be made out, as can the branches from these. I concentrate my eyes on one particular tree, following its next-generation branches as they divide and then divide again. It's like looking at nature's own version of a family tree. However, the similarity between this and our own family trees doesn't just end there. Consider this . .
Through the development of transport, families of today are scattered all over the world. Gone are the days when little Joe would run an errand for his mother and on the way say "Hello," to his Granny Mac, kneeling on the ground to clean her front steps; then see his father's cousin, Jack, walking to his work at the factory; then bump into Auntie Jess as she comes out of the bakers before finally meeting his cousin Lucy at the shop, running an errand for her own mother. It's fictional, I know, but it's a scene that years ago was not far from reality either.
Illustration by: Dean Hawker
That's not to say, of course, that trees always appear this way. During spring, these same trees give birth to new leaves that soon begin to hide their individual branches. By early June most of these braches have vanished allowing trees to appear whole and complete once more. Warm summer breezes then fill the air, enabling the leaves of one branch to touch with leaves from another. And so it is with us, summer being the traditional time of weddings and other family gatherings,
Here, the generations of an extended family tree come together again as one big family unit.
This year I was lucky to be part of one such family gathering. It was neither a wedding, nor a christening. Nor was it a celebration of a milestone in somebody's life. The get together was purely the result of a decision to have a grand family reunion, just so that we could all meet up and see each other once again. It meant bringing together relatives on my mother's side, she being one of nine. In all, nineteen cousins turned up - including the cousin from Los Angeles! Many came with their own children and grandchildren as well. And, of course, I mustn't forget the four senior members who were there, as without them the reunion would not have been possible - literally!
And so it came to pass that for one evening in September our extended family tree became whole again. The get-together was a great success, with two questions being continually on everybody's lips. Firstly, "Am I related to you?", and secondly, "So who are you then?"
The rewards from such an event were plentiful. Cousins now in their fifties and sixties chatted together, desperately trying to work out when they had last met. In many cases, this had been as children. Others met cousins whom all their life had been just a name or some reference point like "Uncle Ray's youngest boy". Second cousins met each other for the first time and by the end of the evening were exchanging mobile telephone numbers in order to keep in touch by text message. Third cousins, being young of age, played with each other on the dance floor as though they had always known each other.
In fact, it wasn't just the youngsters who seemed to have this invisible bond. All night, we seemed to talk to each other as though we had all only met up the previous week. Nobody wanted the evening to end but time, of course, is the one thing none of us have control over. And just as we cannot stop the end of autumn bringing with it the falling of the leaves so the end of the reunion had to come, bringing with it farewells and hugs all round.
Yet not all contact was to be lost. For like winter brings its driving rain, with each droplet momentarily resting upon a branch before cascading downwards to touch others on the way, so it now is for our family. The reunion may now be over but e-mail addresses collected at the time enable one cousin's quick "hello" from his computer to be passed on to another cousin, then another and then another.
Indeed, thanks to the wonders of modern communication, our telephones and computers will enable our family tree to stay in contact at all times of year - and especially at this, most festive of times.
Merry Christmas!
Steve McCarthy
32
RURAL REFLECTIONS 20
Have you ever read a story or listened to the words of a song or perhaps even looked at a picture and thought, "That's a pretty good reflection of my life"? Well that happened to me recently, except I wasn't reading a book, or listening to the radio, or walking around an art gallery, I was sitting on a bench.
The seat in question lies at the very top of the Cairn, just outside Ilfracombe. Recently placed there, the bench is one of a few that have been situated about the area by the Cairn Conservation Carers group. The bench is nothing special to look at, its cosmetic appearance literally taking a back seat to the more important matter of durability. It is, after all, subject to all matter of wind and weather up there. Not that it was the bench I was looking at when I suddenly saw a reflection of my own life. It was the view; and the sounds that accompanied it.
From my vantage point high above Ilfracombe, I looked down upon the town's rooftops, glistening in late summer sunshine. In the valley, vehicles were going about their business, the sound of their engines whispering up the hillside to greet me. A car door slammed, a pneumatic drill began thumping and the breaks of a bus cried out loud. Noises being produced by invisible creators beneath the tiled roofs; and noises I associated so well with my urban childhood in London's metropolis.
Sat alone on the bench with my thoughts, a faint droning sound then caught the air. Was it a chainsaw? Or maybe a lawnmower? Whatever it was, its distant whine seemed strangely familiar. Then it came to me. The sound reminded me of my Dad's model aeroplane. In an instant my mind flew back to childhood days when the idea of "going to the countryside" meant trips to the disused Croydon Aerodrome. Here, on Sunday afternoons, Dad would contentedly fly his radio controlled model aircraft. But whilst he looked upwards, my eyes scanned sideways, amazed at the amount of grass around me.
So you can imagine how my little eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when Dad drove me and his model plane to Epsom Downs! Astounded at the foreign landscape, I began to think it wasn't just rockets that could get people to distant planets. And wasn't all this green colour around me the same as those Martians in my comic? And if so, where were they? Perhaps they were all in that spaceship over there, I thought, too frightened to come out with all these aeroplanes flying around. [The spaceship, of course, was a building I had never seen before: the grandstand. Ah! The innocence of childhood!]
Thinking back to those days as I sat on the bench, children's laughter caught the air. Some dogs then began yapping madly and the echo of ball upon racket ricocheted nearby. I assumed the sounds were rising up from Bicclescombe Park, somewhere down to my right. Being just across the road from where I live, it's a park I take for granted, quite unlike the one I discovered as a young boy, when as a family we moved out to London's suburbia. Called Nonsuch Park, it covered over 400 acres and lay on the site of a long since vanished Palace belonging to Henry VIII.
The park had everything I could have wished for. A dense wood in which to make camps; a lane with horse chestnut trees running either side, the ideal place to find conkers for those famous school playground competitions [hence it being affectionately known as "conker alley"]; an unnatural crater deep in the ground, where only the bravest of us dared to ride our bikes [less affectionately known as "devils dyke"); small thickets of trees dotted everywhere that became imaginary bases when playing soldiers; even two strange pieces of concrete road, perfectly straight with nothing at the beginning or the end, but great for sprint races. The list is endless.
The fun days of childhood became the moody days of teenage and another move, this time from suburbia into the Green Belt. Before long, adulthood loomed just around the corner. Time to leave home - but where to go? Not back to London, that was for sure, as by now I was used to life beyond the claustrophobic environment of the Big City. But I wasn't quite ready for rural life either. Not yet. Of that I was certain, having no interest in the green aspects of the Belt around me; and I wasn't particularly interested in its birds and bees either. Not that sort, anyway!
Sat on the bench reflecting back on those days, I looked down upon the streets of Ilfracombe. Here I saw another parallel with my life. Upon a hillside in the distance all the roads were heading downwards, not across, as though they were cascading streams. And in the foot of the valley below, roads were heading in that same direction to which all rivers run - the coast. The same route my own life took upon leaving home.
And there, looking out from the bench, was a landmark to which all the roads in the valley seemed to be pointing - Capstone Hill. There it stood, its flag flying proudly in the strong sea breeze; just like myself who, on leaving home and moving to Sussex by the Sea, stood proudly on my own two feet. Life was great, living it to the full and having fun beside the seaside - or was it?
Looking beyond Capstone Hill, I suddenly noticed that same sea breeze was causing turbulence out at sea. Huge white horses were rearing themselves. So not all within my panoramic view was settled. And come to think of it, nor was I. Yes, life was fun, in a fashion, but something was missing.
As I watched the sea horses appear then disappear, a butterfly flew across my line of vision. I followed its course as it undulated in the wind, eventually going out of sight behind a young oak tree to my right. Either side of the tree's slim trunk, a clearing in the wood behind offered a pleasant countryside view. In the scene's foreground, a large farmhouse stood out boldly, nestled within a steep hill. On three of its sides, barns and out-houses prevented sunlight from reaching its walls. Horses grazed contentedly within the surrounding fields whilst high in the top field, sheep wandered around aimlessly, none of them daring to venture beyond the flocks huddled security. A hedgerow ran the field's ridge, whilst three distant hilltops rose up behind it. Being naturally framed by the hedgerow and the trunk and branches of the young oak nearby, two scenic pictures emerged. In one, the peaks of Little and Big Hangman were on view, whilst the other had Holdstone Down's summit looking down upon all that was around it. Cloud breaks in the afternoon sky allowed shafts of sunlight to beam down upon their slopes and create the most perfect painting for an artist's brush.
Somehow, it seemed, these pictures reflected my own life of recent years. Having moved away from the madding crowd of the city, I now prefer to live in an environment more rural than urban. Rather odd, when one considers that there is nothing rural about my upbringing; and even odder is the fact that this "boy from the city" now finds himself writing what is his twentieth "Rural Reflections" - something I would never have imagined myself doing, even five years ago. I just hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them!
Oh, and by the way, if you ever venture up to Cairn Top sometime, the bench I have been referring to is the one that has an inscription, reading: "Special Memories of Mum and Dad. The Folks Who Lived on the Hill".
Please feel free to sit there and enjoy the view.
Illustrations by: Dean Hawker
Steve McCarthy
32
RURAL REFLECTIONS 19
Spring and early summer just past have been carbon copies of those last year: April and May being both warm and dry only to be followed by a wet June. By the end of June last year, many were certain that an unsettled summer lay ahead. Such pessimists, however, were to be proven wrong as rain clouds evaporated and record temperatures were reached.
Day after day the sun would rise up and discover yet another clear sky. Then just as it had done the morning before, the sun fast began penetrating such a heat that it generated a haze that bleached the sky and enveloped the land. By late August the landscape too had been bleached. Leaves began to crinkle whilst blades of grass withered and were drained of colour. Yes, the countryside still resembled a patchwork quilt but now it seemed as though it had been created using just beige wool.
During those hot, stifling days, wildlife instinctively sought refuge in any shelter available. Farmers moved their livestock out of fields with no shade so that only hoof prints remained in the earth as evidence that there had once been animal life within the walled hedgerows. Hoof prints that were made, of course, when the ground was softer and rain aplenty.
Yet though the weeks rolled by without a droplet falling, some areas of ground refused to dry up. It was in places such as these that hikers, walking a footpath along the edge of a field, would sink their feet very slightly into the earth beneath them, forcing water out of the ground. Unaware of these delicate puddles created by their footprints, the hikers would walk on, allowing the water to filter back into the earth where it remains.
Or does it? For hidden by the covering of dry grasses, a slender gulley lay unnoticed where the hikers had left their mark; and it is here, into this gully's shallow trough, that the water begins steadily leaking. So steadily, that a continuous dribble of water develops, a dribble that works out the camber of the field and begins trickling alongside it.
At the end of the field this trickle of water meets another from a similar gulley. The two join forces, head off downstream and soon meet another, then another and then even more. When the earth beneath them develops a sudden gradient, this once delicate dribble takes on an urgency about it. The further it descends, so the more water greets it, seeping out from its banks. Suddenly the water darts underground. When it emerges, it finds itself flowing once more at a gentle pace sheltered from the heat of the sun.
Now our gentle stream is meandering through a thick wood. Here and there its waters gently babble over rocks and twigs, only bothering to hasten its flow when nearby tree trunks narrow its banks.
For a while, the stream enjoys the pleasures of infancy and adolescence. Contentedly it flows, this way then that way. Occasionally it lightly splashes its water against its sides or laughingly gurgles to itself, acting as though it hasn't a care in the world. Too soon, however, its flow hastens once more as its landscape changes once more.
Gone is the protection of the swaying trees, replaced now by open grassland and sloping hills that rise on either side. As the river spurts on, these hills periodically descend and allow tributaries to greet it. These force its banks to ever widen. In no time it seems the flowing waters have developed into a mature river. Now running ever faster, its waters bid farewell to the days when it was once a youthful brook. All too suddenly adulthood has arrived.
Yet all the time it scurries on, now scrambling over large boulders or under long bridges. Was that a rail bridge or a road bridge? No time to stop, no time to ask questions. Now, the river must hurry on, so much so, it fails to notice the fall ahead as its waters go cascading downwards. With just enough time to produce a magnificent spray of mist in the air, its deluge of water re-gathers and surges on.
Another river of contemporary size soon comes to greet it. This swells its banks even further and pushes the land out so far it can barely call itself a river any more. Realizing it is reaching the twilight of its course, it finds itself within an expansive estuary. Ahead it sees the whitewash of breakwaters and its final destination.
Then with one final surge, it spews its waters out into the wide-open sea. And when the climate is right, tiny droplets of water will rise up from that sea and make themselves known in the sky. And when the wind is just right, those droplets will gently glide until they hover over the land. And when the climate is right once more, these droplets will tumble out of the sky, bounce upon the ground beneath them and then silently disappear into the earth. And then finally, like a newly born creature that is able to find its way to its mother's milk, despite its eyes being closed, those droplets of water will instinctively find their way to the nearest sound of gently flowing water. The cycle is complete.
Illustration by : Paul Swailes
Steve McCarthy
29
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 18
I once knew a lady who had great difficulty in walking through having severe arthritis and for her, just getting around her home was a major task. Naturally, going out required immense effort, something she only did on special appointments or engagements. Despite this, her loss of contact with the outside world was substituted by regular visits from local family and frequent letters from others living further away.
The letters were pages and pages long. Being presumptuous, I assumed they were full of details of foreign holidays, days out and local events. How wrong I was! She told me that the letters told her of a friend's shopping trip on market day or her niece's afternoon spent gardening. This way, she told me, she could be kept informed of how the greengrocer's mother was doing, now back at the stall after her hip replacement; and tales of the old Qualcast mower having to be dragged out from the back of the shed because the new electric one had packed up.
For those of us fortunate to be able to get out and about, such snippets no doubt seem trivial, but for this dear lady they kept her informed of aspects of life in which she herself was involved.
Her letters came to mind only the other day whilst walking with the dogs up the Score Valley. What, I wondered, would I write about if I were to send such a letter about this short, seemingly uneventful walk to an imaginary aunt? After all, a stroll up the lane hardly makes gripping reading, or does it?
My dear Auntie,
Well, it might be the start of June but when I walked the dogs this morning I still had to wear my big coat - would you believe it? There was quite a breeze blowing too. The morning air needed the warmth of the sun, that was the problem, but looking up I could only see the occasional blue hole about the sky. They seemed to be trying their best to move over towards the sun but for now the clouds were winning the day.
Just up the lane the tall sycamores were reaching up from either side of the hedgerow. How triumphant they looked, like tall cathedral pillars whose tips meet and interweave on the high ceiling above. And, just like when you enter a cathedral, my eyes had to momentarily adjust to the reduction in light caused through the abundance of the sycamore's leaves.
Ferns now shroud the high banks, the obscured light allowing their smooth, verdant leaves to be prominent. High above, the branches of the trees were full of birdsong, so varied it was hard to pick out any one tune. Amongst all their chitter-chatter, a low pitched warble began. On and on it went without the warbler seeming to take breath.
Suddenly I got a scent of garlic. Strange, I thought, as the white ramson heads that had once dominated this shady lane were now gone.
Then I noticed a tyre mark, so I think a car might have brushed up against some late flowers. Still, by bruising them a lovely garlic aroma now filled the air. So absorbed was I in discovering the source of the smell, I failed to notice the sun had come out and fearing it might soon disappear behind a cloud again, I quickened my pace to get out of the shade of the sycamores. Luck, it seemed, was on my side, seeing a good patch of blue above me. I stood there for a moment with my head tilted towards the sun, lapping up its warmth.
This, as you know, is a spot where I often stand, listening to the babbling water of the brook nearby. Of course the view of the brook is now hidden by leaves of surrounding bushes, but I still know it's there, the sound of its water tumbling over rocks. I think the little tributary has dried up as I couldn't make out the sound of my little waterfall.
The steep fields either side of the tributary are empty now, so I will have to wait until next spring to hear the sound of lambs bleating again. Today, flocks of jackdaws stand in the fields, pecking and squawking away. The gorse in the top field has gone over now, but boy did they produce some dazzling yellow bushes earlier this year!
No sooner had I looked up to the top of the gorse hills when large clouds came from behind them. Before long, the sun had gone in again and a cool breeze got up and I quickly walked on down the lane.
Here the lane is narrow again and I can only see the wood higher up, most of its trees green. Gazing across them all, I suddenly noticed a buzzard, chased by two jackdaws - I think. It swirled and swirled in an attempt to gain height and it was some time before the jackdaws finally left it alone. Happy that it would no longer be of danger to them, the jackdaws headed back whilst the buzzard soared high above me. Eventually it headed towards the Cairn and out of my sight.
As the buzzard disappeared so the sound of a rusty old saw began. I assumed it was Percy working away in his old yard nearby. Walking past, though, there was no sign of him. His old metal gate was padlocked and I could see no movement except a great tit bobbing about on some logs that were ready for chopping. Seeing me, the startled bird flew into the hedge. I did my best to look for it but it was too well camouflaged and then as I started off it began once again whistling its tune. What did it sound like? A rusty old saw going this way then that way - I'll never make a twitcher! As ever, the hedgerows alongside Percy's yard were awash with colour, with clumps of deep pink campion and sweet little blue spots of birdseye.
A few yards on, by the old farmer's gate, the sun came out again. A bigger patch of blue this time, so I stopped to lean against the rusting gate. I'd timed it just right and was able to watch cows enter the field across the brook on the far side. Gifford stood to attention, his eyes so transfixed on the moving beasts you would have thought he'd never seen cows before! Bourton, however, just looked at him with a 'seen it, done it, worn the collar' type of glance. He was missing out on a lovely scene. Well, I think so. Picture it: buttercups and clover swaying in the field, cows crossing a brook, and a robin close by singing a melodic tune. What more could one ask for?
It reminded me, auntie, of when I used to come and stay with you as a child. Do you remember how we would stroll through the fields, me asking you what this flower was and what that insect was? I tried so hard to stump you, didn't l? You always seemed to have the answer, although I have a sneaky suspicion that if you didn't know, you would make up a name. I've looked in all the books and I can't find the 'fruit salad butterfly' or the 'blackjack spider' in any of them!
These rural reflections were then suddenly shattered as a jet plane roared frighteningly low down the valley. Its sight and sound went as fast as it came, evidence of which shown only by Bourton who was still looking in the sky for it. Even Gifford, laid back as he is, wondered what had happened. The cows, however, continued their lazy walk into the field oblivious.
Illustrated by:Paul Swailes
Peace disturbed, I walked on and was soon aware that as in previous summers, the campion and birdseye were less evident along this part of the lane, giving way instead to wild flowers of the white variety. There are always a great number of white flowers along this part of the hedgerow, but I am never sure which is which. I recognised the fading flowers of stitchwort, and cow parsley, but there were others just starting their seasonal flowering. Were they yarrow or hogweed? Perhaps they were hemlock. I really must bring my wildflower book with me, next time.
Soon we were at the gate that leads up to the creepy old chapel. We were fortunate today to have the eeriness taken away by a couple of ducks that were waddling down the pathway. The shock of seeing us soon sent them into a quacking and flapping frenzy and within moments they were airborne, one duck tucked in behind the other. Off they flew, quacking in time to the flap of their wings. Where the chapel's boundary wall meets the lane, the most delicate and tiniest of walled flowers were appearing out of the cracks. Another one I must look up in my book! And, as always along this part of the lane, I was then greeted by the fragrant smell of meadowsweet.
As I stood and took in a deep breath, the sound of children's laughter caught the air. Seconds later, a family with three young children, evidently sharing a joke between them, appeared around the corner ahead of me. Before I could say anything, Gifford was off, the sight and sound of children meaning fun and games for him. I scarpered after him but the father called out that everything was alright - his children were used to dogs and had seen Bourton and Gifford before. Then I remembered meeting the family last year.
Fussing over, the dogs made haste knowing that around the corner was the gap in the hedge where they could get down to the stream. As usual, Bourton just lay down in it and drank his usual supply of spring water. And as usual, Gifford had a mad five minutes running upstream and then downstream, stopping only to go down on his front legs to bark at Bourton. You could see he was desperate for a game, but like he always does, Bourton just gave him back that look that said, 'I'm the sensible one, mate. I'm saving my energy for the walk back!'
Well, my dear aunt, I must go now so that this letter catches the post. Sorry I haven't told you about much goings on.
[Well! The letter may have only been about a short walk, but look what detail can be gained from it. Why not try it yourself sometime?)
Steve McCarthy
33
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 17
If I gave you the words "motorway" and "countryside" and asked you to think up a phrase that associated them, what would yours be? "A threat to wildlife", perhaps? Or would it be "tranquility forever shattered"? Or how about "a blot on the landscape"?
Well, let's get hold of the last phrase and assume that if something is a blot on the landscape, the "blot" must have little in common with the "landscape" around it. Surely you could therefore not deny that, for instance, the sound of harmonious birdsong is in sharp conflict with that of rubber speeding upon tarmac? Or that the sight of autumnal beech trees is in stark contrast to that of summer traffic jams?
If this is the case, then let me pose you another conundrum: did our forebears back in the eighteen hundreds think the same of the engineers who gouged tons of earth out of our farmland, built viaducts that destroyed valley scenes, created embankments that blocked views and laid track upon ground where cows once grazed? If our forebears did see these engineers in this way, and I'm only assuming they did, surely they would now turn in their graves hearing us today nostalgically talking about "the golden age of steam"!
These days, of course, anything related to this era is usually seen as a compliment to the countryside in which it is set. After all, who could deny that a steam engine merrily puffing its way through a wood of bluebells acts as the final touch to an idyllic spring scene? Other forms of transport can have the same effect as well. Take the sound of a distant drone of an invisible light aircraft above a hazy summer sky. It somehow completes the rural summer setting. Then there's autumn, a season synonymous with the sights and sound of farmland machinery gathering in the crops. And how about winter? With the sun setting late in the afternoon, the inside lights of a country double-decker bus are once again visible as they twinkle in the distance; and within many a Devon valley the sound of a bus's struggling engine can often be found echoing through its hills.
Of course many buses carry passengers going to and from work, most of whom are commuting from outlying villages - villages that are themselves a fine representation of the countryside. If you think of a village, you'll no doubt associate it with rural locations and in most cases the churches, cottages and other dwellings built by man's own hand often act as the final subject of an artist's painting that completes the picture.
Without the village, the colours of the painting have no contrast. In Berrynarbor, for example, could you imagine the valley painted without its church and cottages snug tight against the hills?
These buildings, however, don't just benefit artists or the people for whom they were built, come to that. Many man-made structures benefit wildlife, too. Take the church builders of centuries ago who erected houses of worship for their local parishioners. How many of them realised that their dainty looking porches would become homes for swallows to bring up their young? Or that the engineers who constructed great piers for holidaymakers to enjoy realised that they would later become great meeting places for huge flocks of starlings? And what about the plumbers who installed outside lavatories? It is unlikely that they reckoned on them becoming ideal accommodation for nightingales to make nests in. Then there's the carpenter whose chest of drawers, no longer used for its original purpose and now tucked away in the back of the garage, has become home for a robin or a mouse. And even the D.I.Y. 'kings' play their part, as gaps left when putting up an out-house has become home for a little wren. And all of these made by man in the first place.
The list could go on and on: a slate wall built centuries ago to hold back earth is now residence to an abundance of flora and fauna; the invention of the telephone that led to miles and miles of cables, now acting as a resting place for birds, the ideal location to see a fine row of house martins. And finally, man's development of technology. Thanks to this I can listen to a CD of birdsong or watch a video about our summer countryside - in the middle of winter!
So perhaps not everything mankind creates necessarily works against the rural setting in which it is placed.
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
Steve McCarthy
26
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 16
If the course of one year could be adapted into a play about the countryside, then each season would be a new act, each month a new scene.
In my last article I reminisced about personal experiences that related to each month of the year. It was something I enjoyed doing, yet I concluded the piece by writing about the dangers of living in the past. But why? This question floated around my mind for sometime. Then a recent walk answered it.
My journey began at Willingcott, just southwest of Mortehoe, on a path that followed a route on the old railway line to llfracombe. To begin with there was little indication that I was walking where a rail service had once thrived. This lack of evidence initially saddened me and walking over a token bridge, one that allowed a campsites' roadway to pass underneath, did little to raise my spirits.
They lifted, however, as I reached the summit of my walk. For there before me stood the old Mortehoe station. Now a pleasant tourist attraction for the young, little about the building has changed since the line was closed. Carriages, track, platform canopies and much more remain, the sight of all this allowing my mind to journey back to a time when it was once a busy working station.
This was a time when excited holidaymakers would alight for Woolacombe - and when more pensive holidaymakers would alight, unsure of where they were with the station shrouded in sea mist. It was also a time when impatient llfracombe holidaymakers, overkeen to set off on the last leg of their journey, had to wait whilst the second locomotive that was needed to pull the train up from Braunton, had to be uncoupled, and then wait a bit longer whilst the main locomotive was replenished with water, dry from the effort of getting its passengers to the 600 foot summit.
The sight of this entire nostalgic memorabilia was in vivid contrast to the next sight I viewed, walking on a little further. For where earth had once been painstakingly dug out to create the deepest cutting along the line, earth had now once again been replaced. Only a road bridge with nothing to cross over gave a hint of what was once there before.
Cuttings, however would become a regular feature for the remainder of the walk beyond Lee Bridge. But oh, how excited the holidaymakers must have become just before the bridge as they looked down upon the thick pine woods around Lee Bay and their first glimpse of the sea! Yet it would be the last time they saw it until almost reaching Ilfracombe station. Beyond Lee Bridge evidence of the old railway line once again became scarce. The odd fragments of rusty metal or broken concrete blocks, hidden amongst wild grasses, gave faint clues. The further I walked, so the less I felt in touch with the origins of the route that I was taking. Of course, evidence of earth dug out by men and their picks was all around me. Yet treading within these deep hollows my walk began to take on a new perspective. I could hear very little, barring the occasional solitary bird song, the periodic rustle of leaves and the regular sound of water as it trickled down from the fields above.
With little else to look at, I found myself studying the flora of the banks either side of me. Immediately I was struck by the contrast on both sides. The right hand bank, seemingly starved of warming sunlight, was awash with moss, bracken and ferns. Here and there, young oak trees provided a change of scenery. The left hand bank, however, was getting the full benefit of a low winter sun, allowing shrubbery to grow with gorse bushes most prolific.
Further on, the sounds of the invisible trickling water intensified and I started to hear what seemed more akin to gushing sounds. With each step I listened more intently. Then, as a small recess within the bank came into view, I caught sight of a most narrow yet forceful waterfall. Then I noticed another just beyond it; and then another further on. A delicate smile etched itself across my face. For here, along an old railway line with only me for its audience, nature was performing a unique water show.
Leaving the cascading scenes behind me, I soon realised that the water from the falls was intent on staying with me, as along either side of the path gullies appeared. They allowed the water to flow, sometimes at a flurry, other times at a trickle. Its sight and sound became good company in an otherwise still and silent landscape.
When I did return my attention to the scenery around me, I was momentarily taken aback; for the summits of both cuttings had risen to a substantial height. So sheer was the drop on one bank that excavators had needed to build a small wall to keep the earth at bay. These summits then lowered slightly to allow a farm track to cross the line, courtesy of a stone bridge.
Though obviously man-made, the bridge was now playing a special role in its rural surroundings, for walking out from underneath it I noticed some significant changes to the scenery. Most obvious were the juvenile trees that now lined the pathway. Less apparent was the ever-flowing water, which on one side had gradually developed into a gentle stream. Most inconspicuous of all were the summits of the banks either side of me. Still rising steadily they were at the same time pulling away; and as I carried on something else struck me. The path was now rarely straight. More precisely, it would first veer one way, then the other. It was as though the route of the old railway line was now being determined by the course of the stream. Mother nature, it seemed, had played her part after all.
Content with this idea, I almost missed the next man-made aspect of my walk: a disused concrete hut, perhaps once utilised to house fog men who would warn trains from llfracombe that Mortehoe station was shrouded in Atlantic mists. Despite now being a blot on the landscape, the hut like the bridge before it, acted as a stage curtain to show a different rural scene beyond it. For now I began walking within a most enchanting wood. Sadly, my closest companion along the walk so far, the lovely stream, had darted behind the hut and was pulling away from me. Its sounds, however, were replaced by wonderful birdsong high in the trees.
Then stopping on an old iron bridge that allowed another stream to flow underneath, I stood in awe: for where the bank descended sharply to meet the tributary, low winter sun was allowed to send shafts of stunning rays through the wood; here and there some of the rays flickered on the water where it babbled over rocks. The scene caused another smile to cross my face - here was yet another show stopper, written, produced and directed by nature!
Beyond the bridge the path meandered beneath an extended archway not made by man, but by nature's own trees whose branches crisscrossed above. For a short time a small bank rose up in my left side, impeding my view of the ever-developing river below. However, when the bank descended once again, I found that the flowing waters had disappeared, having dispersed into the narrow beginnings of the Upper Slade Reservoir. The further I walked the wider the reservoir became pushing the hills on the other side away from me. In contrast, the bank to my right stayed close to the pathway. Before long I realised the path was itself now cut into the hillside. Now immersed in a wide valley, I pondered on how photogenic a location this must have been from the other side of the reservoir as steam engines worked the line.
Passing a tranquil waterfall, guiding its clear fluid into the Lower Slade Reservoir, I came upon an old signal post. Like a child who joins a new school halfway through the year, the post looked alone and unable to relate to the greenery around it.
The opposite could be said of the next man-made object I came across just around the next bend. If the signal post were a school scapegoat, then this was the school bully. In the minority it might be, but amongst its natural surroundings it had taken nature on and won, literally ripping mother earth out in the process. I am, of course, referring to the two Slade tunnels. These days only one can be walked through, its partner's entrance now blocked up. But for me, these two tunnels represented much more, for standing in front of them I realised I had two choices. Either I could walk through the open tunnel and enjoy the experience in the process. What lay beyond, I would only discover once I came out the other side. Alternatively, I could build myself a mental wall that would force me to turn around and relive my journey over and over again.
The old railway line is much the same. One can either regard it as a reminder of a past golden age, using its man-made remnants as an opportunity to live in the past. Or one can see the line for what it now is: a place to enjoy the natural backdrop, developed over time since the line closed.
The choice, of course, is yours.
Illustrated by: Peter Rothwell
Steve McCarthy
27
RURAL REFLECTIONS -15
As I go around the countryside, its sights sounds and aromas often bring back memories regardless of the time of year.
Take January. Renowned for its dull and gloomy days, the sight of clouds hanging low over the hills take me back to my first holiday in Scotland. I was quite young at the time and had little experience of English hills, let alone Scottish mountains. So when I saw a mountain whose peak was immersed in cloud, I was desperate to go up it. That way, or so I thought, I'd discover how thick and woolly clouds actually were!
Come late February, the fields that splatter our landscape have become soggy underfoot, the result of a winter's rainfall or the thawing of ice or snow. Deep underground, the sunken water finds its nearest way to a river or brook. In Devon, of course, such meandering waterways are in abundance. But as a child, I lived upon the chalky ground of the North Downs. Here, even in winter, streams were hard to find; though I do remember one little tributary, only reached by descending a steep gully and only flowing when rain had fallen over a long period. What a novelty, then, and what fun it was to play 'racing sticks' with my friend.
In March the winds increase, uprooting trees now too old and fragile to stand up against them. However, within days of their demise, new seedlings shoot out of the ground, nature's way of replenishing what has been lost. Whenever I see this, I recall the devastating effects of Dutch elm disease. As a child, I had to watch the wood where I had played being chain sawed to the ground. Then, I became mistakenly excited when the new shoots appeared. Then died.
Illustration by: Paul Swailes
April is a time to restart hill walks last undertaken in autumn when the days had cooled sufficiently but before it had become too cold to stand at the summit. Ascending these hills, I always think back to my days in the school cadets, and in particular an army camp in the Pennines. Why I ever chose to go, I will never know! I can hear the sergeant major now, "McCarthy, what are you doing, struggling at the back there? Get a move on! You'll never make a soldier if you can't reach the top of this molehill!"
May brings its blossom of the same name. And what an aroma! One scent of it and I am instantly taken back to the suburbs of Brighton where we lived. Circled by a nature trail that was awash with May trees, the area would be filled with the smell of May blossom.
During June the sound of grass being cut begins to continually echo throughout our land. But where fields and garden lawns are left untouched, daisies and dandelions appear, gently swaying in warm summer breezes. Just like the playing field where I spent my breaks at infant school. A place where Claire Collis, the girl I sat next to in class would contentedly make daisy chains; and the place where I picked her a bunch of dandelions, only for her to retort: "I'm not sitting next to you anymore. Picking dandelions means you are going to wet your pants!"
By July woods are at their thickest, the final destination of narrow tracks leading off from major pathways now obscured from view. But as a child, this was the time to investigate these trails in the hope of finding a clearing that could not be seen by people walking the main path. With a little adaptation and imagination, the clearing transformed itself into a secret hideaway. Any walk I now do through woods during July brings such memories flooding back.
Throughout August our public parks come into their own. Their flowerbeds are awash with colour by courtesy of geraniums, busy lizzies, petunias, and many more. These orderly bedding plants always take me back to teenage days walking my pet golden retriever, Sheba. To get to the main park we had to walk first through the park's garden. There, as always, we would meet the park keeper, an old man who gave the impression he'd been there longer than the ancient trees surrounding him. He always had a talr to tell and, more important, always had a treat for Sheba.
Within our hedgerows throughout September blackberries are found in abundance. Stretching to reach that massive juicy blackberry, the one that is always just out of reach, my early childhood immediately springs to mind. Having first been brought up in a block of flats in central London, where "playing outside" meant constantly scraping my skin through falling on the concrete ground of the communal courtyard, my infant body thought it was in heaven when we moved to a house in the suburbs with a long narrow garden. Then I thought I had met an angel when our new neighbour, a dear old lady whom I came to affectionately call Auntie Ann, asked me to help her pick blackberries at the back of her garden. How proud I was when my Mum made a pie from the blackberries that I had picked.
The gusts of wind that blow throughout October carry with them swirls of fragile golden leaves. Evidence of these gusts can still be seen long after the wind's departure where leaf piles have formed. What a thrill it is to kick and trample upon the dried leaves, feeling them crackle beneath one's feet; and how it reminds me of dog walks in October through the resplendent Stanmer woods near the South Downs, kicking up leaves along the way and sending the dogs into a mad frenzy!
Illustration by: Debbie Rigler Cook
November: a month of nights drawing in, wildlife hibernating and the colours within our countryside fast declining. By now, bracken leaves have turned a mouldy brown colour; a sight that even today turns my stomach. It's those school cadet days again. Except this time, myself and the other four cadets in our group are completely lost somewhere within Ashdown common, and not one of us took any notice during the compass reading session. Its getting dark, I am cold, hungry and frightened and all I can see around me is ... mouldy brown bracken leaves.
Ah, December! The month when our dear robin comes into his own? The sight of his striking red breast and the sound of his sweet song cheers up the gloomiest of days. Seeing one always reminds me of the only task I would undertake in my parents' garden - the weeding. Our garden, you see, had parallel flowerbeds following the fences, which ran either side of the garden, upon which perched two robins - one on each fence. Weed on the left hand side and the robin on the left hand fence reaped the rewards. Likewise the right. But never did they dare fly across that invisible fence in the middle!
The robin is, of course, also associated with Christmas; and like this December article, Christmas is also a time for reflection. In doing so, we may feel both happy and sad. Happy when we recall a Christmas day full of both fun and laughter yet a memory which may also bring a tear to our eyes when we realise that some of those with whom we shared that day are no longer with us.
Nature, however, never looks back and Christmas day is no exception. Quite the opposite. When our countryside awakes on Christmas morning it notices something very subtle but still significant: it began to get light just that little earlier. News of this spreads throughout the land. And in our garden, the Christmas robin sings his song to tell us that we have turned the corner. Now the advent of Christmas is over, the advent of spring can begin.
Though nature itself may never look back, it is not necessarily a recommendation for us. Indeed, history enables us to reflect upon our past mistakes. Our memories too can bring us comfort. So maybe there's a happy medium to be struck. Whilst it is good to recall the past, particularly at this time of year, perhaps living in the past is just as unhealthy as ignoring it. So as we enter a New Year, knowing that each day will stay light a little longer, let's look forward with anticipation and excitement to the brighter days of spring. Merry Christmas. Steve McCarthy
32
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 14
It's early afternoon with August nearly at its close. I enter my summerhouse, pen in one hand and notebook in the other and then sit down to write my next "Rural Reflections" article. My mind, however, draws a complete blank. So I sit and wait for inspiration and wait ... and wait...
As I do so, some water droplets reflecting sunlight into the summerhouse distract my eyes. They rest delicately upon the stretched out leaves of the montbretia. Every so often the leaves bob up and down in the early autumn breeze, shifting the dappled reflection about the cabin. There are mini drops, too, upon the lawn. Watching them shimmer, a small shadow flutters over the grass; this way, then that way, it flickers until the shadow and its creator combine as one upon a deep purple hydrangea head. The shadow's creator, a cabbage white butterfly, has a moment's rest before taking to the air. Steeply it rises upwards and soon its white fluttering wings are a sharp contrast against the clear autumnal sky.
The word clear does not seem to do the sky justice. Its vivid blue colour is also in sharp contrast against the trees high up on the Cairn wood. Intensely I study their colours, knowing that soon these shades of green will be transformed to gold.
Suddenly a seagull glides across my tree-lined panorama. I follow its flight until it comes to rest, if you please, upon a nearby bungalow roof. Soon its partner joins it and together they give out their ever-familiar squawk. Yes, I know it's a din, but when you have been a city boy like me, the sound of gulls always brings to mind childhood days at the seaside.
Now there's another bird song to enjoy. In the hedge behind a robin is singing his melodic tune. As I listen my eyes gently return their gaze to the hydrangea head, and soon notice that not just the occasional butterfly but streams of them are wooed towards it, leaving all the other hydrangea heads without even a look in.
Well would you believe it? Those pair of seagulls have now contentedly perched themselves upon the roof ridge tiles and are basking in the afternoon sun - as is a red admiral butterfly, except he is sunning his. wings upon the shining p.v.c roof of my log store!
Suddenly the sun becomes hidden behind a double chocolate cloud - white on the top but dark underneath. The wind suddenly gets up, making the red admiral take off at quick speed. Trying to take control, he nearly flies into my summerhouse but at the last moment the wind dies down and he is able to carry on his flight path. I follow his route past the pear tree where the gust of wind has forced a few more pears to drop to the ground. Ah well, more for the insects and birds!
The cloud soon passes allowing the dazzling sunlight to return. At the same time a small garden spider appears on the path leading up to the summerhouse. It dashes one way, then stops, then dashes another way before stopping again. After almost five times of stopping and starting he finally reaches the other side of the path. Why he didn't save himself a lot of energy and go straight across the path without stopping, I will never know.
Now another sound occurs, one that makes me look automatically upwards - that of a buzzard. I feel, however, that his cry is coming from the other side of the valley and out of my sight. But for me it does not matter, for his calling sound is enough - as is the sound of the robin still singing, the bee that is humming close by, and the ducks that are quacking in the nearby park. Instinctively I find myself closing my eyes to listen to their harmonious calls. Then, before my eyes have properly shut, the local church bells begin their melodic echo up the valley. I savour the moment: it's one of those occasions when all seems well in the world.
Suddenly the feel of a wet nose on my hand disturbs my special moment - it's our older black Labrador, Bourton. He is giving me that hang dog look, looking at the floor, then back at me, and so on. But I know his game. He is waiting for me to say, "Come in then and lie down". Behind him is Gifford, our younger Labrador. Now having two in this summerhouse is going to be difficult as there is not enough room! So what do I do? You've guessed it; I rearrange things to let them in. Anyway, I think that's enough of my rambling thoughts which have taken up too much of my precious time - I really must get on, if I am going to get this next article written... !
Steve McCarthy
Illustrated by: Debbie Rigler Cook
22
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 13
In recent articles I have written about the many property programmes that appear on television these days. Some, it seems, feature house hunters in their search for new abodes that are within the realm of our own shores; others take their home seekers further afield. Watching these programmes from a rural perspective, I am always intrigued by the latter, especially if they are seeking a property which is situated in a hot, dry climate.
Of course, there are some quite understandable reasons why people choose to either live or holiday abroad. One obvious explanation is our unpredictable and unforgiving weather. For many, the choice to either melt in Malta or be marooned in Martinhoe is an easy one to make though the chances of the latter are pretty remote, if you think about it.
However, like anything good in life, it comes with its sacrifices; and to be in an area that guarantees you hot, dry weather, the sacrifice is usually the view. Or to be more specific, the possibility of any variation in colour or contrast within that view. Worse still, a local excursion to vary the view can sometimes prove to be a fruitless exercise.
The same, however, cannot be said of the British Isles. Each country, region or indeed each county, seems able to boast some sort of rural splendour that cannot be associated with its neighbours. Obvious examples spring to mind: Yorkshire can boast the Dales, Norfolk the Broads, Worcestershire the Malverns, Derbyshire the Peak District, and there are many others.
A true appreciation of this fact can perhaps only be experienced by travelling any particular length or breadth of the British mainland, a journey I myself recently undertook when visiting family and friends.
Initially we criss-crossed the Garden of England, Kent. Here was a county full of diversity. In places its border meets the sea at its own level, whilst at other times rises high above it, creating those most famous wartime cliffs. In places the county has a clay soil, most prolific in the great marsh at Romney. Yet where the North Downs give birth and begins its march westwards, the ground is chalky.
At Westerham we crossed into Kent's north westerly neighbour, Surrey. By now, the North Downs had risen to a formidable height, 900 feet above sea level at its peak. To the north of the Downs, the county is scattered with commons and the gentler downs such as Banstead, Epsom and Walton. At its north-eastern fringes, the Thames gently meanders through Chertsey before gathering pace as it enters the capital. To the south of the Downs the ground is more level but awash with trees; indeed, Surrey's boast is being one of the heavily wooded counties in England.
Yet Surrey's southerly neighbour is different again. Crossing the border into Sussex's unique Weald, one is aware that trees are on the decrease and the hedgerows widening. Indeed, by the time we met the
Illustrated by: Peter Rothwell
South Downs north of Brighton, the only apparent similarity between it and the North Downs is that they are both ranges of hills; for whilst the North Downs has woodland clinging to its sides, the South Downs is, in many places, bare, its forests stripped a thousand seasons past when wood or farming were the greatest needs. Likewise, there is evidence in places of long-gone hedgerows ripped up to make way to the economical needs of arable farming. Sussex, of course, sidles up against the English Channel, its coastline meeting major rivers at Rye, Newhaven, Shoreham and Littlehampton. Where the River Cuckmere flows out to sea, the shoreline rises steeply and then descends, this occurring seven times and so giving Sussex the unique coastal hills that are aptly named The Seven Sisters.
Crossing the border into Hampshire we were soon in the midst of that county's unique claim to fame: the New Forest, Here, the animal kingdom often takes priority - if a New Forest pony wishes to stop in the middle of the road to take in the view, then man must wait. The ponies are, of course, just one aspect of the Forest's many splendid features.
Despite its name, the New Forest has large areas that are treeless. Yet heading out of Hampshire, its north-western neighbour seems stripped of them. Wiltshire's boast is its Salisbury Plain, offering the ideal location for the claustrophobic. Here, tractors plough their way across wide, open fields. Or where rape seed is allowed to grow, the panorama becomes splattered with huge yellow blotches.
To some, the Wiltshire landscape may seem harsh and unforgiving. If so, then a simple cross into neighbouring Somerset offers yet another change, to softer scenery. Soon we were amongst The Levels, where hedgerows and streams are once again more commonplace. Not that it is level for long, for not too far away are the hills of the Mendips, the Quantocks, the Blackdown Hills and, of course, Exmoor. Here and there we see smaller, isolated hilltops that are full of our ancestral past. If it's landscaped history you're after, Somerset's your county.
Then finally we crossed the border into Devon. Red soil amongst patchwork-quilt fields; rolling hills that create endless valleys, which in turn create an abundance of streams and rivers. Moorland, woodland, the list is endless - but then when it comes to Devon, I am somewhat biased. So, too, am I biased towards our British countryside over foreign lands - as if you hadn't noticed!
Steve McCarthy
35
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 12
In recent issues I have imagined being a bird looking for a tree in which to nest. In carrying out my search, I tried to keep it similar to the one we ourselves do when seeking a new home. Subsequently factors such as the location of my tree, its appearance and size, plus that all important initial "wow" factor, all had to be considered. Soon enough the right tree was found but like any house move, it was not to be without complication.
When considering my tree's location, I had decided it did not matter if the tree was off the beaten track. After all, having found it, I assumed I should not be bothered about going up close to the tree. Curiosity, however, got the better of me.
The trouble was, it was not just the once that I went to look at it. Not even twice, or just three times. Far from it. I began "visiting" my tree quite often. And I still do. In fact, I have got rather attached to it! Oh don't worry, I've tried not going but it's no good; whilst being away recently I even found myself regularly checking teletext to make sure it wasn't too windy down here! So I suppose I am stuck with her now - it, I mean.
The thing is, I have started to wonder if it is the tree I am actually attached to or that other already mentioned factor... it's location. For me, the tree is situated in a lovely spot. And when I saw it back in the winter for the first time I had no idea what beauty its location had to boast come the spring.
Currently, my tree stands amongst a sea of dazzling bluebells, all rippling within the hillside's wood, as far as the eye can see. Here and there, individual campion provide spots of red whilst clumps of white stitchwort complete the grounds patriotic display. Where wild flowers have chosen not to grow, occasional ferns, holly branches and other saplings offer greenery to the carpet bed. Finally, shades of brown cover the remaining earth, provided by the previous autumnal fall of leaves.
Evidence of recent storms can be seen where fresh branches lie, whilst lower down their decaying counterparts, who fell many seasons before, can still be made out. Close at hand proof of a more violent storm is revealed in a defeated old ash tree, evidently unable to win its battle against the storm's force and now lying at rest upon the woodland ground.
But life in the wood goes on. It's early May and few of the trees are still naked. Far from it, most are now wearing their spring wardrobe and boasting bright green leaves that have once again resurrected their trees from the cold dark days of winter. Even the fallen ash lives on, its horizontal trunk ensuring that some of its roots do a 90-degree turn into the ground.
Desperately they suck out some moisture from the soil, allowing the ash to tender its own small but invaluable offering of greenery in the wood. Late April showers stimulate the bluebells to shoot their perfumed aroma into the mid morning air. The stream nearby, softly cascading down rocks and slate, has been renewed too, the sound of its trickling water the perfect accompaniment to the "rusty saw" song of the great tit that perches on an overhanging branch.
The whole scene is completed with the appearance of the sun rising over the summit, dramatically shining beams of light through the wood and making each tree's infant leaves seem transparent.
My tree and the setting it is in seems, therefore, to have met all the criteria I laid down when I first set out to look for a tree for my imaginary bird -- with one vital exception I had crucially specified "in peaceful surroundings". Yet on the other side of the valley is a busy main road. So why was I prepared to compromise this? After all, the whole venture had started through me watching a property programme called "Location Location Location", these being the "three" factors that apparently sell a property.
I suppose this is true to some degree; but when surveying the wood in which my tree stands, I can easily disregard the noise of nearby traffic. As far as I am concerned, the wood could be next to the M25.
So whilst for my imaginary bird my tree was its home, perhaps for me it has become a room alongside many others, in a wood that acts as the house. Indeed, it was my dear father who once said, "location isn't everything, for once you have closed your curtains at night you could be anywhere. The building in which you live is just as important."
So whether it is a room in your house, an area in your garden or a spot close to where you live, perhaps the important thing is to have a special place to call your own. A place where, whether literally or in your mind, you can close your curtains to the outside world and be lost with your thoughts.
Illustrated by: Peter Rothwell
Steve McCarthy
24
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 11
In my last article I wrote about being an imaginary bird, seeking a tree in which to nest. I compared my search to the one we ourselves do when moving home. In choosing my ideal tree-house, I found the factors I was considering were similar. Size, type and the location of the tree all had to be contemplated.
The one essential consideration I forgot, however, was the "wow" factor. Without this, even the best properties meeting all the objective checklist requirements count for nothing; and that's because the "wow" factor isn't objective. It's one based on our feeling, an inner excitement that tells us it's the right place to live, as soon as we see it. It was a feeling that when I wrote my last article I had not yet experienced, as I wandered around the countryside looking for a tree for my imaginary bird. Soon after though, I saw it.
Walking the dogs through a local wood nestled tight upon a valley's edge, my eyes were suddenly drawn upwards towards a Beech tree. Nothing special about that, you may suppose. It was, after all, amongst many other beech and hazel trees of similar height, their sky-reaching branches creating a snug-tight canopy. But this particular beech tree was in a slight, but natural clearing, bar the odd hazel saplings close by to keep it company. Being slightly apart from its fellow trees meant one of my checklist requirements could be ticked off. Being off the main path, it was also a tree that nobody else could readily see. Another tick.
So it went on, as tick by tick the tree seemed to meet my mental checklist: well established, though not of an age to be full of holes or decay. Nor was its trunk seemingly plastered in ivy. On the contrary, the bottom half of its trunk had branches proceeding off at spacious intervals, becoming more regular where the trunk split into two. Higher up, its branches stretched out further, their offshoots becoming hands and fingers that interlocked those of its neighbours.
Yes, I thought, this tree could be the one; and as I stood there examining its detail from the pathway, I experienced again that feeling when studying the estate agent's details of what seems to be the ideal property: I wanted to investigate further.
What happened next, however, cannot be explained over the course of a few written lines. So I'll leave that for next time. Suffice to say, the sky outside is fast becoming grey and threatening and I'd like to visit my tree before the rain sets in for the day ... what was that I wrote in my last article, about not being bothered about how accessible the tree was, as I would probably only take notice of it the once?
Steve McCarthy
28
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 10
With a number of property programmcs filling my T.V. screen during these winter evenings, my mind has frequently drifted back to the day I first ventured into an estate agent's office. Lunged into a chair by an over-enthusiastic young lad, shaking with excitement at the commission pound signs above my head, he launched into his ready prepared questionnaire lying neatly on the desk in front of him. In his frenzy he turned over two pages at once, completely missing the page requiring all my personal details and the bit about how much I could afford. "Now Sir, firstly the type of property. Is Sir requiring a flat, a house or a bungalow? And how many rooms? And is Sir preferring a small Mediterranean back yard or an acre of land?" Before I could answer he whipped the page over and just carried on with his questions.
"And is Sir a townie or more the rural gentleman? Village or hamlet? Or maybe completely isolated, if you prefer? Is privacy a factor? And what about noise? We have both town houses in cul-de-sacs or country cottages on busy main roads on our books, Sir. Does being far from amenities bother you?" And so he went on.
We covered what age of property I was looking for through to appearance, condition, and so on. By the end of it all, I didn't know if I was coming or going; or buying or selling come to that. In the end, I think I walked out with details of a run down penthouse suite in the centre of town with an acre of land some ten miles away.
Now what, I'm sure you are wondering, has all this to do with reflecting rurally? Well, you see, for some weeks now I have been carrying out a similar search again as I did all those years ago except this time for a tree. Yes, that's right, a tree.
It all started when taking the dogs for a walk one morning. Admiring the unique physical impression that every tree beholds, more so at this time of year, I thought I would try to single out one tree that, if I were a bird, I would choose to nest in and call my home. So, recalling from my mind the questions blasted at me by the young estate agent, I began to look for my tree. Firstly the type, or species. For me, that eliminated all evergreens, as I wanted mine to strongly reflect the changing seasons. Sycamores were also out of the question, as I do not like the way they take over and make it difficult for the light to penetrate through. It would, however, need to be a common species, like an ash, oak, hazel, or beech, say. Singling out one particular tree would then make it more special.
Next came its location. Of prime importance was the requirement that nobody else could readily see it. This meant either finding a lone tree right off the beaten track, or finding one in a wood. The latter seemed the sensible option, though I did not want my tree to be hemmed in by others around it either. Accessibility was not essential, as I would after all probably only look at it the once; and for this reason it did not matter whether it was in a nearby wood or not. But I wanted it to be in a quiet surrounding, though the sound of bird song, farm life or running water would be a bonus. Finally, came age, appearance and size. My tree, I decided, needed to be well established though not too old and of at least 20 feet. I fancied that the branches should come off from the main trunk liberally and equally all the way round and that the trunk should be clearly visible rather than covered all over with ivy.
Specifications complete, I began my search; but as the weeks passed by, what I thought would be the simple task of finding my imaginary tree home became harder and harder. Had I been too strict with my specifications? Or was I doing something so stupid it could not happen anyway? To my latter question I soon replied "no". After all, people have a favourite plant in their garden, the one that makes them go "wow!"
Thinking this, I suddenly realised why I had not yet found my ideal tree home. It was not that my requirements were too strict, it was that I had forgotten the most important specification of all: that "wow" factor. Just like when looking for somewhere to live there are times when the property does not do anything for you when you first walk into it. So I realised it was the same situation with my tree. I had not yet seen one that made me go "wow!"
So watch this space...and in the meantime watch out also for the lengthening evenings. It is a sign that spring is on its way.
Steve McCarthy
32
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 9
It had been of those mornings when I wished I'd stayed in bed. First the toaster fell in love with the two slices of bread I'd placed in it; so much so, it wouldn't give me them back. Well, not until it had scorched them and set the smoke alarm off which in turn sent the dogs into a frenzy.
Deciding to comfort my empty stomach with a nice, hot cuppa, I then realised I'd run out of tea. Still grappling with the taste of coffee in my mouth first thing in the morning, I took the dogs out only to discover that my walking boots had also started a love affair, theirs being with any cold water that chose to seep inside.
Retail therapy was obviously needed though with the iron having literally run out of steam the day before, my shopping list looked more like items chosen off the conveyor belt of the Generation Game. My trip into town, however, was to be far from therapeutic, particularly when my swipe card was declined. Back home and what seemed like a hundred telephone calls later, I discovered that my wages hadn't been paid into the bank.
Now, I was angry and in serious need of some sort of therapy to relieve my stress. A look out of my lounge window didn't help as a dull, wintry day just looked back at me. "So what?" I suddenly thought, "Let's get in the car and see where we land up." With that, I headed out of town.
Reaching Mullacott Cross, I turned left so I could head along the road that runs the high ridge of llfracombe. Along the way the peaks of the Hangman Hills came into view, their outline a most wonderful foreground to the Bristol Channel and Welsh coastline beyond.
Then, driving over the peak of a slight gradient, the unforeseen venue of my drive out came clearly into view - Exmoor. It appeared chilling and haunting, its sky above grey and overwhelming. Yet dark though the rnoorland was, its landscape was intensely detailed. Hedgerows stood out boldly, as though black lines had been imprinted across the scene by an artist's pen.
The dramatic image was all the more enhanced by the threatening clouds, which in places shrouded the hilltops with thick mist. The only brightness to be made out in the scene was beyond the troughs between hills, where the distant cloud seemed lighter.
In many ways the moor looked dark and uninviting. Its dramatic scenery, however, seemed to have a magnetic pull over me. It was as if it was enticing me closer and closer.
By the time I turned off the "A" road onto some country lane near Brayford, I felt as though the cloud base was just above me.
Certainly the top of what I presumed was Castle Common had disappeared, so I knew I was going to have to be careful where I drove. And the day had definitely darkened, though for someone who had been brought up in the town and had a fear of the dark and being alone for too long, I felt amazingly secure. Exmoor, it seemed, would keep me safe and would be all the company I needed.
So without a care in the world, I began turning left here and right there, seeking out the brightest parts in the sky. [Not quite like the 'twister chasers' who seek the tornadoes in the American deserts, but similar, I suppose]. In places, the hedgerows stood taller than my vehicle and l, allowing bracken leaves to reach out and wave at me in the wind.
Soon, the roads were undulating through lightly packed valleys where sweet little streams were never too far away. At the base of each miniature valley, an old stone bridge would greet me, allowing clear fresh waters to scamper through.
Crossing one such bridge I noticed a 'Public Footpath' sign. Curiosity getting the better of me, I luckily found close by a passing place, both deep and long enough for me to park up, knowing there was still enough space if any other vehicles met head on.
The path, running alongside the stream a short distance, soon turned away from it and headed steeply upwards. Walking up it, I became acutely aware of how the dull day was allowing the varying shades of the limited colours available to stand out. The hedgerows, though now devoid of spring and summer wild flowers, still had plenty to offer: the greens of the bracken and ferns, the yellows of leaves still turning and the golden browns of leaves that had completed their autumnal transformation. Each stood out luminous. Even the pale colour of withered grasses took on an unprecedented appearance.
The feeling of being at one with Exmoor's countryside was soothing. For a moment, however, I thought the roaring sound of a fighter jet would ruin my peace of mind. The nearer I got to the brow of the hill, so the louder the noise became. It was only as I reached the summit I realised that the roar was in fact that of the wind soaring through the naked branches of a large Maple tree, standing solitary in the field beside me. Though, as I studied its branches, there appeared no movement. The wind was being heard, but not seen.
From my panoramic viewpoint, I could again appreciate how the dull day really was enabling me to see in detail all that was on show. On the hillside ahead of me, a mass of gorse bushes clung to the steep sides, the deep green of their leaves making an impact on the view. The bushes could only boast a scattering of yellow flowers, yet I could easily pick each one out.
Within the hill to one side of me an old farmer's cottage nestled, painted a rather bland cream colour. Today it's outer walls stood out like a blot on the landscape. Where the field beside me sloped steeply away, a lone sheep stopped momentarily to look at me before carrying on her grazing. Even she stood out, her outline acting as a bright silhouette against the valley beyond.
Above her, a crow hovered, not through choice but as a result of its fight to fly in to the ever-increasing wind. Indeed, only the wind seemed to be making any noise at all, the setting being devoid of birdsong.
Maybe sound would have spoilt the setting. For once, it was not needed. The view alone, indeed all that I had seen as I drove across the moor, had been enough. So what if I hadn't done any retail therapy? And so what if I had no money? Exmoor, on a grey, gloomy day was the therapy I'd needed. And the sights it had to offer were priceless.
Illustrated by: Peter Rothwell
Steve McCarthy
23
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 8
The other day I took my two faithful black Labradors, Bourton and Gifford, for their last walk of the day. Together, we strolled along the country lane that meanders alongside the Wilder Brook and heads up through the Score Valley. It was coming up to eight o'clock, the time we usually set off of a summer's evening - except it no longer seemed like summer, for a strong breeze was rustling through the trees, bringing with it an autumnal chill.
As they rustled, so the occasional leaf parted from its branch and glided through the air before gently landing on the ground beneath. Detail on the trees higher up on the hillsides seemed harder to make out tonight; soon, they were mere silhouettes displaying only their outlining shapes for me to see.
The sky, stripped of any bright light it may have got from a sun now set deep beyond the horizon, filled itself with grey, threatening clouds that were tipped at the bottom with a thin strip of deep pink. It seemed only a while ago when the valley was not only greeted of a morning by the sun rising over its hilltops, but was also then bid farewell by the same sun, setting so westerly it was sending deep evening rays streaming through the valley. This evening, though, even the hills' highest peaks were without sunlight.
Hedgerows too seemed bland, now stripped of the multitude of colours once bestowed upon them by wild flowers.
In the coming months, of course, not all the shortening evenings will seem gloomy. For soon our woodlands will be resplendent in varying shades of gold, the trees' leaves flickering in the auburn rays of autumnal sunsets. It allows us to feel that the dark days of winter are still far away; as though nature is in remission.
Before we know it, however, the weather vanes will change direction, depicting the arrival of strong winds from the east and the north. Soon, these will have stripped the trees bare, leaving no visual traces of summer.
Yet hard as the dark, cold days of winter may try to depress us by disrobing nature of all its beauty, the one thing they can't eradicate is our memories. For though the countryside may soon look bland and hostile, at least it's still there to act as a reminder of how things were.
Yes, the fields may soon seem featureless, but look hard enough and you'll remember when they were packed with buttercups and full of the sound of newly born lambs bleating away. Yes, the woods may soon seem naked, but look hard enough and you'll remember when they were covered in carpets of snowdrops and bluebells. Yes, the hedgerows may soon seem forlorn, but look hard enough and you'll remember when primroses, campion and, foxgloves made them look so merry. And yes, your garden too may soon seem unadorned but think hard enough and the memories of how lavish and ornate it was through spring and summer will fill you with warmth once again.
The cycle of life within our countryside runs a close parallel to our own lives. During the summer I sadly lost two close relatives who meant a great deal to me. Like the shorter days of winter that are approaching, I too know I have some darker days ahead of me; but I also know that the lovely memories I have of them, and how they enriched my life, will fill me with the warmth and comfort I'll need.
Illustrated by: Peter Rothwell
Steve McCarthy
23
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 7
For many people summer is their favourite time of year. For workers returning home after a hectic day, the light evenings allow them to unwind as they view the countryside around them. Foxgloves line country lanes, leaning out from hedgerows, all vying for attention; with each one wanting their own deep pinks to be appreciated. Other roads disappear under natural tunnels of trees, their branches arching either side like a guard of honour to the commuter entering underneath. The driver's vehicle goes suddenly dark, intermittent light being offered only by a setting sun as it flickers through the dappled shade of green leaves.
Later in the season that same worker could go for a refreshing evening walk, perhaps over Exmoor to gaze at the splendour of its purple heather, or maybe to Lee to survey the hundreds of Fuchsias cascading down through the valley.
For others, however, summer is not a good time. Ironically those same late summer evenings can be unbearable if it is hot and sticky. Indeed the humidity that is guaranteed with a hot English summer can drain our countryside of its colour too. Fields and meadows are brown parched and barren.
It is this same climatic reason, which makes autumn a favourite time of year for others. Cooler days mean they can once again walk through the countryside without getting hot and sweaty; and through a countryside, which has now become an artist's paradise. For green has now given way to gold, resplendent through the woods, each tree boasting a unique shade of its own. Autumn also offers a chance to relive traditional patterns of life before the age of Supermarkets. Crab apples, blackberries and mushrooms can be picked as we gather up food for the winter ahead. Also the sight of conkers hatching from their shells as they ricochet to the ground allows us to recall days spent in September playgrounds attempting to smash an enemy's best conker into bits.
Yet for others autumn is not so enjoyable. The seemingly-too-quick shortening days, the first cool northerly winds, strong enough to rob the trees of their first leaves all act as a reminder of dark days to come.
A rural winter, however, offers many a spectacle. It is only at this time of year that a wood of conifers can be transformed into a winter wonderland when their branches are heavily laden with snow. On other days one might look across to Exmoor and see only its peaks scantily covered, the chance to tell a child that God has sprinkled icing sugar over the hills whilst making his Christmas cake. It is also a chance to giggle at the seagulls as they take daring steps over a frozen lake and then roar with laughter when the ice suddenly snaps! Those same frosty mornings also let us admire the splendour of the deepness of a robin's red breast, standing out against the white scenery around him; even better the tree upon which he is perched is now stripped of its leaves, so bearing the colour of its bark beneath. How lovely in winter to see the varying colours like that of the silver birch bark.
Other trees now find themselves another use at winter: having been felled and chopped, their logs provide that unique heat that can only be experienced when burnt on an open fire; and can only be appreciated when the curtains are drawn on a wet, cold and windy night outside. Many, of course, find the dark days of winter and all the coldness and rain that goes with it their excuse for disliking winter most of all. It's as though we too are like our rural counterparts, hibernating within our dwellings and rarely seen. So whilst summer, autumn and winter have their good points, for many these seasons also have negative aspects. Yet I defy anybody to say the same of spring: it may not necessarily be everyone's favourite time of year, but how can any negatives be found? Snowdrops give way to crocus, which in turn give way to narcissi. Soon the March winds will blow them over allowing the tulips, camellias and primroses to take centre stage; and before they have completed their final encore, May blossom trees will be in splendour, woods will be thick with bluebells and gardens will be boasting azaleas and rhododendrons. What's more, with each passing day the sun is getting a little higher, offering that extra bit of warmth as the weeks pass by.
Our countryside at this time of the year is like an adolescent; growing and maturing so quickly and full of energy - so if you are feeling lethargic go out there and zap some of its energy up!
Illustration by: Paul Swailes
Steve McCarthy
26
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 6
For many of us the early months of the year can be our worst time. Winter, having been with us since November, now seems to hang in the air making the hot balmy days of summer seem a life-time away. Even as I write this article, a grey veil of cloud is covering the sky seeming to suffocate the countryside of the brightness and colour it needs.
Medical experts now say that it also prevents us from getting the light we need to keep our spirits high. "Seasonal adjustment disorder" they call it, or "SAD" for short. Yet it is this same seasonal adjustment that makes these early months my favourite time of year; for the season, or to be more precise the seasonal daylight, is on the increase.
On midwinter's day I climbed the Cairn nature reserve to witness the sun dipping behind a clump of trees on a hilltop near Higher Mullacott Farm. I checked my old watch face, long parted from its strap but still kept safe amongst warm tissue in my coat pocket. Its hands read ten to four. I smiled back at it, knowing tomorrow I should witness the sun setting a little later.
These subtle increases in daylight have other positive effects at this time of year. Sensing that the tide of the shortening days has turned, snowdrops and narcissi poke baby tentacles out of the ground to see if it is safe to come up. Wild garlic also push out early leaves, blowing in late winter winds to test the air's temperature and see when it will be safe to force other leaves out; then they can dramatically announce their annual arrival with pungent aromas.
Encouraged by winter sunshine, hedgerows show the slightest signs of new growth, a reminder that we shall soon once again be admiring the splendour of their primroses. Over the next few weeks, those same hedgerows will house fields for newly born lambs, skipping as they run and shaking their tails as they suck on the warmth of their mother's milk; and like us, they too will be basking in the warmth of early spring sunshine.
The trees around are also reminding us that brighter days are on the way. Already blossom can be seen on the winter flowering prunus; and if you look closely other trees are already pushing out baby buds from beneath their winter coats. SAD? Oh yes, I've definitely got SAD. That's why this is my favourite time of year; but then what I am suffering from is a "Spring Approaching Discovery". And the good news is it's infectious; just look at the countryside around you and you will soon catch the bug. What's more, it can make even the dullest of days at this time of year seem bright.
Steve McCarthy
Illustrated by: Helen Armstead
41
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 5
At the top of the Cairn Nature Reserve is a wooden bench, looking down upon the houses of Lower Slade. From it you can still make out the line of the old railway, now a footpath, bending round the valley as it makes its final turn before arriving at its Ilfracombe terminus. The hillside into which it cuts is now dense wood, with sycamores dominating.
The hilltop provides me and my two black Labradors with a well-earned rest, our climb having been ascended from the steeper western side. It is here that I often sit for some time, my mind deliberating over any matters that concern me. Recently, I've been 'chewing the cud' over perhaps the biggest issue of them all: the theory of evolution. Was all that I saw around me created in just 6 or 6 trillion days? As I glanced around at all the patchwork fields, I suddenly realised that both theories agreed on one matter - that the land upon which we depend, and the animals and plants that live with it, were all here before us. That, I then concluded, makes them older than us so doesn't that make them wiser? The more I considered this, the more I realised that the notion 'the older the wiser' can be seen in abundance in the countryside around us.
Re-cycling is just one example. whereas we have only just realised its environmental benefits, nature has been doing it for years. Around us at the moment, trees are shedding their leaves, becoming compost for the ground below. More than this, nature re-cycles life itself: as a dandelion dies it metamorphoses itself into seeds that glide in the wind to ensure its species survive. Man, in the form of transplants, has only just learnt this technique.
When a dead tree falls, it provides a natural home for woodland insects - no surveyor solicitor's fees required; no consultation with the tree's branch advisor and no terms and conditions - who's the wiser of who lives there? The twigs of that same fallen tree provide the bricks and mortar for the building of a bird's new home to raise its offspring - without any planning application having to be sought!
Of course, it is man that nature depends upon when it needs help, the law of the jungle being the survival of the fittest. This I could see for myself, sitting on the top of the nature reserve, where sycamore trees are dominating proceedings, preventing light to penetrate through for smaller plants.
With this thought in my mind, I looked down at my two dogs, Bourton and Gifford, the former sat up alert, whilst the latter was laid beside him, licking Bourton's coat as though it tasted of his favourite dog meat!
"If you were in the wild right now," I said to them, "You might not know what to do if one of you became ill; but at least you wouldn't intentionally hurt each other without reason. You're the wise ones, not man." Bourton just turned his head slightly, gave me one of his casual glances, then returned his attention to the high, circling buzzard he was concentrating on. In contrast, Gifford stood up, wagged his tail profusely and started licking my hand, not caring what I said, just pleased I had paid him some attention.
With that, a cold wind suddenly took hold, so gradually we began descending back through the wood. As we walked, I listened intently to the old trees, swaying and creaking in the wind. Just for a moment it was as though they were trying to speak to me.
"If these trees could talk," I thought, "They really would have some tales to tell."
Then I realised it would be more than just tales they could tell us; moreover, it would be the lessons they could teach us about the value of life itself.
Steve McCarthy
Illustration by: Peter Rothwell
30
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 4
Whilst walking through the Score Valley one morning in August, my meandering thoughts were suddenly distracted by the sound of babbling water.
It was coming from the Wilder Brook, gently snaking its way between the hills.
It seemed strange at first that the brook's flowing echoes should catch my attention; I do, after all, walk through the valley every morning. Then I remembered waking that night to the thud of pouring rain, something I had not heard for some weeks. The downpour had seemingly swelled the brook's banks to a level that allowed me to hear once again the sound of water dashing over stones.
Not that the brook had actually dried up. It could still be seen scarcely trickling down waterfalls in Bicclescombe Park, a little further downstream. Yet thanks to this sudden cloudburst, those same falls became alive once again. The whole episode leads me to consider how my life might be without rain.
To me, a sudden downpour of rain, especially in the summer, seems to re-vitalise everything: it clears all the dust and dirt in and dirt in the atmosphere after a long, hot, dry spell; it rescues a parched flower; and it stimulates birds to whistle harmoniously, as they sing their song of thanksgiving for the freshness the rain leaves in the air.
Moreover, it stimulates all the scents that nature has to offer. With each passing dry day, a rose will turn her petals downwards as she conserves as much energy as she can. Once the rain arrives, she throws her head up majestically and releases all the fragrance she can muster in appreciation.
Illustration by: Peter Rothwell
Nature's colours would be so bland, without rain. Just think how dull the colours of the country look after dry weather. The face of our Mother Earth becomes gaunt and pasty, her land no longer green and pleasant. Her fields look scorched, her parks look bare and our lawns look parched. Then, thank goodness, the rain arrives.
Furthermore, what is it that's so special about a shower of rain? I love walking in one in the summer, especially if I'm all hot and bothered. I find them so invigorating and the rain's usually quite warm itself In the spring time, with the chance of thunder, lightening and a few hailstones thrown in, a downpour of rain can be so dramatic. A bit like Ethel Merman singing "There's no Business like Showbusiness": it starts with no warning, can be so loud it's deafening (and like Ethel Merman, needs no microphone) and finishes as suddenly as it began.
One other thing, whilst we're on the subject of showbusiness. Where would Gene Kelley or Sacha Distelle be now, if it wasn't for rain? (Or our very own double-act, Simon and Sue, come to that).
One final benefit of rain: when united with the sun in our sky, they then proudly give birth to one of nature's finest creations - a rainbow - putting a smile on a face, whether it be young or old.
On a serious note, one can not avoid the fact that rain, of course, is like all its meteorological counterparts: whether it be sun, rain, snow or wind, they can all show us their heartless nature with devastating consequences. Only this time last year we saw the powerful effects of too much rain.
Let's hope that this autumn and winter doesn't bring with it the abundance of rain we saw last year. Then hopefully the next time you look out your window on a rainy day and feel low as a result, just hold on to the memories of what that very same rain allows you to enjoy during the spring and summer months.
Steve McCarthy
26
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 3
Whilst living in Brighton I attended a creative writing evening course. At the end of the first lesson the teacher, who was rather eccentric, suddenly exclaimed: "Take heed, my dear students, if you want to become a writer, you must get in touch with your senses. So go and smell the air! Hear the sounds! And taste the wind!"
With that, she slammed shut her folders, whisked them up tight against her chest and skipped out of the room, taking long strides as she went. The motion caused her long crimson hair and full-length lilac dress to flow everywhere.
We all sat there momentarily stunned ... and concerned - is this how we would all turn out? One lady looked particularly worried: she had arrived straight from her office job and was now staring down at the smart black suit she had on. By the end of the course, would she be expected to have dyed it pink with yellow carnations sewn on? Before we had a chance to catch our breath, Ms Megasseola [that's a made-up name, straight out of a period romantic novel I'm sure, popped her head round the doorway, "And I forgot to say ... that's your homework." With that she disappeared again.
"What's our homework?" we all queried. "Seeing the sights and tasting the wind", we presumed. "And where am I going to find the time to do that?" I quietly thought to myself.
As it happened, the next day was my day off from work and I needed to do some shopping. Getting the bus into town was fine; but road works in the town centre meant a probable long wait for my bus home. So, my retail therapy complete, I stood in the already long bus queue and got on with my "homework".
First I 'saw the sights': faces of frustration in an ever-growing bus queue, to match the line of cars with drivers' angry eyes; two metal poles sticking out of the ground, once supporting wooden slats that gave seated rest for a weary shopper; symmetrical artwork on the windows of a shop's double door, which they now call graffiti.
Next I 'heard the sounds', or in this case one sound: a recipe of car engines, shouting voices, trampling heels and pneumatic drills that, when all mixed together, concoct a lovely din.
Next I 'smelt the air': trying hard to differentiate the scent of a car's fumes and a bus's fumes. Finally, I 'tasted the wind': and almost choked!
The whole experience left me quite uptight. Ironical, really, seeing as I had gone on the course to reduce some of the stress I was having at work.
Eighteen months on, however, it's a different story. Now living in Devon, I regularly stop in rural locations to get in-touch with my senses, and feel much better for it.
Only the other day, I stood on Holdstone Down and first concentrated on what I could see. A deep blue sky with cotton wool clouds casting shadows on the white horses of the Bristol Channel below. Sun shining down on the coastline of Wales, with the huge Brecon Mountains towering behind it. Then I listened intently. To the skylark above, continually singing his high-pitched song. To the sound of propellers on a light aircraft somewhere in the distance. To the wind as it rushed over the top of the grass below me. Then I took a deep breath and realised that here, even on top of Holdstone Down with no flowers around me, the grasses and branches of the forthcoming heather had a smell of their own. And what is it about coastal air? Even its taste is clean and fresh!
So go on, try it! The next time you have a worry on your mind, one that just won't leave you alone, go out and find a spot and just spend time getting in touch with your senses; because all the time you are thinking about it, you are thinking about your troubles.
Illustration by: Peter Rothwell
Stephen McCarthy
34
RURAL RELECTIONS 2
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder", so it is said. Well let's imagine for a moment you have a friend, one who you have known for a very long time; so long in fact, you're able to remember them as far back as even your earliest childhood memories. We'll say that over the years there have been times when contact with them wasn't always regular, yet they were always there when you needed them to talk and think things through.
Now imagine waking up one morning to the news that they have suddenly decided to become a recluse; only for a while, though they haven't said when they will want contact with people again. They don't mind being seen out and about or in their front garden, but that's all: talking to them is out of the question.
No doubt you would be so shocked at hearing the news, you'd probably rush round to where they live to make sure it wasn't true; but imagine when you got there, you saw a notice on their gate, reading:
"CONTACT PROHIBITED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!"
Just think how frustrated you would feel, especially if your friend was standing the other side of the gate looking at you.
Naturally, as time went by you would begin to miss terribly being able to meet up and have a chat, yet at the same time you might also start to realise how much you took your friend for granted. Maybe you'd never stopped and thought about how much you needed them or how little you appreciated them.
In the same way, I am experiencing the temporary loss of one of my best friends: the countryside.
Of course, when I heard the news about all the public rights of way being closed, I fully appreciated the reasons why.
Yet the morning I heard this news, I still had to see it for myself; and, oh boy, what a sinking feeling I had when I walked to the entrance of my local nature reserve. There, pinned on the kissing gate was the notice, with bright orange meshing strung across it. Of course, I could look at the path the other side of it, winding its way up and in to the dense wood beyond, but that was all; and I didn't know at the time when I should be able to walk it again.
Part of the nature reserve was re-opened about six weeks later. Walking it for the first time again, I became acutely aware of how I had taken for granted the fact that it was always there. Its trees, its gorse, its great variety of bird song and even the single wild orchid I noticed, standing proud amongst the leaves of forthcoming bluebells.
On reaching the summit, I breathed in the air of a fresh April wind whistling through the valley below. It brought with it the echoing sound of falling water, gushing from reservoirs in the distance. I looked around and thought, "It's great to be back!" Since that walk I now find myself appreciating more, much more, my local nature reserve; and not just for the dense variety of woodland life within it. I now appreciate the simple fact that it is there. Free, for me to enjoy, whenever I want to.
From now on, I certainly won't be taking the countryside for granted.
Oh, and one last thought . . . your imaginary friend. Let's say, shall we, that when you met up with them again, you noticed how fresh and re-vitalised they looked. When you tell them this, they say it's because they've had a break from everybody continually leaning on them for support.
Well, who knows, in the Great Plan of everything, one of the side shoots to bear fruit from the foot and mouth crisis might be that our beloved countryside has had a respite from the trampling heels of the human race. Walking the nature reserve this morning, I noticed bluebells flowering very close along the paths I was walking - I'm sure they weren't there last year.
Stephen McCarthy
Illustrations by: Peter Rothwell
26
RURAL REFLECTIONS
Without doubt, the outbreak of foot and mouth disease within our countryside has touched the hearts of the whole nation. The media's pictures of smoke billowing up from an infected farm is enough to cause even the hardest of us to mourn the instant loss of so many lives.
The regular media updates on the crisis are of course fully understandable. However, with each bulletin seeming to bring only further bad news at the moment, I've need to inject some positive thoughts into my mind to stop me feeling low. The trouble is, whenever I feel like this, it's the countryside I normally turn to. So, what was I to do? In which direction was I to channel my thoughts? From my questions came my answer: direction, or wind direction to be more precise.
This is, of course, one of the elements dictating where foot and mouth will strike next. Farmers are undoubtedly keeping a watchful eye on the changing course of the wind; and it was when hearing on the radio a farmer talk about this very matter that I was suddenly taken back to the Great Storm of 1987, when a bird's eye view of the south east of England would have given anybody a clear picture of the actual direction the eye of the storm had taken. It was as though a giant had stepped this way, then that way, crushing everything in its path.
At the time of the storm I was living in Brighton, one of the towns to receive the full brunt of the storm's anger. Nature had appeared to be so cruel, for not only had the wind used explosives to blow off the roofs of man-made structures, it had also used swords and daggers to kill its own kind. Like the animals who have gone into those pyres recently, the trees didn't ask to be killed. So why did it all happen?
Once the clearing of the timber carcasses was over, the answer became clear. From the ravages of the storm, Brighton took on a new look. Infant trees were planted where their forebears had previously stood. It was as though the town had a re-birth.
In the woods out of town, these grand old trees were allowed a respectable death, their decaying trunks providing new food and shelter for woodland creatures great and small. She may have been a bit drastic with her plans, but Mother Nature was merely providing for her own. She had obviously also decided to sweep clean the 'old guard' who had stood for centuries watching over Brighton, replacing them with fresh young sap!
On a much smaller scale, our own garden here in Ilfracombe has also had a good sweep clean. Down came the apple, ash, cherry, plum and hazel trees, the forsythia bushes and the abundance of brambles, so high that in places they were taller than our bungalow itself!
Watching it all being either chopped, shredded or burnt, I wondered if we too were being cruel to Mother Nature. After all, we were robbing her of some lovely trees, not to mention the huge crop of blackberries that would have been yielded that autumn. Yet it seems that whatever cruelty we might have inflicted upon her, Mother Nature has already forgiven us. Like her, we too had been drastic with our actions; but in doing so, provided sunlight once again to the ground beneath.
In return, a breathtaking carpet of snowdrops rose up, so shocked by the sight of the dazzling sun, they had to dip their dainty little heads downwards. Soon they were joined by miniature narcissi, their almost off-white shade perhaps a sign that they too were in need of some warm spring sunshine to colour their cheeks.
Then finally and triumphantly their parent daffodils rose up, standing tall with their weathered, deep yellow faces looking out once again on garden they had not seen for years. Watching them all sway in a gentle spring breeze was like watching a long lost family sway, arm-in-arm, to a favourite old tune at a grand reunion.
Yes, nature can be cruel. At its most tempestuous it can take life itself, killing its own along the way. Yet who can deny that at this time of year nature is like a puppy dog parade: all on display and so much wanting to please us.
Stephen McCarthy
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