A country walk in summer...
Today is Summer Solstice, here in Arcardia. We're celebrating with a gentle drizzle of rain. So the garden looks especially fresh and lovely.
Yesterday, my host escorted Mr Arcadia and I on an 8 mile ramble. We walked through Ickworth Park, then joined a local footpath across the fields of wheat, barley, and something else that may have been rape. My obsession with wheat continued. Walking through chest-high wheat across a field, on a summer's day, following an ancient right-of-way is definitely one of those Enid Blyton-esque things that needs to be experienced.
No pictures, because although it was incredibly beautiful, it hasn't translated well into a little snapshot.
We saw squirrels and rabbits and hares. We saw evidence of foxes, especially near a farm that a couple of weeks back had been grazing free range chickens. The foxes may well be the reason the chickens were elsewhere. We also saw two types of deer: Muntjac & Fallow. The Muntjac are small and quite adorable, although they can be a pest eating bark from the trees. We saw fields of poppies, which are just starting to flower in mass. We saw fine prospects, and 14th century church towers.
Some of the ground was quite rough, so it took us nearly 3 hours - we were slowing our host down quite a bit, we're guessing. We were rained on fairly thoroughly at one point as well. And I brushed my hand against some stinging nettle (which lives up to its name). So a proper rural time was had of it.
For some reason it terminated at a great local pub, the Hawkedon Queen, where we had a fabulous on-tap cider called (appropriately) Double Vision. It's called Double Vision because its 7.4%. Mr Arcadia bought me a pint (!) Our host had a real ale. Mr Arcadia finished mine off, then had another half-pint with our host.
We are likely to return to the Hawkedon Queen this evening, as they are having Morris Dancers, a bonfire and a bbq to celebrate the solstice. My hosts tell me that Morris Dancers are something that must be experienced once - and probably only once. Mr Host said, "Do you enjoy folk music?" When I said, "Yes, I do, rather." He said, "Oh, rotten luck then." I will report back later.
Yesterday, my host escorted Mr Arcadia and I on an 8 mile ramble. We walked through Ickworth Park, then joined a local footpath across the fields of wheat, barley, and something else that may have been rape. My obsession with wheat continued. Walking through chest-high wheat across a field, on a summer's day, following an ancient right-of-way is definitely one of those Enid Blyton-esque things that needs to be experienced.
No pictures, because although it was incredibly beautiful, it hasn't translated well into a little snapshot.
We saw squirrels and rabbits and hares. We saw evidence of foxes, especially near a farm that a couple of weeks back had been grazing free range chickens. The foxes may well be the reason the chickens were elsewhere. We also saw two types of deer: Muntjac & Fallow. The Muntjac are small and quite adorable, although they can be a pest eating bark from the trees. We saw fields of poppies, which are just starting to flower in mass. We saw fine prospects, and 14th century church towers.
Some of the ground was quite rough, so it took us nearly 3 hours - we were slowing our host down quite a bit, we're guessing. We were rained on fairly thoroughly at one point as well. And I brushed my hand against some stinging nettle (which lives up to its name). So a proper rural time was had of it.
For some reason it terminated at a great local pub, the Hawkedon Queen, where we had a fabulous on-tap cider called (appropriately) Double Vision. It's called Double Vision because its 7.4%. Mr Arcadia bought me a pint (!) Our host had a real ale. Mr Arcadia finished mine off, then had another half-pint with our host.
We are likely to return to the Hawkedon Queen this evening, as they are having Morris Dancers, a bonfire and a bbq to celebrate the solstice. My hosts tell me that Morris Dancers are something that must be experienced once - and probably only once. Mr Host said, "Do you enjoy folk music?" When I said, "Yes, I do, rather." He said, "Oh, rotten luck then." I will report back later.