Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee,
Whether summer clothe the general earth
With greeness, or the redbreast sit and sing
Betwixt the tufts of snow on the bare branch
Of mossy apple-tree, while the nigh thatch
Smokes in the sun-thaw; whether the eave-drops fall
Heard only in the trances of the blast,
Or if the secret ministry of frost
Shall hang them up in silent icicles,
Quietly shining to the quiet Moon.



Monday, June 20, 2011

Scenes From My Week

A very wet Sunday morning in the herb garden at Hardwick Hall.

On Monday morning I finally caught a glimpse of the deer that I've been looking for on Blackamoor for nearly a year! They were passing through some woodland on Strawberry Lee Lane and were there and gone before I had chance to take many photos. What with them being on the move and B Baggins on his lead and equally interested in seeing them the few photos I did take were poor - but at least I saw them!

All week both in Ecclesall Woods and in the woodland areas on Blackamoor I've been assailed by the wonderful perfume of the wild honeysuckle which seems to be exceptionally abundant this year.


A close up - the honeysuckle does at least stand still:)


There are cattle on the moor at the moment, they are there to help control the bracken which is threatening to swamp the bilberries and heather. These seem to have lost their way and were on the path down from Lenny Hill to Strawberry Lee Lane. I finally managed to herd them back up into the woods - my calm 'Cush Cush's' were interrupted at intervals by yell's of 'STAY THERE' as B Baggins showed signs of making a closer inspection of them! Happily he did as he was told and all was well. I certainly had no intention of putting him on the lead in that narrow space!



These two friends I see every morning grazing in the field at the bottom of Shorts Lane.




On Thursday morning I was surprised to see these two young stags in the field just below where I park the car. Having looked in vain for nearly a year I saw the deer three times this week as they were up on Big Moor on Wednesday too but only on the skyline and much too far away for photographs. I shan't be around for the next week as we are off to our house in Lancashire today. I hope the weather turns out better than the forecast which appears to be wall to wall rain!

23 comments:

Rosie said...

Lovely post, Rowan. Isn't it magical to catch a glimpse of deer? They are such secretive creatures. We were at Hardwick Hall a couple of weeks ago and the gardens were looking wonderful. You were very brave to herd the cows! Hope you enjoy your week away:)

Gracie said...

Think about it: when I'm out of my flat, all I can see are cars, buses, people hurring at work/school, shops opening their doors while people shout to each other......how does it sound to you? Nothing alike what you see outside your home, right? Thanks for taking me along another walk!

Thimbleanna said...

Oh, don't you love seeing the deer? I always enjoy your walks -- they're so beautiful!

Jane said...

You live in a gorgeous country. Absolutely love the lighting in the cattle pic.

Anonymous said...

You live in such a gorgeous place, Rowan, I always enjoy visiting!

George said...

What a week you've had, Rowan. With these photos, I think I've enjoyed it almost as much as you did. May you have another interesting week!

Dartford Warbler said...

Lovely photos of your lush, midsummer countryside.
I narrowly avoided hitting a red deer on Thursday. It jumped out of the hedge , straight into the road.

Doubtless you will find rain in Lancashire, but have a good break anyway.

Granny Sue said...

What beautiful pictures--the antlers on the deer are quite something, aren't they? Thank you for a beautiful post.

Diane said...

I agree with Rosie, that you were brave to move the cows! I love the herb garden at Hardwick Hall

Roy said...

Well it was good to see the Deer at last.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful garden and nature pictures. I love honeysuckle and it has already flowered here, because of the warm weather. It's much colder now. I think it might be the same in England ??

Wanda..... said...

Wishing you good weather this week Rowan...nothing but rain here!

Elizabeth Rhiannon said...

Oh! Beautiful pictures...love the deer. Not a bad week, I'd say. Blessed Solstice, to you and yours :)

Sheila said...

How nice that you finally saw the deer.
We saw a good sized doe as we drove home from the lake on Monday.
Enjoy your week away, I hope the weather co-operates for you.
hugs
x

Hearthwife said...

Ah, the scent of wild honeysuckle! :)

Hope you're enjoying your time in Lancashire.

WOL said...

What a magical experience!

Carolyn said...

Hardwick Hall looks beautiful! I enjoyed the pics of the stags too.Walking in a woods with wild honeysuckle would be a joy too.

Carolyn

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

And with antlers!

Very much like the cow photo.

Lucy

Morning's Minion said...

I especialloy like the photo of the deer--called "buck" [for singular and plural] in the US.
There were many around our last Wyoming home--not unusual to see one gazing in the diningroom window when the curtains were opened in the morning.
I hope for the safety of both humans and dogs that the cattle on the moor don't include a bull or two.

Ash said...

Hello, thanks for calling in on my blog of my time at the museum in the Dales, I hope you enjoy and maybe you might even visit at some point!! I occasionally see deer around me but with my ever present collie -x I don't get much chance to take phoro's so its lovely to see yours. Regards

Mary said...

Your patience paid off - the deer are always beautiful to see. Looks like everywhere is lush and green Rowan, and I can almost smell the lovely perfume from the wild honeysuckle - just hope is dries up for your Lancashire visit.

Have a great time.
Mary

Robby said...

The place is very relaxing and a good place to unwind...

Comfrey Cottages said...

how magical! i would love to walk with you xxxx