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 08, 2015

Cuckoo!




In April come he will
 In May he'll sing a lay
 In June he'll change his tune
 In July away he'll fly
 In August go he must

 I've known this little rhyme since I was a child and yesterday morning I discovered that the line 'In June he'll change his tune' is absolutely true. I heard two cuckoos calling all the way round on our walk on Blackamoor and mostly it was the usual 'Cuckoo' but every so often I heard instead 'Cuck-Cuckoo'. I'm so glad that we still have at least two cuckoos around, I did think that there might be three but I can't be sure of that.


The wildflowers are wonderful at the moment, this is Pink Campion, Queen Anne's Lace and the wonderful aniseed scented Sweet Cicely beautifully set off by the dry stone wall. A couple of pieces of Sweet Cicely stewed with fruit (especially rhubarb) will allow you to use half the usual amount of sugar. You do need to be careful though as it is very similar to the highly poisonous hemlock. The hemlock has red spots on its stems though and lacks the wonderful aniseed scent of Sweet Cicely which is present in the leaves, flowers,and seed heads. I always squeeze the flowers when I pass as I love the smell of aniseed.


I like this photo because it looks as though B Baggins is smelling the flowers:)


Some of the fields are a sea of beautiful golden buttercups at the moment, they look just fabulous and the camera doesn't do them justice.


On the higher part of the moor there is lots and lots of crosswort - its always there but this year I've seen more of it than usual.


The May blossom is everywhere - I love to catch the scent on the breeze but close up it becomes rather overpowering. Always beautiful though. This is just a taste of the English countryside, next time we'll be back in Spain.

15 comments:

Mac n' Janet said...

I don't think there's anywhere in the world prettier than the English countryside in spring.
We heard our first cuckoos when we were living in Germany, before that I thought they only lived in cuckoo clocks.

Cheryl said...

Beautiful.....I love the wildflowers........we have fields and fields of buttercups at the moment. You are right, to capture their beauty with the camera is difficult.
Lovely image of BB............are you sure he wasn't smelling the flowers :)
Love the stone wall amongst the campion and cow parsley.

Cheryl said...

BTW hear the cuckoo most days but not aware of his changing his call.....must pay more attention.

Rosie said...

Oh, how wonderful to hear the cuckoo calling it is a sound of my childhood rarely heard now. The only time I hear that sound lately is from next door's clock when they have their window open. Your photos of the wild flowers are wonderful and lovely to see B.Baggins enjoying his walk amongst them:)

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Such lovely photos - and especially of BB "smelling the flowers". The scent of spring is fabulous for sure.

Granny Sue said...

Lovely little rhyme. I never heard it before. And the flowers! Ahhhhh....

Barb said...

Oh, I love wildflowers...there is something so magical about them. What lovely pictures...so calming.

I love the rhyme.

Barb

Lowcarb team member said...

Hello - I've just come across from Cheryls blog.
Have enjoyed reading your post, thank you.
I love some of the rhymes that are around, fitted perfectly.

All the best Jan

Roy Norris said...

Love the first image D and the buttercup meadow.
I heard the cuckoo very briefly yesterday for the first time this year, which is quite late for me.

The History Anorak said...

I didn't know about the cicely/hemlock problem so I think I'll stick to a sugar/stevia mix for now! There are some gorgeous flowers in your photos. We're surrounded by oxeye daisies at the moment. They're glorious.

Anonymous said...

Such beautiful pictures. Wonderful wildflowers. You really live in a beautiful part of England. Thank you so much for sharing. A big hug for B Baggins ; )

Karen said...

Beautiful! Nothing can beat the magic of wildflowers. You are so lucky to have a cuckoo. Haven't heard one hear for a few years now sadly.

Jenny Woolf said...

I'm glad you heard a cuckoo. I haven't heard a single one this year and I am really sad about it.

Anonymous said...

Like Jenny above, no cuckoos heard in my part of the Country ~ Norfolk : (
Very glad to hear that they are still visiting elsewhere!
Thanks for visiting me!
A fellow wildflower lover : )(Your pics are lovely..)

thewiildmagnola said...

I enjoyed the look of your English countryside. and Loved B. Baggins smelling the flowers.

Thank you!