Colours again, but mostly green the soft palette of late summer, as everything ripens. This is to record the hops in the hedgerow, on one of my favourite walks. As we park in the little layby and I get out a feeling of serene detachment comes over me. Why I do not know, this little river is just so peaceful in its small wilderness. The visit the other day was one of those chance drives into the countryside, to buy plums and greengages from the farm shop, passing by the now empty old pub, rather sad as it awaits its next reincarnation, that lies by the side of the A12 or old Roman road a victim of our more upmarket pubs/restaurants further along the road.
The hops humulus lupus are I think these below, though the hop flowers are very small but the leaf looks similar, Grigson says of it, the Hop twined and twirled in English hedgerows and thickets long before it became one of the ingredients of English beer. Hops apparently had been cultivated abroad, so it it also has a Saxon name hymele or humela.
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Today is my daughter's birthday, fair enough but what was that message about buying a caravan left on F/B. Panicking, I phoned to wish her happy returns and why are they buying a caravan, deep forebodings that they have sold their house and not found another, reassured slightly, the new house needs building works for a couple of months, so they are off on another adventure, do so hope the builder finishes before winter sets in.
I can identify with 'deep forebodings' Thelma - when one has children one has plenty of those, don't you agree?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the walk by that little river though. And I have just seen that your dog is called Moss - what a lovely name.
Hi, Weaver of Grass, Yes I worry, probably too much, it is all a great adventure for them, just like arriving in Whitby 10 years ago in a camper van, and then the pair of them deciding to live there.
DeleteMoss died about a couple of years ago, he meant a great deal to me so he remains a spirit companion at the side of my blog He was eminently more sensible than me ;)
I know those foreboding feelings too and OB is only nine!
ReplyDeleteHi Em, Well we re going up on the 1st September, will see the 'new' caravan, it is 21 years old but immaculate before it travels on the 3rd, my daughter and the youngest are staying behind till completion of both houses on the 13th so we will see them for a bit. OB will be fine ;) you just have to get used to the teen years when they come....
DeleteHello, I've loved reading your blog - I've so enjoyed your posts about places not far from me in Essex and those in Cornwall where I visit every year.
ReplyDeleteI was fascinated by the Hops and I agree it is sad to see another closed, rural pub on an old route. I can just imagine these places full of life when travellers relied on them.
Hi Wendy and welcome, Could well be that the hops were planted many years ago and they just survive in this short stretch of hedge. Trying to engineer another trip to Cornwall soon!
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