This was a 'Sunday' walk, you can see over the beautiful Somerset country side the Cotswolds coming to an end here in the valley behind Moss. The track ahead, had longevity stretching back in time, the land just here had been quarried, but behind the camera the battle between Royalists and roundheads had been fought, and also along the ridge as you made your way through the fields. Detail of the battle of Lansdown.
In fact the trackway further on is an old Saxon boundary mark now marking Gloucester and Somerset, the track had followed the line of the two bronze age barrows further on. You begin to understand the fluidity of history, one thing leads to another, bronze age barrows mark the delineation lines between modern Gloucester and Somerset.
The verges of this track were covered in wild flowers, but already the heavier wider tractors were beginning to take their toil of them. Below the sweet smell of elderflower, fluffy and creamy but turning to a much stronger smell as it aged.
quoting myself here........
A walk down the old trackway in this parish of Langridge, will reveal a treasure of wild flowers on the verges, vetches tangle with yellow archangel, bluebells will replace primroses, the white gleam of stitchwort; the stoney path slopes gently down curving on its way, later on the white of elderflower will catch the eye, the sweet scent on a warm day reminding you of elderflower champagne.
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| Orchids You came to a field of the barrows through a small lych gate, there was no road for miles and someone must have loved this field, for it still kept its wild flowers. In the field early in spring would be primroses and then cowslips, orchids and the beautiful ethereal ladies smock set down amongst the grasses. Further on a badger den, still used, though they had not migrated to the barrows. |
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| Deer out in the early morning |
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| langridge Barrows |
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| Langridge barrows |
ST 7323 7044 and ST 7328 7045. Two round barrows excavated in 1909 by H H Winwood, G Grey and T S Bush. The first contained much burnt material, animal bones and potsherds, but apparently no human bones. There were numerous flints including eight scrapers and two borers. The second barrow had an unaccompanied primary cremation. A number of flints, including one borer, were found in the material of the mound. (1)
ST 7323 7045, ST 7325 7044. Two barrows, the westerly has been truncated and is 0.9m high, the easterly, 1.7m high, is partially overlaid by a dump of extraneous material, possibly from the other barrow. Surveyed at 1:2500. (2) Pastscape overview
Winter in Kentucky isn't the long stretch of snow and intense cold that we have known in other places. Still, the eyes yearn for the color of wildflowers and gardens.
ReplyDeleteMemories: one photo can start the film unreeling--some of it remembered with nostalgic joy, but inevitably there are 'pictures' we want to skip past, keep the accompanying emotions well buried.
true Sharon, though we hardly take photos of sad times. We haven't had any snow this winter, nor funnily enough any frosty mornings, not like Europe, Austria especially experiencing metres of snow.
DeleteThelma; I was thinking of the mental 'pictures' that are so often set in motion by an actual photo or souvenir of other times.
DeleteOrchids, bluebells, elderflowers - did the old heart good to see them even if I have to imagine the smell of late spring, so thank you for that. Sunny it might be here,, but no spring warmth.
ReplyDeleteAnd we are still a long way away from spring as well, that is why I go hunting for summer photos ;)
DeleteWhat a beautiful landscape you have to look at, Thelma. I am looking out at the remnants of yesterday’s snow and know that it will be a few months before I see wildflowers again.
ReplyDeleteNo snow for us yet though the weather is to get colder later on this week. The landscape you see above is a typical Somerset one, I now live in Yorkshire in a very different landscape, but sometimes I get homesick for Somerset.
ReplyDelete