Some of our London family came to stay over the weekend. We had a lovely time, including doing a short walk on Saturday afternoon. A 5 mile loop took us from Melbourne church, up to Breedon on the Hill and back through the fields to Melbourne Pool.
(© Steve M)
The local livestock seemed interested in our passing!
(© Lily M)
Cows have incredibly rough tongues. It's like been licked with dribbly sandpaper :)
(© Lily M)
The oilseed rape is in full flower, making many fields bright yellow and turning the landscape into a patchwork. The name rape comes from the Latin rapum, meaning turnip, because the rape is the flower of the turnip and swede.
Rape is not new to the UK, but since the 1970's, it has become increasingly popular and is grown as part of crop rotation because it improves the soil for the crop that follows it. The seeds from oilseed rape provide vegetable oil which can be used in cooking.
Other fields and roadside verges are yellow with dandelions. Normally considered a weed because they grow so prolifically, dandelions have a bright yellow flower and the most delicate of seed heads.
(© Lily M)
Dozens of tiny seeds, each with its own mini parachute, waiting to be carried on the breeze to create more flowers just like themselves.
They're extremely good at that!
In the copse, the bluebells are blooming.
Dappled sunlight streams through the trees.
By Melbourne Pool, we encountered this family of goslings.
No, he isn't out of focus, he really is that fuzzy :)
Well if I'd known you were going to be that close I'd have offered you a cuppa! (Though we had a day out in Birmingham)
ReplyDeleteAnd we were out too. Those goslings are so fuzzy they are always out of focus!
ReplyDeleteNow that's a lovely afternoon!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely walk and great photos! We weren't too far away from you as we travelled home from our few days away we came back through Leicestershire and South Derbyshire on Saturday afternoon:)
ReplyDeleteA delightful walk! Lily took an awesome shot of the blooming rape field. That would be canola oil the seeds are turned into, no?
ReplyDelete