Where I live, a wild meadow forms every year. Eventually the council sends 'round a farmer who scythes the tall grasses down and makes bales of hay out of them. Once or twice a year, depending on the rate of growth, the farmer appears, smoking cigarette after cigarette as he toils through the long summer days to roll his bales of hay. I love the smell of the cut grasses. The farmer usually times the process so well that all the wild flowers have gone to seed and the grasses are fully matured and will not grow further. And of course, the sun has to be shining to make hay. Hence the expression.
This photo is the start of the meadow- thousands of dandelion flowers which will seed into white fluff balls. The other flowers cannot be seen yet- wild plantain, clovers, both red and white, daisies, scabious and many more, are about to bolt as the rains stay away and it becomes warmer. Soon this field will be covered in grasses reaching as much as four feet in height. On a good day, all I will see of my hound will be the very tip of his tail- that will be the only way to know where he is in all this lush greenery.
I'll take photos of the same spot and record the emerging meadow- you'll be enthralled by it, I promise.
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| 03rd May 2013 |
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| 06th May 2013 |
Here's a closeup of the emerging meadow- taken today. As you can see, the meadow is around 8-12 inches in height and in this photo we can see dandelion, buttercup, plantain, cowslip and rye grass.
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| 13th May 2013 | | | |
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| 13th May 2013 |
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| 17th May 2013 |
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| 21st may 2013 |
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| 25th May 2013 |
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| 30th May 2013 |
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| 04th June. Up to my knees now and taller than the hound. |
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| 07th June Can you spot the hound? |
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| 28 June |
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| 11 July | | | |
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| 11 July |
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The meadow smells like it's ready to be turned into hay- strange that. Today as I walked the hound, the smell of the grasses warmed by the sun, made me think that the farmer was not far away with his tractor. That old expression of 'making hay while the sun shines' is literally that. We have been blessed with a few warm days with bright sunshine which spell the end for the meadow. This last photo of the grass seeds, now perfectly ripe, a welcome reprieve for hayfever sufferers- the pollen is over for good. The farmer knows it is time.
Photos copyright SvD.
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