Marshfield – 9th – 31st May 2020

We are still loving life in lockdown up here in ‘the Marsh’ 😃 There isn’t much to fear here except, in my case, a field full of cows!

I know picking bluebells and particularly removing the bulbs is illegal and I somehow think that collecting these ‘grasses’ is at the very least frowned upon but I couldn’t resist ‘pinging’ a few of these for old times sake.

Middledown, the place where Lauren, at the age of three, fell from the lane down in to the stream below, and came out unscathed, but very wet. The rails above the road underpass (on the right) are now totally overgrown.

Dock leaves, something we were encouraged to use as toilet paper when out and about in the countryside as a child. Always a good backup these days if people start panic buying toilet paper if we get a second spike of the COVID-19 virus! The worrying thing is how close they grow to stinging nettles, I mean get a nettle caught up with a handful of dock leaves and you would need that peppermint oil to be encouraged to pee in the wild in future!

Just one of the many types of bees around here.

We have lots of black and grey bees in the garden which seem to live by burrowing in to our lawn. One day after getting the washing in from the clothes line, I was making our bed and could hear a buzzing noise. I kept checking the windows to see if a bee or fly was trying to get out but I couldn’t see one. I finished making the bed and could still hear the buzzing which seemed to get louder and faster as I re-arranged and plumped the pillows. I took off the pillowcases and the pillow protectors and the noise was even louder even though nothing flew out. I looked inside the pillow protector and could see a black blob. There, stuck under the wadding, was a bee! It had obviously flown in to it when it was drying on the washing line and got stuck, poor thing. I took it outside and tore the wadding to release it. Annoyingly it had a piece of wadding caught on its back leg. Sadly it flew off with it hanging from its leg before we could cut it off. However the alternative might have been that I had lain on it all night!

We’ve come across these little light blue hearts in various places. They have a little drawing of a bee on them. It’s obviously to remind us that we need to leave the area of wild flowers for the bees to collect pollen from.

Even the local church only cuts a narrow pathway through the graves, leaving the rest of the churchyard to the wild flowers and insects.

During one of our walks we found a copy of a book that Eloise and Miles have. It had been left outside by a kind neighbour in a “help yourself” box. I sent a video message to Eloise and Miles suggesting that I had an idea to read it to them whilst they looked at their copy of the book for the pictures. Instead of replying to me, Lauren surprised us by popping up for the first time since lockdown began. It meant that Eloise and Miles could stand holding their book and look at the pictures while I read the story to them from my copy. I felt sad that we could not all be sat snuggled up on the sofa reading but we are all following the rules and keeping everyone safe.

Lauren then took them for their first proper walk in months. She let them run in the fields of Bulls Hills without telling them to keep close or not to touch this or that. Lauren said that as they ran through the field Eloise shouted “I’m free” bless her. 😍 Miles had asked Lauren recently whether he will have to stay in lockdown until he dies.😢

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Here are the ‘vines’ I was talking about in a previous blog, the ones that, when we were young, Uncle Jack said you could smoke. 🙈😅

Meanwhile the Coronavirus pandemic rumbles on. The daily briefings continue and now have a new ‘logo’ advising us to “stay alert, control the virus and save lives” as talk of the lockdown rules being eased begins. The NHS has not been forgotten and we are still standing on our doorsteps, or stopping wherever we are, at 8pm each Thursday to clap for the NHS and key workers across the UK.

The Government have now said we can drive to exercise and more places are slowly opening for business again. We have not only noticed the extra traffic and noise on the roads, but also small aircraft have started using the Garson Farm Airfield again. We’ve not managed to actually be next to the runway when they have taken off or landed but we have been in the woodland path nearby.

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I was going to write exactly where each photograph was taken but the more we walk around the outskirts of Marshfield the more we want to keep it to ourselves (well as much as we can). There are enough people who already know the best places to walk here without me advertising the routes. I am feeling protective over the countryside around here already. I noticed that from Wednesday 13th May, the day Boris told us that we could exercise as often as we like, not just once a day, and that we could travel to do so, there have been lots of ‘ramblers’ walking by our window – even as I type this. I’m sure it will be back to its normal bustling self as the days and weeks go by.

We haven’t managed to get a good photo of the lambs to share with you yet but the ones in this field were bouncing vertically as if on springs and running off together like cheeky excited children in a playground.

Another favourite view on one of our favourite walks.

Now, has this tree grown around the barbed wire? It certainly looks like it.

Another kind and thoughtful gesture by one of our neighbours, especially in the hot weather we have been enjoying up here.

A photo of ‘your’ tree Karen, taken from Bond’s Lane for the first time! Makes a change from George Lane, I hope you like it.

This is another one of my favourite views here in ‘the Marsh‘. We’ve watched this crop growing over the last six weeks.

When I have friends (one at a time!) come up to go for a social distancing walk, Glen takes the opportunity to venture further in to Bulls Hills amongst the cows, something I have sadly refused to do because of my fear.

He has got up close…. but not personal with many of them.

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I think he is brave to have walked through the cows which were blocking his way to the stile. I think he was pushing his luck by stopping to take photos though! They were following him on several occasions, I would have freaked out!

Our first social distancing walk with Lauren in over two months! That was such a lovely treat.

The government has since advised that we are now allowed to meet with another household in a group of up to six people so we are looking forward to when Lauren and Jack bring Eloise and Miles up to ‘the Marsh’ for a walk. (Oh and Dexter will make seven but I’m sure hairy grandsons don’t count 🐕)

Lauren saw a deer running through the woods but didn’t have a chance to get photo of it.

I thought the 31st May would be a good place to end this current blog as it was our 34th Wedding Anniversary.

A few days before, when I was out walking with Emma, Glen went on a walk and noticed that the field beside Green Lane bridle path had been mown.

By the time Glen and I walked past it four days later, on our anniversary, it was dry, and the farmer was baling.

Here are photos taken on our walk that day.

When I was little I remember hay-baling with Sue, on the farm at the top of Tog Hill. The hay bales were small and could be picked up by an adult, but now they are huge and picked up by a machine. Others are cylindrical and wrapped in plastic, which isn’t quite so magical but obviously necessary for the farmers.

Loved this tiny snail on the side of a flower we were trying to identify.

By the time we reached the point in the walk where we could look over to the field, the farmer had finished baling. The farmers seem to work long hours.

Of all the special songs we have listened to throughout our married life together, this year as we raised a glass to 34 years, all I could hear in my head was The Wurzels’ Combine Harvester song! “Cause I’ve got a brand new combine harvester and I’ll give you the key. Come on now, let’s get together in perfect harmony….“ 😍🤣 Happy days.