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Along the river bank under the boughs, cows graze placidly; a chiffchaff calls ...
A soft plop - a water-vole slips into the river from his home in the bank; Ratty to some. His ripples spread out around him as he makes for a favourite patch of last years flags. A couple of coot skitter noisily out into midstream; a heron, hidden by the bend, flaps up. Fresh molehills pepper the field, already shining gold with buttercup, as old Moley starts his spring cleaning. Finches sing from across the field. A lone buzzard soars above the Wildwood in the distance.
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Around home now the hedges are green and gold - Hawthorn bursting into leaf even before the Blackthorn looses its winter white; and Gorse - kissing everything in sight. What a difference a sunny day or two makes!
magpie nest the blackthorn winter passes over
On the morning of the Passover a Magpie flew up from the lawn into the top of the blackthorn hedge. I was glad when it was joined by another with a twig in its beak ... one for sorrow - two for joy.1
But some fields are still waterlogged - a puddling of pools glinting in the afternoon sun. A few Black Headed Gull huddle round their marshy edges facing into a fresh north easterly wind; the odd bird taking flight hanging in the wind before dropping back down. And isn’t that a Lapwing!
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Listen - there he is again - singing now from the hawthorn at the edge of the river; ‘chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff, chiff‘, the double notes hanging in the air - the arrival of Spring ...
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Artist Credit
An original watercolour by Philip L Eden member of the British Watercolour Society (1924) of, and I’m guessing here, a Hampshire river. The artist lived in Boscombe and painted many scenes in and around the south of England. The red and white cows date the picture before the introduction of black and white Friesians in the early ‘50s.
A wonderful painting, soft, peaceful and a glimpse of past times!
Yes I love it. I’ve also featured two more of his paintings on my ‘About’ and ‘Poetry’ pages. I bought a portfolio of his work from a lady whose Dad, a Painter and Decorator, was given them by the artist himself in 1950. I have been unable to find out anything about him, but his work evokes memories from my childhood growing up in the West Country in the ‘50s.
For 25 years we lived in Hertfordshire and then 5 years in Herefordshire and so I have many special memories of the southern counties of Britain. Although we’ve been back in NI since 2006 I do still look back to those days in warmer and generally sunnier counties!
I grew up in the West Country and apart from a short spell living and working around London haven’t travelled anywhere else until coming to North Wales for work in the early ‘90s. Bin here ever since. Coming over to Northern Ireland is on my bucket list of things to do especially as it’s so close to us here. One day!
Gosh! You mentioned Harpenden in another comment; we lived in St. Albans for those 25 years! Then in Ross on Wye. There are some wonderful places in NI particularly when the sun shines like today. For the last couple of years, we’ve had holidays on Anglesey & North Wales!
Not far away – my first job was at the Rothamstead Experimental Station – researching soil and grassland ecology. I used to commute between the labs there and the Grassland Research Institute at Hurley near Maidenhead.
We lived in St. A. but I worked in London. It was a long drive and it just got longer and longer!
We had friends in the Forest of Dean so used to spend time there and in the Wye valley – so know the area pretty well. And in the days before the Severn Bridge(s) the only way into Wales from the West Country by car was either the Aust Ferry or up through Ross …
Lovely to hear the lapwing over the field and the chiffchaff – there are chiffchaff calls around here in London’s woody places – and I like very much your haiku and what it condenses. The painting reminds me of walks up the Ver river towards St Albans. Hertfordshire looks dull from the road but to the walker it opens up beautiful secrets and open views and surprising turns.
Hi Jane, it could be couldn’t it. A long time ago I used to live and work near Harpenden and have walked along parts of the Ver in spring. I love all rivers and streams but chalk streams are always very special. I hope what’s left of it and it’s heritage can continue to be protected!
Beautiful. You present this post in such an interesting way. Words, sounds and picture are all harmonious, Clive.
Wow Cynthia – thanks so much – what a wonderful comment. Has made my day!
That’s most lovely Clive. And the perfect painting to match the words.
I took a walk yesterday and watched a muskrat cross a creek. It’s trail with pairs of nesting boxes posted along the way and yesterday there was a tremendous squabble for possession going on between the tree swallows and the bluebirds.
What a lovely comment. Thank you Josie.
Sounds a great place to walk in spring!
Our normally quiet lane is busy with walkers, runners and cyclists. Luckily we’re early risers so tend to take our walk before most people have had breakfast.
Yes, I can almost hear all the bird song and love those cows. What a pity such variety has been lost.
What a lovely comment – thanks.
I grew up thinking that all cows were black and white. It came as a bit of a shock to find that they were imported into the UK from Holland around the time I was born!
Such peaceful countryside
Thanks for commenting. I absolutely love it as I grew up in countryside very much like this.