By Reina Free
I must admit, sometimes my inspiration to write something of interest is at a low ebb. Then, unexpectedly it bubbles up and I am away. As I observe the beauty of Kings Lane it is so easy for me to repeat myself, for it never ceases to thrill me anew.
The bluebells have faded and been replaced by a lavish display of cow parsley, like the blowing in the wind of lace curtains. I do not know if the reader has noticed the massive increase of dandelions, daisies and buttercups. When the flower of the dandelion fades the seed heads look like small grey-white parachutes descending. Very lovely. Also the ferns are coming up again along the verges. On the top of the green stalk is something difficult to explain, which looks like a small crumpled face that slowly opens up in a big smile of ever-expanding leaves.
Recently it has been very windy and quite cold. My very carefully planted runner beans look sad and bedraggled. And yet I can tell with joy, the wheat and oats in Chris Ruttle’s and the Browns’ fields are doing very well. Even the big fields of the Bunce brothers are doing better than last year.
The market for beef cattle can be very difficult. Because of the recession the tendency is for people to think twice before buying the weekly Sunday joint. The buyers of beef cattle and the buyers for the big supermarkets squeeze and squeeze the price and the farmer does not get the just reward for his hard labour and all the worry that goes with it. Not forgetting the ever-ongoing rise in the price of cattle feed.
Whenever you walk along Kings Lane you may have the thrill of seeing a large roe deer. Actually there are three more and even a barn owl flying low, hunting for voles and mice, and hares hiding in the wheat field, ears against their heads.
So in coming to a close, I say, that despite the recession, credit crunch, dishonest, greedy members of parliament (there are still honourable ones), God is still in His Heaven.