Sunday 22 January 2017

January Weather

Dear Reader,


                                                                                     Cotswold fields

To cheer us up I thought you might like to see this photograph taken of some Cotswold fields in the summer months.  The weather in January is so gloomy, dull and damp, and the world news so depressing, I long for a picnic in this field.  I would have a basket filled with smoked salmon sandwiches made with thin slices of brown bread, followed by a portion of cheddar cheese, a piece of lemon drizzle cake, and a delicious bottle of white wine (preferably Vouvray) to go with it.   And  then, probably a square or two of dark chocolate.  And if I half shut my eyes I might be lucky and see Ratty and Mr Mole scampering by .....

Do you remember my writing about the pesky seagulls last year?  They were getting very bold, snatching sandwiches out of people's hands and generally causing chaos in several seaside resorts, one of them being Scarborough.  Well, the Council there has met to consider an "action plan", to hire a specialist company which uses Harris Hawks and falcons as flying police officers, to deter the noisy and irritating gulls.  These birds of prey are specifically trained not to kill the seagulls, just to frighten them off.  So if you are thinking of booking a summer holiday in Scarborough this year, don't worry about the seagulls, they are being controlled and your sandwiches will be safe.

                                                                                    *

January Weather

We know from recorded history,
that in St. Merryn
a hundred years ago,
there blew great winds
and the sea was smoking white.

We know it was warm in Kent,
where the thrushes thought spring
had come, and piped away.
And primroses were a yellow carpet
in North Norfolk,
or so the parson wrote.

We know of cutting winds in Hampshire,
of icicles and frost, and
in Skiddaw on a mild day,
a brown spotted butterfly was seen.
We know that hungry church
mice ate bible markers,
hungry people died of cold.

And we know that this dark winter month
had days of snow, that wild clouds
gathered in the sky unleashing icy rain,
churning up the plough.

And yet, again, we also know
the sun shone in that distant year,
it was warm enough to push through
early snowdrops, and Holy Thorn.
Light was glimpsed, here and there,
all life struggled for its moments.

                                                                      *

With best wishes, Patricia

1 comment:

  1. What a lovely picture you paint of a summer picnic in the Cotswolds. How I'd love to join you! And I'm delighted to learn of the 'flying policemen' who are making Scarborough safe from seagulls attack.
    I also found your January Weather poem so full of hope in these dark days. Thank you. And at least the days are getting longer.xx

    ReplyDelete