Down on the farm

As I write the thunder is rumbling around the mountains and the sky has a peculiar yellow glow. No,  it's the way the sun is hitting the clouds, nothing more sinister..... well I hope not.

After all the glorious summer weather it seems we are in for a soggy spell.... perhaps that means the lawnmower can finally go away... I was beginning to think it was a permanent attachment. I walk miles trundling along behind it..... this obsession with neat lawns.... how very British....

I notice the leaves are just beginning to change.... so we obviously need a big wind to dislodge them all from the trees before they start looking truly spectacular..... sigh. Pity, as I like a glorious colourful autumn..... although one thing I have noticed there are far fewer acorns this year than usual.... I am normally machine gunned by falling acorns as soon as I set foot outside the door... but not this year. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact the oak came into leaf before the ash. Well that adage was true:
Oak before ash you're in for a splash
Ash before Oak you're in for a soak.....

Yes,  compared to the last 10 years or so it has been incredibly dry here this summer; the lawn was even parched in places..... and the ash has beaten the oak every year of that last 10 years til this one.... so yes we got a slash of rain rather than a real soaking. That seems to have curtailed the acorns. Either that or the squirrels (also proliferating madly) have had the lot already...... I have noticed a bumper crop of hazel nuts, blackberries and the like. So if that means a bad winter we had better watch out.....
Watch this space......

Guided by the light.....

I haven't written on here for ages..... it's as if I lost my way completely. I've decided to post a few of my poems and photographs as part of a new way forward. From here on I will try to post a picture (of my own) with words (of my own). It may be a poem, a joke, a piece of pure fiction, micro story, even a short story....or perhaps even a true account of what's been going on around here of late. Perhaps this will lead new audiences my way.... I hope you enjoy my randomness and have found yourself guided by the light of this beautiful lighthouse.

Don't

Don't constrain me behind fences
Don't close the door on me
Don't leave me in a confused state
Don't lie or cheat then flee
Don't feed me lines to fool me
Don't play false with my heart
Don't think I can't be broken
Don't leave before we start
Don't shackle me with rules and woes
Don't tie me to the sink
Don't treat me as a lesser being
Don't believe that I can't think
Don't bar me from my future
Don't throw my love way
Don't think that you are all my world
Don't fool yourself I'll stay
Don't class me as an idiot
Don't belittle all I've done
Don't think I'll fail without you
Don't resent me when I'm gone
Don't feel alarmed at loneliness
Don't blame me for your faults
Don't expect life to be perfection
Don't wonder when it jolts
Don't wish that you had noticed
Don't regret what we once had
Don't let time slip through your fingers
Don't let all the good turn bad
Don't waste your days in darkness
Don't wail and weep and plea
Don't make the same mistakes next time
Don't be a fool with me.....

Stepping stones.....

Today has been one for exploring..
Taking one step at a time
Crossing the swirling waters
Hoping it will be fine
Treading a path with confidence
Even if there is concern
Balancing all the time
Taking the time to learn

Distracted by the dancing light
But stepping from stone to stone
Knowing the way is clear ahead
And behind leads back to home
Taking a chance to see
What is there on the other side
And glancing at what is yet to be
As soon as this new path is tried...

The Ways Through Life

There are many journeys to take
Some are straight forward and uncompromising
Some cast in deep shade
There are promising byways which imply great pleasure
Others are misleading and false
There are dead ends
False starts
Some routes are pocked with potholes
Or beset with mud and ruts
There are pathways which are impossibly steep
Those which twist and turn blindly
some are shortcuts
Detours
Lay-bys
Cul-de-sacs and u-turns
There are toll roads which may cost you dearly
Blind Alleys
Hidden dips
but whichever route you choose
Be it direct or a detour
Fast or slow
Uphill or down
Be assured life will ultimately lead
To exactly where you should be
The only thing to do
Is choose the route...

Secret pathways

There is great solace walking here
The issues which perplex are kept at bay
Marvelling at Nature's cathedral
Stretching high above
The branches entwined like a vaulted roof
Yet down below
Their majesty is inspiring
The whisper of the breeze in their leaves
Like music to tired ears
The waving branches a dance, hypnotic
To wander bathed in Oxygen
Given freely like a tonic
Is to clear the mind
To hide secluded from all eyes a balm
To follow the path they choose for me
To heed the comfort of their longevity
Home to thousands
Reliable, strong, dependable
Always present never lost
The greatest soul mates
Who silently hold the secrets they have been told
Or all they have witnessed
The ultimate form of sanctuary
The trees