Mendip Ploughing Match at Yoxter

God Speed the Plough
Let the wealthy and great,
roll in splendour and state,
I envy them not I declare it

I eat my own lamb
My own chickens and ham
I shear my own fleece and I wear it

I have lawns I have bowers
I have fruits I have flowers
The lark is my early alarm

So Jolly boys now
Here’s God speed the plough
Long life and success to the farmer.

 

By some miracle the weather was kind to us and there wasn't too much mud to spoil proceedings.  This was the 143rd meeting of the Mendip Ploughing Society and it was well supported with almost 90 entries.  I didn't see any hedging and there were only 2 entrants in the stone walling.   Entrant in ploughing came from Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and even Wales.  The horse ploughing had just 2 entrants but as usual they attracted a great deal of admiration.   Thanks to the ladies for an excellent lunch as usual!

 

This is one of my favourite events in our local calendar, great for photography and meeting friends.  If you've never been to a ploughing match I thoroughly recommend it as a gentle way to enjoy a day in the countryside amongst real country folk.

You can see more photos from the day and previous years here.

When is a Dew Pond not a Dew Pond?

Answer:-

When it has been restored like this - what an eyesore!

A massive fence way beyond the edge of the pond, barbed wire and railway sleepers - very in keeping with an AONB!

A Perfect Day

Woke up early and saw the sun rising, mist lying on the fields.

Sheep still snoozing in the field across the road as the sun rises, The warmth must feel good now they been shorn.

Walked the dogs near Deer Leap. Saw a Roe buck grazing about 50 yards away from me, dogs oblivious to him and vice versa.

Tiny calves still sleeping, wake and scramble up for the protection of their mothers.



There wasn't a cloud n the sky from sunrise to sunset and the mid afternoon was blisteringly hot. Not my kind of weather for photography but a beautiful summer's day to be enjoyed.

At dusk as I walked home from bell ringing the air was filled with the sweet smell of freshly cut fields, and hay from those cut the day before. In the distance I could hear the sound of tractors and mowing machines taking advantage of the dry weather, and the feeling of contentment with life was overwhelming.

Orchids at Last

I thought we weren't going to see any this year but here there are in all their usual magnificance.

Snow in June?

The seasons on the top of Mendip always seem to be a couple of weeks behind the lower slopes and valleys. This is a bonus to anyone who loves the fresh spring weather and spring flowers.

As I was driving from Priddy to Chewton Mendip I was struck by the beautiful blossom on the Hawthorn bushes and lines of Cow's Parsley along the roadside. The light was hazy and not great for photos but it really looked like a dusting of snow.

Priddy Friendly Society Club Day

This annual event starts with Roll Call at the New Inn at 11am then those assembled march behind the banner holders to the church, via the traditional 'old route' which follows a footpath across the fields to the churchyard.





After a short church service, everyone marches to the village hall, returning by the same route, rather than just walking a few yards down the church path. I'm not sure why they do this, so will need to investigate?

A small group of ladies had been working really hard to produce a magnificent buffet lunch for around 100 people. Wonderful cooked meats from the Priddy Farm Shop, delicious fresh salads and lots of yummy local strawberries to finish off. There was masses to go round and everyone tucked in with great enthusiasm - Hats off to the ladies of the kitchen!!

The afternoon sports for children commenced at 3pm on the village green. There were other attractions, vintage lorries, bouncy castle, tea and cakes, tombola, the ever popular 'Whack the Rat' and a favourite with some (but not me!) worm charming!

All in all it was a lovely day, something special, a tradition that has survived over 100 years and I feel really privileged to have been able to make my record of it today.

Monsters in the Forest

For several weeks now there has been a "thinning operation" taking place in the forestry at Stockhill where I often walk. As forestry plantations go this is a particularly attractive area and is popular with dog walkers, cyclists and families. However, the "thinning", which is supposed to be for the benefit of all, has in the uninformed opinion of many of us, wreaked havoc across the whole area. Mostly the public have been kept out of areas where the work is actually taking place and we only get to see what remains after the machinery has done its worst. It seems like the whole forest is a massive disaster area with piles of brushwood and deep tracks in the undergrowth cut through by the machinery. It is quite upsetting to see, especially as I have taken many beautiful photographs there. I was walking there at dusk last night when suddenly, through the gloom, I saw this monstrous tractor with a huge arm extended before me, it was parked amongst the trees, quietly sitting there like a sleeping beastie just waiting for its next victim.

Time to investigate further - I wondered if the Forestry Commission were aware of how things are progressing and what their view is of it. They are the government department responsible for the protection and expansion of Britain's forests and woodlands. I spoke to a very helpful gentleman called Lorne Campbell who is obviously a very experienced forester. In his opinion this operation is tidy and well executed, and whilst there is residual brushwood and mess, he is confident the forest will look much better for it in 2 years time. The area around the All Ability Trail especially will benefit as the trees would encroach on this. So there is nothing more to be said - it is a plantation and needs to be managed. Every 5 years this type of operation needs to take place to allow trees to reach maturity and for regeneration. The original planting was mainly done in the 1940's and 50's with some more recently taking place during the 1980's. I'm not keen on "management" of any kind in the natural world or even in a forestry plantation, I guess I was expecting this to be more like a "mass pruning" event - ah well .......

Walking, walking, walking ........

Mostly when I walk I am happy, my spirits lift and any bothersome thoughts just get blown away by the wind, thats why I love it so. When the weather is on the change, and the skies filled with everchanging clouds then that is the icing on the cake for me.

When I left home on Sunday afternoon the sky was grey and dull-looking, but no matter I headed for Charterhouse masts to walk on Blackdown. There was a really strong wind blowing and as I drove up the hill I could see a really dramatic front moving in from the west. For the next two hours the clouds were a delight, the dogs were having a whale of a time and I was happily taking photographs. And so we trundled onwards and eventually made it to the trig point. Sometimes the ground was just too bumpy for Fly to ride in the buggy, so she gallantly hopped along while I dragged and bounced it behind me.

It was a super walk, nice light, loads of pics, happy dogs, walking back to the car in the fading light I had a real sense of satisfaction and achievement. At home I downloaded the pics from my P&S camera and then started with the DSLR - looking good, Yipeeee! It was then I discovered that the full card I had taken from my camera while out walking was not in the bag - pockets, car, NOWHERE !! In a second the joy of my walk evaporated and despair, deep and gloomy, descended. I could remember roughly when I changed cards but I doubt whether there is any chance of finding it in the long grasses and heather that overhang the narrow rutted track that barely passes for a path.

Google Maps to the rescue - I've walked this route hundreds of times but thought it would be fun to try and pinpoint locations, especially where I thought the card may have been lost, sure enough when I returned on Monday morning I found the card sitting on top of a clump of heather. Was it worth going back to find the card ? Take a look at my Mendip Hills Landscape Gallery.

Google Map of the area around Beacon Batch

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