Friday 25 January 2008

More of the walk and other witterings.

I am doing my most despised job today. Clearing out, tidying up, call it what you will. I have mountains of scraps of paper with family history notes, articles from the papers, things I've jotted down, recipes, all mixed up with childrens' revision notes from the Dark Ages of early Secondary School, old magazines (I still can't bring myself to part with two Dartmoor ones), user manuals for long defunct printers or scanners, even a 1999 calendar I didn't want to part with because it had wonderful photos of the British countryside. This flotsam and jetsam of my personal country living has all come to rest on the high tide mark of what I laughingly call my "office". You go into some folks' houses and they have an office with not a thing out of place. Everything neatly put away in filing cabinets, reference books on shelves. Not even any dust, for Heaven's sake. I think my office probably reflects my personality in no uncertain terms! Today I feel I am the Forlorn Hope of the Housework Brigade! Just think how good I will feel when it is all done though . . .

Just to cheer myself up and get me out of the room, here are a good few more of the photos I took yesterday.





Below is Navelwort, which I can categorically say has spread downhill in the couple of decades we have been living here. It used to be 3/4 of a mile up the road. Now it has reached the corner near our house. We had a Herbal Doctor as a neighbour years ago, and she recommended another neighbour of ours used this when he had earache. After checking it out on myself first, I successfully treated earache in my own children using several leaves of this plant, washed, and then macerated with boiled water in a pestle and mortar. The resultant green gunge was then trickled into the affected ear. It works! Mind you, if it hadn't I would never have dared to take the children to the Doctor's afterwards, can you imagine what they would have said when they checked the ear and found it was GREEN inside!




Whilst it has definitely dried up the past couple of days, there was still a steady run-off of water from the field above this bank. It pours off the sloping bank and seeps through the slate bedrock. It was a positive cascade a week or so ago.


This hedgerow has recently been cut and laid - in otherwords, the brushwood largely removed, and some small trees, and the remaining saplings cut with a chainsaw or billhook most of the way through, but with sufficient remaining to allow the tree to keep growing. As long as the saplings are laid uphill, the sap can still rise and they will put up fresh growth. Many of the hedgerows in our area are being cut and laid - so much so, I suppose there must be a grant for it . . .


Note - blue sky. Reminds me of March weather, that picture. Roll on spring.

8 comments:

nancy said...

Excellent as usual, my dear. I see my good friend 'persuaded' has been by to see you. She will absolutely love your site. Say, I'd love to see that'office' of yourse. I wonder if it could hold a candle to my "room". (I dare not dignify it bybcalling it an office.)
Nancy

Bovey Belle said...

Aha Nancy - and I followed your link and went to Persuaded's blog too!

I shall take a photo of my office once it is redecorated and tidy again. At the moment the wall to my left is covered with blotches of Polyfilla, and it looks like it has the Measles! The curtain is in the wash, the curtain pole hanging down as one end has come out of the wall (again!) and my bookcase has yet to be put totally back in order. It holds 80% of my archaeology books, and includes all the Scottish ones. I have too many books overflowing and put in side-ways on, so that's a job for tomorrow.

Unknown said...

Fabulous photos - and at last you have a blog - I just knew you would enjoy it once you had one. Off to read some more

Bovey Belle said...

Hi Lottie, great to see you here too. Hope you enjoy the posts so far.

Mara said...

I haven't seen navelwort for years, not since i lived in Cornwall many years ago. It used to grow on the back of the building I living in.

LBP said...

What a lovely blog you have! I have spent some time reading through and am delighted! What beautiful countryside.

I followed my friend Mammyt to your blog and I'm so glad I did.

Blessings

Linda

Bovey Belle said...

It's great to know I have an appreciative audience. I really enjoy sharing my world with you all.

Mrs.T said...

My "office" -- called the computer room by us -- sounds much like yours. It badly needs decluttering. I have almost one whole wall of books and a craft closet that can't hold another thing. I smiled when you said that your office reflected your personality. I'm sure mine does too, but what made me smile was this: In 9th grade (around age 14) I had a history teacher whose elderly head was obviously overflowing with information. Every time she opened the supply closet in her classroom the thought flashed through my mind that her closet was just like her brain. Overflowing with its dusty, somewhat useful contents.