Heady days

Over the past few days our East coast mornings have been quite grey and heavy but that has not spoilt the heady wafts of spicy almond hawthorn and appley sweet briar from assailing the nostrils on an early morning walk.  At last the May blossom is at its best.  The hedgerows are studded with creamy rosettes of flowers and together with drifts of cow parsley and young bright green foliage, the countryside is at the peak of perfection.

On a sunnier walk earlier this week I was able to photograph the froth of cow parsley before the local authority came and chopped its mandatory 3 foot strip.  I hate that.  I know it is necessary for safe sightlines at road junctions but is it really necessary to tidy the countryside up so efficiently?  My mother was indignant and raging about these things back in the 1960s.  She was always ringing up the council to complain.  In those days they would cut the verges right back to the hedges, so at least things have improved a bit since then.  

Here are two lady hares doing a spot of boxercise!  There were about six hares in this field.  I find them quite bewitching and they are always the highlight of my walks, when I am lucky enough to see them.

I noticed this morning that the earth in the fields is cracking open as there has been very little rain recently.  The spud field has been getting a regular watering and the plants are getting bigger by the day.  Before long the leaves will be reaching out across the furrows to touch their neighbours in the next row across.