Cease Fire

The bugle sounds on the 11 November 1918 for the cease fire and the end of The Great War.

Those that survived main question was 'what now' but it was time to live in the moment for this Canadian who had gathered blackberries from Bourlon Wood among the shattered trees. What better symbol than the blackberry  growing on its tangle of bramble branches in even the poorest soil and even in a land shattered by war.

Peace however was harder to find for although it came to western europe conflicts rumbled on in the east.  Some of the Canadian's comrades  lie at the end of the Avenue de Monument in the south-west corner of the village of Bourlon, lives never lived. The park is a series of terraces lined with ancient lime trees that were nursed back to heath after being shattered by the Battle for Bourlon wood. Nature survives us all.

Bourlon Canadian Memorial

Hedgerow Honeysuckle

The hedgerows are full of tumbling honeysuckle at the moment and their berries are

 bright dots of red against the lush green.  The birds will eventually enjoy these which are more seed than flesh but the humans

will be more drawn to their hedgerow companion, the blackberry.  There was probably enough for a small pie in the hedgerow

and I was reliably informed by my blackberry taster that these were quite sweet although some elsewhere were not.  Perhaps we will wait for the first frost to "drive the devil out" and they will all become sweet perfection.

The species of honeysuckle growing in gardens tends to be showier in colour but nature has other colours to show at this time of year

with the heather in bloom on heathland and hills.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at H here