Unwind

A golden brown cow unwinds on a hillside on a warm late spring day

My grandmother told me cows lying down can be a prediction of a good weather, or rain and thunderstorms, depending on whether they lie at the top or bottom of a hill. Pity I can't remember which she said was which.

 It seemed as everyone was chilling out and unwinding

 or under shade.

Take time to unwind as the wandering Welsh poet WH Davies most famous poem says - 

'Leisure'

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

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

 

 

On Horseback

"Have You Seen Any Germans Pass this Way?"

Captioned "A unique war photograph taken last week on a Belgian highway. It shows a scouting part of French dragoons who are endeavouring to get in touch with the German Uhlans."

I have read various reports of the "last" cavalry charge in World War 1 which all have different times, years, places and participants but when this photo was taken and used on the front page of The War Illustrated on 29 August 1914 the realisation that barbed wire, trenches and machine guns had changed the face of warfare had not dawned.   Despite this the horse remained an essential part of the war for transport but conditions for them as for their solders companions were horrendous, 8 million horses died.  The peaceful interlude of the photograph is indeed the calm before the storm.  At the outbreak of war the French had 32 dragoon regiments.  The use of the world Uhlan for the German cavalry was a term used for all types of German cavalry regiments by the British but in actuality there were only 26 Uhlan regiments of the Polish style who were dismounted in the early weeks of the war and served as cavalry rifles, all were disbanded in 1918.

Photo from "The History Place"

Here are the men the French dragoons were "endeavouring to get in touch with".  A charge against the Belgian positions by the Uhlan cavalry armed, like the French, with lances.

 

    

Galloping in Ghent

Walking in the outskirts of Ghent on our way from the Museum of Art to the centre one Sunday we approached a square where suddenly the sight of  a gathering of horses galloping in all directions surounded us.  Most pulling carriages but also

just trotting along.  We wondered if it was a gymkhana or a gala but no

the notice by the sand covered square explained it all with the help of my trusty Dutch dictionary. Draught Horse (Trekpaard) Promotion (promotie)  Flanders (Vlaanderen).  It is interesting that the derivation of the word Draught is the Old English 'dragen' to draw or haul which is similar to the Dutch 'dragen' to carry -  but wait I'm getting off the point here.  We usually call them Heavy Horses, the gentle giants. Near where I live in Cumbria there is a Heavy Horse centre where you can ride over the fells or gallop along the beaches on Clydesdales and Shire Horses.

But here in Ghent the farmlands had come to the town.  The light chestnut ones like this (and the first photo) with their white tail and main are the Brabant breed or the Belgium Draft Horse.  The American spelling may be the clue that it is the most popular breed of Heavy Horse in the USA.  They are good-looking horses

as are the white ones here taking a genteel turn around the square

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a ride through the alphabet

Intermission

 

 Fell Ponies, Weasdale

Off for a city break to Antwerp via London for seven or eight days.  I've only ever travelled through Belgium on the way to somewhere else so it will be interesting for it to be the actual destination.   It will also be my first time travelling under the channel (on Eurostar) rather than floating on a ferry on top of it.  I'm trying not to think too much about that part.   What else I will be doing during the week I don't know, but suspect at some part of the day I will be eating waffles and drinking beer.     

ABC Wednesday - Llama?

Llama or alpaca? Which of these camelids are they.  Do those ears have the curve of a llama, or are they straight like an alpaca?

Their legs are woolly but the fleece has been shorn, possibly  to make an Andean (or in this case a Cumbrian) hat or jumper.

Do they have the straight back of a llama or a curved back and high tail of an alpaca?

Yes I think they are alpaca as well. Dash it, I'll have to think of something else for ABC Wednesday.

What a about a little horse?

Leave for ABC Wednesday here and see lots more words starting with L