Valley View

Here I am looking over the fields of Green Moor in the Woodland Valley from the Conscientious Objectors stone where in 1916 they engraved their initials and names, the view will be exactly the same as they saw a hundred years ago.

Unlike the war memorials little is known about the men who neatly engraved their initials, the date of 1916 is significant because that is when Britain introduced military conscription to the armed forces, and some of those who refused for reasons of conscious or religion (ie consciousness objectors) were given 'work of national importance' such as farming of forestry which is what perhaps this little group were doing.

A hop, skip and jump away    

is the Duddon Valley, a quiet corner of Lakeland. The higher hills have a dusting of snow but here autumn is holding winter at bay although the temperatures are dipping

so there will be no cattle taking their ease and lounging in the sun like this summer view.

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

Nag

There is often a story connected to pub names and one of them for the many called 'The Nag's Head' comes to us from the time of pirates and smuggling when a lantern would be tied around the neck of a docile old horse and this 'nag' would be led slowly up and down the hilltop or highest point to signal to the ship offshore that it was safe to land its cargo and occupants. The sight of the bobbing lantern was known as the Nag's Head.

The sign's designer shows an instantly recognisable outline so here is the real thing

in this case a hardy Fell Pony who turned to look at me as I passed but only briefly before it returned to its main purpose .

of nibbling on whatever was tasty on the woodland floor.   Its companions were further

up the hillside. It is very rocky and stony ground but the fell ponies (whose ancestors have probably roamed about on the fells and valleys since neolithic times) seem to thrive.

Their coats looked glossy after the winter.

Although the word nag usually refers to an old or inferior horse, its older usage is that of a small riding horse or pony and comes to us from the Middle English word nagge whose origin is unknown.   

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

ABC Wednesday - Iris

Passing by the little church at Woodland in July a flash of vivid colour caught my eye.  So curiosity led me in to investigate. 

Making my way to the colour luminous in the sunshine I discovered its flowery source growing

contained within a grave stone. I looked on the stone end for a name but time had erased all trace, but surely nature and the unknown gardener had already shown me the Christian name of the occupant

 Iris.

 

My I entry to ABC Wednesday. A journey through the alphabet from A-Z

All Abuzz in Woodland

After saying last week how slow spring was in coming things seem now to be moving at speed. The bright yellow male brimstone butterfly (one of our earliest species to appear) was too fast for me as it fluttered along the wayside, but this Large Red-tailed Bumble Bee, still drowsy with Spring and pollen, was easy to capture.

Lots of pristine white lambs on the pastures of Woodland, mother was keeping a wary eye on me as this one, oblivious, fed.

The snow only lies in gullies on the southernmost of the Lake District fells and soon these trees will start to bud.

ABC Wednesday - D

D is for Daffodil

Their shoots are only showing through a couple of inches at the moment but this was taken in April of last year. Culpepper says "The roots boiled and taken in posset drink cause vomiting and are used with good success at the appearance of approaching agues, especially the tertian ague, which is frequently caught in spring". I think I'll stick to aspirin.

The church is that of St John the Evangelist who I seem to remember protects against poisoning which might be useful when you are boiling roots. The place is the secluded Woodland Valley on the edge of the Lake District.

ABC Wednesday 4th Round