Hazy Summer Sun - An Evening Amongst the Gold

As the evenings get darker and the mornings cooler, I am holding on to the moments of sunshine we've had this summer. Just before the wheat in the field behind us was harvested, we managed to go and spend an evening investigating its golden beauty and the tiny sheaves almost ready to carry on their journey.

It has been magical to watch the wheat grow, from nothing but tiny shoots, to a field of gold, the children and I have loved watching the tractors as they drive up and down the fields.

We were a little miffed to have missed the combine harvesters and the actual harvesting itself, however, we were there to watch as the tractors swept up the leftovers and bundled them into perfectly rectangular parcels.

Late into the night they worked, picking up and building a huge hay castle, it was truly magical and should they go ahead and build on the land, we will miss watching the earth change through the seasons. But for now we will enjoy whatever grows there, last year was a beautiful field of oilseed, it’s bright yellow flowers swishing in the wind and turning into tiny rattling pods.

As the nights draw in we look forward to candle lit evenings and snuggly jumpers, blankets and stews, but for now, I hope I can get a few more wears out of my sandals and summer dresses and the children out of some of their clothes, for next year they will no doubt be too small.

What have you been up to this summer?

An Evening Stroll

We had to move out of our house for a few days this week whilst the builders relaid our downstairs floor. So, in search of some peace and quiet, we headed to a little Airbnb property in Fiskerton, just outside of Southwell.

I love this area of Nottinghamshire, Southwell itself is a wonderful town with plenty of cafes, shops, the minster and of course the Bramley apple, with a fabulous heritage walk that takes you close to the original Bramley tree.

Our little home for the week was in a small village, with a great little pub and plenty of walks close by. We headed out after dinner in search of the last few rays of the sunshine which had proved so illusive all day.

Marching down the lane, the children headed towards the fields, over the fields and across the train tracks, we later got talking to the signal box operator and he told us this one will be closing in October, which is rather sad.

Through the long grass we headed, picking up some dandelion clocks on the way, a favourite pastime of the children and it never gets old. As the children and their Daddy ran through the grass it made me think about how much we need to get outside more, especially since we'd spent last weekend packing up the house ready for the builders.

With the sun shining down on us, walking down country lanes past white painted houses, it felt a bit like we were in France. We'd taken some bubbles, so we stopped in the lane and blew them, the children chasing them all too excitedly as they floated down the road.

Do you like to go out for an evening stroll? With summer on the way it will certainly make it easier.