Inspire a generation

Poster of Olympic champion, Jessica Ennis, Barker's Pool
 - City Hall Plaza, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.
Well done, Jessica Ennis, Olympic 2012 heptathlon
 gold medalist!

By the old wall

I went for a walk in the park intending to go into the walled garden and library. I didn't linger outside because there was a steady drizzle of rain. There's a path and plant border that leads to the library beside the old wall and there's always something different to see as the months of the year go by.

I like the combination colours of the teasels and the evening primrose flowers.

There's an old yew tree just by the entrance to the children's library 

and I sheltered under it to take a photo of the rose garden.

There are masses of hydrangea bushes by the library with flowers of all different hues.

Mowing the meadow

Photos taken in a hamlet on the edge of the Chiltern Hills
 (Oxfordshire/Berkshire border)

During some recent drier days in July this farmer was taking the opportunity to start the late process of silage (or perhaps hay making).  We hope he managed to get the task done during the

upredictable weather we've been experiencing these last few months.

It reminded me of a passage in Katherine Swift's book, The Morville Hours - a gardener's meditative journey through the seasons.  In the chapter called Sext she describes rural life within view of her Shropshire home and garden during the month of June.

Mr. Meredith (the farm manager) made hay in Church Meadow, one man and a machine doing the work of a dozen men with scythes.  First he cut the grass, dropping it neatly behind the tractor in long flat lines , then he returned a few days later to turn it. The sweet fragrance of mown hay wafted over the garden for days. That smell! - the sweet-scented smell of vernal grass evocative of a thousand summer days, but now largely a thing of the past. Nowadays hay is much more likely to be cut for silage: cut, chopped and bagged in a single day. 

A scarecrow trail festival

In most villages there are weekends in the diary that involve the whole community.  In Sonning, the weekend biennial festival featuring a scarecrow trail with many well-loved characters spread around the village has become a popular event.  Families are invited to see how many they can spot as they follow the trail and then vote for their favourite.  Many village gardens are open to the public and the money raised goes to local good causes.

Here are some photos taken two years ago together with some of the church and churchyard that I took on our recent visit.  

The beautifully-built, new church meeting room incorporates an older building.
  The footpath next to it leads down to the river.  

St. Andrew's Church dates back to Saxon times with later additions.

I hope you enjoyed an impression in photos of this endearing aspect of life in this Berkshire village.

A lakeside walk

Cottages at Sonning Eye

On the opposite, north bank to Sonning Village is an islet in the Thames known as Sonning Eye. They're linked by an historic brick-arched bridge.  In fact, half-way across the bridge marks the border between the counties of Oxfordshire and Berkshire.  The islet is a conservation area with some protected cottages, barns and an 18th century watermill which has been converted into a small dinner theatre.

Sonning Eye is surrounded by a nature reserve and the river backwaters join several lakes (Caversham Lakes) that have been formed by reclaiming unused gravel pits.  In particular, there's a training rowing lake named the Redgrave-Pincent Rowing Lake after the Olympian oarsmen, (Sir) Steve Redgrave and (Sir) Matthew Pincent who, of course, are associated with the area where this competitive water sport is strong with annual Regattas taking place in Sonning and Henley.  There's also a Marina, a sailing lake and a stretch used for water skiing.

It's also a popular place for birdwatching and walking and during last weekend we wandered around

one of the lakes.  We were pleased to find that the banks and paths were accessible as they have been flooded in recent months due to the continual rain.

a Wild Wood - we didn't see Ratty, Mole or Badger!