Scarlet berries

In her entry for the 4th of August, 1908, Edith noted "Harvesting Commenced". This also marked the start of the long school holidays. In those days, the pupils needed this time as the whole family was expected to help with the harvest.

Rushing past the harvest, 26 July 2016,

110 years later, harvesting is very different. Sophisticated combine harvesters do the work of many weary hands. Even the bales look different. My photo, snatched from a speeding train, shows the modern round bales. Over the last few years these have been replacing the blocks familiar from my childhood. When researching this post, I was almost shocked to find that, when I first saw these blocks in the 1960s, that they were new, having been produced by the earliest combine harvesters. Earlier grain crops and hay would have been harvested as bundles, which would have been piled into stooks.



Resorts World.

At the end of July, a colleague and I walked over to the NEC to see the new Star Trek Beyond movie. As we approached Pendigo Lake I heard the plaintive cry of a young Great Crested Grebe. It was soon fed by it's attentive parent. I spent a while watching the birds on the lake and then headed towards Resorts World.

Young Coot, 26 July 2016

On the way, I found a family of coots grazing on the Crowne Plaza's grass. This youngster was very curious about me. Some hours later, after shopping, movie and food, night had fallen and the lake was dark. However lights from the hotels highlighted white feathers on birds, which had stayed on the lake. We were able to pick out the family of Canada Geese that I had seen on a previous visit and four male tufted ducks. The latter presumably included the fathers of the ducklings I saw on the pond next to the office.



Rowen Berries, 27 July 2016

In a couple of her entries for August, Edith mentions "scarlet berries". At the end of July the only scarlet berries I found were some Rowen berries in the car park of the Arden hotel.  Other tree seeds I found nearby included the following.

Lime tree seeds with 'wings', 26 July 2016.

Field Maple 'aeroplanes', 27 July 2016

Winged hornbeam seed, 27 July 2016

sloe berries, 27 July 2016

Elmdon Park - Walled Park Nature Reserve

As I am no longer working in Birmingham, I will plunder last year's photos to continue my journal.

St Nicholas - 28 July 2015

In 1908 Edith mentioned three visits to Elmdon Park in May, June and October. 109 years later, I visited Elmdon too. After work, I checked into the Holiday Inn, dumped my luggage and walked briskly through the Nature Park that I visited in June this year and past St Nicholas.  According to William Dargue's page on Elmdon, the church that I saw was built in 1781, replacing the dilapidated one that previously stood on the site. It was rebuilt by Abraham Spooner, the owner of the long since demolished Elmdon Hall.

Old walls - 28 July 2015

My aim was to visit Elmdon Hall's old walled garden, which forms part of the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust's Elmdon Manor nature reserve. Dargue's page on Elmdon tells us that "Measuring a hectare in area, the walled garden was reputedly in its day the largest in the country. Some of the walls and the ruins of greenhouses survive." Just before I reached the wall, there was a tangle of wild plants including delicious wild raspberries.



Ferns and mosses on brickwork - 28 July 2015 

Yellow loosestrife - 28 July 2016

In Edith's time, it's likely that the garden would have been immaculately kept and extremely productive. As I followed the footsteps of long-dead gardeners, I found ferns growing out of the steps and a mixture of wild and garden plants spilling over the paths.

Apples - 28 July 2015

Someone has clearly been hard at work here. There are fairly young fruit trees to remind us of the garden's former purpose, which was to produce fruit and vegetables for the big house. 

Campanula - 28 July 2015

According to the SEAG community blog:

The head and under gardeners had cottages close by at Elmdon Farm with as many as 20 men and boys working in the kitchen and pleasure gardens. The walled garden was intersected by wide grass paths with neat box hedges, and after the removal of the glass tax in 1845, extensive greenhouses and cold frames. Around the walls espalier and fan shaped apple trees with the more tender fruits such as nectarines and apricots occupying the south facing walls.

Sadly many of the gardeners who would have been tending the gardens in 1908 are likely to have left Elmdon for the First World War. Also the house changed hands a number of times and went into decline. Now long grass and wildflowers catch the low evening sun and provide a feast for insects and other wildlife.

Airport buildings seen over crops - 28 July 2015

Having explored the garden, I looked round the rest of the nature reserve. There is a lake and trees including old Yews.  Intrigued by glimpses of gold, I peered out from between the trees. I was greeted by the rather surreal sight of airport buildings and hotels beyond ripening crops. The golden evening sun had been replaced by sulky clouds.

Holiday Inn Hotel with rainbow - 28 July 2015

As I walked back to the hotel, the inevitable drizzle started. As I got back to the hotel, the sun came out again and I captured a rainbow.