This year's crop rotation....

... will be mostly yellow.

The fields are yellow.  They never used to be this colour here in 'England's green and pleasant land', but every year, around here, the landscape changes slightly by crop rotation, and the yellow fields appear, disappear, and reappear with a noticable regularity.

I'm going to head off tomorrow to the spot I took the photo of the blog header - it's field pattern looks like a negative by comparison.

The first time I came into contact with the OilSeed Rape was on a cycling break about 20 years ago.  A group of us had decided to cycle part of the Ridgeway (funny how it turns out that we now live about 2 miles away from it) over a long weekend.  I'd never seen it before, but my nose and eyes let me know something was around the corner long before I spotted it.  My hayfever well and truly triggered and the smell is quite distinct, brassicas come to mind, and pepper too.

Back then I was affronted at this incomer, this change to our 'natural' landscape, our English heritage, but now, I'm cheered up by the sheer vibrancy it brings.  Even on dismal cloudy days the yellow screams at you - 'I'M HERE!' and, by implication, so is summer.... even though the weather belies it.

So, to the weather. Since our Easter break, which by usual standards, was lovely, the weather's taken a turn for the wet.  We had the wettest winter on record, and then, by comparison, a relatively dry spell - no rain for 6 weeks or so.  The ground had begun to crack in the hen enclosure and on the dog walk at the top of the park... but since Good Friday there's been rain enough to put things right.

We've not had too much rain yet, but tomorrow (I don't usually work on Thursday) is forecast dry, and I've guttering to put right before the next wet spell comes in again.

So I'm turning in early.  Busy day tomorrow, and who knows, it may all turn out all right.

Nighty night.

Kat.