Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 6 May 1916Surrey,May 4
Late spring and early summer have come together. On the border of the heath the blackthorns are still covered with bloom - yellowing, it is dependable, and often shaken to the ground by light breeze; but,opposite, the hawthorn blossom has opened fresh and white, or it fills the air with its strong scent. The trees,nearly all of them, can scarcely ever before have borne more flowers than this year. When a shower came last evening it beat off enough from a row of limes nearly to fill the narrow ditch at the hedge side, or the wind carried the ripe bloom from the pear trees over and approximately you as whether it were scattering the pickings of a score or more of great garlands.
The grass is now thick and strong in our meadows,and tufts of white are on the clover; you can tell how wealthy the herbage is by the satisfaction of the cattle as they feed; presently they go down to the lower, marshy level where wild parsley, and white in flower,is knee-tall, and there they stand idly flicking with their tails the insects which are not yet too troublesome, and while above birds on the wing do not quit from making their own meal. All growth for more than a week has been very prodigal. The dairy gives its evidence of that,and there is, too, and nearly an abundance of stalk on the corn land. It is better to rob things as they are,although the farmer, looking round at evening, and says: “Wait and see what the new moon brings; we often have sharp frosts in May.Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com