Long grass, dark skies and darting swallows

One of my favourite stories I read to my children at bed time was We’re Going on a Bear Hunt  by Michael Rosen and today I was reminded of it when walking out across the moor.  In the story when encountering long wavy grass the family of explorers say “we can’t go over it, we can’t go under it, we have to go through it, swishy swashy, swishy swashy… ” and those of you familiar with the story will know how it goes as the family conquer the grass and continue on their journey.  I adore this book and think it holds a very important message to all ages – whatever the obstacle you can’t avoid it and have to go through it.  And so through knee high grass I walked.

Long grass also reminds me of the opening scenes of Little House on the Prairie, and oh how much I wanted to be like Laura Ingalls Wilder running through the grass, Laura Ashley style dress and long plaits down my back.  I devoured the books one after the other and this makes me think, will the next generation of children have such lovely memories provoked by books they read in their later years?  Will YouTube and Facebook offer as many memorable moments?  I doubt it and that’s a sad thought.

So, I took a simple walk through the swishy swashy grass and up the hills to the top of the moor, this is a view I absolutely love, it’s a breathe deep, fill your lungs and admire the land moment.  The dark skies are back, the grass was wet and the rain was teasingly falling but I am the kind of walker that if I were to return home dry and clean then it wouldn’t have seemed like a decent or satisfying walk, for me it’s about what you get out of it not how clean I stay.

Climbing higher the girls came to greet me, as the lambs get older their mums stand still, protect them and don’t run away like before, instead they inquisitively stand and stare at me and my lamb looking like dog on a lead.  I’m sure they think we are quite mad.

Back down to the older ladies and to me this sheep in the foreground is wearing a jumper with a lovely round neckline, don’t you think so too?

But what I couldn’t capture today were the swallows, rising and falling across the fields, swooping and looping and turning in the air loving their flight.  Maybe next time.

And so swishy swashy, swishy swashy long grass but no deep mud or bears, just sheep and their lambs, some swallows, a few cows and a sense of calm on the hill.