Lammas Harvest
August 4, 2009 by Bird
Filed under Blog, In The Garden, Summer
This Friday gone was Lammas, and to celebrate the old festival R and I climbed Winter Hill near Cookham and sat looking out at ripe wheat fields while drinking wine and eating strawberries. It was lovely, and I’m going to write about it… but not yet. On Sunday we had a more personal celebration and collected a small harvest from our garden – spinach, the last of our broad beans, blackberries picked from the wild bramble that insists on growing 
through the fence and into our garden, and perfectly ripe golden plums from our plum tree. Really, it hardly seems so long ago since that tree was smothered in delicate white blossom like the one you see on the left, and now it’s covered in golden fruit. it’s been an excellent year for fruit it seems, the fat berries I’ve noticed clustering on almost every shrub along the River Lee towpath, the spill of yellow and wine coloured plums upon the ground. It’s still summer and I like to think that we haven’t had the best of it yet, and yet… Already the garden is slowing down, with much gone to seed, and many things grown straggly – when did I take my eyes off them, when did this happen? The year has turned, and I am feeling it shifting. It’s as if we’ve finally crested a hill and are no longer poised at the top but already started on the way down. This sounds melancholy I know, but after the work of summer we all want to stop and reap the benefits; the birds who sang and worked themselves ragged to raise their chicks can now be found in hedgerows silently gorgeing on plenty. The sun when it appears is still hot, the days still relatively long, and now is the time to enjoy the fruits of the season.
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What a beautiful meditation — and photograph — on the fullness of summer. Thanks for reminding us to pay attention.
Thank you Jackie – it just seems so sudden that the hedgerows are now full of fruit and berries doesn’t it? It’s kind of like that point in early spring where the first burst of green and flowering is coming to an end – I find that time quite poignant because the passage of time is so tangible then.
Its hard to believe that summer will be over soon. Excellent images, a result of summer. Thanks for sharing Bird. Anna
And thank you too for visiting Anna!
That is beautifully put..but I feel sad that the season has become autumnal already. It is too early!
On the wildlife forums, a lot of people are commenting about the early berries. I am not sure why or what the implications are, but selfishly I am not a winter person
Ineed too buy some more jimajams and settle down
Oh I agree, it is too early Chrissy! I love autumn but I don’t want it to come just yet! I think the amazing berries and fruits are just a result of plenty of rain to fatten them combined with flashes of sunshine to ripen them, I’ve noticed that other summers like this one have been good for fruit and berries too. Well I’m kind of hoping the implication isn’t a harsh winter anyway
Which wildlife forums are you on?
I used to be much more of a winter person, preferred to be cold rather than too hot. Getting older has changed that though, and if next winter is like last…. brrrr….
Bird, you tease! I was all ready to hear about your wine and berries alfresco…but was plenty satisfied with your harvest story. I know what you mean about time slipping by so quickly. I have already found some trees, hickories, I think, that are showing red and yellow foliage. I love the change of seasons, but that only means one thing…time marches on!
What a nice harvest. All looks delicious. Now get to cookin’!
)
Oops, sorry about the teasin… probably looked like this post was all about that walk if you were looking at it in a feed reader! I am BAAAAD. And the post is still a little delayed, but coming soon I promise. It’s strange, lots of people are saying that the leaves are changing but I haven’t seen much of that here – there has been a LOT of early fruit though, and many summer flowers are already over and we’re in to the autumn ones…
The dinner was delicious by the way
I’m ignoring the signs thus far. . . the summer has flown by far too fast! Autumn is SUCH a busy time for me, that I don’t want to think too hard about the flurry of activity that is barreling down on me. Still, once I feel that first nip in the air and see the light turning honey gold, I’ll remember that it’s my favorite time of year.
Beautiful harvest! I need to post about my garden. I never shared pictures, can you believe it? It’s a tangled monster now!
Looking forward to your Lammas tale.
Oh, I know what you mean! Autumn and winter are going to be very busy for me too, and the garden here is more weeds than anything right now – my fault as I do tolerate them a little too much and then they take advantage of my good nature
I love autumn very much, I almost said it was my favourite season too but to be honest I find it harder every year to single one out as best. But the end of summer… ah, that is a sad thing. not quite there yet, but almost…
Not fall yet. I haven’t had much summer here yet…
I think, I hope, we will be having a late summer here. I hope I haven’t depressed you!