Saturday 26 May 2012

RAPE FIELDS

 There seem to be fields of rape everywhere this year - or is it just me not noticing at other times? I went out for a drive no more than half a dozen miles from home and these are just a few of the fields I took photos of.
 
As you can see the distance is covered in a heat haze - that's the Chiltern Hills in the distance.

It's such a bright yellow, not an English colour at all in such vast patches. What a shame it isn't flax!


More fields in the distance - and more of those little black beetles which seem to love this crop - and us, if we're wearing anything yellow...

Several fields in the distance,

And another one - I wonder who that dusty car belongs to???

The verges seem to be covered with cow parsley which bows in your wake as you drive past.

Lovely England.

Griff Rhys Jones has written an article in Radio Times saying if we don't keep an eye on things landscapes like these will disappear under the weight of wind farms, houses which are being built, (and this is me) never mind HS2, roaring across some of this countryside.
He does say that there are plenty of beautiful places, too.

6 comments:

Kath said...

Interestingly there is not a lot of oilseed rape here in Somerset. When we lived at Stoke, there was one field where we walked, which was often planted with flax and had a beautiful lilac/blue haze over it.

Kath said...

Oh I forgot to mention, in our local paper, a red kite was photographed over Shepton Mallett! They are obviously spreading west.

Bernard said...

Are you sure it was flax Kath?
There is a lot of blue fields around here planted with linseed. :D

Bernard said...

Sorry Sylvie, I got carried away and was responding (above) to Kath.
That looks like the road to Thame - Chilterns on the right going in? I believe all the changes to the English countryside have come to pass because of the Bl**** Common Agricultural Policy. Thank you eu! Not.
Set aside land and all that rubbish. HS2 makes my blood pressure rise, so I won't say anymore about that.
Hope you are keeping cool?
I like 'cool' ladies! He,he!

Bernard said...

On the left going in! Stupid boy! It's the heat got to me!

Sylve said...

Kath - are you the only person locally who recognised the kite for what it was?

Hmmm, Bernard. According to the dictionary linseed is another name for flax - I wonder if it changes its name during processing? Your comment just rang a little bell so I looked it up. It's a lovely colour, though.
It's so nice to hear from someone who also has left/right confusion! I'm always misguiding people with
directions! I have to use hands as well as voice.
I went along the Bicester Road - no longer a straight run - then up Waddesdon Hill by the Waddesdon cross roads, taking all the pics along that road. You were right about the area but looking in the other direction, up to Upper Winchendon.
(I'm a cool lady - I stay indoors...!)