the field in august

 

The field is full of seeds and berries and has slipped into a very autumnal colour scheme. 

 

Blackberries and elderberries have been picked and preserved - the blackberries went straight in the freezer and the elderberries bottles as a cordial. 

The boys gathered some early conkers and playing with my (precious!) camera while I was berry picking. It's always nice to look through their photographs, seeing their viewpoint.

Fred's view of the field.

Previous monthly posts of The Field here

mushroom picking

 

A neighbour kindly deposited a bag full of field mushrooms on our doorstep the other day and informed us of the field she found them in. This morning we went out before breakfast, to find some of our own and introduce the boys to mushroom picking. It's been years since we've picked mushrooms from the fields as we have either missed them or been too unsure of their identification. However, the look and smell of these make them unmistakably field mushrooms.  A nearby field which is grazed by cattle was peppered with them. The boys loved running from clump to clump gathering them, still covered in dew. They soon learnt to only pick the young newly emerged ones. 

The mushrooms were cleaned up at home and made into a soup for lunch. It's rather time consuming checking for the tell tale holes of creatures that you don't want in your soup, but for a seasonal meal it's well worth the effort.

the hawthorn tree - august

 

The haws are turning from green to red. I love how each berry is a slightly different shade.

  

  

The blackberries amongst the tree almost match the colour of the haws.

 

 

And under the tree, the rabbits have been busy...

As I walked across the field, Common Blue butterflies were everywhere - delightful!

Joining in with Loose and Leafy's 'Tree Following' project.

holidaying in the mountains

Ahhh the mountains.... big skies, long walks. A week spent nestled amongst Snowdonia's finest, on a quiet campsite just outside Beddgelert, with some pretty good views to greet you in the morning.

 

Rambles included Snowdon (of course!), Cnicht (just stunning and highly recommended. The walk takes in the atmospheric ruins of an old slate quarry) and the Roman Steps (possibly not at all Roman but a good walk non the less!) 

Cnicht...

Ascending Cnicht

 

 

As you get to the summit, the views become almost aerial. At the top of the valley is the remote and atmospheric ruins of the houses of the workers of an old slate quarry. How hardy must those people have been.

 

Rhosydd Slate Quarry, Cwm Croesor

 

 

 

 

The Roman Steps... 

A steady climb up a slabbed pathway reaching a rugged pass in the mountains behind Harlech. So quiet and hidden away (apart from the odd jet flying overhead and the occasional walker) - a delightful area.

 

Lots of bouldering and scrambling to be had by the three brothers. And a truly wild and rugged place to rest and have lunch.

 

Fred set himself a personal challenge of conquering the summits of Snowdon and Cnicht in two consecutive days and raising money to help our local Wildlife Trust buy a woodland reserve. It certainly was a challenge, especially Snowdon shrouded in cloud and 50mph winds, but that added to the challenge. He absolutely loved it all, from designing the sponsorship form and his summit flag, getting sponsorship and of course the challenge itself - more of his adventure here

From Cnicht we had a wonderful view of Snowdon and the route which Fred and Sherpa Dad took. Possibly the first time Fred has seen the summit clear of cloud. 

And youngest didn't want to be left out and did his own mountain challenges...

 

He turned four during the holiday so we had a day off from hiking to explore castles and paddle in the sea.

Criccieth Castle

 

 

  

And just to get a different set of muscles aching, a bike ride through the forest.

The thrill seekers of the family flew (almost literally) on a mile long zip wire over a slate quarry.

A great week away to just be together and discovering new places to love.
At each holiday destination I always wonder if I could live there. With views like this, even laundry day would be a day to look forward to!

 

And I think I found the house to go with the washing line (yes, I was wearing my rose tinted sunglasses!)