The Bank Holiday
The Bank Holiday
Walking through the stiff golden stems of late summer, the dogs bounce in and out of the hollowed-out wildness, knocking over the old flower heads as they race through them. The tall grasses with their crisp, brown seed pods rattle against each other, shedding their load and covering the spaniels in burrs and seeds. Brushing them out is necessary but somehow pointless knowing that the next day they will return from their walk in the same state.
The heat is starting to come out of the days, and the light feels less vivid and more mellow as we turn towards Autumn. There is the sense of space and fading vitality which characterises late summer afternoons and marks the end of the growing season.
Today is a bank holiday (a national holiday) – so called because it was created by an Act of Parliament in 1871. It was moved to this date in 1971 but was originally set at the beginning of August and thus aligned more with the ancient celebration called Lughnasadh which signalled harvest time. A similar date was marked by the Christian Lammas day, from the old Anglo-Saxon “hlaef-mass” (loaf mass} which was first mentioned around 921 CE in the Anglo-Saxon chronicles as the “Feast of the First Fruits”.
Traditionally, Lammas celebrated the very first harvested grain which was then milled, baked into a fresh loaf of bread, and blessed. However, thanks to the unseasonably hot weather in July, this year we had entirely finished harvesting by the 1st of August and had already stored it in the sheds and barns.
In terms of fruits, however, the harvest of goodies from the trees is now bountiful. Plums, figs, and greengages fill baskets and trays all over the kitchen, figs in Sauterne line up in jars in the pantry, tart plum jam is there for teatime, and the cooking apple tree is so heavily laden that it is almost overwhelming. The courgettes have turned into marrows as I failed to get to them in time - Geordie likes courgettes but not marrows and I find myself wondering, if I cut them into small cubes, whether he will notice. Luckily, I hope I still have a week or two before I need to contemplate the apples which is just as well as I try to preserve as much as I can for the winter months. Thank you, nature.
We have at long last had a little rain and perhaps some plants and the lawns will revive over the next few days. This is a time of transience and of natural endings. Many of us look forward to the vivid russet and golden amber displays of early autumn. Sadly, this year, many of the trees are already dropping their leaves so I am not sure how much of a show we will see before the colder, darker days of winter wrap us up.
Our predecessors, who farmed and gardened here, understood the changing of the seasons far better than we do. For them, the agricultural seasons were the key to their survival although that hasn’t really changed today, it is just that most of us are divorced from the reality of it. We still need to grow our food and doing it wisely and well has never been more to the front of discussion and society than it is now. However, I wonder if we listen with both our ears to those who walk the fields to plant, grow and harvest rather than those who stand in meeting rooms to talk and eat.
All of a sudden, the evenings have become shorter. Too soon the light has gone and too late I have remembered that I need to feed a pony.
Carrying down the late feed for Phoebe, my feet knowing the way to the field at the bottom of the garden despite the dark, I can hear her whiffling her impatience. There is time for a last cuddle and to tip the mash into her bucket (plus a little bit for Elsa the Shetland pony), to whisper into Phoebe's neck and bid her dream well before walking away through the sounds of the night, leaving her to settle into her world.
22 Comments
Enjoyed this great history lesson about The Bank Holiday and the update the harvest!
A bittersweet time of year... but I'm ready for it.
Lovely the pictures of bank holiday the harvest and did you and lord Carnarvon have a wonderful weekend and lam fan of Downton Abbey and highcelere castle
One of your best musings. I walked with you in the dark to feed the precious pony. Now I must go back to MY world. Thank you so much!
It is a favourite moment - a very safe smell when you hug a horse's neck!
Lovely the pictures of bank holiday harvest and did you and lord Carnarvon have a wonderful bank holiday Monday and lam fan of Downton Abbey and highcelere castle
I enjoy all your stories and the glimpses of life through the changing seasons.
Wonderful piece. I always think of Autumn as a new year as it was each September of my childhood. I also have a birthday in late September (a big one this year), too. While our temperatures here in Chicagoland are very much summer, the earlier sunsets & the occasional splash of color in the trees are reminding us that fall is coming!
Have a wonderful week.
Cheers,
Donna
I am always amazed at this time of the year, the number of changes we go through outside. The earlier darkening of the sky, and after
the small amount of rain we’ve hah how our lawns slowly start to become the beautiful green we prefer to sit out on.
I love all the beautiful colours of summer, but brown grass just doesn’t go with that,
If I remember correctly, when I was growing up my mother made 2 recipes with marrows, one was a stewed marrow dish that my
siblings and I disliked intensly and the other was Marrow and Ginger Jam. That one was the favourite jam of the season. My mother
had to regulate the opening of those jars so they would last until the next harvesting. Here in Vancouver we don’t see marrows in
the stores, the younger zucchini’s are much preferred. Last year when traveling I found some marrow and after arriving home I once
again tasted my favourite jam. I love reading your weekly notes of home they bring back many memories, thank you for all of them.
Gorgeous sunset photos! Thank you for sharing...
so ready for fall as we have had a very hot August here in California!
we have had a little rain and loved it!
An enjoyable, informative read…as always
👍🙏
Hello to Autumn! Always brings Keats to mind: "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness"...A time of gratitude and preparation. Thank you for your view of it, and for feeding Phoebe!!
Lady Carnarvon,
Your words cause me to feel the calm of evening with a lovely settling sunset - refreshing after a busy day. I think I’ll read it again this evening and think of the sounds of Phoebe and Elsa as they settle sown for the evening.
Peace ~~
Martha
We are the fifth generation living on our farm in Nebraska, USA. You are so correct about the importance of being in tune with nature, the cycle of the seasons, and how these affect our food supply. This has been a difficult growing year here, as well, with drought and heat. Thank you for your lovely writing, and for sharing your world with us.
Thank you for reading and commenting
Assuming that marrows are what we in the U.S. would call overlarge summer squash or zucchini, you can grate them coarsely, freeze in 2 cup packages, and use later for zucchini bread. Last year a neighbor gave me four enormous zucchini, which I grated and froze, and later made about a dozen zucchini bread loaves for our church bazaar.
Here in TX you can find pumpkin coffee. I, on the
other hand, bought some blackberries for an apple
and blackberry crumble. Alas It's too hot for any
thought of Autumn. Thanks, Lady Carnarvon, for
writing it into memory for me
What a lovely picture you have described of Autumn. I love Autumn as it's a mellow season after the harshness of our summer. The warm colours are so pretty and seeing a carpet of tapestry of leaves under the trees is joyful. I can picture your bountiful preserves in the pantry - they sound delicious too. Today, we welcome the first day of Spring in NZ .Longer daylight hours are coming and I hope to make lemon curd while they're plentiful and cheap to buy. Our mother used to cut marrow in half lengthwise and stuff with savoury mince. The marrow was trussed with string
and baked in a roasting pan with water. Thank you again for such a wonderfull start to my Tuesday morning. I am thinking too of Phoebe and Elsa gently sleeping after their nighttime cuddle. I look forward to your next week's blog. Have a wonderful week
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Dear Lady Carnarvon,
What a lovely image of fall and harvest time you have conjured up for us this morning. One of my big takeaways is have much of your time is invested in tending the land and your animals. Add to that all the business ventures and monitoring the health of Highcleres' physical plant makes me wonder if you really get much sleep. All the mental and physical work should keep all the parts working. Enjoy this seasons fall and stay safe.
I think being outside is healthy ..but thank you