First Steps

Years ago, on a bitter cold spring day in North Yorkshire, I sat for hours in my car by the side of a tiny country lane. Increasingly, as the cold seeped in under the doors and window surrounds and my heavy winter coat no longer provided its usual protection, I wrapped my trusty long scarf closer and closer around my neck (it was once intended as one of five knitted gifts but having fallen in love with the softness and familiarity of its texture, soft blue and green tones of the sea and the gentle touch as it steadily increased in size, in the end I could not bear to part with it, for which I was now more grateful than ever). The shivering became more noticeable, my hands began to tremble and thoughts of a large pot of tea now grew into an obsession rather than simply a desire. Yet still I sat and stared filled with the delight and remembrance viewed upon my child’s face when she remained upright after her first unstable steps.

The objects of my fixation? Five small lambs standing in a queue and one on the top of a singular, rectangular bale of hay in a close section of a nearby field. As each lamb tired of being “it” off she jumped, quickly replaced at the top by the next one in line before it reached the back of the queue to await its turn again. It was only the threat of frostbite that finally forced me to depart and continue my journey.

I am passionate about Cows & Sheep! I love all aspects of life in the countryside, including the little quirks that drive city folk to distraction; but my passion for cows and sheep are on an entirely differently level.

I literally have hundreds of photographs of cows, many indistinguishable from dozens of others, individually standing and staring, or within a beautiful gentle herd. These have often been taken in a state of panic as we are preparing to move house and I fear that the local cows are the last I will see for a while. However, Lucille, my Cow Door has been a faithful companion since 1988 when my husband and daughter created her for me following a car accident which left me virtually housebound for a few months. Lucille has been with me in homes as diverse as a seaside house in California and a converted milk parlour in England (please know that I do not lie, even for affect!) Once again, we have for the time we are here (more about that in later entries) Jersey and Holstein herds grazing in adjoining fields and a house still filled with photographs, sculptures and so many other items and objects depicting cows and sheep, not to mention ducks and rabbits . . .

The birth of my beloved daughter was one of the greatest moments and enduring memories of my life, but recently, whilst visiting family at Bolton Abbey, I witnessed the birth of a calf for the very first time and as it struggled to stand upon its wobbly legs, I admit to a similar feeling of my heart about to burst. This miraculous moment of the emergence of life was again shared with my daughter, only this time, aged twenty-six, we stood side by side, arms entwined. Our eyes met and I knew words were unnecessary ~ she knows me so well and her eyes showed the same joy in the moment we had witnessed together. The miracle of birth and the cycles of life never cease to amaze me.

Hello and thank you for encouraging me to join the blogging world to all my wonderful Countryside Connection Members, fellow WiRE (Women in Rural Enterprise) members and family and friends who all offer such tremendous friendship and ongoing support!