Evening Stillness

A cooler evening tonight, but a fine sunset over the bare hills of the Radnor Forest.  It has been cool enough during the days recently to relight the fire in the hall, which provides us with hot water.  The fire is the heart of an old house like this one; electricity just isn't the same.  

A rare trip to Ludlow this morning.  The hedges all the way are full and shaggy, lots of young growth, lots of tall grass in the verges.  I love the green darkness that comes with this summery growth, the suggestion of dark silences, watchful green depths.  Green Man thoughts.  The roads were red-yellow with field-muds turned to dust, as it is haymaking time and the bales are stacked in the fields awaiting collection.  On the back roads sometimes we have seen the huge combine harvesters, usually in two cumbersome parts.  The first is a tractor pulling the blades, as long as a glider, folded and wafer-thin; behind comes the harvester itself, swerving and nervy, with the thundering capering grace of a tamed elephant.