Outdoors Les Davies MBE

West Countryman’s diary

WOULD someone be so good as to slow the world down a little, I would like to get off! Where is the time going? There was the time in my childhood years when time couldn’t past fast enough to arrive at the next school holiday or exciting day out. Now my thinking has changed and whereas there are times when I like the clock to move forward, there are increasing moments of wanting to hold it back.

I am brought back to reality after the daily conversations with my daughter Elizabeth, working as a teacher in Shanghai, China. They have been locked down for a month now and still face an extended period of isolation. Unable to go out, they now rely on food and water deliveries to keep them going. She definitely wants the clock to move forward!

Here comes the month of May, with the beginning of spring and a promise of summer to come. My front lawn, if I can call it as such, has an ever-expanding population of primroses that I am pleased to encourage. Even the forget-me-nots are flowering along the ragged border of plants I have been given or rescued from various places.

Any thoughts of a formal layout have long been abandoned and I cut the grass around the primrose clumps, with an idea of sowing yellow rattle to control its growth. My vegetable patch must however retain its conformity. Straight lines and weed-free in pursuit of the countryman’s ideal, although it’s sometimes a struggle to keep up with the weeding!

The countryside is still a hazardous place, even within this green and pleasant land. Thank you Terry Gifford from Glastonbury, who sent me an email describing his encounters with an adder during one of his Mendip trips in the 1980s. Exactly as described in my last column, he had sat down on an anthill (Emmet tump) and (dapped) put his hand on an adder.

The resulting bite put him in hospital where he experienced low blood pressure, but quickly recovered from the ordeal.

Another hazard will be faced as the roe deer begin to calve in May. Again we, the human and our dogs. can cause problems. This time it will be the young fawn at risk through our actions. After giving birth the doe will hide the fawn while she grazes. The youngster’s only protection is its camouflage and lack of scent, laying perfectly still and silent is the only way to avoid detection.

Often it’s the chance discovery by the dog that can cause the problem. Often convinced that the animal has been abandoned or orphaned, people will pick it up or touch it. This will guarantee the youngster is abandoned by the mother. It is a very harsh world out there and we can make things worse.

It’s also the time of the year when I get a little more optimistic about the weather than I should. There are many May mottoes relating to the folly of discarding warm clothing too soon. A late May frost can also damage the apple crop and the story of St Dunstan’s Frost through the Vale of Avalon is not just history and myth to be told by old men around the fire

With LES DAVIES MBE side, (or in Mendip Times). This story of Dunstan, the first Abbot of Glastonbury, relates the pact he made with the Devil to wipe out the apple blossom and in doing so destroy the cider crop. Dunstan would then profit from the malting barley he was growing for beer. The pact made, the Devil in an uncommon act of honesty, duly delivered a frost in May to destroy the apple blossom. Quite what Dunstan’s part of the bargain was has never been explained. He was after all forever crossing swords with “Old Nick”, so it may well have been an agreement to leave him alone for a while. A late air frost will still occasionally roll down through the Vale of Avalon in mid-May and knock out the apple blossom… as I said it’s not all history myth and legend! May is also the start of our agricultural shows, where the very best of farming and countryside life is displayed. This year the North Somerset Agricultural Society is holding its show on May 2nd at Wraxall near Nailsea. The Royal Bath and West Show at Shepton Mallet takes place from Thursday, June 2nd through to Saturday, June 4th. Come and visit the Environmental Youth Awards stand in the Dulverton pavilion in the woodland and countryside section to see how young people are becoming involved in climate change and conservation. Now a tale of commitment and raw aggression! A male blackbird in my back garden has obviously been overcome by the avian equivalent of testosterone and in pursuit of protecting his nesting area has been taking on anything that comes within his territory. Mild-mannered wood pigeons with that “the lights are on but nobody is at home” look on their faces have been buzzed whilst feeding on the ivy berries. Likewise some magpies have been warned off with the same approach. He is very determined, but so far has made no attempt at having a go at me. Finally, news of a new walks book for you! This time it’s in the Quantock Hills AONB and the third in a series of Seriously NOT Boring family walk books. The Seriously NOT Boring Quantock Country Walks Book is written by Sue Gearing and myself, with illustrations by Neil Ross. It’s published by the Quantock Hills AONB with 12 short circular walks and fun activities designed to be enjoyed by younger members of the family. Dedicated to Chris Edwards the retiring AONB manager, who gave 33 years to this area, it should be out by the end of April. Contact the Quantock Hills AONB for further information. This month’s picture shows Tom, Mia, Kate, Sam, Harry and Scamp the dog who have featured in other editions on Mendip, the Tamar Trails and now Quantock Country… Happy days!