SWAILING

Swailing - Controlled or prescribed burning

I have been waiting to do this post for nearly two years but missed it the first year I was blogging and last year was scuppered by rain so that it wasn't done in this area at all. As I'm sure many of you know, swailing is an ancient skill, which clears the ground of dead and overgrown vegetation, allowing new growth to flourish. Gorse and bracken can take over with the demise of grazing animals, and the controlled burning keeps them in check. I had no idea they were doing it today but noticed plumes of smoke as I walked back from dropping Trigger with the Madams this afternoon:

As I came over the ridge my suspicions were confirmed

The ponies seemed completely oblivious to what was happening:

This swail was being undertaken by local farmers or commoners, who graze their sheep and cattle on the moor.

The paths and fire-breaks that are cut before the swail contain and control the fire's desire to spread; the wind was REALLY strong today.

Tomorrow the air will be heavy with the smell of charred grass but in a few months, the green will start to come back.

Trigger has a new friend......

A black and white one who turns up every feeding time.........

Handsome devil. 

Unlike these two female blackbirds appearing to be having a fight on the drive.....foot in mouth. 

Yesterday the dogs and I walked down to the river. 

On the way home we saw this dead shrew. Poor little thing.

OB says thank you for all your birthday wishes and I say thank you for all your positive comments about the cake! It is long gone obviously. Cake doesn't last long in this house. 

The weather is turning tomorrow so Trigger may well be back in his coat, the dogs' walks won't be as extensive and the coal will be back on the fire. We will all miss the sunshine......

......one of us more than the others:

So until next time, have a lovely evening. We've just lost the TV signal AGAIN. What was wrong with analogue exactly? It just went fuzzy in the old days.