Amelia's photos with the keyword: August

Today's Sunday Challenge is: A NEW EXPERIENCE I have not seen this method of controlling bracken until this morning. On 1 January 2013 it became illegal to use the bracken-control chemical Asulam. The chemical, which was sold as Asulox, was banned by the EU on 31 December 2011 but those who already had stocks had a year to use these up. While good in small areas, as it provides cover for animals, bracken can be a real problem, quickly becoming a monoculture, shading out and eliminating wild plants and flowers. In our local area The Cliffe is a sandstone hill, a lot of which is colonised by bracken, preventing the growth of heather, ling and gorse. The bracken is managed largely by volunteers, but I've never seen this method of horse drawn bracken rolling before. The horse is pulling a special roller with chains, which bend and partially break the bracken fronds. This has the effect of weakening the plant as it attempts to regrow. Volunteers are raking over the broken bracken and bundling it onto a trailer. The bracken may be taken to the local farmer who has a bio-digester. There were 2 horses working today, and about 20 volunteer helpers. The effects of bracken rolling are progressive and in order for the bracken to be completely eradicated, it is advisable that the process is repeated twice yearly, with first treatment in June/July (Peak Growing Season) and second in late August/early September (going into Dormant Period). It is extremely important that if a second annual treatment is undertaken, that it is completed before the plant produces spores. I hope that this will gradually replace the large tracts of ferns with wild flowers. Ceffylau Gwaith Carnog Working Horses, run by Barbara Haddrill, is based in Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant in the heart of the Tanat Valley in Powys, Wales. It works in mid and North Wales, Shropshire and the Welsh Borders and Marches. www.carnog.co.uk

Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love", have become standards. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every 100 years. In the mid fifties we performed this musical at the Aldershot County High School for Girls. I had a minor role, Jean, in the production, and the song, Heather on the Hill, reminds me of the musical. The John Wilson Orchestra: The Heather On The Hill (from Brigadoon) The heather in the photo is Calluna vulgaris, common heather, ling, or simply heather, and it is is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the flowering plant family Ericaceae.. It covers large parts of the local sandstone hill called The Cliffe in Ruyton XI Towns.

You may notice that the seat of this old bench has been replaced with a new piece of oak. It will soon be necessary to replace the back.

Saturday Self Challenge: Photograph the view out of a window and use your window as a frame for the picture. Our home was built at the second half of the 19th century, and still has the original sash windows in 2 of the upstairs rooms. The sash windows are ill-fitting and draughty, and so there are 2 panels of secondary glazing in front to minimize the problem. The whole window consists of 2 larger sections topped by 12 small square panes. The paintwork is poor as is the putty work, and at least 2 of the small panes have cracks in them, which you might be able to see in the PiP.

This fence is part of a kissing gate. A kissing gate is a type of gate that allows people, but not livestock, to pass through. The normal construction is a half-round, rectangular, trapezoidal or V-shaped part-enclosure with the free end of a hinged gate trapped between its arms. The name comes from the gate merely "kissing" (touching) the inside of the enclosure. It reliably forms a barrier rather than needing to be securely latched on each use. Courtesy: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kissing_gate The more romantic notion, and one that I like, is that the first person to pass through would have to close the gate to the next person, providing an opportune moment to demand a kiss in return for entry. When we go through as a family it can take a bit of time for the kisses, but on that day I was by myself. :-) Kissing gate - England

I suspect this piece of agricultural machinery is on its last legs. Bits have broken off and were lying on the field.

Another trial.