August in Shropshire, and for much of the month the dry and sunny days rolled on. After weeks without rain, the fields around the town looked like this – ochre shades and smoothly crop-shorn.
Meanwhile, in the garden the sunflowers put on the biggest show – volunteers and perennials alike…
…and the borders did their best, especially the areas that been well mulched…
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We had some welcome visitors…
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One evening we sat out on the lawn and almost saw the partial eclipse. The sunflowers almost saw it too.
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And on another evening we walked up Wintles Hill to look for blackberries…
… and found enough to make two jars of bramble jelly. In fact this year the blackberries are being magnificent – sweet and fat and juicy. They haven’t minded the drought. The hedgerows are hanging in fruit. More forays to come, methinks.
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We grew adventurous one day and drove all of 18 miles from Bishop’s Castle to Munslow in Corvedale to have lunch in the walled garden at Wildegoose Nursery. It was a good opportunity to see which of their plants had been surviving the hot and rainless summer. It all looked very lovely…
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And we also paid our old home town of Much Wenlock a visit. There were mixed feelings revisiting the Linden Walk, and climbing Windmill Hill to look at the once familiar view, and to say hello to the latest generation of Highland cattle in the Cutlins meadow…
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And then at last IT RAINED…
Copyright Tish Farrell 2026
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The Changing Seasons: Aug 2026 Please call in on hosts Ju-Lyn at Touring My Backyard and Brian at Bushboys World. As ever, Ju-Lyn has been a whizz in the kitchen and at the keyboard too. And Brian has fabulous bird- and wildlife on show.
Memories of blackberrying along country lanes in Doddleston when we were kids in Chester. 😊
Mum and Dad went fruit picking one weekend. Forget where, but we ended up with Damson Jam for the next 100 years!!🤦
A hundred years of damson jam! Fortunately blackberries have in-built limiting facilities – as in the power of pain-over-picking. As it is, I look like I’ve rolled in a thicket, scars-wise. Still, worth it for the bramble jelly. Two more jars made today.
Berry Battle Scars! As you wrote… Well worth it, I’m sure.
I bought a raspberry twig? stick? at our local nursery a few months ago and it has just started to produce green leaves. Maybe there will (eventually) be berries to follow?
If they’re making leaves they should soon be making flower stems. So with luck some fruit. But it might not be this season.
I’ve missed reading about the highland cattle..They probable missed you too.
I’ve missed them too, though the ones in the photo were probably born after we left.
Being able to pick berries is such a joy because their taste is beyond wonderful.
The berries here are many, but small. I find it hard to go back to a place I once lived, so rarely do. But I do miss Ludlow and its markets.
We’ve not been to Ludlow for a while. Not sure why. I always think of you when we do go.
Beautiful countryside Tish. It’s always hard to look back. Happiness is looking forward to new possibilities.
I agree. Ever onwards!
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Absolutely lovely, start to finish, especially your tales. You use an expression that always makes me smile. Today it was “the sunflowers put on the biggest show – volunteers and perennials alike…”. Volunteers! I love that!
This probably won’t come as a surprise but my favourite shot was of the bull – is he Bò Ghàidhealach? He looks to be a splendid specimen. Did you hear his name?
Thank you for sharing these beauties with us. pp
Hello, Pam. I didn’t know the Gaelic name, but yes. A hielan coo. A Wenlock farmer breeds them. I used to call them the McMoos. There were usually a few in the field beside the footpath from our house into town. They were clearly feeling very hot on the day we passed by.
I love your “McMoos” – I shall be borrowing that term! 🙂
A lovely adventure Tish. I have to get more mulch soon for the garden as I saves the plants every year. One of the two big parts of gardening for me mulch and compost/fertiliser.
I am going to plant sunflowers this year knowing the parrots will probably destroy the flowers but I could get lucky 🙄 I enjoy blackberry picking and the end results of jams or pies.
I like the life that your garden brings. Line Blue butterflies are small and so precious.
Thanks for joining in The Changing Seasons 😀
I’m with you on mulch and compost, Brian – not a subject that excites most people 😉
Am now imagining a flock of sunflowers with flocks of flowering-ripping parrots – that would be quite a sight.
As ever thanks for hosting The Changing Seasons.
It really would be a sight to see. Once word gets around that a eucalypt is flowering, suddenly the trees are filled with mainly Rainbow Lorikeets. Trouble is trees flowers are at the top, think 30 to 40 metres so don’t get to see much, except for the remains that get flung to the ground.
This is sounding like a good project. Sunflowers to go 🙂
A lovely gallery. The landscape shot is amazing.
Thank you, Rupali. We have some ‘good views’ in Shropshire.
Nice to go back, just briefly. We did so yesterday. Good to see you still reaping the benefits of nature, Tish xx
On the whole, I’m not sure about the going back. Perhaps needed a longer gap. Our house looked dreary.
Aww, shame! Maybe because you’ve been busy modernising your ‘new’ home. Good that you have no regrets leaving. We didn’t actually drive past ours but a good friend lives very nearby. She told me at supper on Tuesday that she always looks across to see if our lights are still on before she goes to bed. Silly, but nice xx
It is quite a long haul retracting one’s roots. And we often don’t realise how much our moving on registers with others. Ah well, all part of the being-human quandary.
Your hay-coloured shots remind me of such a shot time ago. Yet here, the habitual green is now back to normal, and so quickly too. Blackberries? I’ve now given up on them. I’ve picked lots, so I’m not complaining, but they seem to have turned a bit alcoholic and pecuiar tasting, so I’ve called a halt. At a time when I haven’t normally even started picking. Your garden looks good!
The garden seems to be breathing a sigh of relief. And the lawns are back to green. Even the runner beans are having a second coming, hopefully better than the first. Our fields are still yellow though. Not for long, I’m sure.
What an enjoyable read. I saw a report on TV last night to say blackberries were struggling this year. We’re in North Somerset and they’re doing fine here. They were early but we picked 4kg for jam and freezing back in July. Our usual Bramley apple tree hasn’t done so well though. The apples are a lot smaller than other years and the tree had dropped lots of them 😦
Yes, our old apple trees have been bombing us for weeks. It smells like a brewery at the bottom of the garden. As to blackberries, I’ve been amazed by the masses of them this year – smaller at the ends of the stems but lots of big ones where you can’t quite reach 🙂
I always appreciate sunflower photos from your garden. The deer feel it’s their unmitigated right to mow ours down.
That is a pity, Pam. Deer know know bounds.
Yes, they knowingly have no meaning of boundaries.
Ah, blackberrying brings back memories of scarred arms and stained fingers! The brown fields have now turned green again, thank goodness. As for returning to a place , I avoid it. Best to look forwards
You are a wise woman on the not looking back front. And as to scarred arms and stained fingers – yep, got all of those.
Thanks, Tish – life events have taught me
A lovely overview of your August 🙂 We noticed how good the blackberries were looking when in Yorkshire a couple of weeks ago. I love your pretty butterflies!
We did enjoy those butterflies. They didn’t stay long though.
Thank you, Trish. This was a lovely share, bring me many good feelings and memories.
That’s lovely to hear, Michael. Many thanks.
Lovely
We saw masses of blackberries from the train in Cornwall. Enjoy your upcoming autumn, Tish.
Oh yes. Railway embankments are good spots for blackberries. Happy onwards travels.
Beautiful photos, Tish. In spite of the dry, nature finds a way to thrive.
Nature certainly has its own ways and means. Thanks, Jennie.
Beautiful photos! I especially like your linden walk. Here I’ve enjoyed the different colours of the fields due to the draught.
Thanks, Agnes, Yes, we’ve had a whole new colour palette this summer, or at least more intense than usual.
Blessed be the rain.
The garden changed overnight. It was as if it heaved a big sigh of relief.
What a lovely image. I’ll keep it in mind when we get our next serious rain in the garden.
I am amazed that despite the lack of rain, your blooms still came out to play – in great exuberance as well. As I always thought, you have such a way with plants.
Your blackberry capture is bursting with sweetness … I can smell summer all the from my dining table. Brings me back to one summer in California/Oregon many decades ago when we encountered many wild blackberry bushes along the road. We stopped at many of them to pick these lovely fruit, getting scratched in the process, but loving it all the same.
There’s nothing quite like the scent of blackberries. So pleased that my post sparked that happy memory.