Gratitude
Gratitude
Walking along the old drovers road along the chalk headlands above Highclere, far reaching views suddenly emerge from the hedges either side and ripple out. Stippled folds of fields with hedges snaking through them, trees planted in clumps, or singly or in larger woods. Pillowing clouds in every imagined shape rising from the horizon whilst low sunlight creates light and dark contrasts which move across the landscape. Perhaps you might like to paint it, to write music about it, to walk even further through it, or as here, to write about it.
I sometimes wonder what it might have looked like, what it might have been like to stand here three thousand years ago. Observing the lines of field embankments and barrows, the imperative must have been to farm and store food, Equally the tumuli mark where those who were clearly much loved but no longer physically here, were buried - with care and tradition. These are bronze age barrows: now God’s acres.
All our predecessors were much closer to the earth than most of us are today. We may well only understand how food is grown or farms work through the prism of a lens, a TV or an Ipad, and read about the constituents of the food we have bought through plastic packaging on metal supermarket shelves. A minority of us walk across splodgy fields, peering down to see green tips appearing or look up to see the geese leaving us flying in perfect formation to another climate.
However, if you do think about it, you might consider that farming is something of a feat – it asks for skills, knowledge, experience of how to plant and how to harvest, to know about the soils and the lie of the land. Every farmer has to anticipate the seasons: we are now drilling into the soil for crops to grow next year into the warmth of summer. We will have to anticipate the commodity prices, accept the knowledge that the weather is never the same and, are subject to the whims of politicians.
Harvest festival is celebrated on the Sunday closest to the full moon of the autumn equinox. The equinox – as the name suggests is about balance, it is when the Sun is exactly above the Equator and day and night are of equal length. Various ancient traditions celebrate this time of year such the Celtic or Gaelic Mabon, Madron or Mea'n Fo'mhair and sometimes paying homage to the Green Man. Where ever you live however and in whatever era, it is about nature's abundance , the harvest, the food and the feasting.
Growing food is a collaboration between man and nature, the respect and appreciation to share and optimise the fertility and beauty of the land. How we treat the land is embedded in every religion and culture. To quote Keats, “autumn is the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”, collecting all we can to store for the winter. Huge barns are still needed although not perhaps the architecture of the medieval times.
Whatever words are uttered by politicians in this country, we cannot eat thin air -we need to collect and store the grains, we all enjoy bread, cereals, porridge, oatcakes, beer etc. Before the Second World War 95% of much is our foodstuffs were imported and of course Winston Churchill thought we might be starved into surrender. In today’s uncertain world that is what the figure will soon look like – again.
There is some British government support for rewilding (which does not support agrarian endeavour) but ever less for growing food in this country, unlike farmers in mainland Europe and in fact every other country. A population needs to eat. Many British farmers may soon have to cease to farm to grow food. We have been farming here at Highclere for ever – we have records from the 16th century of planting oats… it seems the saddest thing in the world to have to stop and grow almost nothing, just rewild...
Every year autumn represents a time of transition, of change and we all bring autumn inside ourselves in an introspective and contemplative journey. It is about gratitude and abundance, of balance and the cycle of life - the long view.
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63 Comments
We Plough the seed and scatter,such an evocative hymn,I so loved in the school assembly ,the ever changing seasons bring so much comfort,and stability.Thank you for bringing back memories for me.
I found that very interesting especially as I was born in Highclere and lived there for many years. It was a time when Highclere had more fields and a lot less houses. There was a shop, post office and garage and of course the lovely old primary school. Love Highclere Castle and have visited quite a few times.
Lady Carnarvon,
So glad to see your thoughts on the need for farms to sustain a nation. Great Britain’s smaller land surfaces have been a great challenge for farmers, but the more we all farm, the better it is for our country. Currently the possible delivery of grain from Ukraine is a real view into the need for cooperation among our world’s countries. I hope England is able to sustain its farming and the beauty of the land of rolling hills and hedgerows from which its bounty grows.
You written story is clear and so relevant. I hope politicians read it. Thank you.
Martha G
Another enjoyable Monday read ,thank you so much
Beautiful pictures and lovely words.
We all have moments of wonder but appreciate you are sharing yours with us and many others. Diana B.
Lady Carnarvon,
It is so gratifying to read your words. I am a bit of a poet and appreciate your superb language, as a poet I can only hope to achieve a smidgen of the elegance and style you embody in your blog. May I humbly ask your permission to send you a draft of my poetry book I have just completed entitled
"Beauty in the Branches" My poems are visual, beautiful and captivating . I would be thrilled
and excited to send you a draft of my pre-published book. If you approve, please reply with proper mailing address for sending my transcript to you .
All the best,
Thank You so much for your words and comments,
Tory
Tory Tomberlin, Las Vegas , Nv.
My facebook page is Tory poet https://www.facebook.com/tjwriterpoet/
email address: castle.code@yahoo.com
Why stop farming? Sorry but I do not understand this initiative.
Beautiful descriptions of the land!
Lovely the pictures of Gratitude did you and lord Carnarvon have a wonderful weekend and lovely to visit highcelere castle and fan of Downton Abbey
You have hit on such an important issue & sadly most people are not aware. We need to support small, diverse farming - here is a good article explaining why:
https://www.colorado.edu/today/2023/05/11/number-farms-world-declining-heres-why-it-matters-you#:~:text=A%20key%20reason%3A%20As%20a,areas%20to%20tend%20the%20land.
Thank you for highlighting it Lady Carnivon!
Kind regards,
Fiona
Thank you Alison, you will have to come back one day soon.
Thank you Diana
Thank you Fiona.
Oh so beautifully expressed. The practical is the necessary and there is beauty in that. We look forward to visiting Highclere at Christmas time and hearing you in person. When I hear the geese flying south above my house, I am reminded how they rest in and glean from the fields, not just here in the US, but there as well. It is beautiful cycle with so many parts. Happy fall Lady Carnavon.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Thank you for another beautifully written & illustrated message to us all - where I live in Fenland the farms are being sold & housing estates are being built all over their land, all our greenery has gone & so has all the wildlife - do the Politicians care?!!
NO they do NOT!!!
It's a tragedy & doesn't make for a nice place to live.
I wish you & everyone at Highclere a peaceful & pleasant Autum,
Love Caroline xxx
Such beautiful pictures! And a very insightful message. Thank you for a timely reminder that we all need to be mindful of our land and resources.
Thank You for that beautiful escape to the country. I was raised on a farm in Northern Saskatchewan and I am now living in Sylvan Lake, Alberta Canada. The traditional farm and the passing of land from one generation to the next is nearly gone. Change is all around us, not just the seasons, but everything we have known is changing. But one thing remains, Hope! Hope in the Lord, and his plan for all who accept him!
I love your writing and pictures and the time you invest to present this wonderful journey of past and present. It is most enjoyable! Thank You so much!!!❤️
Thank you Yvonne, yes hope..
Having recently visited your beautiful home, your words and images mean so much more. I’m returning home to Canada soon with memories of our visit to Highclere among my favourite.
You are so right, I look forward to Monday and reading about Highclere. Jenny Modave
Amazing comments, it is very important to look after our land.
To restore and grow.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
living in a rural village with farms all around, I can see the hard work at harvest, tractor after tractor after tractor collecting grain and maze but also animal feed for the cows (we are a bit dairy here in Somerset). Fortunately we have a happy balance, with the verges, edges of footpaths and the edge of the playing field all made over to wild flower meadows. We have several patches in our garden too. A mix of the natural and and the necessary, is nature complimenting nature. I pray for a balanced approach. We have our harvest auction in the village hall this evening, lots of bananas, harvested fresh from the supermarket lol.
Jane Bentley
Thank you so much for pointing out the need for farmers. Politics here in the U.S. have frightened us also.
Thank you Joan
LOVELY PICTURES , VERY ENJOYABLE .
It is such a nice hymn!
It is a balance
Thank you for this. Gratitude, the magic ingredient for happiness. I chose clouds to remind myself to be grateful. Every time I see clouds I am reminded to be grateful. It’s become a habit. And I realize how abundant my life is. I am grateful for you Lady Carnarvon. I love your writing and your perspective on life.
David Williams
Yes, yes, YES ! Tell it to the politicians, SHOUT it to them ! (They are mostly at a conference in Manchester this week !) Our country needs to grow more of its food; importing so much is risky. Churchill was right. Farmers need to be paid a fair price for their efforts ....
(Sorry to get political, but what you said and what I think needs to be heard and acted upon.)
Thank you, Lady Carnarvon.
WE do need to grow some food - the birds and insects need to grazing animals ..
To grow no food is madness
You make several very worthy points Most of the population is very far removed from the land indeed the countryside itself. The war in the Ukraine one would hope would have refocused politicians minds about food production in this country. Certainly empty supermarket shelves would cause voters to. Rewilding is all well and good but people can’t eat trees. Another aspect is farmland being bought up by very rich people in order to avoid taxes. The original idea of the tax breaks given to passing farmland on was the continuation of farming not the avoidance of tax
Wonderful column and very lovingly articulated. Praying that the politicians on your side of the pond, and ours, will allow to common sense to prevail! No Farms, No Food is a very popular (and spot on) bumper sticker/slogan where I live. A young couple farms the field that butts up to my property, and raise a few animals they butcher. I buy their eggs and poultry whenever possible, and not just to support them, though it’s a driving factor. Their products are far superior to anything bought in the store, including the advertised “organic”!
Beautifully written and illustrated. Wonderful time of year; a lot to enjoy and be thankful for!
No farms, no food …..
What more really needs to be said? ❤️
“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Cicero
Your essay today brought to mind my pondering the proportional relationship between British farming acres and population during a 2013 tour of Britain and Highclere Castle conducted by Maryland Public Television (so enjoyed meeting you!).
Aware of the potential or real conflicts between the aims of rewilding and farming in Britain—a subtext in your essay?—and that “The estate practices [traditional] sustainable farming methods that aim to conserve the natural resources and biodiversity of the land,” I am wondering if Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) factors into your farming approach and if perhaps you are implementing any areas of vertical or hydroponic farming on the estate or have considered doing so? Or would this be antithetical to Highclere’s traditional farming warp and woof?
I must add that the photograph of you with your lovely golden hair dressed in the vibrant blue-green sweater sitting on yellow hay bales backed by the blue outside wall was stunningly beautiful! I plan to save it for inspiration--"Hope springs eternal ...." Alexander Pope.
And, finally, perhaps future essays focusing on the follies and the 2nd Earl of Carnarvon’s horticultural activities? And piglets in the next Viking TV video!
Have you been requested not to farm? Your post sounds very sad. The centralization of food supply means more control over the people...with food. What else could it mean? We need strong people like yourselves to fight this movement. A terrible thought that one day it might come to that if one bought land and wanted to have a small vegetable farm you wouldn't be allowed.
Such a lovely way to see both beauty & necessity. Here in the US, farmer subsidy is few & far between! Politicians are fighting ego instead of for us! Your insight into the long view needs to be remembered & I so appreciate your sentiments!
The photos that accompany your writings are so beautiful! I wish I had the ability to zoom in on them so I can see their full majesty better!
Be well! Amy
Another enjoyable read. Descriptive and beautiful! It unfolds before our eyes! Thank you.. and yes.. farms need to farm! I am grateful for the farming industry!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Thank you for your ongoing, and inspiring, respect and reverence for nature.
There is deep concern about the future of the worldwide farming industry in the United States as well. I offer you a link to a documentary on that subject:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/epochtv/nofarmersnofood-5390883?utm_source=Morningbrief&utm_campaign=mb-2023-10-02&utm_medium=email&est=nUh%2BgXWPfzFLwD7KeeGsvbMFcu1hHJkNI8HJYScXGTEejNigXmtuIya05Qt42PNohO0%3D
Carolyn Cariello, SoCA, USA
No Farms ….No Food
Quite simple really
In order to farm you need money to plant and harvest the crops - the wheat..the oats the barley
We ned to plant and harvest -
Thank you for recognizing the need for farms to produce our food and for the beauty of the land and farming. Where I grew up in rural North Carolina, many farms are being turned into housing lots and I find that sad. If the government controls our food, it controls our entire lives.
I enjoy your post every week and pictures of the property which is so beautiful. For eight years we lived in a village near Chester and loved the beautiful countryside (Cheshire farming country) and the British people.
Thank you for your writings and great work.
M. Mosely
Beautiful. Amazing views. Love the Green Man! Thank you for sharing.
My dearest lady Fionna,
Good morning from Brazil.
I love your written, i am falling in love with fall in Europe. In Brazil is spring (summer) 36°Celcius..Very,very very hot .Thank you so much for sharing this...
Lovely week for you.God bless..
VILLA ALEMÃ
RIO CLARO-SP
BRAZIL.
Post scriptium: I would like to see and hear, one day, at FRIENDS OF HIGHCLERE CASTLE, the Duchess of York,Lady Sara Ferguson, talking about her children's book and novels.Thank you so much.
Dear Lady Carnarvon: You have such a wonderful way with words. I can't wait for your next book.
Every one of your columns is a wonderful gift. I do enjoy them. Thank you! Nilda
Thank you for the descriptive words. It took me back to my visit to Highclere 2 years ago.
Good evening,
I am Juleigh Anne Bouvier from Wisconsin USA. We are in the top five for exemplary farming communities. I was relieved you mentioned politicians literally invading our precious farming families. I have seen many farming families ripped away from their complete love and commitment to their incredible lives in farming. It truly makes me sad, angry and bitter. We now have to buy only Organic leaving farmers who do not use pesticides at wrong invading times but their experience towers over all only Organic.
Thank you for your insight and support.
Juleigh Anne Bouvier
Just a lovely article, thank you.
Gratitude. I am so grateful that I was able to visit Highclere recently. I am a distant relative and found the whole experience so heartwarming. Thank you Lady Carnarvon for speaking to me and thank you to the lovely lady at the gate who arranged it. Family is so important to me and being able to hear and see more about my ancestry made me feel part of it. What a lovely opportunity. Thank you.
Many a politician in this country can't feed the simplest idea or thoughts in our heads, let alone feed our tummies!
I hope they are not thinking of killing us all of starvation, as it is we that line the coffers that pay their wages, expenses and budgets and last but not lest write in graffiti the cross that they can erase to place in their place of preference.
Stupids, ignorants and incompetents used to be called just that, very clearly; now they come disguised in all manners of fashions of pseudo educated, illuminated and developing doctrines.
If it were not for the farmers what would be of us? Nothing!
Beautiful writing, thank you, and may Highclere have good crops for many more hundreds of years!
Lady Carnarvon, Thank you for another thought-provoking article. I am privileged to live in Michigan (US). Our state is known for its abundant farms, particularly fruit orchards. Every year our farmers struggle against pests, weather and other issues to produce a crop that I'm afraid too many of us take for granted while we stroll through farmers markets. Right now, while we enjoy pumpkins, a large variety of apples and cider - the fall harvest; we should all take a minute to appreciate and thank the farmers who toil daily to provide us with such bounty.
Another very apposite piece. The British Government, of what ever complexion, doesn't seem to know what it wants or expects from of our wonderfully helpful and diverse soil and climate. We must produce food. And we must take care of our soil. The two are not incompatible. Please Lady Carnarvon, go the Downing Street and knock heads together!
And please keep writing . I love Mondays even if I don't always read your pieces on Monday.
Dear Lady Carnarvon:
Thank you for this Monday's blog. As always your thoughts are inspiring and thoughtful provoking.
In my home state of Michigan, agriculture was the second largest industry. I believe it now has been bumped down to third or fourth. Our political leaders do not support family farmers, and too much farmable land is sold to private developers; who in turn build new retail and residential housing. This does very little to make us food self-sufficient.
Hopefully, your article may reach the right people, who might do something to turn this situation around.
Until next time, all the best to you.
Perpetua Crawford
Thank you very much for sending it!
The green man !! Transition from “pagan” days to Christianity. There are tiles of the green man on so many ceramics works of art et al and especially interesting are the tiles of the green man syroounding yhr top of the turret if Hearst “castle” here on the Big Sur highway 1 in California designed by Julia Morgan
I have a primal reaction to the green man and love your tree carving ! Catching up on your posts tonight thank you so much for the beautiful prose
Laura
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
I realize my comments are tardy but we recently returned from traveling. I agree with your concern about the need for wild over farm lands. Land put to this use does provide space for nature and solid agricultural practices often include letting the land go fallow every couple years which is a version of rewilding. I hope a balance can be achieve which would allow people and nature to continue to co-exist. Otherwise it might be Soilent Green on the menu when next we visit the Castle.
Thank you Laura
The usual, out of touch government madness. Possibly 'wilding' could provide us with delicious meals of baked otter, roasted hedgehog, wild boar and lampreys. But I will insist the ship of fools who lead us have the same diet...no cheating with imported Brie.
Such beautiful writing, once again, Lady Carnarvon, and such wise sentiments. Lovely autumnal picture of you too!