
One of the walks which draws me each morning and evening at this time of year is the serpentine path which meanders through the wild flower meadow. It is the sheer abundance of plants, the constant motion of the bees and the butterflies, the scent of summer, the rattle of the beetles and crickets and the buzz of a myriad of tiny busy wings.
It changes every week, indeed almost every day. Yellow rattle is entirely overtaken by wild thyme and blue scabious, wild geranium and lady’s bedstraw. The whole extraordinary mosaic is brought together by thousands of small wildflowers and wild grasses, offering sources of food along with sanctuary and havens for those with whom we share our world.
This area was not always like this. Geordie and I first harrowed the turf and began to make the wild flower meadow about 14 years ago. By taking out the grass and stripping the land of its fertility, the whole area has become the more stimulating for it. A few centuries ago, pastures probably looked a lot more like this rather than just the plain expanses of grass we see today so it is not a new idea but we are the richer for it.
Over the last 18 months there has been a resurgence in our awareness of the appeal of the pastoral scene. These days many of us are almost totally removed from association with the land and have forgotten its importance: that it is not ours to pillage but in fact offers us life.

John Clare
None of this is new although the scale is probably different these days compared to the concerns of those in the past. Two hundred years ago, a Northamptonshire poet called John Clare wrote about the world he loved being destroyed and trampled by the galloping tide of industrialisation. Born a poor farm labourer, he was more realistic about the poverty of the countryside rather than in love with an idealised arcadia as were many of his contemporaries and, also unlike them, was aware of the environmental challenges. He knew that the countryside was an escape from urban gridlock and had an idiosyncratic style, looking in places where others didn’t with a wonderful eye for detail, seeing beauty in the smallest things.
“I love to see the summer beaming forth
And white wool sack clouds sailing to the north
I love to see the wild flowers come again”
He also listened and, in an effort to describe what he heard, he often used words from local dialects, for example “gulsh” meaning to fall or splash heavily, “clock-o’-clay” for ladybird and “crumping” for the sound of a boot stepping onto fresh snow.
His poetry is about place: about the weather, seasons, and the proximity of a bird or animal. Much of this is conveyed by his descriptions of their noises and sounds, particularly in reference to birds:
“Up this green woodland drive lets softly rove
& list the nightingale – she dwelleth here –
Hush let the wood gate softly clap – for fear
The noise might drive her from her home of love”
Sounds, however, also define the time of day and week – “Sabbath Bells” and offer lessons and healing: “song of Birds …restores/ The soul to harmony”.
His verses take us back to a time when poetry was read out loud and comprehended as much by the ear as it was by the mind. He uses sound to immerse us in the countryside, to ask for our sympathy for nature and to remind us that we neither possess it nor control it, even to the point of being mildly unsettling. To remind us that small things have their own power.
“The older I get, the more I’m conscious of ways very small things can make a change in the world. Tiny little things, but the world is made up of tiny matters, isn’t it?” Vincent van Gogh
Your post strikes a deep chord in me. One day I’ll have a meadow to rove in. Smaller in scale but, hopefully, still with the same sensibilities. I must order a book of John Clare’s poetry! Thank you for sharing him with us.
Clare’s poetry is magical, and his celebration of the countryside strike a chord with me too.
I really, really like todays’ blog. Thank you so much.
You are very kind!
Thank you. I’ll walk with a different perspective today.
Good Morning,
Poetry to me, to which I love to get lost in, was a mystery, with a hidden plot, that only the author could see, and always kept me guessing on what the real story is ALL about.
It is a very romantic way to get lost in the plot, that you may or may not see until the end!
What a romance to be in, on a clod winters eve!
All the Best,
John Roberts
Tonawanda, N.Y…U.S.A.
Another great blog, thank you.
fondly Jenny
Thank you, Jenny.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
I believe wild flower meadows are magical. Did you start your wild flower meadow from seed? Thank you for sharing pictures of yours. My husband and I have planted specific flora to attract honey bees, birds, butterflies and hummingbirds. I enjoy sitting still in the garden watching all the activity and listening to all the different sounds of nature. We also have wind chimes hanging from the pergola that adds to the sounds. It is a beautiful chorus.
Enjoy your day,
Pam
My dear Lady Carnarvon,
Once again your writing moves & inspires me – being able to love & enjoy the beauty of Nature, to cherish & protect it as well as you do, & your fabulous photographs are simply stunning, thank you very much indeed.
Yours,
Caroline x
Another glorious read this Monday morning!
Thank you again Lady Carnarvon for the lovely photos, educational insight and the outpouring of your consciousness of how important natural open spaces have always been and continue to be. You and Lord Carnarvon should be so proud to have established the wildflower field as you have as it is lovely (as are the quotes from Clare and VanGogh)!
Unfortunately this is the first I have heard of John Clare. But it won’t be the last.
Your meadow is absolutely marvelous. One of our finest, and most often discussed, memories of Highclere is the meadow. So peaceful and calming. We only have to look at a photo to give us a moment of zen.
Thanks for making it possible through your efforts to provide a better environment for those with whom we share this earth
I have a copy of John Clare’s poetry and love his connection to the land. “I went to take my walk today and heard the Nightengale for the first time this season
in Joyce’s wood just at the town end. We may now be assured that summer is nigh at hand.
Such an inspiring blog. Since I retired and moved back to my home place, I have developed such a passion for what I left to live in the palm tree state. All the mountains, the lakes, the ocean and all the beauty of stones, trees, and flowers have been amplified since my return. I find such peace and feed my soul in my gardens all spring, summer and fall. I don’t take nature for granted any longer and look forward to every season play out. Such beauty to my eyes and music to my ears! We never know what we had until we don’t have it. I was so fortunate to get this second chance in beautiful New Hampshire USA. Enjoy your week Lady Carnarvon!
Beautifully said my Lady. How I long for excape to the quiet of the country where the moon lights the path at night and the stars lie as a blanket over the earth. Where the wind plays as a child without cares in the world and the sun shares his warmth with the souls of all creatures weaving life together
Martin Francis
Kimberley
South Africa
Lady Carnarvon,
My husband and I had the privilege to walk on a meandering path when we visited Highclere in July 2018. Your writings this morning took me back to that beautiful time. I will leave you with these words from Cicero: “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
Never a truer work spoken.
Those two gifts are indeed the bedrock of a happy & satisfying life. And the Lord is so kind to bestow them.
Thank you for that quote, Deborah. I’m going to calligraphy that & hang it up to remind me of those blessings!
Dearest Lady Carnarvon,
Once again you have inspired me on a Monday morning. I cannot wait to take the grandchildren outside to take a closer look at nature and the beauty around us. Highclere Castle is certainly a Utopic setting but if we look around us, we can all find our piece of Utopia and sense of place where we are. The beauty is there and we can see it if we simply just look.
I continue to be amazed and marveled by your inspiring talent with words and the pictures you paint in my minds eye.
xxPatsy
Perhaps the greatest treasure gained through time is the wisdom to appreciate the small things life has to offer. Small Steps reminds one of just that.
Thank you!
Dr. Cheryl Lewis
Watched a wonderful p b s history of Highclere Castle yesterday and it was so interesting and amazing. Just so much that we don’t see as the public and about the family. It was superbly done and I am saving it on my TV to watch it again. Your flowers are beautiful this time of year in your pictures. Have a beautiful day.
My husband and I visited Highclere this morning and it was wonderful. We had scones, jam and clotted cream with our coffee. Visited the gift shop to buy Lady Almina book etc. Then walked around the meadow, garden and woodland. The flowers are beautiful. It was fabulous as always and we hope there is a Christmas Fayre to come again.
Stay well and come and visit us again! We hope that this Christmas will be very special at the Castle.
Beautiful rosies.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
I’ve always thought that moving at a slower and steady pace was better than hopping around in a circle. I’m 71 now and plan on ploughing my way on to 100. Along the way I would like to improve my little patch of the Earth. After a gentle approach to gardening for 47 years I began to sway even closer to “No Dig” and Permaculture about 4 years ago. I’ve kept a Pot-O-Worms in my house since 2009 and rely heavily on Worm Castings and Worm Leachate (Urine) as my fertilizing agent. Over time it is amazing how the health of the soil improves gradually. It is much better than synthetic fertilizers and chemical sprays. As I have read your blog since Day One and follow your Instagram, I believe Highclere is run in much the same matter.
I started a YouTube channel last September called Peggy Helbling’s Garden What You’ve Got. After over 50 years of gardening for Free or Frugal, it’s about using what you have on hand to grow beautiful trees, shrubs, fruits and veggies. Companion planting is a wonderful way to work with Mother Nature. I love your Wildflower Meadow and your Secret Garden and the Rose Garden. I would feel like I won the lottery to stay in the little round cottage and walk the grounds just before dawn. It would surely be a dream come true.
Please stay well and continue putting out all of your wonderful content. You are helping to keep spirits lifted around the world.
God Bless You and Your Family…and the pups, of course.
Peggy Helbling
Windermere, Florida
Dear Lady Carnarvon, I hasten to echo (in ‘bold’, ‘all caps’ & ‘italic’) Peggy’s well stated sentiment:
“Please stay well and continue putting out all of your wonderful content.
You are helping to keep spirits lifted around the world.
God Bless You and Your Family…and the pups, of course.”!!
She’s so right.
And Peggy, I’m off to go find your YouTube as your approach & experience have intrigued this gardener!
Hello Lady Carnarvon
Strange that you mention crickets as the other evening I was thinking back to when I was young and recall the sound of the crickets an the hedgerow in the evening. Don’t seem to hear any now. Even when walking back to the car after fishing, nothing.
You also mention the nightingale which reminded me of the song, Berkeley Square and hopefully this may get performed at the Proms this Saturday. Have you bought your ticket as some are still available?
I agree that the wild flower meadow is impressive as I found my self on this path after visiting the Fighter Pilot statue years ago. Have to do the same when I visit in August.
I can understand why artists, writers and composers try to capture these scenes in nature from a bygone era.
Next time you do the walk, try and listen to The Lark Ascending.
Carry on Highclere
Lady Carnarvon lovely pictures and highcelere castle and email you send me
Your words transported me the thousands of miles from my home into your magical meadow. Thank you for sharing your passion with all of us. Visions of happy bees and colorful butterflies will fill my dreams for days to come.
Thank you for introducing John Clare to me.At 79,I too realize the slower,simpler times are enriching my soul with memories and a return to childhood haunts…
Each time I read your blog, I truly cant wait to visit!
And we can’t wait to welcome you!
Thanks so much, a lovely blog ideal for high summer. In my part of the U.S. we are entering “dog days” — the hottest & most humid part of summer that coincides with rise of Sirius the dog star.
I envy you all your cooler, more northern climes this time of year.
Peace…
Today as I was stooped over, pruning rose bushes on our verge, a young neighbour who I’d never seen before stopped and told me how much she loves the roses. “Every morning I see them they make me so happy … I sent photographs of them to my father”. Talking with her and sharing joy in nature was a lovely little “tiny things” interlude that resonated with yours this Monday. Thank you.
It is beautiful moments like that, the tiny things, which bring us all such happiness.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Thank you for this beautiful post- the poetry is magical! And I agree- the smallest things build the strongest, greatest foundations.
Thank you and be well!!
Best regards,
Charlotte Merriam Cole
Totally beautiful Lady Carnarvon – a joy to read! So inspiring – thank you
Thanks for the wonderful reminder! Hope Highclere is opening up for more visitors – we really want to come back!!!
Delightful indeed! Thank you so much
Dear Lady Carnarvon:
Thank you for your Monday blog and another great story with beautiful pictures to accompany it.
Urban farming, re-creating meadows for the bees, butterflies, and birds, and reforestation is quite prevalent as a way for Detroit, Michigan to recapture it’s wasted land throughout the City.
I hope someday to visit Highclere Castle and to have the opportunity to walk through its gardens and meadows.
Until next Monday, may you have a pleasant week.
Perpetua Crawford
Thank you and you too
Each day, I walk in my suburban Chicago neighborhood. We are very lucky to have 4 different ponds within a mile and a half of my house. I love walking around these various ponds, watching baby turtles, ducklings and goslings. The baby turtles bask in the sun along with the older ones, and frogs sing in the water lilies and other plants. Egrets and heron visit each pond during the day. With my ponytail swinging, I am often buzzed by red winged blackbirds protecting their young. I love my time reconnecting with nature and finding peace in these simple things. Your blog today resonated with me. Thank you.
It sounds lovely
When my mother died a few years ago with breast cancer, I found myself avoiding the onslaught of people offering condolences and pity. It became more than I could handle, especially since I was estranged from my family. She had dementia, so I became her caregiver. As so often happens, the patient turns against the caregiver. With the steadying hands of God on my shoulders, I did my very best. One night I was unable to sleep, aching with grief, so I stepped out onto the veranda. I sat in my rocking chair and cried. At that moment I felt the loving hands of my mother on my head. An owl started hooting, night birds began their conversations, crickets began chirping and a cool breeze stirred the scent of my rose garden. Peace flooded my heart. It felt like both flora and fauna worked together to bestow peace and comfort to a fellow creature.
Thank you for your writing – it is often hardest with those who we love and love us..
I read your blog this morning while sitting outside sipping my coffee, your words transported me to a time in my life where i wrote poetry every day. I saw every aspect of my life in poetic words and was always with paper and pen to write them down…it’s sad to think my life took a turn where the words quit coming and reality or the harshness of everyday life seemed to squash that part of me…. squashed, but apparently not forgotten because in just the few minutes of reading your words of Clare, i again felt that way of viewing life wanting to burst forth! perhaps today i will write again! thank you Lady Carnarvon, again you have inspired me!
You are kind – John Clare is worth googling!
I really enjoyed today’s blog. Your description of the sights and sounds of the countryside brings back pleasant childhood memories. Thank you for introducing me to John Clare’s inspirational verse; it strikes a chord with me as well.
Fondly, Sandra
Lady Carnarvon,
Thank you once again for a lovely beginning to the week. The sounds of silence in a private garden or a country pathway, the sweet buzzing or insects and songs of birds – you story is a marvelous way to enjoy the quiet of nature. I can almost hear your walk!
Martha G.
MY DEAR LADY CARNARVON,
IT IS A HAVEN FOR ME, MILADY AND THE BEES, VERY -LIGHT AND LOVELY.
VILA ALEMÃ
RIO CLARO – SP
BRAZIL
What a perfectly lovely post!
As always, thank you!!
Lady Carnarvon, your words today are truly outstanding. So incredibly meaningful and heartwarming. I believe one of your best blogs. Cheryl
Beautiful xx
Thanks you for sharing the poetry and history of John Claire. Your description of your beautiful gardens always puts a smile on my face and I can almost smell the sweet fragrance of the flowers.
Terry from Hamilton,Ontario, Canada.
Lovely!
This is a beautiful blog post that really speaks to my soul, as so many of your posts do. Thank you for introducing John Clare to those of us who hadn’t heard of him. I have just ordered a paperback volume of his poems!
He is a great poet
Beautiful blog! Have been slowly attempting to have a beautiful yard of wild flowers – we must bring back the butteflies and bees, and a few have discovered my little garden. Flowers only God could have made! Nature is so full of surprises. Such a joy to see a butterfly alight on one and no how much he is enjoying it.
Thanks again for your beautiful words.
Dear Lady Carnavon,
As I’ve said to you before, thank you for your writing. Today’s is just beautiful.
You are my Monday highlight!
Carol Schaub
Huntersville, NC
You are every kind!
I just saw that this weeks Viking.TV treats for the “Viking Family” are all Highclere with you!
I’m starting on the “extraordinary trees” directly after reading this epistole!
Can I wait for Thursday’s Highclere Castle Gin Master class? I’ll have to but waiting will be hard!
The delightful Ms. Karine Hagen said that you are an avid yoga practitioner and mentioned the possibility of your leading one of the Saturday yoga sessions? What a great idea!
Is that too many exclamation points?
I guess I am just excited!
I do gentle yoga to stretch out and breath!
Thank you for setting such a wonderful summer scene…and reminding us of the importance being attuned to nature around us.
I was looking forward to viewing your “Live Stream” of the “Trees of Highclere” on Viking TV, but there was some problem and I was unable to see it. Maybe it will available again…
It will be posted and there to view, it is a very smart platform, great idea
It came up after several hours….great piece on the trees.
Thank you!
The beautiful wildflower pastures shared through the art of photography – two of my passions – resonated with me. If the photography is your own, you have revealed yet another talent and have raised the bar for me. Thank you Lady Carnarvon!
Thank you
Love this blog. I am a country girl and happy for that.
Those two gifts are indeed the bedrock of a happy & satisfying life. And the Lord is so kind to bestow them.
Thank you for that quote, Deborah. I’m going to calligraphy that & hang it up to remind me of those blessings!
Thank you for your lovely post (I love reading them all!). I must read more of John Clare’s poetry.
I love the thought of wandering the paths thru the meadows. It’s very hot here today in Arkansas, and a cooler day with a gentle breeze would be most enjoyable. Until then, I will relax in the beautiful picture your words and post have created, and find some of Clare’s poetry to continue!
With deep appreciation,
lyn
Your whole blog today was poetry! Thank you for the relaxing read as I could picture myself walking through your gardens and pathways. Observing God’s creations gives one a sense of peace and appreciation. I enjoy walks when all I can hear are the wind, birds, rustling of leaves and occasional raindrops.
P.S. Has Downton Abbey 2 completed shooting at Highclere?
Thank you and Downton abbey 2 is in the can and off to edit this autumn
Hello: makes me dreamy reading what you write, Lady Carnarvon.
Such an inspiration!
Thank you!
Marcia Hanna
I always enjoy your blog posts, finding them soothing as well as thought provoking. This one especially so, prompting me to revisit John Clare’s poetry, and to hark back to a lovely visit to ‘John Clare Cottage’ (birthplace, in the village of Helpston near Peterborough) – much smaller than Highclere, but also very evocative and absorbing with its story of this blessed but sometimes very tragic poet.
How lovely that your meadow leads you to John Clare.
Thanks for all your Monday writings.
Great poet
Lady Carnarvon l enjoyed the first downton abbey movie and looking ward to see the second downton abbey 2 l lovely visiting highcelere castle when downton abbey was film and thank you for pictures and email blog you send
Lady Carnarvon, yet another beautifully written piece. I have visited my ranch out in the western part of the states after the rain comes and it is a riot of color looking not too dissimilar to your photos albeit with shorter trees and more brown soil peeking through. I do have to wonder it the lovely photos of your grounds are your work or are a collection coming from the staff as a whole.
Thank you for taking the time to help ground us.
Thank you for your kind comments
Lady Carnarvon,
The Highclere country side is so beautiful and peaceful. The sounds of the breeze is comforting. Although the breeze here in Florida is a big hot these days. Much blessings.
Lady Carnarvon,
My husband and I had the pleasure of visiting Highclere castle this week. It is very special to us because of our association to the local area. My husband’s late uncle, Gerald Theobald, lost his life in World War II. His name is listed on the monument in Kingsclere.
Visting Highclere has enhanced our understanding and appreciation for times gone by. The castle and grounds were fascinating. The onsite team were extremely helpful and knowledgable.
Best wishes for the future to you and your family.
Mr & Mrs Delaine
Thank you
It’s no surprise that Cinde and I love our gardens. Our love for gardening comes from different backgrounds. Cinde loves to design her garden and watch it flourish. She does a good job of mixing colors and different plant types. We both love to watch everything bloom.
For me, as a young child in England, my next door neighbors grew roses! Fragrant, beautiful roses! I can remember walking amongst them and the aroma! There were other things planted and the amount of bees buzzing around was amazing. Every time I catch the scent of a fragrant rose I am transported back to my childhood! Magical. I read a piece today that quoted Van Gogh and it reminds me of what we so often take for granted.
The older I get, the more I’m conscious of ways very small things can make a change in the world. Tiny little things, but the world is made up of tiny matters, isn’t it?” Vincent van Gogh
Thank you
I was supposed to visit Highclere in 2020, canceled (for obvious reasons), signed up for 2021, canceled again (for obvious reasons) and have re-signed up for 2022. Please keep things going long enough for this tour to actually happen!
When we can all eventually travel we will welcome you to Highclere!
I enjoyed this post immensely and found it quite timely. I decided early in the season to convert a part of our upper lawn into a wildflower meadow. One section at a time and eventually the entire area will be wildflowers with a meandering path, maybe set up a hummingbird feeder and bee housing. Yours is stunning and has motivated me to carry on with the process here. Thank you for sharing!