Hares At Play

The birds are gone to bed, the cows are still,
And sheep lie panting on each old mole-hill;
And underneath the willow’s gray-green bough,
Like toil a-resting, lies the fallow plough.
The timid hares throw daylight fears away
On the lane’s road to dust and dance and play,
Then dabble in the grain by naught deterred
To lick the dew-fall from the barley’s beard;
Then out they sturt again and round the hill
Like happy thoughts dance, squat, and loiter still,
Till milking maidens in the early morn
Jingle their yokes and sturt them in the corn;
Through well-known beaten paths each nimbling hare
Sturts quick as fear, and seeks its hidden lair.

John Clare

I spent a long time editing my concert pics and eventually got out for a walk at Lodge Farm this evening. Strange how still it was after the high winds we have had. A thin plume of smoke was twisting vertically into the sky from beyond the horizon. I trained my long lens on the smoke and intended to shoot that but could just see an unmistakeable pair of long ears. Two more pairs came into view. The hares are way in the distance but it was still a thrill to see them. :) It was lovely to see Diesel the boxer and his master again too. We love walking the former decoy airfield.