High Summer

So here we are, well into another month and Summer is slipping past alarmingly quickly. One sure sign of high summer and it's relentless rush towards autumn, is the arrival of the tall, stately and attractive Angelica flowers (Angelica sylvestris).

The red stems and generally large size of this wild flower, make it unmistakable. A member of the carrot family, it has been used as a culinary ingredient for centuries, indeed it was regularly used as a vegetable right up until the 20th century and is a good source of vitamin C. The stems were eaten raw and the leaves were boiled and eaten like any other 'greens'.

This morning's walk took us through a summer meadow inhabited by a small group of Highland Cattle.  One of the cows has recently given birth to a rather gorgeous calf and this little charmer was taking things easy under the trees at the edge of the meadow, while being watched closely by 'mum'.

Clearly, watching us walk by was all too much like hard work and junior was soon nodding off again in the warm sunshine, while 'mum' availed herself of the fresh green grass growing through the fence.