Autumn was a similar time to the above only the leaves were stripping the trees and falling on the fresh green grass. An Autumn shower was very welcomed by farmers, gardeners but definitely not by us at that time. The winters were very cold, with a blanket of snow covering the landscape always around Christmas. Jack frost (another name for a hard frost) often coated our windows with ice and as my Mam would say the snow and the hard frost were very welcome "it killed all the bugs and germs" that were nesting in the sheds and barns.

I used to dread the bad thunderstorms and lightning that lit up the whole place. Our sheepdog named Rover would run into the kitchen and stay under the table until the last blast of the rolling thunder and lightning disappeared out of sight. I used to jump into bed with all the blankets pulled right over my head and I would be shivering and praying and in dread of it.

Now we can have four seasons in one day. We are encountering more floods, the rays of the sun are more penetrating but the saddest part is we have less butterflies, ladybirds, field mice, and frogs. All is not lost yet in protecting our planet. Reduce, reuse and recycle, walk or cycle, plant a tree but more importantly educate our young people in how they can apply the above in making the world a better place to live in.

Neighbour bringing the churn of milk to the creamery with our sheepdog tagging along. Source: Liz Downes