The Last Harebell In The World (Maybe)
Years and years ago, The Communist, who was also The Pharmacist, owned a chemist's shop in Halton, Leeds.
Sometimes my mother would take me to visit him and one memorable lunchtime we went for a walk and found a grassy embankment leading down to an old railway line.
I picture it in my head as a rather idyllic scene from the wonderful 1970 film of E. Nesbit's The Railway Children (and whilst we're on the subject, do you remember the scene where Jenny Agutter stands in a cloud of steam and sees her father getting off the train and says "My daddy! My daddy!"? Well, if you can watch that without crying you have a heart of pure stone and my heart swells with pity for you).
The afternoon that I remember was in the early sixties, probably, well before the film: but anyway, there was the railway line, a tunnel entrance and, on the grassy bank, harebells, a pretty and delicate flower of August grasslands. There were masses of them, and they made the whole place magic for me. Halton was very much in the city, and suddenly I felt that I was out in the countryside, and I loved it.
I've seen harebells most summers since. But I don't think they like too much rain, and this summer we've had little else.
Last week we visited Furness Abbey in Cumbria.
There, on the sandstone, amongst the moss and lichens, was one solitary harebell.
It's the only one I've seen this year. I miss them. Has anyone else seen some?
Sometimes my mother would take me to visit him and one memorable lunchtime we went for a walk and found a grassy embankment leading down to an old railway line.
I picture it in my head as a rather idyllic scene from the wonderful 1970 film of E. Nesbit's The Railway Children (and whilst we're on the subject, do you remember the scene where Jenny Agutter stands in a cloud of steam and sees her father getting off the train and says "My daddy! My daddy!"? Well, if you can watch that without crying you have a heart of pure stone and my heart swells with pity for you).
The afternoon that I remember was in the early sixties, probably, well before the film: but anyway, there was the railway line, a tunnel entrance and, on the grassy bank, harebells, a pretty and delicate flower of August grasslands. There were masses of them, and they made the whole place magic for me. Halton was very much in the city, and suddenly I felt that I was out in the countryside, and I loved it.
I've seen harebells most summers since. But I don't think they like too much rain, and this summer we've had little else.
Last week we visited Furness Abbey in Cumbria.
There, on the sandstone, amongst the moss and lichens, was one solitary harebell.It's the only one I've seen this year. I miss them. Has anyone else seen some?
posted by Daphne at 10:39 pm
5 Comments:
Oh they're not so rare. I saw one last week too !
(yes I'm aware you saw that coming)
No harebells... but ah... Jenny Agutter and the evocative lost land of "The Railway Children". Almost as heart-wrenching as "Whistle Down The Wind". "Are you...Jesus?"
Now you mention it, Daphne, no, not a one.
Daphne I dont have harebells but I do have blue bells in my garden at the moment and they are so pretty under the trees. Will try to take a photo for you.
I think you're right - harebells need well drained soil. Aren't they bulbs? I remember seeing them often in Tiptree, where I grew up. A lot of it was heathland at one time and there were a few banks along the roads where harebells grew. Mind you, I remember seeing lizards there too, and I bet there are none now, it's grown into a fair sized town from the village it was.
I haven't been over to our local limestone/grassland nature reserve this year, but I bet they still grown there.
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