Monthly Photo Challenge: The Changing Seasons #2 January

Posted on by Louise Bunting

This post is for Cardinal Guzman’s monthly blogging event The Changing Seasons. He asks that you post a gallery of between 10 and 20 photos for each month, all taken in an area near to you. Over the course of the year we’ll get to see the  landscape changing. If you would like to know more about the challenge then follow this link.

Here are my pictures. I’d love to know what everyone thinks.

As the idea of the challenge is to see the changes of a specific area over the course of a year, I’ve photographed along the same lanes this month as last, though I didn’t walk quite as far. Unlike many places we’ve not had much snow, only the occasional light sprinkling – mainly rain, rain and more rain, making it hard to get out. I’ve also been suffering from a lingering ear infection that made it rather painful to be in the cold air for too long.

Because of this a lot of the pictures have been taken across the field nearest to my house.

ridge and furrowThis is quite a distinctive field as it has what’s known as ridge and furrow topography. In the photographs this can be seen in the regular lines of shadow that cross it. Ridge and furrow was a method of ploughing used in the medieval period, up to the 17th century, that used a plough that could only turn soil over in one direction. The ploughman worked first down one side of the strip of land and then down the other, causing a ridge of earth to be thrown into the middle. Over the years of repeated ploughing the ridge would have grown progressively bigger. During the Middle Ages each strip would have been managed by a single small family of peasants or serfs.

The evidence of ridge and furrow can only be seen now if no ploughing has taken place in the field since the method was last used. Nowadays such fields have preservation orders on them and can only be used for grazing.

Hopefully next month’s gallery will have pictures from a little further away from my house!

Rules

thechangingseasons

29 thoughts on “Monthly Photo Challenge: The Changing Seasons #2 January”

  1. Pingback: Monthly Photo Challenge: The Changing Seasons 02 | Cardinal Guzman

  3. What a lovely challenge! I have thought about this before. There are a few places near where I live that showcase the change of season well. What a lovely collection. I am going to look forward to these posts from you, what a beautiful way to enjoy your surroundings! I hope your ear starts to feel better soon, that is so painful!

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    1. It’s a great challenge that fits perfectly with the type of photography I like to do. 🙂 It also gives me an excuse to be out and about with my camera… not that I really need one! I’d love to see your pictures if you decide to join in. My ear is feeling mostly better now, thanks, though the cold can still set it off. It was mainly earlier in January that it was at its worst.

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      1. I lived in NC for a couple years and love all the season changes. Winter was hard because I’d never had the plants loose all their leaves. It looked so barren. The snow was amazing though 🙂

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    1. It is beautiful – though very flat. Many people find it hard to see the beauty because of how flat it is, which is a real shame. Thanks for liking. 🙂

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  8. It’s nice to see some rural areas in this challenge. Thanks for the info on the ploughing method. I must admit that I have absolutely no knowledge on the field (pun intended), but after having read your stuff and the article on Wikipedia, I now feel ready to start a new career as a medieval farmer!

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    1. I’m glad you found it informative. 🙂 I studied medieval history and a few bits of archaeology at university so as soon as we moved into the house I looked at that field and recognised it as ridge and furrow. It makes me want to go over it with a metal detector – I’m sure there must be things to be found in there! Thanks for visiting. 🙂

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    1. Thank you. 🙂 I love taking pictures of rural landscapes – it’s my favourite type of photography! With it being so flat around here we get some impressive skies. I’m very glad you like them. 😀

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  10. You have taken some beautiful photos here – I like the details and composition of the fences and the gate and the way you have captured the tracks and the furrows. I shall have to go and look at your January photos now!
    Jude (also doing the challenge)
    xx

    PS Where in Notts are you?

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    1. I’m very glad you like them! I’m right on the border between Notts and Lincs, in between Newark and Lincoln. Thank you for visiting.

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      1. Not an area I know well, though I have driven up the A1 many times. And Lincoln is on my list of UK cities to visit as I want to see the cathedral there 🙂

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