My hypothesis may indeed be unsound; but, whether or not, it is clear, taking organic remains as upon the whole a faithful chronicle, that the deposition of these limestone beds was coeval with the existence of the earliest, or all but the earliest, living creatures upon earth. – Richard Chambers, Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation (1844)
The path here follows the edge of huge Prairie-like fields of crops, and it seems to take forever to get anywhere. It’s possibly the low point of the whole trail. – Andy Robinson, The End-to-End Trail
… canal life, the work of barges, the simple pleasure of watching the water creatures. – Berlie Docherty
Continue reading A certain circular aspect to the Staffordshire Way
The Industrial Revolution has two phases: one material, the other social; one concerning the making of things, the other concerning the making of men. – Charles A. Beard
Continue reading From green and pleasant land to dark satanic mills?
The world is round, so travellers tell,
And straight through reach the track,
Trudge on, trudge on, ’twill all be well,
The way will guide one back. – A E Housman, ‘A Shropshire Lad’
Monday, 9 May
Now the various tints of green mount one over another up the hanging woods of Penllan above the dingle. Over the level line of brilliant larch green rises the warmer golden green brown of the oaks. But the most brilliant green of all is the young green of the beeches. The brilliance of the beeches is almost beyond belief. – Francis Kilvert
Continue reading ‘Earth hath not anything to show more fair’
Good company and good discourse are the very sinews of virtue. – Isaak Walton
…within our labyrinth on our dark mountain. – David Jones, ‘The Tutelar of the Place’
