4-star holiday cottage near Malvern, Worcestershire

nature

  • Dear Pheasant

    The lovely pheasant who frequently visited the barn was, one late afternoon, sadly, found dead on the road. Possibly the same pheasant who proudly strutted around the Barn that I photographed in an earlier news item around a year ago? My great niece and I wrote the poems below inspired by our memories of the pheasant’s natural beauty and charm.

    MY POEM

    Late Sunday afternoon you were in my field

    Pecking the grass

    Relaxed and content

    Coming up close to the barn.

    Now you are dead on the road,

    Your beautiful plumage can be seen.

    Why would you try to cross the road?

    You were safe in our fields.

    We are all sad Our lives are emptier without you.

    MY GREAT NIECE’S POEM

    The pheasant was nice

    Although I don’t like birds.

    The bird was magnificent, beautiful, strong.

    Although you’re gone You’ll still be in our hearts.

    Pheasant picture by my great niece
    Pheasant picture by my great niece

  • Poems at Rhydd Barn

    15 January, 2025

    Rhydd barn picture window view
    Rhydd barn picture window view

    I am at the Barn. My great nieces call in to see me, late afternoon. My sister had collected them from school. One of my nieces has always been interested in writing poetry. It was a very atmospheric afternoon with the mist coming down. We sat in front of the downstairs picture window in the barn, so we had the same view at the same time, and wrote our poems…

    This is my poem:

    Western View through Barn Window

    Cold January afternoon

    towards close of day.

    Bright chaffinch flies onto fence

    mown green grass by sheep beyond.

    Distant silhouettes of winter trees

    fading into the mist,

    pattern of branches against grey sky

    soon to disappear.

    Grandma arrives calling

    children for tea, gymnastics.

    Father impatient to go

    sounds horn of car.

    All is silent again.

    Little dog relaxes once more and sleeps.

    Outside a thick mist has

    covered the trees.

    No one would know they are there.

    The grass colour fades,

    the dark fence remains.

    And here is my niece’s poem:

    World poem
    World poem

    I look up.

    I look at the birds

    the trees and the view.

    I look at the beautiful oak tree,

    the old gate

    and multicolour stones.

    And I see a beautiful

    World

    I thought my niece’s poem was such a contrast to mine—a young child’s view of the world beyond the weather outside.

    —Rosemary Boaz

  • Early signs of Autumn

    Conkers are already appearing on the horse chestnut tree alongside the driveway and the leaves are beginning to lose their bright green colour. Plentiful bright orange berries can be seen on the pyracantha which acts as screening for the gas tank.

    horse chestnut conkers
    horse chestnut conkers
    horse chestnut conkers
    horse chestnut conkers
    pyracantha berries
    pyracantha berries

  • Woodpecker

    We occasionally receive emails from our guests about wildlife they have seen during their stay at Rhydd Barn. Our recent delightful guests from Germany sent us this email after seeing their review posted up on our reviews page:

    Thank you so much to mention our review on your new and very perfect done homepage.

    As I did browse your website I also found your picture of the male pheasant in front of the barn.

    So I don’t want to withhold a picture from you of a very beautiful green woodpecker that “keeps your floor joints clean”.

    We took the photo  on the morning of June 15th right through the kitchen window.

    We often can listen to the woodpecker in our area [in Germany] as well, but we had never ever the chance to see one so nearby.

    Green Woodpecker
    Green Woodpecker
    Green Woodpecker
    Green Woodpecker

  • New year walk at The Rhydd

    I was recently at the Barn and my sister and I took a new year walk down Sink Lane with The Rhydd’s dog Summer. Sink Lane is a quiet lane with minimal traffic which leads between fields with views to the Malvern Hills. Below are two photos: one taken from Sink Lane and one taken from the driveway of Rhydd Barn.

    Malvern Hills from Sink Lane
    Malvern Hills from Rhydd Barn

    I was reminded of my father’s poem about Sink Lane which was written at this time of year, but 28 years ago. Here it is:

    SINK LANE IN WINTER

    Sink Lane leads nowhere in particular,
    Its attraction is the alternating
    Lengths of straight tree or hedgelined avenues
    Each with its special vista of its own
    Imparting inspiration and new thoughts
    As ev’ry corner turned brings it in view.

    The brook which runs alongside also has
    Its own identity, purpose and charm,
    At first on one side, then the other one,
    It glides below the bridge half way along
    Intriguing children as they throw their sticks
    And watch them re-appear the other side.

    I take my dog for walks along Sink Lane,
    She knows it well, wherever rabbits hide,
    And mice, perhaps a squirrel up aloft.
    I loose her off her lead and free to run,
    Sometimes she’s out of sight but always will
    Return, when called, in full obedience.

    In afternoons the Hills the Western sky
    Adorn, beyond the junction of Sink Lane
    With so-called Hangman’s Lane of ill repute,
    I do not venture there, instead return
    And with my dog observe the twisted oaks
    Which once enriched the Forest of King John.

    But seldom do I meet another soul.
    Perhaps a car goes by. Meanwhile the fields
    In winter empty are, though pastures there
    Presage the dairy cattle which will graze,
    Or hay and silage crops for next year’s
    Sustenance, when cows to the yards return.

    It can feel lonely as I walk along
    Sink Lane. I think of those who at one time
    Would me have joined ere passing from this world.
    Sometimes I see a brown-cowled figure there
    Like him who at Assisi taught his friends
    To be unselfish, give away their goods,
    And, when pricked by a rose bush, gave his blood
    For everlasting blooming of that thorn,
    And, comforted, knowing I’m not alone,
    I call my dog to heel and walk back home.

    — Geoffrey Boaz, February 1994

    An oil painting of Sink Lane by my mother, Margaret, hangs at the very top of Rhydd Barn along with an original typed up copy of my father’s poem. Here is a photo of them in the barn:

    Oil painting of Sink Lane

  • Harvesting The Rhydd fields

    A local farmer who rents our fields has now cut down the tall grass in the fields for hay. The hay has been collected into bales which you can see in the fields on the photograph below. Later, the farmer will collect the bales and transport them to his nearby farm for his animals to eat during the winter.

    Rhydd Barn fields hay harvested and bailed
    Rhydd Barn fields hay harvested and baled

  • Red-legged partridge

    Spotted recently at Rhydd Barn, perched on the wall of our converted pigsty, a beautiful red-legged partridge! We managed to get quite a good photograph of it:

    Red-legged partridge
    Red-legged partridge

    To quote from Wikipedia: The red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) is a gamebird in the pheasant family […]. It is sometimes known as French partridge, to distinguish it from the English or grey partridge. The genus name is from Ancient Greek alektoris a farmyard chicken, and rufa is Latin for red or rufous.

  • Snow!

    Lots of lovely snow at Rhydd Barn. Photographs taken on the morning of 24 January 2021.

    • Snow at The Rhydd
      Snow on the fields
    • Snow at The Rhydd
      Snow on Rhydd Barn
    • Snow at The Rhydd
      More snow
    • Snow at The Rhydd
      Snow

  • Seen around Rhydd Barn

    Here are some photographs Rosemary, the owner of Rhydd Barn, took on her recent visit. They show plants growing in the small wildflower meadow and cut hay lying in the field below the barn with the Malvern Hills blue in the distance. Rosemary also managed to capture an image of a young pied woodpecker on the fence to the hay field. Click on a photo below to see a larger full version.

    cut hay in field below barn
    cut hay in field below barn
    wildflower meadow closeup
    wildflower meadow close-up
    pied woodpecker - juvenile
    pied woodpecker – juvenile
    clematis and roses by barn
    clematis and roses by barn

  • Sheep in field

    My sister took this photograph recently of sheep grazing in the field below Rhydd Barn.

    sheep in field