Many shapes of the countryside
One of the sometimes unrecognised contributions that agriculture makes to our daily lives is natural patterns and shapes.
Wherever you look, from the careful drill-lines of a planted field to the random colour patterns on a dairy cow, there are shapes.
There is often symmetry, like the ranks of a standing crop of corn, with their heads nodding in the breeze when the crop is mature. And then there is the untidy growth of some hedges, which grow out randomly to catch you unawares, like the brambles in the autumn.
Circles (and I don’t mean crop circles) are often seen in the architecture of a building, with porthole windows, or the opening high up in hay barns to let the air circulate; and in rotary parlours for our dairy cattle.
Parallel lines are what all tractor drivers aim for, because once they're in a drilled crop, they are there for the season! And most of our modern farm buildings are practical and straight-sided, whereas livestock prefer to move round corners because they are curious creatures.
Spots and dots? They are not usually so welcome, as they are often an indicator of disease.
Sarah Norton is a retired rural dweller living near Shrewsbury
