Not June

The plan was to catch the June Poetry Stone on the last day of the month, so it was a quick trip to the Poetry Path at Kirkby Stephen. However, I found the June stone very tricky to photograph through the undergrowth and I need to think again about it. Meanwhile we found the May stone, which I never got round to blipping.

So this is the May stone at the end of June!

The theme is Sheep Shearing, but I could not find the little plaque with the picture on it.

This is the stone looking the other way as the path goes over the bridge of the now disused railway. Both the railway path and this path are used extensively by local people for walking. And this is a close up of the stone to show the carved letters and demonstrating clearly how the stone is blending with its environment.

Penned in a huddle, the great tups
are clints of panting stone. The shepherd lifts
a sideways glance from the labour
of dagging tails. His hands are seamed with muck
and the sweat runs into his eyes.
Above us, a silent plane had needled
the clear blue. Paling behind it
a crimped double strand of wool unravels.