Spring is my favourite. No contest.
There’s a particular moment – somewhere around mid-April – when Dorset just … exhales.
The hedgerows start frothing white with blackthorn, and then burst into green like someone flicked a switch. Bluebells flash their electric blue in every patch of woodland and roadside copse, while swathes of wild garlic carpets shady lanes in a lush, smelly haze of white. The fields of oilseed rape seem to hum with sunshine and the kind of scent that makes your head spin if you drive through with the windows down.
The mud finally retreats. The long socks go back in the drawer. And suddenly those deliciously long evenings stretch out ahead, filled with the promise of barbecues, last-minute beach trips and Saturdays that don’t require seventeen layers It’s not just the weather.
Spring makes everything feel lighter – conversations, to-do lists, even the news (just a smidge). It’s like the year’s turned a corner and remembered how to be hopeful again.
So if you’re feeling a bit more buoyant than of late, a bit more inclined to dawdle on a dog walk, pull over for a photo of lambs in a field, go wild and sleep with the window wide open … you’re not alone. Spring’s doing what spring always does: reminding us to look up, breathe in and say yes to things again.
And honestly, doesn’t this feel far more like the real new year? I said back in January that we shouldn’t force grand resolutions into the middle of midwinter – a season that’s really about rest, not reinvention. Spring, though? Spring is (quite literally) made for turning over new leaves. Now’s the time to start things. I swear there’s energy in all that fresh air.
And if, like me, you’re itching to get out and about again (we finally ARE! The knee is healing – walks are officially back on the weekend plans!), the county’s show calendar kicks off this weekend with the Spring Show near Dorchester.
We’ll be there (that’s us, top left) – do say hello if you spot us!
Laura x
On The green farming dream lies in tatters
(The BV, Apr 25)
George Hosford has put into words what so many of us in farming have been quietly shouting into the void. His piece was honest, measured, and devastatingly accurate.
As someone who has spent the last five years painstakingly shifting our family farm towards regenerative practices – inspired and supported in no small part by the promises of SFI – I feel utterly betrayed. Like George, we’d been navigating the maze of applications, jumping through the ever-changing hoops with genuine belief that we were contributing to something bigger: food, yes, but also biodiversity, soil health, water quality.
To have the rug pulled so abruptly is not just financially destabilising, it’s demoralising. DEFRA has crushed momentum and killed trust.
Farmers like George – and those of us following his lead – aren’t asking for handouts. We’re asking for the stability and clarity to do what the government itself encouraged.
Name and address supplied
I would like to thank George Hosford for his characteristically articulate and painfully necessary column in last month’s issue. I’ve farmed in Dorset for nearly 50 years, and I’ve rarely seen a policy decision as short-sighted and ill-conceived as the abrupt shutdown of the SFI offer.
The government claims to support ‘public money for public goods’ – yet the moment it begins to work in practice, they abandon it. Farmers are not fools. We understand change takes time. But to promote a scheme, persuade us to adapt our methods, and then pull support with no warning? That’s not just incompetent – it’s a betrayal.
George speaks for a whole generation of thoughtful, forward-looking farmers who care deeply about both their land and their legacy. The tragedy is, this government clearly does not.
MC, by email
On Stranded: Dorset is one of the worst in the country (The BV, Apr 25)
I love living here in North Dorset, but having moved from a town within the M25 20 years ago I have always been astonished at the lack of public transport. My children have both passed their driving test now as we see this as the only way for them to access most job opportunities – but this is not always possible, and young people can’t always afford this, or to run a car. If you can just about afford this it still reduces your take home pay, having to pay out for a car you can barely afford and keep on the road plus the insurance and petrol, which further cuts into the young people’s ability to ever live independently and have a life. Many years ago I did not have a car and I found that the buses were at the wrong time or not at all – they did not seem to cater to anyone who has a job, just for people who are retired and can go out at any time. I found that I could not take my children where they needed to be or get to appointments and finally I had to get a car again. As always I am angry about the government not looking to the future and investing in people, as they should: they would then reap the rewards later, instead it is all ‘what can I get now’.
Lynn Close
Buses are needed for the young people here but also the elderly who may not feel comfortable driving anymore. Having a robust public transport system means a more connected county, more jobs, more business for towns.. the positives are overwhelming.
Su Naz Geyik
Human ingenuity
Surely a civilised society should be capable of meeting human needs while also protecting the environment for future generations – with the right blend of ingenuity and commitment.
Barbara Humphreys, Shaftesbury
On the White Hart Link
I couldn’t agree more with Judith K’s comments on the White Hart Link. Like her, I was excited at the idea of a proper long-distance trail for North Dorset, but when I looked closer, I couldn’t believe what it manages to miss.
Stalbridge and Blandford are crying out for visitors to enjoy their town centres, yet the trail skirts round them. And to leave out the hill forts – some of the most iconic features of our landscape – is just baffling.
It feels like such a wasted opportunity. A trail like this should celebrate the heart and history of North Dorset, not bypass it. I realise it’s a tricky job to create such a route, and impossible to please everyoine, but I really hope the route can be revisited and improved in the future.
Roger S, Stalbridge
Happy 100th Jim
(‘Be nice to people – it’s infectious’ The BV, April)
What a joy it was to read about Jim Freer. What a life – full of courage, humour, wisdom and warmth.
If I can be even half as sharp, thoughtful and kind-hearted at 100, I’ll count myself lucky.
Liz Hartley, The Tarrants
Jim sounds like the kind of man we all wish lived next door. Modest, funny and still curious at 100 – a proper example of a life well lived.
I hope when I hit a century, I’m listening to Chopin and making the young ones laugh too.
Frank Mitchell, Blandford
On The Tack Room
I just wanted to say how good your equestrian coverage is. Jess Rimmer’s eventing yard diary is unmissable – full of humour, honesty and the glorious chaos of real horse life.
I’m not a mad racing fan, but I tuned into Chris Wald’s column simply because it was about horses… and now I wouldn’t miss it. I’ll admit it’s far more interesting than I expected – insightful and very readable.
The feature on farrier Abby Bunyard last month was excellent – beautifully written and so interesting. And while I’m at it, a special thank you to Courtenay for the photography. His images never fail to make me stop and linger – please do let him know how much they’re appreciated.
What was wonderful is that all of this came to me on the back of the new Tack Room newsletter, which led me to The BV. We’ve long been missing proper equestrian coverage in Dorset – you’ve absolutely nailed it. More please.
Jane Arliss, nr Sherborne
(The BV Tack Room is our exclusive, monthly round-up of the equestrian stories. We know you’re busy (horses don’t muck out themselves), so we’ve made it easy – just the horse bits, straight to your inbox, once a month. Sign up here – it’s FREE!)
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