They eagerly pass through an alley after milking and bypass several closed gates. As they reach the pasture of the day and step through the gate, the line of cows or sheep spreads out happily in all directions. The pasture has been growing for three weeks since it was last grazed and is full of fresh tender grasses, clovers, vetch and trefoil about six inches high. The pasture calls the hungry herd and in the warmth of summer they are cast off to the fields, away from the barns, out into the fresh sweet air to eat and relax in the fields. The cooler evening air is also a pleasure to all and the sky is accented by high fluffy clouds in the setting sun.
The pasture contains the freshest and healthiest of nutrients and typically the milk turns golden after eating this freshest of feeds.
I am struck by the pattern the sheep or cows make as they spread out in the field. This is one of my favorite sights and I am pondering some batik that will be inspired by this theme to add to my collection of farmscapes.