The latest Thrupp view, between July showers

The cloud cover has been dark and heavy at times. Showers interrupted the sunshine brightening the view over the valleys and the hilltops. The fields in the middle ground are getting overgrown again. 

The farmers have stopped tending them and they wil;l go to scrub before too long. Until a couple of years ago cattle were able to roam between the meadows and some of the hillsides, during the spring summer and autumn months. Now only deer, foxes and badgers roam with occasional rabbits.

I have a feeling the farm owner, a large relatively local aggregates and haulage business are looking to sell the land for building where they can. There would be a fight as most of the land you can see here lies within the Costwold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which has limits on what development is allowable. but given the state of planning regulations and demand for houses, there may well be fewer fields here in future.

I took this picture with a 100mm macro prime lens to compare the outcome with my more normal landscape lens.