Scabious

I think this is field scabious (Knautia arvensis). I found it in the wildflower meadow on top of the downs behind the village, in an area which is being developed as a small, local nature reserve. I like the delicacy, though it looks a bit more pink than it should, even after my attempts to adjust to something closer to what I remembered.

I hadn't been for a proper walk for days, as it's been so hot and humid that I couldn't quite face the hills, so I was glad of a more overcast day on which to tackle a relatively small hill, despite the dull and hazy light and even higher humidity. The sheep in the field below the hilltop looked even more lethargic than I felt, sprawling on the ground with heads down or crowding into the small, shady space beneath the hawthorns (extra).

After taking the tiny path (which in Durham we would have called a vennel) down steps between long, steep back gardens and old village houses to return to the Old Road, I continued to the village hall, at the far end of the village, to look for the beehives mentioned in the newsletter. They are in the wildflower area to one side of the garden outside the hall; there's no public access to the meadow, so I could only peer over the gate, but I like the idea of village beehives and was pleased to read that the bees seem to be thriving.