Surrey meadow slowly comes to life: Country diary 100 years ago

Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 28 July 1917

SURREY, JULY 26
At daybreak this morning a white mist was so thick as to dim out the sight of the cattle in the meadow. They came lowing to the gate, waiting to be milked, and, passing through when it was open, were lost in the lane just as birds began to rustle in the hedge. Then the light spread and made the tall ragwort glisten - yellow colour seemed to shine everywhere. The stems of goatsbeard straightened, the fringes of nuts in clusters appeared of a new pale green, a farm boy clambered into the copse and came out whistling with a big bunch stuck in his button-hole, a pair of jackdaws flew noisily from an oak and went down to the village to search in the vegetable gardens.

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