And the eighth wonder of the world is … the roundabout by Tomrods the Steel Stockholders on the York Road in Thirsk. There’s no warning that you’re approaching something special. A light industrial estate gives way to a view of fields, caravans and a flyover. Then, just before you turn off for the dual carriageway to Middlesbrough, you’re handed a gift of such casual extravagance that you can barely hold the weight of it in just two eyes. The whole roundabout is ablaze with wildflowers.It’s the dog daisies you notice first. Four or five times the size of the garden variety, dog daisies are heliotropic: their heads follow the course of the sun from east to west. Their sheer abundance means that each time you pass the roundabout, it looks entirely different. A
11 June 2015, The Tablet
Glimpses of Eden
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