Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Squirrels
Four grey squirrels have been treating us to a fine display of acrobatics and fun. I know they are supposed to be pests but they are very entertaining. They chase each other around the bird-table, the rose frame, summer house roof and the dead redwood. They sit on the stubby, broken branches in typical squirrel pose, tail erect and curled up over their backs. Last year there were 3 babies - 2 quite big and the other smaller with a thin tail. Looks like the family are doing well!
Saturday, 5 January 2013
Wet Wet Wet!
It's official - 2012 was the wettest year for England since records began.
See the story & stats from Mark Kinver at the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20898729
This is extra amazing since we were in drought mode until April. In March I walked the field that surrounds our garden and the stream that usually runs through it was absolutely dry, as were the various springs. Now this is how it looks:
The previous owners of Froggarts Cottage built a system of "French drains" in the orchard and vegetable garden and channeled the water through a pipe into a series of water features - the fern garden, then through a pebble fountain and stream at the top of the rockery and over a slate waterfall into the pond. From there the overflow goes into a soak-away and drains.But there's so much water now the system is overflowing and the plants in the fern garden and the lawn are waterlogged. As an emergency measure we have diverted the water straight from the drainage pipe along a length of guttering straight to the pond. The result is continual sound of pouring water - but the lawn and fern garden are a bit more healthy.
The last few days have been sunny and warm and we're promised a good dry weekend so I'm looking forward to getting out there and getting rid of wet leaves lying on the garden and trimming back some of the more unruly bushes.
See the story & stats from Mark Kinver at the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20898729
This is extra amazing since we were in drought mode until April. In March I walked the field that surrounds our garden and the stream that usually runs through it was absolutely dry, as were the various springs. Now this is how it looks:
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| Billy's field in late December |
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| Water flowing from the draining pipe into the fern garden |
The previous owners of Froggarts Cottage built a system of "French drains" in the orchard and vegetable garden and channeled the water through a pipe into a series of water features - the fern garden, then through a pebble fountain and stream at the top of the rockery and over a slate waterfall into the pond. From there the overflow goes into a soak-away and drains.But there's so much water now the system is overflowing and the plants in the fern garden and the lawn are waterlogged. As an emergency measure we have diverted the water straight from the drainage pipe along a length of guttering straight to the pond. The result is continual sound of pouring water - but the lawn and fern garden are a bit more healthy.
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| Water pouring into the pond from the guttering |
Thursday, 6 December 2012
The birds are back
At 11 am the temperature has just crawled above freezing after minus 4.5 C overnight. The birds are coming back in from the fields to feed on the peanuts, birdseed and kitchen scraps we put out. There's plenty of berries in the hedges and on the holly tree - and pigeons and or pheasants have been eating my sprouts! - but when it's so cold they need to fuel up. This morning's visitors include:
- Pheasant - magnificent golden male
- Collar dove - only one, usually they go around in pairs lovey dovey
- Several wood pigeons
- Long-tail tits
- Great tits
- Robin
- Dunnocks
- Nut hatch
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