Old News

17 November 2003

The advance of Autumn has brought rain at long last. Enough to rescue the grass, if not fill up the ponds. We spent some time yesterday taking advantage of the low water levels to pull some of the larger sticks and branches out of the ponds. All the leaves, except the oak, have now fallen and lay ankle deep on the grass.

The ditch to take the electricity cable to the barn is now finished, and I've put some compost on the bare patches ready to scatter some grass seed to repair the damage. It is a bit of a mess at the moment but I hope it will have recovered by next summer.

The chickens have been moulting heavily and have stopped laying completely. I don't expect that they will start again until the Spring, sadly.

One notable avian event--a goldfinch feeding on the Nyjer seed feeder for the first time since it was erected more than two years ago.

6 October 2003

Drought remains the top story. It did rain in September, but it was really only showers. The ponds have continued to shrink and the long arm of the large pond is almost entirely dry, becoming a playground for the chickens. It remained warm and largely sunny until the end of last week. We swam in the pool until 21 September. It is much cooler now, and today is windy - our first taste of Autumn.

I've planted the winter garlic and red onions. Today I weeded the spring cabbages and pulled up the shrivelled pea plants and next week I'll plant some broad beans. The courgettes are nearly over, but we are still picking salad leaves, radishes and baby carrots and the first leeks have been harvested.

We've seen a stoat in the grove several times in the last few weeks and we're hoping it doesn't have designs on the chickens. One unusual bird to report - a yellow wagtail that hopped about on the roof  above the boot room one morning last week.

Next weekend we are expecting the arrival of two horses to live in the fields. It is the cause of much excitement in this increasingly horsy household!

8 September 2003

The reason for my lack of entries in this log is pretty obvious, I should think - I have been much too busy enjoying the glorious summer. Since my last entry we have had just one day of rain, and that was on the first day of August. Until Saturday, when a short, sharp shower interrupted the sunny afternoon, we had little more than a few drops. Even today, when rain was again forecasted but failed to arrive, it is warm and sunny with the cool early air the only hint that summer is over.

The drought has had its impact in the garden, of course. The vegetables coped pretty well, although the beans faded earlier than usual. We are enjoying a late crop of peas, carrots and lettuce as the courgettes continue and the cucumbers and chillies in the greenhouse thrive. The flowers have been OK and are putting on quite a pretty late show. It is the grass (what grass?) and trees that seem to have suffered most. Leaves have been falling seriously for two or three weeks.

I've been very busy over the holiday dealing with the huge crop of plums and damsons, and we still have three trees to pick. The apples have also done exceptionally well.

Our one tragedy has been the loss of our second Black Rock hen. She never recovered from the loss of her friend and was relentlessly bullied by the leghorns. On the hottest day of the year she stopped eating and drinking and just at the point at which we had determined to despatch her, she fell over and died.

29 July 2003

The moorhen chicks survived and their mother recovered. There are four large juveniles remaining from the brood on the small pond and another one or two from the large pond. The pair on the small pond have built a new nest, but there is no sign of any eggs.

At the beginning of July we bought four new hens - a pair of black rocks and a pair of wellsummers. Unfortunately, one of the black rocks "disappeared" within a fortnight. The remaining one is rather sad and seems to prefer human to chicken company. The wellsummers, however, have settled in well and are both laying. The leghorns were very cross about the new arrivals and remain suspicious of them, but are otherwise still happy and productive.

The vegetable garden is triumphant for the second year, oversupplying us with lettuces, peas, French beans, garlic, red and white onions, potatoes, green and yellow courgettes and spinach. The maize is developing well and the leeks are fattening. In the greenhouse we have chillies, red peppers and cucumbers that are beginning to form.

The flowers have been less successful in some respects. The lupins suffered a violent attack from some grey aphid-like bug that virtually destroyed some plants, and the delphiniums have also suffered. The prolonged dry weather in April, May, June and the beginning of July may have been a factor. It is cooler now and damp and we are hoping for better weather to welcome the arrival of our German guest, Pia, next week.

Ian and Elisabeth have visited and between them have moved us forward on several irritating little problems in the house and garden - most impressively we now have a working, leak-proof shower in the bathroom.

9 June 2003

The moorhens persisted and laid another clutch of eggs in the nest under the horse chestnut. These started to hatch 10 days ago and a brood of seven or eight balls of black fluff started swimming on the small pond.

I'm rather worried about them, though, because on Sunday morning it became clear that the adult bird had suffered a serious leg injury. The poor thing has been hobbling around trying hard to continue feeding the chicks. Yesterday, she seemed a little better and was sensibly using the chickens feeder as a low-effort source of food.

Meanwhile, on the large pond, another moorhen continues to sit on a nest built where the oak tree fell into the water last autumn.

We also have some ducklings. We saw a female mallard and eight offspring swimming on the large pond on Saturday morning. On Monday she brought them out onto the grass, but soon hurried them away when she encountered several squirrels (we have a set of babies) and the chickens.

On Sunday, Ellie found a Great Tit fledgling stranded on the paving near the swimming pool. To save it from the danger of being run over by the children on their bikes, I moved it onto the grass. It flew a few feet into the woodshed, but later it had gone and I think it was OK.

We have had a new visitor in the last couple of weeks - a bullfinch, or possibly a pair, has been feeding on the dandelion seed heads in the grass.

The house painting continues, but is in it's final lap I think. It looks good and when it's finished I will update the pictures.

2 May 2003

The moorhens laid four or five eggs before the nest was raided and abandoned. A few days later, a new nest was swiftly built under the drooping horse chestnut at the other end of the pond, but only two eggs were laid before this too was attacked.

A robin appears to have built a nest in the old dog kennel where we keep the chicken food, but it's hard to see what is going on in it. The swallows arrived around Easter, but I haven't seen them using the stables yet.

April remained almost completely dry until the last few days. This week has seen a lot of rain and all the plants have suddenly started growing at a furious rate. I think the grass has grown more in the last week than the previous three put together.

In the vegetable patch, all the seeds are through and thriving so far. We've watered in nematodes this year and I hope these will control the slugs while the plants are small.

This week has seen a large number of adult frogs fall into the swimming pool as they migrate back out of the ponds following the mating season. I've been releasing these into the flower beds and vegetable garden in the hope they will eat the slugs that the nematodes leave behind.

The grove, between the ponds, is particularly lovely at the moment with the cowslips, bluebells and ground ivy all in flower at once. The area near the new ditch that was churned up by the digger is rapidly being colonised by flowers and weeds. The cowslips and bluebells seem to have survived the upheaval remarkably well and provided I can control the invasion of nettles, I think it will look very pretty next year.

In the wood, all the trees are now in leaf. So far, all the little saplings we transplanted in February are thriving. Less happily, two of the youngish oaks (15 years, I guess) have died over the winter. They are very overshadowed by a row of ash trees that were probably planted at the same time and I don't think they get enough light.

4 April 2003

While the mating frenzy continues in the small pond, the tadpoles in the large pond have already hatched. Most still have visible gills, but a few of the larger, earlier ones have already lost them.

A pair moorhens have built their nest in the usual site under the fallen tree at the far side of the small pond. They have laid their first egg in it today.

The blossom on the plum and damson trees looks lovely in today's chilly sunshine and I think we are about to have our first ever magnolia flower. Buds are bursting everywhere now. The wood is shimmers with an acid green haze from the hawthorn, and all the field maples and hazel are bursting into life too. Horse chestnuts have their leaves and are about to flower and there is lots of willow in leaf and in flower.

In the vegetable garden, the early planting is complete, with carrots, lettuce, spinach and the first sowing of peas. I have sown courgettes and French beans indoors and hope to get the sweetcorn underway soon too.

The children seem to be getting much more enjoyment from the garden this year and are slowly growing more adventurous. Last weekend, we all cooked sausages and spaghetti hoops over a camp fire in the woods!

25 March 2003

Ellie and I watched lots of frogs wrestling and spawning at the edge of the large pond. They were croaking loudly and splashing about. There is lots of frogspawn in the bit of pond that overflows into the horse field and now some more in the main bit of the pond itself.

I spent yesterday planting potatoes, leeks, garlic and onions. It is still warm and dry but today is more cloudy than recently.

12 March 2003

Lots more work in the garden over the weekend - pruning mainly. Martin has been chopping down, pollarding or coppicing trees that are dead, in the wrong place or have out-grown their site. Meanwhile, I cut back all the buddleias and dogwoods. The sacrificed trees have been replaced by some transplanted ash trees that we put in the wood last month and six apple and pear trees that I am going to train as espaliers to cover up some of the brutality of camp vegetable.

Having watched a pair of mallards swim on the pool we decided it was time to reclaim it from the wildlife. We switched the swimming pool pump back on this weekend and chucked in a first dose of chemicals. We rescued several newts and frogs over the weekend. On Monday, I disturbed a grey heron on the large pond where it had, no doubt, been scoffing frogs.

7 March 2003

The first daffodils have come out today, but have been battered by some heavy rain--the first for three weeks. Nevertheless, Spring is definitely here and the heavy winter snow that we had at the end of January is a very faint memory.

The dry and reasonably mild weather has allowed us to get well ahead with the garden. The vegetable patch is dug and half of it has had a spread of compost. I've planted some new perennials in the flower bed by the old kennel, but the rabbits have already found them and I've put cloches on to rescue what's left. Once it stops raining, I want to prune all the vigorous shrubs.

Lots of seedlings are filling the greenhouse and I've planted some peppers and cucumber this week which are germinating in the heated annexe kitchen.

The birds are noisy and very busy. A pair of ducks is visiting to be fed and our recent starling arrival seems to have been joined by a mate as both have been using the seed feeder. The moorhens are fighting, but there are no signs of nests yet. Last week we had our first song thrush here, it was hopping about on the kitchen terrace wiping it's sticky beak.

We rescued our first newt of the season from the swimming pool two weeks ago. It looked rather different from our usual newts. It was a dark greenish brown with prominent black spots all over and yellowy orange on the underside. It had a wavy crest on it's tail and was about four inches long. We wonder whether it is a Great Crested and have taken some photos to try to get confirmation. This week we had two more newts, which were the usual smooth variety.

Three roe deer ran across the drive in from of the car tonight and ran off into the cow field towards the church. We also had a sole muntjac last week.

21 January 2003

The snowdrops appeared in the middle of last week and the aconites are now blooming too. It is beginning to feel like the worst of winter is over.

It has rained again in the last couple of days and the ditch seems to be doing its job by channelling the water away from the back of the house.  We won't know whether it is a complete success, however, until we have a week of so of serious rain.

8 January 2003

And now it's snowing. Actually, as you know by now, I take a childlike (or childish?) delight in snow. Lovely, great, proper flakes are drifting down and transforming the muddy ugliness that was left by the rain.

On Monday, to relieve the problem of the water flowing out of the large pond, a man with a digger came and dug a ditch between the ponds. The rush of water as he broke through the final metre of earth was quite spectacular and the pond dropped by about six inches in a matter of hours. We hope this will lower the water table and provide at least part of a long-term solution to the problem.

2 January 2003

A very wet start to the new year for us. It seems to have rained almost every day for weeks and the ground is completely saturated. The situation is pretty similar to the winter of 2001. We have water overflowing from the large pond and running through the vegetable garden into the swimming pool and out again onto the grass the other side. It's a horrible mess and it's still raining.

The shallots and garlic will be rotting and I doubt the rest of the stuff will survive either.

Great news from the chickens! Winnie started laying at the end of November and Edie laid her first shortly after Christmas.

We had a lovely Christmas holiday with all the family around and I'll post some pictures up here soon.

1 November 2002

Until Sunday, Autumn hadn't really amounted to much. A couple of slight ground frosts and a bit of rain was about all. But Sunday's gale announced Autumn with a mighty blast. We've lost most of the leaves in one big downfall, littering the grass inches deep in places. Twigs and small branches cover the grove.

More significantly, a large branch from the tall oak in the grove has come crashing down and another, smaller oak in the large pond is listing past 45 degrees. In the wood, one of the huge poplars - 60 ft tall, probably - has been completely uprooted and lies across the path.

The courgettes finally finished in the middle of October, at the same time as the beans. Lettuces under the tunnel continue to do well and the chillis in the greenhouse are fabulous. Leeks and parsnips are ready for eating from now on. The garlic is thriving but therre is no sign of my shallots, and the broad beans look very healthy. The whole plot needs a good tidy up before the winter really sets in, but we need a good dry day and time to do it.

17 September 2002

The mallard ducklings disappeared last week, though the parents are now visiting regularly again. The swallows have also left us, there were just a couple left at the weekend but even they have gone now I think.

It was a very busy weekend, with Martin's parents helping us get lots of outstanding jobs completed. Ian and Martin shifted a mountain of woodchips that were donated by a passing tree surgeon. They now give a soft and fragrant floor to the playground. They also built (at the cost of a sorely bruised thumb) a post-and-rail bridge across the ditch out of the wood and Ian fixed some loose rails in the paddock.

We picked and processed all the yellow plums from the trees by the greenhouse and gathered a couple of large pots of blackberries from the bushes surrounding the horse paddocks.

In the vegetable garden we planted some garlic and shallots to overwinter and cleared the Swiss chard and lettuces. The more recent lettuce sowing is doing well and we are already eating it. Courgettes, spinach and beans continue to produce and we  have begun to eat the leeks. One of the tomato plants has succumbed to our usual nasty rot but, so far, the other seems healthy. The chillis are finally ripening but the peppers remain stubbornly green.

Yesterday, I cleared the evening primroses from the bed by the wall and tidied up a bit. Much more weeding to do still.

3 September 2002

We spent last Sunday afternoon clearing the drive of leaves - an odd activity, it felt, for August. The swimming season is drawing to a close as, despite some sunshine, the cool breeze makes it less attractive.

We've heard tawny owls in the last few weeks and at the weekend a weasel was darting around the old yellow slide and under the low-growing conifer there. The ducks continue to visit and appear to be moulting though the adults haven't been seen for several days.

Winnie, Ethel and Edie seem happy but we still await our first eggs.

14 August 2002

So much for summer. The recent deluges have topped up the ponds and battered the flowers. The sun's out now, though, but already it feels like the end of summer as the evenings shorten, the plums ripen and the leaves begin to turn.

Our hens have settled in well and are visibly growing. It's fun to have them chirping in their run and it will be even better when there are eggs to collect.

The vegetable patch is running down, though I've planted a new row of lettuces to try to prolong the season a little. The beans and courgettes are still abundant, put I've lifted the last of the potatoes and stored them and the onions are nearly finished too. We'll still have leeks and parsnips to enjoy later, and the spinach will carry on.

The male mallard has returned this week and is giving his youngsters some hassle. I wonder whether he is hoping to chase them off now they are independent.

30 July 2002

The ducklings continue to thrive and are now adult size with most of their adult feathers. They are practising flapping their wings but need the final few flight feathers to be able to get off the ground. They still visit several times a day to be fed increasingly huge quantities of duck food and bread.

Two or three weeks ago, the moorhens on the small pond successfully hatched their first brood this year. I think six hatched altogether, but within the first few days I saw a sparrowhawk swoop down and snatch one little chick from under its frantic mother's beak. And then there were five. Which all seem to survive, so far.

Lots of other baby birds are in evidence. Another brood for the wren in the barn, several young blackbirds and chaffinches and the odd speckledy robin.

The vegetables are fantastic. We are rather overloaded with courgettes and beans. The peas need picking, the onions, potatoes and carrots are rapidly being devoured and the fennel is almost ready. The rabbits seem to have stopped chomping through the flowers, possibly because with better weather we tend to be outside during their preferred feeding hours.

At long last the chickens, named Winnie, Ethel and Edie, will arrive on Thursday and we're all very excited.

Lovely weather recently. Breakfast on the terrace, lunch by the pool, supper in the twilight. Magic.

17 June 2002

The perfect summer day. Hot and cloudless. It's the exception, though, to a long run of showery weather. It's been great for the plants. The vegetables are my p&j. Have started fertilising courgettes, eating lettuce and spinach every day and plucking the first sweet carrots and beans.

The rabbits are causing lots of damage to the flowers and my newly planted herb pots, but they haven't had any success penetrating camp vegetable.

For the first time, we have mallard ducklings to enjoy. The pair of ducks that adopted us after Easter have remained and bred. It is lovely that the female is so confident that she brings her little ones to feed outside the kitchen--even when we're sitting on the terrace. But the mallards' success may be a result of the abject failure of the moorhens. There is no sign of the single chick on the large pond and the pair on the small pond have kept trying but have failed to hatch any chicks so far.

We have finally taken the plunge and ordered our first domestic animals. Three white leghorn hens should be delivered in three or four weeks to take up residence in their new purpose built "ark". We concluded that the dog kennel was unsuitable and have now dismantled the ugly run.

22 May 2002

We've had almost perfect growing conditions this month. Mild and wet with some fine sunny days. Camp vegetable had its first harvest yesterday when we ate home-grown lettuce in our salad. The whole patch is planted now, with beans, peas, fennel and courgettes filling the gaps.

We've also had our first moorhen chick this week. I saw it with a parent on the large pond, apparently from a new nest site right in the centre. The moorhens on the small pond appear to be trying yet again to raise a brood from the new nest under the horse chestnut.

Ellie and I watched a coal tit fledge from a nest under the eaves at the front of the house.

I've started to tackle the ground elder bed by the kitchen garden wall. It's been sprayed and scythed and sprayed again and now dug over. I'll leave it another couple of weeks before giving a final dose of glyphosate to any regrowth and then planting it with the perennials that we raised from seed in the greenhouse. I don't expect we'll get rid of the stuff completely, but it is bound to look better than it did.

25 April 2002

Still no rain, but the temperatures have risen to 23 degrees this week and it has been truly glorious. The weather is on the turn, however, and we are promised some rain on Sunday. The cherry blossom burst out last week but is already starting to fall. The clematis on the dog kennel is in bloom. The fritilleria are finishing, but stars of bethlehem are in their prime. The bluebells and cowslips look lovely.

In the vegetable garden the garlic, onions and potatoes are through. Lettuces are thriving, but the carrots and so on are not evident.

The remaining perennials in the square cottage garden have been planted and we have sown some annuals in the border by the wall in the vegetable garden. I've sprayed and cut down the ground elder on the other side of the wall. In a couple of weeks I will spray the regrowth and then plant with perennials raised in the greenhouse.

The moorhens on the small pond have not relaid, but we have eggs in the usual nest on the large pond. We have also been adopted by a pair of mallards who now feed regularly on the kitchen terrace--but no ducklings or even any sign of a nest.

The greenfinches remain, and I think I may have seen a fluffy juvenile feeding today. No other baby birds in evidence, so far.

13 April 2002

It's been cold, dry and windy here for weeks, it seems. No real rain for three weeks and the ground is very dry.

We've made amazing progress in the garden, thanks largely to a huge effort on the part of Martin's parents and sister over the Easter weekend. The cottage garden patch is cleared, though not yet fully planted. More impressively, the vegetable garden has been rotovated (thanks Dad!), dug over, weeded, raked and spread with trailer loads of compost. Martin and his Dad have erected rabbit fencing and I have planted potatoes, garlic and onions and sown leeks, parnips, carrots, lettuces, spinach and swiss chard. Courgettes and French beans are growing in the greenhouse.

The wildlife is very busy. We have been adopted this week by a pair of friendly mallards which are visiting the steps outside the kitchen to eat seed. The Moorhens have had a set-back though. Having abandoned their usual nesting site on the small pond, they built a very new nest on a very exposed part of the pond. When we returned from Cornwall last weekend, it had two or three eggs in it, but the following morning it was empty and an empty shell was lying near the vegetable garden. They have yet to try again.

The goldfinch hasn't been seen in a while, but a pair of greenfinches has been feeding from the large seed feeder. Tits are flitting in an out of the nestboxes.

I nearly ran over three roe deer at the junction of our drive with the main drive last week and they ran off into the woods.

12 March 2002

There has been little rain in March so far, and the ground is really quite dry, for us at least. I've been busy getting ready to grow things in the last week or so. I've cleaned the greenhouse and fumigated it. It now houses lots of germinating seeds (we hope) and little plants. I've bought some seed potatoes and am chitting them in the annexe kitchen.

If I can find the time and energy in the next couple of weeks, I'm going to clear the square cottage garden bed. Even the roses aren't worth saving, I don't think. I've already lifted the day lilies and lavender. If I can get it prepared in time, I'll plant some pretty perennials.

Chris is here unexpectedly today, erecting the new fence between the vegetable garden and the swimming pool. When he turns up, he's brilliant.

A goldfinch has been visiting the large seed feeder outside the kitchen in the last few days. I'm going to put the nyjer seed feeder up again and see if it takes to that. One of the robins has been collecting moss and dead leaves from near the kitchen, but I can't see where it is building its nest. No sign of the moorhens building yet.

The first weekend in March we watched a weasel running round the grove and on the kitchen terrace. It didn't seem to catch anything but it was fun to watch.

Fierce winds again last weekend. If last winter was characterised by constant rain, this year's dominant weather feature has been the regular gales. An alder at the water's edge in the small pond has been blown sideways and it's roots are now partly out of the water.

The corner of the wood where we dug the new ditch is drying out wonderfully well.

We've started to clear up the pool ready for the new season. The pump is on and is rapidly clearing the murk. Lots of leaves to scoop out , however, and it will be a while yet before we switch on the heating.

28 February 2002

Lots of wind and rain again in the last week, though today is much better. Water levels are higher than they have been all winter, but the sunshine and wind are improving matters.

We've been very busy clearing ditches in the wood in the last two weeks. We dug a short ditch from the shallow pond on the northern edge of the wood to join it to the deep ditch that runs round the stud. This has been very successful in draining the water from this pond and stopping it overflowing through the corner of the wood. In time, this should allow this area to dry out a bit.

Last weekend we cleared the ditch from the pond in the cowfield behind the church to the triangular pond next to the main gate. In fact, we don't own this ditch, but it was badly blocked with bits of tree and leaves and was contributing to the sogginess of the wood.

Daffodils are out all over now and the snowdrops have finished. Catkins are falling from the trees and the buds are bursting on the lilac and hawthorn. The sole tiny red tulip in the grove flowered two days ago. The blanket weed has grown rapidly in the ponds over the last week. Spring is about two to three weeks earlier this year than last, I think.

Yesterday, there was a small flock of goldfinches on the edge of the wood where the drives fork. At the same time, I saw the Sparrowhawk fly into the wood. It appeared again later in the Grove. And we had a first yesterday--a grey heron swooping low over the fields (though since I didn't see it land, perhaps it doesn't count?).

14 February 2002

Finally, the rain and wind has given way to gorgeous Spring sunshine.  Already, the water round the back of the house has dried up. Daffodils are just about to burst into flower all over, as the snowdrops start to fade.

It's Valentine's Day and sex is definitely on the agenda, outside at least! The squirrels are in a frenzy and the moorhens are fighting. Tits are inspecting the nestboxes and the volume and quantity of birdsong are noticeably increased.

5 February 2002

Continues to be wet and windy. Lots of rain in the last 48 hours and the barn is flooded for the first time this winter (and the far end of the vegetable patch is now flooded). Chris's ditch is rushing with water, but curiously the ditch in the wood is actually lower than it was last week. Perhaps there was a blockage in the tunnel that has been cleared by the volume of water.

Loads of lovely snowdrops are cheering us up, and the daffodils are growing before our eyes.

24 January 2002

Cold, wet and very windy. Enough to drive you inside. However, heralds of spring are still coming up everywhere. The first aconites have bloomed by the stone wall.

Saw a sparrowhawk perch on the fallen tree and then fly off behind the small pond.

My mother's been here this week and has made a good job of tidying up the sedums and last year's soggy day lilies. Both need splitting but it's too hard for us. We also planted my Christmas present--a tiny little rowan tree that we hope will grow well in the Grove.

Been planning great things for the vegetable garden though, as usual, the chances of us getting beyond the pipe dream stage are not good. I want to use my Dad's rotovator to dig them over and then mix in all the compost that is ready on the heap. We could then plant some fruit bushes in a cage on one side and some veg on the other, with appropriate rabbit protection. At least this year, the veg patches aren't under water . . . yet!

21 January 2002

We've finally tidied up the tree sleeves that have been disfiguring the driveway since I took them off the trees last spring. Have also removed some more and taken them all to the tip.

Had a visit to the wall pillars that serve as a bird table outside the kitchen from a female greater spotted woodpecker.

A pair of moorhens were getting amorous in the grove yesterday--rather prematurely, I think.

12 January 2002

Lovely, sunny day. Had a long walk round the garden, noting the sprouting bulbs. I think the first snowdrops are about to flower in the grove. Pond levels have risen a bit after the rain this week, but are nowhere near as calamitously high as this time last year.

The pheasant continues to visit daily and was making a huge racket while perched on the fallen tree this morning. Also watched a green woodpecker poking about on the grass near my little apple tree and a pair of mistle thrushes rooting among the leaves.

The swimming pool has greened up in the last couple of weeks and today we had to fish out two dead mice. Yuk!

We have tweaked and tidied the site a little and hope it works a little faster now.

5 January 2002

Saw a Little Owl flying around the grove yesterday. It perched in the large old chestnut tree just over the fence for ages while I watched it through the binoculars.

The oil lasted and now the heating is on full blast again while we all remind ourselves what feeling warm is like.

Christmas decs came down today and we shredded the tree to put on the path in the wood. During dismemberment, Martin found a tiny old nest built tightly against the trunk, presumably used by some irish bird last spring.

3 January 2002

And a happy new year!

It's been freezing since Christmas Day. -6 or lower at night and barely rising above during the day. Hope our pipes are surviving. Today a thaw of sorts has arrived--the snow that fell on Sunday has melted, though it is still very cold with a biting wind. The ice on the ponds and pool is thining. Fervently hoping that the dribble of oil left in the bottom of the tank lasts until our scheduled delivery tomorrow.

Had a lovely time over Christmas. Martin was at home until yesterday and we were all appropriately peaceful and festive. Even Jack seemed calmer than usual. Great to have Ian, Elisabeth and Barbara here to share it with us. Will endeavour to post some photos from the season on the site soon.

The birds have been hungry in the cold, with the pheasant continuing to visit. The rat catcher seems to have been successful, as the rodent population is not much in evidence. Saw the fox as we returned from Great Finborough in the early hours on New Year's Day--it rushed across the drive into the wood in front if the car.

24 December 2001

On Christmas Eve, I shouldn't have time for this. But, the kitchen is full of busy children making German biscuits and we seem much less frantic than usual.  The halls are decked and look wondeful. Lovely tree, boughs of holly and mistletoe.

Fantastic snow yesterday. It started falling on Saturday as we decorated the tree--very festive! Yesterday morning the children were out before breakfast, throwing snowballs and following the animal tracks. Lovely.

In the last couple of weeks we have been adopted by a very tame, and very beautiful, male pheasant. It comes every morning for breakfast outside the kitchen and waits patiently for me to emerge with some seeds. We were visited for the first time this winter by a huge flock of redwings, turning over the fallen leaves in the grove. A striking sight, the very ground seemed alive.

On Friday evening, as he got out of the car, a barn owl swooped low over Martin's head and disappeared off into the grove. We regularly hear the tawny owl(s) calling now too.

Until this weekend's snow, it has been remarkably dry this month. A relief not to be surrounded by water for a second year.

15 November 2001

As we came back from school yesterday afternoon, we saw two deer grazing on the weedy stubble field alongside the drive. I don't think they were the usual muntjac--they were bigger and more deer-like. This stubble is really pleasing the wildlife, particularly the pheasants.

Cold, starry night down to -1. All the leaves are collapsing off the trees today.

14 November 2001

What a fine autumn it is. October was lovely, warm and--apart from one torrential weekend--dry. As a result the autumn colours have lasted wonderfully. The ornamental cherries have been a

glorious glowing red for weeks.

November has been all sorts--snow, hail, sun and rain plus the traditional fog and frost.

I've just seen a fox on the far side of the large pond and in the last week I've heard the call of at least one tawny owl several times during the night, quite close by--this is a first for us. The rat has returned to its hole under the house and I think it's time to get the rat-catcher. The mice still regularly appear in the traps we set--two today.

My mother saw a cormorant and a pink-footed goose on the pond a few weeks ago--odd visitors, we thought. The grove was also visited by a couple of mallards (one of the black and white aberration) that, unusually, came very close to the house.

Thankfully, the relatively dry autumn means that ,unlike last year, we are not surrounded by water. Chris's ditch from the small pond to the wood is still working, draining water away. It needs enlarging and it keeps getting clogged with leaves but it does work. We're now planning a ditch between the ponds to drain the larger into the smaller when it is overflowing. This might be the long-term solution to the flooding risk.

Went to Bradfield Woods the other week and admired the coppicing. Would love to do some in ours--the ash would benefit particularly, I feel. Meanwhile, another large ash tree (or rather an overgrown coppice stalk) has fallen in the eastern section of the wood and needs dealing with before it causes any more damage to the surrounding trees.

24 September 2001

The last entry in this log was, of course, recorded in the hours before 11 September became infamous. Hideous.

Confirmed a previous brief siting of a willow warbler last week. I had a good long view of it from the playroom window. I know they are supposed to be very common, but I've never seen one before.

Mice have been a prominent feature of the last week. We've caught six in the house--some field mice and the rest house mice. Outside, we've all enjoyed watching a tiny harvest mouse stealing fallen birdseed.

The leaves are starting to fall in earnest now. Before long, all the plum trees will be bare, closely followed by the poplars. Ash leaves are scattered round the grove too. Heavy rain in the last week is refilling the ponds and I fear it won't be long before they are overflowing again.

We've planted a few more bulbs in the grove and in the wood and it will be interesting to see how they survive.

Inside, we've removed the carpet and lifted the vinyl tiles in the dining room. I hope this will allow the floor to breathe and stay dry. We'll cover the concrete with some jute matting for now, and see how it copes.  All being well, we'll lay some floor tiles next year.

11 September 2001

Term has started. Harriet trotted off quite happily in her smart school uniform and moaned about having to come home before lunch. Jack was fine too, though a bit subdued.

At last there has been some time to get jobs done. The downhill slide to winter has begun and we have already switched off the pool heater. The trees are beginning to shed their leaves and finally the plums are ripe.

Two families of moorhens are now feeding (and fighting) in the grove. The second lot must be brood from the large pond but we have not seen them feeding here before.

2 September 2001

Found a juvenile chaffinch dead on the kitchen terrace today--must have banged into the window, poor thing. Children, as always, fascinated by death.

Summer had what felt like a final hurrah yesterday. Sunshine, swimming and barbecue. Today is cooler and threatens rain.

28 August 2001

Been rather lax with this account recently, as you can see. Summer has slipped past all too quickly. But it's been a good one, for us and the wildlife. We spent two weeks in Germany (click here for photos) but the children have had at least as much fun at home.

The first successful moorhen brood was supplanted by a second at the end of July of which four remain. In the last week or so they have become completely independent of their parents. We've had lots of other baby birds feeding on the kitchen terrace--robins, blackbirds, chaffinches, lots of tits and a jay. The garden is literally hopping with tiny frogs at present and, less pleasantly, we are constantly fishing dead ones out of the pool.

Oh yes, the pool! What bliss, this summer, to have a gloriously warm pool to entertain the children (ours and other peoples). And also for Martin to be able to plunge in after the long, hot commute home. Well worth the wincing expense.

Lost the horses in July, unfortunately. Domestic and financial troubles meant that Daniela had to move them. We are keen to get some more, but have not yet advertised for them. Also absent now is our handyman, Chris. I'm still hoping that he might return to us once the summer chainsaw carving rush is over, but if not he will have to be replaced as the maintenance work is building up steadily.

28 June 2001

It's been glorious here recently. Apart from a wash-out weekend two weeks ago, we've had dawn to dusk sunshine. The newly-heated swimming pool has proved a great hit, particularly at Harriet's birthday party last weekend. Amazing how their confidence in the water has grown so quickly.

The real wildlife potter on. The moorhen chicks are completely independent now, though I think there are now only four surviving. Saw a deer in the grove last week. Seven squirrels now consume 90% of the birdseed we put out for ground feeders, but the blackbirds, robins and moorhens get some of it too, as well as a couple of Jays that come regularly.

4 June 2001

A busy week with the children and Martin at home. Fantastic weather. Birds hatching out all over the place. Young blackbirds, a little wagtail, some daft dunnocks trying to break the sitting room window. Another of our nest boxes is being used by a brood of great tits. Not sure whether the blue tits have fledged yet or not.

Lots of little rabbits about too. The children enjoyed watching two playing right outside the kitchen window, though I was rather less amused to lose all the flowers on the violas I planted with Jack last week.

Spent a lot of time in the wood this week working on the nettles. Martin cleared the paths of fallen trees and I have planted a couple of ferns and transplanted some wild creeping geranium and some foxgloves from the grove.  The children even had a camp fire with me one afternoon. We cooked spaghetti hoops!

20 May 2001

Of the original brood of moorhens from the small pond, five robust juveniles survive. Eggs continue to hatch on the other pond.

One of our nest boxes (the one furthest into the grove) is being used by a pair of blue tits. I saw them ferrying insects into it today, so they must have some chicks.

18 May 2001

The moorhen eggs on the large pond have begun to hatch. Just one chick so far, with more to come I think. Meanwhile, on the smaller pond, the other pair of moorhens are apparently  incubating a second clutch.

All the blanket weed has disappeared as the canopy over the ponds has closed.

17 May 2001

Renewed deluges of thundery rain have set us afloat again. The brisk wind has denuded the ornamental cherries of their blossom, but the apples look lovely still. The grove is at its best now, I think, with Stars of Bethlehem joining the bluebells and cowslips. The lilac and horse chestnuts are also flowering.

We have three remaining moorhen chicks that seem to be growing before my eyes.

11 May 2001

Saw the swallows for the first time this summer today, wheeling over the swimming pool. Fantastic sun-filled day. Harriet even paddled in the pool despite it's chilly 16 degrees!

Apple blossom just erupting as the flowering cherries shed their glory all over the front lawn, and the clematis on the dog kennel is now in flower too. Very lovely.

7 May 2001

Sunshine makes the whole place look magical. After a long weekend outside, I am in love with the Place all over again. For the first time since September, there is no water draining onto the terrace round the swimming pool and another dry week is forecast--hurrah!

And, for the first time, every part of our five acres feels like it has a purpose. The horses, happily settled today in the stables, finally make me feel settled in too. The paddocks and stables were always rather sad and empty places until now. Although I'd planned to develop the fields as wild flower meadows, having horses now feels like the right thing to do with them.

Yesterday, I walked in the woods, cursing the nettles but admiring the carpet of tiny purple flowers on the ground ivy. Resolved anew to make sure the wood is accessible this summer and will try to bring forward plans to wood chip a path through it. Would really love to plant some native ferns to gradually replace the nettle cover, but won't get around to that this year.

The Grove looks fantastic, with the cowslips and bluebells flowering and the extraordinary cuckoo pint sending up its bizarre flower spikes. I cut the grass a little shorter this week as it was drier and the contrast with the flowering part under the trees looks lovely. A pair of rabbits lolloped around it this evening, as the moorhens and chicks pecked at the bird seed in the setting sunshine. Glorious.

4 May 2001

The large pond is alive with tadpoles. Clearly my failure to see any spawn was more to do with my inadequacies than the frogs'!

A pesky rabbit has tried to burrow underneath my corkscrew hazel--it's got a whole wood in which to dig, so why pick on my favourite ornamental?

I'm thinking about turfing over the vegetable garden and planting fruit trees, on the grounds that a) I'll never have time to grow veg properly, b) it's currently a flooded weedy eyesore and c) I'd like to extend the orchard. Is this a cop-out?

3 May 2001

The fritilleria we planted in the Autumn are flowering, after I'd given them up to the rabbits! Gives me encouragement to plant some more next year. The blossom is falling like snow, now, from the plum trees, and if this were any sort of normal year we should be looking forward to high summer. Despite some sun, the temperature remains resolutely low. The pool can barely manage to keep in double figures. No wonder Martin wants to heat it.

Only saw five moorhen chicks today. Were the other two hiding in the long grass? I fear also for the Mistle thrush nest after a vicious battle between the adults and a magpie. No sign of incubation today. The other moorhen nest seems to be still intact, though.

Fed the daffodils today in the hope that it will produce a better show from them next year--far too few flowers this season.

Saw a stoat for the first time yesterday. It ran away from the car as we went to school yesterday morning. It was bigger and darker than the weasel and had a black-tinted tail. A rabbit bolted at the same time--perhaps it had been pursuing it?

1 May 2001

You'd never guess the date from the weather. We're beginning to despair of ever having any sustained dry weather.

As the daffodils finish (a very bad year for them, I think), the bluebells in the grove are covered in fat buds and will soon make a fantastic show. Bought a nyjer seed feeder and seed today to encourage the goldfinches to come into the garden more.

We've agreed to let the paddocks and stables to a pair of horses. They are coming on Monday and the children are very excited.

28 April 2001

At about 9 pm on Thursday night, perched on the telegraph pole by the dog kennel, my mother saw a barn owl - the first time we have seen one on our land.

More heavy showers, though yesterday was mostly fine and warm, but summer still seems a long way off. The blossom is coming out on the ornamental cherries and will look splendid in a few days time.

26 April 2001

Good news all round. The chicks from the small pond reappeared later yesterday and we counted seven altogether! No doubt there will be some attrition over the next few weeks. On the other pond the adults are incubating the eggs, with one fetching food for the other, so with luck there will be more chicks to coo over in a couple of weeks' time.

The thrushes' nest seems complete, but the tireless Jackdaws are still carrying great sticks into the next door barn. Their nest must be huge!

Had a visitor wanting to rent the paddocks and stables for her two horses. Very seriously considering going ahead with this.

25 April 2001

While worrying about the fate of our three Moorhen chicks from the small pond which haven't been seen today, we discovered a new nest on the large pond containing at least five eggs. No sign of the adults from this pond, but we hope they are still incubating.

23 April 2001

Two or three Moorhen chicks are zipping about the small pond being fed and chivied by one anxious parent. The other adult is still on the nest so there may be more chicks to come. The Jackdaws are building their nest in the same hole in the barn roof next door and have been carrying twigs up there for more than a week now. A Wren has been flitting in and out of our barn, so I think there is a nest in there again too. And this morning a Mistle Thrush has started to build a nest in an angle between two large branches on an ash tree in the grove. It has been picking grass, moss and camomile from the grove.

The children's playground is nearly finished - just the woodchips to come really. It looks great and if only the weather were better the children would be out there all the time, I think.

10 April 2001

The last three weeks have seen Spring leap into frantic mode. Leaves are sprouting on almost all the trees. The plums are in blossom and the birds are very busy. The moorhens appear to be incubating, but I daren't go close enough to see properly. Saw two red-legged partridges striding purposefully up the drive and around the house to the orchard yesterday morning. The cowslips are out in the grove and with all the daffodils and tulips it looks great. The sunshine we've had has been lovely, but more rain means we're no nearer to drying out.

We've taken down the fence to the annexe garden and will replace it with new picket fencing. I want to fill the whole area with wood chips and erect the children's new play equipment there next weekend. They'll love it!

26 March 2001

My new binoculars have revealed that the flock of thrushes I've been seeing now and then is actually a flock of redwings. They are a sort of thrush, apparently, but are small and have white eye stripes and reddish patches on their flanks under their wings. The moorhens have been busy with their new nest, which is nearly complete. They are much more than usually nervous right now. And with good cause, since we saw a weasel playing between the oil tank and the new apple tree on Friday morning. I saw it again later in the day, with a mouse in its jaws. Two live newts rescued from the pool over the weekend and today a pregnant frog was trapped in the skimmer. All released into the old pipe next to the small pond. Weather dull, damp and cold although it's a minor improvement on last Wednesday's snow!

The cows moved into the lower field yesterday, so we must ask Chris to barb-wire the ditch boundary to stop them coming into our western paddock. They haven't crossed the ditch yet, but in the current circumstances we don't want cows wandering about.

Took delivery of our fantastic mower on Saturday. It's loads of fun, and I can't wait until the ground dries enough to use it properly!

17 March 2001

More rain and we're awash again. Two dead newts in the pool today. Saw a deer in the grove this morning. Let's hope foot and mouth never comes near enough to worry it. Birds are very busy (and noisy) now. They are using the new ground feeding station we bought this week, but don't seem so keen on their new bird food. I think the moorhens have built a new nest platform in the same location as last year under the hawthorn on the small pond.

12 March 2001

Spring definitely arrived this weekend. The daffodils have burst into flower just as the snowdrops are finishing, and leaves have sprouted on the hawthorn in the wood. The children had a lovely time in the wood and garden getting wet and muddy. Jack is beginning to see the potential fun in tree climbing and den building, I think.

Despite running our submersible pump constantly for four days, the barn is still full of water. It's running in as fast as we can pump it out, although at least we are moving it on quicker. The pool looks much more healthy after we vacuumed it at the weekend. Fished out four more newts - one dead.

6 March 2001

The last couple of weeks have been wet and cold with plenty of sleet and snow to top up the ground water. Today, though, is a proper Spring day - sunny, breezy and much milder. Glorious, in fact. The birds are frantically busy now. We had a large flock of goldfinches in the grove at the weekend, for the first time. Today I saw them on the edge of the wood. We also saw a small group of thrushes. Jack saw the male pheasant wandering around the edge of the small pond yesterday morning too. The weekend before last the tree man showed Jack the Little Owl as it bobbed along the ditch that runs from the cow field into the large pond.

Got the pool pump replaced yesterday, so with

luck we could be able to clean the pool soon. Also bought a submersible pump to clear the flooding from the barn. Plan to buy a ride on mower and trailer next week. Chris (our new handyman) is making good progress on the fences, so we will be secure from the cows. Foot and Mouth has had no direct effect here yet, but there is definite fear in the air. Footpaths are closed, the Elmswell stud has a straw and chemical barrier on its drive and the Sunday market is suspended. The tree man was telling us about how difficult it is for him as his wood store is on a pig farm and he can't visit it.

14 February 2001

Dry clear weather at last. After another weekend that had water running all over the garden, the sun is beginning to dry us out again, though water levels remain very high. The builders are finally back to finish off the damp-proof course (started on July 17th last year!) so we have mess all over the house. With luck it will all be finished in the next couple of weeks. Ducks and moorhens fighting in the grove regularly now, and it may not be too long before we get some nesting activity.

5 February 2001

Wet, wet weekend. Both ponds and the pool have overflowed. The small pond is draining onto the grass by the fallen tree and on down towards the septic tank, while the other is running into the grove near the apple trees, under the fence to the vegetable garden, across the pool and onto the grass, through the annexe garden and under the fence to the yard. Unless we have a very dry spring, I don't think the water levels will fall until the summer which is going to prevent us planting much in the vegetable garden.

1 February 2001

One of the robins has finally worked out a way to use the suet feeder. Freezing fog here this morning made the roads and pavements treacherous. The temperature has just made it above freezing, but the fog persists. No sign of the mallards today. Added a new picture of Jack and one of the three hooligans together to the site.

28 January 2001

My mother helped complete the RSPB garden birds survey. We had lots, as you would expect, and there isn't even space on the form to put our moorhens! We've been adopted by two pairs of mallards this week. We've often disturbed them on the ponds before and we did have a pair try unsuccessfully to breed last year. This time, though, they have been dabbling about on the banks of the ponds and in the mud between the small ponds and the fallen tree. The snowdrops are at their best now, with large clumps in the wood and grove. The new ones that I planted in the autumn have just become visible by the small pond, but I fear that the ones near the fallen tree are drowned.

23 January 2001

Chris Head from Drinkstone Forestry has cut down the trees next to the annexe. It's a shame to remove trees, but these were threatening the roof and were much to close to the house. The sycamores have been coppiced, so the new growth will compensate for their loss. The space left in the annexe garden is surprisingly large. We'll remove the fence that separates this from the courtyard round the pool, and with the increased light we'll be able to grow some new shrubs, I hope.

20 January 2001

It snowed yesterday evening. I switched the light on outside the kitchen doors and saw the fox snuffling near the plum tree stump in the grove. It headed off towards the large pond and disappeared through its usual gap under the fence. In the morning the light covering of snow made the garden magical. I was able to follow the tracks of the fox as well as the numerous rabbits and the odd rat. Less pleasantly, a small rodent is frozen into the ice on the swimming pool. With the pump broken and recurrent deluges of field water running into the pool it resembles a mucky pond.

18 January 2001

Perhaps it's the cold, but we are seeing a lot of our predators at the moment. Apart from the fox and little owl, I've seen the sparrowhawk twice this week. On Monday it scared away the thrushes from the grove, and today I had a very clear view of it perched on a fallen log near the large pond. It was a female - large with dramatic white and brown barred underparts - and was clutching some unfortunate bit of prey in its yellow feet. There wasn't a little bird to be seen in the grove.

The cold has persisted for a week or so now. Both ponds are frozen and the permanent frost and bitter night-time temperatures (-6 at worst) have drawn more birds to the feeding stations. Blackbirds have been taking the seeds from the kitchen terrace for the first time and lots of quarrelling long-tailed tits have been hogging the suet feeder. The robins have become so bold that they don't fly away when I open the kitchen door, but wait for me to scatter seeds for them. I've noticed a great tit inspecting the new bird box on one of the plum trees and also having a look at a tree hole in one of the ash trees in the centre of the grove. This hole has clearly been enlarged by some bird or other, recently I think since I haven't noticed it before.

15 January 2001

I don't suppose foxes have a seven-day routine, but we saw it again this sunday morning. It was patrolling the field boundary backwards and forwards between the two ponds. It was around for a while and even the children saw it this time. Then it headed off along the fence towards the wood and out of sight. It's arrival in the grove scared a large group of thrushes that were hopping about in the dead leaves. I wasn't close enough (or clever enough) to work out what sort of thrush they were, but I expect they were the mistle variety.

We recorded a new bird on saturday - a firecrest. All my old bird books say that their northern limit in England is East Anglia, though I expect that may have changed since they were written. It was tiny, with a yellow crest and a white stripe above its eye. It was hopping around on the fence between our driveway and the yard and I got very close to it before it disappeared.

More snowdrops are appearing and the continuing lack of rain is helping dry us out a bit, though it remains very soggy underfoot. We've pruned the apple trees and put up three new bird boxes.

10 January 2001

A busy week for the wildlife. Martin and I saw the fox on Sunday morning - the first time in broad daylight. It was creeping round the edge of the large pond on the far side from the house, scaring the moorhens. On Monday afternoon, as it was getting dark, I saw a Little Owl fly across the grove and back. Not absolutely certain of the identification but it was the right size and colour, had a stubby tail and a very distinctive, jerky, undulating flight. It rested on a tree by the large pond (out of sight, unfortunately) before flying back to the other pond and away towards Tostock Place. Today, as I was returning from Playgroup, I saw a muntjac deer on the far side of the small pond, rooting about among the fallen leaves and old conkers. It disappeared after I got out of the car.

It is still very wet, though we haven't had any significant rainfall for a few days. A few snowdrops are blooming in the grove and wood and lots of other bulbs are shooting upwards. With the sun and dry weather, it really has felt like the worst of the winter is over. The lunar eclipse last night was magical, though Jack was too tired to stay awake to see the eerie orange glow of totality.

~ The End ~