Diary Of A Wild Country Garden

One of the wonderful parts of having a garden is that even in the depths of winter you can look out the window and see nature. Even on a freezing cold and windy day like today when, even as a keen gardener, I know I will probably do more harm than good tramping across wet grass and muddy borders, I can look out and see our lovely garden and all the wildlife that visit. For me now the garden and the wildlife are intrinsically bound together. What happens with one affects the other so now I always try to keep both in mind with everything I do. I love birds and get so much pleasure from seeing all the different ones, hearing them singing away so beautifully, having them nest in our garden and all their lovely antics all year. I always want to help them through the often difficult winter months. So at this time of year I sort out all the bird feeders and go to the shops or the farmer's markets and stock up on the b...

Today I looked out of the window close to my work desk and noticed that our garden was filled with birds!  I had heard their calls but was still surprised to see so many. They have been a bit quiet during the bad weather we have had.  Today they were suddenly everywhere - small ones flying and flitting around, woodpigeons and doves feeding on the ground, long tailed tits, a robin and sparrows on every single one of the feeders, blackbirds kicking up the leaves to find food beneath. The bird bath in constant use! The hedge and garden was alive with wonderful birds! No doubt they have come in to find food and water and by their behaviour maybe looking for nest sites... I saw a few birds eyeing up and testing out nesting materials, lifting up the long slender twigs, picking up bits of fluff. Also a few squabbles, maybe over potential good nest sites..  I saw a couple of sparrows checking out the eaves of our home going in and out and seeing off other bird...

You can feel the presence of a gathering storm. It hangs heavy on the air. This photo was taken while hubby and I were out walking in the countryside and it was so weird that to the left of us were clear such bright blue skies and to the right were these deep dark rolling gloomy storm clouds. It felt that it could go either way. The air became very still and the animals around went to shelter. The deer in the far distance huddled closer together. They looked agitated. No birds sang. We were out in the open in the middle of a huge field. For us too we knew, some deep instinct within that we needed to find shelter and soon. We headed off to find it. A few minutes later the wind picked up wild and blustery and trying to tear our coats off. We clung onto our hats! The air was heavy and damp as we walked quickly to find the cosy warm cafe we had passed on the way here. There was an air of anticipation, of something so much bigger than us. Upon reaching the cafe liter...

I do hope your Year of 2016 has started well for you. I am looking forward to a year of more flowers and more vegetables and being outside.  At this time of year, I long for Spring and yet know that I need to appreciate January for what it is in the life cycle of nature.  The short hours of daylight always start to get to me around now. However, I  know that each day we get a little more daylight and that gives me hope. We have had so far had such a very mild winter. It has however been extremely wet and rainy and on our heavy clay soil it has been like a wet soggy swamp! My wellies easily get stuck in it and walking in the grass just makes it a mud bath!   Before all the rains came we did get quite a bit of trimming and cutting back we needed to do in the Autumn so I was pleased that is all done now. Every time I went out our resident Robin would join me and several blackbirds roamed around the grass.  Today and I suspect for days to come I am not ventu...

Look at this little Robin. When I was out gardening on Sunday he was with me all the time.  He flew down about fifteen minutes after I started clearing away some branches and sat on the fence for awhile. Then after hubby had done some digging and I was lightly raking over the soil and clearing weeds, he came right down onto the soil about a foot away from me. I was crouched down at the time clearing around a shrub and stayed very still and he hopped around finding food coming up really close to me. I could have easily reached out and touched him. He was so pretty with his red markings. I dare not move for fear of startling him. He knew I was there and this little bird looked straight at me curious but not frightened. I was totally in awe of being so very close to this little wild bird. However, I needn't have worried as when I did finally have to move ( I was getting cramp!) he just stayed very calm and sat there looking at me. I think he knew he was onto a very good thing i...

I Love Autumn- Nature And The Memories   Reasons To Love Autumn/Fall This post is a little look back on Autumn's past and why I love the season. You will see Autumn photographs, gift ideas, poetry and memories. I hope you enjoy it.  Autumn or Fall is a gorgeous time of year. Nature gives us a spectacular show of colour and richness to enjoy before we are plunged into winter. Yes, the days get shorter and colder but some of my favourite colours appear in Autumn. Cosy sweaters, hats and gloves start to be worn and out come the richly scented candles evocative of spices, warmth and comfort. We have a wonderful harvest and the benefit of reaping what we have sown earlier. Often beautiful sunsets and sunrises occur and we can watch nature as the year ripens. Wonderful childhood memories come flooding back to me of walking through deep layers of richly coloured leaves and learning about all the trees. All in all Yes I love Autumn ! Viva...