Well, it seems like summer has returned! July so far has been a little dull, with localised thunderous downpours the only exciting weather; there's been little in the way of hot sunshine in our corner of the county, until this weekend. From an average temperature the past few weeks of just 16*c, today Sussex is …
My Weedy Eden – Allotment Nature Diaries
The Cutty Garden has always been as much about the wildlife that I share the allotment plot with, as it has been about filling plates or vases. My own patch of nature reserve where I can observe, and maybe even help support, wild things and their intricate lives. Late spring is always a busy time …
The Tale of Mr. Tod
January is the month of the fox. As we head back to work in the new year, despite the passing of the winter solstice last month days are still short we often find ourselves commuting in the dark. A flash of movement in the headlights, a brief encounter on the evening dog-walk or trip to …
Wildlife Garden FAQ – Where have all ‘my’ birds gone?
If 2020 has one silver lining it is the resurgence in the popularity and revaluing of our gardens and green spaces. More and more people this year are discovering how wonderful gardens can be for our mental health during difficult times and at the same time, the delights of home grown produce or blooms and …
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Poem Inspired by Walking This Morning, at The Trundle West Sussex.
A Drop Spindle: Come Cutters (On climbing a hill fort and encountering swifts, on a windy day in early June) We climbed a hill today in sweet June-lightThat wind thrill, silvered grasses, chalk-bright.Below afield, far and broadTown and city spreads, cathedral hoard,Woollen woods and plastic seas,Skylark peals on quickened breeze.The lark ascending, old soul-kindle,Shelley’s muse, …
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A rising chatter
It's nearly the end of January, and the first time I have sat down to write in over a month. Outside, it is yet another deceptively mild day; more like November than January, in fact winter barely seems to have moved at all. There was a touch of frost before Christmas, but not hard enough …
The wood is brightest in the darkest time of year.
I went for a walk in my lunch break, to try and decide if it is winter yet. The rains of October are draining here, leaving clodgy paths and ditches running thick with the flow of leaves. Elsewhere it floods. November nights start early, chivvying and harrying us as we finish the working day. I …
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Rooted
The horse chestnut at the corner of the lane hides a few spiked cases beneath its hand-shaped leaves. I remember noticing this tree shortly after relocating to this quiet corner of West Sussex last year, introduced to it by crushed conkers in the track of tyres on the edge of the verge. Looking up, its …
Summer Lull
It has been that time, that point in high summer, when I tend to drop off the boil, only maintaining a low simmer of online activity. A July and August long lull, that seems to coincide with natures own tendency to hesitate on the peak of the season. Air and water alike seem to stagnate …
Nature Notes: March 26th
I woke early this morning, but the day broke earlier. Now we are past Vernal Equinox the day-length is rapidly extending. Spring often feels as though we were poised on a hill-crest for weeks, just waiting for the ballance to tip, and now are racing down through the season, gathering momentum, cheered on my the …
