29th December 2021, and its been ages since I last had my hands in the soil. Ages too since I wrote anything aside from Christmas cards and correspondence. There hasn’t been a new blog post since July. And yet, here I am, tucked up at my desk with two hot water bottles (one tucked inside …
The Summer Garden
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 …
Dog Days of Summer
The wild chicory is in flower, so it must be July. The end of June blurred into its successor in the gloom of overcast days, and rainstorms. As I drove home from work on the longest day I was surprised to see the dashboard displaying just 13 degrees. Some days have been so dulled with …
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 scale of shrews
Late-March. It’s cold, and I'm craving spring. Spring colours too; sunshine yellow, baby pink and pastel blue. If Imbolc at the start of last month was the 'first showing', the difference to day length and the rise of the sun is now undeniable. This is the point where the year, after slumbering through the dark …
The Great British Teasel
This morning the weather was spring-mild, warmed by the yellowest of sunshine so precious of this time of year. I have been out in the garden, pottering around with my secateurs and trowel, happily loosing track of time. As the weather warms invertebrate life becomes active, and I can safely start to gather, cut back …
Love in a box
Theres no place like home. We've all discovered the truth in that saying in the past year! One of the silver linings of us all spending much more time at home was the opportunity to feather our nests - perhaps a deep clean behind the fridge (eeww...), maybe we splashed out on some new soft …
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 …
Feeding Garden Birds – from your kitchen to their tables…
The festive season and feasting go hand in hand. Christmas is notorious for triggering over-eating and over-buying. Come January, our winter-vitamin-deficient bodies are craving green, fresh foods - and anyway, more than half of us are on some kind of self-imposed diet! It is estimated that every Christmas, around 270,000 tons of food is wasted …
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Best ever picnic cake
I've always been a fan of the stay-cation. Maybe it's all the Famous Five books I read as a child, or simply my love of my local downland landscapes and magical wealden woods, but there’s few things that get me more excited than packing a picnic of tasty goodies and heading out for a walk …
Sussex Field Notes 