After the compulsory shed, if there is one feature familiar to almost all allotment gardeners, it is the compost heap. These, like sheds, come in almost any size and style, and once perfected can be immensely rewarding and valuable. Now, I have been custodian of The Cutty Garden allotment for a smidgen over a year, …
Take The Lead
I don't often get grumpy, controversial, or opinionated on here, but I feel very passionate about a particular issue... Sheep worrying. The prevalence of attacks by dogs on sheep in our countryside is heartbreaking and infuriating. Please take a moment to read the following piece which I posted on my facebook page this evening: …
Showing the Love
On St Valentines Day, I am pretty sure that if one was to calculate the most commonly used words on social media, 'Love' would undoubtably be at the top. Of course, love comes in many forms. My gorgeous boyfriend give me a gift this morning of a beautiful necklace; for others maybe love will come in …
Facing up to Nature Deficit Disorder
I am a Nature Geek, also known as a Bird Nerd. It is part of my identity, and something I am proud to embrace. It hasn’t always been this way however. It was ok when I was very young, we all made daisy chains, or picked up feathers and pinecones and conkers, but that all …
New Year, New Notebooks, New Lists
There is something tantalising about a new notebook. Clean, unmarked pages, each faint ruled line full of potential. Of the many fillings for notebooks, one of my favourites is lists. Birdwatchers are infamous for keeping lists, a habit which often leads them to be confused in the uninitiated public's eye with twitchers. Let me clarify …
My 2016… in review – part 2: Books
I have too many books. It's a fact, but one I rarely admit (preferring to claim that it is simply a case of too little shelving). This year I started with good intentions of actually reading them all, or at least, a good number. Some I have indeed read, others I have dipped into or …
My 2016…in review – part 1: Nature
At this time of year, in that odd limbo week between Christmas and New Year, I have fallen into a pleasant tradition of looking back over my blogs from the year past. I am often surprise by what I have forgotten from the past 12 months, and always enjoy seeing the photos of so many …
Back to the Earth
My day started before the night had finished, as is often the way in late December. The darkness was still complete, AMP headed out for his pre-work run, and I was able to hog the warmest part of the bed. But there was no possibility of me going back to sleep; the owls saw to that. …
Solstice grey
There'll be no white christmas on the patch this year. After cutting its teeth on a few hard frosty mornings in early in December, winter has already grown up and settled into its monochrome monotony typical of southern England. In fact, there have been moments this week, when stepping out into the drizzle or hearing …
The Mental Health Of Nature
I have always counted myself as reasonably lucky. Although, like everyone, I have had my ups and downs, my life thus far has thankfully been more-or-less free of all those horrors we read about in the daily news. I have a loving supportive family, a happy home, and access to many wonderful things which make …
Sussex Field Notes 