A red phone box, just sitting there, a pertinent landmark to assist weary travelers find their way to the cottage after a long journey, through the final narrow and bendy roads. The New Forest is certainly Tolkien and C.S Lewis country, here, some animals appear to have free will. Brambly this, Merrydown that and Fiddley …
It appears the rainy season is upon us, after the drought. Whatever happened to moderation in this green and pleasant land?! The rains came, along with wild, wild winds! There has been torrential rain, non-stop all day, and for the last week…..It’s easy to see how flooding starts. We’re off to the New Forest, Hampshire, …
Mushrooms are suddenly everywhere, aliens, in all their various colours and forms. This one reminds me of ginger. Love these snowy caps. The highlight of autumn for me though, is the emergence of the toadstools, such incredibly beautiful fungi, delightful and utterly poisonous. Most mushrooms have a doppelganger, where one is lethal, yet it’s twin …
Cosmos, grown from seed. I do enjoy cosmos, how it suits it’s name. In Greek, it means beautiful and ornamental, or “love flower” most apt. I rather like how these begonias and marigolds compliment each other. The marigolds just keep on going. I was collecting seed, but now I’m just composting the seed heads. This yellow …
Now it’s cooled down a little, it’s been far more enjoyable getting out and about. Wood pigeon chicks are rarely seen until they have fully fledged, so it’s lovely getting to see so many in the trees this year. I’m struggling to identify this beautiful day flying moth, my closest guess is that it’s some …
Recently, I’ve been asked to review several different products, these four were my favourites. This summer edition gin is unique and just perfect for these warm summer days, it really does have the most beautiful scent and tastes wonderful. Botanicals for this gin are foraged from the cliffs of the Pentland Firth where Rhodiola rosea …
Last night, Peanut finally came off her nesting site. Clearly she was bereft as she honked and screamed on the fence for hours, constantly looking at her nesting site on the garage roof. Her haunting cries were difficult to hear, she was obviously mourning the loss of her potential brood. Three rotten eggs have been …
How I long for rain. The garden is in dire need of it. We had one downpour a couple of weeks ago and since then, not a drop of the wet stuff. I loathe getting the hose-pipe out, given it has a million holes in it which all act as miniature fountains, soaking me, rather than …
It’s been cracking the flags around here these past few weeks. Goodness, what a difference a little sunshine makes. Roses are opening right, left and center. I love these dog roses but they only tend to last a day, good job there are so many of them. This adorable little lady seeded herself, she looks …
I’ve just recovered from a hideous cold that had me like a zombie for a week. I ended up on antibiotics, what a difference they make! It’s great to be back and feeling remotely human again! The Beast from the East killed all ten of the palms that alternated between the stepping stones in the …
