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Winter Visitors
I am not a photographer, but sometimes I have a piece of luck and this was one of these occasions. This little blue tit was resting just two feet from where I was walking and did not stir when I took the photograph. Despite being next to the path it was just ten feet from […]
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Waiting Impatiently for Spring
30 January 2023 I am not usually envious of other people, but recent visits to my local village have been turning me green. Here on the coast the winds are rarely benevolent and we are still having frosts and days when the wind chill can reduce the temperature dramatically. My camellias continue to hang back […]
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At Least the Rain has Stopped!
16 January 2023 The last leaf in the garden against the backdrop of winter heather. It is hard to imagine how this has remained on the tree throughout all the gales but the colour is a bright spot on a dull day. The heather in all of its glory. I still have to look carefully […]
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Autumn Colours
The autumn colours have been very impressive this year, as this young blueberry bush demonstrates. However, they lost their leaves very quickly as they were exposed to the series of storms that have battered the garden on and off for weeks. By next year, I am hoping that the hawthorn hedge that I have planted […]
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A Benign But Dry September
The nights are drawing in, but it is the changes in the wildlife that to me are the signal that winter is on the way. The goldfinches have started to return to the garden and I do hope that I have as large a flock as last year. The slugs are less evident although by […]
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For the Birds!
Prickly and Smooth Sowthistle both have lovely flowers, but look rather dishevelled as the seeds appear. I always have to resist the temptation to pull them out when they are in this state until I noticed that something has been eating the seeds on one plant in the rockery. My tolerance was rewarded the other […]
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Juxtaposition
I am always surprised when the cherry blossoms appear just after the crab apple trees are at their best, as they all seem far too delicate to survive here. Even more surprising is that the blossoms can withstand strong winds and cold. One of the things that I particularly like is the juxtaposition of the […]
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A LONG JOURNEY
I was very distressed recently to discover my collie cross Millie standing beside me with a dead goldfinch in her mouth. I would like to think that she was not responsible for its death, but fear that the evidence is against her. This was one of at least forty goldfinches that have spent the winter […]
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From Furry Slippers to a Bad Hair Day
My Mount Aso willow is still providing me with a lot of cheer on these windy days. The furry slipper catkin changed to a very dignified deep wine/pink and then it opened up to this grey, orange and yellow creation. However, it remains a furry slipper at heart and in its last throes looked like […]
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Small Miracles
This plant may not look like much, but is a testament to its resilience in the face of human neglect. I have always loved box hedging and the smell instantly transports me back to childhood. In one of my gardens in Scotland, I managed to produce a full hedge from the cuttings of one plant. […]