This has been a most eventful week. The weather has provided us, as well as it, with highs and lows. Since the drought was announced in April we have had the wettest weeks imaginable - and as the drought was ended for some regions on Friday - the sun comes out! But as a result of this, the grass and plants have grown massively in just seven days; the multitude of slugs and snails have been vastly outnumbered by flies and insects and we are dustbathing instead of wallowing in mud. Even the Ash tree is starting to produce her leaves, at last! The cuckoo arrived last weekend and the swallows. About 60 or 70 to be precise. They swung low on the wires - and wondered if they had made a mistake! But they obviously knew that the air would be rich with food in a day or two. If the politicians left the forecasting to us creatures we would all be a lot better off!
In March when the first bluebells appeared we thought it would be a very short season for them. But as the wet weather came in, they kept on growing and blooming - and still are! The rhododendrons in their pink, white, purple and red dresses are lighting up the darkest corners of the woods. Lois is being visited by the Jackdaws and Magpies - all after a bit of soft lining for their nests. It provides a welcome mobile scratching service for Lois, who has no interest whatsoever in her hay now, prefering the lush meadow grass. We have been warming our bodies in the sunshine at the top of the paddock, and the ground is alive with bugs and worms - a veritable feast.
At Wattlebury Cottage the wild birds are very busy. There is a pair of Goldfinches nesting in the fir trees; Wilf and his mate - the Greater Spotted Woodpeckers; Sparrows under the tiles in the roof; Wood Pigeons and Collared Doves; Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Great Tits, Blue Tits - oh and a gang of swallows! On Friday we had our power supply cut off from 8 in the morning until 4 p.m. And our babies are under the brooder and the big incubator is full of our eggs. So Dad took them all to work with him! The babies were very tired that evening as it had been a very exciting day for them.
In March when the first bluebells appeared we thought it would be a very short season for them. But as the wet weather came in, they kept on growing and blooming - and still are! The rhododendrons in their pink, white, purple and red dresses are lighting up the darkest corners of the woods. Lois is being visited by the Jackdaws and Magpies - all after a bit of soft lining for their nests. It provides a welcome mobile scratching service for Lois, who has no interest whatsoever in her hay now, prefering the lush meadow grass. We have been warming our bodies in the sunshine at the top of the paddock, and the ground is alive with bugs and worms - a veritable feast.
At Wattlebury Cottage the wild birds are very busy. There is a pair of Goldfinches nesting in the fir trees; Wilf and his mate - the Greater Spotted Woodpeckers; Sparrows under the tiles in the roof; Wood Pigeons and Collared Doves; Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Great Tits, Blue Tits - oh and a gang of swallows! On Friday we had our power supply cut off from 8 in the morning until 4 p.m. And our babies are under the brooder and the big incubator is full of our eggs. So Dad took them all to work with him! The babies were very tired that evening as it had been a very exciting day for them.
The Ash last Monday
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And the Oak
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The Swallows arrived - May 8th
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And set off in search of food
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May 12th - we can see the Downs again!
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Truffle enjoying the sunshine
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Love Sylvia and Gordon xxx