Tuesday 22 February 2011

Life in the Garden - 2011

Snowdrop

My photography project for 2010 is finished. I did not realise how much it has taken out of me to continuously record life in the garden for a whole year. I was constantly looking for photo opportunities. For the first few weeks of 2011 I hardly touched my camera but I am gradually getting back into the swing of it again. I hope that I now have time to give this blog the attention it deserves.

My book "A Year in the Life of an English Country Garden" is progressing well. It will contain about 240 photographs of animals, birds, insects, flowers, trees and landscapes all taken in the garden during 2010. I hope to complete it soon.

This winter has not been pleasant - very cold and very grey with little sun to cheer things up. I don't recall such a long spell of very cold weather here in England as we experienced in January. The temperature went down to -11 degrees centigrade and it did not get above freezing at all for several weeks.

However, the first signs of spring are upon us. We have snowdrops, crocuses, primroses and even daffodils flowering already.

And, life goes on for the animals - a little Muntjac kid was born in early January. So far it has not been easy to get a photo. Mum leaves it hidden during the day while she goes foraging. Then at around 4 in the afternoon she comes back to collect it. We regularly see them together before 8 in the morning when it is usually too dark for photographs.

It is most amusing to watch and seems incapable of actually walking - it runs everywhere. It is just a bundle of energy. This is the best photo I have managed so far. About 6 weeks old it still has its spots.

Muntjac Kid