Winter came . . . and went!

February is proving to be a very odd month this year. There has been very little precipitation in this area, either rain or snow. Reservoirs are very low and the water companies are talking about a hosepipe ban very soon.

There was very little sign of winter until a couple of weeks ago when we got a covering of snow - only about 2 cms. Enough to look pretty for a while.



The temperatures went down to -12C for a couple of nights. The following week the temperatures were up again to +12C during the daytime. Last week they reached a balmy high of 16C - very unusual for February.

These extremes are having an interesting effect on the wildlife. Two hares have been cavorting round the garden in "Mad March Hare" style, or should it be "Mad February Hare" style? Mr Pheasant has been harassing the Mrs, showing off his beautiful colours and chasing her around the lawn. There were badgers out and about on the roads last night when I was driving home, sadly one of them had been hit by a car :(



I have never understood why, but in February we seem to get larger numbers of roe deer in the garden. A few weeks ago, I counted six of them. It's a pity that I could only capture three of them in this photo.

A large flock of redwings also passed through. There must have been at least two dozen of them. On the same day, I spotted some Lapwings in the field at the front. They did not come into the garden but it is the first time I have seen them around here. Too far away for a good photo, unfortunately.

Finally, I have been working very hard on my new web site. My English Country Garden web site (www.english-country-garden.com) is looking a bit old fashioned and in need of a refresh. I have been rebuilding the site with a new design including some new photo galleries. It is proving to be a big job. The web site has more than 500 pages and it is a lot of work to transfer all of them to the new design. It will not be completed for some weeks yet but watch this space for the relaunch!

Astonishing October

There are definitely big changes in the weather patterns compared to previous years. Whether or not this is due to global warming is yet to be proven. This October has seen some very pleasant weather with above average temperatures and just a couple of frosts. The result is beautiful autumn colours with most of the leaves still on the trees. In addition, there are shrubs flowering which normally only flower in springtime (Kerria Japonica and Ceanothus). Here are a couple of photos.








Also, one of the primula that I mentioned in my previous post has been flowering, Primula Vialli - very pretty.




October is normally a month of misty sunrises, when the ground is wet and the nights cold. Very few of those this month, but here is one of them.



The birds have been hyperactive this month, feeding frantically on the feeders. In their exuberance, they sometimes overshoot and hit the window. This happened to a little long-tailed tit. He/she was a bit stunned and I stood by waiting for him to recover in case any predators decided to have a tasty meal. Great opportunity for a close-up photo which is not normally possible with these shy little creatures. This is probably my favourite bird.




We changed the clocks today. Nice to have an extra hour in bed, but the evenings are now very dark. Hibernation seems a very attractive option. I am so looking forward to next spring.

In the meantime we will have to make do with the beautiful autumn colours, here is a shot across the valley and over the garden fence. If the wind does not take the leaves off soon, I think the colours will become even more spectacular.

Glorious Autumn Weather

I don't want to speak too soon, but after a mixed summer this autumn has started beautifully - bright blue skies with a few fluffy clouds and glorious golden sunrises.

The leaves started changing colour in August, but very few have fallen. If we don't get any high winds, I think this will be a very colourful autumn.


Today was sunny and warm and the creatures in the garden were making the most of it. Two buzzards were soaring over the house and butterflies (Comma and Speckled Wood) and dragonflies were enjoying the sunshine.