Fed Up...I Need Sun!!

I am so fed up with this winter.  It should be warming up by now as the birds have started their dawn chorus, there are lots of wild primroses in flower and I have frog spawn in my ponds and yet we have had another freezing cold week.  Last year the bees were waking up and enjoying my crocuses in warm sun but this year the crocuses are battling just to survive under the snow with no bees to be seen....

The pheasants, who would normally be enjoying the romantic advances of the boys, are spending their days sheltering from the bitter wind and rain under our fir trees...

and the badgers are turning the lawn to mush as they search for any left over bird food.  This has actually been quite interesting as we have a new badger on the scene.  It is fairly normal at the front then turns to a sort of creamy ginger on the back half (sorry it is not a better photo)...

Compare him to the other frequent visitors..

Most of the conservation areas that have stock on them are getting low on grazing but the animals are skilled at searching out enough to keep them going.  Even the ponies were happily chomping on the long standing grass around the stems of the scrub during this weeks deluge of snow, even though there was little grass under the snow. This is a skill they would have learnt from their herd when they were young and wild on Dartmoor and one of the reasons why wild native bred ponies are used for conservation grazing.  A domestic bred pony, who has never had to search for food, would probably not cope so well.

I absolutely love the Project's two Dartmoor ponies and have learnt so much about horses by just watching their behaviour in their natural environment with the minimal influence from humans..

The cold weather continues to make work with the livestock difficult.  Recently we were helping to move some sheep from the bottom of the North Downs to near the top by walking them up following a bucket of sheep nuts.  It was at a site that has really benefited from conservation grazing over the years, called Park Ham, near Caterham. It is a beautiful site even in the snow but walking  up the steep slopes was hard as with every step one's foot slipped back, not to mention the rabbit holes hidden under the snow waiting to trip one up, but at least the effort kept us warm:))  The dots in the photo are the sheep and I was standing looking down from where they needed to go.  They were incredibly obliging which is such a relief now we don't have a sheep dog.

Amongst this group of sheep was Granny Alice who follows us around like a dog (which is why we could lead them on such a long journey without catching them).  The previous week we had collected some faecal samples to do a worm egg count. This involves standing around for ages waiting for 10 sheep to go to the toilet and during this time Alice stayed glued to my husband's side.  She really is a special sheep:)

It is not long until lambing which begins in April so I have recently been on a lambing course at a local Agricultural College.  It was interesting seeing things done on a large, commercial scale and I now can't wait for our lambing to start...from feeling quite negative about it in the Autumn I am now so excited.  It has to be the best reward for being a livestock volunteer and I feel very privileged to be part of it. Lets hope the weather improves though.

It has been a hard, sad winter.  My mother's Alzheimer's is deteriorating fast and there have been several deaths of friends and family but Spring is nearly here. I am looking forward to hearing news of the safe arrival of  four babies that are expected imminently (not all by the same person..lol.)  It sort of puts things right.

Whilst clearing out my mum's bungalow which we have to sell to pay for her care, I came across a very old tatty note book with the following poem scribbled in it... evidently one of my ancestors felt the same as me at this time of year..

I need the days of daisies,

Of sun and bumble bees,

Of sweetly scented marjoram

And a warm summer breeze.

I need to wear light cotton frocks

And let sunbeams warm my skin,

To see green leaves upon the trees

And feel the hope within.

Winter, your time is over

So take your bitter cold.

It's time for Spring to heal us

As its beauty it unfolds.

Cold Days

Over the last few cold winter nights I've been reading Bill Oddie's 'Gripping Yarns' (Tales of Birds and Birding) and have found it quite a revelation.  I never realized that some people went to such lengths to catch a glimpse of a bird they may need to add to their list of sightings.  I have to admit that at first I thought it was all a bit extreme but then, as I read on, it made me think how valuable it is to have people with such specialist knowledge keeping records of what they see.  I have a more eclectic interest in wildlife and enjoy spotting anything, even things that I see day after day, but because it isn't specialized in a particular area it is of little value other than the enjoyment it gives to me.

I do try to add something to wildlife conservation though by the voluntary work I do and, believe me, it is not always easy to leave the warmth and comfort of home to go out in all weathers to tend the conservation grazing livestock when one doesn't actually have too!!

This winter we haven't had the deep snow of the previous few years but we seem to have had more snowy or bitterly cold days but as much as it makes life difficult I can't help being amazed at the beauty that snow brings to the countryside.

One of the livestock tasks I've been involved in over the last month has been checking the City of London's cows that the Downlands Project are overwintering in their barn while they produce their calves. Unfortunately I haven't been there for any births and there are only two left to calve but thankfully, so far, all have arrived safely and it is very enjoyable seeing the little ones chasing each other around in the straw or braving the cold in the adjoining yard.

There have of course been lots of other livestock tasks. On New Years Eve there was another dog attack which left a sheep with bites to its muzzle that penetrated its nasal passages.  This sheep required several courses of antibiotics, so when the grazing officer was away on a course, I gave him his injection and bathed his wounds that were pouring out nasal discharge. Thankfully the sheep was very obliging even though he must have been very uncomfortable. It is still being treated but is now showing some signs of improvement.

It makes me so cross that, despite putting up plenty of warning signs telling people that there are sheep grazing and asking them to put their dogs on a lead, some people don't take any notice.  I think people with loving family pets can't believe that their lap dogs can turn into savage predators at the sight of sheep.  If only they had to treat the injured sheep maybe they would realize the damage their dogs can do:((

So what other things have I been up to?  Well mainly I have been trying  to sort out problems with regard to my mother and her Alzheimer's. It is awful, sad and very stressful so my husband and I have been trying to make sure we make time for some relaxing activities.

In January we begun our Thames Path walk.  It starts at the Thames Barrier and ends, 180 miles later, at its source. Unfortunately I injured my knee (torn meniscus) climbing over the hurdles carrying bales of hay during lambing last year (my own silly fault for trying to be stronger than I am) but as a consequence I can only manage a max of 3 miles at a time so it is going to be a long trip!!! :)))) Anyway on a cold, foggy, Sunday in January we started off from the Thames barrier for the two and a half miles walk to Greenwich. It was quite varied with some places being very attractive and landscaped with other areas being giant rubbish dumps.  In one of these derelict areas someone had gone around sewing on colourful knitted sleeves.  It was surprising what a difference this bit of colour made.

Other trips have been to the Chilterns, in the snow, where we visited College Lakes which, because of the weather, was deserted but sooo beautiful and full of wildlife.

And to the New Forest, one of my favourite places. Around every corner there is a creature of some sort or other to catch one's attention...

And when we have not been out and about at least we have our nice warm stove to snuggle in front off at home..

Lastly, living near to Bromley, where recently a child was attacked by a fox, several people have asked me if I think foxes should be culled. From my experience, when our neighboring farmer culled the foxes we were over run with mice and rats and I think these would pose more of a threat than a very rare fox attack.  Also if there is a food source the area will quickly become re-populated so I can't see that a cull would help at all.

Oh and just one more thing (if you've got the time and energy after this rather rambling post:)))  Check out this film. It really shows how damaging litter can be.. http://www.midwayfilm.com

Christmas Post

When I first started this blog it mainly described my exploration of the flora and fauna of the lovely chalk downland valley in which I live but a year later I had discovered the work being carried out by the Downlands Project to restore and maintain chalk downland sites in and around Surrey (which included some of my area) and I quickly became a livestock volunteer helping to look after the conservation grazing animals. While doing this I was introduced to many other wonderful places and thanks to the Grazing Officer learnt a lot about conservation and livestock management.  It was a good time and so featured regularly in my blog posts. However over the last few months, because a lot of my time has been spent supporting my mother, my garden has begun to feature a lot more.

The chair I sit in to watch TV  looks out to the garden bird feeders and while watching a film the other day I was distracted by a Parakeet that was hunkered down in a cleft of the cobnut tree. There were no other Parakeets around which was unusual and this one looked odd as it was not moving. After about half an hour another Parakeet flew in and went over to the dormant one and gently got hold of it with its beak and pulled at it, very obviously trying to get it to move off with him.  It was interesting and touching to see this level of concern between birds outside of the breeding season and even more moving when the dormant bird fell off its perch, showing that its left foot was completely missing and its right foot was hanging useless and deformed.  There was nothing I could do to help this poor bird as his wings were working well and he flew off and I haven't seen it again but they rely on their feet to grip while they feed so I don't expect it will survive for long :(

My mother is beginning to settle in to her care home a bit so I have been able to get out to do some livestock volunteering again. During my absence I seem to have lost the ability to stay on my feet and have managed to trip over in brambles, fall down a rabbit hole, slither down a bank, trip over absolutely nothing and on several occasions slip over in mud :)))))

One of the worst places for catching me out is an area of Hutchinsons Bank called Slimming Down.  This has recently had the biggest scrape dug out that I have ever seen. It was done using heavy excavators so, with the recent wet weather, it is now quite gloopy to walk in and very slippery, especially the approach to the field.  This is unfortunate as after Christmas we need to move the sheep off this field and we won't be able to get the trailer down, so will have to put up loads of netting to run the sheep up...oh well that's what us volunteers are for :)  The scrapes have been put there for plants like Kidney Vetch to grow in as they don't compete well with other plants.  Hutchinsons is very rich in Kidney Vetch which is the host plant of the struggling Small Blue butterfly so it is probably worth while if it doesn't get infested with ragwort first.

It has been lovely to get out and about again and over the last couple of weeks I have helped with....

A pony move....this is Rufus enjoying his new pasture on a very cold frosty morning...

A goat move....our trainee seems to have a special relationship with our notoriously difficult to catch goats, as he caught them first time...

And hoof trimming of this year's female lambs. Unfortunately the very wet weather in early summer and the present wet weather has taken its toll on their hooves all of which needed a lot of attention to try to prevent future problems.

The only sheep whose feet were fine was Granny Alice.  This is an older and very sweet natured Jacob that we put in with the lambs after they are weaned to basically act as granny and show them what to do, e.g. come when called with a bucket of nuts to make catching them easier...she's my favourite :)

Now for a little Christmas amusement.....

It was a cold snowy day when Tiny Tim, wrapped up nice and warmly, was taken to visit the sheep in a nearby frozen field, "Happy Christmas sheep," the little boy called out to them.
The cold sheep were not amused and crossly replied, "BAAAAAAAAA...Hum Bug!!" 

Well I found it funny:))))))  The poor sheep just wanted to go in a cosy baaa..rn :)

Have a Very Happy Christmas and a 

Great New Year

Life Difficulties

Living things are so fascinating.  How does a fungus suddenly materialise, that can kill huge Ash trees?  How do parasitic worms mutate to become resistant to worming medicine or bacteria to antibiotics?  Life is interesting but it is so closely linked to death.  This is played out daily, right outside my living room window. The badgers snuffle in the lawn eating the worms, the bats eat the moths, the fox stalks the pheasants and the Sparrow Hawk makes regular sweeps of the feeding station to catch unsuspecting birds.  It is a side of nature that I find hard to come to terms with but the need for sustenance is intrinsic to life so has to be accepted however brutal.

This poor pigeon was not quick enough to avoid the agile Sparrow Hawk and was taken down just inches from our living room window.  The Sparrow Hawk remained devouring its prey, even when I went out to get the clothes in from the washing line, which was about 12ft away, and it carried on eating well after night fall. When he eventually flew off there was not a bit left other than feathers.  How can one begrudge a hungry bird like this its supper.

Another recent,  rather macabre scenario, happened in our bathroom the other day.  I went in there one evening to see a rather chunky spider walking across the ceiling.  It was cold outside so I left him to his wanderings, telling him not to go in the bath (I usually catch them and put them out the window..I never kill them). Sure enough the next morning, Chunky was in the bath, so I slung a towel over the side and left him to find his own way out which he quickly did, disappearing from view.  Then a little while later I noticed him, back on the ceiling again, heading fast to where a thin, long legged spider had made a web in the corner.  They started fighting but in an instance and before I could rescue either of them, Chunky had been killed..I felt quite sad and thin legs was, needless to say, deposited outside!

It really is survival of the fittest and this is the one thing that makes me feel better about all the death in nature as not only does it assure a the strength of a species but it can also save a lot of suffering by ending the lives of sick, weak and injured creatures that may otherwise suffer long painful deaths.  The trouble is, humans mess it all up, even for our own species.  I don't know what the answer is but it worries me that, with an ageing population, I keep meeting old sick people who are very unhappy and say they are tired of life and just want it to end and yet on the other hand there is my son's partner wondering if it is ethical to have children when the world is overpopulated (my opinion is that is is vital to have at least one child as we need young people to carry the country forward and provide for all the old people:)

All this deep thought about life and death has come about because my 89yr old mother, after two years of struggling with Alzheimer's, has now got a place in the best care home I could find but she is very unhappy and is desperate to go back to her bungalow again.  This has left me in a quandary.  Do I give up everything and become her full time carer (but is that fair on my husband) or do I get people in to care for her (something she is adamant she doesn't want) or do I make her stay in this lovely care home even though she doesn't want to?  I don't know what to do and I feel overwhelmed and very upset.

All the problems with my mother hasn't left anytime to do my livestock volunteering with the Downlands Project and I am missing it greatly.... I feel the need to hug a sheep:)))  We have just about managed to keep up with our livestock checking though and with two flocks of sheep and the two ponies to visit, it has been a welcome break from the stresses of my mother's predicament.  The ponies, who are now back on Saltbox SSSI, are suffering with burs caught in their manes and tails, particularly Tavey who now looks like he is wearing some odd kind of hair accessory:)).  They will eventually fall out themselves, although, when they allow we are giving them a helping hand as they are quite prickly so probably a bit uncomfortable.

It is around this time of year that the rams are put in with the ewes so I hope that all goes well.  I have heard that the young Jacob Ram has a lot to learn about females!!:)))))

It is so nice at the end of these rather distressing days, to get home and snuggle up with hubby and a glass of wine, in front of our new wood burning stove.  The room still needs decorating but that can wait.  At the moment we are just enjoying being warm:)))

Lastly ( if you haven't got too bored) this is a poem I found when I was cleaning my mother's bungalow today.  She had carefully copied it out from somewhere (author unknown) and it sums up how she always tried to look on the bright side of life..I hope she can again:))

The best is never over, the best is never gone,

There's always something lovely, to keep you struggling on.

There's always compensations, for ever cross you bear,

A secret consolation, hidden well somewhere.

Ends are new beginnings, and one day you will see

The best is never over, the best is yet to be.

Autumn

I always find Autumn to be a peaceful time.  There is a sense of things settling down for a well earned rest and, to be honest, I would like to join them as I feel tired.

It would probably help if I could pull myself away from watching the badgers snuffling around under my living room window each night but I can't as it is a glimpse at a nocturnal world that I should not really be part of.  The cream badger is especially captivating as, besides his colour, he is different from the others.  My grandson says his nose looks like a mole's nose and it does as it is very narrow, pointy and wiggly...it looks particularly attractive when covered in mud from digging holes with it in my lawn:)))  He also has quite a shaggy coat compared to the others which makes him look rather cuddly except that his claws, being clear coloured, stand out like those of a lion.

The autumnal weather has been very evident while out on tasks with the Downlands Project.  I usually enjoy working with the Project's livestock regardless of the weather but I recently had a day which was just awful.

We were gathering in all the ewes to decide which ones to breed from.  The first group, taken from last year's lambs, were penned and sorted with no problem but the next group proved to be very difficult.  They were this year's breeding ewes so were well used to coming to a bucket of sheep nuts (they were the same ones that knocked me over twice with their enthusiasm for nuts during lambing).  However this time there were two groups of Beulahs and one Jacob that just did not want to oblige.  I blamed the weather as it was very windy and it can make prey animals spooky as they can't hear or smell so well.  We eventually got them penned late in the afternoon by which time it was also pouring down with rain.  By the time the job of sorting them was done it was late and we were all cold, tired, fed up and soaked to the skin.  Unfortunately hubby and I still had to stock check the goats which we just managed to do before nightfall...not a good day.

We have also recently had another frustrating day in the rain trying to catch the goats again.  After the last unsuccessful attempt we have spent a long time making sure that all six will happily go into the holding pen and not panic if the gate is closed but, although everything was just as normal and the trailer wasn't anywhere near the field, when we came to get them into the pen they would not all go in...I think there are a couple that are mind readers:))

The Project has also acquired some new additions as we now have a breeding flock of ten Herdwick ewes and a ram.  I am not too pleased about this as, although the Herdwicks have the potential to be an asset in the future, at the moment the Grazing Officer, who left in June, still hasn't been replaced so there is no one that is experienced in lambing problems and both the grazing assistant and the trainee are already overstretched with work and may not even still be employed with the Project come next year's lambing. It therefore seems a bit worrying to add to the situation with more breeding animals.  There are also a few other issues I have with this decision but I won't go in to that here and although I feel disgruntled I can't help but admire the very handsome ram.

Unfortunately, the already very tired assistant grazing officer, was called out last Saturday because of a dog attack at one of the sites at Chipstead, Surrey.  The victim was one of this year's beautiful Jacob lambs and was so badly injured it had to be humanely destroyed.  It seems people just don't get the message that whilst their dogs might be lovely at home, when they come across sheep even the smallest dog can quickly revert to being a predator:((

It is this time of year that hubby and I usually start regretting that we didn't get more done in the better summer weather but although it has been a busy year, we have not done too badly.  Hubby has sorted the leaks in the roof so we should soon be able to finish the new bathroom which we have been trying to do for the last two years!!:)).  He has also nearly finished painting the rendering and we have also at last ordered a wood burning stove which will be fitted at the end of the month...this has only taken us three years of planning and indecision!!))

It is also this time of the year that Monty Roberts does his British tour demonstrating his non-violent methods of horsemanship, so last night we sat shivering in the cold at Hadlow College, watching this great man work with horses with issues varying from a head shy horse, to a successful dressage horse that was incredibly spooked by lots of things, to backing a youngster and having a bad loader, that at first ran at the sight of a horsebox, happily walking on and off of it in a matter of minutes.  Regardless of what the horses are doing Monty stays so quiet and calm, it really is magic to watch and so good to see these horse's problems dealt with with such understanding and kindness.  Horses are wonderful, intelligent animals who are so willing to work with humans..how can anyone use violence to train them.  I am just so pleased that Monty Roberts has shown that there are more successful, easier, non-violent methods and that even at the age of 77 he is still teaching the world this better way.

Nocturnal Visitors

The local badgers must have picked up on my concern for their west country cousins (see previous post) as since then we have had some very welcome nocturnal visitors.  We always used to have badgers coming to our garden until we got new neighbours who had several Rottweilers.  The three that are visiting now enter directly from the field.  They look fairly small so I think they are this years cubs and one is cream coloured which is a genetic trait of badgers around the Saltbox area. There is one problem, I am getting sooooo tired sitting up at night watching them but they come right up near the window, are totally captivating and I feel so lucky that I can't draw myself away:)))))))))

I apologise that I couldn't get my link to work for the e-petition against the badger cull on my last post but I urge you not to give up if you want to sign but go to the governments e-petition web site or use one of the other links on the many other sites of people that obviously understand computers a bit better than me!!!  Simon King and Chris Packham on Twitter also have some good links to other people's more scientific views as well as links to the petition. I can sort of see that, as a protected species with no predators, the numbers of badgers are perhaps too high and at some point there may need to be a cull to maintain a healthy population but I still can't see that just shooting a whole load is going to give a long term, sustainable solution to Bovine TB unless there is a vaccination program in place.

Enough of my ranting.  After watching an episode of Miranda (who some people liken me to !!??!!:)) I have realised that over this summer, which has been a bit intense with one thing or another, I have become rather 'serious' and this needs to change so, as I haven't included any silly jokes for a while, I thought it's about time I did.  I don't want to joke about badgers as their situation is just a bit too serious at the moment but other visitors to my garden, whose antics often make me laugh, are the squirrels. Soooo....

Q:  What did the squirrel say to his girlfriend?
A:  I'm nuts about you

Q:  What did the girl squirrel reply?
A:  You're nut so bad yourself.

Q:  What did the squirrel give his girlfriend on Valentines Day?
A:  Forget-me-nuts.

So how did I get in this 'serious' frame of mind?  Well firstly there was our spell filling in for the absent Grazing Officer...I enjoyed it but took it very seriously as I didn't want to make any mistakes.  Then there is my mother.  Her Alzheimer's is progressing and she flits form wanting to go into residential care, to wanting to stay in her own home, but I think it has reached the point where, whether she likes it or not, she will be safer  being looked after full time.  This is such a hard decision.  It was her who gave me the love of the countryside and the respect of all things living...as a young child she would make the countryside come alive with stories of fairies and elves interacting with nature...if we passed a tree with a hole in it she would make up tales like a poor, cold fairy helping a hungry woodpecker to find food and the grateful woodpecker in turn making a hole in the tree for the poor cold fairy to live in:)) and any pool of rain water caught in the V of tree branches were always places where the fairies and elves went to bathe:)) I loved going for country walks with her so much and she has never lost that desire to be surrounded by nature but now she can't walk far and when she does she gets lost...very worrying when goes off to walk in the the fields!!!!  I feel so bad that by going in to a home her freedom will be restricted but at least she will be safe, have company and will probably be taken out more than we can manage so maybe she will be happy which she isn't really at the moment.  I wish I didn't have to make this decision:((

When my mother was first diagnosed with Alzheimer's we were helping with lambing and the then Grazing Officer and other volunteers were so supportive listening to my worries.  However the Grazing Officer has now moved on and since the Countryside Day, where some people got upset with each other (it is no easy task putting on such a big show), I haven't seen many of the other volunteers...hence I'm off-loading onto all you blog readers:)))

Right I feel better for that, so back to my resolution not to be to serious...well actually I can't think of anything funny at the moment but I promise I will start looking at life with a smile on my face and as we are planning to catch those naughty goats again next week,  I should soon have a tale or two to tell.

Lastly, for those who know our sheep shearer.  She told us that she should be shown shearing Alpacas in one of the episodes of the TV program, Kevin Mcloud's Man Made Home, channel 4, Sundays at 8pm.  From what she said it is quite different from shearing sheep so if you are interested keep a look out for her.

Gripes and Groans

I try to avoid moaning via my blog but several things have occurred that I feel I must mention.

Firstly the immanent proposed badger cull in the west country.  I totally understand that something must be done to prevent the spread of bovine TB, however, I cannot see that culling is the answer. When our neighbouring farmer started having pheasant shoots, he shot all the foxes in the area but, within months, new foxes had moved in, which then had to be shot and so it went on until now I think he has given up.  Surely the same will happen with the badgers but worse still, I wonder if, because it is encouraging badger movement, it may cause TB to spread to areas not at present affected. Also every living thing has a part to play in the eco system.  When the farmer shot the foxes there was an explosion of rabbits which he then poisoned, this in turn killed off the birds and animals that fed on carrion (including a beautiful Barn Owl!:(  There was also an explosion of rats and mice which made life very difficult for us nearby residents.  I wonder what legacy the death of the all these badgers will leave.  I can't help feeling the cull is just a cheaper, short term solution so that the government can pass the buck to future governments.  Farmers, the cows and the badgers deserve better. The National Trust and various conservation groups are vaccinating badgers and this would offer a more permanent, sustainable and eco-friendly solution.  If you feel like I do then please sign the e-petition at
http://www.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/38257

My nest gripe is about the export of live animals for the meat market.  Last week the RSPCA and Animal Health stopped a four tiered lorry full of sheep for live export at a ferry port. Two sheep were immediately euthanized, one had a broken leg and after inspection a further 41 were also euthanized. These animals were already suffering from painful conditions like foot rot but had further been injured in transit due to the bad state of the lorry.  Can you imagine how these animals would have suffered if their journey hadn't been intercepted!!!  Unfortunately this is not unique. Every day in Europe horses, cows, sheep and other animals have to endure long journeys of hundreds of miles, lasting days, with little or no water and often already ill or injured. Those that survive arrive at their destination just to be slaughtered.  In this age of refrigerated lorries it is so unnecessary to transport animals live.  It makes me feel physically ill to think what these animals go through. Please, please,please sign the petition against live export at http://www.ciwf.org/endliveexports

My last gripe is a bit closer to home. Our neighbouring farmer has part of the Saltbox SSSI which I have been informed is in a Higher Level Stewardship agreement, so, the farmer will be receiving a considerable amount of tax payers money to look after this important area of land.  However, apart from an initial clearance about 4 years ago he has done virtually nothing.  The site has not been grazed, there is considerable regrowth of scrub and areas that haven't scrubbed over again are covered in Golden Rod, Asters, Ragwort and brambles.  When we first moved here and before it was even designated a SSSI, this area was amazing with a bank of flowers adjoining the then cultivated field and going up to a small line of scrub, behind which the steep land opened up like a magical secret garden full of many different orchids, wild flowers and clouds of butterflies.  It could be like that again if only the farmer would manage it properly as he is being paid to do. Another part of the Saltbox SSSI is owned by the London Wildlife Trust and along with the Downland Project  this area is looked after properly and is coming on really well.  I wonder how many other farmers reap the rewards of HLS agreements without doing the work. The picture below shows the dense cover of Golden Rod... not what I call good management. 

I did come across one nice thing while visiting the site..a rather cute little field mouse taking in the evening sun.

Now for the groan.  I have a twisted my knee and it is very sore:(((  I first damaged it climbing over hurdles while carrying bales of hay and straw during lambing but I always feel that given long enough these things clear up on their own.  Trouble is this didn't and after carrying some heavy hurdles around and then going horse riding I have now properly messed it up.  It is very annoying as I have just taken delivery of the guide book and map for the Thames long distance path that hubby and I intend to do.  We are still going to do it but we will have to limit it to just a three or four miles a day so I doubt we will get to the more rural stretches in time for the Spring Flowers.

I am still trying to keep up my work with the Downland Project's Livestock though.  The Ewes and lambs have now been separated and neither seemed to mind...infact the ewes looked quite relieved:))  One lot of cows have been sold and another lot bought which are reportedly very friendly and as they don't have horns will be easier to work with. Some of the sheep were taken to the recent Countryside Day where they behaved very well and received a lot of attention.

On a happy note, we have just returned from a short break in the Aylesbury Vale where we had such a good time.  One of the places we visited was the Berks, Bucks and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust site of College Lakes and I really recommend it. The reserve was made from an old chalk pit.  There are lakes with hides all around, wildflower meadows heaving with butterflies, an area of standing bird feed crop, a visitors centre with cafe and more. It seems like a very pro-active site with lots of volunteering opportunities. In the afternoon we attended a very interesting talk about work they are doing investigating the propagation of old corn field flowers and we also saw some gliss-glis that were nesting in a bird box that had a camera in it. A very good day and can't wait to go back.

We also met up with our son and his partner and went to Dunstable Downs where there were masses of Autumn Gentian

Lastly, I have a new friend in the garden.  This beautiful Darter (at least I think that is what he is) had been flying around the garden for a while and when I went near him I was sure he was looking at me so I held out my hand and amazingly he flew onto it:))))))