My Dad planted an apricot tree a few years ago, grafted onto apple (I think). It has flourished in the clay soil and spread itself wide against the south-facing wall beside which it stands. The relentless sun has ripened the fruit beautifully this summer – lovely plump apricots with a subtle sweetness and delicate flavourContinue reading “Dust”
Butterflies and Thistles
My daily checks of the grass snake colony (8 individuals is my best count so far) now have an added distraction. The landowner has left an area of old paddock to it’s own devices and the grasses and wildflowers have flourished, growing deep and dense enough for a roebuck to mooch within. Prime spotContinue reading “Butterflies and Thistles”
Parsley but no sage……yet.
I cannot recall a more stunning display of cow parsley than the one we have enjoyed over these past few weeks. To be honest, it is a flower that I don’t usually pay the attention that it deserves. After the kaleidoscope that builds from snowdrops and ramsons through bluebells, buttercups and red campion, theContinue reading “Parsley but no sage……yet.”
Off-line
It’s been a peculiar 10 days or so. Having become conditioned over the past fifteen years or so to a life online, a cow with an interesting appetite has thrown our routine into a vague chaos. A fallen tree had brought down the telephone cables a mile or so down the valley, breaking a telegraphContinue reading “Off-line”
Vipera berus
My Ma and Pa found a box of old school memorabilia as they cleared the loft before moving house. Among the old books was one of mine, and the opening (circa 1980) seemed rather apt. It was a theme repeated throughout the pages. I don’t recall having such a strong connection with the adder, butContinue reading “Vipera berus”
Time to see..
I wake up each year on March 15th with a clear minded sense of relief. After the intensity of the final throes of the fishing season, comes the reality that I can’t go fishing even if I want to (I could, of course, but kid myself that the exile isn’t partly self-imposed). Instead I canContinue reading “Time to see..”
Cold winds
I am hunched on the sofa. Hat and (fingerless) gloves on. Extra socks, extra jumper and I’m considering putting on my thermals. Outside, the sparrows are bickering on the birdtable as if their lives depend on it. For once, perhaps, they are justified The temperature struggled up towards freezing yesterday, but won’t make it thatContinue reading “Cold winds”
Sunshine
A blackbird piped up from a garden in the village yesterday afternoon. He wasn’t fully tuned, but it was still a sound to make me stop and smile. He’s quiet today, possibly because he’s heard the weekend weather forecast….. With a cold spell promised, I took the opportunity to pop down to my local patchContinue reading “Sunshine”
Dorset Life
I had a couple of hours free yesterday afternoon, and, thanks to Ben (my brother-in-law), I had almost a pint of maggots in my bait tub. With relatively clear skies and an air temperature reluctant to raise itself above zero, grayling were the obvious fish to chase and I nipped down to the River Frome.Continue reading “Dorset Life”
Bad Workman…
I have never before pulled into the car park at West Bexington and found it completely empty. It clogs like fat in a drain during the summer, while out of season the wild weather will always lure somebody – drawn to the chaos of a storm driven sea. Today though, in mid-January sunshine, even theContinue reading “Bad Workman…”
Kevin Parr 