Saturday 29 December 2012
Monday 24 December 2012
Merry Christmas
Nasty wet muddy weather today so glad to get ready for Christmas by the fire.
Merry Christmas to all our followers!
Merry Christmas to all our followers!
Saturday 22 December 2012
2000 year old tree cut down
The 2000 year old lime tree at Westonbirt Arboretum has only survived to this age by coppicing. Every 20 years or so it is cut down to ground level to encourage new growth which looks like a thicket of trees but is in fact one tree.Hopefully this will continue for many more cycles.
Friday 21 December 2012
Winter Solstice
Now we have reached the Winter Solstice the daylight hours will start to increase.Today was the shortest day and the sun was low in the sky but we did at least have sunshine as the rays shone through the trees.
Wednesday 19 December 2012
Urban Views
We are not very good at Christmas shopping so yesterday found us climbing Cabot's Tower in Bristol to admire the view across the city to the distant Cotswold Hills.
Sunday 16 December 2012
Long Tailed Tits
Long tailed tits tend to stay in family groups through the winter months and gather together on our bird feeders.
We counted ten of these delightful little birds this morning.
We counted ten of these delightful little birds this morning.
Friday 14 December 2012
Birds stand on the ice
Yesterday we visited Slimbridge WWT and enjoyed the quiet and frosty conditions. Here you see the Shelducks standing on the ice. The highlight of our day was seeing the elusive Bittern skulking around the reed island. Later it flew from one reed bed to another.
Thursday 13 December 2012
Valley Fog
Fog in the vale struggled to clear all day yesterday,but it started to break up just before sunset giving some ghostly views.
Wednesday 12 December 2012
Frost and fog
Wintry scenes as freezing fog has coated the vegetation in ice giving lovely monochromatic views when the fog clears. Not good for driving but beautiful to see.
Sunday 9 December 2012
Winter Trees
Winter allows you to appreciate the simple shape of trees without the clutter of leaves as shown in this view from Cam Long Down,
Wednesday 5 December 2012
Sunny Views
Lovely sunshine today and the view over Downham Hill towards Stinchcombe Hill looks particularly good. Bare trees ,golden bracken and green fields givea tidy look to the countryside in winter.
Friday 30 November 2012
Catkins
Winter has a long way to go but already the hazel is showing signs of spring as the catkins are starting to form.
Wednesday 28 November 2012
Winter Sunset
The winter sun often seems to break through just as it sets in this season of short days and cloudy rainy days.So at least we get some lovely skies at sunset.
Sunday 25 November 2012
Bewick Swan
The arrival of Bewick Swans at Slimbridge from their Siberian breeding grounds is always a sign that winter is here, and numbers are starting to build up.
Friday 23 November 2012
Sunny Views
Sunshine at last this morning and there are fine views from the hills.
The Oak Trees are still holding on to their last few leaves but it is mostly bare trees now with the sunlight penetrating into the woods.
The Oak Trees are still holding on to their last few leaves but it is mostly bare trees now with the sunlight penetrating into the woods.
Wednesday 21 November 2012
Rain and more rain
We are back in the Cotswolds after a break in a more hilly country.
The trees have lost most of their leaves now and rain has saturated the ground so that 24 hours of heavy rain has caused much flooding closing some roads like the one in the pictures.
The trees have lost most of their leaves now and rain has saturated the ground so that 24 hours of heavy rain has caused much flooding closing some roads like the one in the pictures.
Saturday 3 November 2012
Last of the autumn colours
Many leaves are already on the woodland floor but there is plenty of autumn colour left.
There is snow visible on the Welsh Hills across the vale this morning so Winter is coming.
We are having a short break from blogging but check back later in the month.
There is snow visible on the Welsh Hills across the vale this morning so Winter is coming.
We are having a short break from blogging but check back later in the month.
Tuesday 30 October 2012
Beech
It some ways it is sad to see the leaves fall in autumn but now we can appreciate the shapes of the trunks and branches like these lovely old coppiced beech in Coaley Wood.
Saturday 27 October 2012
Autumn drilling.
The farmers were busy catching up after the wet weather where we were walking near Andoversford today. The sunshine and cool wind was helping to dry up the fields. This farmer was using some fairly new technology - a direct drilling machine whereby in one pass the ground is worked and seeds are drilled straight into the ground. This avoids the need to plough, wait and then work the ground before planting seeds. Expensive to buy but there are considerable savings on time as well as the cost of diesel.
Thursday 25 October 2012
Ploughing
Not much rain in the past few days and a little wind today have dried out the ground enough for some farmers to get on with ploughing the fields for next years crops. As usual there were plenty of gulls following to feed on worms and insects exposed by the ploughs.
Monday 22 October 2012
Woodland in Autumn
Leaves have nearly all turned brown now and many have already fallen in a very rapid onset of autumn.
Sunday 21 October 2012
Mist and Sunshine
Lovely Autumn weather yesterday with a misty morning slowly clearing until autumn colours were enhanced by a beautiful sunset.
Thursday 18 October 2012
Autumn Colours
Autumn foliage is making the woodlands look spectacular.We made a visit to Westonbirt Arboretum today where the acers are looking at their best but the native Beech trees near our home have yet to turn and are still green.
Sunday 14 October 2012
Thursday 11 October 2012
Spider's web in the mist
Foggy October mornings make spider's webs stand out dramatically as the mist condenses on the normally near invisible silken strands.
This cannot be good for catching insects but makes a beautiful sight.
This cannot be good for catching insects but makes a beautiful sight.
Tuesday 9 October 2012
Thistle
The plants have survived here on Coaley Peak's unimproved Limestone grassland as the prickles have protected them from being eaten by the cows.
Thistles were apparently thought by the Romans to have properties which could return hair to bald heads we don't know if this involved rubbing them on and certainly aren't going to try it.
Wednesday 3 October 2012
Harvest home
Deer and birds glean the remains of this year's harvest from the stubble making the most of the glut of food before the winter sets in.
Saturday 29 September 2012
Cuckoo Pint
The Cuckoo Pint flower now has now shed its distinctive green hood seen earlier in the year to reveal the poisonous red berries which can be fatal if eaten by a child.
Thursday 27 September 2012
Rain & Mud
With a dry start for September we almost forgot about the wet summer but rain is back with a vengeance causing muddy paths and flooded fields in the Berkeley Vale.
Tuesday 25 September 2012
Storms and Rainbows
Now the equinox has passed and nights are longer than days the weather is distinctly cooler and 50mm of rain fell over the last two days.
When the sun does break through we can observe some beautiful rainbows across the vale as it shines through the showers.
When the sun does break through we can observe some beautiful rainbows across the vale as it shines through the showers.
Thursday 20 September 2012
Autumn walk through the sheep
Lovely sunny autumn weather for a walk in the Cotswolds with the cooler temperatures keeping the air clear.
The sheep which were once the source of wealth and industry in the area looking fit and tidy with plenty of grass left to eat.
The sheep which were once the source of wealth and industry in the area looking fit and tidy with plenty of grass left to eat.
Wednesday 12 September 2012
Straw Jenga
Where the harvest has been gathered piles of straw bales are waiting collection like huge games of Jenga!
Monday 10 September 2012
Morris Men
There is something very English and eccentric about a group of men prancing about in the summer sunshine with bells round their legs waving handkerchiefs banging sticks and drinking the odd pint of beer. Here Gloucestershire Morris Men hold their last performance of the season at Gloucester Docks on a lovely sunny September Sunday morning.
Sunday 9 September 2012
Misty Mornings
Despite the weather being warmer than the summer autumn is with us with misty mornings fields cleared of crops and shortening days.
Friday 7 September 2012
Haws
Now September is here the hedges are red with haws ,the fruit of the hawthorn. This provides an abundance of food for the birds especially the winter migrant fieldfare and redwing.
The fruits are very dry but can be used to make jelly.
The fruits are very dry but can be used to make jelly.
Thursday 6 September 2012
Mint Moth
As its name suggests the larvae of the tiny mint moth or pyrausta aurata feed on mint and marjoram. The moth flies by day from May to September but with only 18mm wingspan is easy to miss.
Monday 3 September 2012
Waverley Paddle Steamer
The Cotswold area is not normally thought of as being by the sea but the Severn is tidal up to Glooucester and ships navigate up to Sharpness Docks so it is occasionally possible to embark on a sea voyage down the estuary.
P.S, Waverley is the last sea going paddle steamer in the world and we took advantage of the opportunity of a trip down the Bristol Channel to Ilfracombe.
We were fortunate to have a wonderful sunny day and observed porpoises,gannets, fulmars and an arctic skua on our voyage and enjoyed the different perspective of the estuary from the water.
Thursday 30 August 2012
Elderberry
The Elderberries are turning purple showing us that they will soon be fully ripened. The Elder bushes which grow abundantly in the Cotswold hedgerows are a useful food crop for birds in the autumn. In years gone by humans too used them to make a syrup rich in Vitamin C which could be stored to fight winter colds and other illness. If you are planning to make some be sure to use plenty of sugar as the berries are very sharp in our experience.
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