Flighty's plot

Wandering and melting

Natural World Elephants Without Borders on BBC2 tomorrow at 8.00pm is about the wanderings of elephants in Botswana. There are lots of endearing scenes of elephant herds, and the scientific bit tells us all about their remarkable memory. It’s being repeated next Monday on BBC2 at 7.00pm.

Next Wednesday sees the start of Nature’s Great Events a major new wildlife series on BBC1 at 9.00pm. 1/6. The Great Melt is all about the Arctic summer when the ice turns to ocean. It features unfamiliar narwhals, guillemots, artic foxes and ever popular polar bears.

As much as I’ve been moaning about the cold weather, especially when it’s wet and windy, I find it preferable to when it’s too hot as it’s been in Australia, which has had an unprecedented heatwave recently. Daffy sent me an email yesterday with some really cute pictures which had been sent to her by a friend of a friend out there. A little koala had walked into the back porch looking for a bit of relief from the heat. A bucket was filled up and this is what happened next! image005-5

Wherever you are stay cool or keep warm, and have a good weekend!

It’s sunny today…

which always makes me feel better, especially at this time of year. Mind you there’s still plenty of snow around and I felt the chill wind when I went out.

This photo of the plot is deceptive as it was taken mid-morning but right into the sun which makes it very bleak looking. dscn0961

At least I could find the pond today! dscn0955

There were plenty of animal tracks to be seen. dscn0959

I walked home through the ecology park where I spotted a few birds – a robin, a couple of blue tits, a few magpies and pigeons – and a grey squirrel which I stood and watched scampering in and out of here! dscn0963

As you can see the pond there is well frozen dscn0966

Plot white!

By the time I went for a walk to the plot earlier this morning it had stopped snowing but there were at least several inches underfoot. I really can’t remember the last time I’ve seen this much snow here!

I refilled the bird feeders and once I’d found the pond I did that as well!

I’ve now got a snow rosemary in the stone feature,

and a proper snow log.

Not surprisingly there was no sign, or sound, of any birds even in the trees at the edge of the allotments.

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However I did see two foxes but unfortunately they were over there going away from me.

It was then time to head home into the warm for tea and biscuits. Looking out the window it’s getting very grey and snowing again!

Passionate gardeners!

I’m an enthusiastic and keen gardener, and according to the dictionary definition a passionate one as well! Be that as it may I would certainly call some of my lawn lounging friends that!

It’s good to see that even out of season, as we are at present, they continue to write good posts on their blogs whilst we wait for warmer, sunnier days when we can all get gardening again.

A new blog friend is Northern Window Gardener whose interesting blog Northern Exposure is all about window box gardening. This post is an excellent book review on Window Boxes by Stephanie Donaldson.

Veg Plotting is a prolific blogger who did this informative book review post ABC Wednesday 4 – B is for… last week. I was given a copy of The Natural Gardener by Val Bourne by one of my favourite bookshop customers.

Yolanda on her wonderful Bliss blog took a fondly nostalgic look back with My Very First Garden Book. This delightful post takes us back to show how her lifelong passion for gardening came about.

Georgie ventured out into her Little London Garden yesterday to start work on her new wildlife pond. As you can see her garden looks to be a lovely peaceful haven and wildlife friendly.

I mustn’t forget my rosey friend Nikki who has a passion for roses which fill her garden in Southern California. All too often the photos of the gorgious blooms that she posts has my nose twitching as I imagine the fragrances that they have.

Happy gardening to all passionate gardeners!

Watching the birdies!

I decided to do my Big Garden Birdwatch over the park and playing fields last Saturday afternoon when it was sunny and not too cold.

On my way I walked through the ecology park then both allotment sites, which were decidedly watery in places,

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and was surprised at how few birds were to be seen…no parakeets, blue tits, or starlings and just a few magpies and pigeons.

Much of the park and playing fields were like wetlands with a sheen of water glistening in the sunshine. I spotted a robin in the shrubs by the entrance then some 50 seagulls scattered over a wide area of grass.

I squelched my way towards the trees lining the small stream. This is crow country and as I turned the corner there were about 30 on the ground. However looking up I saw at least another 50 in the trees

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It was slightly unsettling and I was reminded of Alfred Hitchcock’s well known film The Birds!

I see that others, including Daffy, NiC and Chippy , saw plenty of interest in their gardens.

Cha0tic commented on my Fox Newton post saying that I might like this site , which I do indeed. It’s stunning as I’m sure you’ll agree!

Have a good weekend!

Fox Newton

I was at the plot earlier this morning and turning round after putting some bird food in the shed I was astounded to see Fox Newton drinking from the pond!

Later on I was where Fox had been and looked round to see this!

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This was as close as Fox got to me before turning round and wandering off down the roadway.

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What a wonderful way to start the week, especially after yesterday when it rained all day.

Chatting and chitting

When I arrived at the hut last Sunday I was surprised at just how many people were there. It was like the crush at the January sales! I’d forgotten that the seed potatoes and onion sets had been delivered a day or two earlier.

One immediate concern was that access to the kettle was blocked but thankfully the crowd thinned out before action was needed!

It was good to see plot neighbours Graham and Trevor who I’ve not seen since before Christmas. There was plenty of chatting with other folks who were now looking forward to doing some proper allotmenteering.

I knew which potatoes the society was getting and had decided on which varieties to try this year. I got 12 or so tubers each Swift (early), Kestrel (second early), Desiree (maincrop) and Cara (late maincrop). In theory that means I should be harvesting potatoes from June through to September. At the moment they’re chitting away on egg boxes in the spare room.

I also bought a handful each of Sturon and Turbo onion sets. These will be planted out from around mid March.

There’s been a lot of rain here recently, with more to come, and the ground is waterlogged, and frozen some days, so it’s still rather bleak but a closer look on the plot yesterday found that some daffodils have just started to appear.

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All very grand

This week I’ve watched the first two parts of The Secret Life of Elephants and have been enthralled. These were grand wildlife programmes which never over dramatised or got to sentimental. Scenes of the elephants, including their joy and sadness, were filmed factually and that, along with the stunning vistas, has made for great viewing. Part 2 is being shown again on BBC1 Sunday at 6.00pm and the last part is on BBC1 next Wednesday at 9.00pm.

Polar Bears and Grizzlies – Bears on top of the World is tomorrow’s Natural World on BBC2 at 8.00pm. This looks like being another hour of grand television being full of intriguing details and glorious photography. It is also a real story about climate change.

Next Wednesday on C4 at 9.00pm is the first of eight shows in a new series of Grand Designs. I’ve always enjoyed watching this programme, which thankfully continues to be presented by the affable Kevin McCloud.

The grandest occasion this week was on Tuesday with the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of America. I hope that my American friends, and others, will start to see some positive changes in their lives in the not too distant future.

Have a grand weekend, and if you’re here in the UK then please don’t forget the Big Garden Birdwatch!

Spot the birdie!

There’s nothing to write about on the plot today apart from the fact that during the week I was lucky enough to see and photograph one of the rather elusive dunnocks that I’ve mentioned previously, although you may have problems spotting it!

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Next weekend is the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch and as well as good weather I’m hoping to see a better selection of birds than I have in the past! Perhaps I’ll even get to see something unusual!

Earlier this week this brilliant shot by NiC on his ever excellent London Daily Nature Photo blog made me laugh! There are plenty of other superb bird images as well, just click on browse when you’re there and have a look through the impressive archive.

Seeing this magnificent eagle on the Natural Moments blog that I mentioned in Friday’s post reminded me of this wonderful poem.

The Dalliance of the Eagles by Walt Whitman, 1819 – 92, b. USA

Skirting the river road, (my forenoon walk, my rest),

Skyward in air a sudden muffled sound, the dalliance of the eagles,

The rushing amorous contact high in space together,

The clinching interlocking claws, a living, fierce, gyrating wheel,

Four beating wings, two beaks, a swirling mass tight grappling,

In tumbling turning, clustering loops, straight downward falling,

Till o’er the river pois’d, the twain yet one, a moment’s lull,

A motionless still balance in the air, then parting, talons loosing,

Upward again on slow-firm pinions slanting, their seperate diverse flight,

She hers, he his, pursuing.

[This vividly descriptive poem was written in 1880 and is included in Whitman’s famous work Leaves of Grass. His style was highly innovative and influential, and he is regarded as one of the greatest American poets.]

Here it is!

This is yesterday’s planned post which I unexpectedly put aside for the one that I did do.

I didn’t get to watch part one of The Secret Life of Elephants on Wednesday evening but I’ll catch up with on Sunday when it’s being shown again on BBC1 at 6.00pm, or on the BBC iPlayer. Daffy tells me that it was brilliant but to have a tissue at the ready for a few tears of joy and sadness!

Tonight on BBC2 at 8.00pm is Natural World Mountains of the Monsoon which shows various animals, familiar and unusual, to be found in India’s Western Ghat mountain ranges.

It’s always good when fellow bloggers mention, and link to, unfamiliar blogs.

Uphilldowndale linked to a superb one in her Blowing in the Wind entry. As you’ll see Natural Moments is a terrific site on bird and wildlife photography with some superb images.

Tina on her Happy Hobby Habit blog did an entry titled I Want That! I don’t blame her as it’s a wonderful Alaskan style English Cottage Garden!

Have a good weekend!