This week it's been about birds for me - hearing the thrushes calling in the garden; it being warm enough for a 'before breakfast sit' in the garden and so seeing and hearing 5 ducks fly over one day and the next day the mewing of a buzzard flying quite low over my head, so I could see the patterns on its wings, beautiful.
This week I’ve heard woodpeckers practising their hammering. I saw my first primrose peering out from a grassy bank and the early green of some honeysuckle winding it’s way up a tree.
The blackbirds have been out and about - the male blackbird doing his level best to attract a female on our garden wall by doing his funny peacock tailed twirling dance. She was suitably unimpressed.
Shafts of low sun, piercing the mist in St James's Park as I walk to work; definitely smelling like spring, feeling like spring (the sun has warmth to it) and sounding like spring - something about the bird song changes; and heard my first dawn chorus albeit I think it might have just been the one bird....
This week, we went for a family walk in the woods and heard the sweet, raucous calls of dunnocks, long-tailed tits and robins all vying for our attention!
I love the way people have described the feeling of spring in the air. I’ve been hit by the energy of it myself this week, especially in the high winds and bright sunshine this morning here in Sheffield. The frogs obviously feel it too - I saw four in the pond this morning and will be checking for the first frogspawn. This is always such a special point in the year.
Walking out in the sacred landscape of Avebury where the winterbourne ( in old English the winter burna ) chalk stream flows now in the winter months -a rich habitat for grasses and starwort in season Chalk Streams are known as England ‘s rainforests springing from deep chalk aquifers . The Swallowhead Springs were flowing too creating beautiful rivulets and gurgling deep pools -footsteps of our ancestors finding the clouties in memory and the beauty of the remarkable Silbury Hill - tales to tell 🍃 walking geographies of kinship 🙏
I noticed a change in the smell of the air over last two weeks... a slight whiff of spring. Also noticed some frog life, bloody nose beetle and little buds forming on willow and some fruit trees. Hurrah!
I have a big Camillia bush in the garden and right now it’s cover in buds! There are a few starting to crack open and I can see the bright pink blousy petal beginning to emerge! I’m so excited for when then finally bloom!
Lots of birdsong this week, a vase full of daffodils from the yard (instead of roses) for Valentine’s Day, feeling spring fever and being bored with the daily grind.
Daffodils blooming on a hillside (unheard of in Maryland, USA in Feb.), buds on my plum tree (way too early-I am pulling for them!), the sweet smell of the ground moving towards Spring fills my heart with such hope.
Ah Bristol! Your pictures really make me miss it! Love the picture of the “dead hedge”. For me this week it’s really been crocuses - drifts of white, cream and lilac crocuses next to a train platform, a last wave goodbye from the Malvern hills before I stepped on the train back home. The curled pink and white buds of a winter flowering cherry tree starting to emerge, and spotting a tiny wren in one of its branches. And finally, a (bare) gingko tree I remember being full yellow in autumn- now spindly and covered in dew drops which struck iridescent in the misty light, so it looked like the tree was dripping with delicate grey pearls.
This week it's been about birds for me - hearing the thrushes calling in the garden; it being warm enough for a 'before breakfast sit' in the garden and so seeing and hearing 5 ducks fly over one day and the next day the mewing of a buzzard flying quite low over my head, so I could see the patterns on its wings, beautiful.
A dimly lit house on a rainy evening and lighting candles throughout house.
This week I’ve heard woodpeckers practising their hammering. I saw my first primrose peering out from a grassy bank and the early green of some honeysuckle winding it’s way up a tree.
The blackbirds have been out and about - the male blackbird doing his level best to attract a female on our garden wall by doing his funny peacock tailed twirling dance. She was suitably unimpressed.
Shafts of low sun, piercing the mist in St James's Park as I walk to work; definitely smelling like spring, feeling like spring (the sun has warmth to it) and sounding like spring - something about the bird song changes; and heard my first dawn chorus albeit I think it might have just been the one bird....
Once again, I love this!
This week, we went for a family walk in the woods and heard the sweet, raucous calls of dunnocks, long-tailed tits and robins all vying for our attention!
The fragrance of sarcococca, (sweet box) wherever I’ve been this week.
I love the way people have described the feeling of spring in the air. I’ve been hit by the energy of it myself this week, especially in the high winds and bright sunshine this morning here in Sheffield. The frogs obviously feel it too - I saw four in the pond this morning and will be checking for the first frogspawn. This is always such a special point in the year.
I caught a faint whiff of wild garlic in one very particular spot - a step forward or a step back and it was gone.
Walking out in the sacred landscape of Avebury where the winterbourne ( in old English the winter burna ) chalk stream flows now in the winter months -a rich habitat for grasses and starwort in season Chalk Streams are known as England ‘s rainforests springing from deep chalk aquifers . The Swallowhead Springs were flowing too creating beautiful rivulets and gurgling deep pools -footsteps of our ancestors finding the clouties in memory and the beauty of the remarkable Silbury Hill - tales to tell 🍃 walking geographies of kinship 🙏
A Tawny Owl, trying his luck with a bit on On-Branch Dating somewhere near the open window of my bedroom as I fall asleep.
I noticed a change in the smell of the air over last two weeks... a slight whiff of spring. Also noticed some frog life, bloody nose beetle and little buds forming on willow and some fruit trees. Hurrah!
I have a big Camillia bush in the garden and right now it’s cover in buds! There are a few starting to crack open and I can see the bright pink blousy petal beginning to emerge! I’m so excited for when then finally bloom!
Lots of birdsong this week, a vase full of daffodils from the yard (instead of roses) for Valentine’s Day, feeling spring fever and being bored with the daily grind.
Daffodils blooming on a hillside (unheard of in Maryland, USA in Feb.), buds on my plum tree (way too early-I am pulling for them!), the sweet smell of the ground moving towards Spring fills my heart with such hope.
Ah Bristol! Your pictures really make me miss it! Love the picture of the “dead hedge”. For me this week it’s really been crocuses - drifts of white, cream and lilac crocuses next to a train platform, a last wave goodbye from the Malvern hills before I stepped on the train back home. The curled pink and white buds of a winter flowering cherry tree starting to emerge, and spotting a tiny wren in one of its branches. And finally, a (bare) gingko tree I remember being full yellow in autumn- now spindly and covered in dew drops which struck iridescent in the misty light, so it looked like the tree was dripping with delicate grey pearls.