1. Cuckoo
On Wednesday we booked an entry time at Trentham Gardens and walked around the lake this time taking the longer route into the woodland area, instead of continuing by the lake. Whilst there we heard a cuckoo. It called three times. I was so pleased to hear it as I haven't heard one for years. I was immediately back in the Derbyshire village I grew up in where the sound of the Cuckoo wasn't at all as unusual as it is now. We could hear them as we went on school nature walks, down the lanes and into the woods. They could also be heard over the houses in the village. The sound of the Cuckoo overhead and the sound of the nesting House Martins in the eaves above my bedroom window are still there in my memories.
2. This year/Last year.
This time last year, well 28th May to be exact, I took the two photos below. Yellow Flag Iris blooming in the pond and the first strawberry ripening to a tempting red.
This year the Flags have only just started to show buds and there are no fruits as yet on the strawberries. Photos taken May 27th 2021.
3. Fox Cub
One of the cubs visited the garden without its parents watching what it was doing. Below is a clip from the nightime wildlife camera.
I took the photo below last night about 9.30p.m. when there was still some light, the cub had ventured out on its own again but it wasn't long before the vixen appeared to watch over it.
I ventured to the library for the first time in over a year to collect a book I'd had reserved. I waited at the door, as instructed by the notice in the window, the librarian came and took my card and booked it out for me. I could have gone in to browse the shelves but I decided to leave that joy until my next visit.
5. 'NoMowMay'
We've been taking part in 'NoMowMay'. It hasn't been hard as the wet weather would have stopped us mowing anyway. Some of the grass will be mown next week but some, at the top of the garden, will be left for a while longer.
All for now. I hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Glad you have finally got to the library, I’m sure you’ll enjoy Night Hawks. Lovely to see you fox cub. Amazing how the weather changes what grows so dramatically each year. It allows for different flowering combinations which is nice. Have a lovely weekend. B x
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed The Night Hawks very much and it is good to get back to visiting the library occasionally, I will browse the shelves when I take the book back. There have been some interesting flowering combinations this year, the peonies have opened up in the last couple of days:)
DeleteStill waiting for the latest 'Ruth Galloway' book to come, from Amazon. We are so late here, with them. Although I guess the China Covid Pandemic has added to the wait. I do love my "RG" books!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful idea.. NoMowMay!!! Oh I wish something like that, would be done here. But I doubt it ever could. Seems my countrymen/women are addicted to their mowed lawns. And so many of them, to dangerous-chemical-treated lawns, which is ever worse. Grrrrrrrrrrr....
Gentle hugs...😊
The Ruth Galloway books are always good, I love the history part as much as the 'who done it' part. Have you read Kate Ellis's Wesley Peters books? They have detective and archaeologist characters too. NomowMay is nearly at an end, we will keep some areas unmown for a while longer. We try not to use any chamicals in the garden, like you I'm not keen on them:)
DeleteBeautiful flowers. The fox is a delight.
ReplyDeleteThe cubs are a joy to see, they love sneaking away from the den:)
DeleteEverything is behind in the garden compared with last year. We've cut our patch of grass, but there are plenty of other areas in the garden that have been left wild that'll suit small creatures. The fox cub is getting adventurous. A delightful video clip. I would love to hear a cuckoo as that would take me back to memories of past times too.
ReplyDeleteI love the way that sounds in nature can take us back to when we were children, scents too. The smell of a bluebell wood or the rippling of a stream. With all the lovely plants and flowers in your garden the wildlife will be happily buzing around. The fox cub came back yesterday with his mum:)
DeleteAnother lovely post Rosie & talking of libraries, I'd decided to brave ours next week for a book Jo had done a review on and guess what? We are back in lockdown once again with libraries completely closed for anything. Wonder when I will get there? The garden is lovely, even unmown and the fox cub is so cute. Take care, stay safe & hugs.
ReplyDeleteOh, no Susan, not another lockdown, it must be so frustrating, well I know it is, just not being able to do even simple things like visiting libraries. I'd rather stay safe though so if it happens again here will follow advice. The fox cub is getting very adventurous, he visited again last night with his mother:)
DeleteHi I stumbled across your blog while blog surfing. We have a few foxes that run around the townhouse complex where I live. Also a perk of living here is that someone else is responsible for the lawn mowing!
ReplyDeleteHello Lisa and welcome. Glad you found me. Oh, yes how wonderful to have someone cut your lawns:)
DeleteWhat a great week you've had. It's amazing the difference between last year and this, everything is going to be blooming with a burst with the sun arriving this week. How great to hear the cuckoo, such a distinctive call, we won't think about it putting its eggs in another bird's nest! What a treat to go back to the library, it's the small things that make all the difference. 😊
ReplyDeleteThank goodness we have had some warmer weather over the weekend. Oh, yes the Cuckoo is a lazy bird as far as bringing up its young is concerned but its call like that of the Curlew and Nightingale is so evocative of the British countryside that I forgive it. It is the small things like popping in a shop, library,museum or cafe that I missed the most:)
DeleteThat's one adventurous little fox cub. I'm not sure whether one of my neighbours is taking part in no mow May or not!
ReplyDeleteHa - yes, it is hard to know who is taking part. We saw three or four gardens on our walk yesterday that may or may not have been joining in as I remember at least one of them looks like it does now all the time:)
DeleteWhat a lovely post and photos. Cow Parsley seems to be flowering everywhere at the moment as does Hawthorn - such a beautiful time of year. Enjoy the new Elly Griffiths :) I will be having to wait a while I fear! I haven't heard a cuckoo for a few years - the last time was at Ryton Woods when we went to see bluebells. Interesting to see the results of "No Mow May" such a lovely idea. Have a good weekend and take care.
ReplyDeleteCow Parsley is glorious at the moment, I love its white frothiness. The EG novel hasn't reduced at all on Kindle and they don't have her later books on the Cloud Library for e-books so I thought I would reserve it now the library is open again. It is always a surprise to hear a cuckoo nowadays. The birds have loved the longer grass especially the finches coming down for seeds:)
DeleteHow lovely to hear a Cuckoo, they aren't easy to find these days are they. What a difference in the photos from last year and this, things are definitely behind, hopefully the current weather will help move things along. I'm so pleased you've been able to get back to the library, there's so many little things that we've missed this past year.
ReplyDeleteI'm always thrilled to hear a cuckoo, curlew too. The flag iris have just startedto flowering over the weekend so probably a coiple of weeks behind from last year. It is the little things that we miss the most isn't it?:)
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