It's snow fun...

With snow becoming rarer each winter it was nice to get out into the winter wonderland. The TV reported traffic chaos... I didn't notice it. The roads were empty and there was plenty of fun to be had left foot braking into the bends!
My plan was to head up to a place called 'Crows Castle', a hill out in the fields where there are views in all directions. I took the bridle path through the woodlands dodging the muddy bits, electing to follow the fox tracks because he knows it better than I do.
It was nice to enjoy the virgin snow, the only other tracks being coney.
Energy running low it was time for some nosh. I fuelled up my ever faithful meth stove. This tiny titanium stove is brilliant, it's super light and really tough (I've stepped on it many times!)
Soon the bacon was sizzeling. What is it about food outdoors that makes it taste SOoo good?
As I crossed the higher fields I left the shelter of the trees and the wind was bitter.
By the time I was in view of Crows Castle the wind chill made it difficult to remove my gloves for long in order to take photos.
It's lovely up here, wild and windswept. A favourite haunt for the Buzzards. The Scots Pines are old and gnarled. The high fields spread out to the horizon on a clear day. It was way too cold to hang around for long, so I headed back home.
Back in the warmth of the trees I spent a while tracking badgers. There was a group of three. It looked as if they'd been having fun. There were 'snuffle' marks and patches of disturbed snow where they'd been larking about.
I followed them as far as the Christmas tree nursery where I lost the tracks in the tangled undergrowth. Tired and tea deficient, I headed back to the car...

Global Warming Strikes Terror in Middle England....

Although it may at first glance still appear wintery, spring has started early.
Already the daffodils are poking up. They were early last year but this time they are even more eager.
There's blossom on the trees...
...and not just some half hearted attempt, but masses.
Even the Yew's having a go at flowering/ budding...whatever Yews do (their sex life is none of my business).
The Iris are often one of the first up but not this soon.
The Camellia shouldn't be flowering for a few weeks yet.
12 degrees on a dull day and when the sun comes out it's positively barmy.
This is all due to that terrible global warming. Short mild winters, early springs, birds nesting in February. Bring it on!.....

Summer's on it's way....

It's the shortest day of the year here in the northern hemisphere. My ever faithful GPS informs me sunrise was at 8.15am....well you don't think I was going to get up to see for myself did you? Horrible time of day morning, all cold and full of grumpy people.

Sunset is at 3.53 pm. That's a mere 7 hours and 38 minutes of daylight!

Of course it's so overcast and foggy here that the daylight is further curtailed. Realistically it doesn't get properly light until after 9.30 (so I've been told), and nightfall creeps in from as early as 3.20pm.

The blazing sunshine sometimes doesn't warm things up at all!

The decrease in natural light has a marked effect on our psychology. Melatonin increases disturbing our sleep patterns and serotonin is reduced causing lethargy, despondency and generally making us very bad tempered. Well, this the excuse I'm using for the behaviour of a certain cat....Max. He was sitting peacefully on the windowsill, so I bent down to say hello. Normally this would be greeted with a touch of noses and a purr, but today he decided to swipe me around the eye with razor sharp claws! With an angry cat now attached to my face, I grabbed his paw so he couldn't pull it free causing more damage and managed to carefully unhook it from my lower eyelid. We then had a scrap on the lawn which I made a point of winning. Later we made up over a saucer of milk (Max had one too). Winter is getting to us both.

Now I have a swollen eye that makes me look like a Rembrandt portrait.

By midday the sun was quite high, I assume (it was still obscured), and the temperature soared to nearly 1 degree.

It is traditional to light a fire to chase away the darkness. It is meant to be the largest log you can find as to last through the longest night. I was a bit short on massive logs so I instead celebrated, and marked the passing of 'Mr. Stick'.....Mr. Stick is made of stout pine and helps me explain things to those not willing to learn. He has been to hand when I had that run in with car thieves (See previous post 'Men in Black' gone bad...5th April) After years of faithful service in the role of home defence, Mr. Stick met an untimely end after a bizarre fly swatting accident!

Thank you Mr. Stick, you'll be sorely missed.

Nightfall was premature in the town tonight, but better longer lighter days are a coming, here's a boot up the arse of winter!.......

Not much done, in the winter sun....

There's not much been going on lately. Hardly enough daylight to have any adventures, but the sun being so low in the sky does have its bonuses..... beautiful sunsets. Although this scene appears idyllic with the oak and hay stack on a lonely hill, it was in fact masked by the roar of cars hurtling past on the M6 motorway.... a picture tells a thousand words but not necessarily the truth!

Competing with the noise of the road, this passenger jet rumbled as it streaked across the sky, its vapour trail illuminating in the sunlight like a comets tail.

The birds flew West, heading to the sanctuary of the local lakes.

They always seem to head out East in the morning and return to the West come evening. I don't know the reason for this, maybe having the sun in front makes navigation simpler, or perhaps they appreciate the sun rise/ set too.

You really feel the temperature plummet as the sun retreats this time of year....roll on spring.

Personally I'd be tucking those feet into my feathers!

When it's cold and crisp like this, the vapour trails from the airliners linger for hours.

I'm hoping it's going to be clear the next few nights as there is a meteor shower due. Eyes to the skies, especially on Friday.

I've noticed an awful lot of military jets lately. These were unusually coming from the direction of the local city civilian airport.

Normally they stay well away from passenger jet flight paths. They were in an almighty hurry and I had next to no time to snatch a quick photo. Makes you wonder what they're up to.

The day came to an end as the ribs of multi coloured cloud painted their fading scene in the dimming sky....

A cunning plan.....

It wasn't much of a summer. We had a warm blip in spring, then it rained for months, then, summer...2 whole days! Wad yer mean you missed it?!
All this topsy turvy global warming malarkey seems to have got Mother Nature a little confused. The Ceanothus is in flower again. It's meant to flower in spring, and it did, and then again in summer and then again now!

The Magnolia tree, one of the first signs of spring but it's flowering for the second time.

Not only this but the bulbs are coming up, what's going on?

Of course there are some signs of autumn, the leaves are falling, the squirrels are gathering nuts....

...but also I've seen some birds beginning nests.

Personally I'm not looking forward to the cold, dark damp days of winter. Mother Nature is confused....I have a cunning plan!.....

If we can convince Mother Nature that winters been and gone, we can get our lost summer back. I've already started by placing this old diary, along with subtle hint in a prominent place in the garden. This will plant the seed of doubt in Mother Natures mind.

As I mentioned, some of the bulbs are already showing themselves. All they need is some help and encouragement. A short length of elastic tied around them and up over a branch should do the trick.

I've collected some of the not so bad leaves, all we need to do now is.....

....peg them back on. Come on all you summer lovers from the northern hemisphere, don't fail me now, we can still turn this thing around........

Winter's over!...

I know it's been warm for ages, I know it hasn't rained for a month, but there was always that uncertain feeling that winter could suddenly return.
Today it felt that winter was gone, banished. No more late frosts, no sudden cold snaps, biting winds etc.
The leaves are truly out on the trees.
Here on the lakes near Fisherwick, some of the Coots have almost fully grown chicks!


In the 'estate' woods of Fisherwick hall the bluebells are well on their way.

Baby rabbits everywhere! Almost stepped on one while trying to take this photo! (thought it was a rock).

The sun has returned to it's former strength, not that weak yellow affair that I've become used to over winter.

Many of the fields are patchwork yellow with rapeseed flower.

The badgers are spring cleaning their sets. This spoil heap is over 5 feet tall!

Took the Vittesse out today. The vigours of spring make me want to drive that little bit too fast! The 'loud' pedal was very inviting, although getting on a bit (the car, not me) this chap still goes like "shit off a shovel"!