Seasonal Changes in the Garden - March 2021

The winter months of January and February have passed and the onset of Spring brings fresh growth and colour to the garden.The trees were still bare on March 3rd (below) but fresh green leaves are appearing, the Christmas Rose (hellebore) is still in full bloom and the early daffodils and...

Deer, Oh Dear

Spotted on the road outside the house by Owen and Lucy, a muntjac (Barking Deer) making its way home after a night on the town? Muntjac deer are a non-native species introduced into Woburn Park in Bedfordshire in 1894 although specimens were on view at London Zoo in the 1830s. Now widely found...

Magpies

In the past, there have been itinerant magpies in and around the garden. We often used to see them on country walks but they have, in recent years, started to colonise urban areas. For the last couple of years, a nesting pair has taken up residence in a neighbour's tree. Magpies are beautiful birds...

Air Source Heat Pumps - The first year

When we bought the house in November 2001, it still retained many of the features of its previous use as a small residential home. Apart from the walk-in shower, plethora of fire doors and working 'Smash Glass' red boxes for the fire alarm system, there were 2 gas boilers (one for the residents and...

Seasonal Changes in the Garden - February 2021

  Continuing our look at the back garden as it changes though the seasons, we leave January behind and move into February.February 2nd: A fairly typical February day with overcast skies but moderately warm (9℃). Trees are bare and the Christmas Rose (Hellebore) in bloom.February 9th: A light sprinkling...