The Doward

 The Doward, near Whitchurch in Herefordshire, comprises two hills - Little Doward and Great Doward - and lies close to the Welsh border. It has a fascinating cultural, industrial and agricultural history. This post, however, is concerned with our visit to four  of the six nature reserves:...

Goodrich Castle and Roaring Meg

 It is traditional to have a day out on August Bank Holiday Monday. While there are no guarantees regarding the English weather, you can usually count on it being warm if not always dry. Many people head to the seaside for the last summer fling before the kids go back to school in September.Today,...

Common Hill Nature Reserve - August Update

 Our last visit to Common Hill was in early June. Home and away family visits, the heatwave, some awaydays and Mary organizing an art exhibition for the Three Choirs Festival are just some of our excuses!Yesterday, we contemplated taking a picnic out somewhere and finally plumped...

The Weir Garden and Painted Ladies

Over the past few days, we have been enjoying the company of our daughter and granddaughter. Today, we dropped them off at Hereford Railway Station to catch the London Paddington train. On the spur of the moment, we decided to visit The Weir Garden, a local National Trust property.Hay fields viewed...

Broadly Speaking

 Broad beans (aka Fava beans) are an excellent source of protein, dietary fibre, potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium, Vitamin C and Vitamin B6. A minority of people with a specific genetic condition (favism) are allergic to broad beans but, for the vast majority, they can be considered a superfood.In...

View from the Rear Window - July 2022

The start of the second half of 2022 and July turns out to be an extraordinary month weatherwise. In the garden, things are fairly quiet. Various shades of green dominate the rear window view. Thankfully, the roses and fuschias (middle right) along with some potted geraniums and dahlias provide some...

Composting Corn Starch Peanuts - Update

 In a previous post, I undertook a few basic experiments investigating the compostability of corn starch peanuts (widely used in packaging) in the hot composting process. Last month (July) I finally received a parcel containing the aforementioned corn starch peanuts. Time to see the effect of hot...