 5 January - glorious weather, still and cold. Startled a hen pheasant that flew off and spied a couple of buzzards circling
2 January - a beautiful day again although more overcast than of late but still cold and dry
1 January 2009 - All Good Wishes for 2009!
31 December - a cock pheasant strutted round the field today, frosted ground and mist all around.
24 December - Season's Greetings and wishing you a peaceful 2009
23 December - a buzzard sat in a nearby field looking for worms (the field tends to get water logged so the worms come to the surface)
22 December - mad dash with orders, misty and grey but mild
19 December - wet, windy and dark all day!
18 December - a roebuck lay just below the ridge on the fell this morning, he moved off when he saw the dogs, revealing the doe and two younger ones
17 December - wet, windy and miserable! Racking off and filtering filled the day
16 December - similar start to the day but heavy rain followed and by mid afternoon it was really dank and dark - the dark days before Christmas
15 December - grey, foggy and cold in the morning, but the fog cleared slowly. Wood pigeon about and an alert sparrowhawk sat on a fencing post
12 December - awoke to a covering of snow again but melted very quickly with grey skies and showers all day, general Friday duties again
11 December - saw a couple of barn owls in the gloaming this morning as I walked across the fell with the dog, ghost-like and silent
10 December - glorious and sunny again, less than a fortnight to go to midwinter and the days will lengthen again
9 December - blue sky and sunshine, a buzzard resting on top of a telegraph pole, robins flitting to and fro - lovely
8 December - I spotted the roe doe this morning as I went for a walk round, she was foraging in the field under the wood and disappeared through the hedge into the adjoining field. Later, as I looked across she had skirted right round the wood and come back again through the opposite hedge, she had obviously been enjoying something good when I disturbed her
5 December - nothing new today, typical Friday tidying up!
4 December - the snow came in the early morning but not too deep and turning to slush readily with the increase in temperature
3 December - frosty and magical, the high fells are snow covered and all lowland covered with a thick frost
2 December - cold with sleet and snow showers but not lying on low levels, the fells look very seasonal!
1 December - about 5 degrees of frost this morning following a foggy and frosty weekend. The beck has icicles hanging on the banks and the vegetation looks spectacular first thing in the morning with the ice crystals catching the first glimpses of the sun rising
28 November - we've been busy collecting seeds recently on dry days (and fire days by the moon calendar - in biodynamics the best days to collect seeds to ensure they contain maximum plant energy etc) so already looking forward to the spring when we can started propogating and growing again - great!
27 November - gales and torrential rain followed by clear blue skies late afternoon but the whole day spent indoors processing the rash of orders we had today - thank you
26 November - isn't it wonderful - when all around looks wintry and lifeless you can look closely and see the buds for next year's leaves on lots of things, like honeysuckle, are there ready and waiting for the spring
25 November - beautiful day, the fells looked cold and clear with a slight dusting of snow/ice, blue skies and very little wind. A kestrel hovered on high before swooping to pounce on some unsuspecting creature
22 November - pretty chilly here today, a north easterly wind but we were quite sheltered. Busy bottling and labelling, so cosy indoors
21 November - a busy week one way and another, when my mind won't stop turning things over and over at, or during, the night I find taking skullcap works very well and valerian helps with relaxation, maybe next week will be calmer!
20 November - a blustery day followed a very windy night, not many leaves remain on the trees in the wood or in the hedges, just the ash keys hanging heavy and dark, soaked with rain
19 November - looking out across the herbs splashes of orange catch the eye, calendula flowers have their last flush of colour before the winter
18 November - a flock of woodpigeons spent the morning feasting on acorns under the wood, making the most of the winter sunshine and light winds
17 November - following a gorgeous weekend of bright sunshine and some warmth we are back to grey mizzle with flurries of leaves here and there
14 November - grey again today, raindrops hang on branches, nothing moving much at all
13 November - typical Lakeland mizzle today turning into heavy drizzle by the afternoon but a flock of 6 or 7 blackbirds spent the morning deftly picking off the last of the hawthorn berries
12 November - gorgeous day, blue skies, still air and not too cold. Spent the day making the most of the weather clearing brambles to make way for a log store
11 November - I was reminded this morning, whilst observing two minutes silence, that nature carries on regardless, which is why we can only work with nature to gain the most from it
10 November - heavy showers with strong winds during the night and this morning gave way to a lovely afternoon although the wind remained strong. The roe doe visited us in the afternoon in her full winter coat, grazing on the field in the shelter of the wood
7 November - grey and cooler today, the weather forecast for the weekend sounds revolting. General end of week tidying up today
6 November - I have just returned from Manchester having spent the day at 'On the Eighth Day' Health Food Shop on Oxford Road. I had a day in the shop offering tastings of our Echinacea and handing out leaflets, it was lovely to meet people and have a day on the shop floor
5 November - we were pleased to be told by a friend that they had found great success taking Lakeland Herbs Red Clover tincture for a sore throat. They had suffered the sore throat for 4 or 5 days and gargling with TCP hadn't helped really but on reading our leaflet they decided to try Red Clover tincture and were delighted to find the sore throat completely gone in a day and a half - wonderful
4 November - as I looked across at the wood I saw a squirrel scurrying through the branches which are now latticed against the sky having lost, just about, all their leaves, in the summer months the canopy of leaves shields all these 'goings on' very well!
3 November - another month! Glorious weather, cold with clear skies and brilliant sunshine, the birds were out and about, a flock of woodpigeon and one or two blue tits
31 October -fine, dry but cold wind
30 October - quiet, still day with spells of sunshine, a pair of herons spent time in the wetland by the beck this afternoon before taking off and flying over the fell
29 October - frost first thing this morning, snow on the fells, damp and raw all day - it felt more like December or January
28 October - boy oh boy it feels cold, we have dropped straight into winter with frost on the grass and frosted windscreens! The plants are dying back rapidly and autumn colours changing yet again
27 October - well, what a weekend for rain and wind, the beck broke its banks and a torrent washed over the little bridge bringing broken branches and leaves to deposit on either side as the water subsided. Today was quiet and beautiful with a dusting of snow or hail on the fells first thing this morning
24 October - very sad news close to me this week reaffirms my belief that we should appreciate all we have around us, and we certainly have plenty to appreciate here every day
23 October - can't say a lot about today, totally revolting weather!
22 October - beautiful sunshine for most of the day, the calendula continue to flower but the echinacea are definitely in autumn mode with ragged petals on most flower heads
21 October - decidedly colder at the end of today, a northerly wind sweeping hail showers across from time to time. Coniston Old Man looked wonderfully atmospheric this evening shrouded in a pink light basking in a rain/hail shower
20 October - autumnal high winds have brought the leaves cascading off the trees today, great showers of them leaving the trees bare on one side and at the top. Birds were buffeted this way and that and didn't seem to venture far
17 October - repeat of yesterday weatherwise really, maybe a little more cloud but less showers. All is quiet on the wildlife front, we've not noticed any visitors but that is not to say there haven't been any!
16 October - glorious, picture-book autumn day with buzzards wheeling above against a blue sky with one or two clouds and periodically the odd light shower. We added an article about Beating winter colds and flu, with some ideas on how to keep the bugs away and help you feel better if you're unlucky to catch a cold. Do let us know what you think!
15 October - walking through the wood today the canopy overhead is thinning, lace-like, and the woodland floor is a patchwork of coloured leaves
14 October - by the afternoon the rain was heavy and relentless, a great day to catch up on tidying up indoors - again!
13 October - even though the weather is not particularly sunny the colours of the leaves are stunning, nature matches colours perfectly. Looking closely I have found hazel catkins showing and still the odd bramble flower
10 October - blustery, not particularyly pleasant but mainly dry. The ash keys hang in huge dark brown bunches amongst the leaves, we could plant a forest if we collected them all
9 October - a thick mist covered the land early this morning but as the sun rose in the sky it melted away but the grey clouds gathered and we had rain again albeit light rain. The leaves on the trees are still very green in general with just odd trees here and there turning orange and yellow, there are very few sloes here this year and not many hazelnuts either
8 October - we are having a spell of weather with one day wet followed by one day fine, the land is squelchy and muddy. Today was a mild, fine day and tonight the clouds had a pretty pink tinge, hopefully tomorrow will break the pattern and it will be dry and sunny again
7 October - I forgot to mention a couple of weeks ago a sparrowhawk flew very low down the length of the beck, made a backwards loop and caught something in the rushes flying off with it over the hedge, it all happened in a few seconds, I couldn't identify its prey
6 October - having spent a few days in Edinburgh in glorious weather last week, I drove back on Saturday which was appalling! Today it was glorious again and I had chance to pick calendula flowers this morning in brilliant sunshine. I could hear a woodpecker busily making holes in a tree in the wood and the odd bee buzzing about but apart from that it was really quiet
1 October - horrendous weather! No chance of working outside, either lashing rain or squally showers, we even had hail. Plenty of pressing out (of mash) or racking off tinctures to keep us busy
30 September - no change from yesterday really, inside work all day
29 September - back to unsettled weather unfortunately, very heavy showers and quite windy. Heard the buzzard mewling again today. Any birds I saw were being tossed about in the wind heading for safe ground
26 September - still, warm, and blue skies all day - a glorious day finishing off jobs ready for the weekend
25 September - a skein of geese flew over this morning, very high in the sky, about 50 of them heading south east; another sign of autumn
24 September - there is a very old ash tree in one of the hedges; its branches hang so far down they touch the ground in places. The deer love to use the tree for cover and food; they've stripped the low branches bare – not a leaf to be seen
23 September – spent time harvesting the next crop of Calendula flowers, beautiful sunshine and quite warm.
22 September – after the past dry week the beck is back to its normal summer level now having been very full for the past few weeks and months even. Spotted one or two Brown Trout, this year's fry judging by their size – hopefully there are lots more we haven't seen!
19 September - not as sunny but still fine and quite still, the land is drying up and there's a nip in the air but good weather for working outdoor - hurrah!
18 September - a lovely day, very autumnal, the thrushes and blackbirds have had a great time fishing out worms from the ground, a nuthatch busily flitted amongst the hazel trees and goldfinches are still enjoying various seedheads.
17 September - the swallows have been gathering on the telephone wires, another sign of autumn and we've managed to harvest more Hawthorn berries.
16 September - the old doe we saw last week spent most of the day on the field today, browsing through the long grass and hedgerow. She is growing her winter coat and grooming herself frequently (deer pick up wild yeasts on their coat which react with sunlight to make vitamins so as the deer groom themselves they get all these vitamins).
15 September - our neighbours have been struggling to get their silage this summer and this weekend saw them out and about working flat out to finish the summer cropping. The grass at this time of year is past its best but no doubt better than nothing!
12 September - the goldfinches are thoroughly enjoying the seedheads on the knapweed and any thistles they find, flitting about in groups having a field day!
11 September - glorious sunshine and very little wind although it clouded over in the late afternoon. Gathered Hawthorn berries all afternoon, plenty of ripe ones, but again lots to ripen further so we'll be gathering again in the next week or so.
10 September - sunny day, and quite warm, picked Calendula flowers late morning to make tincture, had to gently nudge the bees off some of them, we were all making the most of being out and about in the sunshine. There are lots of buds on the plants still so if the weather is kind we'll have another crop next week.
9 September - three Roe deer visited the field mid morning, a buck and two does. They wandered around happily browsing then passed through into the adjacent field. In the rutting season deer can behave in an uncharacteristic way, appearing out in the open in the middle of the day seemingly without a care.
8 September - a lovely day with warm sunshine. Making the most of these precious days when we are able to work outdoors without a rain coat. Elderberries hang heavily, the rain is spoiling some of them for us to eat, but the insects and flies are enjoying them.
5 September - the fells are covered in deep orange now, the bracken has died down, earlier than usual I think - autumn is well under way, the air smells different and the light is brighter and clearer.
4 September - a sparrowhawk killed a blackbird just outside the cabin today - just a few feathers left as evidence.
3 September - when we arrived at the field in the early morning we could see a horizontal brown shape amongst the rushes by the beck, it was a roe deer. We then noticed another in the corner of the field watching us. As soon as we looked straight at it, it turned and jumped into the wood followed by the first one.
2 September - we regularly have a visiting heron on the field, this morning it gazed at us from next to the beck then, unhurridly, it took off and gracefully flew into the next field. Sometimes it saunters along the grass paths between the rows of herbs like a model with attitude on a catwalk strutting its stuff
1 September - didn't look too promising first thing and we had heavy showers but the afternoon made up for it - glorious. The butterflies and bees were making up for lost time and a flock of sparrows were flitting from hawthorn to hawthorn. A sparrowhawk flew past the window chasing a small bird but I couldn't see what it was or whether it was caught.
29 August - the brown tinge of the bracken is quite pronounced now, underneath the, still green, top canopy. The damp, and at times very wet August, seems to have brought forward the autumn colour on the fells.
August - damp and drizzly again, some of our neighbours are struggling to make silage, the new grass is growing through the mown swathes that haven't been picked up because they are too wet - very disheartening. Maybe this weekend will bring better weather for them.
27 August - grey, fine rain and pretty miserable for most of the day. We might feel a bit fed up with the wet weather but the herbs are looking really well.
26 August - a large flock of 'goldies' (goldfinches) on the herb field over the weekend, 50 or more of them, feeding on the knapweed seedheads - a wonderful sight.
22 August - Friday again! Another beautiful day. We have a friendly toad living amongst the herbs and we're used to coming across him whilst weeding, we also have frogs but they always make me jump because they leap out unexpectedly!
21 August - after a grey start and the odd shower it turned into a real hay day - sunny with a good breeze - ideal working weather! A blue tit managed to squeeze itself down the flue for the woodburner today and tapped at the glass door making me jump - I let it out and it flew around leaving sooty patches before it finally found an open window. I watched it land on a branch outside - it really seemed quite unperturbed
20 August - we struggle to guess what the weather will do during the day at the moment with heavy showers predicted anywhere, which makes planning outdoor jobs tricky, however, another bonus today and the grass was cut and a lot of general tidying up achieved! The bracken on the fells is just beginning to show that it is early autumn, eventually it will turn, firstly gorgeous golden and then deep orange in colour.
19 August - a fine day! Continued pulling docks, a very rewarding job but still quite a few to go. The butterflies were enjoying the sunshine, I particularly noticed a lot of large and small whites and a small copper. A vole scurried across the path today and dived into a tussock of grass hiding its head leaving its entire back end sticking out, I think it thought we couldn't see it - playing ostrich - it really did look very funny!
18 August - the young buck we saw last week passed through again but limping on a foreleg, hopefully he's just strained it and the buzzard swooped low above our heads as we were pulling docks near to the wood to prevent them seeding everywhere - grey all day with some really heavy showers.
15 August - a family of Goldfinches amused us today, feeding on dandelion clocks, bouncing along the stems and generally enjoying themselves. General end of the week tidying up on a dry day with sunny spells - lovely.
14 August - a young doe crossed our path this morning about 8.45, looking startled, she'd obviously been disturbed and was returning to safe cover. A much better day than the weather forecast, high cloud and sunny intervals in the afternoon. The hawthorn berries are slowly turning red, something you only notice when you look closely, another month we would think before they're ready to harvest.
13 August - much better day weatherwise so managed to cut the grass before the next lot of rain heads our way. As we were pulling ragwort in the afternoon we noticed a young Roe buck happily foraging along the hedge of the adjoining field, he probably feeds there regularly, we just don't always catch sight of him. The young buzzard we seem to hear on a daily basis continued its plaintive mewing!
12 August 2008 - the Glorious Twelfth - not so glorious here! A really wet day! Torrential showers turning the beck into a churning, frothing torrent. Nothing achieved outside but had a rewarding day revamping the website |
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