Our garden just keeps on yielding up new surprises, this time in the form of a pair of nesting Spotted Flycatchers. We have watched with delight at the sight of the male doing exactly what it is supposed to do – short looping darting flights and generally returning to the same perch. He appeared to prefer those really large flies with red eyes and has been far more efficient than our fly swat! This is a Red List species having declined by half in only 25 years, probably due to problems in its over-wintering ground south of the equator in …
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We have watched spellbound as the wrens garnered up countless small insects and spiders for their young, working along the banks of the stream and on the bridge in late afternoon. Then we were treated to the sight of six babies fledging and they have stayed around in a group foraging. Did you know that it is only the female which sings? Last year I mentioned a tiny trial wildflower patch sown with seed-balls. This did quite well except that this year the Ox-eye Daisies had really taken over and had to be thinned out. I elongated the strip by …
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All is still very well at Yellingham and I must admit that the now somewhat “established” rules and cleaning schedules introduced into the household at the beginning of lockdown many months ago are still in place and operating quite well…..although Edward still needs the odd reminder that his responsibility to clean one out of a total of 18 rooms is really not too much to ask ! As far as the B and B is concerned, there is still no confirmed date or concrete guidance on when we will open and in what form. How the devil breakfast will work, I …
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For those of you who read my little article last month, I am pleased to say that my economic sanctions are still in place and the practice of cooking toast on the Aga has been perfected….no more noisy smoke alarms going off every morning! Moving forward with new “lockdown” initiatives at Yellingham Farm, the thought of “job share”, now so prominent in many businesses, sprung quickly to mind. The farmhouse is a fair size to clean and even without B and B guests, the dust still arrives, muddy boots still appear, cobwebs decorate every room, …
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The one thing that all this self-isolation has brought home to me is just how beautiful our Devon lanes are in springtime with the banks bursting with a colourful profusion of wild flowers. Walking the Upton loop has been delightful – swathes of Red Campion merge with drifts of white Stitchwort and Cow Parsley, all combined with the blue of the sweet scented English Bluebells and Bird’s Eye Speedwell. Should we perhaps name this walk the Patriot’s Loop? There has also been a profusion of Vetches, Violets, wild Geraniums, Wood Anemones, a small …
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At a time when there is so much pain and negativity in the world, I have reflected on some of the positives in our household which have made me smile, as I surged into my normal role as head of household when there is a crisis. Life at Yellingham has had to change and I leapt at the opportunity to set some new “economic operating rules” for the household. With my Sergeant Major hat firmly in place, the new rules just kept coming and coming. Poor Edward really did think I was losing the plot. These are just but a few: “Right Edward……... turn …
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In the face of all this global misery the world keeps turning, the seasons come and go and we are entering one of the most magical times of the year. The dawn chorus has started - and there is nothing finer than to be woken up to the sweet song of a blackbird. Nest building will soon be in full sway. For me this is a truly uplifting time of year and one I always look forwards to with great anticipation. As with so many others I have been self-isolating, except for one occasion when I walked the lane to Upton and back. Imagine my surprise to …
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I have a new mission in life, which is try to cheer everyone up. First we had endless Brexit, then came the winter of unrelenting rainfall and now we have to endure coronavirus – all this negativity is having an adverse effect on us all, so now seems an excellent time to get closer to nature. I am saddened to report the death of a young male Sparrowhawk in early March. It had chased a pigeon twice its size into the shop’s annex and broken its neck when it crashed into the wall. It came as a great surprise to me just how small and light the …
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