Holly Oak Times

Plenty of yellow

2010-04-15T19:53:00.002+01:00

What a wonderful week we've had. Plenty of sunshine has brought out every shade of yellow in the garden. The crocuses were soon followed by the daffodils earlier in the month, now we have forsythia, marsh marigolds and what I believe is arum creticum. The garden seems to be exploding into life.

Welcome signs of spring

2010-03-21T16:15:00.002Z

It was great to hear the deep buzzing of our first bumble bee on the winter flowering heathers. Unfortunately she didn't hang around to have her photo taken.

Fun in the snow

2010-02-20T16:36:00.002Z

There was more frost than snow but our young visitors still managed to find enough for target practice with their snowballs and couldn't resist building the last snowman of the season.

Last of the snow?

2010-02-19T11:36:00.003Z

They say that you have to have more snow to remove the "bones" from under the walls and hedges. I wonder if this is our last snow this year. The snow drops seem to cope with any weather when it comes. They emerged through frozen ground at the beginning of the month and seem to have thickened during the warmer days. The florist reckons that the harder the winter, the better the display of bulbs, so we should be in for a good show!

Bird food

2010-01-06T16:42:00.003Z

I wonder how long these berries will last. The blackbirds and thrushes have been fighting off the robins and tits at the bird feeders and the chopped apples went very quickly yesterday. It's a wonder that any bird survives the cold nights. We must be grateful for good insulation and log fires!

More snowmen!

2010-01-03T18:15:00.002Z

Where did these come from? I hope we're not starting a trend. I've already posted one lovely snowman and then these turned up. How many will we have by the weekend?

Happy New Year

2010-01-03T09:47:00.002Z

These young holiday makers have had a great time building their snowman this week. The scenery is stunning with the sun shining down as well. The outlook seems to predict that the snowman may survive for a while!

White Christmas

2009-12-29T18:12:00.002Z

Well, it was just what our visitors wanted - a white Christmas. The children were out sledging as soon as possible on the thick, dry snow. There is nothing to beat the combination of sunshine and snow when you'te out in the Peak National Park. At times the snow even appeared pink.

Autumn colour

2009-09-18T10:51:00.003+01:00

An incredibly dry spell so far this month. The leaves on the oaks are turning while the ash trees stubbornly remain green. However, nothing can beat the Virginia creeper for vibrancy.

Gun Run 2009

2009-07-14T19:54:00.002+01:00

It's great to see so many people still interested in taking part in our local event. It was cooler for running tonight but it was a shame about the rain at the last moment. We are lucky because they all run straight through the garden!

Don't cast a clout till May is out!

2009-05-31T14:53:00.002+01:00

What a beautiful weekend. The Hawthorn, or May, is in bloom everywhere to greet the hotter weather. The cowslips and bluebells, which enjoy the gentler sunshine or dappled shade, are nearly finished so we can enjoy the different seasons and greet each event as it happens. The air is full of wonderful scents and the mistle thrushes are busy feeding their young.

Scarecrow festival

2009-05-05T16:45:00.002+01:00

Our village green committee have asked everyone to join in the fun again by creating scarecrows for the theme "Scarecrows in occupation". There are some excellent examples; we particularly like the group entry for the local pub. This is our modest attempt.

Spring bulbs

2009-03-30T10:24:00.002+01:00

The colour of the spring flowers certainly brighten up every corner of the garden. Daffodils, primroses and crocus lift the spirits as we move into the longer days.

Icicles

2009-02-02T18:21:00.002Z

A slight thaw of the snow at lunchtime led to the formation of these wonderful icicles at the back door. It will be interesting to see what happens to them by the morning. Aren't the seasonal changes great?

Winter walk

2009-01-17T16:05:00.002Z

It was good to get out today and to walk around the fields in the winter sunshine. The shadows are still quite long but the greens of the mosses, brambles and foxglove leaves are becoming more vibrant. The streams were running well after the rain of last week and I enjoyed the sounds as I walked. No signs of snowdrops yet but the shoots of bluebells are appearing in sheltered places.

A welcome visitor

2009-01-01T22:54:00.002Z

We had a lovely surprise this morning when looking out from the kitchen. At the top of the cherry tree was a green woodpecker. I've never seen one in the garden before but thought I had heard one. Its much bigger than the greater spotted woodpecker which visits the bird tables regularly. A good start to the new year.

Last day of 2008

2008-12-31T21:06:00.003Z

What a cold start to the last day of the year. It was worth it though as there were some amazing sights on the farm.

Fat blocks

2008-12-14T20:47:00.005Z

We've had a lot more interest in the fat blocks during the colder weather. Some blackbirds and robins can manage to sit on it to eat, but probably the most exciting is when a"flurry" of long tailed tits arrive. They move as a group in the immediate area and can manage to squeeze nine on at once, if they persist. I love the pattern underneath their tails.

Grey Heron

2008-12-12T11:50:00.002Z

I love it when the grey heron visits our garden ponds. I might feel differently if we had stocked them with fish! It is always a bit of a shock to see something so large near to the house. It reminds me of a pteradactyl coming in to land. What a privilege though.

December snow

2008-12-05T11:01:00.002Z

This week has seen our first significant fall of snow. It seemed appropriate therefore to start putting up the Christmas decorations for our December visitors. It was difficult to match the beauty of the world outside though.

Spotted Sandpiper

2008-11-29T15:13:00.004Z

The last week at our local reservoir, Tittesworth Water, has been very busy with many visitors, including the BBC, looking for a petite shorebird, the spotted sandpiper. It was first seen on 22nd November and it is possible that it could stay for several weeks. When I saw it, it was happily feeding beside the dam, darting backwards and forwards and occasionally popping up onto the wall. It is in its winter plumage so has no spots but looks to be in very good condition despite its long journey across the Atlantic.