Sunday

09.03.2025

We managed to complete the clearing of our driveway today, a cause for great celebration!  The concrete path had been slowly overtaken by grass, and with health issues preventing us from keeping on top of it, the task to clear it again felt rather overwhelming.  

As we shovelled and dug we unearthed many worms, snails and bugs, and we painstakingly moved each we found to new nearby pastures.  I heard recently that this time of year, with so many of us wanting to clean up their outside spaces in readiness for Spring, the loss of insect numbers is at its highest.  It certainly made me think about how I can be more thoughtful and intentional when gardening.

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Saturday

08.03.2025

I do so love where we live.  A walk around our local lanes brings so much joy, the views, the signs of Spring sneaking upon us, and quietness.

A circular walk to Poughill was almost pure delight, accompanied by a pure blue and sunny sky. 

One of the hedgerow banks is covered in the most beautiful array of primroses, daffodils, violas, and lupins.

There was more than a tinge of sadness however, as we counted 34 squished and squashed toads on the roads.  It was rather upsetting and definitely put a sadness in our hearts as we wandered the lanes.

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Friday

07.03.2025

Great excitement today as the girls spotted an Eel in our shallow stream that runs past our house.   A glimpse was captured on video.

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Thursday

06.03.2025

We have been very blessed with dry days here in Devon this past week.  There has been rainfall during the night time hours, but not quite enough to return our paths to the sticky mud chaos of the previous wet weeks thankfully.

The Hazel and Alder catkins are still in full flurry.

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wednesday

05.03.2025

Another day spent outside, I could definitely get used to these sunnier and more pleasant days – although cool, it isn’t freezing once the sun has broken through, but the early morning temperatures are still low enough to form ice on the water buckets.

We know of at least 3 newts residing in our Belfast Sink makeshift pond.  Two adult and one youngster.  I do wonder what else is lurking beneath the slates and stones.

My youngest daughter pointed out the tiniest mushroom over one of our fences today.  It has taken up residence upon a wall that is difficult to photograph, and the fact that it was so teeny tiny presented quite the challenge to capture.  This is what I managed. 

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TUESday

04.03.2025

A lovely day spent out in the garden, getting things ready for Spring planting.  The sky was once again blue, with a few white fluffy cotton wool clouds.

The birds seem to have really upped both their food intake and their movement flurries.  Plenty of to-ing and fro-ing, searching for both food and nesting materials.  I’ve noticed a few birds interested in the mossy deposits on the garage roof.

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Monday

03.03.2025

What an absolutely stunning day it was here in Devon.  For the first time, the temperature actually felt more Spring like, so we had the double beauty of it both looking like Spring and feeling it.  Even as the evening crept in, the cold bite on the fingers didn’t occur.

The birds seemed to be in heightened activity mode today, with a real flurry and fluster throughout the day.  I witnessed a few robins battling it out for territory, although there also seems to be a pair that happily let one another visit – perhaps a male and female coupling?  The male blackbirds are in full on food seeking mode, making numerous visits throughout the day.

Our current bird food offerings are peanuts (whole, but in a very small spaced cage so whole nuts cannot be taken, only nibbles).  Sunflower hearts, both served in a standard hanging feeder (metal, for squirrel reinforcement although they can happily still feed from it), and in a bowl which the usual ground feeders such as robins and blackbirds enjoy feeding from.  And suet balls in two hanging feeders, one on the main feeding station, the other hung from the garage shelter.  I find this gives the smaller birds a safe space away from the flurry of the main.

Our evening walk was a true joy.  The warmer air was uplifting and really reminded me of the lovely warm summer evening walks I so enjoyed very much last year. The birds were still very vocal as we strolled the lanes, more so than in recent times, a sign of the busy season to come.

I noted that there seemed to be many more primroses in the hedgerows this evening than I had noticed before, There is very little blossom to be seen on the trees, and still only one daffodil fully opened – although others are now showing signs of following suit.

Today’s photograph is of the sunset this evening.  We really have been treated to the most beautiful skies over the past few nights.  Blazing colours at sundown, followed by the deepest of  blackness filled with an uncountable number of glistening stars, an ever reminder of just how tiny we really are.

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