01 Jul
If by now you haven’t heard the news the referendum results are in. The leave campaign has been successful and negotiations are now being carried out to make our exit from the European Union a reality. The vote was a close one, only 1.9% separated leave and remain so whilst the country may not be […]
24 Jun
This is the final segment Gillian has sent me. Here she lists the things she has found out since finishing the January Rubbish Challenge. Take a look at the fruit and vegetable aisles of the supermarket and it looks like a sea of plastic. Why? And why are all cucumbers sheathed in plastic and has […]
15 Jun
Gillian: Oh Dear . . . . Oh dear – what a lousy blogger I am. The month has slipped by and I have barely posted a thing. Well now, it’s time for the truth. We failed. We did not get through January without creating any landfill – nowhere near. To start with I broke […]
10 Jun
Zygaena filipendulae, the day-flying Six-spotted Burnet Moth, is one of seven Burnet moth species to be found in the British Isles, and is the commonest of them. In most years at St Nicholas Fields we see the adult moths in good numbers, feeding mainly on the nectar of thistles and knapweed, sometimes several on […]
07 Jun
Highlights Cool damp weather suppresses butterflies, and other insects.. birds defending their breeding territories.. trees & bushes reach their flowering peak. Weather Temperatures remained low throughout most of the month.. around 10 – 12 C, although a mainly sunny day on the 4th saw the thermometer climbing to 18C. We had intermittent rain on the […]
26 May
This week our Recycling Co-ordinator Sam Taylor gets a bit philosophical in her comments below… The next post, which will unfortunately be delayed until 15th June, will focus again on the practicalities and tips for landfill minimisation! Gillian: It is time to say farewell to my lonely tomato, ie I’m going to eat it. Which […]
21 May
From May onwards globules of white foam start to appear on the stems of flowering plants and grasses. Centuries ago this acquired the popular name of cuckoo spit because it seemed to appear at the same time that the first cuckoos of spring were heard. Other popular names were snake’s spit, witches’ spit and frog […]
18 May
Gillian writes: One soft tomato… This is all proving a little bit more difficult than I expected! I mean – who’s stupid idea was it to do a rubbish challenge in January when the house is still full of thoroughly packed and packaged Christmas goodies? Oh yeah. That would be me! Ah well- onward and […]
11 May
This week Gillian has discovered that information on recycling is not always easy to find… “Well I never! Here’s something I didn’t know until today – deodorant bottles can be recycled in the hard plastic skip at the tip (if they have one). However lids on jars are a different matter. Some sites say stick […]
09 May
Highlights Woodpecker sightings increase.. chilly month keeps insect numbers down – where are all the butterflies?.. a strange season for herbaceous plants. Weather Temperatures on Wildwatch Wednesdays remained consistently below 10C, although it was sunny on the 13th and 20th. Birds Great Spotted Woodpeckers, usually an occasional visitor to St Nicks, were seen on […]