End of May Visit to Herefordshire - Part 1: Hatfield

 

We returned to Herefordshire last week for 4 nights and this time D came too :)  We arrived on the Wednesday and stayed until the Sunday. I'd had to go to the GP's before we left as yet again cellulitis has raised its ugly head. Although the locum I saw seemed to think it may be another condition which sounds even worse than cellulitis!  The weather was lovely if a trifle too hot at times!!! We had a good journey and spent the rest of the day relaxing at the site.

There has been little change in the Herefordshire Oak, Octopus and Constable Trees since the last visit.

On the last morning (Saturday) we were lucky to see a Painted Lady nectaring on the perennial wallflower in the border. It stayed around for about half an hour.  I know there has been an influx of this species into the country but this is the first I have seen this year.

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D re-potted a dahlia and geranium I had bought and also sowed nasturtium and calendula seeds in pots.

Spiderlings on the car door!

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The family are all huge Aston Villa supporters. I have supported them since my father took me to my first match at Villa Park when I was around 11.  Sadly, we don't go to matches these days but the Europa League Final was on tv Wednesday night so we watched the game.  We were thrilled when Villa won the match 3-0 and thus the Cup.

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Warning don't look at  the next photo if you don't like spiders!

Zebra spider on one of the caravan windows.

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I used the bat detector most nights and we also had quite close views of the bats foraging right by the caravan.  We put out hedgehog food and saw the hedgehog one night. Record shot by D.

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2026 Wild Plant Challenge

We continued with our quest to see 100 plants this year and managed to add several species to the list.

Not sure what this thistly type plant in the lawn is though!

If you enlarge the photo you may be able to make out tiny yellow flowers below the daisies. This plant is Lesser Trefoil.

Ash and Hazel

Clover

We also added Mistletoe (no photo as it is now mainly out of sight due to leaves on the trees) and Greater Stitchwort.

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One evening D and B went a walk around the pool and lower field.  I didn't go as I had been walking round Leominster with D that day and my ankles and feet had swollen up again! So these are D's photos from the walk.  The mannequin dressed in red by the pool is quite frankly scary and I can only assume it has been put there to frighten away Canada Geese.

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D also walked to the Hen House at  the end of the drive to buy some eggs. 

Cow Parsley

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Nuthatch on the feeders and a Swallow.

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On the Thursday we went to Tesco in Tenbury Wells to do a food shop.  The verges of the lanes are full of Cow Parsley and Buttercups. Hawthorn is past its best now but Elderflower is starting to flower - another new species for the Wild Plant Challenge.

On the Friday D and I went to Stocktonbury Gardens which I will write about in the next post.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and those marked *D taken by my son with the Canon SX50HS bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks)

Herefordshire 2023 - Visit 3: Part 1 - Hedgehog Video etcera

 

Last week to take advantage of the dry weather forecast we returned to Herefordshire for a few days on the Monday.

We put out some food for the hedgehog and the trailcam got lots of footage. I hope the video below works ok.

Edit - just spotted date on hedgehog video ignore! - the batteries had gone flat and were replaced and B forgot to reset date and time. Footage was from last week :)  If you enlarge to full screen you will get better view of hedgehog :)

Sadly there were no signs of bats even though I sat outside for half an hour a couple of evenings half an hour after dusk.

Swallows returned on the 3rd May always a lovely sight.

Timothy on the journey

I am rather pleased with this print of a medieval map drawing that D bought in Ludlow.

We always have a jigsaw on the go and this time D completed an owl he was given for Christmas.

The Herefordshire Oak - now definitely coming into leaf.

The ivy clad tree, which I've christened the Octopus tree (well to me it vaguely resembles one!). I can also see a Witch's hat and face right at the top of the tree!  Not sure of the species - I will walk over and check when it comes into leaf.

We had planned to stay 4 nights again but as E had an important interview on Friday we decided to come home on Thursday afternoon. I did manage to visit a new church and we went to Bodenham Lakes NR one day so I'll write a few more posts over the next week.

I hope everyone is staying safe and well.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).

October Visit to Herefordshire - Part 1: Hedgehog Video

 

We managed to escape the demolition work next door! for a few nights last week and went to Herefordshire.  The weather was mixed but we did manage to go to a couple of places.

On the Thursday evening at dusk B spotted a young hedgehog foraging along the border at the side of the caravan. D managed to get a short video which I will attempt to post.  I know I've posted a hedgehog video before but I can't remember exactly how I did it. So fingers crossed!!

I hope everyone is staying safe and well.

Video taken by D with the Canon SX50HS Bridge Camera.

Herefordshire Hedgehog Video

 

We've just come back from another few days in Herefordshire where we put out some food and water in the hope of attracting a hedgehog as we know there is a healthy population there.

I've (hopefully) uploaded a video of some of the footage from one of the hedgehog visits.

Trying to keep busy!

Recent Reading

I treated myself to The Wren a few months ago when life was normal and I was able to go to a bookshop! It was reduced probably because the paperback had just come out? I loved this book - lots of fascinating facts about the wren and charming illustrations. I think the author has written a book on The Robin which I will look out for.

It took me a while to get into the first book (The Windermere Witness) as the format is different from many other detective books but I did enjoy it and, of course, it is set in the Lake District an area I love. As you can see I bought an omnibus edition of the first 3 books in the series.

I bought this magazine a few months ago on an impulse in W H Smith. I have a lot of books on The Tudors but sometimes a magazine format with lots of illustrations makes more relaxing reading and I am reading a few pages a day.

In the Garden

I managed to get slightly better photos of the Large Red Damselfly which we were seeing daily in the garden. For once it posed nicely for the camera :)

I'm thrilled that half dozen Lady's Smock plants have re-appeared in the bog garden. Sorry not the best of photos - I couldn't get close enough without falling in the pond!

Hawthorn is coming into flower.

We picked a few garden flowers - some to press and some to put in little jugs.

Clematis is flowering on the patio

and the orange Azalea is now in bloom.

We haven't seen Hedgehogs in the garden for years but I have found what looks very much like a hedgehog dropping deposited by the wildflower area. Thanks to Pam and Amanda for confirming id. I have been out in the garden at dusk but haven't yet seen an actual hedgehog but, of course, it could visit at any time during the night so I will keep looking.

Vegetable seedlings in the small greenhouse

We think the Blue Tit has started to lay eggs - it is hard to see as she covers the eggs with nesting material during the day as Blue Tits don't normally start incubating until the clutch is complete or nearly complete.

We thought the female Blackbird's nest in the laurel had been predated as she was making a real song and dance early one morning. But as she is still going in and out of the laurel bush we are hopeful the eggs are still there.


Baking

The flour is diminishing rapidly and it seems impossible to buy any anywhere but E did make this lemon curd and cream sponge one day.

I made some flapjacks another day as no flour required!

To use up some stale bread Timothy helped make Bread Pudding - again no flour required :)

This and That

D is still sorting out his coin collection. More replica sets.

He did find a hammered silver coin from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I dated 1537 and I will try and get a photo for the next post as this coin is original although not in the best of conditions!



I've continued with the little "journal" of garden wildlife. My drawing does not improve sadly and some of the proportions are wrong (note size of leaf of Red Campion compared to flower!!) but I am getting a lot of pleasure from it and as mentioned before I am noticing far more detail in flowers and leaves than I would normally.

I hope everyone is staying safe and well. Take care.


All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera