Wildlife in December

With plenty of natural food available still, bird numbers have been a bit down on normal. Unless of course you include starlings. We have had two occasions where mumurations have briefly landed on us. Estimated numbers of 200 on the first occasion and 300 on the second. Not a hope of a picture, but pretty impressive (and noisy) at close range.

Another Useful Present

A visit from Paul who is spending Christmas with us brings with it more of our kind of presents. Remember the Scullery alterations that were brought forward by the boiler being replaced and the opportunity to install a radiator at the same time?



Well it's all done now!

It has really improved the room, much more space, much warmer and we really don't miss the corner cupboard which was the only one we did away with. All we need now is a coat rack for the wall and our new 'back' entrance will be complete.

Christmas Comes Early

We don't do Christmas presents to each other, we don't do Birthdays or anniversaries either (Aren't you glad you're not married to one of us?!). However we seem to be doing very well this Christmas. Not only to we have a new, super duper boiler keeping us toastie warm, today the front of house was transfromed a bit more from this........


to this............



Not bad for no presents, especially as a lovely new pair of Riding Waterproofs arrived today too -that's me spoilt to bits, but nice and warm riding out for the rest of the winter!

Serious Drought?

I know we all keep saying it, but how bizarre it seems to us that much of the country has had such an awfully dry year and is apparently facing another drought next year. Telling you over the phone how wet it has been here really doesn't do it justice, but perhaps some pictures from today might help explain!

We normally have a path and a 'herbaceous border' along the back of the house. Today we had a moat and a water garden.


Neighbours were worse off, with run off from the fields rushing down the drive and across doorways. Sandbags had to be put in place in a hurry - fortunately they did the trick.

We needed to get to Glenridding to pick something up, along the way we passed a few local becks. You know the sort, picturesque trickling stream. The kind poets write about - like Trout Beck, just across the A66 from here...



or Aira Beck down at Dockray...



The road along Ullswater was the same as many others - passable with care. That's Ullswater on the left, getting very close to being level with the road

And then Red Tarn Beck at Glenridding, just before it runs into the lake, seen here on both sides of the bridge

That's the bridge which is normally many feet above the water line!

First Snow

The first snow of the season appeared on the fell tops on Wednesday (30th Nov). Then again they were white on the top on Friday (2nd Dec). This morning it was our turn.
What started out as rain turned to hail, then it turned into freezing rain.






Then it turned into snow.



Looking on the positive side, it did allow me to get a few shots of something I've tried repeated to capture, but never with any success. Not brilliant pics, but evidence of a murmuration of Starlings immediately behind the house. A frequent occurrence at the moment.

Wildlife in October and November

A real low point in the last couple of months, we have had two red Squirrel fatalities at this end of the village. One was definitely roadkill - someone had even taken the trouble to throw the carcase into a neighbours garden. The other may have been roadkill, but could equally have been an unfortunate tree fall. Squirrels are incredibly agile little things, but they do miss their footing and just very occasionally it can have tragic consequences. The squirrel in question was found in our neighbours garden, alive but very obviously not well. It subsequently died of it's injuries whilst in care.
On a brighter note, we had a new visitor to the garden twice in September. No pictures as it was dark (and I didn't have my camera anyway!), a Barn owl hunted along the fence, probably looking for mice and voles which undoubtedly feed on the overspill from the bird feeders at night. The October highlight would be the male Bullfinch, who has visited us on a number of occasions. Lets hope he stays around - although experience would say he probably won't!

A Very Different Year

This time last year, were covered in snow with temperatures well below freezing. Our newly planted back garden had nothing to show for itself

It all looks a bit different this year. We lost just one plant after the long hard winter, and the wet summer and mild autumn has meant things have kept on growing and kept on flowering

The list of plants still flowering includes Astilbe, Penstemon (many different ones), Lupins, Lavender, Heather, Astrantia, Heuchera

Kaffir lily
Fuchsias

And the prize has to go to Nelly Moser!


Not to mention the Hebes, Cyclamen, Pansies etc. Which you really would expect to still be going. I must try to remember to look back this time next year!

An Expensive Month

Mum and Dad left this morning, and within an hour, the Bull Finch that has visited us twice since the weekend, but never since they arrived, was back on the feeder!
Once he had flown off, it was time to get to work.
We've are having one of those periods at the moment. Firstly the garage door, which has been on borrowed time for many years, decided to give up the ghost. Choosing a new one was complicated as we would like to turn it into a pedestrian entrance to overcome the stupid siting of our back door. The theory is, if we get a wicket door in there, we can then use the scullery as a proper boot/muck room. Something for Paul to do sometime when he visits, remove and re site some cupboards and a bit of worktop. Oh, and another idea I had - once the cupboards had been changed we could put a radiator on the wall in there too.
But then the boiler broke as well.
If you've got to go to the expense of a new boiler, you might as well get the rad done at the same time. That'll be next week then: Paul lives in Lincolnshire: Better get the cupboards out ourselves!
In all that excitement, I forgot to take a 'Before' photo, so here's an 'after' shot. From this angle you can't really see any difference anyway, just a missing drawer where there used to be a corner cupboard.
This one was taken before things were put into their temporary homes, the worktop where Husband is standing will eventually go, leaving a run of cupboards along the back, but clear floor space along the side.

Let's hope we are back to having some central heating before too long. So far we have been managing without for a week. Thank God for woodburners.

Celebrating 2 Years

It feels like we've been here forever but then again, sometimes it still feels very new. Either way, it always feels like the right place to be.
Mum and Dad happened to be visiting for our 2nd Cumbrian Anniversary. We are very fortunate in having a very kind friend who works for Ullswater Steamers and knowing we had visiting parents, provided us with a 'Round The lake' ticket for four.


What a pleasant way to spend a few hours. Thanks to Nick we all had a lovely time, and thanks to a fellow passenger, we also got a group photo (OK, so he was no photographer, but it was very kind of him to offer!)

The celebrations continued with an evening of Wine Tasting (thanks to Roger and Lois) followed by a meal at Gallo Rosso in Carlisle (thanks to Mum and Dad). All in all we were spoilt rotten!

Reorganisation and a Colourful Visit

We were in for a treat this morning. Bull Finches have been around in the hedges locally all summer, but today marked the return of them visiting our garden. Mum and Dad are visiting in a couple of days, let's hope he comes back while they are here.



Meanwhile, a long term plan finally started to take shape. Last autumn we planned to rejig the back veggie plot, but the weather closed in before we had finished harvesting the leaks and we never got back to it. This time, with the allotment to grow our winter brassicas and leaks mainly growing in the side plot in our garden we made sure everything would be pretty well finished in the back to give us chance to get it done. Nothing fancy, just making it into two narrow beds so that we can reach to pick veg without having to stand on the bed. The beauty of having turf edges is that you can change them as often as you like

Just lift the turf on the left hand side, and build a path in the middle with it. Dig over the newly exposed soil and let the weather do the rest.

Shooting Season

I think the local phessie population have discovered that The Estate don't shoot down here. Today we had 8 hen pheasants in the garden at one time. Two or three is a daily occurence, Jarvis has been in with 5 Ladies before, but I think 8 Hens is our record. I couldn't manage to get them all on camera though!

The Secret To A Happy Marriage........

....... Compromise.

Since we moved here, our Kitchen window has looked like this...

Husband has always thought it looked a bit bare, whilst I like it like that. I want to see sheep and things whilst I'm practicing being a Domestic Goddess, and a blind behind a sink would just get filthy. A trip to the local haberdashery to find some fabric for the doors of our wardrobe led to a bit of a light bulb moment. Time to put Nan's faithful servant into use again.

You want the window dressing, I want to see sheep. OK. We'll do both.

and while the machine is out.......
Just in case you think we've gone Gothic, they are not black, it just looks like that. they are a dark plum sort of colour, to match with a colour in the curtains!

Dropping In

A brief visit from a Grey Wagtail again today. It's amazing what a pond

attracts!

Did I Say We'd Finished?

Well if I did, I lied.
The wardrobes in our room were inherited and horrible (picture from the sales brochure - not our curtains or furniture!!).

We changed the door knobs ages ago to do away with the fake gold (worn off anyway) ornate things and replace them with simple steel ones. Next we took down the cornice, which was badly joined, ill fitting and ugly. All that left slightly better looking wardrobes but with a dark top which cast a shadow and looked grim. That was easily remedied with a bit of white emulsion when we painted the ceiling. But having put the room back together, there was no denying, they looked mucky, plastic and cheap. After a coat of undercoat and two coats of gloss, I think we can live with them a bit more happily now. Mind you, it's made the cream curtains on the middle one look a bit dirty. Guess that'll be the next job, find some fabric...........

Whilst the wardrobes were being done, the weather was beautiful and the painting stuff was out, it seemed like the ideal opportunity to get another bright idea sorted. The porch ceiling........

It was very dark varnish, the plan was to paint it white. In the end, it is sandstone, the same as the pillars. Primer, undercoat and TWO COATS of paint. If ever you have the bright idea to paint over varnished wood - think long and hard!

But it has undoubtedly brightened the entrance, and lightened the downstairs loo too!