Barrys Countryside Blog

The Gamekeepers Memorial Fund.

2014-03-25T04:04:00.001-07:00

The Keepers Memorial.

I am taking this opportunity to introduce to my readers a memorial fund that is collecting money for the commission of a Bronze War Memorial dedicated to all of the Gamekeepers, Stalkers and Ghillies that went to war to serve in the Armed Forces. The most famous being those who served in Lovat's Scouts.

Most people know about what a Gamekeeper is and what he does for a living and if they are asked to explain they will make some sort of comment like: he looks after pheasants, shoots vermin or they think all he does is walk around his shoot with a gun over his arm all day long or some other comment. Well I have another description about the Gamekeeper that not many people outside the profession know about, did you know that we owe our lives to many Gamekeepers, Stalkers and Ghillies.

   The Forming of The Scouts.

In 1899 on the 12th of December Lord Lovat, 22nd Chief of the Highland Clan Fraser approached the War Office for permission to raise two companies of Scouts, one was to be mounted and the other on foot. Each company was made up of 236 men, eighty of them were selected for Stalking and Spotting skills, some were to be specialist marksmen ( Snipers ) and the reminder to be riders and signallers etc. These proposals were excepted and by January 1900, 1,500 men had volunteered their services to this country and most of them were all Gamekeepers, Stalkers, Ghillies and Shepperd's from many of the Highland estates.

  Fighting the Boers.

The first contingent of men arrived into South Africa later that month ( January ) and remained there until August 1901, the second and third contingents arrived in May 1901 and remained there until August 1902. They suffered many casualties and hardships but they proved themselves more than a match for the Boers, beating them at their own game.

In August 1914 the Lovat Scouts were mobilised again and went to Huntingdon for training and were then sent to Skegness and Sutton On Sea in Lincolnshire to prevent any invasion form Germany landing on the beaches there. They remained there until 15th of April 1915 before travelling to Hunstanton, Houghton, Harplay and Great Massingham on the Wash. On August 21st they received their orders to set sail to the Mediterranean, landing at Gallipoli on the 26th and 27th of September to fight against the Turks. Again their tracking and spotting skills and the special teams of Snipers took a heavy toll on the Turks, however sickness also took a heavy toll on the Scouts, Dysentery almost killing Lord Lovat himself. The Scouts remained at Gallipoli until their final evacuation with Major Cambell until December 20th 1915. After Gallipoli the Scouts remained in the Mediterranean fighting in Egypt and then in Macedonia until June 1918 when they left to join Lovat Scouts ( Sharpshooters ) on the Western Front in July. Lovats Sharpshooters were most unusual as they were all in advanced years of their lives the youngest being 42 through to the oldest 2nd Lieutenant CB McPherson at 62 years of age, 481 Scouts lost their lives in WW1 their names can be found at Edinburgh Castle.

   WW2.

Until the start of the Second World War the Scouts remained as a T.A Unit until the 1st of September 1939 when they were again mobilised. They went sent to Sutton On Sea in March 1940 and they were the last Horse Reconnaissance Troop in the British Army. Later that year they arrived on the Faroe Islands where they remained until June 1942 seeing action several times when the Islands were targeted by the Luftwaffe, it was on one of these air raids on an attack to the harbour they shot down a Heinkel 111 with a Bren gun, the crew from the plane when picked up were convinced that they had been hit by accurate flak.
They returned again to the UK for further training and became part of the 52nd Lowland Division, while also guarding the Royal Family at Balmoral. The Scouts went on to do many more battles around Europe and their many skills used for Top Secret assignments, they hunted down many high ranking Nazi Party Members hiding in Austria trying to escape back into Germany, they taught their skills to the
SAS, the Commandos and other specialist units of the British Army.

   The Memorial.

With so many deeds carried out by these soldiers I have decided with help from other like minded friends that a War Memorial befitting their service to this country should be commissioned and placed in the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas so that they are never forgotten for the service they gave.

This is an artists sketch of what the memorial
might look like.

Please visit the web site where more information about the Gamekeepers Memorial Fund can be found
at: www.thegamekeepersmemorial.yolasite.com

2014-03-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

Spring Time Cometh.

Well at last the weather has changed and it's getting a little warmer and the countryside is slowly drying out. This winter has seen the longest wettest period in over one hundred years or more, it started to rain just before Christmas and with only an odd day here and there we had persistent rainfall until early March. The wet weather has caused many problems for people living and working in the countryside, many farmers will face bankruptcy as a result due to the floods. Many thousands of acres of arable land has been under water for many weeks seed that was sowed last Autumn has been under water for more than three weeks and has died off due to the lack of oxygen and the sun.

My team of stalkers have struggled to get out to carry out our Deer management duties, the rain has kept the deer under cover for most of the time only venturing out for food or to dry out when there has been some sunshine. It has been very difficult but we have managed to reach the cull figures required by our clients in all of the woodland we cover. This is an essential practise that we have to carry out and it is in the interest of the deer as well in that we select carefully the animals that need tone culled after spending many hours observing them. The selected deer will be a mix of all ages and will include a percentage that has been worked out of the numbers of males and females that are to be culled as well as any infirm or injured deer we come across.

Now that the weather is on the change things will start to grow in the areas that have survived the onslaught of the winds and rain we have suffered with through the winter months. One such example of this is these two fields of oil seed rape in the Winshill area of Burton, I first spotted them in the first week of this month and could not believe my eyes, they were both in full bloom from hedgerow to hedgerow, a lovely and welcoming sight to see.

Oil Seed Rape.

The photos I took are not the best but at least they give you an idea of what they looked like. A few days later I was traveling down south through several counties and whilst doing so I was looking for more fields of this crop and I never saw any wherever I looked, these two local fields have done very well. I am sorry for leaving it so long since my last blog but I have been very busy with other things that I will tell you about next time.

Seal Watching.

2013-12-08T22:41:00.001-08:00

The Grey Seal.

Earlier this week I went to look at one of the largest Grey Seal colonies on the East Coast, in Lincolnshire. What greeted me took me by complete surprise. The first thing you notice as you step out of your car in the parking area is the noise of the seals, then as you walk the short distance to the viewing area, as you go over the brow of the dunes, you see before you a sand bank strewn with hundreds of bodies. As most of the seals are just lying there, you might just compare it to one of the war torn beaches of the aftermath of Dunkirk. I have like many Midlanders have holidayed at Mablethorpe and Skegness and I have seen seals just off shore when the tide is in but I was completely taken back by the sight before me.
The colony started to take up residence here in the late seventy's, at first they numbered only a hundred or so but now they number in excess of 3,000. They are there all year round but it is only from October through to early December that they invade the sand banks to give birth to their young and come so close that you could reach out to touch them ( touching them is not allowed ) but the opportunity to take close up photos with your camera is a must.
The Grey Seal population here is one of the largest to be found in the U.K. the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust have seal monitors to look after them and make sure that they are not disturbed but with the thousands of visitors that come from all over the U.K. and from Europe and I spoke with a couple of Americans, I don't think the seals are bothered.

A Large Bull Seal.

Give Us A Hug.

Heading Back Out To The Sea.

The Latin name for the Grey Seal is Halichoerus grypus which means "Hooked - nosed sea pig" they are a large animal, the Bulls can reach 8ft - 10ft 8'' long and weigh as much as 370lb to 680lb, the Cows are much smaller reaching only 5ft - 6ft 6'' long and only 220lb to 420lb in weight. The seals feed on a variety of fish but are attracted to this part of the coast because of the large numbers of Salmon and Sea Trout that are trying to make it to the Humber Estuary to breed in the upper reaches of the Rivers Dove, Derwent and the Trent.
The pups when born are covered in a white dense, soft and silky fur and they rapidly fatten up on their mothers extremely fat-rich milk. Within a month they have tripled in size, putting on large amounts of fat to live on as they have to fend for themselves, as the mothers return back to sea to mate with the Bulls. The pups remain on the beach living on these fat reserves for another four or five weeks before making their way to the sea to join the rest of the colony.

Pup Covered In White Silky Fur.

Pup With Mother.

Who Loves You Baby.

A Burton Albion Supporter.

Having A Sing Song.

I Wanna Get Out Of This Place.

The Colony.

Latest News.

Since visiting the colony, the high tides created by the bad weather on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, dispersed the colony. The seal wardens cut down the fencing to allow the young pups and their mothers access on to the dunes, this action saved many of the young pups from a disaster but the wardens say that there are at least fifty or sixty unaccounted for. It is hoped that they were able to take refuge in the dunes and that they will be found safe. Pups have been found on the beaches around Mablethorpe and Skegness where they have been taken to the Seal Rescue Centres, these could have come from any of the smaller colonies found on the East Coast.

Phasianus colchicus ( The Pheasant )

2013-11-29T03:16:00.003-08:00

The Pheasant.

The shooting season is well under way now with some shoots now shooting in the main blocks of woodland as well as the drives around the game cover crops and on the stubble's. The main quarry on all shoots is the Pheasant the biggest of our Game birds.
Although the Pheasant has been around for hundreds of years and most people would think is is a native species it was in fact introduced to this country by the Romans when they invaded our shores. It was brought over as a food source for the Roman Armies as was the Dormouse. According to legend the first record of an introduction into Europe relates to the story of Jason and the Argonauts who, in their search for the Golden Fleece entered into the valley of the river Phasis in the Colchis region of Georgia, east of the Black Sea coast - hence the Pheasant's name Phasianus colchicus.
The pheasant is one of our most easily recognised birds seen in the countryside, the cock pheasant in his multi-coloured plumage stands out where ever he's seen be it on a gate post or in a field of stubble he stands out for all to see. The pheasant is a ground feeding bird and roosts at night in trees. The males are polygamous and are often seen with a harem of several females during the breeding season. They nest on the ground, producing a clutch of eggs of eight to ten over a two - three week period from April through to June. It is not unknown however for nests to be found with many more eggs in than this, as the hen birds often forget where their nest is and you can find that more than one bird is using the same nest, the incubation period is about 23 - 26 days.
Since it's introduction many new strains have been developed. This is because keepers and shoot owners try to present the guns with a sporting bird so faster, higher flying birds have been developed this of course has seen smaller and lighter strains with types like the Kansas, Michigan Blue Backs and the strain from Poland the Bazanty. Some of these bird strains have also been developed for their tendency not to stray, a big problem with some.
The Pheasants that we all know and recognise are those mentioned above but there are many other types of pheasant that are to be found and most of these you might see in Zoos and Private collections, there are others that can only be seen in the wild, here are a few photos of some of them.

The Golden Pheasant.

The Reeves Pheasant.

The Lady Amherst.

The pheasant has been responsible for the way our lowland landscape looks today, many of our woodlands were designed to accommodate this birds requirement and to make the sporting features on many big estates the success that they are. The shooting industry generates about £1.6 billion to the UK economy a year has created thousands of jobs and the pheasant makes up approx' 80% of the gamebirds shot, it offers a lean, tasty free range food source, what else can you say about this bird.

The above birds are the ones you are most likely to see when out walking in your local woodlands and hanging up at your local butcher/Gamedealer.

Trees In Our Landscape.

2013-11-23T05:37:00.002-08:00

Trees In Our Landscape.

The importance of the trees we see around us is often overlooked.Today most of us take them for granted with little or no knowledge of their importance. Trees for thousands of years have been a major influence in our lives ever since the human race was created. They provided fuel for our fires as they do now, early man made many weapons from them, throwing sticks then spears and eventually the bow. We made crude shelters from them, then as time progressed houses made from wattle, mud and straw, we hollowed out large tree trunks to make canoes and progressed to large sailing ships and boats, timber was put to use in many forms.

An Early Dwelling.

A Much Later House Built Using
The Same Methods.

Making A Dugout Canoe.

A Galleon.

When early man started to live in small Hamlets and Villages the site chosen for them was often near to or in wooded areas so that they could harvest the timber to build their homes, to provide fuel for their fires and for fences to protect their stock and to stop them from running away. As early carpenters began to build furniture they found that different trees had different properties, so it was that some types of timber such as Oak and Elm was used to make good quality chairs and tables etc while others were used for something else.

A Selection Of Oak Made
Furniture And Other Items.

I could easily write a book on this subject but lets get back to today. We are still dependent on trees in many ways be it for building, for fuel or even for the many fruits and nuts they supply that we eat. Most importantly they absorb the pollution in our air by removing the carbon dioxide and turning it into the oxygen we need to survive a process called Photosynthesis.

Many of us like a tree in our garden or to be able to see them nearby, we love to go a walk in the woods, we take pleasure in their beauty. So the next time you see a tree take time to remember where would we be without them! Do as some people do and hug a tree.

Tree Hugging.

Trees.

The Salmon Run.

2013-10-14T08:43:00.004-07:00

Salmon.

I spent a couple of hours on Saturday morning earlier this month at a weir on the river Dove hoping that the recent rains would have raised the river level enough to spur the Salmon waiting in the deep pool beneath the weir into action. Although one or two fish were seen trying to get over the weir, there is not enough water for them at the moment. It is around this time of the year that the Salmon run on the river begins in earnest but without a heavy rain fall, the fish can not get over the many obstacles that this river system has in place.

Salmon Leaping.

The Salmon have been making there way up the river system for several weeks now and they will be waiting for heavy rain falls to raise the river level to enable them to complete their journey from the North Sea to the upper reaches of the river Dove to the spawning grounds or the Redd's as they are referred to, an area of fine gravel beds where they can spawn. The Salmon having travelled through the North Sea to the Humber estuary near Goole, will make their way up the river as far as they can travel and then they will lay their eggs in a depression made in the gravel on the river bed with their tales. The hen fish will lay her eggs into the depression first and then cock fish will then try to cover the eggs with his Milt ( sperm ) in an attempt to fertilise as many eggs as he can. They will then cover the eggs over with more gravel, where they will remain until they hatch around 5 to 7 months later. When the eggs hatch they are known as Alvin's. As they grow and develop, the markings on their sides become more prominent and they are then referred to as Parr. During this growth stage many of the thousands of eggs laid will have already been lost to predation by birds, other fish and larvae of dragon flies and other predators. The young salmon will remain in the river system until the time comes for them to make there way out to the open sea, on there way they will be met with many more obstacles that will reduce even more the number of young salmon on this long and treacherous journey. Over the next year or two they will live in the sea and put on weight and grow into adult Salmon when they will then start their perilous journey to return to their birthplace to start this cycle of life all over again. Once the cycle has been completed the Salmon normally die as a result of having lost nearly all their body weight during their spawning activities and the fact they do not feed once they return to fresh water from the sea. It is believed that of every 8,000. eggs laid only 2 fish will survive to return back to continue the breeding cycle.

The above chart refers to the Atlantic Salmon but the life cycle of the fish in our rivers and the North Sea are the same.

The recent rain over the past few days has seen an increase in movement on the weir since my last visit. Rain entering the river system from the hills in the Peak District has swollen the river water and pumped in plenty of oxygen giving the fish a chance to get over the weirs and get through the fish passes like the one at Tutbury, boosting their chances of reaching the spawning areas further up stream.

September Sunshine.

2013-10-03T05:00:00.001-07:00

September Sun.

What an absolutely beautiful late Summers day, this is the last Sunday of September as I set off with my dog for an afternoon stroll over the fields to some ancient woodland. The sun was at its highest, the heat felt on my head and neck. The breeze was most welcome as I walked out in the open. My little Cocker Spaniel was searching through the cover as we crossed through the pasture and the new plantation, his nose to the ground searching for the scents drifting over the ground of any passing Rabbit, Hare, Pheasant or Partridge.
Overhead a Buzzard or two circled on the thermals created from the warm air as it rises upwards from the ground. A rabbit shot out as my dog entered some ground cover, I called him, he had a smug look on his face as if to say aren't I a clever boy dad.
As I carried on along the track towards the wood through the new plantation I noticed several Fairy Rings. They were once believed to have been made by Fairies or caused by lighting or where an animal, such as a horse, was tethered to a stake in the ground but the explanation, although more scientific and less superstitious or romantic is caused by the additional nitrogen that is released by the fungal underground mycelium of the network of fine threads that the fungi produce. According to country lore it is taboo to interfere with a fairy ring in any way, for fear of being struck dead and any young boys wishing to avoid being enticed into the ring to dance with the fairies, must wear their hats back to front as they walked by them.

A Fairy Ring.

With no further ado we entered the ancient woodland reckoned to be over 300 years old. A Tawny Owl called out from a nearby tree and a Jay flew into the trees disturbed by my dog, as it was collecting acorns. As I walk along I wonder if I am perhaps walking in the footsteps of Robin Hood or where Kings and other nobles once hunted the deer and wild boar that once lived here.
Many years ago it was thought that these woods once had herds of wild cattle in them that were hunted for their meat. It is said that Earl De Ferrers a Norman Knight who came over with William the Conquer herded up some of these cattle and put them in the Great Park he created at Chartley Castle, where you can see the remains from the road as you travel to Stafford from Uttoxeter through Loxley, where Robin Hood is said to have come from. Walking on through the fallen acorns and the newly fallen leaves, signs that Autumn is now with us, as I walked on through the wood I looked at the different trees that are there. The Old Ancient Oaks that still survive after hundreds of years, the Beech Trees and Ash that make up this truly amazing beauty spot. I walked through the wood and out into the old pasture, an open area where even now cattle graze and feed on the fallen Crab Apples from the trees that have been there forever. The cattle that once grazed here were the Aurocs and the descendants of these cattle that were herded up and driven to Chartley can be seen grazing around the old castle ruins. These cattle became to be known as the White Park.

A Chartley Bull.

A Herd of White Park.

Wild Boar.

I sat down on the seat that looks out across the little Brook and over the valley, I took in all the sights the view presented me loving every breath I took as several Dragonflies dashed backwards and forwards around me. I had seen a few days earlier here a Red Tailed Kite circling overhead but it was not to be seen today.
Having rested for a while I set off along the footpath beside the wood for a short distance before taking the path back into the wood again and out on to the fields that took me back to the car park. My walk over, we got back into my vehicle to take the scenic route home. It was an enjoyable afternoons outing.

Oak Wood.

Coming Soon, Cooking With Jeff.

2013-10-01T06:41:00.001-07:00

Cooking With Jeff.

Today I spent this morning with an old friend of mine Jeff Thomas at the New Farm Cookery School, situated in the lovely countryside at Hanbury in the Needwood Forest. I have known Jeff for quite a while and I love his passion for cooking and trying his latest dish or creation. Jeff is a Masterchef and has won the title of Master Chef of Great Britain in 2011, something that he's very proud of as only 200 other chefs have been recognised at this level in the UK. Jeff is also a member of the Craft Guild of Chefs.

A Countryside Setting.

Jeff's latest venture is helping in the creation of the New Farm Cookery School working along with Chris Scarratt who is also an excellent Chef in his own right specialising in Patisserie and Chocolate artistry. Together they have set up the school of cookery at New Farm on Knightsfield Road near the village of Hanbury. They will be running various courses covering either one day, three days or a week. There are creative catering courses to suit everyone, from the amateur cook to a high calibre chef who wants to perfect their skills.

The school will also be offering Team Building and Corporate Events as well as catering for weddings and other functions.

Dining Area.

In the very near future the cookery school will be making a regular visit on the Burton TV News website when each month the film crew will be there to record a cooking demonstration, giving all you would be cooks a chance to see a professional chef at work, preparing and cooking a different recipe on each visit. Jeff and Chris will be demonstrating their skills with many different recipes over the coming months giving you the chance to show off your cooking skills next time you are entertaining your own dinner guests. They will be selecting dishes from Meat, Fish, Poultry, Game and other recipes that you will be able to follow in your own home, so look out for the first program coming soon.

Master Chef Jeff Thomas.

Looking Out From The
Dinning Area.

Entrance To School.

Cooking Area.

HAVE FUN GUYS.

2013-09-20T09:13:00.002-07:00

HAVE FUN GUYS.

Forgive the pun but I could not resist. I am of course referring to Mushrooms or Fungi. I was out this morning with my dog not very far from the town and I was looking for Mushrooms, the first two or three fields I tried, although in the past have always provided me with a regular supply, have failed me this year. However it's still a bit early so I might find some in a few days time. The last field I walked over however did provide me with enough to have with my bacon and eggs on Sunday morning that's if the other half don't nick them first.

Fresh Picked Mushrooms.

Mushrooms are easy to find and sometimes you can see them from quite a distance as the light reflects off them. I have driven around the country lanes many times looking over the hedgerows and fences and spotted them growing out in the open. In the past I would just go and pick a few but now if you do not want to upset the land owner ask him first, he might say no or he might say yes and tell you where he has seen a better place to find them, whatever, do not pick them all it's only polite to leave some for somebody else and next year you can go back again, you might have made a new friend in the process.

Just one word of WARNING make sure you know what you are picking, there are many types of Fungi and not all are eatable, so either get a good book or go with someone that knows what they are looking for. The National Trust sometimes take out groups on foraging expeditions and so do the Local Wildlife Trusts so keep a look out for any advertisements in the local press or on the local radio programs.

RECIPES.

There are plenty to pick and choose from, they can be used on their own or in Pies etc, have a look on the internet for some fab ideas to try with yours.

And finally have fun guys.

Winter Is A Comming.

2013-09-03T12:20:00.001-07:00

Look Out Time.

September is now with us and summer's almost over, the days are getting shorter and the dark nights are drawing in. When the leaves on the trees start to turn and the Martins and Swallows start to gather on the phone lines, it's a sure sign that Autumn and Winter are on their way.

Swallows gather themselves ready to migrate.

This years young Swallows and House Martins are high on the wing, strengthening their muscles ready for their long migration south over Europe to Africa where they will spend the winter months until their return next spring. As our summer visitors leave us, look out for the first of our winter visitors like the Fieldfare, Redwings, Waxwings and Robins. Yes I did say Robins, while we do see them all year round most of our Robins are migrants. There are of course many other birds that spend the winter here, especially Wildfowl; Ducks, Geese and Swans come here in their thousands and what is the common factor? Food and the weather.

Man is a Hunter Gatherer and just as the birds and animals of our countryside ready themselves for the cold months of winter, in times gone by so did we. Now is the time to go and look for all those free foods that can be found in our fields and hedgerows, time to start making Jams and other preserves that will help us through those winter months. Crab Apples, Blackberries from our hedgerows, Strawberries, Red and Black Currents, Raspberries, Gooseberries from our gardens and Apples, Pears, Plums and Damsons from our trees. I remember both my Great Grandma, my Gran and also my Mother all busy making jams and preserves to be stored and used over winter. Apart from what we could make from all of these fruits and berries many families in the past would have a couple of pigs and a few chickens in the garden, that they fattened up for winter, maybe a Goose or Turkey for Christmas as well. My Grandad who lived here in the town always kept a few chickens and pigs at the bottom of the garden. In the row of houses where he lived there was a block of Pig Sty's and a large boiler at the end of the block for the making of pig swill. Many the time I have as a child watched him make his brew of swill for his pigs and occasionally helped him with the process. Things have changed a lot since then and you can go to the corner shop and pick up a pot of jam or a can of fruit etc. and with our fridges and freezers you may say why bother. I say try making your own preserves they taste much better and there is the pleasure that comes from making them and teaching your children as well.

Cob Nuts.

Hazel Nuts.

Nutting, no not banging your heads together I mean gathering nuts for the winter and Christmas. There are plenty of nuts waiting to be gathered from our woods and hedgerow. I would go out collecting a selection of nuts for eating. My favourite is the Hazel nut and Cob nut but I would also collect the nuts from the Sweet Chestnut for roasting in the open fire or in the oven of the Rayburn. They taste lovely on a cold winters night taken with a sip of Sloe Gin or perhaps with a glass or two of homemade wine. I love Elderberry. Now I might be wrong in saying that the Cob nut and the Hazel nut are different but I have always been led to believe that they are both from the same family but are two separate varieties, the cob nut being bigger and only found growing in the South of the country. Philbert's is another name for the Hazel nut and it is believed that they were given this name because of Saint Filbert who died in 684 whose feast day in late August coincides with the ripening of the fruit. Another nut that is nice to eat and can be used in cake making is the Walnut, I am lucky that I do have access to a couple of trees but I am sure that you could find a tree some where local where you may be able to gather a few.
So I hope I have given you some ideas and plenty to do, many recipes can be found on the Internet and in many good cookery books. One last word of warning, some people are allergic to nuts so always ask them before offering them to friends and family otherwise enjoy.

Now getting back to the birds, I do digress. With winter drawing nearer with all those birds looking for food, perhaps some of the nuts, fruits and berries you collected can just be put to one side to help feed those birds as the weather becomes much colder. Try putting a few berries in bags to freeze as they are then thaw them overnight to put out for the birds visiting your garden, it's surprising what turns up to feed at your bird table if you can offer a selection of fruits and seeds.

I do like to put pictures on my blog to go with what I am writing about but unfortunately on this occasion where I make reference to the pig sty's at the bottom of my grandparents house, on visiting their old home, although the buildings are still there, very little remains of what was once an unusual building to find behind a row of terraced houses in the middle of the town.

Birdsong.

2013-08-05T05:06:00.000-07:00

Birdsong.

While out in some woods checking on deer damage for an estate in Oxfordshire, it became very noticeable at the lack of any birdsong. There were birds still fluttering from one tree to another and apart form the squawk of an odd Magpie and the cooing of a Wood pigeon there were no other sounds to be heard. It is now the eighth month of the year and the days are becoming shorter and the nights are starting to close in, which is why most birdsong has ceased. So it will be another six months or more before we hear the song of the Blackbird again. The only bird you are likely to hear that continues its song through August is the Yellowhammer, easily recognised from its simple song that sounds like it is saying "a-little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese" which is one of the most characteristic sounds to be heard on hot summer days.

A Yellowhammer.

The bird is easily recognised by its bright yellow plumage on its head and underparts, on the male, with a heavily streaked back, while the female is much duller. The bird is about the size of a sparrow and during the winter months of the year they will often fly with them in small flocks. The yellowhammer is a passerine meaning sparrow like in the Bunting family and it is common throughout the UK but numbers have declined during the last thirty or forty years due to the use of pesticides and the removal of many of our hedgerows. It prefers to live in lowland arable and mixed farmland because of the greater availability of seed. It feeds its young on insects but once they have flown the nest they quickly adapt to the eating of seeds.

I look forward to the arrival of next spring because the woods and fields, without any birdsong, although pleasurable to be in, are not quite the same.

Harvesting Our Hedgerows.

2013-07-30T09:00:00.001-07:00

Harvest Time.

It will soon be time to start harvesting the various fruits and nuts from our hedgerows around the fields and our woods. One of the first to harvest is the fruit of the Crab Apple but because the spring was a long time coming you may still be able to find some Elder Flowers that are still usable to make Elderflower Cordial, here is a recipe.

Ingredients;
2 1/4 lb of sugar.
2 1/2 pints of boiling water.
4 medium size washed Lemons.
30 good sized Elderflower Heads. ( shake off any insects. )
2 oz of citric acid.

Method;
Put sugar in a large saucepan/stockpot or a large Pyrex bowl. Pour in the boiling water over the sugar stirring till all the sugar has dissolved and allow to cool.
Using a fine grater, grate the rind of the lemons and add to the sugared water.
Slice the lemons into thick slices and add to the water. Add the citric acid and stir in, then finally add the flower heads to the water and stir again.
Cover with a clean cloth and leave to steep for 48 hours.
Strain through a clean fine muslin cloth into a clean bowl.
Using a funnel, fill your pre sterilised bottles, seal and store in a cool dark place for a few weeks before drinking or freeze some of them in plastic bottles until wanted. Once opened store in refrigerator.

Crab-apple Jelly.

Ingredients;
6 lbs of crab-apples.
4 pints of water.
Sugar.

Method;
Wash and cut apples in to quarters, without peeling or coring. Put in a large saucepan and add the water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1 and a half hours, or until the fruit is well mashed, add a little more water if required. At this point you may add a few cloves or some bruised root ginger to add flavour to the apples while they are cooking but this is optional, personally I don't bother.
When finished strain the contents through a jelly cloth.

Now measure the extracted liquid and for each pint add 1 lb of sugar on returning it back to the pan. Now here is the tricky bit. Bring the pan to the boil, stirring until all the sugar is dissolved, then bring to a rapid boil until the setting point temperature is reached, you may use a jam making thermometer for this or you can test by putting a drop on to a cold spoon, if it starts to set then you are ready to go. Skim, pot and cover your jars in the usual way. I often have problems with the last part getting it to set but I normally get there in the end.
This makes a smashing Jelly and served with Pork you can't beet it.

Cherry's.

I see the Cherry's on the trees along Shobnall Road are ready for picking and I have spotted the post man and a news paper boy already taking them. There is a group of trees opposite Marstons Club but I would ask before picking them. The cherry's when used with some Granny Smith's Apples do make a nice pie but you can also make a nice sauce to serve with roast duck. Here is the recipe for the sauce.

Ingredients;
100 ml of Chicken stock.
100 ml of Port.
A good handful of cherry's stoned and halved.
A desert spoon of red current jelly.
One roast duck.

Method;
Put the chicken stock and the port in a pan and bring to the boil and reduce by a third. Add the cherries and simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the red current jelly until dissolved. Serve hot or cold with your roast duck.

These tips and the use of various fruits etc will be ongoing as the seasons change and the fruits ripen, so keep checking for updates as I add to the list.

Jam Making.

Jam making in days of old was a hectic time when the seasonal fruits were being harvested to make the jams and preserves that were going to feed you through the winter months. All this has changed, now that the fruits can be picked when at their best and frozen, there is now no such urgency to race around to make your preserves and jams. Jams made from frozen fruit will taste infinitely fresher and more delicious than fruit jams made three or four months earlier.

A selection of jams.

To make your jams you will need a large saucepan ( Not Aluminium. ) sugar and fruit of your choice. When buying your Sugar do not buy Jam Making Sugar, it is not necessary unless you are making a jam from a fruit that has a low pectin content. Slightly under-ripe fruit can make a better jam, because of the higher acidity level. Here is a list of fruits that are high in pectin and do not require any additive to help make your jam and a list of other fruits that are high and may require some help and a list of fruits that are low in pectin and will require help.

High in Pectin. ( No help. )
Crab apples, blackcurrants, gooseberries, plums, redcurrants, cooking apples, damsons, quince, lemons and most plums.

High Pectin level. ( But may need help. )
Raspberries, loganberries, boysenberries, tayberries and apricots.

Low in Pectin. ( Use jam making sugar. )
Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, rhubarb, elderberries, peaches, sweet cherries, desert apples and pears.

Tip:
Adding Lemon juice ( about a quarter of a cup per batch ) helps to activate the pectin to set. Lemon juice or citric acid is often needed with some fruits even those that are high in natural pectin to get your set. It's also handy to put a couple of small plates in your fridge to use when testing if your fruit is ready. When you think it has reached the setting point put a spoonful of your jam on the middle of a cold plate and if it starts to go wrinkly then the set point has been reached.

Now I am no expert when it comes to making jams but I have had some success and some disasters. So from here on may I suggest that you follow a well tried and proven recipe, there are plenty to follow in books or you can find them on the internet, if you get stuck buy readymade or try again it's worth doing.

On the boil. It looks good
even at this stage.

Robin Hood.

2013-07-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

Robin Hood:

Mention the name ‘Robin Hood, and most people think of Sherwood Forest and the Sheriff of Nottingham. The legend, entrenched in popular imagination by numerous TV series and blockbuster Hollywood movies, tells how Robin of Loxley returns from the Holy Land where he has been fighting the Saracens in the service of Richard the Lionheart, to find his father killed and his lands forfeit. Forced to live as an outlaw in the woods he becomes Robin Hood, where with his childhood sweetheart Maid Marion at his side, he gathers a trusted band of men about him in order to frustrate the ambitions of Prince John and protect the rights of common people until King Richard returns from the crusades.

Nottingham has built a thriving tourist industry on the slimmest of evidence. Other areas, notably Barnsdale in Yorkshire, make similar claims to be the home of Robin Hood. There assertions are based on myth and folklore rather than hard historical fact and when it comes anecdotal evidence, Staffordshire can more than match anything Nottingham or Barnsdale has to offer.

Louis Rhead, who wrote one of the most popular books on Robin Hood, published in 1912, sets much of the action in Sherwood Forest but identifies him at the beginning as living ‘on an estate near Locksley village, about two miles from the famous old town of Uttoxeter … on the borders of the Royal Forest of Needwood’. Most of the legends identify Robin as Robin of Locksley/Loxley and sometimes as the Earl of Huntingdon. Loxley, between Abbots Bromley and Uttoxeter is as good a candidate as any. Modern Loxley Hall largely dates from the 18^th century but parts of the fabric are two hundred years older and an earlier house stood on the same site.

Loxley Hall.

A more recent photo of
Loxley Hall.

The Great Hall.

The Hall is now a school.

The gates to the school depict an
image of Robin Hood.

In the grounds can be found Maid Marion’s Walk and arbour, Robin Hoods hunting horn', reputedly a prize won in an archery competition at Tutbury, once hung in Loxley Hall.

All that's left of the Arbour. The remaining
stone work was removed for safe keeping.

Maid Marion's Walk in the grounds
of Loxley Hall.

The silver hunting horn that
mysteriously disappeared.

The silver horn engraved with the initials ‘RH’ mysteriously disappeared after US soldiers were billeted at Loxley during World War II. According to local tradition, Maid Marion grew up in a cottage at Yoxall and met Robin when he passed by as she was bathing in the River Swarbourn. Today a modern bungalow occupies the site on the banks of the river just north of the village.

Loxley is on the fringes of Needwood Forest. Anyone growing up in the area in the medieval period is likely to have learned woodland skills and how to hunt deer and other game. A family called ‘Hodes’ is documented living at Loxley in a 13^th-century survey. We can easily dispel the Huntingdon myth, the earls are well documented but there is an interesting connection with Loxley and the Hodes. David St Liz, Earl of Huntingdon in the early 13^th-century married Maud, sister of the Earl of Chester and it was the Norman earls of Chester who dispossessed the Saxon Hodes of their land at Loxley after the Conquest. Saxon/Norman rivalry is a common thread running through many of the tales told of Robin Hood.

Each year in September, the village of Abbots Bromley celebrates the Horn Dance. The origins of this festival are obscure but it is worth noting that Robin Hood and Maid Marion appear as characters in the ritual. A medieval stained glass window formerly in St Margaret’s Church, Betley (now in the Victoria and Albert Museum though the church has a copy) features Robin Hood, Maid Marion and other ‘Merry Men’ figures.

The Horn Dance.

One of the earliest written sources to mention Robin Hood is a medieval manuscript in the British Museum. This tells not of Maid Marion marrying Robin Hood but Clorinda, Queen of the Shepherds. In this account Robin meets Clorinda in Needwood Forest, dressed in a gown of green velvet and armed with a longbow. She tells him she is going ‘to kill a fat buck; for tomorrow is Titbury (i.e. Tutbury) fair’. Soon after Clorinda makes good her boast when a herd of deer pass by and is joined by a suitably impressed Robin, Little John and other companions for a feast. Afterwards, Robin proposes marriage and the couple send for Sir Roger, the local parson, taking their vows beneath an ancient yew in the churchyard of St Cuthbert’s, Doveridge. A placard in the churchyard where the centuries old yew still stands recounts the legend.

The Placard.

The Yew Tree.

Tutbury Castle.

From Doveridge, Robin, Little John and Clorinda leave Tutbury. The ballad continues that after travelling ‘five Staffordshire miles’ they are accosted by a group of eight yeomen who demand they hand over the buck Clorinda had bagged earlier. Robin and Little John set about the men until they beg for mercy. The writer locates the scene ‘near to Titbury town where the bagpiper baited the bull’. Is it just coincidence that a stone said to mark the scene of a battle fought by Robin Hood, recorded in the mid-19^th century close to crossroads north of Draycott in the Clay where Fauld Lane leads to Tutbury but now lost, is just about the right distance and en route to fit with the medieval ballad? Tutbury Fair, famously featuring bull running, is well documented and was held in mid-August each year. During the middle ages it involved a Minstrels’ Court and festivities that drew people from far and wide.

There are many more stories spanning the years from c.1200 to the early 14^th century. His legendary prowess as an archer certainly points towards a later date than the time of Richard I when the longbow was little used. By the late-13^th century archery was hugely popular and the most proficient archers won popular acclaim.

Burton Bridge Circa 1600

Among the numerous folktales is one that Robin fought against Edward II in the retinue of the Earl of Lancaster, whose stronghold was Tutbury Castle, at the Battle of Burton Bridge in 1322. If he was involved it is more evidence to suggest he was local. It also provides a plausible reason why he was outlawed and as it happens, the King’s right hand man was the Sheriff of Nottingham. Edward subsequently pardoned many of those outlawed for their part in the Lancastrian revolt. A royal pardon for Robin Hood fits the story commonly told, though the king involved is widely assumed to be Richard I, he is usually identified in early ballads only as ‘the comely king’, and records reveal a Robin Hood serving for a year in Edward’s household in 1323.

The people round Uttoxeter will continue to believe that the famous outlaw was born at Loxley and that he was possibly a member of the De Ferrers family ’Robert Ferrers’ son of the Earl of Derby who once owned the Hall and Chartley Castle. The Earl of Derby forfeited his lands including Tutbury Castle for taking part in the abortive Rebellion by the Barron's against Henry 111 in 1264 or 1266. Two local historians Erdeswich and Redfern also believe that the Loxley where Robin Hood came from is the Loxley in Staffordshire near Uttoxeter. This area of Staffordshire along with all its other connections seems to have more to offer than all other contenders for being the true birthplace of Robin Hood. The picture of Robin Hood’s Hunting Horn has the initials R.H. quite clearly engraved upon it and either side of his initials can be seen three horseshoes set in a shield. These horseshoes are part of the arms of the De Ferrers family laying claim to suggest he was from that family.

This bungalow is said to have been
built on the original foundations of Maid Marion's home.

We will probably never know the truth. Man or myth: fact or fiction? The legend of Robin Hood has a potent grip, and the weight of evidence certainly stacks up for a Staffordshire man - our hero!

The Forrester's Arms at Yoxall
until recent years, depicted a sign of figure of a man drawing his bow dressed in Lincoln Green.

The Rut.

2013-07-22T05:01:00.000-07:00

The Roe Deer.

We are coming up to the end of the month and the weather has been fantastic, if you like it hot. The temperature has been well up in the 70s and 80s this is a bit to hot for me. However there is one animal that likes these hot and humid days and if there is a chance of the weather turning thundery then it likes it even more. What animal you might ask likes this weather, well it is the Roe Deer ( Capreolus capreolus ) the European roe deer is a relatively small member of the deer species in the U-K, standing at around 30inches high with a body weight of 33 - 77 lb. Its coat, referred to as pelage in the summer is of a bright red colour like a fox. In the winter months it turns to a dark grey. Both sexes have a white rump patch that they flick out when alarmed. On the female ( doe ) it is heart shaped and on the male the ( buck ) it is kidney shaped. They also let out a bark like a dog when alarmed.

A Roe Buck in its
summer coat.

A group of Roe Deer in
their winter coat.

Only the male has antlers that are short and erect that grow from its pedicles, a part of the frontal bone of the skull and at the base of the antler is the coronet.

Antler terms of a Roe Deer.

The antler is cast each year usually between October and December with new growth commencing straight away and being completed by March or April. When the new antlers are growing they are covered with velvet, a thin layer of tissue containing nerves and blood vessels. Once the new antler has reached its full size the velvet starts to fray and fall off. This is an irritation to the animal and it will find a tree stem that it can rub its antlers up and down on to help get rid of it quicker.

A buck shedding its velvet.

This is called fraying and to the owner of a wood that is managed for its timber the damage to trees especially in a plantation can kill a young tree or inhibit its growth. As the animal ages its antlers improve, they grow thicker and develop the tines ( points ) on each one: brow, top and back point with the pearling becoming more pronounced. The coronet also gets bigger and when the animal has reached maturity at about seven years of age they will eventually meet. Some males never develop their antlers or only grow single spikes. These are often referred to as 'Murder Bucks'. The reason for this is that in a fight with another buck because its antlers have no points on them to catch in the antler of the other animal, it can cause severe damage to the other animal that may result in its untimely death. Sometimes an animal may have a problem with the growth of its antlers. It may be hormone related or due to a number of different reasons and it becomes malformed or it becomes a perruque. The deer manager in each of these circumstances will endeavour to remove this animal when carrying out his culling duties.

A Roe Buck with a good head.

A Perruque.

A Murder Buck.

A malformed head.

The Rut.

It is at this time of the year that the bucks become restless and let off steam by increased fraying activity and barking loudly at other deer. Sometimes fights will occur if there is more than one male in an area and there is a doe present. If a buck finds a doe in his area and she is ready to mate then a very hectic chase begins with the buck following the doe. During these chases and at other times when the doe wants to attract a buck she often makes a high pitched squeaking noise and the buck responds with a wheezing sound like someone with asthma. Quite often these chases take place around a stump of an old tree or a bush or an anthill and as they run around it they make a circular or a figure of eight track. This is referred to as a roe ring. After a while the doe may allow the buck to mount her. After several attempts, if she is ready, then she will allow copulation to take place. Although the mating with the buck of her choice may have been a successful one she may do it again with one or more bucks. The doe is monoestrous, only coming in to season once a year. The rutting activity is most likely to be seen during the day when the weather is warm and dry or thundery, hence this time of the year being called the rut in the roe deer. The roe deer breeding calendar is different to other deer species like Red, Fallow and Sika that have their rut in October with the fawns being born in June and July where as in roe deer the young are born in April, May and July.

Mother and triplets.

A Roe fawn.

After the Rut.

Once the rut has taken place and all activity has ended, usually by the middle of August, the bucks seem to disappear for a period of (3 or 4 weeks ) although some individuals may continue to pursue any doe in the area on the off chance that she may still be receptive. Sometimes in late september there is again signs of rutting activity and this is known as the false rut. It is usually the activity of very young bucks and seldom lasts more than a few days. The doe if she has been successfully mated will take nearly ten months between the rut and giving birth to her young. The roe deer uses a method known as delayed implantation this means the fertilised egg she carries inside her increases slowly in size, and from August till December it remains floating free in the maternal uterus. In mid December the embryo is still small about 20mm in length. Around Christmas time it then becomes attached to the wall of the uterus and it will then develop normally, to give birth towards the end of April through to July.

Hedgerows In Bloom.

2013-07-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hedgerows Are Blooming.

Our hedgerows are in full bloom with a mass of our native wild flowers. On my trip out to the countryside this weekend I could not help but notice all the different colours that were in the hedgerows at the present moment. There were the White flowers of the Blackberry ( Rubus fruitcosa. ) also known as the Bramble bush, Honeysuckle ( Lonicera. ) with their highly perfumed flowers in various shades of colours, White, Cream, Yellow and deep Purple. There was also our beautiful native wild Rose ( Rosa canina. ) the Dog Rose with it's Pink and White flowers. The flowers of the Elder Tree ( Sambucus. ) pretty lace like flower heads poking out through the hedgerow or standing tall above it. These are the main plants that could be seen but there are still other hedgerow plants in flower like the Foxglove, White and Pink Campion and I also spotted a Nettle Leaved Campanula growing in one place at the side of the road in a local hedgerow.

The Bramble.

Bramble Bush.

Close Up Of Flower.

The Fruit.
( Blackberries. )

The Bramble Bush grows wild around our woodlands and in our hedgerows sending up its long arching canes that do not flower or set fruit in their first year. In their second year they produce flowers and fruit. The bush starts to flower in May and continues through to late summer. The fruits start to form July onwards and are at their best in late August and September. The flowers attract many bees and butterflies of which some are dependent on for their survival and hover flies. The fruit is also eaten by several species of birds particularly the Blackbird. The fruit is also eaten by a large number of mammals such as the Fox, Mice and others. The cane of the bush ( Bramble Stems ) when cut and dried, then split were used as a binding material for tying straw in basket work and was once used for making the traditional bee skips as used by many bee keepers in the past. The fruit also has many culinary uses such as making Blackberry Pie on its own or Blackberry and Apple. The fruit is also used for making jams, jelly and in the making of wine and brandy.

Blackberry Brandy.

Here is a old recipe for making Blackberry Brandy.

Recipe.

1 Bottle of Brandy.
Enough blackberries to fill half a bottle.
A few Cloves 3 or 4.
Cinnamon to taste.
90 grams of Sugar.
1 Clean and sterilised glass bottle with a screw top.

The Method.

Crush the berries lightly in a glass bowl.
Half fill your sterilised bottle with the crushed fruit.
Add the Cinnamon, cloves and sugar and fill with brandy.
Screw down the top tightly on bottle and leave for 3 or 4 months.
Shake the bottle everyday for the first 2 weeks and then once a month.
After 3 or 4 months or when clear strain into another bottle and enjoy.

Honeysuckle.

The Honeysuckle ( Lonicera ) or sometimes also called Woodbine, is also an arching shrub or a twining vine in the family Caprifoliaceae. Most species are very sweetly scented and produce a sweet and edible nectar. The fruits are red, blue or black and are mildly poisonous so most fruits are only attractive to wildlife. There are 180 species of this plant worldwide with most of them being found in China, India, North America and Europe. The plant is valued in our gardens for its ability to quickly cover unsightly walls, fences and outbuildings and for its fragrance. Stick dressers look for Hazel, Holly and Ash that have been used by the honeysuckle to climb up because of the markings left by the plant, as it twists and climbs up the tree, always in a Clockwise Direction. The flowers attract butterflies, moths and other insects and the berries are loved by the birds. One moth in particular that is attracted to the flowers is the Humming Bird Hawk Moth, Macroglossum Stellatarum.

The Humming Bird
Hawkmoth.

Honeysuckle.

Close up of flower.

Wild Rose.

The Dog Rose ( Rosa canina ) our native wild rose with its pink or white flowers is sprawling through our hedgerows filling them with colour. The plant may have got its common name the dog rose from its use during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries when it was used to treat the bite from a rabid dog. The other explanation for its name is the term "dog' which was used to describe something that was 'worthless; presumably by its comparison to cultivated roses. The plant is very high in certain antioxidants, the fruit is noted for its high vitamin C levels and was used to make Rose Hip Syrup and also tea and marmalade. Rose Hip Syrup is made from the hips that the plant produces after it has finished flowering and it was used extensively for the production of vitamin C during the war period. The fine hairs found inside the hips were very popular with children who would use them for making itching powder.

The Dog Rose found in many of our hedgerows.

Close up of flower.

Rose Hips.

The Elder Tree.

The Elder ( Sambucus ) was once regarded as one of the most magically powerful of all plants with many myths and folklore attached to it. It is a broadleaved tree and it is deciduous. It will grow in almost any soil except sand and it is native to the British Isles and can be found growing in many gardens, hedgerows and woodlands. The elder has many uses, for food and drink. Elderflower cordial makes a lovely refreshing drink on a hot summers day, 'champagne' can also be made from its flowers. The berries are used to make a delicious rich red wine. The flowers are also used to make a skin cleanser and a eye lotion by the cosmetic industry.

Elder in flower.

It is thought that it got its name from the Anglo-saxon word 'aeld ' meaning fire because the stems, when hollowed out were used to blow air down them into the centre of a fire like bellows. There is a lot of folklore and magical references made about the tree. It was thought that if you burned elder wood you could see the devil in the smoke and flames. If you planted one near to your house it would ward of the devil and other evil spirits. It was also said that the Fairy people who love music and merrymaking love the sound produced by instruments made from elder wood. The wood from elder is used to make whistles, pipes, chanters and other musical instruments, due to the branches containing a soft pithy core that is easily removed to create a hollow pipe of a pale, hard, easily polished wood ( it also makes good pea shooters ). It is said that the best time to catch or see a fairy is under the tree on Midsummer's Eve, when the fairy King and Queen could be seen passing by. The elder has many medicinal uses, its leaves are believed to have mildy narcotic influences which is why in old folklore superstition you were advised never to fall asleep under an elder tree in case you never woke up again. The aroma exuded by the leaves will repel flies, bunches of leaves were hung in the doorways of homes, livestock barns, in dairies to stop the milk from turning and a sprig of leaves was often employed to keep flies away from a horses head by tying it to its harness. The berries, leaves and the bark were used in the Harris Tweed industry. All dyes used came from the elder.

Elder berries.

The Dog Wood.
( Cornus florida. )

This was quite a surprise finding this beautiful shrub growing in one of our local hedgerows. It can not be seen from the road as it is on a private estate where I had been given permission to take some photos of it. This is not a native plant, of which there are about 30 - 60 species found around the world and most of them are found in North America, China, Japan and the Southeastern United States is particularly rich in native species. The name 'dog tree' entered the English vocabulary in around 1548 by 1614 it had been changed to 'dogwood' it was also called the Hounds Tree in some parts of the country. It is thought that it got its name from using the slender stems for making "dags' ( daggers, skewers and arrows ). Another name for this tree is the Whipple tree. A whippletree is part of the harness in horse-drawn carts it was used to link the draw pole of the cart to the harness of the horses in file, these items still bear the name of the tree from which they were made.

A Whippletree for a three horse team.

Like the Dogrose it is high in vitamin C but it was seldom used in medicine. The timber of dogwood was highly prized for making loom shuttles, tool handles, roller skates, longbows, heads of golf clubs and as fine inlays and the very first kinds of laminated tennis rackets were also made from the wood after it had been cut in to thin strips.

Full length is about 50 yds.

The Hedge.

Close up of the flower.

Making Hay.

2013-07-07T09:13:00.001-07:00

Farmer's Make Hay.

The Old Way.

The art of Hay Making is the longest known method of conserving grass for winter stock feeding and man has been making it for the last six thousand years. This month see's the start of the hay making season and with this sudden hot spell, farmers all over the country are Making Hay While The Sun Shines, to quote an old saying.

To make hay successfully farmers are dependant on the weather as once the grass is cut it has to be throughly dried before it can be bailed and stored. Cutting usually takes place from mid June and onwards if the weather permits, just before the grasses and other plants start to flower however , many meadows are cut whilst in flower when there is a lot of pollen being produced by the plants ( hence Hay Fever ).

Traditional Hay Meadows.

Cutting The Grass.

After Cutting.

When the weather looks to be settled for a period of several days or more the Hay Making Process can begin. Once the sun has burnt off the early morning due hay cutting begins, the mowers cut the grass leaving it in neat rows, to begin the drying out process. To help the crop to dry out the farmer will use an attachment that lifts and roughs up the cut rows of grass to allow the air in and enable it to dry out quicker in the sun, as much moisture as possible needs to be removed before baling the hay can take place and all this is a race against time, if the weather changes and it rains on the grass then the crop is lost.

Two Different Types Of Hay Turning Attachments.

Here we have a sequence of photos showing how it was done in the olden days and in some parts of the world, this is still how it is done today.

Cutting The Grass.

Turning It In To Rows.

Horse Drawn Mower.

A Horse Drawn Rake.

Carting It Away.

Once the grass has completely dried out which could take a few days or more then the process of bailing it begins. If the moisture content is to high at this point and the bales are put in to store then there is a high risk of the bales spontaneously combusting ( self igniting ).

Balers Old And New.

At the mowing stage the grasses can contain up to 90% of their moisture, this will have to be reduced to between 12% and 20% before it can be safely stored. The use of modern equipment started as recently as only 50 years ago with the first modern bailer being made by John Deere in the United States of America. Before the introduction of modern farming equipment the Hay Harvest was almost a community event, labourers from neighbouring farms would all get together to help get this important crop in as quickly as possible, so it was all hands on deck with some of the local villagers and even school children helping out as it was very labour orientated to cut, rake, turn over and cart it away.

I have only touched briefly on this subject to give you a little insight, many books full of advice have been written over many years but the process it's self has changed little.

Facts About The Month Of July.

2013-07-05T07:17:00.002-07:00

FACTS ABOUT THE MONTH OF JULY.

Gemstone; Pearl

Delphiniums.

Flower of the month:

Larkspur ( Delphinium )

July is the Seventh month of the year according to the Gregorian Calendar and is also one of the hottest. It is nearly the end of the school year and the start of the summer holiday season. July was the fifth month of the year in the calendar of the ancient romans and was called Quintilius which means fifth. It was later changed by a Roman Senate to Julius in honour of Julius Caesar who was born in the year 100 BC on the 12^th of July and he died on March 15^th in 44 BC.

The Anglo-Saxon names for this month were Heymonath and Maed monath meaning the month of haymaking ( Heymonath ) and this was the time of the month when all the flowers were in full bloom in the meadows ( Maed Monath )

Weather-lore, Beliefs and Sayings.

'If the first of July it be rainy weather,

'Twill rain more or less for four weeks together'.

On St Swithin's Day the 15^th of July it was said that whatever the weather is like on this day it will continue so for the next forty days and nights.

St Swithin's Day, if thou dost rain

For forty days and nights it will remain.

St Swithin's Day, if thou be fair,

For forty days and nights t'will rain nae mair.

Statue of Saint Swithin.

Festivals and Traditions.

Since the year of 1839 during the month of July the Henley Royal Regatta has taken place each year on the River Thames at Henly-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. The regatta lasts for 5 days and there are over 200 races taking place. The regatta was given its royal status after the visit by H.R.H Prince Albert in 1851 who was the first Royal Patron to attend the regatta. Since the death of The Prince Consort the reigning Monarch has always consented to become its patron. This patronage means the Regatta can be called The Henley Royal Regatta.

Grandstand View.

The Fawley Bar.

Kingston R.C. "A"
vs
Derby R.C.

Floating Spectators.

Also this month the annual Swan Upping takes place. This is the when the census of the the swans along a 70 mile stretch of the River Thames over a 5 day period is carried out. Each swan caught by the Uppers is counted and marked.

Swan Upping.

Honiton Fair in Devon, an event lasting three days, begins on the first Tuesday after July the 19^th each year. The fair has been held on St Margaret's Eve since 1221 and is one of the few fairs that preserves the ancient 'Glove is up' custom. The fair begins with the Town Crier carrying a 12 foot pole covered with flowers and on it's top is a gilded glove and he then recites to the town:

Oyez, Oyez, Oyez

The glove is up

The fair has begun

No man shall be arrested until the glove is taken down.

God save the Queen.

Hot coppers are then thrown down into the street from an upstairs window of the Angel Hotel to be picked up by the people of the town. This whole process is repeated again later on in the week at the White Lion where the Glove is taken down signifying the end of the fair.

St James' Day or Grotto Day is on July the 25^th. On this day children used to make grottoes and caves and decorate them with sea shells because the shell of the Scallop is supposed to look like the emblem of St James' . The grottoes were placed outside their homes and the children would sit by them and recite this verse:

Please remember the Grotto.

It's only once a year.

Farther's gone to sea.

Mother's gone to bring him back.

So please remember me.

Emblem of Saint James.

Scallop Shells.

Other Notable Dates.

July 1^st. In 1837 the registration began of all birth's, marriage's and death's.

In 1937 the introduction of the 999 emergency service began.

In 1997 the British rule of Hong Kong ended after 99 years.

July 3^rd On this day in 1938 'The Mallard' broke the record for steam engines after reaching a speed

of 126 mph.

July 12^th In 1690 The battle of the Boyne took place in Northern Ireland, although the battle took

place on the 1^st of July today is the commemoration date.

July 13^th National Day – Northern Ireland.

July 15^th St Swithin’s' Day.

July 21^st Apollo 11 landed on the moon.

July 25^th St James' Day Patron saint of pilgrims.

The Whistable Oyster Festival.

St Christopher's Day Patron saint of travellers.

Wild Flowers.

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Wild Flowers.

Wild Flowers have been very much in the news in recent times and if you have seen or heard the reports in the press and on the Radio or the TV you will have some idea of their importance and how the loss of them is causing concern.
Since the end of the first world war modern agricultural methods started to see the decline of our natural hay meadows and as the threat of a second world war became apparent the government told all the country's farmers that they must grow more food because a lot of our food was imported from other parts of the world and we could no longer rely on those supplies reaching us. This became the start of the loss of thousands of acres of farmland that were once our traditional hay meadows. The importance of these wild flower meadows are the loss of the habitat that they created for the birds, bees, butterflies and insects as well as the loss of what was once a rich, colourful and diverse habitat for many forms of wildlife.

The Good News.

Many organisations are putting pressure on the government to help reinstate as many areas as possible as Wild Flower Meadows.
The Wild Flowers help to capture astonishing amounts of carbon.
They can help and improve the quality and fertility of the soil.
Some provide us with medicines and remedies that help to heal us.
They can help protect our shorelines, regulate water flow and prevent flooding.
And they are aesthetic and beautiful to look at.

The Bad News.

Every county in the UK is losing, on average, one species of wild flower plants every two years.
Every county in the UK has lost many of its Wild Flower Meadows, Staffordshire has lost more than 65% of its meadows, Worcestershire 75% and Derbyshire 51%.

The Foxglove.

Of all the wild flower plants that I could have chosen to write about for this article, I have chosen the Foxglove. This plant is one of the most important species of wild flowers that could soon be on the danger list.
The common Foxglove ( Digitalis purpurea ) comes in to flower during the month of June, it was said that bad fairies gave the bell-shaped flowers to foxes to wear on their paws as gloves so that they could silently creep up on chickens to catch them, hence its name foxglove. They can still be found growing in our countryside in woodlands and in the hedgerows around the fields. The seeds can remain dormant in the soil for many years waiting for the right conditions to make them spring into life. The foxglove is a biennial plant, that is to say that in its first year it only produces a clump of leaves but in its second year it sends up a long stem covered in beautiful pink-purple flowers. This plant is totally dependent on our Bumblebee for its survival, its blooms have evolved to be attractive to the bumblebee which lands on the large bottom lip of the flower and then follows the spots on the inside, which leads them to the nectar.

A Bumblebee landing on a Foxglove.

The bumblebee is the only insect that can pollinate the foxglove as the reproductive parts of the plant are situated in the roof of the flower, and because the bumblebee is a large insect, it has to push its way in to reach the nectar. In doing so, it rubs its back against the pollen covered stamen thus pollinating each plant as it fly's from one to the other.
Without this interaction between the bumblebee and the foxglove, the foxglove would die out and without wild flowers the bumblebee and many other insects including butterflies and bees will also become extinct. The foxglove has also insured itself against bad weather during its flowering period. The blooms start to open from the bottom of the plant first, slowly moving up the stem so that it takes several weeks for the flowers at the top of the stem to finally open. This ensures that if the weather is particularly bad and there are not many bumblebees around to pollinate the plant, there will still be flowers open to pollinate if and when the conditions improve.

Wild Flower Seed.

If after reading this article you would like to create a wild flower area then for one of the largest suppliers of seed go to Hurrells web site; www.wickedwildflowers.co.uk. Here you will be able to see what seeds are available and read about the habitat each plant requires to survive.

A Walk In The Woods

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What Are You Missing?

Like a lot of people I was out for a stroll in our local woods and in the countryside but as I walk around I often wonder just why a lot of people do this. Do they do it just to get out of the house or is it to exercise them selves or their dog or is it for something to do because it's a nice day.
The reason I ask this question is that I notice things on my walks and a lot of people that I see when on them do not seem to and to me this is one of the many pleasures that I get from my walks.

When I was out on Bank Holiday Monday my eyes and ears were looking and listening to all that was going on around me. I was looking at the wild flowers and at the birds that were flitting through the tree tops and all this makes my walk more interesting and enjoyable. I heard for the first time this year one of our summer visitors a member of the warbling family a Blackcap, I stopped to look and listen to him as he sang his heart out to attract a mate, he was perched on a branch just above my head completely ignoring me.

A Blackcap.

A little further on I saw a pair of Tree Creepers going up a tree, the male chasing the female flitting around the tree as they made their way to the top.

Tree Creeper.

On the ground my eyes were drawn to a large patch of Sweet Rudruff a pretty little white flower, it was next to some Bluebells that were still in flower. There also was both the Pink and White Campion to be seen as I walked a little further on. I then heard the Chiff Chaff singing away and also the sound of the Green Woodpecker making his laughing call as he flew through the trees nearby.

Sweet Rudruff.

A Close Up.

Pink Campion.

White Campion.

Chiff Chaff.

Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Green Woodpecker.

Shortly after hearing the Green Woodpecker I heard the drumming sound of a Great Spotted Woodpecker nearby as he was drilling into a tree with his beak, this is known as the Spring Drumming Display to attract a mate. Looking back to the ground I saw a Yellow Archangel all on it's own I could not see any others, I then found a rather unusual plant that's more at home in a garden a Welsh Poppy.

A Yellow Archangel.

Welsh Poppy.

My walk nearly over, as I was walking back to my car I saw my last bird in the wood it was a Nuthatch perched on the stump of a dead branch, similar to the photo below.

The Nuthatch.

I wonder how many of the other walkers in the wood saw or heard as much as me. I have often been asked if there are any Deer near Burton in our local woods, the answer is yes but if you want to see them you need to be quite, move around slowly in the early hours of the morning or late evening. They are there to be seen, Marchington Woodlands has a small population of Fallow Deer and also Muntjac there are also deer around the Foremark Reservoir and Calke Abbey areas so if you want to see them invest in a pair of binoculars and a camera with a good telephoto lens.

The May Fly

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THE MAY FLY.

Like many Trout Fisherman, I have been waiting for the May Fly hatch to take place on our local waters. The unseasonal weather seems to be delaying this annual event but it will happen quite soon.
The common name "Mayfly" is quite misleading because they can appear throughout the year. The common comes from the habit of one species, 'Ephemera danica' which normally emerges as an adult when the blossom of the Hawthorn bush is in bloom which is now.

'Ephemera danica'
The Common May Fly.

It is not just the fisherman that waits for this annual event to take place, the Trout is also waiting for it to happen so that they can gorge on them as they fall onto the water when a feeding frenzy then takes place.

A Trout Takes A Mayfly.

The life cycle of the May Fly is only a few days once it has emerged from the river bed. It begins it's life as a 'Nymph' from an egg that has been laid by an adult that has sunk down to the bottom of the river, stream or brook where it lies amongst the stones and gravel until it has incubated for a short time before it then emerges as the nymph. They remain under the water feeding on small insects and even small fish, growing on until they eventually reach maturity. When this occurs they will begin the next stage of their lives transforming from the nymph into an adult fly, floating to the surface to emerge. They then shed the 'Nymph' skin to expose their wings, once they are dry they then fly into the trees where they remain for a few days.
They tend to hatch in large numbers simultaneously, this will cause the trout to go positively bonkers and it is one of the few times when most of the fish in the water are all visibly feeding. Some fish will take them as they are making their way to the surface of the water and this is when we call them Emergers.
After two or three days the Mayflies will start to gather above the water to mate. They will start high up above the water slowly working their way down, this is when they begin the breeding cycle a ritual called the 'Spinners Fall ' " The Holy Grail of the Trout Fisherman's Life " the flies mate laying their eggs on to the water in an 'orgy'.
Once they have finished breeding they fall into the water dead their life cycle now complete. This starts off another mad frenzy as the fish go insane feeding on thousands and thousands of flies lying on the water.

The Nymph Stage.

An Artificial May Fly.

A Brown Trout.

The Life Cycle Of The May Fly.

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FACTS ABOUT THE MONTH OF JUNE

Gemstone; Pearl.

Flower; Rose.

June is the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere, it is the 6th month of the year and it takes its name from the Roman goddess 'Juno' who was the goddess of marriage. It is for this reason that June has always been considered as the best month in the year in which to get married hence the old saying;

Married in the month of roses

Married life will be one long honeymoon.

The Anglo-Saxon name for this month was 'Sera month' meaning dry month.

The flower of the month the red rose was a symbol for love and still is, it was traditionally worn on St Georges day and Midsummer's Eve and it is to be found on the England Rugby players shirts and also on the Royal coat of arms.

The red rose became the emblem for England after the War's of the Roses, the English civil wars, that took place between the royal houses of Lancaster whose emblem was the Red rose and the royal house of York whose emblem was the White rose. The wars took place between 1455 & 1487 lasting thirty two years, the final battle took place on Bosworth Field in Leicestershire, where King Henry V11 the first Tudor monarch, defeated Richard 111 in 1485.

The Badge Of The Royal House
Of Lancaster.

The Badge Of The Royal House
Of York.

The War of the Roses saw the end of both badges and on the wedding day of Henry V11 and Catherine of Aragon the houses of York And Lancaster were joined together to create the House of Tudor.

The Tudor Rose.

Superstitions.

Midsummers Day comes after the longest day and it is a time that was associated with witches,magic and fairies. On the eve of Midsummer's Day villages all over the country would light bonfires in praise of the sun, this was because the days were becoming shorter and they believed that the sun was dying, so these large bonfires were lit to try to strengthen the sun.
Roses were also of special importance on Midsummer's Eve because it was said that any rose picked on Midsummer's Eve or Midsummer's Day would keep fresh until Christmas.

At midnight on Midsummer's Eve, young girls would scatter rose petals before them and say;

Rose leaves, rose leaves,

Rose leaves I strew.

He that will love me

Come after me now.

Then on the next day, Midsummer's Day, their true love would call.

The Longest Day.

The longest day of the year is 21st of June. It is the day when the sun is at it's most northerly point and this is why it is the longest day.

In Wiltshire, there is a huge circle of stones called Stonehenge, they have stood there for thousands of years and no one knows how they came to be there, many theory’s have been put forward but they still remain a mystery. They play a big part in the religious festival by the Druids who were Celts and they worshiped the changes of the seasons and nature and especially the sun.

Celtic Wheel Of The Year.

Stonehenge.

Other Notable Dates.

2nd of June; Coronation of Queen Elizabeth 11.

6th of June; D Day. In 1944 the coast of France was invaded by the Allies in the Second World War.

12th of June; The Queen's Official Birthday.

15th of June; King John signed the Magna Carta.

18th of June; The Battle of Waterloo.

24th of June; Midsummer Day also the feast of St. John the Baptist.

Weather-lore.

Country folk had many sayings about the weather as always these sayings were based on the observations of the weather over hundreds of years and still can be relied upon even to day.

'A calm June puts the farmer in tune'

'June damp and warm, does the farmer no harm'.

It is said that the Summer doesn't start until

the elder is in flower.

Look out for next months facts, superstitions, myths and legends.

Ransoms.

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Ransoms.

While out walking the other day I came upon an area in one of our local woods where the unmistakeable smell of Garlic filled the air. As I walked on a little further I saw a large patch of them growing in front of me their white flower heads nodding in the breeze.

Allium ursinum also known as ramsons, buckrams, wood garlic, bear leek or Bear's garlic is a member of the Allium family and is a wild relative of Chives. They are often found growing with Bluebells in late April and early May. It can be found growing in deciduous woodlands in moist soils. It is considered to be an Indicator that the woods where they are found growing are Ancient Woodlands that date back hundred's or thousands of years. The name bear leek or Bear's garlic was given to the plant because the Brown Bear's taste for the bulbs and it's habit of digging up the ground to get at them, they are also a favourite food of the Wild Boar.

Ransoms.

Culinary Use.

The leaves of the plant are used in many recipes and can be eaten cooked or raw. Wild garlic can be stirred into a risotto or used in omelettes, or added to soups or used in
a sauce to accompany meat and fish.

Recipe's.

For a selection of recipe's have a look at the BBC's web site Food and recipe's for Garlic.

Spring Catch Up.

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APRIL CATCH UP.

I did not know what else to call this blog as I have been so busy that I have not had time to do it until now, so better late than never.

Well from around the middle of the month we saw a change in the weather, it became warmer and the ground started to dry out a bit allowing farmers to try and catch up with their work. I was out and about on one sunny day and over the week end, the countryside had been transformed, as fields that had not been worked on because of the long wet and cold winter had suddenly been ploughed and rolled ready for the seed drill.

A View Across The Derbyshire Countryside, Fields Ploughed
And Ready For Drilling.

Although farmers have been taking advantage of the warmer weather, the ground in many places is still to wet and cold for successful seed germination and some crop failure is to be expected. On a brighter side this warm weather has brought a burst of colour into the hedgerows and woodland as many spring flowers have bloomed into flower. I also saw my first Swallow today (18th April ) and as I travelled along I saw several more, lambs could be seen out in the fields playing in the warm sunshine and I enjoyed my ride out and about in the local countryside enjoying the views and the birth of spring.

Lambs Enjoying The Sunshine.

I have not heard the Cuckoo yet although I am reliably told it has been heard on Cannock Chase and more recently at Rolleston and also at Foremark Reservoir, they are not as common as they used to be and in recent years as much as I travel around the countryside I have not had the pleasure of seeing or hearing one. I will finish off with some of the many photos that I stopped and took while driving

around to day.

Celandine's.

Wood Anemones
Also Called Wind Flowers.

Cowslips.

Lady Smocks.

Pink Campion.

For Get Me Nots.

Bluebells.

Blackthorn Blossom.
( Sloe Gin In The Making. )

More Bluebells.

Ramsons.
( Wild Garlic. )

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FACTS ABOUT THE MONTH OF MAY

Gemstone: Emerald.

Flower: Lilly of the Valley.

May is named after the Greek goddess, Maia. May is a time of celebrations. It is the time when flowers emerge and crops begin to sprout.

The Anglo-Saxon name for May was Tri-Milchi because this was when lush new grass began to grow in the meadows and it meant that the cows could now be milked three times a day. Before 1430 May was called Maius, Mayes or Mai, it is only since then we began to call it May.

The flower of the month ( Lilly of the Valley ) also known as our Lady’s tears because according to Christian legend it first sprang up as a result of the tears from the Virgin Mary as she stood weeping during the crucifixion of Christ and it grows wild in the valley of tears in Baca in Palestine.

May 1st. May Day ( Garland Day ) was when Britain marked the end of the Winter and welcomed the beginning of Summer. For our ancestors mainly in rural areas it was a major festival celebrated throughout the country with music, dancing and games. Traditional May Day celebrations included the dancing around the May Poles, playing with ‘hobby horses’ and characters like ‘Robin Hood’ and ‘Jack in the Green’.

Young children would collect greenery and flowers to make garlands, they would decorate sticks to look like a cross and fix them to a hoop and parade around the village green. In some towns and villages these celebrations still take place. Charlton-on-Otmoor in Oxfordshire is just one of them.

Superstitions.

There is an old saying that if first thing in the morning on May 1st young girls who washed their face in the morning dew would have a beautiful complexion all through the year and this dew was also able to remove your freckles, spots and pimples due to it’s Magic properties.

The month of May was also considered to be an unlucky month particularly for getting married hence the old saying,

‘Marry in May and you’ll rue the day’

Other sayings include.

Being born in May would produce a sickly child.

It was also considered bad luck to buy a broom (sweeping brush) or wash your blankets;

Wash a blanket in May.

Wash a dear one away.

Weather-lore.

“A wet May makes for a big load of hay. A cold May is kindly and fills the barn finely.”

“A swarm of bees inMay

Is worth a load of hay.”

“Mist in May, Heat in June, makes Harvest time come real soon.”

Other Days in May.

Oak Apple Day May 29th also known as Pinch-Bum Day.

On this day traditionally people would wear oak apples or oak leaves pinned to themselves to remember that on this day King Charles 11 returned triumphantly to London after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The reason for wearing oak leaves or oak apples was to celebrate the King’s

narrow escape from capture by Cromwell’s soldiers by hiding in an oak tree. The name Pinch-Bum Day came about because if you were found not to be wearing either oak leaves or oak apples on this day, you could be pinched, kicked or otherwise abused. In some parts of the country Whipping the guilty persons with nettles was a favorite punishment, hence the name Nettle Day in some places.

King Charles 11 Who Hid In An Oak Tree To
Avoid Capture By Oliver Cromwell.

Notable Dates to Remember.

1st of May-Labour Day.

1st of May- May Day.

5th of May- 1930 Amy Johnson flew solo from England to Australia.

6th of May- Saw the first postage stamp the ‘Penny Black’ come into use, in 1840. Also in 1954 Roger Bannister ran a mile in less than four minutes.

8th of May- 1945 VE Day (Victory in Europe)

9th of May- Captain Blood the famous Pirate tried to steal the crown jewels in 1671.

12th of May- Florence Nightingale was born.

29th of May- In 1953 Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest.

Also this day is ‘Oak Apple Day.’

30th of May- The deaths of King Arthur in 542 and Joan of Arc burned at the stake in1431.

Dancing Around A May Pole.

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FACTS ABOUT THE MONTH OF APRIL.

Gemstone: Diamond.

Flower: Sweet pea.

Historians are not sure where April got it’s name from but it is believed to originate from the Latin word ‘aperire’ which means ‘to open’. April is the month when most of the flower buds on plants and trees start to open and things begin to grow again after the winter.

Eostre monath or Eastremonath was the Anglo -Saxon name for this month and it is from the Anglo- Saxons that the name of the Christian Festival of Easter comes from.

Superstitions:

The Cuckoo.

The arrival of the cuckoo is the signal that spring has come. It arrives some time in mid-April but it’s sound is becoming scarce as it’s numbers are in decline. The cuckoo’s song can be heard from St. Tiburtius Day ( 14th April ) to St. John’s Day (24th June ). Here is a old traditional rhyme about the summer life cycle of the Cuckoo.

In April I open my bill

In May I sing night and day

In June I change my tune

In July far far I fly

In August away I must.

In different parts of the country there are various dates in the month called ‘Cuckoo Day’ and some places even hold ‘Cuckoo Fairs;

Marsden Cuckoo Day ( West Yorkshire )

Heathfield Cuckoo Fair ( East Sussex )

Downtown Cuckoo Fair ( Salisbury Wiltshire )

It was also said that if you heard the Cuckoo’s call on St. Tiburtis Day and you turned over all the money in your pockets and spat on the ground without looking at it! and if you were on soft ground, it would bring you good luck but if you were stood on hard ground when you did it, it’s call would bring you bad luck.

The Cuckoo.

The Swallow.

The Swallow also makes it’s reappearance in April after it’s migration flight from it’s winter hide away in Africa. In very olden times people were mystified by the sudden disappearance of many migratory bird’s at the end of the summer and they thought that the Swallow spent the winter months hidden in the mud in the bottom of ponds. Traditionally April 15th is ‘Swallow Day’ the date that the first Swallow’s could be seen.

Weather - Lore, Beliefs and sayings.

Like many other months in the calendar April has it’s fair share of beliefs and sayings, here are just a few;

April showers bring May flowers.

If early April is foggy

Rain in June

Will make lanes boggy.

When April blows its horn

‘Tis good for hay and corn.

Other Dates to Remember.

April 1st. April Fools Day also Palm Sunday and Daffodil Day all fall on April 1st this year.

5th. Maundy Thursday.

6th. Good Friday.

8th. Easter Sunday.

17th. St. Patricks Day.

18th. Mothering Sunday.

19th. Primrose Day.

23rd. St. Georges Day.

25th. Start of British Summer Time.

30th. Walpurgis Night. ( Beltane Eve. )

Walpurgis Night.

Walpurgis night is a Celtic and a Viking celebration, the reason for the celebration by the Celts was to celebrate the coming of summer and to the Vikings it was to hasten the arrival of spring and summer and also to frighten away evil spirits. The lighting of Bonfires on hilltops and in villages was an essential part of the ceremony, in other parts of the world it would also include other customs and celebrations. It is not widely celebrated in Britain except in Scotland and in Ireland but it is in Northern Europe in Norway, Sweden and Finland being the main countries of this celebration.

Walpurgis Night Celebrations.