Our Little Corner Of Paradise.

Hand In Hand With Mother Nature

2011-06-14T11:49:00.022Z

A Corner Of The Barn

Every moment spent in the company of my family is precious. For though I write, once a month, about what is happening in my garden at Barleycorn, nothing matters more to me in life than my family. When they are here, it is as if time itself stands still, for my whole world revolves around them. The month of May whizzed past in a flurry of exciting trips to London and Paris, and a blissful week of having family staying here. Hence the reason for no posts from Barleycorn.

Primula Florindae, Himalayan Cowslip

However, when they had all gone home and I had time to lift my head and look around me, I saw that Mother Nature, during three days of 100 mph gales, had managed to create an altogether different pastiche from the one I had envisaged. In place of tall, graceful plants such as Cirsium thistles, Filipendula and climbing Honeysuckles there is a new architectural madness...and yet, with a beauty of its own. Nature can surprise us in the most unexpected ways, and bring about a transformation which surpasses anything we could have imagined.

The Cog-Wheel Beside The Barn

Two Winters ago, a lengthy period of snow and severe frost killed off tall shrubs growing in front of the Barn. 20 years' growth was decimated in one fell swoop. That Summer, I sowed a wildflower meadow of annual Poppies, Cornflower, Corncockle and Nigella. This year, all sorts of new seeds are growing there, many of which I did not sow. The wind, the birds and insects have brought seed, and Mother Nature has enhanced my original vision and created an amazing array of wildflowers amongst the cultivars.

Mecanopsis Cambria, Welsh Poppy and Hoverfly

As well as the original seed I sowed, there is a scattering of Pink Campion, Welsh Poppies, Ox-Eye Daisies, Forget-Me-Nots, Honesty, and White and Blue Polemonium. Although I do have these growing in other parts of the garden, the wonder and beauty of their appearance in the flower meadow is the magic that Nature has created. It reinforces the idea that gardening with Nature can be inspirational...another force at work with us.

Lunaria Annua, Honesty Seed-Pods

As gardeners, we cannot help but see that nothing stands still. Always and everywhere, there is constant change. Each plant has its season, followed quickly by its seed-time. No sooner are we admiring a flower in full flow, then it is gone.

' But pleasures are like poppies spread,

You seize the bloom, the flower is shed'

Robert Burns

Honesty is one of those plants which is every bit as exciting in seed-form as when it is blooming. In fact, it spends more time with us in seed-form and sheds its outer skin in Autumn to reveal the silver 'coins' so loved by floral artists.

Under A Weeping Birch Tree

Many years ago, I scattered a packet of Forget-Me-Not seed around a tiny Weeping Birch tree. Twenty years later, we have a carpet of those seeds, mixed with Pink Campion, Ox-Eye Daisies, Oriental Poppies, Welsh Poppies, Alchemilla Mollis, Wild Strawberry and Foxglove. And yet, I did not sow any of the other seed there. It is all due to the magic of Mother Nature weaving her tapestry.

Purple Iris

We have Yellow Flag and Blue Sibirica Irises growing happily in and around our ponds. Their rhizomes enjoy being in boggy ground or in water. We do have several Bearded Irises, whose names, sadly, are now lost in the mists of time. These do not flower faithfully each year, because, as my cottage garden gets busier, their rhizomes are not getting enough sunshine to bake them. When they do flower, however, they bring such luxurious colour, it takes our breath away. I love their shape and form, the the melange of colours and the velvety touch of the petals. For all those reasons I enjoy creating watercolour paintings of them. They are definitely in my top ten favourites.

Orange Oriental Poppies, Johnson's Blue Geranium and Alchemilla Mollis

June is the month when our Oriental Poppies bloom. So far, we have had fierce gales and cold temperatures of 9 degrees...not what anyone would desire for Summer weather. That's why I love my Poppies. Their vibrancy and beauty cheers me up no end. Their transience reminds me to enjoy each day, as life passes all too quickly. Later this month we also have scarlet ones, called Curly Locks; white ones, called Perry's White; and pale pink ones, called New Dawn. I adore their deep inky-black anthers and their dinner-plate-sized heads, and especially when Bumble Bees nestle in their centres, as if they had landed in Paradise.

Cirsium Thistles, Alchemilla Mollis and Aquilegia

Once the fierce gales had stopped, we went out to survey the damage. There was no sign of the Circiums, which, two days previously, had stood 8 foot high - tall and proud - creating an architectural feature at one corner of the front pond. Instead, the stems were lying prostrate on top of the surrounding plants. Everything looked spoiled and washed out. Yet, from the debris came a myriad of heads which lifted themselves upwards, towards the light and created a pleasing blend of colours against the lime-green of the Alchemilla and blue of the Aquilegia...and the gales saved me the job of staking them.

Rodgersia At The Front Pond

When I look at all the shades of green in this photo, I see the promise of Yellow and Blue Irises to come and a pond filled with beautiful Water Lilies. But, right at this moment, I love the different greens. Everything goes with green...even red. Green is such a peaceful colour...a perfect foil and background for everything else in the garden. Rodgersia is another of those great architectural plants to have in a garden... and the texture of the leaves is another bonus.

Orange Oriental Poppies

I did not plant these Oriental Poppies. I have a cluster growing opposite them...and, through time, the wind blessed me with this splendid group. Over the years, everything I have growing opposite them, has taken up position adjacent to them and supplied me with a carpet of flowers growing all the way along a hedge bordering the drive.

Oriental Poppies And Blue Centaurea

As you can see, both sets of Orientals have been blown over by the gales, and yet, they look graceful and natural, having lifted their heads up to the light. I love their hairy leaves; their large buds; the way the flower-case opens; the play of light on their petals, which can change them from fiery red to orange to transparent golden yellow; and the pepperpot seed-heads in Autumn. There is even beauty in the fallen petals lying on the ground.

Aquilegia Nora Barlow

A few days ago, when it was windy, I went out for a leisurely stroll around Barleycorn to take video snippets and the photographs I have used in this post. You will see all these flowers, and lots more, in the footage. Taz, the Barn cat, led the way, as always, and stopped where I stopped, and seemed as if he, too, was drinking in the beauty of it all. I hope the video plays all the way through. If not, try it again.

Taz, The Barn Cat, Asleep In The Sun

The music I chose to accompany the video is Karl Jenkins' 'Benedictus' from The Armed Man-A Mass For Peace. It has a measured pace and is quiet and contemplative...music to soothe the soul. I enjoyed my walk, and I hope you do, too. My video is called A Windy Walk Around Barleycorn in June, 2011.

April Quickens My Heart

2011-04-11T13:23:00.018Z

Pheasant At Barleycorn

In our garden calendar, April is the month, which calls forth our trumpeting Daffodils to herald the onset of Spring. For, though the months of January through to March have bestowed us with beautiful carpets of Snowdrops and sunny banks of Aconites, they are the Winter bulbs which precede the joy and beauty of Spring.

Siskins At A Feeder

Being in the heart of the countryside affords us many pleasures, some of which are occasional visits from colourful Pheasants with iridescent, ultramarine feathers. Having a large wood in the vicinity enables us to identify a wonderful variety of birds, which also frequent our feeders, forage around the garden, and drink and bathe in our ponds. This month saw the return of striking Siskins with their black crowns, green and black feathers and gold wing-bars.

Tractor And Plough

The combination of longer daylight and warmer temperatures make conditions right for the farmers to plough their fields. It's wonderful to observe the straw-coloured thatch of last year's crops being turned over by the ploughshares, and so a new farming year begins. Lambs bleating and gamboling beside their mothers, the warmth of the sun on our backs as we clear away the spent foliage of last year's perennials, the childhood joy of seeing rainbows after April showers...simple pleasures that bring us so much joy after the long, dark days of Winter.

Purple Hellebores

Hellebores are such elegant, stately plants, which spread well of their own accord, without needing to be cosseted. Over the years we have invested in white, pale green and pink varieties and each year they greet us like old friends. I love cutting away the old, leathery leaves to make way for the fresh lime-greens of their Spring foliage.

Pagoda Lilies

Pagoda Lilies bring a touch of the exotic to any garden. We have posies of these growing next to varieties of Trilliums. We planted them at the front of a large bed next to tall, majestic Camassias, though the latter do not bloom till next month, which helps to prolong the Spring garden. Considering that bulbs involve little effort in planting and tending, we can never have too many in our gardens. To this end, we try to plant new varieties every Autumn.

Mixed Daffodils
One section of our garden runs adjacent to a farmer's field. We share the stane-dyke wall, which acts as a border between us. Couch grass and nettles run the length of this wall on the farmer's side. Rather than try to cope with these invasive plants, I decided to plant lots of mixed daffodils and a variety of grasses interspersed with wild flowers...Pink Campion, Annual Poppies, Primroses, Aquilegia, Corncockle and Cornflower. Although we still get tall Couch Grass growing through, everything looks naturalised and saves me a headache.

Orange-Centred Daffodils

Because we have invested in planting bulbs every Autumn for the past 20 years, our Spring garden now boasts hundreds and hundreds of Daffodils. Each one is a cup of cheerfulness and a testimony to the happy years spent here at Barleycorn. I do love their nodding heads, the variety of colours and species and the heady scent of the star-shaped white Narcissus. The Queen Bees serenade me, buzzing in and around the heads from morn till night, getting their all-important sustenance after their Winter hibernation.

Double-Petalled Daffodils

Every which way I turn in our garden in Spring, I am greeted with bouquets of Daffodils; some white, others creamy-yellow, others still, orange...some with large trumpets, some multi-headed, like the tete-a-tete, some shaped like stars...so many varieties. I belong to the generation of children who learned to recite poems by heart at school. And each Spring when I gaze upon my host of Daffodils, I feel an affinity to Wordsworth's sentiments, 'And then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the Daffodils'.

Ripples On The Pond

The play of light on the ponds offers constant fascination. This is the month when we have Frogspawn. In March 2010, we had six weeks of snow with temperatures so low the ponds were mainly frozen. This resulted in a downturn in our Frog population. This year there was no Frog Chorus to speak of...and, yet, we still have some spawn in both ponds. The front pond is shallower and, therefore, warmer, and so the Frogs always mate there first.

Spawn Beneath The Surface

However, we now have some spawn in the back pond too. As the local farmer has been draining the pond in his field again this month, I am so glad to offer habitats to the Frogs. We are hoping the spawn will have a better chance to develop this year and that, in time, our colony of Frogs will be replenished.

Spawn In The Front Pond

It is always wonderful to be able to watch Nature unfold before our eyes and ponds are a good way of affording this opportunity. Now that the spawn is here, the Newts will follow, and, along with them, the myriad of pondlife. The many oxygenators keep the still waters clean and healthy, and the many marginals and Lilies offer shelter. Later, in the Summer, we have two species of Dragonflies, as well as the smaller Damselfies which live and breed in our ponds.

After The Spawn

After the eggs have hatched, the jelly turns a greenish colour and the Tadpoles hide amongst it and live off it. Soon we might be lucky enough to see the Newts appear...to feast on the Taddies. They always look like dragons compared to the miniature size of the Tadpoles, and they suddenly pop up from under the jelly, like Crocodiles in a tropical river.

Hoverfly On A Dandelion

The gardeners will recognise that the hairy leaves in this picture belong to Oriental Poppies. Why on earth allow a Dandelion plant to grow up amongst them? I am trying to encourage wildlife in my garden. That is the raison d'etre for its existence in the first place. It's the wildlife which brings a garden to life. Queen Bumble Bees need sustenance after their long Winter hibernation...hence the reason for allowing the Dandelion head-room. In the video for this month, you will see the Hoverfly feeding on this Dandelion. In return, it will feed upon any aphids and nasty bugs, and, like the Bees, will help with the pollination of my garden.

In Front Of The Barn

This is the biggest log-pile I have in the garden. The top is made up of fallen twigs and small branches, which are tweaked out and specially chosen by our five pairs of resident Jackdaws for replenishing their nests in the chimneys of the Barn. We leave some of the moss we gather from around the garden, spent chaff from last year's plants and any other material suitable for nest-building. Then we watch as Robins, Blackbirds, Jackdaws and Thrushes fly in to choose their pick-and-mix from the pile. In return, they feast on bugs and pests and serenade me the whole year through.
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Spring Garden At Barleycorn, April 2011 is the title of this month's video, and the music to accompany it is Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F, Opus 68 'Pastoral', Awakening of cheerful feelings in the countryside. I hope you all enjoy it.

Time Marches On

2011-03-11T12:27:00.011Z

Taz among The Snowdrops

The month of February was mainly one of birdwatching, as nothing much stirred in the garden. Most of our plants are still dormant, and most of the garden sports the chaff of last year's blooms.

A Drift Of Snowdrops

Our first flowers are always Snowdrops - those sturdy, though fragile-looking, bulbs, which force their way through the soil each Spring, regardless of however fierce the weather may be.

Snowdrops

Just when we think the weather is improving, and we might get our hands in the earth again, the arrival of snow puts paid to any such notions. The past week has seen gales as fierce as any we have experienced over the recent Winter, with showers of sleet and snow.

Aconites

Joining the Snowdrops we have a small bank of Aconites which raise their heads skywards whenever we have a peep of sunshine. They, too, are a joy and delight and greet us like old friends.

Mixed Crocuses

Winter always seems so long, and Spring slow in coming each year; and, yet, the plants in the garden come to life at their alloted time, with everything in its season.

Hellebores

Our first Hellebores have just opened their heads. Later the deep-wine ones will carpet another area and colour an otherwise drab landscape.

Sparrowhawk

We continue to have visits from the Sparrowhawk. She is a large female who finds her favourite perches while keeping a watchful eye on the whereabouts of Taz, the Barn Cat. Whenever the latter appears, the Sparrowhawk swoops low over the field and is gone, as quickly as she appeared.
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The short video this month, called - Taz Among The Snowdrops And A Sparrowhawk - was taken throughout February and the beginning of March. The music which accompanies it is taken from my CD of Bach's Aria From Goldberg Variations.

January Ode

2011-01-31T17:27:00.008Z

Yellowhammers

You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace,
and the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you.

Siskins

There'll be shouts of joy and the trees of the field
shall clap, shall clap their hands,

Chaff---Spent Perennial Stems

And the trees of the field, shall clap their hands,
and the trees of the field shall clap their hands,

Chaff---Spent Stems of Flag Irises

and the trees of the field shall clap their hands
and you'll go out with joy.

S. Dauermann

First Snowdrops of this New Year

What shall we do to combat the blues during the dark days of Winter? Why, sing, of course! Sing for joy! Look at the flock of Yellowhammers which came to greet me! I admit you have to look carefully at my first photo to see their yellow heads...but, they are there. Look at the vibrant green and black colours of the Siskins who visited the feeders one day! Most of the garden is covered in chaff...all the spent stems from last year's perennials. But! In a few months, these beds will be a kaleidoscope of colour. And...the first Snowdrops are through. What's not to cheer about a New Year?
xxxxxxx

In this month's short video, you will see the diligent Farmer doing his daily round of feeding his sheep, collie by his side. The sheep are overwintering in the field adjacent to Barleycorn., which gives us something new at which to wonder and marvel. Enjoy!

The music accompanying the video is Sir William Walton's Touch Her Lips And Part, from Henry Fifth Suite.

An Early First Foot

2010-12-31T14:53:00.010Z

Brambling And Sparrow

Although tonight is the Hogmanay festival in Scotland, when we might expect our First Footers to pay us a visit, we had our first-ever visit - in 20 years - from a pair of Bramblings this month.

A Corner Of The Barn

Bramblings are similar in looks to Chaffinches, though their breasts are dark russet on top with white underbellies. Though we have seen several sightings of them on Winter walks, we have not seen them at Barleycorn before.

View From The Back Door

The reason for their proximity to the house was the freezing temperatures and the heavy falls of snow. The low Winter sun on the snow made for picturesque scenes in the garden, and the Big Freeze meant we had the pleasure of feeding more birds at the stations than in Summer.

Taz Indoors

Not only did we have the company of our feathered friends, but also Taz, the Barn cat, who preferred to snuggle up beside the radiator for spells each day and forego his occupation of the Barn.

View Across The Field

This did not stop him catching the mice in the Barn for his supper. For while he has the camouflage of the trees in Summer when he goes a-hunting, he has to rely on nocturnal mammals in Winter.

The Bird Station

Each morning, we could detect the tracks of the local cats, the early birds and a Fox in the fresh snow. Perhaps it is our friend from earlier this year scavenging once more, now that we have had more snow.

This Winter the local farmer has sheep grazing in the adjacent field. The artesian well has filled again bringing Mallards each morning, flocks of Crows and Rooks and hundreds of Pigeons gorging themselves on the grain left in the furrows.

The video this month is called Garden Birds In December 2010. The music which accompanies it is from my CD Pan Pipes Of The Andes and the track is Llamada Se Los Buitres which I chose because it reminded me of whistling birds. The Bramblings are at the end of the video.
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I hope you enjoy it...and, as we say in Scotland at Hogmanay, Lang May Yer Lum Reek, which, roughly translated, means... May you always have enough fuel to keep your fire going to keep you warm...and what more could we want during a cold Winter?
xxxxxxx

Happy New Year, Everyone!

O, For The Wings

2010-11-27T12:34:00.015Z

Female Sparrowhawk

At the beginning of November when the harvest bales had been gathered in and the adjacent field lay empty, a female Sparrowhawk graced us with her presence by landing on the post next to our bird feeders, where flocks of Sparrows graze for hours on end. With so much food on tap, she is becoming a frequent visitor.

The Barn

This morning's weather has brought us a light dusting of snow and temperatures of minus 6 degrees. Brrr! indeed...but, with it comes the company of our feathered friends. From a very young age I have always marvelled at the infinite beauty of our garden birds; each with a different set of claws, feathers and beaks; each created for a different purpose.

Bird Tracks In The Snow

My Hubbie rose early and braved the freezing temperature - his breath visible in the chilly air - to top up the feeders and the already groaning bird-table with seeds, nuts and dried fruits. For, though a sudden fall of snow is always a bit of a shock to the system, what better way to spend a cold day than watching the antics of the birds at all the feeding stations?

Chaffinches

As the day wore on, the Chaffinches perched high up in the Rowan tree to feel the warmth of the sun. They are with us all year round, but perfectly camouflaged when the trees are covered in leaves. And what a wonderful sight they make on a snowy day with their plumped-out chestnut feathers.

At The Bird Feeders

I love the bare bones of the garden in Winter, the silhouettes of the trees and shrubs, the frozen ponds, the outlines of birds. Rather than finding the garden boring at this time of year, the birds bring it to life once more, feasting on the remaining berries, gorging on insects around the eaves of the house and prizing open teasels and other perennials to extract seeds.

Male Blackbird

Part of the secret of having a garden is to find pleasure all year round, and not solely when the trees, shrubs and flowers are in bloom. Close observation reveals so much. Snow is a perfect backdrop for intensifying the colours of the birds. As they come closer for food, we are able to tell their food preferences, where they like to feed and be entertained by the behaviour of the pecking order.

Robin Redbreast

In surveys, the Robin is often chosen as Nation's most popular bird. Partly, this is because it is easily recognised by everyone, is common the length and breadth of Britain and never leaves our shores. It's daily appearance is a reminder of God's constant presence, and so the Robin has been chosen as a symbol of the ever-present God on our Christmas Cards, for, like God, he is always with us.

Robin

Robin is a ground feeder. He is not designed to be an acrobat, suspended upside down on the hanging feeders, like the Titmice. He, and his friend the Dunnock, are often found scrabbling under shrubs for grubs and insects. I love his habits, as he bounces upon his legs and cocks his head to one side.

Female chaffinch

Chaffinches also sing wonderful songs to us, and, as they prefer safety in numbers, we always have huge flocks of them at any one time. But, whatever the bird, each has its own charm, its own beauty, its own reason for being part of the ongoing life of the garden. Birds don't cost much to feed and the pleasure they bring supercedes any effort required by us to have their presence in our gardens. I love 'em all!

The Bird-Table

This month's video is called Our Feathered Friends. The music is Giovanni Pierluigi Da Palestrina's Mass, Missa Papae Marcelli, for 6 voices, Kyrie. It begins with the Sparrowhawk, moves on to footage of hundreds and hundreds of Crows and Rooks foraging in the adjacent field, followed by the antics of the garden birds at the bird-table, and, lastly, skeins of Greylag Geese flying in formation over Barleycorn. Enjoy!

Pause And Reflect

2010-11-01T17:01:00.019Z

Sunset At Barleycorn

October began with a few breathtakingly beautiful sunsets which made me pause and reflect upon the past 20 years we have spent in this paradise of ours. And though I have mentioned some of this before, many new bloggers will not have heard the reason why we came to be here. It was not the newly-built bungalow, pretty though it was, which caused me to turn the car and return for a second look.

Tractor and Baler

Rather, it was the adjacent barn with its high-pitched corrugated roof and crumbling stone walls which spoke to me. Its decay had a story to tell and I wanted to hear all about it. The more I gazed at it, the more I felt drawn to the bare patch of ground which was crying out for a steward to lovingly bring it to life, though, little did I expect that steward was to be me. I say steward on purpose, for we only hold the keys to our gardens for a time.

Seasons of Mist

My vision was to create a garden for wildlife where insects and birds and mammals would be encouraged to come and visit or, better still, live in harmony with us. The house is mostly hidden from the road by tall indigenous trees and shrubs, but, once you have walked down the long drive and turned a corner, it is like finding a secret garden.

Fairy Necklaces

Our two ponds are the jewel in the crown of the garden, for they attract all the wildlife which comes to drink and bathe and feast. At first they were empty except for a soup of green algae. Nowadays, however, they support a colony of frogs, toads and newts which live and breed in them and gorge themselves on the myriad of pondlife creatures.

Autumn leaves

The remainder of the garden is made up of many island beds which contain trees, shrubs and nectar borders to give sustenance to insects, butterflies, birds and our all-important bees. At this time of year everything is either wearing or shedding its wonderful Autumnal coat of colours and I find pleasure in the dying back of the season.

Joseph's Rock Rowan Tree

Now is the time to appreciate the bare bones of the garden - the trees and shrubs in silhouette; the fairy necklaces left by hundreds of the most amazing nocturnal architects of the garden; the magical change from green to yellow, red to bronze; humdrum paths carpeted with a bed of soft colourful leaves; ponds frozen in time or the drip, drip of trees whose frost is melting in the misty sunshine. What is not to enjoy?

Hosta Foliage

And did I mention the songs in the garden? Our frogs serenade us on sunny days with their deep croaking. The bird-feeders have become magnets to hungry birds and their many and varied songs waken me each dark morning. Best of all the thousands of Greylag Geese have returned from Greenland to overwinter on adjacent fields. Each morning I hear their cries and rush out of bed, like an excited child, to watch their magical arrows moving across the sky.

Pond lilies and Foliage

Skein after skein passes over our house and I watch the repeat performance each evening as they make their way back to the shores where they nestle down each night. I especially love their cries when they are invisible, flying through fog, calling out to one another for safety and guidance. How do they know where to go? We have all heard the explanation, but, it is still a wonder of Nature and a pleasure to behold.

Balloon Over Barleycorn

The balloons which fly overhead are so low we can call out and have little conversations with those in the basket. Visitors come from all over the globe. A few years ago some of our family took such a ride and flew over my garden and the village. It was a magical experience, though interesting when the wind took us down to land in a field with a herd of cows, instead of a fallow one adjacent to it.

A Tiny Shrew

Even after 20 years I am still amazed at the variety of wildlife living next door to me. Taz, the barn cat, brings us presents and leaves them on the doorstep... sometimes a Fieldmouse, sometimes a Vole, occasionally a little Shrew. Late at night we sometimes see or hear Foxy who comes by hoping to find some chicken carcass which Taz has left. On red-letter days we might even see a Weasel or a Stoat, a Barn Owl or a Tawny Owl, a Badger or Hedgehog crossing the road.

Taz, Asleep In The Sunshine

Everything is welcome for each plays its part in the magical web of life here at Barleycorn. Every creature brings the garden to life and fills my heart with pleasure, for, what was once a derelict plot of ground, has now been transformed into a garden for wildlife. I am living my dream and sharing it with all those who enjoy coming here to visit.
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The first short video is called Autumn At Barleycorn. The accompanying music is Erik Satie's Gymnopedie No 1.

The second short video is called Fairy Magic At Barleycorn and the accompanying music is from A Midsummer Night's Dream. The track is Between The Cold Moon And The Earth.

The third video, much longer, is called Barleycorn Ode To Autumn. The accompanying music is Brahms' Violin Concerto in D Major-11 Adagio. I hope you enjoy them all. They were taken throughout October.

September Song At Barleycorn

2010-09-29T17:25:00.015Z

Woolly Bear Caterpillar

During September walks around the garden, I greeted old familiar faces...lavender and purple Michaelmas Daisies; orange Montbretia; pink, white, and purple Phlox; exquisite blooms of Japanese Anemones, and colourful Summer annuals which will linger until the first frosts arrive. I am so thankful for these late-bloomers, for the garden season would be so much shorter without them.

Rainbow Over Barleycorn

We have had a relatively dry spell of weather recently, resulting in many parched plants. When the much-needed showers came, they refreshed everything the garden - trees, flowers and the ponds themselves - and painted the sky with magical rainbows, which never fail to make me smile and look up in wonder. We all know the science, but nothing transcends the intrinsic beauty of rainbows.

Garden Orb Spider

On one of my trips to the gazebo I found this beautiful Garden Orb Spider. She had spun an intricate web across one corner and was hiding under a flap in the curtain I made to shade us from strong sunlight. Because I leave a little window open, she finds lots of insects to satisfy her hunger. Recently there have been Jenny-long-Legs, Harvestman Spiders, Flies and Wasps.

Summer Meadow Nasturtiums

On Sunday morning we awoke to our first frost of the Autumn. I am so glad I took this photograph the previous day, as, although the Nasturiums are sheltering against the barn, they will begin to wilt soon. I have gathered and already shared so many seeds from my Summer meadow with eager friends...Poppies, Nasturtiums, Cornflower, Corncockle, Cerinthe Major, Ox-Eye Daisies and many more.

Rose Arey Pond Lily

The longevity of the lilies is always a bonus, and, unless, the frosts come in quick succession, they will continue to bloom till early November, even though the leaves are displaying signs of their Autumn coats. The next job at the ponds will be to cut down the wilting leaves of Irises and Ranunculus.

Pink Phlox

Phlox is such a robust flower and very good for use in floral arrangements as it does not easily wilt. I planted a group of pink ones in a dark corner of the garden where they shine out like a beacon on moonlit evenings. They are also self-supporting and have a sweet perfume.

Rosa Glauca Rosehips

Now that we are into early autumn, it is wonderful to have so many different kinds of berries for the birds to eat. We have several species of Rowan trees - Cashmiriana, Chinese Lace, Joseph's Rock, Silver Sorbus and ten native Rowans - which are covered in white, yellow and red berries respectively. The branches of our Rugosas are heavy-laden with those wonderful tomato-shaped hips; the Rosa Moyseii is sporting a harvest of deep red flagon-shaped hips and there are lots of fruits on the honeysuckles.

Frost on Nasturtiums

It has been another wonderful Summer and now we can look forward to glorious Autumn colours beautifying the garden. The local farmer, who tills the field adjacent to Barleycorn, has just finished harvesting his barley, though the rain has prevented him from making roly-poly bales of straw for Winter bedding. Perhaps I will have footage of that next month in the Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness.
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The first video this month is called September Song At Barleycorn. The accompanying music is Bailero, sung by Renee Fleming, from Songs of the Auvergne. Each month the videos are visual accounts of what is in bloom here in our garden.

The second video is called September Harvest. The accompanying music is Hoedown from Rodeo. I hope you enjoy them.

Bobby-Dazzlers, Every One!

2010-08-28T12:47:00.015Z

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

The month of August is high Summer for us, the time when the garden has a blowsy, overgrown appearance. Foxgloves hang heavy with next year's seed. The majestic stems of Verbascums, stiff Oriental Poppy pepperpots, and the tangle of spent growth on the Geraniums, all now wizened and brown, conspire to say that Autumn is creeping in. But, into that tangled mess fly all the fairies, with their newly-painted diaphanous wings.

Peacock Butterfly on Inula Daisies

Their magical appearance never ceases to amaze me as I gaze upon their beauty with a heart full of joy and wonder. The fact that we are 225 metres above sea-level, and, therefore, colder and wetter, must have a bearing on the infrequent sightings of butterflies. Considering the layout of the garden has more nectar borders containing host plants for several species, than anything else, it has always saddened me to find so few sightings.

Red Admiral Butterfly

Throughout the Summer we see Small Whites and Large Whites on a regular basis. They lay their eggs on the patches of nettles, to which I give house-room especially to encourage butterflies. If I have grown Nasturtiums, as I have in my Summer meadow this year, their leaves will look like lace curtains by the end of the season.

Small White Butterfly

But...towards the end of August, we have this magical rainbow of colour...red, russet, azure blue, orange, bronze and creamy-white. They all congregate on the Inula Daisies. I have spread these around the garden over the years. But, it is always the patch on which the sun shines for most hours in the day which they prefer. Each probosis goes at it, hammer and tong, so to speak, as they gather their much-sought nectar. Each season many will breed, lay eggs and die. But the magic they bring is worth the brief visit, and, possibly, because of their infrequent appearance, much more appreciated than if they were flying around every day...though, for me personally, I would never tire of the company of wall-to-wall butterflies in my garden.

Hoverfly on Inula Daisies

Competing for space on each flowerhead are the Hoverflies, Bumble Bees and Bees, as well as Wasps. They are no less welcome as each has a part to play in the web of life which keeps my garden organic and chemical-free and thus better for the environment. Every one is a pollinator, though most people are surprised when I tell them that applies to Wasps too, and that they are not simply here on earth to torment our picnics.

Small Bumble Bee on Teasel

Only today, I was reminded of the story, by Simon Barnes in the Times, of the importance of Wasps and how it is they who invented paper by chewing woodpulp, and how the Chinese cottoned on to that ...and the rest is history. In fact there would be no history, no Shakespeare, no poetry without the Wasps inventing paper. So, perhaps we should salute them and sing their praises, rather than destroy them with the newspapers which we read from, thanks to them.

Banded Shell Snail

I have said this many times before in my journal...but, I allow Snails and Slugs to roam freely in my garden. I found this little fellow with his broken shell crawling away for safety under the patio. They are the dustmen of the garden, feeding on the rotting plants, and, in turn, becoming food for Thrushes and other birds, and the colony of mature frogs in our two ponds. I know they can be naughty and eat new seedlings. But there are ways around that. I use coffee grinds and crushed eggshells to deter them and I grow many seeds in large pots with vaseline around the rim, which also hinders the Snails and Slugs from crawling into the pots. In that way, we live in harmony and they survive by eating spent leaves and rotting plants.

Blue Nigella, Love In A Mist

The Summer meadow I grew has continued to mature and grow, and grace the garden with much colour...reds, oranges and pinks of Poppies; blue, white and pink Cornflowers; blue and white Nigella; baby-pink Cosmos; inky-purple Cerinthe Major; several Sunflowers and hundreds of Nasturtiums. In the two videos I took this month, I have included more footage of the Summer meadow as it developed and matured.

Golden Barley In The Field Adjacent To Barleycorn

I leave you with this quote from Ecclesiastes 3 Verse 11.

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

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The first video, called Fairy Magic At Barleycorn, August 2010, is of the Butterflies, Bumble Bees, Hoverflies and other pollinators which have paid us visits this month. I used Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade to accompany the dancing insects.

In the second video, called High Summer At Barleycorn, August 2010, I walked around Barleycorn at various times to give an overall impression of what is in bloom throughout August. Jay Ungar's The Ashokan Farewell is the accompaniment. ( I hope both will play continuously...if they pause, try hovering the mouse over Play. It works for me when they stick. Happy Viewing...Enjoy!)

Contemplation In The Garden

2010-07-30T17:30:00.020Z

Annual Poppy

Silence gives us a new outlook on everything.

Raindrops On Poppy

Nature, trees, flowers and grass grow in perfect silence.

Hoverfly On Poppy

See how the stars, the moon and the sun move in silence.

Flemish Poppy

God is the friend of silence.

Mixed Annual Poppies

In the silence of the heart God speaks to us.

Long-Horned Beetle On Poppy

In silence we are granted the privilege of listening to His voice.

Bumble Bee On Poppy

In silence He speaks to our souls.

Nasturtium

We need silence to be able to touch souls.

Danish Flag Poppy

Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.

Cerinthe Major

The essential thing is not what we say, but what God says to us and through us.

Corncockles

In that silence He will listen to us; there He will speak to our soul, and there we will hear His voice.

Long-Horned Beetle On Cornflower

When you have listened to the voice of God in the stillness of your heart, then your heart is filled with God.

Mixed Annual Poppies

Mother Teresa quotes from No Greater Love

Six weeks of heavy snow slithered down the high-pitched roof of the barn like an avalanche and flattened the tall shrubs which had been growing there for 19 years. Instead of moaning about my losses, I decided to create a little summer meadow. I chose mixed annual poppies, cornflower, corncockles, nigella, nasturtiums, sunflowers and packets of 'butterfly' seed. The results are to be seen in this first video, Summer Meadow At Barleycorn, July 2010. There are two pieces of musical accompaniment. The first is Vaughan Williams' Fantasia On Greensleeves, followed by Butterworth's The Banks Of Green Willow.
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The Second video, called, Cornucopia At Barleycorn, July 2010, has one piece of music, Brahms' Violin Concerto in D major, 2nd movement. I thought there were too many flowers to talk about this month as July is one of the months when the garden is in full flow. I think most of you will recognise the plants apart from one which is not as commonplace as the others. I have only ever seen it once, growing in a friend's garden. It is a white bell called Codonopsis Convolvulacea. In one of the still images I am holding a bell so that you can see the pretty colours inside it. I hope you enjoy your walk around Barleycorn with me.

In The Summertime, When The Weather Is Fine

2010-07-05T15:07:00.015Z

Across A Section Of The Back Garden

The month of June went by in a whirl of activity. We had wall-to-wall sunshine which meant we were able to sit out in our back garden with family and friends. Some came to stay; others for lunch, Afternoon Tea or dinner; and with some we went on holiday.

Annuals in Pots

This meant that I did not have time to visit my friends in Blogland...but, I shall do so this month. Normally, our really beautiful weather last for only a few days...but, this Summer, we have had weeks of sunny weather, which has made all the difference to the garden.

Underside of an Orange tip Butterfly

We have had early visits from butterflies and insects, hoverflies and interesting hawk moths. There has never been such abundant blossom on our honeysuckles and the plants, in general, have flowered earlier too.

Angelica

Dotted around the garden are stately Angelicas which have reached phenomenal heights. I am surprised they have not needed staking. From one tiny seed comes so much joy, both in the foliage as well as the globular seed-heads. They are particularly good for children to grow, as is the Teasel, because both grow to maturity quickly.

Mixed Foliage In The Front Garden

The bench in this photo faces the front of our house and gets the sun all day, so Taz, the Barn Cat, often snoozes there. It also affords privacy, so anyone passing along the road is unseen. As it faces one of our ponds we can sit for hours watching birds and insects bathing and drinking.

Bumble Bee On Cirsium Thistles

This Cirsium has grown to an amazing height of seven feet this Summer. The bees and insects adore the sustenance they get and we love their humming chorus. As, in previous months, I have tried to capture as much of the changes in the garden as I can through the video mode of my camera.

Taz, The Barn Cat

Our pets always seem to me to be in a permanent state of bliss. Nothing much phases them. Taz has dreamed away the hot sunny days, lazing in all the sheltered spots around the garden. On the sticky days he knew where the coolest places were too.

Papaver Orientalis, Red Oriental Poppies

Our Oriental Poppies bloom for six weeks from the beginning of June...so, they are just going over now. For those who are not familiar with the garden, the main colour-scheme follows the cooler part of the spectrum with some white and yellow. But, the vibrant reds and oranges, and the cooler pinks and whites of the Oriental poppies brighten up the subtle hues of the rest of the year.

Papaver Orientalis Curlylocks

It's exciting to watch the garden come alive, day by day, with the dinner-plate sized heads, the enormous inky-black anthers and the large green seedpods of these poppies. Bees bury themselves in the anthers, too.

Papaver Orientalis Dawn Pink

This species is a new acquisition for the garden. Little spotted insects seemed to enjoy being in its head. I liked the pink markings, as opposed to the black, and the subtlety of the shade of pink. The first video is called Poppymania and the music I used for accompaniment is Pachelbel's Canon.

Papaver Orientalis Dusky Pink

You can also see some of my annual poppies on the video. The second video is called June Melody At Barleycorn and the music which accompanies it is Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor.
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Happy viewing...and I'll be visiting soon.

Halcyon Days At Barleycorn In The Month Of May

2010-05-29T17:01:00.017Z

Taz, the Barn Cat

Hal Borland is quoted as saying 'April is a promise that May is bound to keep' and I couldn't agree more. After such a long winter, with five weeks of snow and freezing cold, we have had a relatively mild May with a mini-heatwave into the bargain.

Orange Tipped Butterfly

The sunny weather brought the return of the garden fairies...the butterflies. So swift is the Orange Tipped in flight, that it took me a whole day to capture one photograph, though I managed to take video snippets of the Large White.

Wasp on A Centaurea

From the beginning to the end of the month my camera has been set, more or less, at video mode. All manner of interesting insects, bees and butterflies with their diaphanous wings, appeared, as if by magic, as the days grew warmer.

A Carder Bee, Bombus Pascuorum, on a Centaurea

Anyone within earshot of the garden was serenaded from dawn to dusk by several male Blackbirds singing their madrigals and the hum of the all-important bees, as they gathered nectar and pollinated the plants. Joining the Spring dance, the trees gradually donned lush Spring coats, and some even covered themselves in vibrant blossom.

Female Blackbird With Grubs

So far this year we have four pairs of Blackbirds nesting around the garden, three pairs of Swallows in the eaves of the barn, many Sparrows nesting in the ivy growing up the outside of the barn and a pesky Heron helping himself, unfortunately, to the colony of frogs in the two ponds.

Crab Apple blossom

Apart from chasing him away when I see him, there's not much else I can do, as I love all wildlife and believe that each plays its part in the magical web of life. After all, the ponds could not support all the tadpoles growing into mature frogs.

Pagoda Lilies, Erythroniums

Though we have seen several Martins flying overhead, so far, none has taken possession of the old nests...and a pair of Sparrows have now moved into one. The Martins were also a week late in returning this year, which may account for the Sparrows grabbing the main chance.

The Barn

Since April 2009, I have been keeping a record of photographs and videos of a few Great Spotted Woodpeckers which come to the garden. The slightest sign of movement and they fly off. It is usually their drumming which alerts me to their presence.

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Male

These Woodpeckers are about the same size as Blackbirds. The male has a red nape, while the female does not. The juvenile has a red hood. They all have red rumps. They are aggressive towards other birds at the feeders and think nothing of using their beaks to see them off.

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Female

In the video of the Woodpeckers, aggressive females commandeer the feeders and swing between them to chase off the smaller birds. Their behaviour always reminds me of Rudyard Kipling's poem...Now this is the law of the jungle...

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Juvenile

Even the juveniles are strong enough to play King of the Castle at the feeders, and, if hungry enough, they will fly at the smaller birds to shoo them away. I am so grateful for a fleeting visit, for, often, all I catch is a glimpse of the flash of red on their rumps as they fly off to the nearby wood.
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Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does Nature because in her inventions nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous.
Leonardo da Vinci
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Enjoy the videos...and turn up the volume at the end of the second one, Halcyon Days At Barleycorn In The Merry Month Of May, to hear the Spring lambs bleating. The first, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Apr09-May10, has Saint-Saens' Pianists for accompaniment.

Every Spring Is The Only Spring

2010-05-05T09:40:00.026Z

Tadpoles In Egg Cells

Please click * (footnote before the videos) on each photograph to see the amazing detail, and you will see why, for me, Spring is the most marvellous season. I was born in the month of April, and each year I am filled with Spring Fever. Having not one, but, two ponds here at Barleycorn, I am fortunate to be able to observe each stage in the life-cycle of the common frog at close quarters.

Taddies With Gills

Each Spring I marvel at this miraculous spectacle of Nature with renewed enthusiasm. It matters not that I have witnessed it for each of the past twenty years since my Hubbie first created the ponds...for every Spring is the only Spring.

Tadpoles Swimming Freely

With my camera set to video mode, I went out each day and recorded the changes in their development, from spawn to tadpole. You can watch the results in the first little video, Barleycorn Taddies, at the end of this post and be filled with wonder at the metamorphosis.

Female Blackbird Gathering Nesting Material

As well as the frenzy of activity in the ponds, beginning each day with the Frog Chorus, we have also had the pleasure of being awakened by the Dawn Chorus, and a wonderful serenading Song Thrush...both of which are better than any alarm clock at enticing me out of bed. Because we have a lot of chaff left over from last year's spent flower stems, the usual suspects have been gathering their nesting material.

Blackbird's Nest

Each Autumn, I leave a crown of growth around my plants to protect them from severe frosts and to offer nesting material for the birds in Spring. This year, we have watched three pairs of Blackbirds, a Thrush, three pairs of Jackdaws and Titmice gathering chaff, moss, wool and twigs to make their nests.

Goldfinches And A Siskin

Nuts and seeds sustain the birds when they are feverishly engaged in building their nests. In the second video, Billing And Cooing, you will see a female blackbird using her beak to wrestle and tug chaff from the earth, for a whole day, and persevere until her beak could support no more strands, before flying off to a nearby Pine, where she began to weave her magic.

Siskin On A Garden Light

I do not use the word 'magic' lightly, to describe the truly wonderful creation of a bird's nest, for their intricacy never ceases to amaze me, knowing that, even with the use of a pair of hands, my effort would be a poor attempt. Though we found the nest lying on the ground the next day, the Blackbird began the marathon all over again, this time building the nest in a more sheltered Pine.

Double-Petalled Daffodil

Whenever our daffodils burst forth, I am always reminded of the exuberant song from the Mikado...
# The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring, Tra La #
... because they are further confirmation that Spring has arrived at last at Barleycorn. Another sign is the first appearance of 'our' Swallows, newly returned from their long trip from Africa to their nests in the Barn. This year we are fortunate to have three returning pairs.

Naturalised Daffodils

With the Swallows playing Spitfires, zooming in and out of the Barn from dawn to dusk each day, the car is once again sporting a dustsheet for the duration of our Barn visitors' sojourn. Further evidence of Spring is the fact that my log-piles have dwindled as pairs of Jackdaws replenished their nests in the Barn's three chimneys.

Orange-Centred Daffodil

There are five Dandelion plants in full bloom at the moment, given house-room in our garden so that Queen Bumble bees have sustenance when they crawl out of their underground hideaways each Spring... for our garden is very much one designed to encourage wildlife to take up residence.

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly On Scilla

Small Tortoiseshell and Large White butterflies overwinter in the Barn. Several times over the years I have managed to rescue a few from cobwebs to enable them to fly off and begin their life-cycle. In the third video, Flowering At Barleycorn, you will see Taz, my constant companion, as I took the footage. Though our garden is very much in the early stages of Spring, with many joys still to unfold as the season progresses, I already feel I am bursting with joy, blessed with the wonder and majesty of it all and feeling positive about what the garden means in terms of conservation...reminding me we are the stewards of the earth.
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Don't forget to turn up the volume to enjoy the musical accompaniment and the sounds of Nature in the background. Enjoy!
xxxxxxx

Click * If you decide to click to enlarge a photo, you can then click on a corner and the photo will open up to the size of the whole page...and then you will see everything in glorious detail!

The music accompanying Barleycorn Taddies is Delibes' Pizzicati.

The music accompanying Billing And Cooing is Kriesler's Schon Rosmarin.

The music accompanying Flowering At Barleycorn is Grieg's To The Spring, from his Lyric Pieces.

Celebrating The Rebirth Of Easter At Barleycorn

2010-04-02T13:13:00.015Z

Snowdrops

Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
Wheat that in the dark earth many years has lain;Gulls Following The Plough

Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.

Coal Tit Singing

In the grave they laid Him, Love Whom we had slain,
Thinking that He’d never wake to life again,

Aconites

Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.

Blue Tits On Weathervane

Up He sprang at Easter, like the risen grain,
He that for three days in the grave had lain;

Crocuses

Up from the dead my risen Lord is seen:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.

Frog Mating

When our hearts are saddened, grieving or in pain,
By Your touch You call us back to life again;

Taz, The Barn Cat

Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.

Sunset

The music accompanying the first video, Drifts Of Snowdrops At Barleycorn, is Mendelssohn's Spring Song.

Drifts Of Snowdrops At Barleycorn

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The music accompanying the second video, Springtime At Barleycorn, is Vivaldi's Spring, from The Four Seasons.

Springtime At Barleycorn

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Happy Easter, Everyone!

Fantastic Mr Fox!

2010-03-12T15:13:00.023Z

Garden Birds At The Feeder

Since my last post we have had a mixed bag of weather with more falls of snow. Chaffinches, Titmice, Robins and Blackbirds flocked to the bird-table and the feeders to get as much sustenance as possible to survive this fierce Winter.

Garden Birds

However, though we still have overnight temperatures of below zero, today we experienced the warmth of the sun. Since the beginning of the month I have been serenaded by a beautiful Song Thrush. As if by magic, Spring is slowly creeping up on us.

Two Blue Tits On The Weathervane

As well as the flocks of pigeons I spoke about last month, hundreds of crows began to join them in the field adjacent to Barleycorn.

Crows At Barleycorn

The noise they made was deafening and they arrived in such quantities that I was reminded of the Hitchcock film called The Birds.

Crows In The Snowstorm

I decided to take footage of them all and you can watch their antics in the little video at the foot of this post.

Foxy's Footprints In The snow

One night I laid out bacon rind on the bird-table to give the early birds a good feed the next morning. Low and behold, I noticed there had been a fox. It was so cold he would have come to scavenge for anything he could find to keep out the cold. Some nights are better than others, in terms of food for a fox, so, given the opportunity, a fox will take what he can find.

Foxy Eating Cat Food

I am well aware that many people regard foxes as vermin and that they are shot by many farmers, who then complain that their fields are overrun with rabbits, moles, mice and rats, which the fox eats. But it's my belief that every creature has its place in the web of life.

Foxy Eating Fish

I decided to enjoy the brief visit of Fantastic Mr Fox and give him some sustenance to keep out the Winter chills. Each night I waited, camera in hand, for the magical hour when he appeared. I admired his beautiful chestnut coat, the black behind his ears, his magnificent brush and the twinkle in his eyes as he gorged himself on his delicious supper.

Foxy On The Table

He never stayed long. Many of my photos turned out blurry, due, in part, to his constant movement. But, I was mesmerised by him and looked forward to his antics each night. Foxes are omnivorous, feeding on small birds, mammals, insects, berries and the odd chicken or three, if they get lucky. It is possible to rear chickens successfully, for many people do, in spite of foxes living in their neighbourhoods.

Foxy In The Night

Though foxes are known to farmers as raiders of their poultry, they do help the farmer by destroying many rodents. However, there are also lots of myths generated about foxes in order to justify killing them, and these persist, despite evidence to the contrary, and, so, the attitude to foxes remains polarised.

Foxy On The Chair

Foxes have always lived in the countryside. But, due to more and more housing development, their natural territory is being eaten up, so much so, that many foxes now live in cities, which, previously, had been their habitats. I don't understand the visceral hatred some people harbour towards foxes. My parents were farming people, and their parents before them, and they lived in peace with all the wildife around them and successfully reared chickens and lambs.

Foxy's Brush

As far as I know nobody has ever caught a disease from a fox. Neither do they attack humans. If anything, they tend to give us a wide berth. I can understand farmers not liking a fox if it affects their livelihood, but as far as I'm concerned, if farming is your business, you should be able to house your animals suitably so that foxes can't get in. As wild animals they will act instinctively and can't be blamed for what they do. I enjoyed my spot of fox-watching because I think foxes are beautiful creatures, to be admired for surviving... in spite of Mankind...and I also feel privileged to have shared Fantastic Mr Fox's company on his nocturnal visits to Barleycorn.
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The music accompanying Birds Over Barleycorn video is Hot Ice taken from my CD of A Mid-Summer Night's Dream. The accompaniment to Fantastic Mr Fox video is another track, called Strange Snow from the same CD. Turn up the volume and enjoy a spot of bird and fox-watching!

Flocks Of Pigeons At Barleycorn

2010-02-15T16:01:00.013Z

Frozen Pond

As, in so many other parts of the countryside, we are continuing to have freezing temperatures, which create beautiful winter scenes. Although our ponds are beginning to thaw, we still have an avalanche of pristine snow, which slithered off the high-pitched roof of our outhouse bringing down tall shrubs in its wake.

Winter Sunset

Each season offers its own joy and, none more so than, a glorious Winter sunset at the close of a crisp, frosty day. What better way to end these shivering days than by coming indoors for a bowl of home-made soup, and curling up afterwards on the sofa with a good book? That is often the time when I drool over garden catalogues and make plans for the coming season.

Flock Of Pigeons

For the past month, as the snow has receded, we have been watching hundreds of pigeons foraging amongst the left-over grain in the field behind Barleycorn. On most days we have observed flock upon flock joining together till they form a large cloud and begin wheeling overhead before, eventually, settling down together for safety.

Pigeons Behind The Weathervane At Barleycorn

Suddenly, without warning, they will take to the air, making a loud commotion, and circle the field for a long time before landing again. If we are sharp-eyed, we might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a Sparrowhawk chasing after one of them. When it makes a kill, the pigeons fly off, while the Sparrowhawk begins to de-feather its prey.

Female Sparrowhawk On A Silver Birch Tree

Due to the large numbers of pigeons and smaller birds searching for food during this exceptionally cold Winter, we have been fortunate enough to see the Sparrowhawk on several days each week. However, if she catches sight of us, she is off and out of sight as quickly as she appeared.

Blue Tits At The Weathervane Feeder

When we participated in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch earlier this month, they were astounded when we recorded the numbers of pigeons we were observing until we filled in further information explaining that our garden overlooked a field.

First Snowdrops At Barleycorn

Isn't Nature wonderful? No matter how many degrees below freezing they have endured, no matter how prolonged the snowy blanket under which they lay, the sturdy snowdrops - with their small green bodices, their ballet gowns and heads like fallen drops of snow - have survived all that Winter has thrown at them and come through triumphantly. Does that not make your heart sing and leap for joy?
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In my little video called Flocks Of Pigeons, the accompanying music is Track 17 from my CD called A Garden Of Music. Most of the birds are pigeons with some starlings, jackdaws and crows for company.

The Importance Of Finding Beauty In Light

2010-01-14T09:36:00.033Z

Great Tit

What a handsome fellow is this Great Tit, spoiled for choice at one of my Hubbie's many feeding stations around the garden. And what better way to wish you all A Happy and Healthy New Year, than by introducing you to some of the garden birds which have visited us here in the past few weeks at Barleycorn. Though we see the Titmice on most days, a rarer treat was in store for us.

Female Sparrowhawk

A beautiful, majestic female Sparrowhawk was our herald of the Winter, for she arrived exactly two days before the onset of what has been the most glorious, luminescent time of my life, thanks to the magical presence of snow-filled days and nights.

Through The Freezing Fog

For, here in Scotland, the months of December and January are normally dark, dreich and often drizzly, with only the prospect of the much longed-for Christmas celebrations and family get-togethers to lighten the otherwise drab days of Winter.

Snow On The Branches

But, not this year. According to the Met Office we are in the midst of the heaviest snowfall for 50 years and I am so glad to be alive and enjoying the light, because, for me, light has a spiritual dimension.

Panorama Across The Field

Everything seems more colourful and happy when the days are lighter and brighter. The light itself seems to bring enlightenment of the mind and spirit. Light is knowledge. It keeps the gloom and dark thoughts at bay.

Snowfall Silhouettes

I love waking to the silence on the morning after the first fall of snow. It recreates a feeling of magic in the air that I remember as a child when snow brought days full of laughter from the excitement of building a snowman with my brother and sledging with my friends, not to mention our ravenous appetites when, eventually, we went indoors for supper.

The Magical Glow Of Twilight

One is never too old to remember that excitement, nor too old to build a snowman, I hope, for these pleasures are all too transient and should be grasped at every opportunity before our dance is done, or our song sung. Being child-like, as opposed to childish, is what keeps us young at heart.

A Friendly Pheasant On top Of A Trellis

I believe we must keep our bodies like a fine-tuned violin for then the music of God will come out from every fibre of our being. And what better way to do it, in the midst of the heaviest fall of snow in a lifetime, than by building a snowman?

Taz, The Barn Cat, Walking Across The Frozen Pond

I feel duty-bound to be happy in times of so-called adversity, though I would disagree that being surrounded by heavy snow is one such time. It would be all too easy to resort to pessimism in the dark of Winter. But, in these bright days, we have an opportunity to make our light shine for our neighbours and our fellow man.

Male Blackbird With Fermenting Pears

One of life's greatest pleasures is the feeling of being needed, for someone's need gives purpose and meaning to our lives even in our retirement when our professional days are gone. The heavy snow has given my Hubbie and I opportunities to take provisions to house-bound members of our family and friends, to help clear paths to ensure a safe foothold and to show our love for a hungry family by providing them with dinner on New Year's Day.

Coal Tit On The Cotoneaster Hedge

Here at Barleycorn, we spent happy days during the Festive Season, sharing our hearts and our home with our nearest and dearest, savouring every precious moment, every meal around the family-table, the sound of their laughter, the radiant smiles, before the tender goodbyes.

Robin Redbreast On A Conifer

I believe it's important to show our love to our fellow man, as well as to one's own family, as we are only mature to the extent that we can love. If we don't reach out to others we grow ever inward and become shallow instead of rounded citizens sharing in a community.

Female Chaffinch And Coal Tit On A Window Sill

Those of you who follow the Barleycorn journal will be well aware of my feelings about how we should all be the stewards of the earth and that we should encourage wildlife in our gardens, whether they consist of a humble window-box, a grand stately pile or somewhere in between.

Male Chaffinch

Our feathered friends have more than brightened the snowy days of Winter. They have brought endless pleasure and brilliant colour to an otherwise monochromatic landscape. It has been such fun spending time observing their individual shapes, colours and habits whilst watching them fly in to feast upon my Hubbie's overflowing treats dotted around the garden.

Starling

Each is welcome to our garden, whether it be the rare sightings of the Sparrowhawk or the everyday visits of the humble Sparrow. Each beak is different for each has a different purpose. Some beaks, such as those of the finches, are purpose-built for prizing open seeds, while others, such as those of the Sparrowhawk, are made for tearing flesh.

Dunnock On The Kitchen Window Sill

The Dunnock, or Hedge Sparrow, above, is a ground-feeding bird, often overlooked because he is an inconspicuous brown with a grey head and breast. But, I love his unexpected warbling in the middle of the night, with his loud piping note making me aware of his presence, and his habit of threading his way through the shrubbery or under the table looking for insects or crumbs.

A Ring-Collared Dove At The Bird Table

Since my last post, I have been looking out from the various windows of the house, camera in hand, taking photos and little video snippets of the visiting wildlife at Barleycorn and the magical effect of the changing light on our landscape. You can watch the results in the three videos at the end of the post.

Blue Tit On The Cotoneaster Hedge Under My Studio Window

Today, for example, the sky overhead is like a Tupperware bowl, with almost no delineation of a horizon in the distance, for the snow-covered field and the sky seem to have merged into one. Though I have been looking across the same landscape, each day has been different due to the effect of the light on the snow and close observation has made each new day exciting and full of wonder.

Whooper Swan

We have a beautiful walk which takes us down a country lane and over fields to a well-known local river. While our family were here, and on several days since, my Hubbie and I have gone on this walk. Not only have we have been overwhelmed by the intrinsic beauty of the landscape covered in snow, and the river - frozen in places - but also by the sight of Cormorants fishing, Greylag Geese swimming upstream and majestic Whooper Swans all the way from Siberia, flying overhead. This really is a paradise, which I am enjoying sharing with you all.
xxxxxxx

With love in our hearts and joy in our souls we will lead others to find beauty in The Light.

In the video of The Pheasant And Taz the music I used for accompaniment is taken from my CD of Simon Boswell's I know A Place Where The Wild Thyme Blows from the soundtrack of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The Pheasant appeared during one heavy fall of snow and made himself at home in the garden on several days. Even though he was much bigger than Taz, the latter had great fun chasing after him, even sliding across the pond behind him on one occasion and lying in wait, ready to pounce. The Pheasant merely gave a loud cock-cock-cock and flew over the wall into the field to join his harem of four females.

The music which accompanies the video Beautiful Barleycorn In The Snow is Air 'On The G String' a track from my CD of Classic FM Relax Disc 2. It's amazing how unfamiliar our garden looks, even to us, under the mantle of a blanket of snow and how each successive snowfall enhanced the Barn and the garden and gave them both an added charm and romance.

The music accompaniment for the video Birds At Barleycorn In The Snow is Spiegel Im Spiegel, a track from my CD Classic FM Relax And Escape. The slow deliberation of each note played on the piano seemed to suit the gentle falling of the snowflakes.

Barleycorn Panorama

2009-12-15T16:35:00.009Z

Feeding Station

Each month during the year, I have been taking photos of the changing skies above Barleycorn. I thought it would be interesting to combine these photos with some of the pictures I took of the wildlife which visited the garden. You can see the result in the photo-slide below.
xxxxxxx

Christmas Blessing

May the Spirit of Christmas, which is Peace,
The Gladness of Christmas, which is Hope,
The Adoration of Christmas, which is Joy,
And the Heart of Christmas, which is Love
Be with Everyone, now and forever. Amen
xxxxxxx

Turn up the volume to enjoy the accompaniment of Mascagni's Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana.

Surrounded By Beauty

2009-11-27T15:52:00.024Z

Glorious Sunset

At this time of year, when the plants in the garden are dying back and the weather is getting colder, we gardeners have to look elsewhere for beauty and sustenance to keep our spirits up. With me, pleasure is often to be found in skywatching. At the beginning of November, just after we had changed the clocks, we had a succession of stunning sunsets which lasted over a few nights.

Fiery Sunset

The intense beauty never fails to takes my breath away, for beauty is all about things which touch our heartstrings. I love how the pale pink rays merge with the deep blues of the evening sky, and change dramatically into deep, burnishing gold. They remind me of Turneresque skies reflected in his beautiful sea paintings.

Beautiful Sunset

One evening I took a little video, panning across the horizon, when, all of a sudden, the sound of bleating lambs broke the silence, as if they were crying out at the wonder of it all. Y-e-e-e-s-s, y-e-e-e-s-s! If you listen carefully, you will hear them at the end of the music which I chose to accompany the footage...and it had to be Agnus Dei, of course.

Whooper Swans and Bewick Swans

Two fields away from Barleycorn, with all the weeks of incessant rain we have been experiencing, the local river has flooded its plains. This is a boon to the thousands of greylag geese and the hundreds of swans which migrate from Iceland and Siberia every year to overwinter here.

Whooper Swans, Bewick Swans and Lapwings

Whooper swans have longer necks than our resident Mute swans, and have yellow and black beaks as opposed to the mute's reddish-orange beak. Bewick swans are also smaller than Whooper swans and have more yellow on their beaks. Whoopers bugle with a whooping sound which gives them their name.

Greylag Geese

Greylag geese have pink or orange bills and pink feet, which distinguishes them from other geese. They can also be recognised by their sheer bulk, being bigger and paler than other grey geese, and, in flight, they look completely grey. In our area, they arrive in their thousands each morning, flying overhead and feeding in the river estuaries, flooded grassland and arable fields, often to the farmers' annoyance. I, however, welcome them, and take every opportunity to observe them.

Frost On Honeysuckle Berries

Apart from the rain we have also had some of our first frosts of Winter. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than wrapping up warmly and going for a wander around the magical garden. Overnight, Jack Frost had waved his magic wand and transformed the dying-back of the year into a Winter wonderland.

Frost On Pond Grasses

Isn't it wonderful that Mankind has no control over the weather? Imagine the wars that would create...deciding who would have sun and who rain, or wind or snow! A frosty walk in Winter brings so much pleasure. At the very least, it makes us thankful to warm ourselves indoors afterwards. At best, it is an opportunity to observe detail in the garden more closely while everything in it, from the tiny lichens to the tallest tree, is outlined in fairy frosting.

Frost On Alchemilla Mollis

Why does frost seem to heighten the magic of the garden? The exquisite hairs on a leaf outlined in frost, the frozen pond with life still swimming underneath the ice, the veins of grasses decorated in frosting, the stiff needles glistening on the cedar, one's nostrils like a dragon breathing smoke...all to be savoured...a red-letter day, which seemed more precious than the day before because of the magic in the night. Yes, we have the science to explain it all, but, our hearts tell us a different story, for gardening, and beauty, are all about feelings.

Taz, The Barn Cat

Taz, the barn cat, ever faithful, ever by my side on my walks around the garden. If you listen carefully, you will hear him speaking to me too. Y-e-s, y-e-s, very beautiful, I'm sure. Don't forget to turn up the volume to hear the wonderful Agnus Dei, a fitting tribute to all the beauty surrounding me.

Bountiful Barleycorn In October

2009-10-28T17:14:00.025Z

Large White And Red Admiral Butterflies On Michaelmas Daisies

At the beginning of October the sun shone brightly and our visiting butterflies had their last sustenance from our Michaelmas daisies. After such a poor Summer, weather-wise, with a period of almost ten weeks of rain, we are having a glorious Autumn.

Red Admiral and Hoverfly On Michaelmas Daisies

It was a joy to observe the flurry of frenzied activity on the various posies of Michaelmas Daisies around our ponds. I, too, enjoyed the warmth of the sun on my back while taking my little video of the butterflies and hoverflies. It makes my heart sing to see the fruition of all the hard work in creating our garden, when intensive farming methods deprive little creatures of their habitats.

Red Cotoneaster Berries

The birds and insects, too, have had a wonderful time gorging themselves on the Autumnal fruits and berries we provide for them. They had a choice of cotoneaster berries, rowan berries, crab apples, Japanese quince apples, the tomato-like hips on the Rosa Rugosa hedge, hips on our climbing roses and a cornucopia of seedheads from all the herbaceous borders.

White Bark Of The Jacquemontii Silver Birch Tree

Autumn is a wonderful sensory experience in the garden, with a rainbow of colour which paints a smile on the dullest of days. In this photograph, we can see the green leaves of the Cornus Alba, the White Dogwood behind the silver birch, turning to gold. But, now that we are at the end of October, they are all but spent.

View Across Part Of The Back Garden At Barleycorn

Our garden is too large to leave all the cutting-back to the Spring, when we would be in danger of trampling our bulbs. It means, therefore, that, in Autumn, my hubbie and I spend a fair amount of time cutting back spent stems which no longer bear seeds. It helps to encourage a new crown around the centre of the plants, which, in turn, protects them over the Winter. As you can see from this photograph, we have left the foliage on the pond plants at this late date in the calendar, as they give shelter to a host of insects.

Red Autumn Foliage On Joseph's Rock Rowan

When you come to view the little video (at the end of this post, made up of snippets taken during this month at Barleycorn) the Joseph's Rock Rowan has green foliage with yellow/orange berries. This photograph, however, shows the amazing transformation from green to yellow to its glorious red Autumnal coat...but, even as I type, the tree is almost in silhouette...

Lily Leaves In The Pond

I have said, many times, the ponds are a constant source of delight to us, and never more so than when they are wearing their Autumnal hues. As an amateur watercolourist, I delight in the photographs which show the play of light on the ponds. The reflections never cease to amaze me.

The Potentilla Hedge Up The Drive

Our Potentilla hedge, planted by my hubbie, flowers for six months of the year and feeds insects and birds to their heart's content. Whenever we walk its length, sparrows are chattering amongst its thick-set foliage, safe in the knowledge we can scarcely spy them. On frosty days, it is often draped in dew-filled spiders' webs, which, like so many fairy necklaces, exude an air of magic.

Hosta Foliage In Autumn

Even though many gardeners are keen to tidy up, I prefer to leave the hosta leaves until they disappear by themselves into the ground. On dry days, I like nothing better than coming across a filigree-patterned leaf, with only the skeleton of the veins showing.

Crocosmia Leaves And Spent Grasses

Once or twice, we have come across a hedgehog's nest in the garden. They are shaped like a rugby ball with the lower half underground in a hollow in the earth and the top half made from the long foliage of grasses and crocosmia, all woven together with hedgehog spittle. Once, to our delight, we found three babies inside. However, on closer inspection, we found they were dead, and we wondered if their mother had been killed on the road, as is, sadly, often the case.

Lichens On Logs

Here and there, around the garden, we have logs for insects to hide in and to chew. Over the years we have had to replace many of them as the insects, and the weather, have reduced them to smithereens. The glaucous blue lichens growing on these logs are worth a closer inspection. Just click on the photograph.

Taz, The Barn Cat, Under A Weeping Birch Tree

Those of you, who follow the blog, will know that Taz had a friend called Cookie who shared the barn with him for the past four years. Her original owners have now decided to take her back to live with them and their seven new cats. No sooner has that happened than a new cat, jet black with green eyes, has made himself at home in the barn. Since the barn is 70 foot long, they will be able to give each other a wide berth if they fail to bond.

White Iceberg Climbing Rose

This climbing rose stays with us till January. I am so glad it is so hardy, and is covered in heads at the moment. Hoverflies, flies, spiders, and a myriad of other insects feed on it, and, in turn, they feed the birds. Although its foliage sometimes suffers from a spot of mildew, the blooms don't seem to be affected.

Crimson Glory Climbing Rose

This rose has been growing up the wall next to our back door for eighteen years now. It has a profusion of blooms throughout the Summer and has a pleasing fragrance. I miss its cheery colour when it goes to sleep next month.

Ox-Eye Daisies

These daisies spread themselves freely around the garden and I love them for it. They brighten dark areas of the garden, such as next to this pile of twigs and logs. Each head always seems cheerful to me with the golden cups of sunshine in their centres. They open with the dawn and close at dusk, which is why they are called the day's eye...

Who Goes There?

I am a light sleeper and often hear our local Barn Owl screeching as it catches its prey during the night. Often there is a large pile of feathers lying along one of our paths. This pile looks to have been left by a sparrowhawk though, as I often see one de-feathering a smaller bird in the same spot... near the stane-dyke wall adjacent to the field behind our garden, so that he has access to a quick getaway.

Balloon Over Barleycorn

Our October weather has been perfect for ballooning and the prevailing winds often carry the balloon over our house. I always greet the travellers with a friendly wave and they often call down to me. Three years ago, our elder son and his new bride treated us to a flight and it was a wonderful experience flying over our village, cameras at the ready, taking aerial views of our garden.

Sunset Behind Barleycorn

We do not always have beautiful Autumn sunsets, so I made the best of an opportunity to take several photographs of the ones we have enjoyed this month. In this photograph, as the sun neared the horizon it became a fiery red.

Sunset Behind Barleycorn 2

It's always exciting to have the silhouettes of trees in the foreground. The tree in the middle is a Holly so it will stay in that form. But, the two either side of it are Silver Birches, and, gradually, they will become more streamlined.

Sunset Behind Barleycorn 3

As if it wasn't enough of a pleasure to be writing this post, a surprise came to me the other day from one of my blogging pals, Linda May, who writes at

http://llindylou.blogspot.com/

She very kindly gave me the One Lovely Blog Award. I feel very humbled and honoured to receive this award. Linda writes from Canberra about her garden and her family and, in her own words, would "like my writing to be thought of as 'painting pictures with words' ".

In turn, I have to nominate blogs which I feel worthy of recommendation.

http://mywildlifesanctuary.blogspot.com/

http://nature-trail.blogspot.com/

http://walklabyrinth.blogspot.com/

http://jeannesbliss.blogspot.com/

http://beneaththewater.blogspot.com/

xxxxxxx

My video consists of many snippets taken during the month of October in our garden as well as footage of Greylag Geese flying over our garden and in a field along the road from us. Turn up the volume to hear my CD of Josh Groban singing, 'You Raise Me Up'.

Autumn Blessings At Barleycorn

2009-09-29T11:40:00.010Z

Betula Youngii, Silver Birch Tree

I can hardly contain the deep-seated joy I feel, for we are now into early Autumn, with all the blessings this contrasting season brings. Even on a dull day, with a grey sky and no sunshine, this silver birch tree appears to be on fire with its brilliant, orange foliage.

Hosta Sieboldiana

Let's see how many tones we can find in the foliage of the hosta...pale, mid and dark green; greenish-yellow, pale yellow and yellow tinged with brown. What's not to marvel at, considering the hosta is a shade of glaucus blue when it is 'in season'?

Cupid's Dart, Catananche Caerulea

Late flowering plants, such as Cupid's Dart, are such a boon in the garden, for they continue to feed the insects, which, in turn, feed the birds. And how boring our gardens would be without the presence of wildlife, which gives purpose and meaning to the plants, and daily interest to the wildlife gardener.

Hydrangea Petiolaris

The front of our house has some yellow brick, called rustic straw-thatch. In Summer the climbing hydrangea is in contrast to it with its green foliage and clusters of pretty cream-coloured blossoms. In Autumn, however, the golden colours of the leaves merge with the brick to give it the appearance of a living wall.

Japanese Anemone Anthers

When I planted our Japanese anemones, I never imagined how well they would establish themselves and multiply over the years. Although I have pleasure admiring their beauty, their main purpose is their anthers which act as a magnet to a multitude of insects at a time when a lot of plants in our nectar borders are spent.

Potentilla

We have a potentilla hedge bordering the front garden, and several individual specimens within our island beds. They are in bloom from June till October, producing a surfeit of flowers and providing shelter to our garden in our windswept landscape. But, in Autumn, the tiny green leaves turn to shades of gold, red, russet, orange and brown as they don their amazing Autumnal techni-coloured coat.

Japanese Anemones

In Spring, after months of the dark days of Winter, we gardeners rejoice at the first sightings of snowdrops. So, too, in Autumn, when the frenzy of the flowering plants has all but disappeared, we rejoice in the flowers which are hardy enough to cope with the early Autumn chills.

Sorbus Cashmiriana, white Rowan Berries

Rowan trees grow particularly well in remote parts of Scotland. In Autumn flocks of fieldfares, as well as garden birds in general, feast on their orange and red berries. In contrast, the Cashmiriana Rowan has white berries while those on the Joseph Rock Rowan are yellow. I love all my rowan trees, but appreciate their beauty most when they are wearing their Autumnal coats.

Hoverfly On White Japanese Anemone

Since we are still in early Autumn here, we have yet to look forward to those 'seasons of mist' days Keats wrote about. That said, we certainly have ample evidence of the 'mellow fruitfulness' in the garden.

Hips On The Rosa Moyesii Geranium Rose

Unlike the plump tomato-like hips on our Rosa Rugosa rose hedge, the blood-red hips on the Rosa Moyseii Geranium rose are elongated and flagon-shaped and give a spectacular display for weeks on end.

Deep Pink Japanese Anemones

Autumn sunlight can produce wonderful surprises, showing off the underside of this Japanese Anemone to perfection. I enjoy observing how the blooms follow the sun 's journey each day, as if trying to thrive for as long as possible.

Autumn foliage On Geranium Macrorrhizum

Family and friends, who visit our garden regularly, are aware of how many species of geranium I grow, for I have yet to find a duff geranium. They more than pay their way, being disease resistant, requiring little maintenance and producing months of repeat-flowering in different hues. Apart from being good ground-cover plants, the Macrorrhizum Geranium's leaves, when crushed, have a distinct aroma similar to blackcurrants, and change into shades of scarlet, bright yellow and russet-brown at this time of year.

Annual Sweet Peas

Over a pyramidal trellis I grow an everlasting sweet pea, which is pretty to look at but which has little, if any, scent. To counteract this, I grow highly-scented annual sweet peas on the other side of the main stem so that the bees, insects, moths and butterflies can feast on their rich source of nectar.

Annual Ladybird Poppy

Contrasting with the lacy, dark green leaves of a rockery geranium, the longevity of the Ladybird Poppies is a particular joy as they help to prolong the season of flowering plants. If I am further blessed, and the frosts stay away, it will continue to bloom in late October. Poppies, to me, are sights for sore eyes. I have already gathered some seed to share with friends who appreciate their beauty as much as I do.

Raspberry Foliage

When I was younger I grew row upon row of raspberry canes. Nowadays I confine myself to a few pots as they are easier to control and create less work. Even on their leaves, I marvel at the many differing hues...from emerald green, through shades of orange and red, to russet.

Willow Warbler On Teasel
One Autumn visitor - a bringer of pleasure - is the Willow Warbler. As well as enjoying hearing the songs of Robin and Wren's churring back in the garden, the Willow Warbler has a magical tune of his own. He is the Tit Willow in the Mikado. I love the yellow stripe above his eye, his yellow-tinged breast and his grey-green back. He flies in to eat spiders, insects, fruit and berries. I caught this little one drinking from the water cupped between the teasel leaves.

Roly Poly Bales

This year I managed to observe, and video, the farmer, who owns the field adjacent to Barleycorn, garnering his barley harvest. After ten weeks of wall-to-wall rain, we had two weeks of drying sunny weather during which all the local farmers gathered their harvests. Whereas I cultivate the garden for pleasure, the cultivation of the farmers' is their livelihood. There were almost audible sighs of relief all round when the weather changed in time for the harvests.

Barleycorn Pond

As ever, the two ponds continue to offer entertainment. Nearly the end of September and we still have many lilies with beautiful leaves in their Autumn colours. On sunny days the frogs give a chorus or two; there is still the red-lettered day when we spy a dragon-fly and the birds still come to bathe and drink and gorge themselves on the insects flitting around the stems of the marginal plants.

Michaelmas Daisies

Apart from the cheerful, pastel shade of mauve, these asters are well worth growing as they are another rich source of nectar at the 'end' of the season. I find bees, hoverflies, insects and the last of the butterflies almost 'glued' to their centres, so desperate are they to survive another day.

Annual Cornfield Poppies

The seering vermillion of these little darlings keep my spirits up as I look forward to Autumn coming into full swing. How can I not feel blessed to be surrounded by such beauty which lifts my spirits and feeds my soul?
xxxxxxx
Click to enlarge any of the photographs you particularly like and see the most amazing detail.
xxxxxxx
If the videos 'stick' move the cursor along the red line, and they will flow. If you prefer, you can watch them on YouTube.
xxxxxxx
All good things around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord,
Oh, thank the Lord,
For all His love.
xxxxxxx

Flutterings At Our Little Corner Of Paradise

2009-09-03T12:15:00.012Z

Hoverflies, Episyrphus Balteatus, On Inula Daisy

Although the weather in August, here at Barleycorn, mostly consisted of wall-to-wall rainfall, there were sufficient dry spells between the showers for me to capture a few treasured moments with a variety of insects at the nectar bars.

Painted Lady Butterfly On Inula Daisy

This year, although Britain has had an influx of the Painted Lady butterflies, I have seen very few of them here at Barleycorn because of the heavy showers. But, even a few moments of magic colours my life with immeasurable joy and delight.

Large White Butterfly On Inula Daisy

Perhaps it's because they are so fleeting and rare that I appreciate their visits so much. Their intrinsic beauty speaks for itself. Who could not wonder at their diaphanous, gossamer wings, their irridescent colours, the lightness of their presence?

Peacock Butterfly On Inula Daisy

Who could not marvel at the rich chestnut colouring and the amazing 'eyes' of the majestic Peacock butterfly? My heart skips a beat every time I catch a glimpse of them feeding at my inula daisies. I normally have sightings of half a dozen Peacocks. But, this year, sadly, the visit felt very poignant as there was only one.

Small White Butterfly On Inula Daisy

Happily, there were lots of Small Whites in the garden. The green veining under their wings is most attractive. Of all the butterflies which visit the garden, these ones are most skittish when I approach them gently to take a photograph.

Red Admiral On Ligularia

The presence of the Red Admiral butterfly in the garden is like watching a glider in action. The slow, deliberate wingbeats, coupled with their striking black wings fringed with orange-y red, makes a huge impact.

Tortoiseshell On Ligularia

The Small Tortoiseshell does well in this area, managing to overwinter in warm places such as the crevices in our barn. In the month of May I sometimes find myself freeing their wings which have become temporarily entangled on spiders' webs on the barn windows, while being dried in the sunshine, before flying off to find their first meal of the year.

Silver-Y Moth On Ligularia

This beautiful, day-flying moth came to feast on the ligularia beside the back pond. It hovered almost the whole time while it combed the plant, and, so voracious, that it seemed to go at a pace of knots. I was not familiar with its name and spent a whole afternoon searching websites and my own guide to identify it. The Y in its name comes from the white marking resembling the letter Y on its front wings.

Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and Bumble Bee On Ligularia

I was extremely fortunate to capture this photograph as the rain had stopped for what seemed like a fraction of a second during a day of non-stop showers. I edged my way, slowly, near the plant, as surreptitiously as I could, so as not to disturb them, and managed to take a little video, when, all of a sudden, there was another sudden outburst, and we never saw them again that day.

Female Bumble Bee, Bombus Terrestris On Inula

It is always a delight to find bees and Bumble bees in the garden, more so now than ever, as they are in danger, with many of them susceptible to diseases. I especially love their droning, as they accompany me around the garden on hot Summer days. But, after so much rainfall, I appreciate their serenading even more. They give me a feeling of hope. I always feel they are gentle creatures, here on earth to do the most amazing job of pollinating our plants. In Sichuan Province in China they have to pollinate plants by hand as all their bees were wiped out by chemicals.

Bluebottle, Callifora Vomitoria On Inula Bud

Even the common bluebottle has to feed and they compete with the hoverflies, the bees and the butterflies at the nectar-rich flowers. I keep them out of the house as far as I am able. But, I don't mind them in the garden as they feed the frogs and the birds.
xxxxxxx

The three videos below are made up of photographs and video clips taken during the month of August. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did filming them. My hubbie often says I have the happy knack of knowing where the Wild Things are, and in spite of all the monsoon rains we have been having, I do think it's more than just good luck that I managed to capture these beautiful creatures on film.

Ephemeral Poppies

2009-08-15T08:40:00.030Z

Papaver Somniferum, Bumble Bee On Poppy

Though I love the myriad of beautiful flowers growing in our cottage garden, each year I look forward especially to the magical appearance of my beloved annual poppies. Because they are fleeting, time is of the essence. Because they are ephemeral, each moment they are in flower has to be savoured, for, all too soon, they are gone. Ephemeral, like time itself...for it, too, must never be taken for granted.

White Danebrog Poppy

Lord, I have time,

Papaver Paeoniflorum, Black Double-Flowered Peony Poppy

I have plenty of time,

Papaver Somniferum, Cherry Glow Red Poppy

All the time that you give me,

Papaver Somniferum, Lilac Cabbage Poppy, With Bumble Bee

The years of my life,

Papaver Somniferum, Deep Purple Opium Poppy

The days of my years,

Papaver Rhoeas, Angels Choir Poppy

The hours of my days.

Papaver Rhoeas, Double Corn Poppy

They are all mine.

Papaver Paeoniflorum, Pink Peony Poppy

Mine to fill, quietly, calmly,

Papaver Laciniata, Red Serrated Poppy

But to fill completely, up to the brim,
Papaver Somniferum, Red Opium Poppy

To offer them to you,

Papaver Rhoeas, Shirley Poppy

That of their insipid water

Papaver Rhoeas, Double Red Corn Poppy

You may make a rich wine

Papaver Somniferum, Red Poppy

Such as you made once

Papaver Somniferum, Pink Opium Poppies

In Cana of Galilee

Papaver Paeoniflorum, Purple Peony Poppy

I am not asking you today, Lord,

White Danebrog Poppy

For time to do this and that,

Papaver Paeoniflorum, Mixed Peony Poppy

But for your grace to do conscientiously,

Papaver Laciniata, Red Serrated Poppy

In the time that you give me,

Papaver Paeoniflorum, Mixed Peony Poppies

What you want me to do. Amen

Papaver Rhoeas, Mixed Shirley Poppies

Prayer by Michel Quoist

xxxxxxx

The first video is of my beloved annual poppies growing at Barleycorn this month.

The second video is of the summer meadow - a little paradise - growing at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh this month.

Softly Awakes My Heart

2009-07-24T17:03:00.047Z

House Martin Resting

Of all the months in the year, July, more than any other month, epitomises the poem I wrote about the garden.

Wind through the barley,

The song of the breeze,

Ephemeral poppies

The tracery of trees,

Barleycorn - Magic!

A feast for the eyes,

Our little corner of paradise

Young Greenfinch In flight

At this time of year everything in the garden conspires to awaken my senses and make my spirits soar, whether it be a baby house martin on its first flight taking a rest by the pond or the balletic dance of a young greenfinch, wings outspread, aiming for the bird feeder.

Adult Swallow On The Barn Gutter

Blessed with two pairs of swallows' nests in the barn this year, their fledglings from the first broods are already sitting in lines along the rafters inside the barn waiting for their parents to deliver their never-ending supply of sustenance.

Alstroemeria, Peruvian Lily

Whether I am listening to the cacophony of the feeding frenzy from my vantage point on one of the benches in the garden or trying to avoid being dive-bombed when my footsteps are too close to the barn, I cannot help but marvel at their determination to raise two broods successfully, all within one short Summer.

Papaver Rhoeas, Annual Cornfield Poppies

Whenever I wander in the garden I find the birdsong music for the soul. I could never sit listening to the radio, for it would stop me drinking in the sights and sounds around me. The beauty and intensity of the scarlet poppies gives me a feeling of renewed energy and the enthusiasm to promise myself to grow even more new varieties next year.

Papaver Somniferum, Danish Flag Poppy

So-called because the white flag in the centre resembles the flag of Denmark, these poppies have always been one of my favourite annuals. I find their deeply serrated scalloped petal edges most attractive. I found myself having to grow them in pots this year, space being at a premium nowadays in our busy garden. They require light to germinate and develop, otherwise they would get lost in the thick undergrowth.

Papaver Somniferum Var. Paeoniiflorum, Red Flowered Peaony Poppy

Eighteen Summers ago, during the first year of the garden, I sowed many packets of annual poppies amongst other meadow flowers such as corn marigolds, corncockles, cornflowers and ox-eye daisies. I had the romantic notion of wandering through the garden, paintbrush in hand, as if in one of the dreamy landscapes of my childhood, when these flowers were a common sight beautifying the cornfields.

Papaver Somniferum Var. Paeoniiflorum, Pink Peaony Flowered Poppies

It was very cost-effective, as well as a strikingly beautiful way to fill large tracts of our half-acre plot of ground quickly. This Summer I cleared away an area in our scree bed which contained woody, overgrown phlox, long since past its best, and, low and behold, the dormant seed from the paeony poppies appeared of its own accord, as if by magic. Nature often gives us surprises.

Annual Cornfield Poppies and Ox-Eye Daisies

I think its important to dream while awake, and where better than amongst the meadow flowers of one's own garden? Here I can sit and watch the majestic sky turning from leaden grey to azure blue, or watch a sunset, one minute a misty yellow, the next a melange of watery indigo-violet-pink.

Ripening Barley In The Adjacent Field

Living so close to nature as I do, it's impossible not to have feelings of positivity. To watch the farmer sow his seed in Spring, and observe the transformation of bare earth into a carpet of emerald-green shoots, is like saying farewell to dark Winter...and when, in July, the carpet turns a shade of gold, it feels nothing short of a miracle.

Cookie, The Barn Cat

Whenever I see Cookie outdoors I know it will be a beautiful warm day, for she is old now and only ventures out on the hottest of days, preferring to lie under the heat of the light bulb we have suspended above where she sleeps in the barn. She is a gentle soul, grateful for everything we do for her, and seems in a permanent state of bliss. She always reminds me to hug my friends for time passes for all of us.

Taz, Cookie's Friend

Being a much younger cat, Taz abounds with energy in his thick coat of fur. He has taken up Monstie's mantle of being my constant companion, following me around the garden, resting where I rest, often beside the poppies. Taz reminds me to have fun, and not to take myself too seriously, for no one else will.

Raindrops On Asiatic Lilies

For several years now we have grown large Oriental and the smaller Asiatic lilies in pots and troughs to provide us with a colourful display and a splash of the exotic in the garden. The flowers are long lasting with several blooms on each stem. Each Spring I renew the compost and offer any lily grubs I find to the robin.

Mixed Asiatic Lilies

This year I chose a delicate shade of pink to marry up with the russet-coloured bulbs my hubbie chose. When they came into bloom we noticed a rogue yellow one, which just goes to show we think we are in control of our lives, though, in fact, the opposite is often the case.

Calendula Officinalis, Scotch Marigold

The light in Scotland at this time of year is often quite spectacular, and a painter's paradise. Some evenings, just as the sun is setting, there is a glow coming up over the eastern horizon, making it almost continuous daylight, and the further north one travels, the more frequently this occurs.

Strawberries

July and August are the strawberry-picking months at Barleycorn and this year's harvest has been no exception. Whenever we have a bumper crop, my hubbie is often heard to say, if he eats many more strawberry tarts, cakes, pavlovas and jam, he might waken up one morning with a husk growing out of the top of his head.

Salad Leaves

My little pots of salad crops have yielded an ongoing treat of coriander, fennel, parsley, mustard, Lollo Rosso, purple basil and chives brightening up the salad days of Summer, and have encouraged us to eat more natural foods and less processed.

Mixed Salad Leaves With Alpine Strawberries

One of the wonderful things about growing Alpine strawberries is that the birds seem to leave them alone. In a salad their tartness goes well with the petals of Scotch marigolds, apple mint and borage flowers, which I also put into ice cubes to cool our elderflower wine.

Papaver Somniferum, Orange Oriental Poppies

As well as the very vibrant orange Oriental poppies, with heads the size of dinner plates, I also grow the more muted shades of white and delicate pink. The strong variation in colour reminds me not to compare myself to others. Rather, I feel we should appreciate our individuality and be mindful of the fact that each of us has our own charisma.

Papaver Somniferum, Dusky Pink Oriental Poppy

It wouldn't do if we were all made the same way, for that would be boring. The essence is the difference. I feel our concern should be to look after others and help our friends, for when we are sick, they will matter most in life.

Papaver Somniferum, Fuchsia Pink Oriental Poppy

As for our families, we should keep in touch with them as often as possible, never taking for granted the love and joy which enriches our daily existence. My brother taught me that people matter most in life. If we begin each morning with a goal, we will be able to count our blessings in the evening.

Papaver Somniferum, Perry's White Oriental Poppy

White flowers seem to create a feeling of peace in the garden, an air of innocence, a time for reflection. Feelings of stress melt away and are replaced by a sense of tranquillity. With calm, comes the knowledge that life, in all its forms, is very beautiful. We have one chance only to make our mark, and we must grab it with both hands.

White Pond Lily

Arguments are, in the main, useless, and, therefore, a waste of time, and only bring out our horns and tails. We have no control about what others think and say about us, so why worry? Bearing that in mind, we should make peace with our past, for we are responsible for our own happiness.

Mixed Pond Lilies, Ranunculus and Flag Irises

On hot July days when my hubbie and I sit by the ponds drinking refreshing green tea or a glass of wine, watching the damsels dart this way and that amongst the lilies, I reflect upon how thankful I am for the love and laughter we have shared in our lives together and for the beauty that surrounds us.

Changing Foliage Of The Lilypads

The ethereal quality of the light reflecting on the ponds creates an ever-changing tapestry of colour and texture throughout the seasons. No sooner are we revelling in the delights of Summer, when an orange leaf reminds us Autumn is just around the corner. It's that carpe diem thing of seizing the day and living in the moment.

Dragonfly Skin

We should never allow ourselves to lose that childlike excitement of savouring the new, even if we saw the phenomena last year. A dead skin is evidence of the dragonfly completing its life-cycle in our ponds and proves they are healthy habitats for the myriad of wildlife they support.

Across The Back Pond

I am frequently asked how much work the ponds entail and the answer is quite straightforward. In the eighteen years since we first created them, we have only cut back rampant growth of the vigorous grasses once. Part of the problem was that the lilies took time to establish, whereas the grasses had to be hacked from their baskets. Covering as much of the pond's surface is the secret to preventing algal growth.

Blue Pond Irises

Other than that the ponds have mostly looked after themselves. On a sunny day I might skim a light rake across the surface of the water to collect any floating algae,
which I then leave along the edges of the pond to allow any creatures to make their way back to safety. After a week the algae goes on the compost heap.

Delphiniums, Arunus and Aconites

Along the stone-dyke wall bordering the adjacent field, I grow delphiniums, aruncus, aconites and a yellow berberis for the visiting bees and bumblies. In June and July the whole length of the path seems to hum with the soothing drone of their music. It is one of my favourite sounds of Summer.

Bumble Bee On Delphinium

In the early years I used to grow delphinium and foxglove seeds in alternate years, as I love both of these flowers so much. It's all to do with their attractive tapering spires and the fact that the bees adore them. However, the slugs can be voracious gobblers over the Winter months when the frogs are hibernating at the bottom of the ponds and there is a scarcity of hedgehog activity. This white one is a favourite as it has managed to win the battle each year.

Blackbird Singing In The Rain

Each year the garden manages to support several blackbird nests. As a result we are serenaded morning, noon and night. If any of you have been wondering about the beautiful whistling in the background to the videos, nine times out of ten, it is most likely that of the blackbird's. I posted this photo to show that we have had some rain during this glorious Summer, and the darling bird in the photo has sung his way through the sunshine and the showers, filling my heart with gladness.

Rainbow Over Barleycorn

Although July is our monsoon month, after the rain comes the beautiful rainbow. The Greek legend tells us that Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, was sent to replenish the rainclouds, and how else would our crops grow without precious water? If that doesn't retore your soul and make you feel, 'God is in his heaven, All's right with the world', then nothing will.

Barleycorn In July

This is the sight which greets visitors to Barleycorn in the month of July, though the poppies will last till September. Poppies and violas between the paving stones, Oriental and Asiatic lilies in pots and troughs and the climbing New Dawn Rose over the door...to say, Welcome, Everyone!

Barleycorn Sunset

Saint-Saens' music, 'Softly Awakes My Heart', sung by Olga Borodina, plays in the background of my little video. It helps to impart my feeling about the sensory experiences at Barleycorn in the month of July. Not for me the tedious queue at the airport on a hot, sticky day waiting to fly off to some exotic destination. Everything I need is right here in our little corner of paradise.

Translation Of The Aria

My heart opens to your voice as the flowers open at dawn's kisses!

But, o my beloved, the better to dry my tears,

let your voice speak once more!

Tell me that you are coming back to Delilah for ever!

Reminding me once again

of the promises of bygone days, those promises I loved!

Ah! Answer my tenderness,

Fill me with ecstasy!

Answer my tenderness.

Some of you may prefer to turn up the volume as part of the footage was taken on windy days.

Barleycorn Meditation In June

2009-06-17T09:12:00.043Z

Papaver Rhoeas, Cornfield Poppy

When I was born, God blessed me with the gift of wonder, which nurtured my passion for life in general, and the world of Nature in particular. I seem to observe the flora and fauna around me as if wearing the rose-tinted spectacles of a young child exploring everything in the environment for the first time. That's why, for me, the appearance of the first cornfield poppy in our garden in June causes my heart to skip a beat.

Swallows At Barleycorn

Along with this gift came the blessing of optimism, which helps me to look at the broader picture in life, and, in times of adversity, helps to sustain me. I believe that we are the stewards of the earth and that we are meant to live in harmony with Nature in all its glory. When I contemplate the difficulties facing a pair of swallows returning all the way from Africa in order to rebuild their nest in the same place in our barn, year upon year...well, that blows my mind!

Mixed Aquilegia, Columbine

How do they do it? Each Spring I await their arrival with bated breath, and my spirits soar when I hear their excited twittering overhead. Our barn doors have a space at the top where they swoop in and out to their nest, like trapeze artists, with perfect ease, never missing the mark. Taz and Cookie, the barn cats, are well-used to sharing their quarters over the Summer months with two messy broods of chicks.

Mecanopsis Cambria, Welsh Poppies

Even though the path behind our barn is 70 foot long, it is a mere metre in width. When we came here, almost eighteen years ago, it seemed appropriate to sow wild flowers along the length of it. Some years biennial foxgloves grow in profusion, their long tapering spires offering tunnels of delight to foraging bees. This year, it's the turn of the Welsh poppies to hum with droning bumblies.

Cepaea Hortensis, Banded Snail

And what about the place of the humble snail in my garden? Loving all God's creatures as I do, I could not possibly imagine that my duty should be one of extermination for the entire population, for how else would the beautiful song thrush, which serenades me each morning, thrive? Or, for that matter, the colony of frogs which breed in the two ponds? And what would our resident hedgehogs feed on?

Christophii Alliums, Ornamental Onions

Wildlife will only thrive in a nurturing environment and form part of the magical web of life in our gardens with our help. That does not mean to say I skip for joy when I discover a row of seeds has disappeared overnight. Instead, I grow some of my salad crops in pots and in long containers, as well as in the earth. That way, there's always some to spare. I find eggshells and coffee grinds helpful deterrants, as well as a border of Scotch marigolds or alliums.

Painted Lady Butterfly On Polygonum Superbum, Bistort

Another exciting visitor to arrive in our garden from Africa each year is the Painted Lady butterfly. This year there seems to be a mass migration, here in the UK. This one is feeding on the bistort, Polygonum Superbum, which I grow as an early nectar border plant beside the pond at the front of the house. Some people find the bistort a noxious weed, and, on first appearances, it does not seem to have the wow factor, but my feelings positively warm to it when I observe so many butterflies, bees and insects foraging on its flowers.

Papaver Orientalis, Double-Petalled Oriental Poppy

The colour palette in the garden consists mainly of shades of pink, blue, mauve, lavender, violet and purple, with some yellow and white, here and there. But, all that subtlety changes dramatically in the month of June, when the Hallelujah Chorus of the garden - the Oriental poppies - punctuate the otherwise muted tones. I am not alone in feeling attracted by the enormous vibrant redheads, with their striking inky-black anthers, for the bees pay them frequent visits too.

Lychnis-Flos-Cuculi, Ragged Robin

The wild lychnis, otherwise known as Ragged Robin, has a special place in my heart as it transports me back in time to childhood walks with my family, when we were allowed to gather and press a collection of wildflowers in a scrapbook in order to identify them. When my own children were growing up we took pocket guides with us for identification. Back home, we would draw sketches of the plants and the wildlife we had seen. I grow my Ragged Robins at the edge of the pond as they prefer their feet in damp places.

Papaver Orientalis, Dusky Dawn, Oriental Pink Poppy

The flamboyant Oriental poppies need not clash with the quieter tones in the garden as they come in gentle shades of pink, such as the one above, and Patty's Plum is a lovely shade of blackcurrant-purple. I also make room for a lovely classic white one called Perry's White.

Bombus, Bumble Bee On Lupin

My favourite sounds in the garden are the birdsong and the humming of the bees. For me, nothing exudes that magical quality of June in the garden more than bees' humming. Nothing makes me happier than to potter away the afternoon, thinking of nothing in particular, with the birds and bees for company.

Papaver Orientalis, Double-Petalled Oriental Poppy

Raindrops on poppies is also a common sight in the Barleycorn garden, for without the much-needed rain, my garden would not look as vibrant and lush as it does, and, never more so, than in the month of June. Even in their 'going over' period, I find beauty in the crumpled, frilly, translucent petals, and the discarded black anthers lying on the ground.

Rosa Zepherine Drouhin, Bourbon Rose

As far as I'm concerned the garden has to be a complete sensory experience, with smell coming to the fore in the Summer months. With that idea in mind, I grow a climbing Bourbon rose, called Rosa Zepherine Drouhin, outside one of the bedroom windows, so that its heady perfume fills the air on warm June days in particular. This year we have been blessed with a profusion of blooms. For me, this is a huge bonus as it is so difficult to grow roses in these parts as we are 225 metres above sea-level, with frequent winds blowing across the landscape.

Papaver Orientalis, Red Oriental Poppy

'Red and green should never be seen', goes the old adage. But, I love the combination. Green goes with everything as it is a perfect foil. With flowers as big as dinner plates, translucent petals for light to dance upon, ephemeral poppies add a touch of sophistication and glamour to the garden in Summer. I love the finely-cut, fern-like, hairy green foliage and the silky-textured, crepe paper petals of the ballgown flowers. You could be forgiven for thinking that the stunning blooms they produce would be difficult to grow, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Zygoptera, Red Damselfly

Red, blue and green damselflies flit around the ponds in June, adding a magical touch to the garden. With their two pairs of translucent, gossamer wings folded along their abdomen, they measure about 30mm in length. The adults feed on small insects and their larvae live on aquatic insects before emerging, after one year, as adults. I regard them as the fairies of the garden and find them very attractive to watch on sunny afternoons. Is anything more redolent of Summer?

Pots Of Salad Crops

It's amazing how many pots of plants can be grown from one bag of potting compost and a few packets of seeds. I also grow a few raspberry canes in pots, though I grow my strawberries in beds. Is there anything more exciting than eating one's home-grown produce, whether it be for a few weeks or a few months of the Summer?

Papaver Orientalis Turkenlouis, Oriental Poppy Curlylocks

Turkenlouis has to be the loudest Oriental poppy I grow. I love its serrated edges, the double-frilled petals and how they always hold their heads open to reveal the enormous seedbox and the black anthers. I grow it beside a yellow hemerocalis for contrast.

Hosta Sieboldiana

Hosta Sieboldiana has large, deeply-ridged, heart-shaped leaves of glaucus blue, and, when it rains, it holds enormous droplets of water. I find that most attractive. In all eighteen years here, the slugs and snails have never attacked my hostas...and I have many varieties of them. It is a dramatic plant in any border.

Papaver Orientalis, Oriental Poppies By The Front Pond

Over the years, I have filled my cottage garden with so many plants, there is little room for weeds to grow. A few years ago, in Springtime, while the plants were still small, I covered the areas between the flowers with bark, as a weed suppressant. It also helps as a mulch in dry weather.

Taz, The Barn Cat, In The Back Garden

Along the back wall bordering the adjacent farmer's field, I grow a nectar border for insects and butterflies, which, in turn, feed the birds. Taz, one of the barn cats, likes to lie in wait for voles and shrews. Over the years, I have been chasing my tail trying to combat the fierce winds blowing down my taller flowers, such as delphiniums and aconites, that I decided upon a plan of action for the whole garden.

Geranium Psilostemon

For two days in the month of June, I go around the whole garden with canes of varying sizes and thin green wire and insert them as a defence barrier. It looks a bit like invisible mending, for only the sharpest eyes could detect where I have been. It has been most successful over the past few years, as everything is held upright till the end of the season and the paths are kept clear. Best of all, on wet days, it is possible to walk around the entire garden without wet plants brushing against one's legs. This tall psilostemon geranium would be flattened by our strong winds in a day if it were not held upright. I love its magenta-coloured flowers as well as its attractive foliage.

Housemartins At Barleycorn

This year our housemartins did not arrive till the first day of June. But, we are lucky to have them. Normally we have three pairs building in the three apexes of the house, sometimes with triple nests in each...this year, only one pair. They have friends who join them in the evenings when they wheel overhead, and, to our delight, swoop and dive across the ponds catching insects on the wing, along with their other friends, the swallows.

Chaerophyllum Hirsutum Roseum, Cow Parsley

Cow parsley is usually a plant of the wayside, but I like its habit and grow some in my nectar borders. I also have the garden cultivar - chaerophyllum hirsutum roseum - which has pale pink blossom. It needs to be in a mixed bed as it can easily take over if left in too big a space, but it pays its weight in gold as far as the bees and insects are concerned.

Ranunculus, Meadow Buttercup

Do you like butter? Again, because of happy childhood days spent making daisy and buttercup chains, I grow ranunculus beside my wild cornfield poppies. A garden, for me, has to contain dreams and evoke memories, making room for the wildflowers as well as the cultivars in order to create a sense of soul and romance. It must tell its own story.

Nectar Borders In The Back Garden

This photograph shows a section of the garden made up of nectar borders. But, without them, I would not have so many varieties of visiting bees, insects and birds, which, in turn, bring visiting mammals. I have often been asked which flowers are my favourites. If I must choose it is a toss-up between wild poppies and foxgloves. But, each flower in season is a favourite...so many hues, so much individuality, such a variety of perfumes, each with their own story.

Borage Officinalis, Borage

Another of my favourites is the borage. The wonderful blue, (though sometimes white or pink) five-petalled, star-shaped flowers hanging in profusion, the tall graceful way it grows, the hairy leaves...all are attractive to me, and so nectar-rich for the bees that beekeepers often grow this plant.

Cirsium Rivulare Atropurpureum, Ornamental Thistle

My cirsium grows between six and seven foot tall. It is a very elegant plant, very stately with amazingly large leaves, considering the thistle heads are relatively tiny. Again, the bees adore it, as you will see in the little video I have taken.

Papaver Orientalis, Oriental Poppies At The Stane Dyke Wall

Although we have fierce winds blowing across our open landscape, I love to stand at the fence and watch the wildlife across the field. Sometimes there are buzzards mewing overhead, or larks making my heart soar with their amazing songs. Perhaps that's why I love Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending so much. Barley is the main crop grown in the adjacent field...and I love to hear the wind through the barley and watch it making waves while the barley is still young enough to bend.

Lupins, Geraniums, Aquilegia

The lupins in this photo have the most exquisite perfume. I wish I could bottle its scent and open it on cold Winter days to remind me of summery June. Over the years I have grown so many varieties of aquilegias....and they seed all over the place, which is a bonus to me. They are so enduring and add their own magic to our cottage garden. I love their 'Granny's bonnets', as we call them hereabouts, and their form and foliage, which can vary between acid green and purple-green.

Yellow Flag Irises In Back Pond

Yellow flag irises, also known as Jacob's sword, are stately plants of wild ponds...and of our ponds too. Again, so reminiscent of my childhood days at my Granny's cottage, I couldn't bear to be without them, for, though they used to be a common sight in the wild, with so many of the farmers' ponds being drained for intensive farming methods, they are growing scarcer each year. One school of thought says they are the origin of the fleur-de-lis in heraldry.

Mixed Nectar Borders In Front Garden

These borders are in the front garden. One whole bed contains varieties of geraniums, which flower for months on end, and if cut back, return with a final flush in September. I find the geranium a 'must' as they are easy to look after being disease-free, and bloom for long periods of the Summer.

Rosa Glauca, Rose

Lastly, I have chosen to show you my rosa glauca, the foliage of which is a wonderful shade of grey-purple with purplish-red stems. I am always told they do not do well in exposed windy sites, but, for some reason, they do well for me. Apart from the attractive cerise-pink flowers, in Autumn they have unusual wine-red fruits which feed the birds. The photo is well worth enlarging to see all the amazing tones in the foliage....and to spy the sweet little insect on the flower. The birds eat the fruit and leave me many seedlings scattered around the garden. I pot them up and grow some for myself, some to sell at garden fayres and some to share with friends and fellow gardeners.

xxxxxxx

The little film below was taken over a few days in June, and is made up of many little videos. If you turn up the volume you will hear the wonderful birdsong and the buzzing of the bees, the winds blowing and cars passing by, as people go about their daily business. It lasts for nine and a half minutes, so, if it sticks a bit, please be patient. The music, which plays through twice, is Thais' Meditation by Massenet. Enjoy!

xxxxxxx

If you click to enlarge each photo, you will find when the photo was taken, and the botanical name as well as the common name of each plant.