Dawn Chorus (I blame the great tit) a short story by Hannah Longmuir We’ve been in this house seven springs, now. And in seven springs I have intended to, and failed to, slip out into the woods, in May, while the rest of the household sleeps, to hear the dawn chorus in full voice. Small
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The Chaffinch & the Blossom-Cloud a short story by Hannah Longmuir On Tuesday, I was walking inside a cloud when I was scolded by a chaffinch. The cloud was formed of blossom, where the blackthorn grows on both sides of the river path, and only in April can you walk into the iridescent blossom-fog to
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The Flycatcher & the Honeysuckle how a mystery little bird filled my patio with joy Sometime in June I noticed a little bird – about the size of a robin – that we don’t normally see in the garden. Mostly it sat on the fence, sometimes the trellis. Pale tummy, grey head and back, darker
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I keep thinking about moles What do they think about frost? Do my children annoy them? Let’s find out. I’ve found myself thinking a lot about moles, recently. It started with the two week deep freeze in January. Trix discovered that the molehills were too frozen to stamp on. It got me thinking: what do
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Swallows, Swifts and Martins an identification guide. In April, I sky-scan. Eyes up, waiting. And then I see her, the first swallow of the year, and I can breathe again. The swallows are back. And the thrill of the unmistakable shrill screech of the swifts! They are the last to arrive back, in May, and
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An Ode to Toad toads are really very cool – here’s my assembled Amazing Toad Facts. I’ve had two toad encounters recently. Firstly, we found two long strings of toad spawn in the new pond. I was beyond excited! A toad had deemed our pond pondy-enough to lay in! Unfortunately, my boisterous two-year-old managed to
We love snail shells my four-year old collects snail shells and I’ve become quite a big fan, too. I’ve even launched a new snail ‘new home’ card. In summer 2022, Piglet began collecting snail shells. It started when we found a whole lot of empty shells strewn across a path on an evening walk. Piglet
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June and half-of-July Review: things summer should be We went on holiday at the end of June which meant I had no chance to write a review post so here it is now, half-way-through-July.  Piglet is at an age now where the summer months are all about him. Summer is for kids. Long, warm days
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May Review: Only Joy I have nothing bad to say about May. She’s been kind to me. May is a naturally joyful month. All the fresh bright greens in a billion different shades, leaves so bountiful the trees are weighed down, canopies so dense that they form dark tunnels. Bees buzzing, swallows and swifts filling
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April Review: New Life The Baby arrived at the end of March. Life has been a bit topsy-turvy since then. Here’s a very brief review: She’s safely here! Our wee Trixie girl has joined the family. Her birth was joyful and peaceful and straightforward and I am beyond grateful for that. She’s got these wonderful
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