Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Unusual Visitors

Over Christmas we found we had some uninvited yet unusual visitors in the house, well to be more precise in the cupboard under the sink. Tiny droppings and chewed cleaning clothes gave them away. The droppings were quite small for a mouse, but we thought it might just be a youngster.

So a trap was set. A live one I might add, baited with Crunchy Peanut Butter (Organic).

Overnight I caught the culprit, but no mouse. Our visitor was a Field Vole (Microtus agrestris) quite a surprise. So it was transported up the track to an area in the hedge free from the freeze and snow, deep in the middle where it could find shelter.

Just to be on the safe side, because the damage under the sink seemed a lot for one small animal. the trap was baited again and replaced.

To date I have caught six voles under the sink.

vole in live trap The latest visitor in the trap.

vole making a bid for freedom The vole makes a bid for freedom.

vole escaping It poses for a little while before racing into the undergrowth under the hedge.

Hopefully the is the last of our visitors, but the trap is back under just in case. We can only think one of the cats brought a pregnant female in and let it go, the sort of tricks they like to play on you.

The snow has gone. It disappeared overnight a day back when the wind swung round and blew from the warm South. It was just amazing how it just went away. Heavy rain all through yesterday and overnight cleared away the compacted stuff and icy patches, so our track is completely clear. The weather is milder and feels so much warmer.

horses_in_mist-1 Everywhere is misty with a light drizzle falling at times, so welcome after the cold we have had.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Winter Wonderland

Bright sun today makes the snowy scenes look enchanting.

snowy track The snow may not be that thick, but is laid over a slick surface. Impassable unless it's by a 4X4, which we don't have.

style_in_snow

blue trees in the snow

snowy trees The woodland below us is a winter wonderland with the snow.

snow valley

Looking across the valley.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

More Snow

With it so close to Christmas and not much can be done outside, we decided to go to Carmarthen for our last shopping before Christmas. It was cold but dry with no sign of any further snow until we came back home. It was a little late for us getting back at around 3.00 pm, but all was fine until we got to Red Roses and bits of snow started falling, the nearer we got home the larger the flakes.

The roads were covered in the village and the car had a bit of a slide without mishap. Then we entered our track. The first part has a bit of an incline, but it proved a difficult. The wheels span badly, even though we had two bags of heavy grit in the boot positioned over the wheels to improve traction. We thought it was going to be a shovel job, I had put one in the boot just in case. But as we were still moving, even though in tiny increments, I kept the car going.

It just managed to reach the top and we were on the move. If we kept the motion going we would be fine. Turning the sharp corner we have half way along, we met an old lady who regularly walks her dog along the track. Her dog who is a bit of a car chaser roared up to us and she is so slow moving I had to stop the car, on another bot of incline. We thought this is it!

After some minutes she got the dog on the lead and out of the way. The best we thought was I would have to reverse to the flat and then move forward, but first a try from the position we were in and could not believe it, we moved forward. So the car just powered on and kept going right though our gate, which is pretty steep.

The snow kept falling and within minutes had covered our tracks.

snowy track Looking down from the front gate, our incoming tracks only just visible.

green_gate Snow falling quite fast.

The day was getting dark fairly early because of the heavy snow clouds overhead. But Ma Goose still needs her bath before going to bed.

goose in snowy pond

Monday, December 20, 2010

Cold Bath

The freeze still bites and every morning the ice on the pond where Old Ma Goose has her dip, has to be broken and much of the ice removed for her to have a bathe.

goose having a very cold bathe  One of us has to stand around while she does so because of the presence of a fox. It has been visiting up here very regularly because of the frozen ground. Mind you it would not have ventured up to us from out of the valley, but was driven by the shooting going on down in there as they hunt out the Pheasants living in the woodland. The Fox not being stupid, comes higher up to the top of the valley out of harms way, but ends up hunting around us and along the periphery of the wood.

Others also hang around the garden out of harms way. This pigeon is a regular visitor.

pigeon Gentle birds that have to keep out of the way while the guns are about, this Pigeon comes around every day. Strangely enough we have never had trouble with them eating our Winter greens.

pheasant walking away This chap hangs around the garden out of harms way, walking around quite majestically, then slips away for a while through the hedge and into the field.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Scattering Of Snow

Once again we are lucky to have only a slight amount of snow as others not too many miles away are suffering from the disruption of heavy snowfalls.

sunlit snow 

The iris foetidissima still holds it's berries into the cold weather.

Smow capped Iris foetidissima

Old dead flower heads take on new forms when covered in snow.

Sedums with a cap of snow. Snow capped Sedum heads.

dunnock A Dunnock visits regularly for seed in this cold weather.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Striking Skeletons

Leaves have well and truly gone from all the trees leaving wonderful skeletal forms showing against the skyline. The Oak tree grows into spectacular shapes as it matures.

Oak tree against the skyline

Oak trees

We are very fortunate to have many fine forms growing around us.

oak tree silhouette This is a silhouette of the one growing at the bottom of the garden.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Stinking Gladwyn

Dry shaded areas are always difficult to fill with plants, but one that is very easy to grow in this situation is Iris foetidissima sometimes commonly known as Stinking Gladwyn or Stinking Gladwin. Spelling is different but the same plant.

It is pretty hardy, ours grow in the shade of conifers in soil that can get pretty dry. The stinking comes from the smell when the leaves are crushed emitting an unusual smell, some find it unpleasant, but we don't mind it.

The flowers are subtle, a greyish blue in colour. But the berries make up for the unprepossessing flowers with their striking colours.

Seeds of Iris foetidissima 

iris_foetida_seeds_4

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are worth having for that punch of colour in difficult places. Look out for the variegated leaved form.