These are blog posts that Miranda Hodgson has made.
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The days are shortening so rapidly now, darkness seeping into the sky a little earlier each day. Only two weeks ago, the air still felt warm and it seemed that autumn could last for many weeks to come, but now, with the arrival of the short days, it truly feels that the first days of winter are with us.
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Strong winds this weekend will probably bring down the last of the leaves from the big lime trees at the back of the courtyard and distribute them in a thick layer over the plants. They will need to be carefully pulled out so the plants aren’t smothered.
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The slabs in the courtyard have gaps between them and those gaps have become home to a variety of self sown plants. We have the usual tufts of grass coming up, but there are also chives, pansies, a mat-forming Sedum, which I believe is Sedum acre and, of course, dandelions.
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As you make your way to the new compost heaps at the garden, you pass a big pile of logs next to a hedge. There are several log piles nearby, but this particular pile is the one I go to, because it’s so convenient, whilst the next one along is surrounded by tall nettles. The pile attracts, amongst other things, woodlice, spiders, small flies and beetles. At the base, mice, frogs and toads dig themselves burrows to shelter in.
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Sharing the garden with other species is generally a pleasure – birds sing, frogs jump - and sometimes make us jump when they do it - and the hedgehogs rustle through the undergrowth. Worms and beetles working alongside countless other creatures are turning the soil and mixing in the layers of material put down on the surface
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On the coast of Cornwall, there is a place of sea, rocks and sand called Polzeath. When the tide goes out, the rocks are revealed and if you peer into one of the crevices, you are likely to see a fish tucked away at the back in a puddle of water, waiting for the tide to come back in. It’s a strange and wonderful sight.
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It never takes long for a robin to appear when you’re digging. Yesterday, as usual, the robin who holds the territory at our garden was aware of our presence as soon as we arrived and came to see what we were doing.
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Since posting the last blog, a few people have told me robin stories, short anecdotes about the robins they see in their gardens and the local area. They nearly all concern the boldness of these small birds.
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I went into the bathroom on Monday morning and saw a pink caterpillar in the bath. It was brownish-pink, about 2.5cm long and had a few sparse hairs. It’s been so cold just recently that we haven’t had the bathroom window open as often as usual, but it must have come in that way.
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It’s the same every day at the moment. The first job of the morning is to put out bird food, dump the half an inch of ice in their water dish and refill it. There is a growing pile of ice next to the dish and it doesn’t look like melting any time soon, but the cold weather doesn’t stop the birds from bathing. Imagine it - bathing outside, during mid-winter, in cold water. It may not seem quite rational to us, but the birds need to bathe to keep their feathers in good condition, so winter baths are vital.
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