Rambling Russells

The weather during the beginning of April was what you might expect - sunshine and showers. However the occasional hail shower, some very cold winds from the North, heavy frost and snow showers during the last week of the month told us we weren't quite finished with winter yet! Although it has been too cold and wet to sow many seeds outdoors I have been sowing seeds in the greenhouse. The sunny days meant the greenhouse got very warm during the day but the frost at night really cooled it down. Despite the variations in temperature many seeds have sprouted - The variegated milk thistles are doing well and have been pricked out into individual pots. I know thistles are not everyone's cup of tea but I like the form and colour of thistle flowers so they get room in my garden. The plant has dark green leaves with prominent white veins (but are VERY prickly) and flowers are a typical purple thistle. ...

The weather this month has been very mixed - from grey, rain and cold winds to warm sun with just a light breeze. It's no wonder the wildlife doesn't know whether to come out and play or not. Bumble Bees have been sighted flying around the garden, and we have managed to identify early, buff-tailed, white-tailed and red-tailed. I have found the odd ladybird while weeding but it seems as if most of them are still in hiding. During the first week of the month, while it was relatively warm at night, we did set the moth trap up. Only 2 moths to record but one of them was a first for our garden.   Early Grey Birds have been busy this month - many of them taking advantage of the sheeps wool we put in an old feeder and hang on the tree. Have seen many sparrows grabbing beakfuls to line their nests.  I know it's not exactly in our garden but we did see our first swallow of the year over the river in Annan on the 5th of the month. Surely a sign that summer is coming! The...

March has been a mixed month weather-wise. We have had some lovely sunny - dare I say warm - days in the first half of the month but the rain returned, along with cold winds as the month progressed. There has been a busy look about the birds, zipping backwards and forwards across the garden. Mr Blackbird has been very attentive, following Mrs B around wherever she goes. This month's garden max for birds is as follows:- Blackbird  - 2 male 2 female Blue tit - 4 Buzzard - 2 Carrion crow - 2 Chaffinch - 1 male 3 female Coal tit - 2 Collared dove - 2 Dunnock - 2 Geese - 400-500 flying over Great tit - 2 House sparrow - 20 male 10 female Jackdaw - 4 Pied wagtail - 2 Robin - 2 Rook - 3 Starling - 60 Woodpigeon - 4 Wren - 1 Yellowhammer - 3 We have seen our first Bumble bees this month. The Queens will be out and about looking for a new nest. They flit about very quickly and it is sometimes difficult to identify the species. We did see a Buff-tailed queen in and out of our crocus, absolut...

A sunny day always tempts us to go to a beach, but which one? Haven't been to Rascarel for ages, the loss of the parking area to visitors to the chalets means we now have to park at the forest gate. This is no bad thing as it means a walk through the wood and lots of birds and, at this time of year, birdsong along the way. It is a shame most of the trees are fir trees with very dense undergrowth but trees at least! Imagine our surprise therefore when we reached the gate and there were no trees! Most of the trees to the right of the track have been chopped down. It does explain why there is such a smooth new road!   It always looks so desolate when forests have been felled - just the odd tree left standing. A wren was making good use of one of the piles of branches, hopping in and out, and singing away. For such a little bird they produce such a loud, but tuneful, song. We always love to hear the wren and sometimes it is just hear. It ...

The first week of March continued mainly dry, but with chilly nights and cloudy days. The occasional few hours of sunshine kept us happy that we are heading in the right direction towards spring and summer. Blue skies and white clouds have been a lovely sight and we have had some spectacular sunsets.     We have managed to get out to do our first real gardening this month . There was plenty to do – dead stalks needed trimming away from the new shoots that are sprouting on many perennial shrubs and plants. Astrantia, poppies, lychnis, foxglove and penstemons are looking healthy. We have thousands of poached egg plant seedlings but I know the bees love them so they are staying where they are!   Weeds are also growing and need picking out and the soil forking over. Under the bird feeders the soil is quite flattened where hundreds of tiny feet have paraded around during the winter looki...

Sanquhar is famous for its tiny post office (established in 1712) which claims to be the oldest working post office in the world.     Coal has also been mined in the Sanquhar area for many years and the open cast mines have left some rather ugly scars on the landscape. However the Duke of Buccleuch has funded a major project in the area that combines both land restoration and art. He asked the famous landscape artist Charles Jencks to design and create the Crawick Multiverse. It has turned what was an eyesore into an outdoor space to be enjoyed by everyone. The Multiverse has areas of grassland, mountain, desert and a gorge and takes you on a journey past galaxies, comets, universes etc. It covers an area of approx. 55 acres and everything on site has been created from materials that were left behind after the mining stopped, including approx. 2000 boulders. Approaching the site there doesn't appear to be anything to...