Little Cotton Rabbits

July: High Summer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The beginning of July was so very hot and dry here, too hot to sleep comfortably or to knit in the daytime, and so dry that the countryside was soon looking very parched. The cows knew something though (cows lying down is supposedly a sign that rain is imminent) and by the middle of the month the welcome rain did sweep in, bringing freshness and quenching the countryside back to a lush green again. Toby and I have enjoyed our regular walks so much more in the welcome cooler temperatures, and he has slept better too - he is so restless on very hot nights and often up wondering around the house, meaning that one of us needs to be up with him too, so it's been nice to have some unbroken rest again.

Since launching the squirrels patterns at the beginning of the month I've been taking things slowly; starting my quiet days with breakfast in bed and some simple sock knitting; tidying and organising the kitchen a little; pottering around without much of an aim and generally enjoying nothing much on my to do list other than taking care of Toby. 

Well, there's not much else to report from here really. Summer is my least favourite season but even so there are always things to delight in, I've detailed some of them below in my monthly nature notes.

I hope that you're comfortable and content where you are,

J x

 

Nature notes from July:

• Week 1:  So hot and dry, uncomfortably so at daytime temps of 32 degrees and night time above 20 degrees
• Week 2:  An amazing sight on the evening of July 10th when a cloud of ladybirds flew over, many thousands by the look of it, many settled on the hawthorn hedging where there were quite a lot of aphids to feed on. I have never seen so many at one time, the air was thick with them for around half an hour
• Week 3:  Rain and cooler temperatures arrive, so very welcome and Toby and I happily walk in the light rain
• Week 4:  All of the branches of the plum tree in our garden are weighed down under the enormous weight of a bumper crop this year. I've also noticed that the wild plum trees are also bowed over by the abundance of their fruit. Other things that I've noticed many more of this year than usual are insects and butterflies, especially the Ringlet (most years I only see a handful but they have been most numerous this year). It must be down to the hot and dry conditions throughout spring, favouring certain species and bringing about a greater number than usual.

 

 

 

June: dog roses, daisies and dragonflies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many of the places where Toby and I take our weekly walks are designated nature reserves, and so are a haven to all kinds of wildlife, from tiny insects and invertebrates, right up to large mammals such as badgers and deer. One of the best things about walking most days is the chance to see the different species that come with the changing seasons, and in June summer has arrived with us. Within the hedgerows and all along the path margins there is now verdant growth, and it seems that every leaf is home to some small creature; all manner of insect larvae, caterpillars, beetles, flies, bees and spiders. I carry my secateurs on all of our walks, though perhaps a machete would be more appropriate as our familiar pathways are frequently overgrown by new growth since the previous week and we trim our way through again. I'm constantly saying 'careful, stingers' and 'mind the prickles' to Toby so that he doesn't brush against the stinging nettles or snag himself on the brambles and wild roses that continually encroach on our route.

The beginning of June was cool and green and usually this month is the segue between spring and summer, but this year there was no gentle transition and the full force of summer heat quickly arrived. Now at the end of June the countryside is beginning to look parched and I'm hoping that some rain arrives with us soon. We've had it forecast a couple of times, but it seems to evaporate on it's way across the country before reaching this south east corner. We could do with some good old English summer weather, ie. torrential rain :)

Knitting is not something that I enjoy much in weather this hot, but I have been making good progress on my new 9 inch animal and the patterns have just gone out to be tested with a lovely group of people who are likely to be a lot better at error spotting than I am right now - towards the end of a pattern you tend to be blind to the mistakes that you know are in there somewhere. Anyway, as it will be ready in the next couple of weeks I thought it was time to reveal what I've been working on, so first a clue in the form of a riddle...

Red or grey or rare times black,

tail curled across my back,

storing nuts for winter time,

in a treetop home to where I climb.

 

and then a picture...

 

 

(and yes, that is a basket full of failed tails, 19 of them!)

I'll post full details as soon as the patterns have been fully checked and are ready to share, 'til then I hope you have a good couple of weeks where you are, J x

 

Nature notes from June:

• Week 1: Some of the hedgerows at Panshanger are being decimated by ermine moth caterpillars, many thousands of them congregate, eat all the leaves and weave their webs, completely covering some of the trees. The webs are amazingly thick and strong and look devastating to the tree, but once the caterpillars pupate they will recover and regrow leaves.
• Week 2: Dog rose, daisies and cow parsley are everywhere, simple beauty and a magnet for bees, beetles and hoverflies
• Week 3: Out in the woods there are insects everywhere you look, nature is a marvel, also spotted some summer fungi on a tree
• Week 4: This week has been the hottest so far, too hot to sleep well at night and the constant sun is parching the woods and countryside. All of the streams and brooks that run through the woods are now completely dry, and I look through the exposed pebbles on the stream bed for hag stones

 

May: and the full glory of Spring

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is something so exuberant and joyful about May, and this one in particular has been sublime as we've had such amazing weather, with each day warm, dry and sunny. The dependable sun has warmed the land and Spring has now arrived with a flourish. Everything is freshly green and blossoming, perfuming the breezes with an ever changing array of floral scents. Out in the woods the trees have grown a connected canopy of dense leaves and the lanes that we drive along on our way to and from the woods are once again secret, shady tunnels.

It is such a beautiful time to be out in the countryside, so much is happening and every walk we go on brings new delights to see and enjoy. I've paid my annual spring visit to the orchard where I spent a wonderful few hours just wandering quietly with my camera. At lunch time I sat by the little pond and watched a pair of Canada geese shepherd their 5 small chicks across to the other side.

Back at home I've enjoyed my first garden knitting session of the season, it's lovely to sit outside again on Toby's swing and listen to the birds in the tree above me and I look forward to more gently swinging garden knitting time over the next few months.

The highlight of the month though was on May 2nd, when just after 8pm Katsue brought her cub with her for a visit, he's quite shy but obviously just weaned on to solid foods as he ran over to investigate what his mum was eating. I had to take pictures through the window as he was very skittish and wary of us and we were all enthralled, holding our breath and hoping for the moment to last. I was so pleased that Amy got to see a cub this time as she missed the time that Kit brought her 3 cubs to visit. It seems that Katsue just has the one cub, as we've not seen any others and although she's taking plenty of food away each time the cub has not been back to our garden for a couple of weeks. He'll be hidden away somewhere safe, and growing a little each day under the watchful eye and dedicated care of his mum.

In knitting news there's not much to tell. I'm so eager to share details on the latest animal design but I'm going to have to keep you in suspense just a little longer, as it is not yet close enough to being finished. We have however started photography so it is progressing. Once we've finished all of the shots and I've got the layouts done I'll be in a position to reveal its identity.

Well, I hope that things have been good for you this last month and that the coming month brings some small joys your way. I'll see you again in a few weeks with notes of what we've been up to in June, J x

 

Nature notes from May:

• Week 1:  The bluebells are at their peak and filling the whole wood with their wonderful scent. May 3rd, heard the first cuckoo and saw newly emerged damsel flies. Buttercups and cowslips are out in the meadows. Oak galls are visible amongst the new oak leaves, in a month or so they'll harden into small brown balls, but right now they are pretty and pink.
• Week 2:  Hedgerows are in full froth, with hawthorn blossom (also known as May blossom) thick on the branches above and great drifts of cow parsley below. Saw the first swallows of the season, just arrived from their long journey from Africa. First dragonflies spotted at the Panshanger lake.
• Week 3:  It's apple blossom time and the old, gnarled trees at the orchard wear their most beautiful attire of the year. A thick carpet of pungent wild garlic covers the floor of the small wood, a beautiful galaxy of star like flowers.
• Week 4:  The great tit chicks fledged from the nest box into the big wide world. Rain arrived at last, not much but so very needed after such a long dry spell, the petrichor smell is wonderful.

   

April: and the greening of the woods

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The beginning of April was unseasonably dry and sunny here and it's been lovely to feel the warmth of the sun again, but around the middle of the month the weather changed, ushering in the abrupt rain showers that April is best known for, something much appreciated by the garden snails. And this combination of warmth, sunshine and showers has brought about such a dramatic change in the countryside. Just a couple of weeks ago all was still bare, twiggy and brown out in the woods, but now everything has burst into leaf and flower, the woodland air is tinged with green and delicately scented, and birdsong weaves its way between the trunks.

We do the same 5 walks each week with Toby and it’s been so interesting to see the weekly change in the environment. It has really accelerated enormously this month, and the rapid spring growth in some plants is quite amazing. The first bracken fronds, nowhere to be seen just a week ago, are now almost a foot tall. And suddenly every verge and path margin is burgeoning green with all of the plants that would be called weeds if they were to spring up in a garden; nettles, dandelions, cleavers and clover.

One of my favourite spring flowers, the wood anemone, has carpeted a small wood for the early part of this month. The small flowers appear bell-like in overcast or wet weather and at night, but when the sun is shining they open fully and turn their faces towards the light, tracking it throughout the day. Apparently they are a marker of ancient woodland and it can take 100 years for them to spread just 6 feet, so this particular woodland with great drifts of them sprinkled throughout is precious and a marvellous sight. And it's about to be superseded by the carpets of bluebells that are just emerging, they are the crowning glory of spring out in the woods.

Back at home Katsue has been here most days, she's picked up an injury just above her tail (the opposite side to her broken foot) but it's healing well and she is no longer pregnant so whether the cubs are alive is not yet known. She enjoys curling up for a nap after her snack and seems in no hurry to leave, but this does not mean that anything has happened to the cubs as foxes often share a den with another vixen and do pool litters to give each other some time off.

There has been a lot of knitting going on. Sock knitting continues to be a relaxing pastime when my brain needs a rest and I've enjoyed using some beautiful hand-dyed yarns in spring colours from The Knitting Shed to knit some very simple 'don't-need-to-think' socks. But most of my available time is being spent on pattern writing. The 7 inch animals that I was working on are put aside for now and instead I'm continuing work on my new animal design, which is coming together slowly. I can't show you progress yet as there are still wrinkles to be worked out, but hopefully next time I'll be able to give you a hint :)

'Til then keep well, and continue seeking small joys wherever you can find them, hopefully they appear for you when needed, J x

PS: I filmed a little of one of our walks at Panshanger, Toby was having fun and scaring me a little with his climbing antics too!

Spring youtube film of Toby

 

Nature notes from April:

• Week 1:  Blackthorn is just beginning to blossom, the bright white buds opening to small star-like flowers. We spotted 9 butterflies on one particularly sunny walk; orange tips, brimstones, comas and peacocks all dancing delightfully along the woodland rides at Balls wood.
• Week 2:  The blackthorn is at peak this week, with field boundary hedgerows enveloped in clouds of white blossom and buzzing with bees. Wood anemones are suddenly in flower, when I looked for them last week all I saw was the first leaves emerging from the leaf litter, but this week they are in full glory.
• Week 3:  Great tits have begun nesting in our garden birdbox and I've seen the first robin chick of this year, perched on the fence. The bluebells are in flower, not yet open but small blue spires full of promise.
• Week 4:  The blackthorn blossom is over now but hawthorn is taking it's place. They have such similar flowers but whereas blackthorn blossoms on bare boughs hawthorn comes into leaf before its flowers open. Bluebells are now gloriously opening and the scent on our woodland walks is wonderful.

 

March: blossoming, birdsong and buds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’re in that odd in-between time of year where one day it feels like Spring has arrived bringing sunshine, blue sky and warm breezes, and the next winter has reasserted dominance by sweeping back in with chilling frosts and squally sleet showers. There are however signs that Spring is really just around the corner:

• the treetops are a-twitter with small bird song, not yet at the full glory of a May dawn chorus, but certainly building towards it,
• the plum tree in our garden is in full blossom, drawing in the first bumble bees and a few butterflies emerging from their hibernation in the woodpile,
• the days are often warm enough to hang out washing on the line again, I do love gathering in line-dried washing, it smells so fresh and clean,
• blackthorn is just beginning to blossom out in the hedgerows, with the frothy white flowers so pretty against the bare branches
• trees are starting to bud, not yet turning green but poised and ready to begin
• and it looks as though Katsue the little fox is pregnant, she’s grown very rotund around the middle and I’m pretty sure it not just all of the cocktail sausages she’s been eliciting from me

Back inside I’m really excited to be working on a new 9 inch animal pattern again, but progress is unfortunately woefully slow. Having Toby here for most of the time means that I’ve had to adapt to a new way of working and basically snatch what time I can between taking care of him. It makes for very sporadic and haphazard progress, but I’m pleased if, at the end of each day, I’m able to say that I’ve moved forward a little. It’s too early in the process to show you anything just yet, but I’m really looking forward to reaching the point where I can share some progress pictures with you.

As an antidote to the brain taxing business of pattern writing I’ve been spending the bookends of each day knitting simple things, (that is to say the early mornings when I’m not fully awake, and the late evenings when I’m dozing off again). I’ve made a few of these small bandana type scarves now, it’s a lovely easily remembered pattern, perfect when when you’ve run out of concentration capacity. The pattern is called 'Sorgenfri Torkle' by Guri Pedersen and I'm knitting it in Cardiff Cashmere Classic yarn in shade 518 Piombo

Well that's all of my news for this time, I hope to have some more details of the new animal pattern soon, thanks as always for visiting with me, see you in April, J x