July
What incredible weather at the moment, wall to wall sunshine and so hot! I tend to write my blog of an evening or on a wet day but it’s not very often that it’s because it’s too hot to be outside!
The dog is getting walked very early morning. We went down to Crummock the other day via the stone age fort rock, the sheep were still resting on the top. I wondered if they were descendants of some earlier Neolithic flock.
The wild flowers are beautiful at present and there are some of my all time favourites, meadow sweet, harebells, foxgloves. Sometimes I find it difficult to name flowers, particularly ones that look similar so I have now got an app on my phone to help distinguish them so hopefully I will improve, I now know fox and cubs and can distinguish common valerian which apparently was used in WW1 to calm people’s nerves.
I seem to be having a wildlife week, much to my initial horror I found an 8” slow worm on my kitchen work surface yesterday, I do not know how it got there. I tried to take a pic when a friend helped me put it back in the garden but it was too speedy! Later in the day I had to evict a toad from the kitchen. The red squirrels are delighting visitors and some guests in Loweswater saw a family of five playing in the courtyard, it must have been an amazing sight. There is also a thrush who is singing its heart out from the tops of trees, from first thing in the morning till late at night.
The wildlife ponds behind Foulsyke have started to fill up and green shoots are appearing on the sides. There are also some very nice reflections developing.
Many of you who are regular visitors or who visit the Hiley’s local website were saddened to hear of Ann’s death last December. As funeral numbers were limited because of the pandemic Roger and their family decided to have a celebration of Ann’s life in the summer. This took place on Monday with a gathering on the top of Rannerdale Knotts where Ann’s ashes were scattered followed by a tea party at Oak Cottage. It was a lovely occasion, I’m sure Ann would be very proud of Roger and her family.
25 July – Since posting this blog, one of last week’s guests sent me this beautiful photo of a red squirrel going across the roof of the old dog kennels – isn’t it lovely? Thank you Simon.
