Category: Notes from the sticks

I AM not sure if I have ever seen a stoat. Since we have been in Lancashire I have glimpsed one or two animals which could have been stoats but … Continue readingStoat tales

ONE of the less obvious casualties of lockdown will be ‘Plough Monday’ in a couple of days’ time. It was traditionally held on the first Monday after Twelfth Night to … Continue readingPlough Monday

WE still haven’t had any frost or snow. In fact we rarely get snow at all – not like in the south London suburbs where we regularly had to dig … Continue readingThe snowflake’s story

I AM awed by how organised some people are. We received our first Christmas cards at the end of November, whereas I am usually scribbling mine to catch the last … Continue readingThe Christmas bird

A LONG time ago I went to view a house for sale. It had been empty for months but still had the carpets and curtains. After a few minutes I … Continue readingYou’ll be itching to read this

I THINK our spirits need lifting this week – mine certainly do. So here is one of the most incredible sights in nature, and one of the most inexplicable. Everyone … Continue readingMarvellous murmurations

WE still haven’t had a frost here in Lancashire, but it surely can’t be long. Meanwhile many animals are preparing to deal with winter by stoking up to hibernate. For … Continue readingThe big sleep

WE lived for a few years in Southend-on-Sea in Essex. Many probably think of it as a ‘kiss-me-quick’ kind of place, and it is true that it has lots of … Continue readingArcades, kiss-me-quick hats and a wildlife spectacular

WHEN my children were small, they used to be amused by my tales of the old days before fridges, washing machines and central heating. I was born four years after … Continue readingThe Frost Report

THE stream outside our house has a small waterfall with a pool beneath it. It is one of the few deep places on the watercourse, so it is a refuge … Continue readingHerons, scourge of our stream