52 Weeks Wild #52

A collection of my wild moments from the past week...

The final post of the year... The past few months have been so busy I was tempted to just give up on these weekly posts completely... I've limped through to the end of the year though and even on my busiest weeks have at least noticed and appreciated nature, even if I've not had the luxury of time to spend outdoors, immersed in it.

This week has been another busy one. Daylight hours have been spent hard at work on the house but once the sun has set I've been getting cosy with a book! This means I haven't spent any time outdoors at all, and my photos have only been taken through the windows, but it's the best I could do, I have a strict deadline to meet at the moment and sadly, house has taken priority over many things this year.

I have enjoyed a few snowy scenes, a couple of sunrises and sunsets and the crisp, clear nights we've had. I've noticed and appreciated nature, even though I've not been able to get out and feel it.

That last photo was my nod to Christmas on the nature table at school. I brought him home with me at the end of term. We've had some staffing changes (again!) at school and a bit of a staff shuffle was necessary which means I am no longer spending Fridays doing outdoor learning with the nursery and reception class and so my nature table will fail before it really got going as I'm not in there any more to do anything with it. Outdoor learning won't be happening now either, which is a shame. I am happy about my new working hours though, far more convenient for me.


2018 is off to a very busy start and my weekends are all booked up for some time, so I'm not even thinking about spending time outdoors or any kind of nature based posts for this blog for 2018. I just don't have the time for it at the moment but I'll return here at some point, when I get my free time back... and I'll definitely be ready for 30 Days Wild in June.

 Happy New Year

52 Weeks Wild #51

A collection of my wild moments from the past week...

School finished for Christmas this week but despite having a few days off work, I've not had any free time to play outdoors which is a shame because it has been a very foggy week here and I like fog!
Every day I've had places to be, people to see and things that I needed to do... This is just how life is at the moment, I can't wait for next year when things can get back to normal and I can have my weekends back!

I managed to spend a couple of hours outdoors on Wednesday though, between taking Grandmother for an appointment and getting home to take a delivery. Derbyshire Wildlife Trust were spending a couple of days re-making the giant head hibernaculum at Carsington and requested help from the volunteers. I could only spare a couple of hours but that's better than nothing!

This is a photo I took on my phone during the time I helped, the structure in progress...

The buckets you can see above are the ears and have had the bottoms cut out so creatures can crawl through into the centre of the structure which is filled with roof tiles and stones. The surrounding shape is made of sand / soil filled sacks which insects can crawl into. The top is filled with compost and grass will grow there for hair.

This is one of the head at the end of the second day (sent to me by DWT)...

I've been a completely rubbish volunteer and sessional this year with so little time to give to DWT but I do hope to do a bit more with them from spring of next year :)

52 Weeks Wild #50

A collection of my wild moments from the past week...

 As I've done a couple of posts already this week to share a very wintry morning and some frosty photos, I only have a couple of new photos from this weekend... life continues to be all work and no play for me so other than enjoying the weather, I've not spent any time outdoors.

Here are just a few photos from the past week...

These last two photos were taken yesterday (so didn't appear in the other two posts this week), just a couple of scenes from my day.

Have you been outdoors lately?

52 Weeks Wild #49

A collection of my wild moments from the past week...

On Monday evening I went along to Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's AGM, followed by a talk by Martin Hughes Games and Iolo Williams. I'd heard Martin's bits before (I saw his talk at Birdfair last year) but it was still good and Iolo is a very engaging speaker, lots of fun.

Friday morning and I awoke to snow... sadly not enough to get a day off school! This was a scene from my journey to work, Shutlingsloe, just as the sun was rising, with a dark band of cloud above. It snowed on an off all day.

Saturday morning was snowy too. I took these photo on my way to Middleton, to DWT HQ...

...where I spent the day learning to identify tress in winter, from bark and buds and such. It was so interesting and I learned a lot :)

How was your week?

52 Weeks Wild #48

A collection of my wild moments from the past week...

I completely forgot to add in last week's post that I spent Sunday afternoon with the Wildlife Trust on a wreath making afternoon. A couple of hours spent fashioning my own willow ring and then starting to add some greenery. I'm not a very creative person so that decorating part was challenging. I consider this wreath a work in progress, though it's just hanging on my door as it is right now, I don't think I'll have time to do anything else with it this year. I am tempted to ask my sister (she's a florist) to do something with it! I don't think it looks too bad though...I think it could do with a couple of feathers, or some holly and berries... it certainly could be worse anyway! The willow base will last for a few years so next year, when I have more time, I can put a bit more effort into making it look nice... (not the best photo, taken at the end of the day).

This week I did my last Wildlings session of the year (I was supposed to do the very last one next week, but I have so much on and extra work at school, so I just couldn't do it, sadly). It was a showery and very windy morning, jolly cold up there too. Numbers are a little lower at this time of year with people being busy and the weather not being so good, but we still had 5 hardly toddlers come to play :)

It has been a very cold week, but with quite a lot of sunshine too. The frost has quickly thawed in the sunshine most days, but not on Thursday. on Thursday I worked in the afternoon and had to defrost my car at midday before I could leave!

There have been some fantastic sunsets and the most amazing light as I drive home from school as the sun sets. I've not stopped to take photos but have enjoyed the light and colour this week.

Friday morning was frosty too and I caught some lovely light as I was driving to school at the sun rose... until it disappeared behind a band of cloud.

How was your week?

52 Weeks Wild #47

A collection of my wild moments from the past week...

This week has not been good at all for getting outdoors. I simply have too much going at the moment. Home is so busy and school in the second half of the autumn term... well, it's a pretty hectic time and the added chaos of the christmas play means extra work for me!

This week I feel like I've just been rushing around trying to fit everything in, and it wasn't helped by my car breaking down on my way to school last Wednesday... the afternoon off work was a bonus, but sitting waiting for the recovery truck for two hours and not having a book with me wasn't the best! Thankfully, my commute is rural so I was alone for the two hours with only a tractor, two horses and a couple of delivery vans passing by. I sometimes see a sparrowhawk right where I broke down when I'm driving to and from school so kept a look out for it, but it didn't pass by while I was there.

At the weekend, life was no less busy but we had the first snowfall of the season... not a huge amount of it, just a couple of inches on the hills which soon started to thaw. Although I was too busy to go out and enjoy it, later in the day - just as it was getting dark - I was driving home and couldn't resist stopping and braving the the bracing cold wind! Certainly blew the cobwebs away! Here's a video...


So, that's that... another week down. Hopefully next week will bring a more opportunities to get outside.


How was your week?

52 Weeks Wild #46

A collection of my wild moments from the past week...


I've really noticed this week how many trees around here are now dressed for winter, or rather, undressed - completely leafless.  In the valleys and along sheltered lanes, leaves are still clinging on but many of the trees are bare now (as seen in the background of the third photo). I also saw my first redwings of the season (and I think a few fieldfares were in there too) on my way to school one day. I've been looking out for them on my way to school and in the fields at home for the last couple of weeks.

frost thawing fast on morning

Travelling to school

Friday was a very cold day!

 I've been very busy again - that's just how life is at the moment - but achieved a lot this week, even if I didn't have time to play outside :)

How was your week?

52 Weeks Wild #45

A collection of my wild moments from the past week...

Another busy week... so much to do, so little time!

This week though, I spent a couple of hours outdoors on Monday morning as I covered for part of a Wildlings session in the grounds of a lovely school. It was the school my mother went to as a child and one I used to attend training sessions at occasionally before I left my previous school. It was nice to return :)

I've also enjoyed the cold and frosty mornings we've had this week, followed by mild, sunny days...

Before Wildlings on Monday, I sat in the garden to drink a cup of tea in the cold :)

mud kitchen

mud / water painting station

slack line

hammocks

We cooked popcorn on the fire

Wednesday morning:

There have been a couple of nice sunsets this week too...

This morning I noticed a few flowers on a shrub on the drive...

And that was as wild as my weekend got (sadly!)