Your seasonal guide
Winter in the countryside It will come as little surprise to those who know me that winter is not my favourite time of year. I do not like the lack of daylight, nor the damp and the mud. I dislike the cold, although winters now are often not cold enough. Regular, crisp, fresh mornings seem…
October brings the Mop and Statute Fairs
Once the hiring markets of rural England, now vibrant autumn gatherings of rides, stalls and tradition. From Abingdon to Marlborough, we’ve gathered 2025’s dates and stories so you can enjoy these living links to the harvest past.
Harvest 2022 and a stressful year Harvest 2022 is an unprecedentedly early harvest, and would ordinarily be the only feature of a year like this. However, this has been an extraordinary year in so many other ways. The price of fuel, fertiliser, and other inputs has increased almost exponentially. Labour supply for some has also…
What is Spalting? Fungi are everywhere and are responsible for the breakdown of matter and the beginning of the rotting process. Sometimes sick trees are attacked by these fungi, but once trees or branches fall to the ground in the moist atmosphere of a UK winter, Fungi will not take more than a few months…
It does make me wonder sometimes. I like to be outside and go for walkies and am always on the lookout for the next stick. Don`t know how I am going to get it home or what to do with it when I get it there, but I want it. Most end up on the…