30 Days Wild 2020 – Day Eleven.

Day 11: Today is Throw Back Thursday! In 2015 I watched goldfinch fledglings beg for food from their ragged parents, and similarly in 2016 I set up a camcorder to record the visiting birds to our yarden feeders. I took a trip to Formby beach in 2017 and displayed my findings on a nature table. In 2018 I got close up with a tadpole and read from Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris’ The Lost Words in 2019.

Beach Combing

So for today’s Throw Back Thursday, I shall return to Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris’ wonderful book, The Lost Words. 

This adaption of Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending with ‘the little astronaut’, skylark spell was performed as part of The Proms, on the 25th August 2019 at The Royal Albert Hall.

What is you favourite piece of music inspired by a bird or animal?

Thanks for reading, and stay wild!

Christine x

Sunday Sevens #47

I love sharing my weekly news with you in the form of a Sunday Sevens. 🙂 Thanks to Natalie at Threads and bobbins for creating the series.

Waking the dog:

I’ve been meaning to share with you all, the most recent walks we’ve had with Riley. David and I have taken Riley to a picnic at Festival Gardens, walked around Calderstones Park and got muddy at Sefton Park! 😀

David and Riley at Sefton Park

Selfie with Riley

David and Riley at Cailderstones park

Walk 1000 miles: 

Reaching 500 miles

Reaching 500 miles

I’ve done it! I’m a Proclaimer! I reached 500 miles today on Formby Beach with David and Riley! This week my mileage has been 30 miles. My annual total to date is 502 miles!

Classic FM: Hall of Fame:

Classic FM Hall of Fame 2018

Easter weekend was all about the Classic FM, Hall of Fame. The Lark Ascending by Vaughn Williams was deposed by the explosive Tchaikovsky’s, 1812 Overture. The result was quite a shocker! The pieces of music I voted for reached:

1. Massenet’s Thais’ Meditation reached: 150, down 2.

2. Elgar’s Enigma Variations reached: 5, down 1.

3. Rachmaninov’s, 2nd Symphony reached 35: down 6.

Baking:

David’s cake

This weekend, David has been busy making a cake. He used 10 eggs in total. He took over half an hour making Swiss Meringue Buttercream. The result was a very rich chocolate sponge cake with buttercream and white chocolate ganache.

Supporting Local Businesses: 

I don’t know how I came to follow TileProductions on Instagram.

This Clitheroe based, family run business produces bespoke wall and floor tiles and have recently decided to create products from their waste materials.

They create mugs and jewelry. When I saw their ceramic bee broaches I just had to have one!

Yarden:

Tree Bumblebee on rhododendron

Stellata magnolia

And finally, I spent some time in the yarden this Sunday, planting Maris Peer chits and scattering wildflower seeds. I’ll end this post with some pictures of the yarden. With the arrival of British Summer Time, the plants have all begun to wake up. Here’s pictures of the spectacular rhododendron and delicate magnolia which have recently flowered. What plants are awakening in your gardens?

That was my week, how was yours?

Thanks for reading,

Christine x

The Results!

The Classic FM Hall of Fame countdown on Easter Monday was a bit of an anti-climax to be honest. The top six entries were all non movers! Vaughan William’s The Lark Ascending was at number one for the third year running!

And where did the pieces that I voted for get too? Well, as can be seen above Elgar’s Nimrod Variations stayed at number 4! The others are as follows.

The next set of results are for the Big Garden Bird Watch 2016. Follow the link to see regional results which opens up in Excel.

Did you see any of these species in your garden/yarden? My results for the year can be found here.