Mud, Maud and Mabel

It was like wildlife watch at our house last weekend. Lying in bed I could hear a squark and then a fluff of feathers that sounded familiar. Opening the curtains it showed a big pheasant strutting around our ornamental pond. Later in the morning I was refreshing the strawberry beds and looked up to see two faces peering round the stables – a pair of young Herdwicks who definitely should not be in my garden. They were very polite and very well behaved and walked out to the gate fairly easily. The kids named them Maud and Mabel and there is a campaign to keep them.

The Barn Owls have been around, leaving pellets in our stables and the robins Bobbie and Robbie helped with the muck going on the strawberries. The bird song at the moment is just amazing to listen to. If you are unsure what you are hearing, don’t forget about the brilliant app Merlin that will tell you the bird song you can hear. Always worth just checking as it is amazing how many different birds there are around you that you didn’t know about. The next sighting was a big dog fox who stood and stared through the kitchen window for some time.

Back to Mazonwath

This week we have been back over to Mazonwath to continue with our dry stone wall rebuild. We were joined again by people new to the art of dry stone walling who wanted to try out this skill and see if it suited them. It was such a shame it was an absolute freezing mudbath, so not many pictures this week… Everyone was stoical and we all had the warrior war paint – muddy streaks down the face as you wipe your dripping nose with muddy gloves! It was like the Sooty and Sweep show by the end of the day but at least we could laugh about it. A walk round to check things and warm up though revealed a huge wall gap to fix – mebbe next time! So not the best when I got home to find Maud and Mabel in the garden again, this time evicted over the wall onto the lane…

Greenbank Wood and Dam Mire

Urgent tree safety work has been going on in Greenbank Wood, reducing two big beech in size to prevent their branches falling onto the road and putting people in danger. Two smaller trees have also had to come out. The poor tree surgeons at Westmorland Tree Care couldn’t have had worse conditions with the wind and rain last week.

Over at Dam Mire things are beginning to green up. The willow den has the first tinge of green and the hawthorns are sprouting that beautiful fresh and vibrant colour. Dan and Sam have been working hard and the bridge is looking like a bridge. The decking and side struts were going on and then it had to be treated with wood protection. The next job is to remove the fence between the two sites.

CPRE research

A few sunny days and it feels like spring and we all want to be outside. CPRE (the Campaign to Protect Rural England) who we represent across Cumbria recently released some interesting information about how the public feel about the countryside. A new poll by More in Common, for CPRE, revealed that visiting the countryside remains a defining part of British life and identity. 

The countryside carries a strong emotional attachment, and is a source of national pride, associated with a sense of calm and tranquillity, with many seeing the countryside as carrying benefits for people’s wellbeing and mental health. Nearly two thirds see the countryside as one of the things that makes Britain special. Three-quarters of young people want more of the UK countryside protected, though most don’t trust leaders to deliver on this. 75% of Britons want existing measures to protect specific areas of land to be strengthened, while less than 2% want to see them reduced. But people don’t trust political leaders to reflect these values. The results show Sir Keir Starmer has a net trust rating of –40% on safeguarding the countryside. The next lowest is Nigel Farage, with a rating of –28%.

This research reveals strong public appetite for solutions that work for people, nature and the nation alike. With plentiful suitable brownfield land available, 84% of people believe it is possible to build the homes the UK needs while safeguarding the countryside for future generations. The findings amount to an overwhelming rejection of false choices between housing and environmental protection. With pessimism about the future of Britain’s natural landscapes running high, there is a clear public desire for a long-term, joined-up approach that safeguards the countryside while meeting the country’s housing, energy and economic needs.

Maud and Mabel return…

The final update on Maud and Mabel – well they seem to like our garden and seem to like jumping walls taller than I am. I caught them twice just standing on the walls looking at the view! A bit of research has found that they belong in the valley over the other side of the fell. Calls have been made to their owner but he was out fencing all day so they continued to raid gardens, three times in one day and three times I had to chase them back up the lane to the fell. They are very friendly but increasingly reminding me of the naughty sheep in the children’s book Tig and Tag!

Clockwise from top left: Bridge at Dam Mire, and muddy work at Mazonwath