Reclaiming spaces #30DaysWild Day 20

It never ceases to amaze me...

 ...the tenacity of plants.

  The way they quietly 

reclaim their space...

 as they gently engulf 

old buildings,

and neglected walls.

Worm's eye view #30DaysWild Day 19

At grass level

beneath the daisy

 Their nodding heads

indicate the light breeze

Early summer dandelions

now fluffy seed heads 

Going

 Going

 Gone!

Ah yes, I can vouch for the value 

of the worm's eye view!

#30DaysWild Days - you can do it too.

Stone stacks #30DaysWild Day 18

For Jak & Dad (thanks for the tea and biscuits :) )

Something I always find time for - is building stone stacks.  There is something quietly satisfying when, after several attempts, I can step back from a wobbly pile of stone and admire my 'art work'.

Over the years I have perfected my towers (well that is what I keep telling myself) but they still fall down :) So lots more practice needed!

  Have you tried making stone stacks? It is done world wide and in some places these piles have spiritual meanings.

On a grander scale than my own are the Inukshuk  stones built to represent a figure, to mark a route or a spiritual place. These inuksuit (plural) can vary in size from a small model to huge ones that dominate the skyline. I would love to try and make one... may be this is a challenge for the weekend! 

Thank you so much for your comments, I love hearing from you, you make my day and make my heart go squeeeee!

What are you doing in your wild life? 

Are you joining in? 

I have to say we are thoroughly enjoying ours :)

#30DaysWild Days - you can do it too.

My wild life #30DaysWild Day 17

My list of Random Acts of Wildness.

Half way through my 30 days of wild and I thought I'd share the pledges The Wildlife Trust suggest to help get closer to nature.
I have already completed some, have plans to do others but some og suggestions I will never be able to complete!
I have added links to as many as I can -so if you have the stamina you can see what we have been up to.

1. Scribble a poem  (well sort of a poem - more free style than rhyming...)
2. Sunbath like daisies (umm - need the sun for that, so might just chance a quick sit with daisies instead!)
3. Admire the setting sun (check!)
4. Survey like a scientist (Himself and Youngest are more likely to do this, I observe for the pleasure)
5. Nap in the grass (have to admit to lying down in long grass to escape a sharp breeze - but no napping)
6. Team up with neighbours (difficult as we all work, but I know that some of our neighbours relish the great outdoors too)
7. Ring like an expert (probably unlikely)
8. Detect for bats (done done done!!)
9. Watch a wild webcam (already do - if you fancy a look try Wildlife Webcam, Wildlifetv or for something COMPLETELY different - try one close to my heart - Africam.
10. Quiz your colleagues 
11. Help wildlife in need
12. Bake for wild life (done done done)
13. Track wild creatures - we have often followed bird tracks in the sand or inspected paw prints in mud or peat hoping to encourage the boys to investigate further
14. Spotlight wild ponds
15. Tune in by switching off (Love it when we go camping - the laptops and mobiles get left alone)
16. Lunch in the wild (done done done)
17. Build for beetles (done done done)
18. Sketch up close (re-discovered my love of drawing)
19. Treat yourself to a wild weekend (yes please)
20. Feel the grass beneath your toes 
21. Sail down stream
22. Hide in a hide
23. Mix a while cocktail (this needs further investigation!)
24. Imagine you're flying
25. Create a wild work of art
26. Compete with friends
27. Map your wild neighbourhood
28. Explore a wild place nearby
29. Contact your Wildlife Trust
30. Picnic with the birds
31. Change your perspective
32. Encourage wild at work
33. Publish in the papers
34. Go slow with a snail 
35. Play under the stars (fully plan on doing this again - bring on the wild camping!)
36. Balance rocks on the beach
37. Swim in the wild (might be a bit chilly for me)
38. Cook in the sunshine (done done done)
39. Sweep like an entomologist
40. Print with natural dyes (hmmm like the idea of this one)
41. Magic on June 23rd (to celebrate St John) but we are going to celebrate June 21st - the longest day!
42. Investigate tracks and signs (yup - done that)
43. Bond with colleagues (I work with some wild characters but I am not sure that is what this means!)
44. Wear a flower in your hair - oh yes!
45. Scatter seedbombs (done that)
46. Scale to great heights (left my tree climbing days in my childhood however my three men do that still!)
47. Leave a wild corner (my entire garden must be a wild corner.....)
48. Decorate with a forest mobile - sounds good :)
49. Showcase on a nature table (done that)
50. Grow borage for bees (yup)
51. Indulge with a natural facemask
52. Visit beautiful meadows - as often as we can
53. Dig a wild pond (have one already)
54. Party in a wild garden
55. Paddle in rock pools (need to go to the coast - what an excellent idea!)
56. Note your sightings (done)
57. Tell stories about the wild - something we all do :)
58. Climb for a wild view (yup!)
59. Scoop a wild news story
60. Complete wildlife watch awards- for young children
61. Share your favourite tree
62. Stay up on a summer's eve
63. Think before you buy (we try to)
64. Wake up with the dawn (plan to)
65. Shine a light on moths
66. Make a mossy matt
67. Develop your skills
68. Retreat to a wild hideout
69. Discover urban wildness (fancy this one)
70. Green your walls
71. Plant a mini meadow
72. Trail using nature
73. Improve your 'hood
74. Buy a wild magazine
75. Blog about wildlife (yay!)
76. Sip in the wild (done that!)
77. Gaze at the moon (done done done)
78. Start a wild adventure
79. Record wild sounds
80. Look up to the sky
81. Workout in the wild
82. Immerse yourself in nature (as often as we can)
83. Encounter your favourite species (a definite favourite)
84. Find your inner wild (during lunch breaks)
85. Levitate a leaf
86. Design a home for wildlife (done)
87. Follow a bumble bee (done)
88. Dance in a downpour
89. Read a wild book
90. Challenge yourself to learn
91. Tweet for the wild
92. Invite a friend into nature
93. Snap a wild colour 
94. Write to your MP (he is sick of me !)
95. Restore a place for wildlife
96. Dangle your feet in wild water (brrrrrr)
97. Save a life
98. Meditate in a wild place (a fantastic feeling)
99. Exercise in the wild
100. Inhale a wild scent (yup)
101. Cuddle your favourite tree (done)

Sorry - I hadn't realised how many there were until I started typing! 

What are you doing in your wild life? 

Are you joining in? 

I have to say we are thoroughly enjoying ours :)

#30DaysWild Days - you can do it too.

An evening postprandial potter #30DaysWild Day 15

We are very lucky where we live, we can fall out of our door and straight on to any one of the many footpaths that meander around our village.

This evening we took full advantage of our network of paths, the gorgeous evening light and gently warm air.

 

Time to return home, think I'm ready for a mug of tea!

#30DaysWild Days - you can do it too.

Bird brained! #30DaysWild Day 15

Our walk today was planned around a geo-caching trail, so armed with grid references, cameras and a packed lunch we set off into a sharp breeze and into the hills. It was a good walk :)

As we went along we watched out for and 'collected' all the birds we saw and wrote them down. 

29 birds species later we were amazed how many we spotted!

1. Wren
2. Robin
3. Mallard
4. Barnacle Geese
5. Swallows
6. Swifts
7. Magpie
8. Crows
9. Ravens
10. Buzzard
11. Sparrows
12. Herring Gull
13. Black Headed Gull
14. Curlew
15. Kestrel
16. Wood pigeons
17. Feral pigeons
18. Dunnock
19. Moor-hen
20. Chaffinch
21. Bull Finch
22. Oyster Catchers
23. Herons
24. Blue Tits
25. Great Tits
26. Blackbird
27. Pied Wagtail
28. Pheasant
29. Skylark

Did I tell you it was a good walk?! Well it was!

#30DaysWild Days - you can do it too.

Happy families #30DaysWild Day 14

A few years ago, Youngest was given as a present - a bird house kit.  The type that comes as a Swedish style flat pack and an impossibly beautiful picture of the finished article.  Youngest (with help from Himself) made it up, painted in bright colours and hid it in a tree.  He waited expectantly for bird to move in..... and he waited....and waited....then after 10 minutes he gave up.  Several years later, when the paint faded and the box had slipped down deep in to the branches.....a couple blue tits decided that this was the bird house of their dreams.

For days now, we have heard the fledglings trilling but not been able to see them or their parents.

Until Saturday when it was just Himself and I in the garden. 

Quietly pottering, him working on his bicycle and me in the greenhouse planting out seedlings and re-potting house plants we kept hearing a rash of fledgling song and decided to investigate.

We caught movement in the corner of the garden, so I set up my camera on a tripod and waited....and waited...and waited (at least 10 minutes!) when I was rewarded by two birds flying in and feeding the chicks and removing the meconium as the parents flew off to forage for the next course of worms and grubs.

 I took 57 pictures and kept may be 5 at the most.  Happy Happy.

Then something unusual thing happened.
At the bottom of the garden - a grey squirrel! I'd gone down to the compost bays to empty a bucket of weeds and there it was - sitting watching me!

Never seen one here before.

I called for Himself to bring the camera and we quickly caught our unusual visitor to our garden.

Not all the residents in our garden are feathered or fluffy - as in the greenhouse I had a Stimgatogaster... a what?? Sorry, I'll say it again....I had a yellow Stigmatogaster subterranea in the compost I'd carried into the greenhouse to pot on my plants.

So you now know :)

#30DaysWild Days - you can do it too.

Walking the dales #30DaysWild Day 13

Coming for a walk with us?

Stone walls and stiles. Malham cove. Shy lamb. Limestone snails. 

Drover's tracks. Meadows. Ferns. Poppies. *HaPpy♥ HaPpy*

#30DaysWild Days - you can do it too.

❤weekend❤