Forest Lytton

One of the things I love about winters in southern England is the birds. As in colder climates, and despite our milder, generally moderate weather, different birds visit the feeders in winter whom I have not seen in months.

One of my favourites is the black-capped warbler. I find them quite striking on an overcast day with their contrasting jet-black caps and evenly grey bodies. The black-capped warbler makes me proud when they fly in and land in one of the lilacs, still having some shelter, but fun to watch from the quiet indoors.

A second favourite bird which I see in groups and usually only when the weather turns is the long-tailed tit. These adorable tiny birds have very long tails and tricolour patterns which remind me of a calico tuxedo cat I used to have a decade ago. The long-tailed tits come in and also leverage the lilacs for shelter, but soon I see them on the various feeders, often going for the suet balls.

Dappled sun sneaks low into the afternoon garden, warming the tips of daffodils and tulips, encouraging them out of their winter slumbers.

Blossom February 2021

spring winter

We had an extended away to Hestercombe. I fell in love with Mexican FleaBane, a sweet plant of miniature pink or white daisies. You can see it growing in the back of the green covered pool. We planted one in our own garden in Sept-Nov 2020. Whether it survived the winter remains to be seen, but I am hopeful.
Meanwhile, please enjoy these samples from our trip:

property gardens