20th February 2025
We have had starlings on the field. They have been bathing in the puddles, and looking around the field for food. They are always busy moving on to different areas, never stationary for a moment. No large murmurations as we are only a gathering point in the evening before they move off to roost for the night somewhere else.
19th February 2025
We visited Stowe Gardens for the annual Snowdrop viewing event. Dull day, but not raining. We arrived at opening time and walked down to the park and around one of the lakes. Yes there are snowdrops, but not an impressive numbers. Not as good as last year where we visited the church ast Swyncombe. The grave yard at Swyncombe church has an impressive array.
Despite the limited numbers of Snowdrops, we had a nice walk around, followed by lunch at the NT cafe. The gardens also showed some signs of distress from the winter storms, with a few trees uprooted.
22nd January 2025
It has been quite some time since I last shared a video showcasing the wildlife around the garden. Sightings of foxes have been infrequent, mostly limited to them passing through the garden without settling. They have not yet taken over any rabbit burrows for breeding purposes.
The most notable sighting was that of a Grey Heron, which appears to have made the field pond its new habitat. I was fortunate enough to capture footage of the heron stalking across the pond after sunset. There is one particular moment where it can be seen holding a frog in its beak, and another where a fox is seen walking behind it. You can find these scenes using the YouTube chapters.
Please note that the dates displayed by the cameras follow the American date format (Month, Day, Year), as the cameras do not support localized date settings.
Bird species recorded by the cameras include: Blackbird, Chaffinch, Heron, Crow, Jay, Moorhen, Pheasant, Redwing, and Starlings. Mammals observed include: Domestic Cat, Muntjac Deer, Fox, and Rabbit.
31st December 2024
Some images from 2024, which I have combined into one posting.
9th November 2024
The Kingswood bonfire night was held on a dry Saturday. Ian excelled himself with the largest bonfire we have ever had and a brilliant (in both senses of the word) firework display. The heat from the fire was intense. Julie had yet again organized a guy which quickly succumbed to the heat.
As is usual we were supplied with hot burgers and sausages from our excellent village catering team of Karin, Duncan, Keith and Charlotte. Beers & wines kept coming from the man with the festival hat, George.
Thanks are also due to the Hubbards for hosting the event. It’s certainly not everyone who wants a large burn mark on their lawn!
Very sadly, this may have been our last bonfire night. After Ian’s exemplary 25 years of sterling service, someone else is now needed to carry on the tradition..
5th November 2024
We decided to venture back into Central Milton Keynes after a long absence, parking in the multi-story car park near John Lewis. It was quite a surprise to find the former ground-level car park transformed into a towering structure. I wondered when the transformation took place.
A short walk from the car park led us to the Milton Keynes Gallery, where the much-anticipated Vanessa Bell exhibition was underway. I am told that Vanessa Bell (1879-1961), a prominent figure of the Bloomsbury Group, was a pioneering modernist painter, designer, and ceramicist. The exhibition showcased a wide range of her work, including paintings, drawings, ceramics and furniture.
While I personally found the abstract nature of her paintings a bit too avant-garde for my taste, preferring more realistic or draughtsman-like styles, R thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition.
We capped off our cultural outing with a satisfying lunch at the gallery’s on-site restaurant. The menu featured “Handmade mug of soup”. R tutted, but no, it was correct! The mug was handmade! Watching the chef, he definitely had a flourish when he added seasonings.
After a disappointing spring looking for foxes, and a busy summer travelling, there were very few sightings of foxes, Now back at home, we decided to put out the cameras again. Not much to report, a fox, rabbits, randy pigeons, cat and a muntjac deer. It is a start, as we search the garden for the best position to set the cameras.
20th June 2024
The Vintage Sports-Car Club has been a fixture in the British automotive landscape for decades. Known for their monthly gatherings at pubs across the UK, they foster a sense of camaraderie among enthusiasts of classic vehicles. The club’s local chapter holds meet at the Canaletto pub on the third Thursday evening of the month.
Despite its modest size, the village of Kingswood in Buckinghamshire has become a hub for automotive enthusiasts. The Aylesbury VM club also meets regularly, gathering once a month on a Sunday morning at the Akeman for a special breakfast and car show.
It’s a testament to the enduring appeal of classic cars and the vibrant community spirit of this small village that it can host two such events. The sight of vintage vehicles and VWs gleaming in the sunlight is a delightful treat for locals and visitors alike.
Here is an ERA (Englis Racing Automobile) from the 1930’s being started.
31st May 2024
The sun was setting in an unusual way. As it descended, it turned red, The sky looked overcast, with no red hues, making the fiery globe particularly unusual. As the sun approached the horizon, it seemed to disappear into a hazy layer, its lower portion blending into the sky.
This was a rare opportunity to capture the sun’s beauty with a zoom lens. The images revealed four distinct sunspots, dark blemishes on the sun’s surface caused by intense magnetic activity. Additionally, the sun’s circumference appeared uneven, with various solar eruptions, or flares, creating a jagged edge. These flares are sudden bursts of energy released from the sun’s surface, often accompanied by intense radiation and charged particles.
6th April 2024
It has been a full month since I shared the video documenting our foxes. However, the passing days have ushered in a sense of stagnation. The adult foxes continue their routine traverse across the field, perhaps eyeing the neighbouring chickens with intent, yet showing no signs of ousting the resident rabbits. Occasionally, a male pheasant makes fleeting appearances in the vicinity, though we now observe just one solitary bird frequenting our feeder. Gone are the days of jumping up and knocking the feeder to get some seeds. This pheasant, leaps up & down, squawks and flaps his wings. It doesn’t appear to cause any food to drop, but he’s working on it.
A pair of Moorhens briefly graced us with their presence as they crossed the mound, prompting me to redirect one of our cameras towards the tranquil pond. Despite the addition of rabbits to the scene, there seems to be a palpable absence of avian activity this month. However, a solitary Eurasian Jay did make a rare appearance, briefly breaking the monotony with its presence.
