March - '...brings breezes loud and shrill' and worse besides*

* from The Months, Sara Coleridge (and no dancing daffodils have been stirred as yet either)

2nd March

We discovered just how hardy the ponies are. Going up to check on them today we were unable to negotiate the 4ft drifts down from the Military Road however managed to drive up as far as the local farm, park there and Wenceslassed our way along the cleared road up to a point where we could get over the wall to get on to Liddells. (Guess which one of us was Page and which Monarch...) The ponies were fine warm in their thick coats and Paul was showing off rather fetching snowball accessories on his feathers. We, however, were fundied: benumbed with cold; chilled.

You can see the snow and some icicles failing to penetrate the thickness of Paul's coat

William always leaves his vegetables till last

Snow bobble accessories - will they catch on? Are they subnivean - existing, living or carried out underneath the snow?

3rd March

Jane W walked up past Liddells and sent this photograph of the bottom entrance

4th March

Although the wind was an easterly, the drifting on the Wildflower Meadow was banked up on the west side of the wall. There was also a rather pleasing stile sculpture.

7th March

John was able to get back to what he loves doing best on LIddells, planting trees. We put 3 regenerated Ash trees into the Wetland. The sun was shining today and the bees were outside all three hives, so it looks as though they have all come through the winter.

You may have noticed the dearth of trail cam photographs recently - the original camera stopped working and after trying several ways to address that, John sent it back to the manufacturers who were wonderful; they found that the camera was faulty and promptly dispatched a new one; since the model we had has been superseded, they sent the new upgraded one! Once we have worked out how to use it, we'll set it up again.

10th March

You never know just what you are going to learn in Waitrose. Today Tim saw Clare at the cash desks and having been reading an article in New Scientist, checked out that she knew that rhododendron nectar was poisonous to honey bees. This was useful learning and backed up by tales of beekeepers keeping their hives closed until the plants have finished flowering. Not realistic up here, so the bees will have to rely on their considerable native intelligence as there are rhododendrons within bee-flying distance. However Waitrose as a seat of learning reminded Clare of an encounter she had had with fellow beekeeper and sheep keeper, Barry. In telling the story of how he had been trying to artificially inseminate some of his sheep and had lost the means of insemination inside one of the ewes, declared roundly, "Never sponge a virgin Shetland". Somehow that aperçu has stuck in Clare's mind and probably in the minds of several fellow shoppers, who may well have been somewhat alarmed having not heard the build up to the punchline. It never happens in Aldi.

11th March

8 Hazels planted in the cleared area of the Pit Wood where they will create understorey. We are pleased to see that regenerating Hollies are already appearing in this area. The OED Word of the Day provided another gift - quincunx: an arrangement of five objects with four at the corners of a square or rectangle and the fifth at the centre, used as a design for the five on a die or playing card, and in planting trees.

Regenerating Hollies benefitting from the increase in light and space

14th March

Planted 6 more Hazels into the Pit Wood.

Neighbour Monica has still been seeing a Barn Owl hunting pretty much every day recently - either very early morning or late afternoon. Today we were so pleased to see one fly out of the south-east corner of the Pit Wood, very near the Tawny Owl box (maybe our signage could be clearer), only to have our delight squashed within minutes when we came across the body of a very recently killed Barn Owl. Likely culprits - Buzzard, Peregrine (never seen one locally), Goshawk (now that would be something, however probably unlikely as their nearest known habitat is Kielder Forest). We felt so disheartened thinking that we might have had a pair of Barn Owls. We hope whichever has survived will stick around and find another mate. 'Red in tooth and claw' is not always the most comforting knowledge.

We had a quick check on most of the bird boxes and thus far can report no activity. The OED Word of the Day has clearly been monitoring the blog as it has come up with huh, as in 'all of a huh': awry, askew, aslant; lopsided. So reminiscent of John and bird box alignment!

16th March

The Top Grazing is in a pretty parlous state with nothing much for the ponies to go at and very muddy, so today John has given them access to the Crag, Scrub and Wetland. They will do a wonderful job of remaking paths and trimming some of the gorse.

17th March

Time to check on the incidence of varroa mites in the bee hives. One colony had no mites whatsoever, a second had two mites, the third needs rechecking in a few days as the varroa board had somehow blown out from underneath the hive. It's good news for the bees going into the new season. Varroa mite is inevitable these days, and a serious infestation can weaken a colony and leave it vulnerable to infection. (PS the third colony has not fared so well, so it has been treated against the mites. This may well knock back colony expansion for a while however that will mean they are less likely to swarm while we are on holiday next month!)

19th March

Friend Adele alerted Clare to today's edition of Start the Week on Radio 4. The whole programme is interesting, especially John Lewis-Stempel talking about his new book The Wood: The Life and Times of Cockshutt Wood. He argues for the need to work woodland for biodiversity - it's not just enough to own woodland and do nothing. Maybe we need to resurrect the pigs plan. He also delights in words and used psithurism: the sound of wind whispering through trees. We challenge you to introduce that into your everyday conversation. His book is this week's Radio 4 Book of the Week - well worth five 15 minute listening slots. Some of you, maybe John as well, might see whether or not wrapping ivy leaves round the head does indeed prove to be a cure for baldness.

20th March

With an astonishing sense of timing, John produced the following photographs of part of a pond on the Wetland.

He really did not know until afterwards!

John also planted some of the willow cuttings in the Wetland

23rd March

John continues his war against the grey squirrels - 4 notches on his belt so far. Time to try Brunswick stew?

26th March

Grey squirrel tally up to 5

27th March

4 roe deer on the Wetland, 2 Pied Wagtails on the Top Grazing and best of all, a hare in the Verge!

31st March

We're hoping to hear arriving warblers any day now, but we haven't heard any singing yet on Liddells. Long-tailed tits in the Orchard today - always a delight. We have been touched by the support we have received for our work, however not everyone is so respectful. Clare hauled a bag of cans and bottles out of the Top Strip, thrown over by people parking on the road the other side of the wall. Give the amount of alcohol bottles, we assume they are not parking there to enjoy the view.

Happy Easter!