The French Revolutionary calendar also acknowledged the fruitfulness of this time of year. 1st September fell into Fructidor - summer - and was named Truite (trout), to be followed by Lemon, Teasel, Buckthorn, Mexican Marigold, Harvesting Basket, Wild Rose, Hazelnut, Hops, Sorghum, Crayfish, Bitter Orange, Golden Rod, Maize, Sweet Chestnut and Pack Basket. Then the season changes to Vendémiaire (Autumn) with Grape, Saffron Chestnut, Autumn Crocus, Horse, Impatiens, Carrot, Amaranth and Parsnip. 1st to 30th seem easier to remember but not as imaginative.
First some trail camera footage from the end of last month. The doe appears to be in conversation with a robin; the kids continue to enchant particularly in the ear department; the doe’s grey colouring round her muzzle show that she is no longer a youngster; the spots on the kids are beginning to fade; squeaking continues - the labelling for this clip does not indicate that the kids have been named, it is simply a way of distinguishing the footage; hare and fox can be seen on evening outings.
1st September
With sheep arriving on the Top Grazing later this month, John fixed sheep-proof netting to the new gate into the Top Strip.
The hare paid a late afternoon visit to the Scrub.
2nd September
Another example of OED Word of the Day synchronicity - Clare found at least thirty large Fly Agaric in the Scrub; today the OED offered ‘mycophilia: Enthusiasm for fungi, esp. edible ones; fondness for eating mushrooms’. Neither Clare nor John will be eating these specimens, although they clearly appeal to something’s taste.
Good to see a badger is still making the rounds.
3rd September
John took the flail mower over all the paths, delighting in how much time the machine is saving. Clare embarked on autumn maintenance on the Top Strip path noting that there is no time saving route for this task.
Two hares appeared on the trail camera. If two constitutes a group, then, according to Word Perfect, this is a flick of hares. Susie Dent explains that most collective nouns ‘sprang from the medieval imagination Created by the elite for the elite, they were written down in books of etiquette aimed at instructing the nobility on how not to embarrass themselves while out hunting, hawking, or fishing…[The} primary source for such terms is the fifteenth-century Book of St Albans, a three-part compendium on aristocratic pursuits. Its authorship is attributed to Dame Juliana Berners, Prioress of the Sopwell nunnery in Hertfordshire. Not only did her work contain over a hundred and sixty group names for beasts of the chase and characters on the medieval stage, but it also boasted the first images to be printed in colour in England. It was an instant hit, reprinted and reissued many times both by William Caxton and the (superbly named) Wynkyn de Words. Its popularity extended far beyond the nobles for whom it was originally intended.’
4th September
The trail camera shows one of the kids trying to suckle whereas the doe looks as if she’s wanting to wean the youngster. One of the kids is seen foraging on fungi - maybe this is what is eating the Fly Agaric. Maybe there will be footage of a hallucinating kid.
7th September
John and Clare restarted work on the shed for the composting lavatory. Clare fixed membrane under the structure and John added a floor.
Floor trimmed to size
8th September
Clare started a routine check on her bees only, she thinks, to knock her finger on the corner of a hive roof. She can’t remember what happened exactly, however she suddenly experienced a lot of pain in the middle finger of her right hand. Not one of the better documented hazards of bee-keeping.
12th September
The OED Word of the Day strikes again. While work continues on housing the Little John, today’s word is ‘necessarium’ A privy, esp in a monastery. In recent use also: a toilet, lavatory. Well that’s the name for the new shed chosen then.
14-18th September
With Clare out of action (and very frustrated and fed up), John has had to pursue shed construction without help. He has made good progress, adding side, door and back. Next come the plumbing arrangements. The shed uses the tool shed as one of its sides; the back of the construction is lower than the front. Clare thinks that John can claim he has executed a short back and sides.
Taking a break from construction work, John saw a large hare on the Meadow and a Tawny Owl fly from the North-east Strip into the Scrub.
In the absence of a photograph of the owl, here is a poem by Paul Batchelor from his collection The Love Darg.
19th September
John and Clare are trying out a new trail camera. Although they have yet to discover the optimum settings, they were interested to note the footage of roe deer foraging in the Scrub. The clips showed a doe and one of her kids eating near the camera on four separate occasions through one night. The deer spent about ten minutes browsing each time before moving off and returning to almost the same spot between two and three hours later. In between these episodes, a lone kid came through the Scrub from the direction in which the others had left. John says there are competing theories about how frequently roe browse, with one camp opting for every two hours and another citing four hour intervals.
27th September
Some footage from the original trail camera set up in the Pit Wood. A fox with a particularly bushy tail makes its way through. The doe, having spent time scenting, decides one of her kids needs a thorough wash. The kid attempts to suckle however the doe is more intent on weaning and cleaning. Clare noted that the cleaning could be a substitute contact between doe and kid - a comfort wash. Though without fabric conditioner. A second kid arrives and is easily sexed. Then a third arrives and is also deterred from suckling and offered compensatory washing. This is the first time doe and triplets have been captured together. John says that while it is not unusual for a doe to have triplets, it does suggest the doe is in prime condition and that the habitat is providing all she needs. The family leave together, the rumps showing there are two doe kids and a buck. At last John can stop questioning how many kids and of what sex. The last video for this day shows a deer browsing on fallen Ash leaves. John says there is evidence to show that our native European roe deer eat 160 different plant species. The Siberian roe, a cousin of our roe, eat 300 plant species.
John added a roof to the Necessarium.
A stoat has caught a Jay and carries it off.
28th September
Plumbing in begins.
The doe and one of the kids show how they are losing their summer coats to reveal the darker winter coat below.