Earlier this year, I reported on the odd project I got involved in. I’m a member of our local woodland trust, helping out as a volunteer. As part of that work, I volunteered to chart the orchard that had been planted in 2011 as a present for the founder’s 90th birthday. I thought it wouldContinue reading “Community Orchard – part two”
Author Archives: juliachalkley
Playing in the Puddles
Yes, that’s water you’re seeing through that windscreen. Himself was lucky enough to get a Landrover experience voucher for his birthday, and what you’re seeing in the photo is what he saw while driving. We booked it for early July, left the already parched grounds of our garden behind and went out to stay withContinue reading “Playing in the Puddles”
Gold and Brown
This dry spell has been going on for months, and now we are all used to it. It’s been over three months since we saw any reasonable amount of rain – even for a dry region like ours, this is definitely out of the ordinary. Local weather forecasters have said that we have had 1%Continue reading “Gold and Brown”
Lots to do, so let’s crack on.
No, I haven’t posted. Yes, my last posts were gloomy, featuring a dead cat and a stunned bluetit. No, that’s not really me. Let me catch up on what I’ve been doing since my last cheerful post. The first genuine holiday I took this year was to Combe Martin on the edges of Exmoor. I’dContinue reading “Lots to do, so let’s crack on.”
Paying it back
I put our cats onto the “What The Cat Dragged In” project in March 2021. The project was set up by a PhD candidate for her dissertation, and it aimed to measure the prey taken by domestic cats. Our two were not hunters, and I hoped their records would help to clear the name ofContinue reading “Paying it back”
Breaking the silence
I haven’t posted for a long time. I haven’t had the heart for it. We had a three-week pause in April to stay away from crowded museums and beaches during the school holidays, and just as we were plotting a return to days out, our youngest cat was killed on the road. Just like herContinue reading “Breaking the silence”
Black Hole in Ipswich
Just like Tuesday night – here we were, driving round a one-way system in a Suffolk town and looking for somewhere to park. Unlike Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich has a fast and lively road network and a town centre that dies at six in the evening. We’d arrived early for an evening with Professor BrianContinue reading “Black Hole in Ipswich”
More Balls than Most
My first post for a week or so. As a friend of mine once said of her children; “It’s when they go quiet that I really worry. It means they’re up to something.” We’ve been filling our days before the Easter school holidays, when all the visitor attractions really open up and all the familiesContinue reading “More Balls than Most”
Heart of Glass
We drove down from Melrose to Seaham on the back of a disagreement. I plan my journeys by Google maps (adding 15% to Google’s estimate of journey time because, well, Laws of Sod) while he relies on paper maps. Our paper maps of Melrose and Seaham are bang up to date, unlike our 1982 OSContinue reading “Heart of Glass”
Trimontium
I’ve been quiet. I’ve been busy. We’ve been travelling. Roll back to November, and the post called ‘A Tale of Two Breakdowns’. We were both due to spend a night in Melrose before I stayed with friends and he went home to face the builders – but his Landrover broke down and I escorted himContinue reading “Trimontium”
Julia Chalkley 