SKI-er or Sk-ater. We know how to enjoy ourselves

margaretclare

We are away from here tomorrow morning, booked a 2-night stay in Hawes, Wensleydale, going to the annual get-together of the Metcalfe Society. On the way back down on Sunday, we want to divert to Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, where part of the Staffordshire Hoard is being displayed in the Stoke Potteries museum.

The following weekend we're going to Battle near Hastings for the annual commemoration of the famous 1066 battle. We're going to a 'Feast for the Fallen' on Saturday evening - this includes food as near as possible to what was available at the time and with medieval music and good fellowship with people we've met before.

Monday morning our local builder is going to start on rebuilding a garden wall which is in danger of collapse. It was built by my late husband 21 years ago of recycled bricks and the frost over many winters has got to it. Because the garden is at a lower level this wall is essential to support a paved area immediately at the back. That will cost a bit of money, but it needs doing.

The next project involves the wildlife pond in the garden. The liner is leaking and we want it completely re-done with paved area around it so that we can sit there in the summer. It's not hard to spend some money if you put your mind to it, not that we spend just for the sake of it, but it's about quality of life.

We tend not to go on 'long' holidays but we do like the short breaks and long weekends.

seven-day-weekend

margaretclare wrote: »

We are away from here tomorrow morning, booked a 2-night stay in Hawes, Wensleydale, going to the annual get-together of the Metcalfe Society. On the way back down on Sunday, we want to divert to Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, where part of the Staffordshire Hoard is being displayed in the Stoke Potteries museum.

The following weekend we're going to Battle near Hastings for the annual commemoration of the famous 1066 battle. We're going to a 'Feast for the Fallen' on Saturday evening - this includes food as near as possible to what was available at the time and with medieval music and good fellowship with people we've met before.

Monday morning our local builder is going to start on rebuilding a garden wall which is in danger of collapse. It was built by my late husband 21 years ago of recycled bricks and the frost over many winters has got to it. Because the garden is at a lower level this wall is essential to support a paved area immediately at the back. That will cost a bit of money, but it needs doing.

The next project involves the wildlife pond in the garden. The liner is leaking and we want it completely re-done with paved area around it so that we can sit there in the summer. It's not hard to spend some money if you put your mind to it, not that we spend just for the sake of it, but it's about quality of life.

We tend not to go on 'long' holidays but we do like the short breaks and long weekends.

We have just re-done our wildlife pond. Luckily we have two, so we decanted 33 frogs, water boatmen, dragonfly larvae and as many assorted minibeasts that we could find into the tiny pond whilst the larger one was being re-done. The plants we stuck in plastic tubs along with a few more water boatmen.

We got a preformed pond this time, instead of a liner. It is slightly narrower but deeper than the old one. We chose one that had a shallow ledge all the way round for frogs and marginal plants.

After a few days we put all the plants back in it and now the frogs have re-colonised of their own accord. It looks like it has been there for ever and will be totally settled by the time spring comes along with 2013's intake of tadpoles.

By the way - did you realise that the biggest predators of baby frogs are big frogs? We have seen so many little ones climb out of the pond only to be eaten by their parents Still,, enough manage to survive to keep the colony going. I suppose it is nature's way.

Oh....and this year we also watched a beautiful iridescent green dragonfly climb up the reeds out of the water, dry itself and then fly off over our garden. We then found it a few days later, decapitated, on our kitchen floor.:(:mad:. The cats were in disgrace for several days.

margaretclare

Thanks for this - yes, it's the kind of thing we had in mind. Unfortunately we're not able to do all this ourselves, or any of it in fact, but there are several companies around Essex which will do this according to what kind of a pond you want, and also a regular maintenance service. We do need a pre-formed pond because the liner we had hasn't lasted. It may be affected by UV light from the sun.

Yes, I knew about the little frogs being predated by the bigger frogs. Even before they get to the 'frog' stage the tadpoles eat each other. Then there are the blackbirds who love a tasty tadpole or baby frog. Nature red in tooth and claw, eh! Only a tiny proportion of tadpoles ever get to be adult frogs.

We have a log-pile in the corner of the garden and I know the frogs go in there to escape. We also have one or two other water containers around. We have toads, water-boatmen and dragonflies.

Often when we've talked about having a garden pond it has been assumed we want goldfish, or even koi carp! No, we don't. Fish do not go well with native wildlife.

seven-day-weekend

margaretclare wrote: »

Thanks for this - yes, it's the kind of thing we had in mind. Unfortunately we're not able to do all this ourselves, or any of it in fact, but there are several companies around Essex which will do this according to what kind of a pond you want, and also a regular maintenance service. We do need a pre-formed pond because the liner we had hasn't lasted. It may be affected by UV light from the sun.

Yes, I knew about the little frogs being predated by the bigger frogs. Even before they get to the 'frog' stage the tadpoles eat each other. Then there are the blackbirds who love a tasty tadpole or baby frog. Nature red in tooth and claw, eh! Only a tiny proportion of tadpoles ever get to be adult frogs.

We have a log-pile in the corner of the garden and I know the frogs go in there to escape. We also have one or two other water containers around. We have toads, water-boatmen and dragonflies.

Often when we've talked about having a garden pond it has been assumed we want goldfish, or even koi carp! No, we don't. Fish do not go well with native wildlife.

I agree, as soon as you put fish in, no more dragonflies or water boatmen or even tadpoles and baby frogs.

We did think of native fish like sticklebacks for a while, but they are active predators and would be far more dangerous than koi carp! We are still thinking of another small pond for sticklebacks though - it would be nice to have some native fish. You can keep them in aquariums, but it is difficult to keep the water cool enough - so maybe another small pond, as I say.

We have plenty of cover for our frogs as we have a wildlife garden , with plenty of native species, cottage garden plants, a large rockery round three sides of the pool and my husnband has built 'frog tunnels' under the rockery with plastic drainpipe. There is also space underneath and behind the shed and greenhouse.

seven-day-weekend

Ski-ing to Chester tomorrow with a friend I made playing online Scrabble.

This is our third trip, the first one was to York, last time we went to Whitby (a bit too far for me, for the day ) and now we are sight-seeing in Chester tomorrow.

Any ideas for our next trip? We like cities, but it does not have to be confined to cities. She comes from Leeds way and usually drives, I live in the West Midlands, can drive, but prefer the train. Somewhere for a day out not too far for either of us would be lovely. Peak District is already on the list

All suggestions welcome!

margaretclare

A suggestion: the Staffordshire Hoard. We went to Hawes in Wensleydale for the weekend and diverted on the way back because I really wanted to see this. There's an exhibition on at the moment (up to next September) at the Stoke Potteries Museum, Stoke-on-Trent. IMHO this is a must-see, especially for anyone with the remotest interest in English culture and/or history. DH, with his background in precision engineering, was absolutely blown away by the workmanship. It has been dated to between AD 550-700. There's also another part of it on display at the Birmingham Museum and also some of it in Lichfield, which is an interesting place in any case.

seven-day-weekend

Great idea MC, and close to (my) home too!

pollypenny

Ah, SDW, you were quite near me today in Chester. It's our nearest shopping town .

Hope you had a good day.

seven-day-weekend

We had a great time, it's a beautiful city.

Newly_retired

Chester is lovely!
Despite my saying DH wasn't interested in any more trips till next year, he took little persuading to go for an overnight short break in Whitby a couple of weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. The weather was sunny, the coast beautiful. Hotel dinner was silver service, yet friendly and informal. Lovely treat for our wedding anniversary ( I say treat, but guess who orgainsed and paid for it!!)