There are some great birds around at the moment ... particularly birds of prey. Yesterday a buzzard landed in the tree next to the house and then swooped away through the field next to the garden, and on Sunday we watched a Merlin sat on a telegraph wire in Warkworth.

First steps to self sufficiency ...

I've been digging the garden this morning - to create our first veg patch. Crikey, it's hard work! I snapped one of the prongs off the garden fork - so at least I know it really is hard work, not just me being pathetic.

More birds

Lovely weekend with the cousins visiting – weather fine if not broiling, a day on the beach and a go around Alnwick Garden. Last night we had a big pork dinner and then I sat up with Uncle Tom till half past three boozin' and talking about The Face That Boils Itself. This morning the wives let us both lie in, and then when I got up at nine and made some coffee I started on a bit of washing up while the ibuprofen kicked in. Katherine leaned over and pointed out that the nuthatch was back on the tree outside the kitchen window. We stood and watched it: not just the nuthatch but also a swarm of great tits and a treecreeper. Then a bird I didn't recognise came and sat on the wall for a minute. I got a right good look, and I'm 90 per cent sure it was a female pied flycatcher. Never knowingly seen one before. Ace.

Hurricane Katia

According to the forecast we should see the tail end of Hurricane Katia today, and the wind is certainly getting up. But, I am happy to report that (so far) it is blowing across the fields and away from the house so that, if one of our trees comes down, we should be safe!

There was a hedgehog in the garden last night ...

... Lovejoy found it, but we think it was unharmed. It rolled up into a ball and stayed there while we all watched it. Then, by the time I came back with a bowl of dog food it was gone.

Bats, mushrooms and a toad named Boad

All summer I have kept meaning to update this and just never got round to it. So, a quick summery summary of what we've been up to ...

We've been kept busy with more than 20 visitors just in August - phew! But it's been so lovely to see so many friends and family and Fred has really enjoyed having lots of little people about. We've enjoyed the beaches (finding massive crabs at Low Newton by the Sea, battling huge waves at Warkworth and 'sailing' to weird and wonderful worlds in the dinghy). We've explored the hills - and discovered that there are some really really beautiful places round here - and not just on the coast.  We've foraged mushrooms (chanterelles) and blackberries but we missed out on the globe artichokes that we spotted at "Padico Jack's beach".

We loved Warkworth Hermitage - a real treat. A quick trip across the river on a rowing boat takes you to a little home / chapel in the rocks. It was great - with a fabulous climbing tree too. We've made many visits to the Alnwick Gardens - making full use of the Friends card which was a leaving present when I left work. 

We've made some progress on the house too - we've cleared the shed and outhouse, sending boxes and boxes of chemicals and poisons to the tip! We have a new bathroom floor (to replace pink carpet!), and a very lovely new hall mirror. We now know that we have 2 species of bat - common pipistrelles and 'something bigger' - possibly Noctule or Leislers (thanks, Nicky). And, Fred found a toad named Boad!

We planned to go camping but we never made it - there has been so much to do and see up here and we didn't want to miss anything! It's been great - now let's see what autumn and winter bring!

First day at big school

Fred's first day at school and we made it on time and on the bike (despite not having ridden it for 6 weeks). Those hills weren't as bad as I feared!

Crop circle

This appeared a couple of weeks ago - I noticed it when I was on my way to collect visitors from the station...

http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/local-news/vandals_slated_over_crop_circle_1_3731758

The crag of Crag View

Far in the distance we can just about make out the top of the observatory built by a previous Duchess of Northumberland.  This, apparently, sits on top of the crag. This morning Fred and I (and Lovejoy) went to investigate. We have driven along the road beneath the folly many times and admired it but this time we wanted to walk up to it. As it turned out, you can't get right to it - but you can walk along behind it and admire the view which is spectacular. You can see for miles along the coast in both directions. It is brilliant. I fully appreciate why the Duchess chose that crag to build her folly. And, looking from the other side you get a great view of the castle (her castle of course) - and of our house!

I love our range but at £150 per month it has to go ...

We got our first gas bill this morning and I'm afraid the range's days are numbered. Nearly £150 a month - and that's over the summer when we have barely had the heating on. I dread to think what we will have to pay in the winter.

We've been watching deer tonight ... just a couple of fields from our house. We got out the monocular, balanced it on the wheelie bin and watched 2 of them prancing about in the field until they disappeared through the hedge.