We are back home from a long weekend in France...narrowly catching our Eastern Air flight again which was fortunately delayed (Samuel had remembered the wrong time and we were in a panic!!! This is the second time he has done this to me!!!)

We arrived home to hear that our chickens have been escaping and need their wings clipping but have laid THEIR FIRST TWO EGGS.

Have not written in this blog for nearly five months as we are dealing with the aftermath of our wonderful, amazing and expensive wedding. Nearly one year in our house and seven weeks married so far!!! Bet the time goes quickly.

It has been a wonderful cold, bright Friday with the nearly full moon visible in the sky. Alison stayed overnight from Bournemouth and we went out for a walk down the hill, through whippance farm and up along the eroding coast path towards Cowes. Alison is recovering from a cold but still enjoyed the walk. We saw a lady with a telescope who had counted 240 Brent Geese that had literally just flown in as we returned from the walk. There were also a couple of redshank, several oystercatchers and higher up the cliff, a kestrel hunting. Last week Thursday I counted 175 Brent Geese so I think that more have flown in. I also saw what looked like a redstart which was cool.

What I have discovered about living with a garden that backs onto woodland is the wide variety of birdlife to surprise you. Today Alison pointed out a Great Spotted Woodpecker feeding off my peanut feeder as we were tucking into soup for lunch. Two days ago (Wednesday) I saw a Green Woodpecker grubbing about at the bottom of the garden nearly all day.

This is the temporary flower bed that I have made where the turquoise shed once was at Brookside. Although it was an amazingly sunny autumn day today I mainly stayed indoors. I tried to get up to date with our finances, surfed for wedding venues and about 430pm went next door and had a cup of tea with John and Sue our neighbours. They had once tried and failed to get planning permssion to build a bungalow at the bottom of their garden.

I am getting excited about going to Kenilworth this weekend as I think I may have found a venue for our wedding (for a small wedding) at Kenilworth Castle. I have to get myself organised to do my first self-employed writing contract at Canon's Asby in Northamptonshire.

We will have to see how it all goes.

It has been eight months since I last really wrote in this blog. I think a good six months I was living alone in Ventnor in a tiny musty bedsit striving to learn my new job with National Trust at Newtown and also finishing my MSc. project with had been two years outstanding. So many different experiences and changes in these eight months that I had to search hard for a photograph to summarise this entry.

I have chose a photograph of the quay at Newtown Harbour as I have had a few challenges going out in the small boat and tying it up afterwards. I still have much exploration to do of the estuary waters.

Also, we have now moved! We are living together and sharing the good times (wedding fairs, dinners with good food and a business trip to Korea) along with the bad times (long travel to do anything on the mainland, Samuel being kept late at work)

But today on the 1st November I feel much more alive and with so much time to myself I hardly know what to do with it. at noon I went for a walk outside. Along the Rolls Hill Road (six cars going by) and through Whippance farm track to the seaside at Thorness Bay. I love this walk already. Not the car part...but reaching the shore at low tide. Today with the sunny weather, about 15*C average temp. it says on the net. I saw three groups of Brent Geese Feeding at the water's edge that must have arrived for the winter. They all appeared to be the pale-bodied form. In the first group I counted 35 geese, then 29 then 30. I saw about three Curlews, one feeding with each group. En route to the shore I heard and saw a meadow pipit churping and saw 4 collared doves and a couple of rooks resting in an oak tree in the field after the farm. A Crow or two were around too. In amongst the seaweed were at least 7 turnstones and a beautiful white Little Egret trying its luck.

I saw a red admiral today as well. Not bad for November. My general knowledge of wildlife has increased exponentially since arriving at Newtown to work. This year I saw many things for the first time including an Osprey, Ringlet, White Admiral and Silver-Washed Fritillary Butterflies, a long-winged conehead cricket and a singing Nightingale, a tall sprouting Ivy Broom Rape and many other natural history wonders.

Beautiful Autumn leaves have now all fallen. This is another photograph from my walk in Riverside park in the autumn. I have been reading through information about Skokholm Island today and typing up our household budget. Now we are living together I would like to see if we can afford to move house again. A bit boring really but relaxing enough. My pet lovebirds are still doing courtship displays and regurgitating food into each others throats as a demonstration of their mutual devotion. Samuel is currently playing on the playstation. He is nearly 30 years old and loves doing this to let off steam. Fine if it means I can have time to myself up here!

I have been back in Hampshire over one month and got used to living with my partner Samuel again after so much time apart while I was working as a ranger in Norfolk.I have taken some photographs of my local surroundings for you to browse over the next few days as I add entries.

I have so far had two interviews for contracts but have not found a job yet.

I am not rushing on the ideal job hunt as we have been re-decorating our house and I have other projects such as some study to finish off. We just have to be careful with our pennies!

Our house has been back on the market since one week. We had 5 viewings but no offers yet. Still, this is very positive. It is hard to resist the temptation of viewing other properties we might buy which certainly would not be able to afford if we haven't sold our house. Now we have done more things to it like change the curtains and repaint the lounge/dining area I quite feel like staying in it for a bit longer anyway. Here is a picture of Riverside Park one mile from here.

Goodbye for now Norfolk!

This is my final image from the garden at Woodview Annex: A comma butterfly feeding on the rotting grapes. I am now just one week and a bit returned to Southampton where I live in a semi in the city suburb of Midanbury. Although it is considerably more built up here I like my house here as it is on the top of the hill and it has a great view for fireworks in November. My nearest river to my home is the Itchen where we used to look after a boat. I might go for a walk there tomorrow...watch this space.

A colder darker day. The only bright thing is the golden Nasturtium moonlight rising up my trellis that I planted in my landlords garden outside the annex.I have just returned from Salhouse in Samuel's tiny red car. I said goodbye to Phyll, a good friend. She was happy I was going really as she said that it was probably the best decision for me. I have now filled my house with boxes (mainly my books).

Green Boat Show

As I am writing from the annex in Hemblington (Pedham) the sky has turned dark and I can hear rain on the roof. The flat is very very dark as woodland completely envelops the back. In front of my flat is my landlords beautiful family house and garden;then, there is a quiet road some thatched houses, and mainly countryside to left and well kept playing field a short walk on the right. I will miss the location when I move but not the vast amount of electricity cards that the annex seems to consume to have a bare minimum of warmth. I have to say my landlord has been very nice and his family have too. So it is a slightly reflective mood I am in.

I have posted a picture of Salhouse Broad where I have been working up until one month ago. On my nearly last day we had a green boat show so I ended my contract on a really high note, promoting countryside access and great opportunities to enjoy it in a more environmental way...

....speaking of the environment....I couldn't go for one day without venturing out again and took a short walk up a public footpath beside one of the cottages. It was very sunny and windy earlier so very good for all the cobwebs to be blown away. I ventured through a turnip field and it was lovely and warm. Strange now isn't it to be seeing butterflies this late in October? I saw a Red Admiral butterfly amongst swarms of wasps drinking juice from the grapevine fermenting outside the annex. Something fascinating about seeing butterflies being nearly hit by falling yellow leaves. I might investigate it further or record it on a website or something. Even in Winchester last week a friend saw one too and thought it was strange.

Bye for now

Pema

To introduce myself: this is me working on a Moth evening at Salhouse Broad: one of a great many activities I got involved in as a Countryside Ranger. We had a moth expert: Jon Clifton and plenty of community support.

My first post! I have yet to update my profile as this blog is a new thing...and something I have longed to do. Before I logged on I was packing up my things to leave Norfolk and return to Southampton after spending a year managing a small broad as a countryside ranger. It is quite hard to get on with it as really I would just like to be out walking (old habits die hard) like I did yesterday evening. I walked out over Strumpshaw Fen and watched a barn owl hunting over the reeds in the sunset. Asides from packing up my stuff in a tiny rural village (Hemblington in Broadland)I have an entire environmental studies project to write too....and now I have found this very alluring blogging website where I can post all my pictures from my ranging around working in beautiful places. It could not be better!!!