Tired Old Billy

When a billy goat is knocked off his perch, there’s no hanging around, demanding a recount, and clinging on to the vestiges of power. We met this sad old fellow lying in the bracken beneath the trees and he watched us for about half an hour as we cooked up some soup on the primus.

Was he injured? Did he need help and rescuing?

After lunch I walked down and got to within 2 or 3 metres before he pulled himself to his feet and slowly strolled away. There was no apparent injury other than to his pride. I’ve seen ousted billies before and they go all listless with no purpose in life; there’s no dating agency for old billies looking for a companion.

Some years ago the billy that was ousted from our gang of goats got a new lease of life, taking up residence on the fire escape of Plas Dol y Moch, the outdoor education centre for children from Coventry. For a brief while the old billy was blessed with a plentiful supply of sweets before the wardens ushered him up the mountain. 

Peacock caterpillar - is it late?

Yesterday I saw my first black caterpillar of the year, the one that feeds on nettle leaves, and eventually becomes the Peacock. It's the same butterfly that sunbathes in our windowsills and can be seen flapping around in the middle of winter.

When I saw the caterpillars I thought they were a bit late in the season and checked back; sure enough, in 2011 I had seen them on the 7th of May. Summer has been poor, but surely not that bad?

I've had a look at the Butterfly Conservation website which says that in a good year they may have a second brood. Presumably that's what has happened and I have been imagining all this cold, damp weather.

'This butterfly is generally single-brooded. However, in good years, a small second brood may appear. Adults may be seen at any time of the year, with warm weather waking them from hibernation. The majority emerge from hibernation at the end of March and beginning of April. These mate and ultimately give rise to the next generation that emerges at the end of July.'

Prince Double Heading at Campbell's

On August 3rd, 1955, the Ffestiniog Railway's Prince hauled its first passenger train of the restoration era, comprising carriages 23 (now in regular use on the Welsh Highland Railway) and 12. It entered regular passenger service two days later. To mark the 60th anniversary of this landmark in steam preservation, the 152 year-old loco (complete with flags) double headed the 1010 from Porthmadog. Here he is passing Campbell's Platform.

Bilberries - so much better than Ribena

Ribena’s been in the news this week. Like many people I naïvely thought it was vaguely healthy, just pressed blackcurrants in a bottle, but it’s about to be banned by Tesco as a sugar-laced contributor to obesity.

If you’re looking for a weight watcher’s alternative I can recommend picking bilberries which are in season now and will continue until late August depending upon the weather. By the time you’ve picked them you’ll have lost more calories than you might gain.

It takes about half an hour to get a cupful. Using a ‘bilberry comb’, sweeping through the tops of the bushes, is much faster but less therapeutic and collects a lot of unwanted leaves and twigs.

Last night’s dessert was Greek style yogurt with bilberries and we’ll have some with our breakfast cereals; purple milk is such a colourful start to the day.

Pictorial Meadows

Wild flowers come and go, mainly in the early part of the summer, but my mix from Pictorial Meadows just keeps on coming. It should still be blooming up till the first frost in November.

I seeded six sections of the veg patch at different times and with varying success. A length on rich soil behind a row of peas was the first to get going, it took off really fast. Was that because it was on a slight slope, angled away from the sun, and did that mean they didn’t go too thirsty?

Other sowings thrived but some were patchy. Seedlings close to stone walls and compost heaps were probably most vulnerable to slug attack. In some areas a mix of seedlings sprouted but only a couple of species went on to survive. Was that because the slugs didn’t like them? Areas that were initially devastated by slugs are still pushing up tiny seedlings and these look like they might survive. Are the slugs sick of the plants?

The seeds had to cope with initial drought and my sporadic watering through a hosepipe from the stream above. They were then hit by exceedingly heavy rains and pools of long standing water.  

The supplier stressed the need for weed free beds, which they were when I sowed the seeds. But other seeds have been trespassing or rising out of the seedbank. So what I thought was going to be a low input project has turned into an obsessive, time consuming but satisfying labour of love. Next year I might plant narrower beds so that I can reach across and weed. With the current set up I need to use a scaffolding plank resting on stools – lying face down in a flower bed causes the occasional passer-by to ask if all is ok.

It was the new head gardener at Bodnant who gave me the idea. He had a border on one of those immaculate terraces which was plagued with a particularly pernicious weed; by sowing a mix of annual seeds he’d be able to inspire the visitors and keep the weeds in check ready for planting perennials next year.

If you’d like to have a go you should visit the Pictorial Meadows website. I got a bit carried away with ordering seeds and opted for 500g at a cost of just over £150. I chose the original Pictorial Meadows mix which is said to produce stunning displays until late October / November, starting out with white, blues, pinks and reds, turning to reds, orange and yellow in the autumn. The mix has been carefully balanced for colour and succession of display. Components include: Shirley Poppy, Pavader Rhoeas Californian Poppy, Eschscholzia Californica Cornflower, Centaurea Cyanus Fairy Toadflax, Linaria Maroccana Tickseed Coreopsis Tinctorial Red Orache Atriplex Hortensis and Larkspur. Delphinium Ajacis General Height: 60cm.

So far it’s done what it says it will do on the packet which is not always the case with my gardening attempts! Should I collect the seed at the end of the summer or buy more for next year? Needless to say the supplier strongly recommends buying new so that you get the mix in the right proportions.

Photos struggle to convey the effect, the swaying in the breeze and the buzz of the bees. This YouTube is better but still a poor substitute for the real thing.

  

Harlech and Molly learns to swim

Harlech beach in sunshine and Molly learnt to swim. She was a bit apprehensive; doggy paddle is pretty slow compared to running and some of those waves were a bit big. But she did it, and deserves a badge.

For the return journey we enjoyed our first crossing over the replacement to Pont Briwet. Maybe not as characterful but two way traffic without lights and no toll are big plus points.

Squirrel and the Bats

I was walking through the drizzly woods, enjoying fresh bilberries, Molly scouting ahead. A squirrel ran up an old oak, and while Molly gazed upwards, front paws on the trunk, a second squirrel sneaked up the far side and into a hole half way up the tree. A couple of minutes later its head popped out to check the coast was clear and it carried on to the top.

Seconds later out swooped 1, 2, 3, 4, then 5 bats in quick succession. Then 6, 7, 8 and 9 ….10 ……. 11 and 12. After a long pause out came number 13, a few minutes later number 14 and much later came number 15. These were large looking bats. None of your frantic flapping of the wings or jumpy zig zag flight. More of a glide and a swoosh. All went the same direction and none returned in the 20 minutes I watched.

I wonder what went on inside. Did the squirrel attack the bats. Did the bats mob the squirrel? Why were some of the bats so slow to leave the roost? I’ll never know, but it was a great encounter.