Pigeon Holed

It seems that once you have a pigeon, you have them for life. Once again, we have wood pigeons nesting in the wisteria. No idea whether they are last year's pair returning; somehow I suspect not as pigeons seem to be very promiscuous. It is also much earlier than last year.

Photo 1: Wood Pigeon on Nest (June 2025)

The position of the nest has shifted to the right so I no longer have to walk directly underneath it when visiting the kitchen garden. The nest is the usual jumble of twigs and you always get that pigeon stare when you look at it. I don't know whether they think I cannot see it if they don't move? Mary did see the changeover from female to male (or vice versa) so both parents help out with sitting on the eggs.

Photo 2: Wood Pigeon on Nest (June 2025)

I guess the wood pigeons reckon they've hit the jackpot with a ready made nesting site and nearby eat-all-you-can outlet only 30 feet away!

I do keep moving the attachments on the bird feeder to try and stop the woodies feeding from it. I don't mind them hoovering up the bits that fall to the ground but I don't want them creating the mess in the first place.

Video 1: Wood Pigeon Balancing on the Bird Feeder

No doubt in a few weeks, we'll have a couple of ugly duckling staring at us every time we go through the wisteria arch. 

Holiday in the Cotswolds - Part 3 (Great Tew, the Rollright Stones and Chastleton House)

 Great Tew is a picturesque village in Oxfordshire, not far from Chipping Norton and only a few miles from where we were staying. So we paid an afternoon visit after unpacking. There was a lot of building work going on so the village wasn't looking its best. The pub (Falkland Arms) and next door cafe (Quince & Clover) looked inviting but we were heading up towards the Norman church of St Michael's and All Angels.

From the road, you pass through this 17th Century gateway with just a short walk up to the church ...

Photo 1: !7th Century Gateway

... which suddenly comes into view on your left ...

Photo 2: St Michael & All Angels, Great Tew

The church has some original Norman features but was largely rebuilt in the 13th & 14th Centuries.

Photo 3: Inside St Michael & All Angels, Great Tew

Two flower arrangers were getting the church ready for a wedding on the Saturday (7th June) and were able to assist in moving a couple of large urns. We were also told that another wedding that summer was planned where the church would be decorated with 80,000 roses!! Names were not mentioned but perhaps it is Steve Jobs daughter?? Whoever it is, we wish them luck although that many roses seems a tad excessive.

As we were walking back to the car, this somewhat unexpected chimney came into view ...

Photo 4: Chimney for Sawmill Beam Engine, Great Tew

Apparently, part of a sawmill complex and built for a beam engine which has since disappeared.

The following day we visited Blenheim Palace (here and here) which left Saturday to fill before we departed early on the Sunday.

First port of call was the Rollright Stones, 

Photo 5: The King Stone, Rollright Stones

Photo 6: The King's Men Stone Circle

I forgot to take a picture of the Whispering Knights which is the oldest part of this ancient monument and 5000 years old (similar age to Stonehenge). Perhaps we were feeling a little peckish so we retired to a nearby garden centre for some refreshments. We also came away with a few plants!

Did I mention the great views from the Rollright Stones?

Photo 7: View from the King Stone

After partaking of refreshments, four of us went to Chastleton House while the other pair headed for Chipping Norton. Mary & I visited Chastleton House & Garden last October but it's always nice to revisit in a different season. It was a quick visit because we had to get back to our holiday accommodation to welcome some visitors at 4.30 pm. There was still time to pop into the church for refreshments (Angela's Legendary Brownie) raising funds for a local school.

Photo 8: Chastleton House

Photo 9: Chastleton House Gardens

Photo 10: Chastleton House Gardens

On Sunday, we left our excellent holiday accommodation and headed for Burford - gateway to the Cotswolds - before our three parties headed off in different directions (Isle of Wight, North Devon and Hereford) for home.

Despite this area being a magnet for celebrities (the Chipping Norton Set) and Sir David Beckham living near Great Tew, we had a quiet and relaxed break with just the right amount of excitement.

Holiday in the Cotswolds - Part 2 (Blenheim Palace)

 Having spent the morning and early afternoon looking round the Palace itself, we ventured into the grounds after lunch.

Photo 1: Servants' Dining Room, Blenheim Palace (June 2025)

Blenheim Palace is, among other things, the birthplace of Winston Churchill. He has his own exhibition in the Palace and a statue in the grounds showing him enjoying one of his favourite pastimes ...

Photo 2: Winston Churchill Statue, Blenheim Palace (June 2025)

We headed over to the walled garden and butterfly house, passing this fountain on the way. Time to sit and let your mind wander as you listen to the water music ...

Video 1: Blenheim Palace Fountain with Slo-Mo (June 2025)

Video 2: Blenheim Palace Fountain without Slo-Mo (June 2025)

While we were resting our weary legs, we had a quick chat with two hard-working gardeners who were fertilizing the plants around the fountain. Blenheim Palace has 12 full-time and 4 part-time gardeners - a good deal fewer than in the past.

The walled kitchen garden was huge and, ultimately, a little disappointing with large parts hived off to children's activities. I guess that is what happens when you employ too few gardeners!

The Butterfly House is just outside the kitchen garden and well worth a visit as it's free. Mind you, it is very hot and humid so short visits recommended!

Photo 3: Mormon Swallowtail Butterfly (Butterfly House, Blenheim Palace, June 2025)

Photo 4: Zebra Mosaic Butterfly (Butterfly House, Blenheim Palace, June 2025)

Photo 5: Blue Wing Butterfly (Butterfly House, Blenheim Palace, June 2025)

Photo 6: Rusty-tipped Page Butterfly (Butterfly House, Blenheim Palace, June 2025)

Photo 7: The Clipper Butterfly (Blenheim Palace Butterfly House, June 2025)

Photo 8: Blue Morpho Butterfly (Blenheim Palace Butterfly House, June 2025)

After another cup of tea in the cafe near the butterfly house, we headed home after a brief diversion to St Martin's Church in nearby Bladon to see Winston Churchill's grave.

Green Manure/Field Beans

  Last autumn (October 2024), I tried four different green manures: forage rye, bird's foot trefoil, forage pea and field beans. Forage rye and field beans were, by far, the most successful as green manures. It is the latter that I will be discussing in this post. As a member of the legume family, fleid beans are able to fix nitrogen in the soil as well as providing organic matter (dug in or composted) and ground cover to suppress weeds (see Photo 5).

After clearing the French bean plot, several rows of field beans were sown (up to the white post) on the 7th October into 'dibbed' holes (Photo 1).

Photo 1: Five Long Rows of Field Beans Sown (7th October 2024)

As soon as the courgettes had finished (see Photo 1), a further three rows were sown. Germination rates were excellent (Photo 2) ...

Photo 2: Eight Rows of Field Beans (1st November 2025)

At the top of the plot (Photo 2 & Photo 3) are forage peas which didn't grow on despite a mild December.

Photo 3: Forage Peas & Forage Beans (1st January 2025)

Growth over the January-March period was slow but steady (Photo 4) ...

Photo 4: Field Beans (3rd April 2025)

... but really took off in April ...

Photo 5: Field Beans (18th April 2025)

The bottom half of the plot was cleared for the onion sets, which were planted a month earlier, and are coming along nicely.

I now had two options: (i) cut down and dig in as a green manure, or (ii) allow the plants to grow on to maturity and produce an edible crop after which the stalks and leaves would be composted.

I decided on the latter course of action because, although we always have a problems with blackfly, we do enjoy broad beans (aka fava or faba beans). Generally speaking, overwintered broad beans are less prone to blackfly infestation and that was certainly the case with these autumn-sown field beans. Considering there were over a hundred plants in this plot, I only had to cut out the tips of about five plants with minor infestations.

And grow they certainly did. Reaching 3-4 foot high (1 - 1.2 metres) by mid-May (Photo 6) ...

Photo 6: Metre-high Field Beans (12th May 2025)

... and 5-6 feet tall (1.5 - 1.8 metres) in early June when they were ready for harvesting (Photo 7).

Photo 7: Fully-grown Field Beans (10th June 2025)

Field beans produce small pods (2-4 inches, 5-10 centimetres) containing 3-5 centimetre-long beans (Photo 8). Modern broad bean cultivars produce longer pods (15-25 centimetres) with 5-8 larger beans/pod.

Photo 8: Field Bean Pod (10th June 2025)

The beans can be eaten raw or cooked (steamed/boiled/fried) or frozen/dried for longer-term storage. The first pod pickings (230 g, Photo 9) yielded 66 grams of beans which were added to a curry in the slow cooker. Delicious!!

 

Photo 9: First Field Bean Pickings (10th June 2025)

And also nutritious! A 100 g portion contains 26 g of protein and 25 g fibre and is a good source of B vitamins and trace elements (especially copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc).

It has been suggested that broad bean flour would be a nutritious and sustainable addition to bread flour in the United Kingdom or other places where broad beans are grown. You can also save the beans for sowing in the next growing season. 

Green Manure/Rye Grass

 Last autumn (September/October 2024), I tried four different green manures: forage rye, bird's foot trefoil, forage pea and field beans. Forage rye and field beans were, by far, the most successful sowings as green manures. In this post I will discuss the use of forage rye as a green manure. Field beans will be discussed in a subsequent post.

After clearing the brassica plot, rye grass seeds were broadcast and gently raked into the soil in September 2024. Germination was rapid, and within a month (Photo 1), the rye grass had established itself, albeit somewhat patchily and in competition with various weeds (Photo 2).

Photo 1: Quick Germinating Forage Rye (7th October)

Photo 2: Forage Rye/Weeds(15th November 2024)

The weeds were removed by hand and added to the hot compost bins before resowing some more forage rye seed into the gaps. Although the winter season was not harsh, the rye grass died back (Photo 3) ...

Photo 3: Dormant Forage Rye? (10th March 2025)

... but recovered without any intervention once the warmer spring weather arrived (Photo 4) ...

Photo 4: Rejuvenated Forage Rye (27th March 2025)

... and continued to grow strongly throughout the warm spring months (Photo 5) ...

Photo 5: Forage Rye (18th April 2025)

Mid-April would have been a good time to cut down the forage rye and dig into the soil. Unfortunately, I missed that opportunity and the grass continued growing (Photo 6).

Photo 6: Forage Rye Crop (4th May 2025)

Option B was to pull up the grass and roughly cut into six-inch pieces with strong scissors (Photo 7) ... 

Photo 7: Chopped Forage Rye (4th May 2025)

... before feeding to the shredder (Photo 8) ...

Photo 8: Shredded Forage Rye (4th May 2025)

... and adding to the hot compost bins as a useful source of 'green waste'.

Sowing forage rye as a green manure reduces nutrient leaching and suppresses/smothers weed growth. In spring, it can be dug in, cut and left on the ground as a mulch or pulled up and added to a compost heap. I will be using it again this autumn!

Holiday in the Cotswolds - Part 1 (Blenheim Palace)

 Just returned from a short stay in the Cotswolds with Mary's brother & sister (& associated spouses). We stayed in a converted chapel in the small hamlet of Cleveley. One of the main reasons for choosing this location was the opportunity to visit nearby Blenheim Palace which we did on Friday the 6th June.

Photo 1: Blenheim Palace (June 2025)

Blenheim Palace (originally Blenheim Castle) was built in the early 18th Century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to the Dukes of Marlborough as well as being the birthplace of Winston Churchill. The estate with a smaller house/hunting lodge was given to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, by Queen Anne to reward his success at the decisive Battle of Blenheim during the War of the Spanish Succession. The entry price (£41 per adult) includes a 45-50 minute tour of the house which is highly recommended, especially if you are lucky enough to have Richard or Charles as your guide.

The palace is currently having its roof repaired so there is a lot of scaffolding in place (Photo 2) which detracts somewhat from the overall appearance/attraction.

Photo 2: Blenheim Palace (June 2025)

On the plus side, there is public access to the roofline via the scaffolding ...

Photo 3: Stairway/Scaffolding

... that offers unparalleled close-ups of the stonework and far ranging views of the estate parklands ...

Photo 4: Rooftop View (June 2025)

On the day we attended, there was plenty of activity in preparation for that weekend's triathlon event, which meant the Great Courtyard was closed to visitors ...

Photo 5: Courtyard Out-of-Bounds

... as it was transformed into the  'transition' zone where the athletes change from swim-to-bike and bike-to-run.

Photo 6: Courtyard Transition Zone viewed from the Roof Scaffolding

A few more photos of the Palace and formal gardens ...

Photo 7: Blenheim Place (June 2025)

Photo 8: Blenheim Palace (June 2025)

Photo 9: Chapel, Blenheim Palace (June 2025)

Time for a bit of lunch where we were pestered by a couple of mallards ...

Photo 10: Aggressive Drake

Photo 11: Aggressive Duck

There were signs up asking people not to feed the ducks and warning of their anti-social behaviour. They were certainly both fearless & aggressive. One duck even 'bit' Mary in an attempt to get some food.

After topping up the energy reserves, it was time to explore the grounds (see Part 2).

Wellington Country Park

 A few months ago, one of our granddaughters (aged 9) asked if we would take her camping in our small campervan. I think it was the idea of sleeping in the roof bed that appealed the most. So, a few days ago, we picked her up and made our way to Wellington Country Park which was not too far from home if she didn't take to outdoor living. With onsite camping and plenty of activities (some of which were available after hours to campers), it seemed the ideal introduction to camping.

We quickly set up camp in a wood clearing with plenty of help from the GD ...

Photo 1: Camp Setting

... before heading off into the Country Park to see what was on offer. But not before admiring the red deer less than 50 feet away from our camp (and behind a wire fence) ...

Photo 2: Red Deer Stag, Wellington Country Park (30/11/25)

A Day Ticket costs £23.95 for adults and children (under twos are free) which seemed quite expensive. Similar Day Tickets for nearby attractions such as Thorpe Park and Legoland start at £29 if bought online in advance. Camping fees vary between £46.50 and £57 per night plus £21.95 per person making the two-night stay around £180.

With forest trails, playgrounds, animal farm, sand and water play areas, and crazy golf, there is plenty of free stuff to do. The narrow-gauge railway cost £1 per person for an entertaining five minute ride (two trips) and the Welly Wheels (electric quadbikes for kids) was £3 for two circuits (didn't try). Plenty of cafes, refreshment booths and clean toilets.

Figure 1: Park Layout

The dinosaur trail - with added noise effects - is a must for any dinosaur-mad kids ...

Photo 3: T-Rex, Wellington Country Park (30/5/25)

Photo 4: Triceratops, Wellington Country Park (30/5/25)

Apart from the Double Caramel Magnum ice lolly and the narrow-gauge railway, our granddaughter enjoyed the nature trails as much as anything else.

Photo 5: Stag at Rest, Wellington Country Park (31/5/25)

Photo 6: Inquisitive Red Deer, Wellington Country Park (31/5/25)

Photo 7: Stag on the Move, Wellington Country Park (31/5/25)

There were also lots of 'interesting' insects ...

Photo 7: Black-tailed Skimmer Dragonfly, Wellington Country Park (31/5/25)

... although the GD was less keen on the night-flying ones that made their way into her sleeping compartment!

The GD also learned several new skills such as washing up ...

Photo 8: Washing Up the Tea Dishes

... and putting together a camping chair ...

Photo 9: Assembling the Camping Chair

But her proudest achievement was to get a red deer stag to stop eating and look up for the camera by making a simple clicking noise!

Video 1: Deer Whispering to Camera-Shy Red Deer Stag

We were very lucky with the weather (warm and sunny) which makes all the difference when camping. Despite the relatively high cost, I highly recommend the Wellington Country Park and its associated camping facilities. It is worth pointing out that, in our opinion, the country park is aimed at families with young children with the children's activities geared towards under 10s.