Out and about

The Invaders...
Nothing nasty though, but as I was messing around under the Royal Somerset sharp apple tree t'other day, there was an unholy racket coming from over my head. Looking up, I saw a small bird with a beak full of wriggling grubs watching me closely - and complaining bitterly about my presence. Coal Tit or Great Tit? Not sure. Whatever, after a moment or two (still watching my every move) it flew over and into a nesting box that we have mounted on the side of the house. Now this nesting box is allegedly a Sparrow box, having three entrances and compartments adjacent to one another, but it has been empty and unused for some 3 or 4 years now. No longer!

I'm getting quite used to our residents and hopefully, they will to me bustling around "the estate". At the moment though, every time they spot me, they start loudly complaining. It is good to see them searching around the apple trees with great diligence and I hope that they are leaving the spiders and lacewing larvae alone, and instead going for any aphids, scale-insects and caterpillars that may be getting ready to dine out on my apples. I'm going to set the camera up and try to get a photo of one of them diving in and out of the nest box. Watch this space.

Real Cider comes to Hucknall...
Hurrah! Finally one of our local pubs has opted to try a box of real Nottinghamshire cider made on its doorstep. The landlord and a party of regulars popped up to the Mansfield Festival and tried our cider; one of them, Lee, took a particular shine to our cider and took the details back to Hucknall with him. The result is that The Flying Bedstead on Watnall Road, Hucknall, is the first Hucknall pub to feature a cider made in Hucknall, from fruit grown in and around Hucknall. We dropped the cider off yesterday evening and Jacqui, the landlady, is going to let us know how the regulars get on with it and give us any feedback. It will be interesting to hear what the locals think of a local real cider.