Back in the wood. NEW DOG

We will keep you informed of the progress of our woodland plants as they grow and look forward to meet you all in our Tea Rooms as you tell us how you are enjoying them.
Review our Afternoon Teas or Lunches for after your walk.

If you would like to contact www (woman woodwatch walker) with www.dog (wone white whisker) or have web comments (constructive please) email

Tuesday 27th July OK I'm back! My birthday present this July from my dear husband was a visit to the 'Dog Shop', so this weekend we were at Wood Green on Saturday (and Sunday and Monday) having a dog gone good look around. It is so sad to see so many lovely unwanted animals, you really want to take them all home. I am particularly fond of Greyhounds as they are such gentle lazybones.
However, since I still greatly miss my gentle giant Charlie, I thought that you can never go back and Shelly was a love, so greyhounds and labs were out. That narrowed it down a bit. The rest of the family fell for 'Brent' a massive German Shepherd and 'Bear' a relatively small Rottweiler. 'Brent' (unsurpriseingly) was already reserved so we plumped for 'Bear' (actually a girly dog despite the name).
Here she is getting her first (of many) Park walks yesterday. She has told us two things today. 1) She is a very bright cookie 2) She absolutely loves the Park - all my daughter had to do was put her shoes on and Bear went immediately to her lead and nosed it. Twice!
Bear and I noticed today that the field next to the wood is really ready for harvesting. Come on guys get your combines out before the rain!

Saturday 26th June The wood was cool and full of dappled shadows yesterday morning when I walked there with dog. Perhaps now, you might see another shadow slipping in and out of the trees as you walk by. Shelly is no more but I would like to think of her walking in the woods she visited every day.

Tuesday 8th June Cycled up to the Park very early last Friday to see a fox with the classical one paw raised as it looked at me with slightly more surprise than I was looking at it. It quickly scurried across the path and into the fields to the right and I thought 'Ah, now I know why I have to pick up so many dead, stone stiff bunnies'. Mind you I could not see any wounds (or 'mixy' signs) on the last one maybe it saw the fox and died of fright?
Anyway, (its not all 'Tra La La and mind my milk churns' being a Country Girl) the Philadelphus (Mock Orange) so carefully planted by Humphrey Repton is in beautiful, delicate bloom in garden wood and the wild flowers (well mostly red and white campion - I can't see any of the ornamental poppies I sowed so carefully last year, I'm taking it personally, I only went to so much bother as I thought that it would annoy the grounds trustees - not strictly Repton) all happily competing furiously with the weeds for air and light space in the orchard. I'll try and remember to get a photy for you when it is a nice day.

Monday 17th May Afraid the blubells are over. They are still there, though they are withering fast, but our diverse carefully planted collection of nettles and weeds have almost grown over them so they are getting hard to see, sorry.
Howevere, if you are into nettles and weeds, or like nettle tea, come along, help yourself, just no comeback WHEN you get stung!

Friday 14th May Walk by the side of the coppice fence and emerge by the lower oak opposite the field and hangers and just look at the amazing amout of sky. This morning there were banks of towering cumulonimbus - white fluffy jobs to you and me, with large blue swthes inbetween. I expected the hand of God to poke out of the middle of one of them and give the spark of life to Adam at any moment.
It is quite hard living in towns and between houses to see so much sky at once these days, its really quite lovely (on a nice day, of course, you won't hear me waxing lyrical about skies when its tipping down, just swearing, 'Come on......dog')

Wednesday 6th May Bluebells fully out and mature now, if you bend down and look along the bluebell height line the density of 'blueness' is breathtaking - probably because you are now in a very akward position. No claims if your back goes! New picture to try to show this, but you really have to see it, you only get a thin sliver in a photo, come and see the whole 360.
Have to say they will be starting to shrivel in a week or so.
See them now!
P.S. Woodpeckers having a really noisy hammer this morning.

Wednesday 28th April Trees really coming into leaf now, a time when the wood closes in around you and starts to become more mysterious and exciting. Our ancient copper beech unfurling its leaves too.
Do come and see this spectacular tree, especially as its days are numbered. It is about as old as this type of tree grows and so is one of the oldest in England and a superb example of the old 'twinning' planting, that's why it has such an amazing spread of girth. I have certainly watched its growth reducing over the last twenty years and last year particularly the fringe edge branches were really dying back. It looks to have good fringes so far this year perhaps because of all the water we had last year, but, as I said enjoy it while it is with us.

Monday 26th April Not so bright as I went in the wood today which enhanced and highlighted the colour of the bluebells. Phalanxes of cobalt blue under and inbetween the trees. Most out now. It will be only a few days before every bell is raised as high as their spindly heads can manage. I particularly liked (as you walk alongside the fenced coppiced area and emerge by the field to walk along garden wood) how a sweep of them appear to be running down the bank, as if they are desparate to see the view of those massive hangers, floating out of the morning mist at Cardington.

Friday 23rd April Bluebells now leggy teeagers. You just know that next week you are going to have to go out and buy them some more trousers 'cos you just can't let them out any more! However, as the punk rock phase seems to have well and truely passed (thank goodness) it is unlikely that your leggy teenagers are rapidly developing sticky up blue hair.
All you wood observationists out there might notice odd things in our paths, if you wish to discuss interesting theories with me, do e-mail (above), however, some of the mysterious holes and intentations appearing overnight are definately due to small sharp hooves pawing at the ground, others bunnies, others...
P.S. I spend a few minutes every walk kicking the path around to fill in these (small) holes, please, feel free.

Monday 19th April WOW Sunny and warm. I can't cope.
This is one of those special times in the year, the bluebells are gradually making a blue 'haze' over the entire wood, you can still see the deep yellow of the late daffodils, the pale perky yellow of the new primroses and the undergrowth hasn't yet grown enough to hide the little white faces of the ever present anenomes. It all looks perfectly lovely.
Tim has brought along more ewes with their baby lambs and they are all bouncing along in their pen in the close at the front of the house. It's a real pleasure to walk around Moggerhanger Park at the moment.

Tuesday 13th April The blubells coming along amazingly fast after last Thursday so i took another picture. I reckon, at this rate it will be a week before they are fully out EVERYWHERE.
I know it's not exactly the wood, but our newest sheep and lambs are so cute I just had to put pictures of them everywhere (grounds pictures as well, link below). They are part of a new exciting project to bring good wholesome food back into ordinary peoples hands rather than being with huge conglomerates. Do have a look at Garden Farm to see where our sheep have come from.

Thursday 8th April Popped up with my camera to take a picture of the pretty anenome blanda that we get all over gartden wood after the snowdrops die back and blow me down saw the first bluebell! Couldn't believe it. After waiting what seemed like years for the snowdrops, the bluebells have arrived early! Typical!
I'm afraid I relegated the anenome picture to our grounds picture gallery. I have changed quite a bit on that page so do have a good rootle.

Wednesday 31st March Last day of March and today the winter is trying to hang on a bit with icy drizzle in my face and freezing wind ripping easily through my clothes. Great to be out eh! Of course there are compensations, such as seeing the squirrels scampering around their trees, watching the brightly coloures cock pheasant chase after his errant hen pheasant bride and seeing the buzzards huge wing spang playing hide and seek with me in and out of the clouds. I just would like it a bit warmer.

Monday 21st March After a few lovely warm days the snowdrops are definately shrivelling. They have done us proud! Our daffodils are now all opening up so there is still something to see at Mogehanger Park.

Wednesday 18th March Wood still looking amazingly good with masses of our beautiful little snowdrops still well worth a visit. Astonishing when you think that it is going towards the end of March. THis morning the daffodills look nearly ready to pop, next week I reckon.
Excuse my fingers in the photo above but I had to show you the lovely centre of our 'doubles'.

Thursday 11th March Snowdrops just starting to curl up their petals but still looking remarkably good considering it is nearly middle of March. I tried to take a photo, lifting up one of the little heads because OUR SNOWDROPS are nearly all doubles with a most delicately beautiful dense green and white centre with flashes of yellow. Of course, they usually hang around looking at the floor so you don't normally see their full beauty. Next time you are about lift a little head up very carefully, they are very pretty.
Anyway I'm afraid my camera phone isn't up to the job of 'close-ups' you'll have to wait until I get my serious camera with me.
Sorry

Friday 5th March Minus 4 last night, minus 2 while I was walking .dog in the wood and the poor little snowdrops are looking a little frazzled by the cold. I'm not surprised, they are the most hardy plants, it's hardly been easy for them this year and they are still deternimedly glowing away. An example to us all. I think they will pick their little heads up later with this lovely sunshine, hope so.
A flock of beautiful dazzling white-topped, black underwing gulls in the field this morning, must have been about 40 of them winging around. Nice to watch some birds appear but you must wonder if they have their dates wrong - it's not warming up yet!
Just off to look them up. Bye

Monday 1st March Can't cope with that shiny bright thing in the sky today. What is it?
After the most atrocious weather, we have got a sparkling crystal clear day to enjoy. Pity most of you have gone back to work (snigger). The snowdrops are now fully open, they look really stunning. The downside, (like REALLY appreciating a lovely day BECAUSE of the horrible ones preceeding it) is that we probably only have another week of then looking good before they all die back again. BUT, with all the rain we seem to have thicker bunches of daffodils coming up than previous years, it won't be long before the aconites and anenome blanda come through and there are blubell tips EVERYWHERE. Checked the old BBC weather website and they promise a few good days of sun, so come along.
WWW wearing sunglasses signing off

Wednesday 24th February Thank goodness! It's warmed up, our snowdrops are all uncovered again and are shining beautifully and the bluebells are getting serious about sticking their leaves out of the mulch. ...I suppose I can't really complain about the hours of rain....

Tuesday 23rd February Our pretty little snowdrops are having to fight through the snow again! Thank goodness, it is supposed to be warming up tomorrow, might even get 9C HEATWAVE. Since I have seen come of the daffodil bunches with heads on them already, we might even be in the wierd position of having snowdrops and daffodils out together. Strange year.

Monday 16th February Snowdrops even more lovely this morning. So many more out now! With this cold continuing I think I can be fairly confident in saying that they will look really good for another couple of weeks. Daffodils coming up well and bluebell tips appearing eveywhere. Its all go in the wood (especially for the pesky moles in the front of the house, we won't have any grass left at their rate).

Wednesday 10th February Freezing this morning and snowing on me! I thought that the snowdrops looked pretty in the snow though so took a couple of pictures for you (above). I wish the dog was affected by weather, I know some won't come out if it is raining or too cold. Mine has such a thick coat she seems totally immune. NEVER says no to a walk.

Friday 5th February Weather horrible, garden wood absolutuely beautiful, snowdrops carpeting the wood for yet another year. For the next week or so they will only get better. NOW IS THE TIME TO VISIT.

Wednesday 3rd February Each day over freezing is bringing more and more snowdrops out. They are lifting their tiny delicate necks and raising their glow lamps to the sun. I can truely say now that garden wood is sprinkled with flowers.
I even saw daffodil stems coming through the leaf mould in bunches and early bluebell leaves, all waiting to take centre stage in the woodland pantomime.

Monday 1st February Absolutely clear day today,could see a high altitude aircraft glinting in the sun, a buzzard wheeling and crying over garden wood and Kimbolton Road water tower as sharply as etched glass. Though under freezing, the bright sun is bringing the frost off the snowdrops and their little heads are glowing in the oxygen rich air.

Sunday 31st January Bit of a cold snap again (-3C here) and the snowdrops were all saying 'Hang on. Keen to get going here, make your mind up. Do you want us to grow or not?' It's like someone pressed 'PAUSE' on the remote control.

Friday 29th January Starting to pop up all over the place, quite fun to see them all emerging

Monday 25th January Snowdrops appearing! They are still young and tentative, but if you plan a return visit to see them develop, I would say it IS worth haveing a mooch round our wood now. (You just need to do something about the dreadful weather.)

Friday 22nd January Little white blobs on the ends of the shoots all over the wood now (Not so appealing? - Come see the little white blobs?) There are a few bunches out at the end of the wood but most are still getting their act together.

Monday 18th January Snowdrop shoots coming up all over the place. They are really getting a shift on now. About time!
I stood and watched a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker jack hammering his way into a tree a few yards away from me. Times are really tough as all the woodpecker family (we have three/four varieties at Moggerhnager) are notoriously shy and normally fly off quick when someone is around. He was probably thanking me for all the nuts, seed and fat balls I put out in my garden.

One of the nice things about Moggerhanger Park is that we don't charge for entrance or car parking so you can come (like me) every day if you like and watch the little fellas grow. We don't even insist on you using our Tea Room (though we would be very pleased to see you and your money, of course, it's a very old house to keep going).

Friday 15th January The weather has been horrible. The whole of the park has been covered with snow which has looked extremely pretty but has been dreadful for our business.
Well the snow has almost gone (for the moment) though it shows how very impacted it has become as it has been over freezing and raining for the last two days and we still have snow around.
I was able to have a good look at the soil around the wood today and you can see the snowdrops! They are only tips at the moment so are definately going to be late.
I remember two years ago they were nearly over by our normal Snowdrop Weekend begining of Feb, which is why we stopped advertising and directed everyone to the website for news. Nature is always reliably unreliable.
No reason not to come for a nice meal though.

Friday 1st January HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my reader.
Looking carefully I can see (no snow, yipee) just the tips of some snowdrops appearing in the very sheltered places, at tree roots, deep in the leaf mould etc. With this cold spell blithely continuing I do not think that they will be early this year. I will keep you posted.