THE marina where I keep my boat is owned by a pair of magpies. At least, they seem convinced they are the proprietors of the harbour and a certain amount of the surrounding land. They hop confidently on and off the boats and jetties searching along the water’s edge for dead fish or anything else edible.

OUR summer migrant birds are starting to leave and our winter visitors will soon be flying in from the north.

I SAW a squirrel the other day. It ran across the road in front of my car. It was quite a narrow road with Scots pine trees on either side and it was a red squirrel.

Over the next couple of weeks you will probably spot large groups of swallows perching on roof-tops and telephone wires and ‘chattering’ to each other.

Over 3,000 species of fungi grow in this country and many of them are good to eat.

I WAS sitting on the terrace of a hotel enjoying some autumn sunshine when a bird walked over my foot. It was a bit startling. A family of pied wagtails were busily working the terrace searching for whatever it is pied wagtails regard as food.

I WAS sitting in front of the computer but instead of concentrating on the screen I was looking sideways out of the window, staring rather vacantly at a neglected meadow, hoping for inspiration.

A FRIEND and neighbour of mine owns a farm on which there are several hundred beautiful mature trees. He loves them but recently they have cost him rather a lot of money.

THE other morning I woke early in my bunk on the boat and I did what I always do first thing in the morning —- I pulled back the curtain to check on the weather.

THE other evening I was sitting on my patio enjoying a glass of chilled white wine before dinner. It was warm and still and this is my favourite time of day, when work is finished and it’s time to relax.