THE DAYS are getting longer, the nights are not as cold and, in my part of the country at least, we’ve had quite a lot of rain. All this has resulted in a massive explosion in plant growth.

WHEN we first bought the small cottage in the country that has now expanded to become our current house the only water supply came from one of those cast iron pumps with a little knob on the spout to hang your bucket on and a long handle that you pump up and down.

I HAVE been keeping poultry for more than 20 years.

TWO RECENT studies, totally unconnected with each other, suggest mobile phones may be having a negative effect on wildlife. At first sight the notion seems a bit bizarre, or even paranoid, but the findings are interesting.

Two recent studies, totally unconnected from each other, suggest that mobile phones may be having a negative effect on wildlife.

IN THE part of the country that I live in there were a number of dramatic incidents over the course of the winter when large trees came crashing down in storms, blocking roads and, in some cases, doing damage to buildings and vehicles.

I SAW the first bat of the year on the wing on the evening of April 22.

IT’S AMAZING how rapidly spring happens if the right weather comes along at the right time.

I GOT INTO an argument with someone the other day about the life expectancy of trees.

NEWTS are not animals I see very often so when I met someone who said he had them in his garden pond I was keen to have a look.