A change of venue

The new website for Wenworth Castle Gardens is to launch shortly and a link to this blog will be found there, along with a similarblog  for the Gardens themselves.

Further entries and photograps with all my past entries are now at:

https://wentworthcastleranger.wordpress.com/

April 2012

It rained so much that April actually shrank this year. Fortunately, Mondays were exempt from the general weather pattern of rain and a general cold, which necessitated winter layers. Patrols continued.

 Lambs a plenty, and throughout the month you could witness new born on a weekly basis. As the month progresses, the fattening early lambs grow in confidence as they delay their mother seeking bleats. Very young ones stray not far, leap with abandon as they realise their legs might actually help them defy gravity, albeit momentarily. Their energy never fails to bring a smile.

But towards the month end, the sound of running water could be heard around the Parkland as the Serpentine, as full as its aged walls could retain, found overflows. A small cataract flowed into the eastern Parkland. The gound all over was sodden. The Serpentine, built to recreate a river, gave that sense, as a southerly breeze rippled the water giving the feeling of a gently flowing stream, enough certainly to attract a little grebe. 

Away from the water, and not an easy thing to do this month, the bluebells are here. A little later but no less blue as they line the path in Broomroyd wood.

May has begun, but only seems to remain, cloudy cool and damp.

March 2012 (additional)

In order to sort out some confusion in my mind regarding the names of ponds and former ponds in the eastern Parkland, I have found some evidence from an OS map of 1892-98.

Opposite Menagerie Pond Lady Lucy's pond is marked with Listner's pond shown adjacent to Walker's pond.

Listner's pond is no longer evident on the ground as are the two stew ponds marked in what is now the eastern deer enclosure.

March 2012

March, traditionally, enters like a meek lamb and leaves as a roaring lion. The weather traditions may need some re-think. March this year rattled in bright but cold, turned dull and ended with a glorious attempt to fool us all it might have been June after all.

Clearance work and restoration continues in the Parkland. Menagerie Wood now has great open vistas over the clearly defined ha-ha. When the leaves fill out the winter gaps, the area will be a cool and inviting space. Clearance has now opened up Lady Lucy's Pond and revealed a stump worthy of re-location to the Garden. The Parkland, however, remains very dry. Lambs are now here, their exquisitely charming appearance marred by necessary but garish application of sprayed die to identify them. Their mothers have quite a more natural way, however, of identifying their charges.
Early in the month the skies were big, blue and clean and allowed the whole Parkland to be seen in a true scale of man against nature. It's the kind of thing I like; a sense of scale and position.
Though not on my watch, adopting a cliche, the house is now awaiting the restoration of the conservatory. This fragile structure has now been stripped of its modesty, revealing a new view of the rear of the house. All is now clear for the various teams of workmen to approach and begin the balanced programme of demolition and restoration of this true hidden gem.

February 2012

It has been a mixed month indeed. Snow to begin with, with bright days and dull ones thrown in. There has been a bit of the wet stuff, making the ground at least wintry and thus seasonal.

Towards the end of the month the birds began to sing, particularly on the sunnier days. My ranger patrols have been few this month due to family business and I only made outings on about two occasions but buds are becoming prominent in the hedges with the trees starting their edgy greening of the finer branches. Lambs too are arriving but in the days of cold wind, the ewes are taking to the shelter of trees below Archer's Gate. All that is needed to complete the spring sense they help to create is some warmer sunshine.

The work of the conservation volunteers is now very visible with the thinning and clearance of Menagerie Wood and the walling of the ha-ha. Work is being now extended to Lady Lucy's Pond.
This small pond lies between the Serpentine Lakes and the southern end of Menagerie Wood. It is full of reed mace and edged with rose bay willow herb with the water not much in evidence. A wren seemed quite at home in the middle of it. Water flows through it, as a small drainage stream enters from the Serpentine Lakes. After topping up Lady Lucy's Pond, water can drain out, via a culvert, into the ponds in Menagerie Wood.

January 2012

Dominated by cold misty mornings, the parkland is often flattened into receding layers of landscape. No snow, but the occasional hard frost to whiten the ground which remains so where and when the sun fails to shine.

The sun has made low late forays into the land with a warm glow against the bare trees particularly those in the lower bank of the Serpentine ponds. Not the easiest of paths to walk along, but it reveals aspects of the eastern parkland, somewhat hidden. There are a few obstructive branches to duck under or around, but worth it for the treecreepers and nuthatches.
On one really icy, but beautiful, morning that our patrol coincided with, we met Terry feeding the deer close to the Rotunda. All the red deer that is, except for one. As Terry said, with a not too worried smile, "I've lost my stag." But not for long. The boy came bounding around from the north and up to the herd, clearly anxious not to miss out. Which of course he didn't, as others gave him a clear space wherever he wandered.
As January ends, the ground is wetter and muddier, especially near the gates. The thinning of Menagerie Wood and the ground clearing in Shed Plantation are carried on, with reed thinning taking place at Keeper's Pond.

The place looks still, but changes are afoot.

December 2011

With frost in the shaded areas of the parkland, it would be without error to say that it is winter. The wind scuds the cloud across and the sunlight searchlights feature particular areas from time to time.

Archer's Gate glows against the bared trees as a sharp wind cuts from the north west. It is good to see a hare which on reflection, seem to have been seen on fewer occasions this year.

Around the Argyll column, in the low afternoon sunlight, there is no mistaking a cluster of fieldfare.

Until Boxing Day, I see only handfuls of walkers. On the Bank Holiday, it is quite different and dog walkers, in the main compliant, have to have an eye kept upon for those unaware of the permissive access requirements. Granted there are some dogs seen that wouldn't or even couldn't bother another living soul, but that is not the point. Happily, some compliances are happening upon seeing the flash of ranger red approaching.

There is too another event in the Parkland to which Rangers are invited. I came across one in 2010, but on that occasion, a shooting group flushed them out of their wooded venue. The conservation volunteers, had their winter feast, held this year in the shady bowl of Menagerie Wood. Plenty of jolliness, mulled wine, mince pies, cake, burgers and sausages. Oh, of course, a bonfire or two.