Snowy walk and fantastic views

RSPB St Aidan's is still a relatively new site for the RSPB and for me as well. This is the second time I have visited. The first, being back in the summer. And what a contrast this visit has been!

Snow gently hugs the surrounding hills and is like a fine layer of icing sugar on a cake.
The weather was fair and the sun broke through low lying cloud and mist, creating the most perfect winter picture portrait.

It was cold, but it was bliss.

A chilly sunny Old Moor

Being the first day for awhile, the sun was out, with wall to wall blue skies. It was glorious!
Grabbing the opportunity with both hands... I know! I don't have hands... I went out for the day with a couple of friends. But where better than RSPB Dearne Valley Old Moor.

Upon arrival, we briskly walked round the nearest hides then ran for lunch before the cafe became too full. Golly I love panini's.

After delicious nom nom's, we explored the reserve and the nature which delighted us so.
The water's reflected the sky perfectly and though there wasn't much wild fowl on this particular body of water, there was more beauty to the eye than most people give credit for.

After peaceful encounters with the resident wildlife, we ventured on towards a small area called Broomhill Flash. Owned by the RSPB, this small site offers a remarkable view...

...and a HUMONGOUS hide!

A 2 story building built to last, this hide could almost be a house rather than a hide!

An exhausting Christmas Day

Once again it was Christmas Day. A day of festive tradition, family gatherings and stuffing yourself silly! After a much needed relaxing day Christmas Eve, Yesterday was the complete opposite. Exhaustion, very mild stress and a household filled with adults can be far too much on a regular basis. Christmas however, is the one exception.

The tree was in full decoration and the ocean of presents dominated the spectacular view.

By late morning, the food preparation was well underway and for the first time, we bought chestnuts for the most festive sprout recipe I have ever seen.

Whilst the food was cooking, I indulged myself in the unlimited supply of chocolate...

Drank wine...

And made a new sloth friend.

A spectacular table was set. Far too much food but surprisingly, all was eaten!

And wow was I full after!

Of course, Christmas isn't all about the presents, decorations and food. It is however, about family and reliving old traditions and creating new ones to cherish.

A Christmas Eve picnic

Just like last year, we spent a lovely relaxing day at Grass Wood Nature Reserve.
Unlike last year, it was a rather pleasant day. The wind was down to a minimum and not once did it rain!

I love coming here. The atmosphere is so tranquil and undisturbed. Well, besides the odd dog walker anyway! The paths wind through the trees; an intricate dance everyone should walk every now and then during their life.

There are area's of this enchanted woodland shrouded in bright green moss. A healthy sight for any keen wildlife eye. A spongy covering dresses the rocky hillside, creating a lush vegetated landscape.

After a good couple of hours walking, observing and simply losing yourself within the finely tuned circle of life, we headed back to the car for our festive picnic.
A picnic, in the middle of winter?! I know, a far cry from the typical warm summer days but folding the back seats down and pushing the 2 front seats forward, the inside of a car is a very spacious place!

A classic picnic rug thrown on the floor and a traditional basket can be quite the sight for any passing stranger. Christmas shaped party food creates the perfect ambience.

This Christmas Eve couldn't be more perfect!

Christmas Preparations

It is the 19th December and yet the house still stands fairly bare!
How to rectify this, easy, decorate with a flood of Christmas with added extra sparkle.

But where to start...
The stairs seemed like a logical place to start. Nearly the centre of the house, I will be able to spiral out from there.

Mmm pinecones. I love a good pinecone.
This year however, I adorned the stairs and hallway with lights. Shoddy little fairy lights which are incredibly old but hey, they still work and look quite good!

Lights went up everywhere. It was spectacularly dazzling.

The preparation for Christmas isn't all about the decorations. It is also the activities which coincide with that festive tradition.
Simple activities such as Christmas tree shaped crumpets for breakfast...

Or making gingerbread decorations. It is incredibly satisfying creating gingerbread. Not entirely why. From the rolling out, through to the baking.

Or making gifts. In this case, I helped make 2 Christmas tree candles for Hogmanay (Scottish New Year).

Best of all though, are the tiny Christmas puddings served with brandy infused raspberry jam.
YUM!

A Poetic Murmuration

Occasionally, the late evening/early night walks are the most rewarding.
Wandering around Huxterwell Marsh at Potteric Carr, though not the best path to walk along in the dark, was worth tripping up on every small crater we came across. A clear view of a healthy fox in full winter coat, slunk into the herd of sheep up ahead.

To our amazement, speckled starlings rose into the dusky sky. As the tiny cluster spun its small dance, smaller speckled groups joined the skies dance floor. As each individual bird joined, what was once a small gathering, became quite the nugget of gold for any wandering eye.

It only takes seconds for the murmuration to quadruple in size and minutes to double its density.
Starlings enveloped the sky. All sense of sound was drowned out by the tweeting chorus, sharing their days news with others causing a waterfall of noise.
Our vision became nothing but fluttering dots...

A lake of movement filled every sense. A swirling mosaic absorbed our sense of wonder and smashed our curiosity into a thousand shards of dizzying heights. Each bird knew the dance from memory; an unforgotten signature the generations will carry.

A wander round a sunny Fairburn

A day out doesn't necessarily have to be a whole day. A late afternoon walk once the days rain has passed can be more rejuvenating than an entire days outing.
A quick pop over to RSPB Fairburn Ings proves my point exactly. The sun was gleaming down on the spectacular landscape and the last bit of warmth from this years summer, alongside it.

The views from the discovery trail viewpoint always blind me with their wondrous beauty.
The rays of light bounce across the rippling water is natures unique poem of peace and sanctuary.

From one end of the car park is a short boardwalk towards and alongside what could be classed as a rather large duck pond. Once overlooking the water, Mute swans and wildfowl gather at your feet awaiting for the free meal to be tossed into the water. The speed of which these water based birds congregated baffled me. I can only suggest the frequent visitors on these boards, who bring food, are part of the birds regular feeding routine.

In the light of the setting sun, swans have never looked more gorgeous.

Betty's of Harrogate Afternoon Tea

Today was a day of celebratory union. 2 friends spending 6 years together, united as 1.
To celebrate they're relationship was a luxurious trip to a Betty's tea room. The brand is formally known as Betty's of Harrogate but their tea rooms are across Yorkshire, 2 of which are in York.

If one is attending a Betty's tea room, one must dress appropriately.
Well, that's not literally the case but so few people do so, my friends stood out and people turned at their splendour. Again, not literally but a 3 piece suit alongside a formal dress with high heels, is not often seen during the day!

It seems a custom to order afternoon tea in such a setting.
Dainty sandwiches with small cakes and buns and a freshly made scone, with homemade jam and whipped cream, welcomed us.

The tea was of the loose leaf variety and a traditional tea strainer was of course in order.
Tea in an atmosphere such as Betty's will be of the utmost English tradition. My friends and I expected nothing less and they received nothing less.

Not everyday is a celebration. Birthday's come and go, as do weddings, reunions and funerals.
But whatever the reason, celebrate with an open mind and enjoy yourself!

Spoonbills and warm afternoons

I don't like to say 'I'm a twitcher' because I'm not. There are many birds and animals in this world I would love to see. Most I will successfully, others will be a challenge and some, not at all. I have no timescale for this list of mine but when there is an opportunity to see a bird nearby, I will grab it with both hands! (I have now hands but you get the general idea)

Whilst wondering where to go today, a pleasantly warm day, I investigate the RSPB website. Blacktoft Sands has been a good couple of years since I last visited and upon discovering the 'Recent sighting' page, Blacktoft was a must go!

And for this reason, Spoonbills. Not overly common but not rare, the Spoonbill has a specialist beak, shaped like a flat spoon, designed to sway and sift through the mud and sediment within the pools.

It was a pleasant day and my time at the reserve was spent well, ending the day with a tasty sandwich and a coffee.

Yum!

Cake and Highland Coo's

After all the excitement of our Scottish break, it was hard to find motivation to do anything.
But a birthday is still a birthday and I celebrated with cakes which looked like a dog and a highland cow...

Can't complain, cake is cake!

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs - Red Squirrels and Ospreys

The last day of our holiday had finally arrived. Much to our disappointment, it was time to head home. Tigh Mor Trossachs has welcomed us as family and catered to every question, query and need we threw at them.

The Family Room contained all the information we needed for essential day trips around Scotland. Including a DVD library with a fantastic range of DVDs to borrow and watch in the comfort of our own apartment.

Comfortable sofa's welcomed us most evenings we ventured up towards to big house.

And not to mention the various games available to play whenever we fancied!

Our time at Tigh Mor may have come to an end, but our holiday had not quite finished.
On our way home, there was one necessary stop off point we desperately wanted to make; Loch Leven.

Loch Leven opened up the window of opportunity to witness first hand, a Red Squirrel munching on some seed or an Osprey perched on a fence post, digesting its breakfast.
The welcome we received as we arrived at RSPB Loch Leven was like no other. Immediately on entry to the reserve, a member of staff took us outside to peer through a telescope at the one bird we had aimed to see.

The most handsome osprey I ever did see perched proudly on its post surveying the landscape.

The picture was of course taken through the telescope itself but this magnificent birds splendour can not be captured through a regular digital camera.

Ticking the Osprey off my list of 'Birds to see', we ventured to the viewing screen the RSPB had positioned in a very convenient spot for close up encounters of feeding garden and woodland birds.

This is where Red Squirrels can be seen feeding alongside the small birds which dominate the feeders. Unfortunately I did not see any flashes of red but there was yet the whole day to discover the small dainty creature.

A brief walk towards the Loch proved a perfect day to a perfect holiday. The sun was out and the weather was mild. The Loch was large, I could see that but it was hard to tell just how big it actually was.

It turned out to be a very brief walk, one that ended with us walking hastily to the cafe for a scone and cup of tea!

After a short sit down, the reserve beckoned our fascination to explore the rest of what lay ahead. A steep walk up the hill wowed our curiosity and as we marvelled the sights, we never saw the massive rain cloud approaching us from the north...

The higher we climbed, the more spectacular the views!

Wow, that's alot of heather...

The rain hit us, and it wan't exactly a light shower either. It is well known that any holiday to Scotland is not had for the weather. Descending the hill carefully, we slid back towards the viewing screen. After a few patient minutes, the furry friends I had longed to see came into view like acrobats.

They are beautiful animals, slowly but surely on the increase from their decline when the grey squirrels were first introduced.

The day was coming to an end and we were yet to cross the boundary of the Scottish boarder back into England. We left RSPB Loch Leven exhausted but in a positive mood. We had seen the wildlife we had aimed to see (except the Pine Marten!) plus some extra's!

The crossing of the Forth Road Bridge indicated Scotland would soon be behind us.

But the Crossing of the boarder, concluded the end of our holiday. Scotland was behind us but I imagine, it won't be long till we are next there!