Back to my own neck of the woods now, the lovely Ribble Valley in Lancashire. Here are my wild moments from the last seven days. 🙂
Day 10 ~ The Running Hare. I have started reading this charming book by John Lewis Stempel. It is the story of how a farmer attempts to transform a bare ,almost barren meadow , into a haven for the kind of wildlife that would frequent a field, if it wasn’t for the intensive farming methods used today. This book takes me back to my own childhood, growing up on a farm, when hare and partridges, lapwing and field mice were much more commonplace than they are today. I hope he succeeds…
Day 11 ~ Wild Rose-Petal Jam. The hedgerows are full of fragrant Wild Rose shrubs , so I thought I would follow this recipe and make Rose- Petal Jam.
2 Cups Wild Rose Petals.
2 Cups Caster Sugar.
1 tbsp Orange juice.
1 tbsp Lemon juice.
Half a cup of Water.
Dissolve two cups of caster sugar in half a cup of water mixed with one tablespoon each of lemon juice and orange juice. Stir in the rose petals and put the pan over a very low heat. Stir continuously for 30 minutes, or until the petals have ‘melted’. Cool the mixture and pour into a small glass jar and seal. Rose-Petal jam is popular in the Middle East , especially with yoghurt.
The recipe worked, though took an awful lot of stirring. Also the jam is incredibly sweet, so I think if I make it again, I would lessen the amount of sugar used.
Day 12 ~ Feeding the Birds. Wil very kindly made this hanger for the bird feeders at the weekend. Much less precarious than having them swing about on the washing line! One visitor has taken to the Coconut shell filled with cooked fat and seeds.A bluetit ! Hopefully more will follow. 🙂
Day 13 ~ Wildflower Count. My blogger pal Christine has posted on Facebook about an online Wildflower survey organized by Plantlife , so I thought I would give it a go on today’s dog walk. Hugo and I followed Mearley Brook through the fields and then on to the River Ribble. I ticked off only 7 of the suggested flowers, which was a little disappointing . But there were a few I spotted that were not on the list, such as Red Campion, Crosswort, Silverweed and Water Forget-me-not. I also saw the shiny copper coloured beetle below. Let me if know you take part…
Day 14 ~ Meadow Grasses. Flowers are beautiful, but have you ever noticed how pretty wild grasses are? On an early morning walk with Hugo, I passed through a farmer’s field, which I think is waiting to be mown. Here are just a few of the different grasses that I very quickly took pictures of with my phone. Hugo loves racing trails through this meadow. We ended up soaked with dew and covered in grass seeds. 🙂
Day 15 ~ Wildflower Seedlings. It looks like the seeds I received in my #30dayswild pack from The Wildlife Trusts are sprouting in my flower bed. Either that or a variety of weeds. I am intrigued to see what we end up with!
Day 16 ~ A walk in the centre of the Kingdom. Did you know the exact Centre of the UK is in Lancashire? National Grid reference SD63770 56550 Hanging Stones , to be exact! The nearest village is the pretty Bowland settlement of Dunsop Bridge. We parked our car in the village car park and walked up the track adjacent PuddleDuck Tearooms, past the playground and into the Dunsop Valley. Here are a few photos of the wildlife we saw on our walk.
After our ramble we had earned coffee and cake at Puddleducks! A tearoom complete with ducks on the Village Green. 🙂
Whoo I think that means we are just over halfway through ’30 Days Wild’ now. I just need to think of some ideas for the next 14 days! All suggestions welcome. 🙂
sunshine and celandines 
Wow..rose petal jam. I am impressed. Loving the look of Puddleducks 😊
Its not too hard to make. 🙂 Puddleducks is a really cute cafe and of course , plenty of ducks to feed.x
It’s been lovely catching up on you #30 day’s wild adventures, love anything to do with the sea side.
Have had a go at making the jam in the past but not tried rose, think I have a odd jar of raspberry jam lurking in the back of the fridge which is a few years out of date ! wonder if it matures !!!
Had seen the wild flower finder from Plantlife so might give that a go.
Amanda xx
I think any jam is a creation! I’m not sure it matures .;) You should definitely try the wildflower finder! Thank for the lovely comments. I am a big fan of the seaside. Xx
Wonderful post full of gorgeous pictures! I love your bird feeders, so glad you had a blue tit visiting, that was the first bird we had on our feeders too 🙂 You will soon get the bug for feeding the birds 🙂 You made me smile when you called me your blogging pal. You are mine too 🙂 xx
Bluetits lead the way then.:) I definitely think we are blogging pals.:) Xx
It’s great that we have met through blogging 🙂 x
That book sounds very interesting, it would be lovely if the author succeeds with his wildlife meadow.
I’ve been to Dunsop Bridge a few times though not for a while. The last time was with my (ex)partner, we were collecting a billy goat (not a real one, a type of heavy duty garden vac) from a farm near there.
I will let you know about the book. 🙂 Billy goats would probably do the same job. Goats eat everything…
That’s why they named those machines after them 🙂
Oooh the rose petal jam looks interesting! I’ve signed up for the wildflower hunt but not had a chance to do one yet. Maybe that’ll be tomorrow’s plan 🙂
If you are having the sunshine we are having in the North West, might be a good time to look for butterflies. 🙂
I had never really though that there was a centre of the British Isles, but of course there has to be! Lovely walk and the book sounds a delight. I planted some wild flower seeds, but not much sign of life yet.
Yes there really is! The cafe at Dunsop really prides itself of being in the centre of Britain. I’m loving the book. I’m sure you will notice some signs of life with the seeds soon. X
I need to go hiking in the forest of bowland. Any good hike that you recommend?
Nicky Nook near Scorton. Or go to Dunsop and walk into the Dunsop Valley and up into the hills.
thanks
Wonderful post – what a great week you’ve had! I didn’t know that think about the centre of the UK – I’ll try to make a mental note for future reference buy my head is a very busy place at the moment!
You are a busy bee. 🙂
Thank you for sharing such beautiful pictures. Am impressed with your petal jam making – shame the sugar was a bit too overpowering. Will see what I can tick off on the wild flower sheet. And thank you so much for the pictures of grasses – I was looking for some only yesterday 🙂 xx
Oh thats handy , about the grasses. Good luck with The wildflower hunt. 🙂
more super photos and love the rose petal jam idea; will definitely give it a go!
Thanks . Let me know if you do and how it turns out. 🙂
Hello there! I’m so sorry I’ve not popped in for a while. Such a lovely post Shazza – and I’m loving the look of your rose petal jam!! Such beautiful photos of a wonderful green English summer week 😊
It’s actually really warm here now. Mini heatwave. Thanks for dropping by. 🙂
So I’ve heard! My parents called me from their back garden in Manchester late last night – they were enjoying the cooler air! Enjoy your summertime! 😊
The rose petal jam looks delicious, and your photos are absolutely gorgeous! Thank you so much for sharing. Such a lovely post. 🙂
It is nice but very sweet. You need a sweet tooth ! Thanks for the lovely comment. 🙂
This was such a lovely, cute little post. Thanks so much for sharing, I loved it!
Abby – https://seafoaming.com xo