Woodpecker Ways
The sky may not have been blue last Saturday, but the Farmland Bird Walk at the Countryside Education Trust was nonetheless a wondrous experience.
Graham Giddens seems to inhabit a parallel universe in which, while chatting perfectly normally with the group, he is simultaneously hearing and seeing every flicker of bird life taking place around us; each call, rustle and distant movement identified and announced as it happens. For most of us mere mortals, it was impossible to distinguish every song or fleeting silhouette. But there is one sound that needs no expert interpretation: the unmistakable rat-a-tat of a woodpecker at work!
Graham is leading two more walks this coming spring and early summer: on 4 May Dawn Chorus Birdwatch and on 4 June Nightjar Birdwatching. In a couple of weeks time on 11 March there's also an evening talk at the CET: Solent Seascape Project. We're invited to join the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to discover how saltmarsh, seagrass, oysters and coastal bird habitats are being restored through the Solent Seascape Project, and learn how this work is helping nature thrive once again.
If you click to the main CET page on Lymington.com and scroll down, you can see in one place all its fascinating upcoming events, including workshops to learn skills like coppicing and pruning fruit trees. There's even one on sheep keeping!
As welcome warm sunshine visited us briefly this week, a symphony of birdsong seemed to rise around me to soothe my sorrow at the death of my beloved horse on Tuesday morning. ‘Secret’ was nearly 33 years old yet still in great shape, and grief doesn't respect age but still hits when it happens. How fortunate we are to be surrounded by nature, whose rhythms and beauty help to steady us. These ponies passing at sunset seemed to offer quiet comfort too.
And now for Mother's Day on Sunday 15 March:
not long to go!
Mother's Day Enchantment
First: mothers, grandmothers and or course great grannies too, are all warmly invited with their families to celebrate with a magical escape into the New Forest at Careys Manor Hotel. Guests are invited to enjoy the Enchanted Forest Afternoon Tea, a special themed experience inspired by timeless woodland tales.
Created by the hotel’s talented pastry chefs, the special Mother’s Day menu combines classic afternoon tea traditions with some extra touches, offering a lovely, relaxed way for families to gather and celebrate the important ladies in their lives! Included in Enchanted Forest Afternoon Tea are the usual sweet treats, savouries, freshly baked scones, and fine teas you'd expect. Savouries for this special day are 'inspired by the forest floor, fluffy woodland scones, and whimsical sweet creations from above the treetops – a magical twist on a beloved tradition'. The children will surely enjoy 'where fairies flutter into your dreams' aka a white chocolate and raspberry mousse toadstool. And there's a surprise gift for the heroines of the day: the mums!
MOTHER'S DAY AFTERNOON TEA - MENU & BOOKINGS
Mother's Day Adventure
In the words of New Forest Activities: "You know what Mums can be like, always behind the camera capturing the memory - well how about if she was the centre of the memory this March?"
Their Mother's Day Paddle to the Pub on 15 March gives Mum some special quality time with her favourite and most important people: her family! Suitable for mums, sisters, aunties, grandmothers or simply a really special lady you are thankful for on this day, Paddle to the Pub offers a tour of beautiful Beaulieu River by canoe, finishing with a glass of bubbles at the Master Builder's pub. (Followed by an optional lunch at the Master Builder's - payable separately.)
Ready for an unforgettable adventure?
MOTHER'S DAY PADDLE TO THE PUB - BOOK NOW
When will it be Spring?!
'Astronomical' spring follows the date of the spring equinox determined by the Earth's tilt as it travels around the Sun; in the northern hemisphere this year that's 20 March. But meteorologists tend to divide the seasons into periods of three whole months based on average monthly temperatures, hence spring begins this coming Sunday!
As daffodils pop up everywhere, 1 March is also St David's Day. And since I'm half Welsh and have just started learning the language with Duolingo, I'll pick a few of the daffs from my garden and raise a toast to Cymru's national day. Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! (And hope the rugby team's fortunes soon improve.)
This coming Sunday, 1 March is also a special day for Ollie Matson. Ollie is a Year 11 student studying for his GCSEs at Priestlands School, being brought up by his single parent dad Dale, a barman at the Kings Arms in Lymington. Ollie took up darts a couple of years ago and has progressed rapidly - he already has a large trophy collection, is playing for Hampshire Under 18s and has attracted the attention of Target Darts, sponsors of Luke Littler amongst others.
Ollie is now on the 'JDC Foundation Tour' which requires significant travel and weekends away. This is proving very costly and so Dale has organised a Fundraising Day, on Sunday 1 March at the Kings Arms. There will be lots of fun events - some darts themed and others not, and a large raffle with great prizes, drawn by the Mayor of Lymington, Colm McCarthy. Ollie is also looking for sponsorship if there are any local businesses that want to help him on his journey to become a professional darts player. So if anyone reading this is willing and able to support him, please do go along on Sunday!
Back to Mother's Day, there are plenty of other options listed below, and keep an eye on the full Events Calendar as more keep popping up (like the daffodils). More on this next week.
So now happy weekends everyone - and a big welcome to 'Spring'!
Best wishes Jane
Read the rest of this week's newsletter here
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