A Simple Life of Luxury

Tales from a down-shifted family
- Making the most of modest means

Category: Nature

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Family / Nature

Wildlife with the Oldies

The ‘oldies’ (my parents) were here to stay at the weekend. My Dad couldn’t drive so they had an adventure on the trains to get here. We quite like the trains, I don’t think they were that impressed though! For some reason, while my Dad was here he wanted to go the Aberdyfi to go...

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Nature

Bugs and Beasties

The garden has been alive with various bugs and beasts lately. The honey bees seem to be doing well and have been pretty busy. I checked on them on Monday and both colonies were increasing in size and had decent amounts of stores. Both had loads of eggs and brood too so things are looking...

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Nature

Struggling Hedgehogs

We’ve seen a number of hedgehogs here recently. First I found one asleep in a big pile of leaves whilst gardening. I left it where it was and put off clearing up the area. The hedgehog has since left but I’ve yet to clear up. Unfortunately we also found a dead hedgehog in the hole...

Fossil Tree Stump 2

Nature / Wales

Beach Features

The beach here has changed considerably over the past year or so. The submerged forest only used to be exposed on very low tides and usually only in a few patches. However, since the construction of the sea defences in Borth this has changed. The forest is now exposed in huge swathes all along the...

2

Nature

Hedgehog Nest

I came across a hedgehog nest while preparing the garden for the robot lawn mower. I was trimming back the pampas grass and clearing out the dead, dried growth in the middle. As I did it I thought to myself ‘this would be a perfect place for a hedgehog to over-winter’. Sure enough, the next...

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Nature / Windsurfing

Dragons in the Garden

It’s been blowing a hoolie here for the last few days thanks to our local Katabatic wind known as Ivor. That doesn’t seem to have stopped the dragonflies though and there have been quite a few in the garden. I’ve only ever had my phone with me when I’ve been out there so I haven’t...

Bumble Bee 1

Nature

How Wales Can Help Save The Bees

According to the BBC, there are 180 species of bee in Wales, but they are in trouble. Seven species have already been wiped out, and there are five more on the brink of extinction. One of the species just barely clinging on is the large mason bee, which is only found in two sites in...

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Beekeeping / Gardening / Nature

Flowers Everywhere

There are quite a few flowers in the garden at the moment. The bees are loving the chives still and there’s even a surprise rose. I don’t know why it’s always a surprise as it flowers every year but I also do nothing to it and kind of forget that it is there until it...

Four Spot Orb Weaver 0

Nature

Four Spot Orb Weaver

Check out this beauty… The  Four Spot Orb Weaver (Araneus quadratus). The heaviest of the UK spiders and she made quite a clunk when she landed on me just now. According to the Advancing Arachnology website. As with other members of the genus, A. quadratus macerates its prey, rather than merely injecting digestive juices, sucking out the resulting...

Caterpillars 0

Nature

Crazy Caterpillars

Check out these Crazy Caterpillars. This leaf is obviously very tasty. There were no caterpillars elsewhere on the tree, they were just all on this single leaf!