Busy June

May and June are very busy times on the nature reserve, so lots has happened there. You can check some of it out at  click here then go and visit the ranger's blog. Last week I was involved in a huge (£7000 worth!) of launch party for the start of the new phase of excavation that will lead to my reserve being 3 times as big as it now. All this will take about ten years. Barbara Young was the big VIP guest. She is the Baroness of Old Scone ( a place near Perth), but also an old friend of ours who stayed with us at the Vane and in the Seychelles when she was CEO of the RSPB. Since then she has been CEO of the Government's Environment Agency, but just left to head up a health committee and spend more time in the House of Lords, to try and balance out the votes of all those old bishops and hereditary loonies, I guess. I've also been working a lot of evenings with visiting groups who come specially to hear nightingales.

Its a shame we get so busy, because this is a great time of year to be out and about. Today we visited "Hills and Holes" Nature Reserve, which is  medieval limestone quarry where they produced most of the stone blocks for our local cathedrals. The wild flowers are fabulous. Look at the pictures below, which show fragrant orchids, marsh orchid, gentian and a parasitic knapweed  broomrape.

I'm sure Hanna will get round to telling you all about our search for a better school for Dan. I know she doesn't update her blog much, but it will be worth waiting for.