Author Archives: janh1
The Sprint
There is nothing, absolutely nothing like the sprint finish of a bike race. For a start, in a big stage race, you never know if there will be a sprint finish. On a flat stage, there usually is but sometimes … Continue reading
Canoeing? Wye, I’d love to…
It seemed a long time since Mothers’ Day but the offer of a day out canoeing didn’t come with a time limit, so I waited until August. A couple of years ago I enjoyed an idyllic day out with the … Continue reading
Goatsuckers and other crepuscular creatures
Some bits of the Forest of Dean are hardly forest at all. When Canute ruled England in the 11th century, he named the Forest of Dean and excepted the top of Plump Hill, then wild and treeless and scattered with … Continue reading
The start of the rut
From now on, the hedgehogs will be rutting. Yes, the concept is ludicrous. The word rutting is associated with hormonal stags locking antlers and battling across precipitous craggy outcrops overlooking outrageously scenic Scottish lochs and bonnie braes. Hedgehogs are cute … Continue reading
Soundtracks of a life
Last night, I went out into the dark garden and stood listening for hedgehogs. It’s only three days since Spiky Norman returned with his new lady-friend Tigs and I hadn’t seen them – only the evidence of their messy dining … Continue reading
Freedom!
So today, Spiky Norman came home. There was no bunting or fanfare, which was just as well because, quite frankly, he displayed not a jot of recognition or gratitude. He remained curled up in a big heavy spiky ball, like … Continue reading
Resist
If 2016 was a year where your natural order was turned upside down, where nothing is as it seemed, where people you respected turned out to be startlingly and disappointingly different, then read on. If you weren’t much affected by … Continue reading
Gone with the wind
The forecast for Storm Doris, Blustery Belinda, Slightly Zephyrine Zoe or whatever her name was, turned out to be a little over-blown. A seafaring cove might have described the wind force in Cheltenham on the day Doris was expected as … Continue reading
Party on
Writing this at 11pm on the 30th of January. All is dark in the garden but I can hear a small chorus of frogs. These are the first frog songs of 2017. They are heralding the Spring. This is the … Continue reading
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to anyone taking the trouble to read this, my first blog of 2017. That in itself might put you right off as it’s apparently very annoying to be wished Happy New Year after the first week of … Continue reading
Janh1: Mainly fair with occasional rain. 