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This week I visited Paradise! Paradise Wildlife Park is situated near Broxbourne, Herts, and is home to lots of animals, birds and reptiles, including many rarities. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t very paradisical – it poured with rain for much of the day, but even so, I still managed to see most of the creatures.

The zoo was purchased in 1984 by the Sampson Family, who could see potential in the then rundown ‘Broxbourne Zoo’ as it was once called. They renamed it ‘Paradise Wildlife Park’ and today, through their hard work and commitment, have produced a first class wildlife attraction, which contains many endangered and rare animals. Amongst the creatures I saw were snow leopards, white lions, tapirs, lemurs, red pandas, otters, camels, parrots, snakes, reindeer, penguins and gibbons. Some of the creatures had young. There was a tiny baby gibbon holding tight to its mother while a young tapir was demonstrating how strong it was by repeatedly lifting a large branch!

Additionally there was a farmyard section, with goats, sheep, pigs and Shetland ponies, while the bunny town consisted of ‘streets’ of house-shaped hutches each sponsored by a local organisation. There was a hutch containing some super guinea pigs too, and there were chickens scuffling around. Have you ever noticed how much beauty there is in the feathers of a chicken?

Everyone has certain things they have always wanted to do – and one of my wishes came true when I was given a tarantula to hold. I’m fond of spiders, and the large Chilean rose tarantula crawled all over my hands. It was a magnificent beast. And then I was allowed to stroke a skunk! The keeper assured me that ‘it only rarely sprays’ (!) so I risked it and stroked its white fur – it was an albino. Interestingly, although the fur looked soft, it felt quite coarse to the touch.

In the evening, I went to a talk by Chris Packham, presenter of many wildlife shows including Springwatch. I have been to several of his talks, and have always found them very entertaining; he shows stunning pictures of animals that he has photographed worldwide, recounting humorous anecdotes as he does so. He is one of those rare people able to hold an audience’s attention even when he changes tack to dwell on the more serious conservation problems. If you ever get the chance to attend a Chris Packham talk, please go! I’m sure that you’ll enjoy it.

This week I also visited Hatfield Forest, a place I visit frequently. The trees were just beginning to turn to their autumn shades – another couple of weeks and the leaves will be red, russet and gold. There were plenty of squirrels gathering beech mast, and on the lake were mallards, grebes, moorhens and geese. I took the path to the decoy pond and was surprised at how many dragonflies were still around enjoying the autumn sunshine. One kept returning to sit on the bench next to me.

The sunlight filtering through the leaves was beautiful, and as usual I took plenty of photographs. As I walked along the narrow path by the pond I heard the cry of a special bird and excitedly looked towards the water – a streak of electric blue sped by. A kingfisher. Luckily I recognised the cry so knew where to look. Although I have seen these beautiful birds before, that was the first kingfisher that I had seen at Hatfield Forest. Sadly, it was too quick for me to get a photo.

I find walking in the forest, amongst those beautiful trees – many of which are ancient – is very therapeutic and full of surprises. This time it was a kingfisher, but at other times I have glimpsed deer, watched baby coots, observed grebes diving for fish and seen a huge cormorant perched high on a bare tree against a blue winter sky. It looked rather like a pterodactyl, there was definitely something prehistoric about that long, strong beak with the hooked end, and the bird’s general poise. Squirrels are commonplace and magpies and jackdaws fly overhead. Sometimes there are nuthatches in a tree beside the path, and often jays and green woodpeckers are around. Yes, I find that a walk through the woods is relaxing and a perfect way to blow away the cobwebs from my mind.

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Cornwall is a mystical land. I can’t be the only one to sense the uniqueness of the county, and once I’ve passed the sign saying ‘Kernow’ and seen the black and white Cornish flags flying, I know I’m in a special place. From harbours teeming with life and packed with brightly coloured boats to tiny sandy inlets with a gull or two for company, and from bleak heather-clad moors to bustling towns, I’ve explored most of the land over the many years I’ve visited.

This time though, my husband and I were there just for a short three-night break, staying at a Premier inn at Fadden, not far from Newquay. (An excellent place to stay, incidentally, with really friendly staff.) We had almost reached our destination when I saw a sign reading ‘Screech Owl Sanctuary’, so we turned off and were soon amongst owls of all shapes and sizes. If you’re ever that way, do go and visit – we were introduced to a number of owls and allowed to stroke their heads or tummies. They seemed to enjoy it! The owls were brought over by a handler one at a time, and she worked up from a tiny burrowing owl to an enormous eagle owl, via tawnys, barn owls and other delights. She explained about each type of owl, telling of their habitat, peculiarities and how they lived in the wild. One young owl was hopping up and down as if to say, ‘My turn now. Pick me!’

The following day we visited the Bodmin and Wenford railway, which was running steam engines, as my husband is a great steam enthusiast. We did the full ride, both ways, from Bodmin General to Boscarne Junction and back, and then from Bodmin General to Bodmin Parkway and back. I find travelling steam trains very therapeutic – the clattering rhythm whisks me straight back to my childhood, and also brings to mind the poem by Robert Louis Stevenson that so cleverly encapsulates the rhythm:

Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
And charging along like troops in a battle
All through the meadows the horses and cattle:
All of the sights of the hill and the plain
Fly as thick as driving rain;
And ever again, in the wink of an eye,
Painted stations whistle by.
Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,
All by himself and gathering brambles;
Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;
And here is the green for stringing the daisies!
Here is a cart runaway in the road
Lumping along with man and load;
And here is a mill, and there is a river:
Each a glimpse and gone forever!

Later, we went along to Padstow, one of my favourite places in Cornwall – there are plenty of seats around the harbour, and sometimes there is a band playing. There was no band on Monday when we went, but the cries of the gulls provided their own special type of music! I watched a turnstone pottering around the quay, moving so quickly he looked like a clockwork bird rather than a real, feathery one, and I also saw a delightful dog being given his very own ice cream cone, which he was licking with relish.

We returned to the motel, stopping for a while en route at Mawgan Porth, a special place for us, as it is where we spent our holiday the first time that we visited Cornwall, back in the early 1970s. We continued to holiday there right through to the late 1980s, introducing our children to the delights of the area, especially the beautiful beach of Mawgan Porth. This time we spent an hour or so walking the wonderful, beautiful sandy beach, watching the waves breaking on the rocks at each side of the bay.

Tuesday morning found us at another pretty harbour, Mevagissey, and the sky was a glorious shade of blue while the sun was reflecting off the reds, blues and greens of the boats, making them dazzle. Fishermen were sorting their nets by the quayside and gulls were fighting over starfish and crabs in the harbour mud. There were a few swans around, too, and a cluster of turnstones were bathing in some shallow water. People were enjoying the unexpected warm sun, eating ice creams or Cornish pasties as they watched the boats.

Just after lunch, though, the weather changed and the sky was a mass of grey. It wasn’t long before the rain came, which it did in absolute torrents. We made our way to the Eden Project, knowing that we would be warm and dry in the biomes there. Luckily, we had season tickets, so were soon inside, ignoring the noise of the rain as we feasted our eyes on tropical and subtropical plants. As usual, I made a beeline for the huge bull and other statues in the ‘Rites of Dioysus’ exhibit by Tom Shaw in the olive grove in the Mediterranean dome; the statues are so vivacious that they give the impression they will suddenly come to life and dance.

The next day it was time to come home – I was pleased to see that though the garden bore signs of heavy rain, with the lawn sodden and water dripping from the crab apple trees, the bower was still dry. It was still sporting passionflowers and purple clematis, and the green and orange cushions on its benches were as welcoming as ever!

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Anglesey Abbey isn’t a place of worship, it is a country house not far from Cambridge. Originally a priory, it’s situated in the village of Lode and is surrounded by landscaped grounds, with various gardens filled with classical statues, topiary and flowerbeds. Some of the gardens are formal, while others are a glorious mix of trees, shrubs and ivy. Apparently, the gardens were laid out in a 18^th century style by Lord Fairhaven in the 1930s. The house and grounds are now owned by the National Trust.

It’s a place we frequently return to; the gardens are attractive whatever the season. I went there a few days ago and the dahlias were in full bloom. Some of them were enormous, sporting huge cactus type pointed petal flowers, while others had symmetrical pom-pom blooms. The colours were intense: reds, purples, oranges, pinks and yellows, a feast of colour. Unfortunately, there isn’t room in our garden for such spectacular plants, but the sweeping dahlia-filled bed at Anglesey Abbey is a glorious sight. Another of the gardens was filled with smaller dahlias, and that was pretty too.

The rose garden was still in bloom, there was a beautiful magenta-coloured rose called Darcey Bussell, named for the ex prima ballerina, while another that caught my eye was an orange rose, ‘Lady of Shallot’. Although the herbaceous garden was past its best, there were still plenty of plants in colour, including some lovely deep blue delphiniums. I’ve always been fond of delphiniums, and whenever I see them recall the delightful poem by AA Milne, ‘The Dormouse and the Doctor’, which begins:

There once was a Dormouse who lived in a bed
Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red),
And all the day long he'd a wonderful view
Of geraniums (red) and delphiniums (blue).

Amongst the trees we caught glimpses of cyclamen, and as we approached a wooded avenue we could see them stretching ahead like a pale pink carpet. The sun illuminated them, and it was a delightful sight; we weren’t the only people stopping to admire them. Soon we reached one of my favourite parts of the garden, a collection of Himalayan birch in the winter garden. Unlike the common birch, the bark on these trees doesn’t peel, and so the trunks are a bright silver/white. The effect is magical whatever time of year you visit – it’s almost as though the trees have been covered with whitewash!

We walked along the river, here men were scything and raking some of the vegetation, and we watched the moorhens with their almost-grown-up chicks. The Lode Mill, painted a bright white, was reflected in the water. The mill is open most days and you can climb up and see the machinery. You can buy flour from the mill, too. We were amazed at how many dragonflies there were, not just by the river but all around the gardens, on the lawns and by the trees. There were butterflies too; I noticed red admirals and small whites.

Soon, the trees will be turning red and gold – late autumn is a good time to visit Anglesey Abbey. But then, winter is a great time to visit too – in February this year we walked through the snow admiring the stunning colours of the dogwood and other shrubs in the winter garden. February is a good month for the glorious sight of thousands of snowdrops, too. And of course, spring at Anglesey Abbey is exquisite when the narcissi and other bulbs are in bloom, while in high summer it is a mass of colour…… whenever you go, it’s beautiful.

Of course, it’s possible to visit the house too, and we have done that several times. There is plenty to see there, from bedrooms to kitchens. One of the things to look out for is the collection of clocks, and there are many paintings, including some gorgeous ones of birds, as well as silver, china and furnishings. My favourite item is a tray with 18 ceramic tubes and wire clips. Apparently, it is a carnation box. Lord Fairhaven always wore a carnation – a coloured one during the day and a white one in the evening. This tray stored the readymade buttonholes, allowing him to wear a flower even when away from home. The lid bore the warning ‘Cut flowers in water. This way up.’

After we have explored, we always end up in the super café, with windows that look out onto the lawns. It’s a good place to relax with a cup of tea and something delicious to eat after walking around the house and gardens.

Yes I thoroughly recommend a visit to Anglesey Abbey – if you see me there, come and say hello!

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The bower is becoming rather a tangle of passionflowers and clematis at the moment. Although the clematis has stopped flowering there are still plenty of flowers and buds on the passionflower. It’s the common variety – the Blue Passionflower (Passiflora caerulea). Do you know the story of the passionflower? It is said that it gained its name because missionaries used the plant to demonstrate the events in the Bible, specifically the story of Christ’s Passion. The five petals and the five sepals represent the ten apostles (omitting Peter and Judas), while the three pistils are the nails of the cross. The beautiful purple corona (the circle of filaments) depicts the crown of thorns, the large stemmed ovary is the goblet used at the Last Supper, the tendrils are the whips and the leaves represent the spear. It’s such a beautiful plant, and it bears golden fruits this time of year. They can be eaten, but contain so many pips that it isn’t really worthwhile.

On Friday, my daughter and I set out on the journey to Preston. It took six hours to get there, but we wanted to go to a doll fair that was being held in nearby Barton on the following day. At the fair we were spoilt for choice, there were so many lovely dolls that we would have loved to buy. However, space is tight at home, and also we couldn’t afford to ‘go mad’. Even so, we acquired a good mix of china, celluloid, plastic and composition dolls, as well as a Noah’s Ark. The ark needs a bit of attention, but it’s one of those nostalgic toys that belongs to a bygone era. At one time, a Noah’s Ark was the only toy that children were permitted to play with on the Sabbath.

Whilst we were in the area, we visited Brockholes Nature Reserve. This reserve is till under construction, and I am sure will be magnificent when completed. We saw a flock of goldfinches, and there were ducks, swans, coots, gulls and herons on the lake. I overheard a small boy calling to his mum. ‘Quick, look, that swan is doing handstands in the water!’ (It was dipping down under the water looking for food!)
The visitor’s centre is amazing – it floats on the water, and when you are inside looking through the windows, it is as if you are on board a boat. It must be an optical illusion. The ice creams they serve at the café are delicious and enormous, and there are a couple of gift shops filled with interesting items such as small wooden toys. We bought a pack of Eccles cakes to take home!

We couldn’t travel all that way without going to see the illuminations at Blackpool. Unfortunately, the traffic lights in the town had failed, and the police were trying to direct the traffic which seemed to be coming in all directions, so consequently we had to queue for ages before we caught our first glimpse of the lights. They were stunning, especially some of the tableaux, and amongst the decorations which were strung across the road were many illuminated plaques depicting the Blackpool Tower and informing us that the lights were celebrating their one-hundredth birthday. Tired but happy we returned to the hotel, and travelled back home the following day.

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Sometimes, if I’m lucky whilst out walking or in the car, I catch a glimpse of a wild creature – often a squirrel or rabbit. I’ve seen quite a few deer, too, and foxes, hedgehogs, weasels. On one memorable occasion, I saw a mole. There are wood mice living in my garden, and frogs and newts too, as well, of course, as the birds that I can watch from my hideaway bower.

However, if you really would love to be able to see a great selection of British wildlife life, I recommend a visit to the British Wildlife Centre at Lingfield, Surrey. This is yet another of my favourite, special places, and I go there regularly. Not only can you see most of Britain’s mammals, including the harder-to-find ones such as polecats, pine martens, red squirrels, otters and wildcats, you can see adders, grass snakes, marsh frogs and even nocturnal animals such as bats and dormice.

I was there a week or so ago. As usual, I made for the red squirrel area first – this enormous, walkthrough enclosure is populated by the dainty red squirrels which were at one time a common sight in Britain, before the larger grey squirrel was introduced. The grey squirrel gradually drove the reds northwards, and now, apart from small colonies in parts of England and Wales, and on the Isle of Wight and Brownsea Island, you will probably need to go to northern Scotland before you are really in red squirrel country. In the squirrel enclosure at the British Wildlife Centre though, you are quite likely to be mugged by a red squirrel! They scamper along the boardwalk and the rail, and if you are in the way, then they will scamper over you too, in the hope you that have some tasty morsel for them. Although you aren’t allowed to feed these gorgeous creatures, they are great optimists, and very cheeky.



The otters are favourites, too. I could watch these elegant, streamlined playful creatures for hours. Unlike many other water creatures, otters are equally at home on land – they romp on the grass, twisting and turning as they wrestle with each other, before a grand chase makes them sprint back to the water. There they gracefully dive, disappearing and reappearing, with just a few bubbles marking the surface, showing where they are.

One of the nicest things about the British Wildlife Centre is the programme of talks. Throughout the day, informative talks are given at the various enclosures, and the animals are fed at the same time. It’s a marvellous opportunity to see some of the rarer creatures close up, and the keepers really know their stuff. The wildcats, for example, will venture to grab some food before slinking away to a favourite branch to eat, while the beautifully-marked pine marten just adores licking strawberry jam from a keeper’s fingers!
I was thrilled to see a grass snake gliding through the water searching for fish – what a beautiful, elegant reptile it is. The adders, in the next enclosure, were warming their coiled bodies, the warning V-shaped markings on their heads glinting in the sun. A fat water vole was scooping up duckweed, I didn’t realise that they enjoyed eating that, but this one certainly did. An inscrutable huge marsh frog was watching him. The russet coats of the foxes were glowing in the autumn sunshine. They were relaxing on the grass, yet their ears were pricked, listening no doubt for their keeper’s footsteps, which might mean food!

There are two large herds of deer at the Centre – red deer and fallow deer. You can also see muntjac and roe deer, At feeding time the two herds come from the trees, the bucks showing off their enormous antlers. I love the fallow deer, they are so dainty and their striped black tails make them easy to identify in the wild, even if you get the briefest of glances. Other impressive creatures at the Centre are the badgers. The dramatic black stripes on their heads, the soft grey of their bodies, and above all their noticeable muscular build as they stomp around the enclosure are a stunning sight. Their large black noses are in stark contrast to their small, weak-looking eyes, and they have huge clawed feet.

Badgers are in the news at the moment – the Government is allowing culling to take place in areas of England as the animals are believed by some to spread bovine tuberculosis. Badgers live in colonies, and I think that, because culling will break down family groups, it will cause badgers to spread elsewhere, searching for another colony. This will just make the problem worse. All I know is that last week, as I watched those badgers snuffling around, I wondered how anyone could justify killing such magnificent creatures, especially when scientific studies have shown that culling would be of little help in reducing bovine TB.

http://www.justdosomething.org.uk/

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If you ever get the chance, it really is worth visiting the British Wildlife Centre at Lingfield, though do check first because they are not open every day. I just wish I could see red squirrels from my bower – I will have to content myself with the occasional grey!

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Hatfield Forest is a place that I visit regularly. It’s in Essex, near Takely, (not to be confused with Hatfield House, which is miles away). It’s managed by the National Trust and is a very old forest with magnificent trees as well as plenty of open spaces. Apparently, it is over 424 hectares (605 football pitches!) and consists of both coppiced woodland and wood pasture. According to the National Trust, it is unique ‘due to its continuous human management over the last 1000 years’. It’s a rare surviving example of a medieval hunting forest. All I know is that I love it.

Every visit is a surprise, because you never quite know what you will see. Will the grebes be on the lake? Will the pterodactyl-like cormorant be at the top of his tree? Will the heron be stalking by the river or will the nuthatches be fluttering in the wood? Maybe I’ll catch a glimpse of fallow or muntjac deer or even a weasel. On almost every visit I see grey squirrels and rabbits, and there are mallards on the lake. The shady part of the river is home to moorhens and coots, while further along where the banks are sunny, red, blue and brown dragonflies dazzle. There were lots of them there earlier this week, I sat and watched them for ages. I also saw a squirrel bouncing around in one of the trees by the river, I think he was after the beech mast. There were plenty of bees investigating the flowers that grow along the riverbank, and one section of the river was a mass of pink and white water lilies.

It’s a great place to visit, whether you want to watch wildlife or just fancy a walk. There is a large lake, which at certain times of year plays host to geese, ducks, gulls and a couple of swans, and a path has been laid so that you can walk around it without getting muddy. There are large areas of grassland – here, you might see green woodpeckers or jays, and the bushes are often busy with warblers or tits. I like to take the narrow path by the river – beware, because it can get very muddy – along here are some of my favourite, beautiful trees which I always say hello to! Some of the trees in the forest are really ancient. Children (and dogs!) enjoy the forest too, and there is a small outdoor café which serves locally-sourced food. The National Trust uses cattle and sheep to graze the grassland, and whatever time of year you visit, there is always plenty to see.

I’ve been sorting through albums upon albums filled with old family photos this week. It’s such a poignant thing to do, because so many of the much-loved people depicted are no longer with us. My father was a prolific photographer, and I have boxes of his photos, both colour and black and white. He was very creative and so, as well as the more usual subjects, he experimented with ‘table-top photography’, taking pictures of model knights, cowboys and toy farmyard animals, set up in various scenes. He also experimented with reflections and everyday objects – I really wish he could have lived long enough to have enjoyed the digital camera/computer age. He would have produced some stunning creations.

I’ve also been proofing one of my books this week. It’s called Famous Character Dolls, and I believe it is due out next year. Proofing is a laborious but necessary task; luckily, we have had some warm days so I could sit in the bower and enjoy the sun at the same time! However, today, there is definitely a feel of autumn in the air. Though it’s sunny, there is a definite chilly feel – yet the forecasters are predicting an Indian summer. Let’s hope they are right.
　
　

　
　
　
　
　
　

　

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On Saturday I went to the Birdfair, held every year at Rutland. Thousands and thousands of birdwatching and wildlife enthusiasts gather here from all over the country – and from many other lands too. It’s a place where you can hear experts give talks about their birding and wildlife experiences, browse hundreds of stalls which fill several marquees, and take part in pond dipping, bat walks or cruises around Rutland water. Lots of well known wildlife media people attend too, and many give talks or host quizzes. People such as Bill Oddie, Chris Packham, Simon King, Mike Dilger, Nick Baker and Johnnie Kingdom can often be seen, and they are always willing to stop for a chat. This time I met Mike Dilger, who presents the natural history slot on the One Show, and he was so friendly, a pleasure to talk to.

With the lovely Mike Dilger!



Birdfair, jointly organised by the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust and the RSPB, raises funds each year to help major international conservation projects. The exhibitors come from all over the world; you can find optical equipment, wildlife books, bird feeding products, bird tables and hides, eco-tourism holiday information and representatives of many wildlife organisations. One huge marquee is devoted to wildlife art in the form of paintings, sculptures and photographs. Another must-see are the demonstrations of bird-ringing – naturalists can gain so much knowledge from the tracking of birds, and I watched in fascination as small warblers were ringed, checked, weighed and released again. As well as the attractions, I go to the fair to meet up with friends – I’m a member of a wildlife forum and we arrange a meeting place and have a great reunion! Many Twitter friends come along too. It was wonderful to see everyone.

A Reed Warbler ready to be released after ringing

The next day, I was out again, this time at the Redwings Horse and Donkey Sanctuary near Nazeing, Essex. I met up with some more internet friends here, and we had a lovely time until an unexpected mini-thunderstorm curtailed the visit. The sanctuary does sterling work, it is part of the Redwings group which has rescued thousands of horses, ponies and donkeys over the years. At the Nazeing sanctuary you can meet fifty or so rescued equines, and it is well laid out with smooth paths with horse-filled fields either side. Many swallows were swooping overhead – they nest in the stables – and there is a gift shop and café that serves light refreshments. Some of the donkeys and horses can be adopted by members of the public for a small fee which goes towards supporting the charity. In return they receive a ‘nosebag’ adoption pack with photos and certificate – children, especially, love this. When my children were young, they adopted a donkey from one of the other Redwing sites. The children of my internet friends had done the same, and were excitedly seeking out ‘their’ horses at Nazeing; they knew all their names and their histories.

Changing the subject completely, now the excitement of the Olympic Games is over, it all feels a bit flat, and seems strange not to be urging on out favourite athletes or studying the medals’ charts. However, soon we can get excited all over again, because the Paralympics are drawing ever closer – they begin on the 29^th August. This will be the fourteenth event; the very first was held in 1948, the brainchild of neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttman who was working with World War II veterans with spinal injuries at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury. He began incorporating sport into the rehabilitation programmes of his patients and, as the London Olympics were taking place that year, decided to set up a competition with other hospitals.

Over the past few weeks, gold post boxes have been appearing across the country as a tribute to our gold medal winners. The post boxes, one from each of the medal holders’ hometowns, are proving quite an attraction, with many people taking photos as an Olympic memento. I went to see our local gold box recently, which was painted in honour of cyclist Laura Trott, winner of two gold medals. Let’s hope that Royal Mail will paint boxes for the gold medal winners in the Paralympics too.

Finally, it has been oh so hot in the bower this week, but at night, when it cools down, it has been delightful – and the view around the pond, all lit with solar lamps, is really pretty.