Category: Water Meadows Chronicles

Strange days. We have had a mixed bag of weather these last few weeks. We’ve had cold, wet and windy weather like winter and we’ve had really hot and sunny days. Some have put their central heating on and many have put extra layers on. Many men, including myself, have been torn between which trousers… Continue reading The Water Meadow Chronicles, part 19

Several people have said to me that they have become more attuned with and appreciative of our natural world this year. They “blame” the pandemic and say that, along with their appreciation of the commitment, care and effort that NHS staff have shown and the quick rollout of the vaccination programme, this may be one… Continue reading The Water Meadows Chronicles, part 18

I am writing this Chronicle at the beginning of April (2021). During this week we have had huge temperature variations. At the beginning of the week we had “summer”. People were out strolling and enjoying the sun. T-shirts, shorts and sandals were in plentiful evidence. There were smiles on everyone’s faces and yet three days… Continue reading The Water Meadow Chronicles, part 17

In the last couple of weeks a terrific transition has occurred; we had snow and freezing temperatures. There was a wonderful austere atmosphere and the lockdown was twofold. We had the legal obligation of staying inside because of Covid and we had the freezing wind and snow that found its way through every self protective… Continue reading The Water Meadows Chronicles, part 16

When walking Luna the other morning I bumped into Libby who is a fellow dog walker and, more importantly, a fellow trustee of the BWMG. She told me she had been walking around No Mans Meadow the previous day and seen several egrets and two herons. So far in our biodiversity surveying in the Water… Continue reading The Water Meadows Chronicles, part 15

As we slide into autumn I walked the dog on a wonderful sunny morning (01/09/20) and enjoyed the dew on the grass and the smell of decomposing leaves. It was one of those “good to be alive” mornings and almost all of the people I met along the way had a greeting. What a welcome… Continue reading The Water Meadows Chronicles, part 14

Iain Carruthers-Jones is back on the case reporting his experiences as a Bury Water Meadows Group volunteer.  See previous Chronicles here. This seems a good time to restart the Chronicle. It’s one of the very hottest days of the year (07/08/20) and the Water Meadows has lots of plants growing as high as head height,… Continue reading The Water Meadows Chronicles part 13 (August 2020)

Iain Carruthers-Jones is in reflective mood.  We were given a nestbox as a present last year. How nice… and we showed gratitude but we were thinking about where we might put it. Eventually it ended up sitting on the top of our back fence which backs onto the Crankles and overlooks the Linnet. Because it… Continue reading The Water Meadows Chronicles part 12 (July 2020)

Iain Carruthers-Jones looks on the bright side. Earlier parts of the Chronicles can be found here. There’s been a bit of a gap since the last edition of the Chronicles. The coronavirus put us all into lockdown and the volunteer work programme shuddered to a halt. Much to everyone’s chagrin both from a “doing enjoyable… Continue reading The Water Meadows Chronicles part 11 (mid May 2020)

Iain Carruthers-Jones continues his accounts of BWMG work parties. Earlier parts of the Chronicles can be found here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 What extraordinary times we live in. Daily the situation changes; we have pronouncements every day from what the Scots call “high Heedyins”. The only problem is that every… Continue reading The Water Meadows Chronicles part 10 (March 2020)