how wonderful to have witnessed something like that! What part of the country are you in? Hi Kitla I live near Canterbury Kent. You wouldn't think the crowded South East would be up on wildlife would you? Well, I don't often see a migration. We used to have redwing and field fares long ago, and of ...

My wildlife star plant of the year is ivy. We have had a wren, a robin and 2 blackbird nests in different parts of the 'hedge'. Probably there were more than I didn't spot. My neighbour's two young pheasants like to roost in our ivy covered tree and I have seen an owl sitting there. The ivy flowers...

Am I too late? Probably. You should do a visual health check. Good feathers obviously, and none missing from the tail. Red comb (unless it is a breed with a different coloured comb) bright open eyes, no discharge from nostrils, and CLEAN LEGS. This tends to be the most common fault you will find. It...

Hi Andy. Oh dear I may be unpopular when I say that very few chicken houses on sale are up to the job. Most of them do not begin to cater for the needs of either the chickens or the keeper. For instance, my neighbour kindly gave me one which I still might remodel, but I had to bend down and stick my...

Don't know whether it is quite 100 years old but it is a Web cylinder self propelling mower with a heavy iron roller. A museum piece. Beautiful stripes. It would grace a bowling green. The engine was working when last used but the whole thing needs considerable restoration work now. Alternatively it...

Last night was wonderful. I saw something I have never seen before. The local Canada geese have been flying backwards and forwards for a while now. They get restless at this time of year because if they were at home in Canada they would be migrating. But last night was something else! I heard geese ...

Hi. There is a difference between hardwood and softwood cutting. You need to get two little pots of rooting hormone, one for hard and one for soft. Another tip I have often seen is always stick the cuttings against the side of the pot, and it is very important that the pot stays cool, otherwise the ...

There is a huge divide between people who love growing their own vegies and plantsman gardeners isn't there? In trying to sell my house I have had a lot of people say "Oh I'll start a vegetable patch", but no one so far has taken any interest in the garden, apart from to say "Oh what ...

Save the trees! If there are no trees there will be no nightingales. (Though actually they nest very close to the ground. But under trees.) Do you think that people are forgetting how long it takes a tree to grow? So many people now are saying its OK to cut down a tree so long as you plant another i...

No I don't actually know, but their remits are different. Fair trade is about getting good pay for the workers, and Rainforest Alliance is about not allowing More and MORE forest land to be taken over by plantations. The ideal would be to buy things that were both!

Hi All. Yes I saw a ladybird, day before yesterday. It didn't have any spots!. I have only had one cricket indoors this year, and it was brown. Haven't seen a green one. Worrying, There are a lot of devils coach horses about. Have seen them around the house and one inside. Sinister looking beasties!...

Guten Tag Maja, Greetings and welcome to The Lane Don't knowif they have charity shops in Germany but it might be worthwhile having a look. Only for outer clothing though as I wouldn't fancy buying secondhand undies. Dom Charity shops you must have surely? The other two favourites in Britain are ju...

Nice one Richard. Interestingly, this month's speaker at our local beekeepers' meeting was the area bee inspector. His talk was on keeping bees in Ireland, where he has a few hives that he only visits once a year. Seeing as he isn't on hand, he leaves them very much just to get on with it, so it ca...

Hi Richard et al. Due to the necessity of moving to a more manageable house, I have to get rid of my poultry. I was trying to get a new breed going, called Roadrunner Rookies. They were supposed to be long legged lean birds with crowns, (they have Sicilian Buttercup in them) flowing crests and tails...

What a horrible thought Fabidia! But sadly so true. The wildlife I remember in my youth bears no relation to what is seen today. 30 yrs ago the fields down by the river were covered in lapwings, redwings and fieldfares, and every evening flocks flew over. Now there are NONE. The turtle doves in the ...