The Jet stream !
15 May 2012 |
That's what's making our weather so un-May-like, apparently it's moved again - hence the wet and windy and cool !! Oh well - it's an ill wind, at least the Environment Agency should be pleased and our lake is full again and the Azaleas and Rhodo's seem quite happy judging by their flowers, as well as the daisies. It's been so wet underfoot that the grass has not been mown for ages, it's the longest I've seen it for years - hence all the daisies!! Our lovely Wysteria on the terrace is looking quite sick, something seems to be attacking the flowers, so this year we are not getting the glorious show we are used to - if anyone has any idea what might be causing the problem, please let me know ! |
 
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Sun at last
11 May 2012 |
| Sun and (mainly) fluffy clouds with a brisk cool breeze - an improvement on tramping around the ark in wet weather gear! The wet weather, sadly washed out our Dawn Chorus walk last Saturday, albeit one intrepid soul did manifest ! There is much to see in May with all sorts of plants bursting into leaf and flower and a pair of Canada geese are escorting a delightful family of goslings around the lake. |
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water in the park last Sunday
04 May 2012 |
You must remember last Sunday - it was wet wet wet. Look what happened to our cascade and stepping stones - a rare occurence !! |
 
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WET WET WET!!
28 April 2012 |
| At least the lake is filling up which has to be a good thing! Just intrepid joggers and dog walkers in the park! There are some vibrant red Rhododendron flowering as well as some Pieris looking good in the big bed by the loos. ALSO our two memorial Rosa Banksii are loaded with flower buds just about to burst and Richard Gosling's memorial damson is also about to flower. |
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Cool and wet
24 April 2012 |
Not many people in the park today - mainly dog walkers. The ongoing rain situation is having beneficial effect on our water - top pond is just about overflowing into the lake; lake is overflowing over the cascade and there is a trickle through the stepping stones!
I saw two moorhens having a go at a magpie and as I got closer saw that they were protecting young - baby moorhens are the cutest creatures looking like tiny black balls of fluff on long legs. Apparently there have been some ducklings but sadly they don't last long on the main lake with so many pike lurking in the depths and its still a bit early for goslings. Some if the nest boxes on the oaks near the upper pond are occupied with blue and great tits and Tony has planted bluebells near here too. |
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half term not quite over yet
16 April 2012 |
Doodle and I had a lovely walk in the park which was full of happy people as many schools had not yet returned after the Easter hols. Although there as a cool breeze but the sun was out and in sheltered spots it was jolly warm plants are flowering/breaking into leaf/budding up all over the place and the birds are clearly action packed - spring is springing!! Had a cup of tea and gossip with Ian at the cafe and then met Tony working on the long border with some Monday volunteers, so we had a catch up. The snowdrops which the Friends have donated are planted and Tony also has some bluebells to plant. The foxglove trees in the long border have loads of buds so should look a picture in due course.
Needless to say the Adventure Play area was was teeming with under 12's enjoying themselves. I noticed that the returfed eroded areas by the sides of the little slide were already eroded and muddy as you can see in the picture, this is going to happen all the time with the little ones preferring to scramble straight up the sides rather than detour up the steps and possibly the slide should have been designed with small child sized steps up each side - I wonder if it is possible and/or the funds available to do this. Or alternatively some sort of child safe little timber fence structure at the top of the slide between the steps and slide and slide and rocks?? In any event it does seem as if something needs to be done ? |
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Contrast!!!
09 April 2012 |
2.30 pm in the park. Howling cold gale and driving rain - couldn't be more different from my last report, but at least this is vaguely seasonal AND IT'S RAINING!!! It'll never be enough to put things right (unless it rains from now till September!!) but at least it will help a bit. The few intrepid souls I saw were mainly dog walkers like me albeit I did see a family well wrapped up against the weather sans hound but with small boy and football!
The ducks and geese seemed quite happy and the long border s looking great with loads of different colours and textures and a glorious splash of spring yellow forsythia in the middle. The best show at the moment is coming from the big rhododendron near the fountain which is covered in brilliant magenta blooms |
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Picnicking In the park!!
29 March 2012 |
| Another gloriously unseasonably balmy day and the park was full of people picnicking and sunbathing and playing and just ambling around with or without dogs - all just enjoying themselves! The mowing and strimming gang were in dealing with the grass and Tony and Ashley were planting the last of the 750 new plants which gave gone in over the last few weeks with Cliff following up the rear watering them from the little bowser! The Fritilleries are flowering near the upper pond and the bedding flower roundels below the terrace are an absolute picture. ALL IS LOVELY IN THE PARK! |
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Nearly a month since last blog!
26 March 2012 |
| This unseasonably warm bout of spring weather has brought many people into the park as well as bringing on many of the plants - buds are bursting and flowers are blooming all over the place. As well as lovely display of daffodils I noticed that the new larch near the cafe is in flower with its unusual little red 'bottle brush' flowers and the juxtaposition of the acid green euphorbia flowers with the dark pink heather in the long border is a delight!! I suppose it's the way of the world, but the influx of people enjoying themselves in the park always seems to result in thoughtless behaviour by a few - I did an early morning walk in the park on Sunday and spent 10 minutes collecting the rubbish from a picnic left strewn over the grassy area on the cafe side of the lake. The Dragon play area was teeming with small happy children on Friday and the new signs are perfect - what a wonderful place - here's hoping we don't have any more mindless vandalism. Finally, don't forget the photographic competition - get out into the park and record the spring you budding photographers! |
 
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Following on from yesterday!
29 February 2012 |
| Lovely, lovely afternoon in the park. Had a good catch up with Tony who was planting some new rhododendrons - pretty pink quite small variety of the Yakush. group called Caroline Allbrook. Got my wrists slapped for wrongly identifying the shrub flowering at the upper pond - not Wych Hazel but Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) - jolly well should've known!!! The fountain is turned off waiting for some repairs (fairly minor) and the missing turf on the dragon will be done soon (I hope). That's all folks (!?) |
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Blogging from my iPhone!
28 February 2012 |
As forecast, a balmy day. Park is weekday occupied with grandparents and toddlers,dog walkers,keep-fitters on the terrace and casual amblers! There is a fabulous display of yellow Wych hazel at the upper pond and snow drops and crocuses delight. The new turf on the dragon seems to be establishing well, but I wonder why there are a few bare patches which were not returfed - must ask Tony. Sadly there is a cedar towards the top of the avenue which is dying and for some reason the fountain is not happily squirting away - must ask Tony why!!
Off for a cup of tea at the cafe |
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Today's brief report from the Park
21 February 2012 |
Now that half term is over, there were less people in the park, but still quite a few roaming around. Breezy, but already becoming milder as the weather men have forecast, and in fact I sat on a bench below the cafe enjoying the sun and having a cup of tea. Spring really is showing signs of springing, albeit some areas are jolly muddy - to be expected at this time of year!
Tony and his team were busy spreading mushroom compost on the long border. There is a fine display of snowdrops down the zigzag path and near the summer house, AND some of spring flowering cyclamen the Friends donated which were planted in the autumn are flowering by the rockery - so pretty !
The vandalism I reported previously seems to have stopped (for the moment), possibly because of an evening police presence recently.
There will be a 2013 Dunorlan Park Calender, Rachel Luckhurst is again prime organiser and this year we are running a photographic competition for the calender... WATCH THIS SPACE, MORE SOON. |
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Waiting for Snow !!
04 February 2012 |
A very cold amble round the park today with the hound - not many people braving the arctic weather. Tony Ewins has reported further vandalism to the living willow wall, I had a quick look - soooo depressing - why do they do it?? But at least we (Tony and Team) should be able to repair it I think. Both ponds and the lake are iced over - just a small bit of open water left at the moment for the ducks, geese and moorhens - life is very difficult for them when it is this cold, not only food-wise, but also they become vulnerable to foxes when the lake is iced over and their islands become accessible. On the food front, the Friends provide grain for the birds from their Bird Seed Fund (thanks to everybody who donates to this) - invaluable at this time of year - I delivered 4 bags of grain to Tony on Thursday, and at the weekends, when the park team are not there to distribute the grain, bread from park visitors is very welcome !! Icicles (is that how you spell it?) on the fountain and a big pile of mushroom compost in Halls Hole Road car park ready to be incorporated into planting beds when the weather improved. |
 
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SOME GOOD AND SOME BAD !
19 January 2012 |
The bright frosty weather brought out lots of people last Sunday and all seemed well with the Park. However..... yesterday I heard from Tony Ewins that our play area had been vandalised - the likely culprits being a snot of yoofs (my collective noun !) who had been seen roaming around the park - part of the living wall had been ripped out and the 'drums' had been terminally damaged as you can see from the pix. Both things can be repaired at not too much cost, but as ever one wonders what on earth they got out of destroying things which give children (and grown-ups) much pleasure. Bored and disaffected I suppose, so sad. Not all bad 'tho, because I noticed some Wych Hazel is in flower - a burst of yellow winter joy! |
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Sunday perambulation
08 January 2012 |
We are stuck in anti-cyclonic gloom at the moment - high pressure and oh so grey, as well as continuing to be unseasonably mild. Anyway, despite the gloom, the park was quite busy and seemed dominated by happy children and equally happy dogs ! Not yet mid January and quite a lot of plants in flower as well as some rather luscious Rosa rugosa hips which I photographed. What is in flower - well: Viburnum tinus, heather, a number of different varieties of rhododendron here and there, Euphorbia wulfenii (I think - Tony may put me right on this), a couple of snowdrops next to the zigzag path, mahonia and just one white camelia. Probably other stuff too, but that's all I noticed. |
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New Years' Day
01 January 2012 |
Doodle and I went for a New Year lunch time mooch in the park - a grey and drizzly day degenerating into quite heavy rain by the time that we left, (but oh so mild) and even so the park was busy with families, dog walkers, lone walkers and the occasional jogger. It was clear that the favourite Chrissy prezzy for small children this year was foot scooters closely followed by mini-bikes - much hurtling around was observed !! Anyway, we got jolly wet and quite muddy, Doodle wrecked one of his tennis balls and went into (temporary) decline until he forgot it and we then trundled home for a late lunch!
Here's hoping that 2012 is better than the pundits would have us believe possible, and at the very least kind in one way or another to all of us. And looking forward to seeing Friends' Members as our annual celebration next Friday.
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Pre-Christmas Blog
18 December 2011 |
The hound (Doodle) and I donned boots (well I did anyway) for our walk in the park today, although there had been quite a sharp frost in the morning with the remnants of ice on the lake and ponds, it was a bit grey and jolly muddy when we were in the park. As ever 'tho, despite the conditions, there were still plenthy of people in the park - loads of other dog walkers as well as a number of families perambulating, and the cafe seemed busy.
As I walked over the board walk at the boggy bit towards the Bayhall Road end of the park I noticed another length of old hedgerow had been beautifully layed - this was done (I think) at the beginning of the week by volunteers from AXA under the expert guidance of the Kent High Weald Partnership. The upper pond is now almost full and the dipping platforms fit much better now that they don't look as if they are perched miles above the water. The lake is also filling up again after all the recent rain we have had and there is even a trickle of water over the cascade. There are some Rhododendrons flowering down towards the fountain as well as lovely patches of purple heather in the long border.
I hope you all have a very jolly Christmas and New Year and see you at the Friends annual Celebration on 6 January 2012 !! |
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Chairman's brief update
02 December 2011 |
I've not been to the park this week, but after all the rain we had last week the upper pond should be filling up nicely !
The November newsletter is in the system. Those with emails will have received an electronic copy and the paper copies will be delivered by Valerie Storey and her redoubtable team imminently ! |
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| Tragedy in the park |
| The dragon(ess) gobbled down a small noisy child this afternoon, belching loudly with satisfaction. |
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| Mooch in the Park on Friday afternoon with Doodle
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In between showers the weather was really sunny albeit a bit breezy too. I met Tony and volunteers doing some clearance work at the upper pond as well as a gang of fencing contractors finishing off the fence extension to the pond area and putting in access gates for people to get to the dipping platforms. The fencing is split chestnut rails and looks new but good, increasing the protected habitat area of the upper pond. Had a good 'catch up' gas with Tony.
Also.... met Michael Ditch who is supervising the installation of the new play area. He is one half of Michael Ditch Associates who designed the play area - he tells me person with all the wonderful ideas for the play area is the other half of MDA - Angela Mainwaring.
The park was busy and happy. |
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Walk in the Park
26 March 2011 |
| I have been to the park this balmy spring afternoon walking Doodle, the hound, and was thrilled to see that one of the fritillaries is in full flower – what a delight ! I continued my perambulation round the cafe side of the lake with Doodle on his lead (on lead on cafe side of the lake/off lead in the meadows) in a mellow frame of mind. Sadly this didn’t last very long and ten minutes later I was foaming at the mouth surveying the empty bottles and cans of alcohol strewn around the summerhouse and in the lower pond together with some bamboo which had been ripped out – ignorance and alcohol together are a destructive and antisocial combination which sadly seems to blight our society and it grieves me to see the results in the park spoiling it for other users. Things didn’t actually improve as I continued my walk with my blood pressure rising again at the sight of an out-of-control black Labrador in the lake, swimming strongly, chasing and terrorising our waterfowl – ineffectual owners vainly calling for the dog who ignored them – if a dog is prone to chasing birds and won’t come when it’s called it should be kept on a lead wherever it is in the park, and perhaps the owners should consider taking their dog ownership responsibilities more seriously and take their dogs to training classes ! |
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