Hawks, hogs and holidays

What a fantastic day we had today! The sun finally made an appearance, it is the first day of the half term holiday and we had a brilliant show of hawks and owls from Feather Perfect, a local company based in Telford. Hundreds of visitors gathered to watch the flying displays, and some lucky ones were even able to take part. It was a great opportunity to get close to some beautiful birds of prey and really appreciate their speed and agility as they soared across the Mile Meadow paddock and the crowd. I hope that we can have similar days in the future - and that one day I get to be the one with the gloves on handling these magnificent birds!

Last Sunday we had a party to celebrate the five year anniversary of the first turning of the soil in the Walled Garden since its restoration began. In the Bothy you can see displays of photographs from the last five years, including some taken back when the garden was an empty grass field - hard to believe when you compare it with what you see now. The staff and volunteers have done an amazing job in transforming the area, and work is ongoing - now that the old childrens playground has moved into the Shoulder of Mutton playfield, the three new tamworth piglets are hard at work rooting and fertilising the soil so that later in the year it will be turned back into production. The plan is for a flower garden, providing fresh cut flowers for the mansion and tearoom as well as a beautiful area for visitors to enjoy. Here they are on the day of the party:

The wardens have been working a lot on one of our tenanted farms, clearing away old spiral guards from established young hedges, pollarding overgrown and collapsing willows along a brook and removing an old fence so that it can be replaced. It has been a strange week weather-wise - one minute we are wrapped up in fleeces and dodging hailstones, the next minute melting in the hot sun! Other jobs have included burning brash, fixing a few gates and reopening the WWII walk with a new and improved route - now the walk goes through the alcove where previously visitors could not go, and avoids the wet area at the top of the deer park near the tip of Reptons Wood. There are yellow-topped posts and arrow posts to mark the route, so have a go and tell me what you think!