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THERE'S PLENTY of Gorse in bloom on the sandstone scarp of Storrs Hill. It's good to see the yellow against a clear blue patch of sky, a reminder of similar scenes in the middle of summer.
'When Furze is out of flower, kissing's out of favour'as the country saying has it. A dozen or more Blackbirds are wintering in the wood. They are usually in the dense Elm, Hawthorn, Oak and Ivy hedge at the top of the slope. A small flock of Wood Pigeons is also a feature of the wood at the moment. We hear the clatter of their wings as they take off from the treetops.
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It has a long season;
At least two Blackbirds, a male and a female, feed on the Golden Hornet crab apples during the day. At sunset the female chases one of the males away from the crab apple, across the raised bed, around the lawn and over the fence into the next door garden. Perhaps she has paired up with the other male.