Images from our trip to Arne

The World's Healthiest Foods Website

A quick word about a really useful website that I came across recently. It's called The World's Healthiest Foods and it is a database of healthy ingredients with nutritional information, cooking articles, recipes, and cooking methods. I came across it whilst looking for some advice on how to increase Omega 3 in our diet to help my husband's eczema. If you are interested in a healthy, nutritious diet I recommend that you have a look at this site. 10 million visitors a year can't be wrong! The site is written with enthusiasm and it encourages you rather than preaches at you. I found the Recipe Assistant particularly useful. This assistant helps you search the database for recipes based on your personal needs. You can select foods to include, foods to exclude and nutrients that you require. A nutritional profile is given for each recipe. I have tried several of the recipes so far. They have all been quick and easy to prepare and, most importantly, delicious! You will have to translate the recipies from American. They use cups for measurement and some ingredients are known by a different name than we use here.

Youtube video of Red Squirrel burying a nut - fantastic

Now I've found out how - here are Mark's videos of Red Squirrel on Brownsea!

Mark's Video Clips of Poppies at Fontmell Down (best with sound turned off!)

Poppies growing in a field on Clubmen's Down near Compton Abbas Airfield, Dorset

Poole Harbour & Brownsea Island

Yesterday was another glorious autumn day. Mark, Mum and I went over to Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour. We took a ferry boat from Poole Quay, close by the statue of Baden-Powell, across to the island. When we set off it was still overcast and quite chilly on the water but as the day wore on the sun came out and it quickly warmed up.

We saw our first red squirrel shortly after leaving the quayside. It ran across our path as we made our way towards the church. The reds are easy to spot on warm days at this time of year as they are busy feeding on the beech mast and sweet chestnuts. One squirrel spent a long time scampering around in an large relatively open area and we spent quite some time watching it, absolutely spellbound. This squirrel was getting its darker winter coat but has a red band around its tail! I managed to get a couple photos and Mark, who has x40 magnification on his digital camera, managed to get a couple of video clips.

If you don't know Brownsea Island or anything about Red Squirrels then you can take a Red Squirrel guided walk (morning and afternoons until 25th October) which will take you to the best places for seeing the squirrels. For those less able visitors there is a free tractor-trailer trail which runs twice a day (again morning and afternoon).

I hope that you enjoyed the slideshow of our pictures in the previous post. For some reason Blogger has a fit when I try and put text in the same post as the slideshow so I've had to split the post into two! Blogger also doesn't allow video clips any more so I can't show Marks video of the red quirrel eating at present.

P.S.
I have put Mark's video clips of the squirrel eating on youtube. Here are the links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1EmHx5yz1M and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_DYDu7dws8 

Check out this clip that's been put on youtube of a Brownsea squirrel burying a nut - soooo cute! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8FNeUZXlwM

Brownsea Island & Poole Harbour Slideshow

Moyles Court and Summerlug Hill Walk

Pond at Summerlug Hill

After a cold start this morning it turned into a glorious autumn day. Mark and I drove out to the New Forest for a walk. We started at Moyles Court and followed the Avon Valley Path to Mockbeggar. From there we climbed up Summerlug Hill, walked across the heath and then down to Rodents Bottom, returning to Moyles Court via Bigsburn Hill and Rockford.

This is a superb little walk. Fields, streams, fords, woods, heathland, paddocks, a pond, fantastic views, ancient oaks, ponies, donkeys... all in 3 miles! There are a couple of places that are muddy but we managed to cross them on logs etc pretty much unsullied. In wetter times wellies would be in order.

The leaves on the trees are changing colour and the bracken has turned the colour of my childhood canine companion, Chum. In another couple of weeks the colour will be magnificant. There are a lot of holly berries around. I have noticed that quite often in the forest there are oaks and holly growing together - seemingly from the same spot in the ground! I haven't managed to get a satisfactory picture yet because the oak is usually much taller than the holly but I did manage to get one picture today with both holly and oak leaves in it.

On Summerlug Hill there is a pond and we sat there watching the reflections of the clouds in the water as we ate our sarnies. As we made our way back to the car we met a couple of friendly donkeys who came over for a pet.

If you fancy taking this walk the route is in Jarrold Short Walks - the New Forest National Park.

Haiku

Long-tailed tits chirping

Nearly bare apple branches -

Below cat watches.

Bee on chrysanth

I captured this bee gorging itself on the chrysanthemum in the garden. It was there for such a long time I had to check whether it was still alive!

Moorhen in tree

I spotted this moorhen sitting in the tree in Poole Park.