New Scrapbook Packs & Field Sketches

I have not done any journalling or scrapbooking for ages as I have been busy with the books, and as previously mentioned, I tend to keep a big pad on the dining table so I can draw what I see from the window, or on returning from a walk rather than using my designated Nature Notebook.

A few days ago I took a walk down to the farm where I live. It’s a great habitat in spite of the intensive arable all around it, and I have seen a huge variety of behaviours and interactions in the fourteen years I have been here. The photos below show a panorama from my spot at the intersection of the farm track and the bridleway. There are lots of dog walkers that use the route but the farm is obviously private property so the birds and wildlife are used to passers by, making for some great observations.

I have seen lots of juvenile Blue and Great Tits, and Long-tailed Tits too. The Kestrels have clearly had a good year as I saw five perched in an ash tree, with two of them yelling for food. A family of Goldfinches were busy tweezing out the thistles, sending clouds of fluffy down across the yard. Buzzards are mewing in the tops of the trees in the copse near my house but I’ve not seen them yet this year, although the adults are doing their usual cruising over the fields. In my garden I put out a seed tray with water for the birds, and have had a juvenile Robin as well as a very moulty Dunnock visiting. The Dunnock has no tail feathers, and has lost a lot on its neck too so is hopping around looking like a ball on legs. The Wren is still feeding its youngsters and has been tick-tick-ticking amongst the brambles. The rabbits are out in some number during the evenings, and there are a family of foxes, four of whom I saw in the newly-harvested fields a few days ago. I also see the fallow deer regularly, and there is a young buck (a spiker) which seems to roam around on his own and appears to be very bold. We get roe deer too, and it was lovely to see this pair out in the hayfield in their beautiful fox-red summer coats.

Here are my sketches from the last couple of days:

I never really know what to do with these sketchpad pages as it’s a gummed pad with a cover that my cat attacks when he’s hungry as it’s a surefire way to get my attention, meaning the pages get wrecked (see photo!). So, I have decided to add bits of them to my scrapbooking packs as that way, they get used and appreciated rather than sitting in a box or – heaven forbid – thrown away.

Since discovering handmade envelopes I have revamped my scrapbooking packs so that I can package the bits and pieces up in to a nice, reusable parcel. Here is what is now in the packs:

I am hoping to get on with some journal entries over the next couple of weeks as the books go a bit quiet while everyone is on annual leave, or covering for those who are!

Please see my webpage to purchase a scrapbooking pack for more details, or buy one here: