It's getting warmer (honest)
Now the weather is getting better, why not consider walking or cycling to church?.
Better for you, better for the environment, and better for your pocket!
Swifts need help!
The number of swifts breeding in the UK is falling.
Over the past 15 years numbers of this amazing and beautiful bird have dropped by about 40%.
Working with Men's Sheds and Berks Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust we have now installed swift boxes on the north side of the church tower, which we hope will attract and protect these birds.
I was very glad to be at the planning stage and not on the installation team!
Swifts pair for life and return to the same nest sites year after year.
They tend to nest in colonies and have a screaming call which attracts other swifts to a nesting site.
Tall buildings with more than one storey, such as churches and towers, make ideal nesting sites.
Swifts tend to eat the droppings of their young and so there is usually little or no mess beneath a swift nest.
We are looking forward to organising some nature walks in the summer so people can learn more about the swifts and other wildlife in the churchyard
Let it grow this #NoMowMay
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Plantlife’s #NoMowMay is almost upon us and we’d love as many households as possible give lawnmowers a month off!
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You might be surprised by what germinates in your lawn or church grounds by letting things grow.
Clover seeds may already be present (they used to be in packets of lawn seed) and other seeds get blown in or dropped by birds.
Over the month (or two if you #LetItBloomJune), plants that have been lying dormant have a chance to grow, bloom and make some pollinators happy!
Vegetable double bubble
There are many vegetables and herbs you can grow indoors using parts of the produce you would throw away and this can save you money the next time you go grocery shopping.
Celery
To grow this healthy snack at home, cut off the base of the celery and leave it in a bowl with a little bit of warm water. Keep the bowl in direct sunlight, and in a week, your celery base will start to grow leaves.
Transplant the celery in soil and watch it grow!
Romaine Lettuce
Similar to celery, keep the base of your romaine lettuce in a bowl with a ½ inch of warm water.
Leave it to sit in direct sunlight, and in a week or two, your lettuce stem will produce fresh, new lettuce leaves for all your great salads.
Transplant your lettuce to soil to continue growing. They should be full grown in three to four weeks. This process works for Bok Choy as well.
Garlic Sprouts
Are those tentacles?! Nope, those long green things growing out your garlic are green shoots. You can put them in a little water, under a lot of sunlight and grow a bunch of garlic sprouts. They are milder in taste than garlic cloves and are great in salads, pasta and as a garnish.