Here are this month’s jobs from Sherborne gardener Pete Harcom – perfect for a mild crisp December winter’s day.
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Winter digging can continue This is weather permitting – only when soil is not too wet or frozen. To feed the soil and improve the structure, use garden compost, well rotted manure and leaf mould.
Heathers are now in bloom There are good selections available in the garden centres
One idea for colour in the home at Christmas In early December cut shoots from your winter flowering shrubs – in the warmth of the home or greenhouse they will open up and flower in time for Christmas.
In the greenhouse Ensure all is clean and clear of rubbish and waste – this will reduce the number of any overwintering pests. But do leave spiders alone; they’re useful predators, let them have the corners.
Sow seeds of Alpine plants These can be very easy to grow in a cool greenhouse. Some alpine seeds need exposure to low temperatures before germination, and an average UK winter should provide the right environment.
Cut rust-affected hollyhocks Take them right down to the ground, and dispose of the stems, don’t add them to your compst.
Fungal spores and many pest-pupae over- winter in the soil at the base of plants, ready for action once spring arrives and growth begins again. Remove (and compost) old mulches in all areas of the garden, and lightly dig around the base of plants to expose pests to predators (birds love grubs!) and winter weather.
Avoid disturbing large piles of leaves now. Leaf piles are amazing for wildlife, providing shelter and a great nesting spot for hibernating animals, such as hedgehogs, small mammals, frogs and countless insects. Birds will also peck through leaf piles looking for worms and grubs.
Hang fat-balls and bird feeders Hang them all around the garden; birds who are coming in to feed will also enjoy feasting on your troublesome overwintering aphids and other pests.
Scrub pots and seed trays Do this before stacking away, to get rid of any lingering pests and diseases.
Last chance to protect plants with fleece It’s a simple way to help those in exposed spots in the garden
Now is a good time to clean up those gardening tools! Bring them into the shed – clean, sharpen, and oil them, and then you are ready for Spring!
Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year. Pete
by Pete Harcom – Head Gardener at Sherton Abbas Gardening
Madeline Ethel de Ruyter Of Barnaby Mill, Gillingham (previously Wincanton & Streatham London.
Passed away peacefully on 4th December 2021 aged 90 years.
A much loved Mum, Grandma and Great Grandma.
Funeral service to be held at Yeovil Crematorium on Friday 7th January 2022 at 2 pm. Family flowers only please.
To make an online donation in memory of Madeline please visit her Tribute site at: www.funeralcare.co.uk/tributes-and-donations or, send a cheque made payable to ‘Dorset Air Ambulance’ to Cooperative Funeralcare, 2 High Street, Gillingham SP8 4QT
Big views and easy to find paths with lots to see and enjoy.
Although long-ish, this is an undemanding route through a folded landscape, using easy-to-follow paths which beg you to slow down and saunter around, enjoying the often- surprising views, the parkland and the forest tracks.
The routes we feature have always been created and walked recently by ourselves, so you know you can trust them – we aim for unpopulated routes with as little road and as many views as possible! You can always see the route and follow it yourself via the free Outdoor Active app – see all our routes here (you’ll need to create a free account to see them)
To follow this route using the Outdooractive App, please find the route here.
From Chase Woods you wind your way up to the Ox Drove with its views (detour to eat lunch enjoying the view from South Down above Alvediston – highly recommend!). Then winding back down to the Rushmore Estate via a spine between folded valleys, enjoying the finish of the wide, sweeping curves of Tinkley Down and Tinkley Bottom. How can you resist a walk that ends in a Tinkley Bottom?
Walking The Shire Rack through Chase woods.
The view of Winkelbury Hill from the Ox Drove never fails to impress (and surprise anyone who’s walked on it – you cannot see the dramatic folds when you’re on the hill.
Very inappropriately named ‘Dank Wood Corner’. It’s not dank, it’s quite lovely.
The fascinating abandoned walled garden next to Rushmore Golf Course.
Christmas is usually full of joy; meeting friends and family, delicious foodand plenty of gifting. However, for our pets this wonderful time of yearcan be filled with many unexpected dangers.
The Damory team have rounded up the biggest issues they see each year over the festive period – forewarned is forearmed!
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Common Dog Dangers over the Festive period:
Chocolate: Theobromine is a stimulant in chocolate that makes it very poisonous to dogs. Try to avoid puttingchocolate decorations within reach of your pet, on the tree or underneath.
Christmas puddings and mince pies: The grapes, sultanas and currants in these Christmas treats are toxic to dogs. Ingestion can cause kidney failure so keep 5. these foods out of reach and ensure all leftovers are disposed of.
Cheese: Always abundant at Christmas, cheese can always pose issues to our dogs as eating too much can lead to inflammation of the pancreas, called pancreatitis. Ensure your food is kept away from any sniffing noses.
Cooked bones: Once they are cooked these can splinter which can pierce their digestive tract or cause an obstruction. Ensure Christmas meat is kept in a secure location and any leftovers disposed of in secure food waste bins.
Articial sweeteners: A common sweetener called Xylitol can lead to potentially fatal hypoglycaemia and acute liver failure. This is often found in many sweet treats at Christmas so ensure these are kept away from your pets at all costs.
Glass baubles: These, if dropped, tend to smash into shards and can cause injury to paws, as well as sometimes being eaten. If swallowed this can obviously cause irritation, perforation and blockages. One way to avoid is to opt for shatter-proof baubles or decorations made of pet-friendly materials.
Salt dough ornaments: Due to the salt component ingestion can cause potentially fatal salt toxicosis with symptoms including vomiting, diarrhoea and seizures. Make sure these are hung high up out of reach or avoid their use if you have a curious pet.
Batteries: Due to the increase in gifts, ingestion of batteries is more common at Christmas. This can cause chemical burns and heavy metal poisoning. Keep batteries away from pets and avoid leaving small toys around.
Fairy lights: Some dogs will try and eat anything! Fairy Lights may cause electric shock if chewed. Use an extension cord that shuts off if damaged and secure wires out of reach if possible.
Silica gel: often found in packaging to keep products dry. They are non-toxic but if ingested can expand and cause blockages in the gut. Make sure any packets are disposed of.
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Common Cat Dangers over the Festive period:
Tinsel: Cats love to play with tinsel, but this can cause life threatening blockages in their stomach or intestines. To reduce the risk ensure you always supervise your pet, or you can use pet friendly alternatives.
Fairy lights: Cats like to chew and therefore are at risk of electric shock. Use an extension cord that shuts off automatically when the wire is damaged and secure wires out of reach.
Candles: Candles attract curious noses and often fall over when they are brushed against. This can result in burns to tails and paws. Keep candles well out of reach of cats, and ensure they are safely extinguished when you are not in the room.
Snow globes: Snow globes contain antifreeze (ethylene glycol), as little as one tablespoon can be fatal to cats. Avoid purchasing these to remove this fatal hazard.
Poinsettia, mistletoe and ivy: These are all mildly toxic and can cause vomiting, drooling, diarrhoea and can cause other symptoms. Keep these well out of reach.
Silica gel: Commonly found in packaging, they are typically non-toxic but these can cause blockages in the intestines. Ensure when opening packages and gifts that you dispose of these carefully.
Mouldy food: Mouldy cat & human food, particularly dairy products, bread & nuts contain lots of toxins that can make your cat seriously ill. Do not forget to check your cat’s food & bowls for mould, especially if your cat grazes or you use puzzle/slow feeders. To avoid this risk, ensure your food recycling is secure and cat food should always be fresh and in-date, ensuring cat bowls and feeders are cleaned regularly.
Cooked bones: Bones can pose the same risks as with dogs potentially requiring emergency surgery. Ensure Christmas meat is kept in a secure location and any leftovers disposed of in secure food waste bins.
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9. Chocolate: Like dogs, chocolate is severely poisonous to cats. Never hang chocolate decorations on the Christmas tree and remove chocolate presents from under the tree.
10. Christmas trees: Pine needles can cause an upset stomach, cuts to paws and mouth and in severe cases can perforate the intestines. To avoid this vacuum daily, and ensure your tree is secure. It is also worth considering keeping cats out of rooms with Christmas trees.
One of our favourite signs of Christmas dates back thousands of years, says Charlotte Tombs.
image by Charlotte Tombs
I am worse than a toddler at this time of year. Every time I return from a walk with the dogs my pockets are bulging with the myriad of autumnal treasures that I have found and foraged. There really is so much to be picked up – you just have to open your eyes and take the time to really look around you to see the beauty that is out there: brightly coloured leaves; broken twigs with the most amazing lichen growing on them; pine and fir cones; dried grasses and teasels; catkins; berries; willow whips and so much more. These autumn gifts are what makes a Christmas Wreath so special, combined with seed heads and dried flowers that I grow in the summer with wreath- making in mind.
image by Charlotte Tombs
Eternal life
A Christmas wreath with its circular shape and evergreen foliage is said to be a representation of eternal life, and of faith, as Christians in Europe would often place a candle on a wreath during Advent to symbolise the light that Jesus brought into the world. Wreaths are also used at funerals, again as a representation of the circle of eternal life.
Your own wreath
Lots of flower farmers will hold wreath workshops for you to learn to make your own. Do check out
The word wreath comes from the old English word ‘writha’ whose literal meaning is ‘that which is round’.
Wreaths are also connected with the pagan holiday of Yule, marking the winter solstice which was celebrated by ancient Germanic and Scandinavian people. This 12 day festival which was also called Mid Winter was held to honour the returning of the sun and the seasonal cycle, which alone is good enough for me.
Disclaimer: all wild plants are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is illegal to dig up or remove a plant including algae, lichens and fungi from the land on which it is growing without permission from the landowner or occupier. For more information please see www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
Charlotte Tombs, an experienced Dorset flower farmer at Northcombe Flowers in Sturminster Marshall,
Not all hedgehogs need rescuing, no matter how vulnerable they look. Here’s how to spot those that need help – and how to give it.
Image by reader Judi Low of the ‘Hedgehog Highway’ which she installed in her garden fence to encourage hedgehog traffic. She says “almost straight away hedgehogs started to come in to the garden, and I now have a resident hibernating in an also newly-installed hedgehog house!”
This year has been incredibly busy at our Hedgehog Rescue; we have now had over 780 hedgehogs admitted since 2018. This month we have really struggled to cope with the number of young and orphaned or abandoned urchins. It is really hard to have to turn so many away from our door, especially as there are very few other places close by to take them. It is heart breaking.
What can you do to help these poor baby hedgehogs? Firstly, keep feeding them in your garden to help them put on weight. Even if they do not come for a few nights, please keep putting the food in the same position in your garden at around the same time and they will know where and when the food will arrive. The hungriest ones will always be the first to arrive. They eat more than you think and a hungry hedgehog can eat up to 200 grams of food a night.
Safe feeding tips
Place the food in a dish, not on the ground. A dish will keep the food cleaner than if put on the earth. Wet cat food in jelly freezes more quickly than dry cat food but either will help a hungry hoglet. Leave fresh water out in several places in your garden. Do not feed a hedgehog by the light of a torch. They will get used to seeing the torch light and associate it with food delivery. When they see a car’s lights they will run towards it expecting food only to find something much bigger and less forgiving.
When to rescue
If you find a small hedgehog out during the day, at this time of the year they will be in need of help. Pick the hedgehog up wearing gloves and put it in a high sided box with some heat. A hot water bottle or warm water in a plastic bottle will need to be replaced regularly to keep the hog warm. Put an old towel or jumper into the box to help it stay warm and snug. Give it some water in a shallow saucer or bowl. Let it have a good drink before offering some cat food in jelly. Our maximum capacity for hedgehogs is 38, as we only have space and time to care for that many. Anything over puts pressure and stress on me and the lovely volunteers who all kindly give their time and energy free to help the hedgehogs. However, a healthy hedgehog out at night feeding in your garden will probably do very well. If you continue support feeding all winter, it will survive; it is the lack of available food that causes most issues. Some folk are encouraging people to pick these night visitors up and take them to a rescue. If they are healthy and well, they are more likely to die in a rescue of the stress caused by being picked up and put into a box, driven to a rescue and caged. A healthy hog does not need to be inside in the warm but outside in the wild so it can look after itself.
Which animals to rescue
A healthy hog is out at night; an ill hedgehog can be seen out of its nest during the day, and these are the ones the spaces in a rescue should be saved for. If you do pick a hedgehog up at night because you consider it is too small to hibernate, and put it in a box with the intention of caring for it yourself, please do so with the support of your local rescue. They will talk you through the care needed and give you help and assistance.
Jeanette at Hedgehog Rescue of Hazelbury Bryan 01258 818266
If you’d like to support Jeanette’s work and our North Dorset hedgehogs, please consider purchasing something from the rescue’s Amazon wishlist here
A book is a foolproof gift for most people at Christmas – if you love to read, you can never be disappointed when you received a thoughtfully chosen new book. If you’re looking for some inspiration, we’ve rounded up our favoutite, exceedingly gift-able, books by local authors.
Dipping into Somerset and Wiltshire
IF you love Somerset, or know someone who does, Deepest Somerset, by journalists Gay Pirrie-Weir and Fanny Charles, would be the perfect Christmas present. It’s packed full of fascinating facts and gorgeous photographs. And your gift also helps local charities – the proceeds of Deepest Somerset will be shared between the Children’s Hospice South West, the Farming Community Network and Somerset Community Foundation. Somerset is the third and final book in the Deepest series, following Deepest Dorset, (published in 2016 and now sold out), and Deepest Wiltshire, which is supporting Wiltshire Community Foundation, with donations also to Wiltshire Air Ambulance and the military charity SSAFA.
Scandals and innocents The aim of the Deepest series is to go beyond the familiar features – whether it’s Lulworth Cove or the Cerne Giant in Dorset, Stonehenge in Wiltshire or Cheddar Gorge and the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset to reveal more about the history, culture, and lives of the people who live in these beautiful counties. In Wiltshire, the authors discovered the stories of the real Winnie the Pooh, the scandalous Lady Meux and a 19 year old boy hung for a crime he didn’t commit, whose tomb at Trowbridge is a place of pilgrimage for anyone interested in the early history of trade unionism.
Prince Charles’ ’wonderful book’ Somerset has a rich food and drink heritage. Chef Philippa Davis from Shaftesbury, who has created recipes with local ingredients for all three Deepest books, went to Porlock to learn about – and taste – Porlock Oysters. Fanny Charles spent a day with one of the world’s great cheese-makers, George Keen, at Wincanton, to learn about cheddaring and how his family has been making this traditional, clothbound, unpasteurised, farmhouse Cheddar for more than 100 years. Gay Pirrie-Weir talked to Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis about his lifelong Methodism. They all tasted a range of artisan ciders and heard from cider-maker Julian Temperley about his historic victory over the EU to be allowed to call his great creation Somerset Cider Brandy. In the introduction to what he calls “this wonderful book,” Prince Charles writes about the connection between people and the land, and “the profound cultural role” that farming plays. He contrasts it with the “industrial production process which severs us, not just from the source of our food, but from the sacred and cultural aspects of a community’s precious sense of place.”
Famous contributors Contributors to Deepest Somerset include Sir Cameron Mackintosh and National Hunt champion trainer Paul Nicholls, while Wiltshire contributors range from the president of the NFU to Time Team star, archaeologist Phil Harding. Deepest Somerset and Deepest Wiltshire, both £25; for more information ring 01963 32525 or visit www.deepestbooks.co.uk
Regular readers cannot fail to have noticed that in addition to his regular allotment column, Barry Cuff’s name frequently appears beside historical black and white images of Dorset. Barry is a collector, and has amassed the largest collection of historical Dorset postcards. David Burnett, the author, has worked with Barry to select the right images to illustrate the county’s towns. Rare images Lost Dorset – the towns is a backwards glance at Dorset’s towns through the period covered by the postcards – on the coast, inland market towns, or the scattered heathland settlements that have since grown into some of the county’s largest communities. Few of the 375 postcards chosen for this book have been published before, many are extremely rare, and they combine to form a unique portrait of urban Dorset between the invention of the postcard in 1869 until just after the First World War, a period of extraordinary change. Local towns included in the book: Blandford • Dorchester • Gillingham • Shaftesbury • Sherborne • Stalbridge • Sturminster Newton • Verwood • Wimborne
In addition to being an utterly perfect gift for any gardener or plant lover, this bestseller and Waterstones Book of the Year Shortlist title made our round up because Jonathan Drori and his wife, novelist Tracy Chevalier, live in the Piddle Valley in North Dorset. In his follow-up to the bestselling Around the World in 80 Trees, Jonathan Drori has created an inspirational and beautifully illustrated book that tells the stories of 80 plants from around the globe. He skilfully brings to life the science of plants by revealing how their worlds are intricately entwined with our own history, culture and folklore. From the seemingly familiar tomato and dandelion to the eerie mandrake and Spanish ‘moss’ of Louisiana, each of these stories is full of surprises. Some have a troubling past, while others have ignited human creativity or enabled whole civilizations to flourish. With a colourful cast of characters all brought to life by illustrator Lucille Clerc, this is a botanical journey of beauty and brilliance.
In this remarkable new collection of photographs, renowned portrait photographer Lucy Sewill turns her lens to man’s best friend and the bond that they have with some of the nation’s favourite celebrities. Lucy lives near Dorchester with her family, and you can see one of the images from this book in this month’s Random19 – that of Hermione Norris with Ophelia, her Great Dane. Lucy’s intimate portraits give the reader a glimpse of some remarkable, and previously unseen, relationships between some well-known faces and their favourite pets. Among the celebrities Lucy has photographed are BBC Radio DJ Sara Cox and her dog Dolly; Spandau Ballet musician and actor Gary Kemp and his dog Piper and BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and her dog Waffle. “It’s not about the celebrities at all” says Lucy “you have squeaky toys, and it’s all about the dog.” The result is a revealing series of photographs
Sturminster Newton resident Nahla Summers spent ten years having some remarkable adventures – and this is the book whoch chronicles her journey. Have you ever wanted to know how to achieve your goals? Live your dream? Understand the meaning of it all? Do you want to change the inner chatter in your mind that stops you from your fullest living life? Nahla Summers will take you on a journey of resilience, purpose, facing fears and taking the time to stop and stare. From a place of deep sorrow, Nahla transformed her life by travelling 8,000 miles raising nearly 250,000 of kindness. 8,500 miles Nahla has cycled 3000 miles across America, walked 500 miles from South to North England, and completed a World Record breaking, 5000-mile journey on a stand-up bike through every city in the UK. Why? Because she is driven by a message and a community that is so much bigger than her. The message is simple, if happiness is the goal we seek, then kindness is the action that will get us there.
Where are the jackdaws and rooks going at dusk? In this month’s nature column, Jane Adams discovers her local corvids are having a noisy sleepover.
The jackdaw has several call notes, commonest is the ‘jickaaw’ (like it is saying jackdaw). Other notes in the same pitch are ‘Kyak’ – ‘Keeyak‘ and an alarm call of ‘Kiiyaar’ image: Jane Adams
Have you noticed how jackdaws and rooks often fly in broken lines across the sky at dusk? Get up high and you might spot hundreds of lines, each one like a spoke in an aerial wheel leading to a central hub. Their winter roost.
If you’re below a ‘spoke’, it can be a noisy affair. I can’t help imagining frustrated parents screaming at their wing-dragging youngsters, imploring them to get a move on.
Home to roost
In reality, this calling whilst flying may just be a way for family groups to stick together as the light fades, and if you follow one of these lines, you’ll be in for a treat.
I live on a ridge. It’s a supple spine of Dorset chalk flecked with oak, beech and elm. Half a mile away is another ridge, and between lies a valley cradling a patchwork of rain-soaked fields. I came across my local rook and jackdaw roost by chance. They’re worth looking out for – though goodness knows how I missed mine for so many years.
A noise you feel inside
From my ridge, I can see black wings converging on a group of tall beech trees across the valley. Silhouetted against a blood-red sky, they resemble black bees buzzing round a towering hive. I can’t hear them properly from this distance, but as I walk down the hill and cross the valley, the sound of yaks and craws increases. By the time I reach their roosting trees, their individual calls have combined into a bellow. A sound that gets right inside you.
There must be hundreds, maybe thousands of birds. But within the chaos of flapping wings and calls, there’s also order. I pick out groups – possibly families – sitting side-by-side on branches. They’re squeezed together, their wings touching, somehow ignoring the surrounding chaos.
As I walk away, there’s the sound of a distant gunshot. The roost takes to the air as one screaming, dislodged entity. It circles, rising and falling in the fading light like a billowing black sheet.
Gradually, it settles back into the trees. Then silence.
By our wildlife guest columnist, Jane Adams – Naturalist. bTB Badger Vaccinator. Nature writer. Photographer. Bee Watcher.
It’s not the greatest idea to include farm stock with your church nativity play, explains Andrew Livingstone.
image by Andrew Livingston
With this being the month of good tidings and general merriment, I will share the tale of the legendary nativity that culminated in faecal matter desecrating the floor of our local church. In a time pre-millennium, as a four-year-old I would pretend to pitch in on our farm. I would run around, tripping over everything while hunting for eggs. Or I would spend an hour or so sitting on the tractor, pretending to plough fields. However, during lambing season, I would actually do my favourite job – feeding the orphan lambs. Our farm in the village of Hooke was unique in the fact that with our Poll Dorset ewes, we could lamb any time of the year.
Famous Christmas birth
Whilst most farms have lambs yearly in the spring, Dorset ewes, including our Polls, can have lambs in the late autumn in the lead up to Christmas.
Rearing lambs around Christmas allows for less competition in the market, allowing for a better price for your produce.
In the lead up to Christmas 1999, our small herd of ewes looked as if they were about to pop, and not from eating too many Christmas puds! All the served ewes got promoted into the spare stable with the chickens to hunker down to survive the cold and sure enough, December was filled with many woolly Christmas lambs. One such lamb, affectionately (and with great original thought) called Woolly, took a shine to me as a young child after we bottle- fed it from birth. The little lamb would follow me around the farm helping with my chores before being locked up at night. Woolly soon became a hit with the village. She was as famous as a lamb could be. People would come from far away after hearing of the birth of the Christmas lamb. With Christmas Day fast approaching someone had the bizarre idea of utilising our little Christmas lambs to take this year’s nativity to the next level.
Christmas Woolly
So on Christmas Eve, with the village packed into the church like Christmas crackers in their box, Woolly made her showbiz debut. Rumours had travelled about the special guest acting in this year’s show, but the nativity started as any normal one would with the standard hymns and readings. However, with the news of shepherds on their way to the stables, the next hymn began.
Poor Mary
The rejoiceful sounds of Silent Night being sung by the congregation were met with the percussion instruments of tiny Shepherd’s hooks as they walked down the church aisle, with the accompaniment of bleating. Oddly, laughter began to reverberate around the church as my little Woolly had her moment of fame. However, the poor Three Wise Men who followed suit weren’t laughing – and had to ask Santa for new trainers that year as they couldn’t quite dodge the trail of excrement left in Woolly’s wake. Meanwhile poor Mary at the front of the church had more than childbirth to contend with as Woolly began to eat her costume. Playing the role of Joseph on the day, I smiled and laughed with the locals of the village at Woolly’s antics. I’m still not sure if this is the traditional message of Christmas, but laughter has been a staple ingredient of our Christmases ever since!
