Thirty minutes ago when I sat down at my desk to write, it was a beautiful sunny morning and now, the sky has blackened; the Douglas firs across the clearing are swaying violently in the wind and huge hail stones are pounding on the window of my study. It has, so far, been an unusual autumn and winter and it had been my intention to pooh- pooh the old adage that bumper autumns harvest is the harbinger of a hard winter. The winter so far has been unseasonably mild, but it takes only a short sharp hail shower such as the one I have just witnessed to remind us that February and March can harbour some very severe weather. I’ll reserve, if you don’t mind, any comments on old country sayings until April, lets say, just to be on the safe side.

I hope, however, that the weather doesn’t do anything too drastic. There are many early birds who will get more than the worms! As I write, a great tit is flying back and forth from the forest to a nest box on the wall above my study window. I’ve no doubt it has every intention of taking up residence on my house but it’s certainly very early! The hordes of pigeons that have invaded the Forest are in the main, still with us. Many will return to whence they came before long, but some of the more hopeful resident birds have been observed carrying early nest-building twigs in their beaks. Great spotted woodpeckers abound in this part of the Forest and at the moment I awake to their drumming on most mornings; indeed, any bright sunny morning for the last few weeks has been heralded by their drumming, something not usually heard until the spring. The cock blackbirds with their bright yellow beaks have been sparring in the borders and there are at least two new nests close to the house. The squirrel population has exploded and even greater numbers can be expected as ardent males chase their intendeds through the bare canopy at eye-defying speeds.

But mild winters have their downside. Ticks, those most despicable of insects which would normally disappear when the cooler months are upon us, have been found on the dogs and cats throughout the autumn and winter. Garden weeds that are knocked back during periods of hard weather seem to thrive and lawns that are too wet to cut keep growing. Butterfly and bumble bees, lulled into a false sense of security by the mild weather, are aroused too early from their hibernation. And as for me, I miss the cold frosty mornings and the clear sharp air. You can’t beat a crisp morning for a walk in this magnificent Forest.

Found any frog spawn yet? Ian Thew

Next week … Ian talks about the number of lost dogs that he has encountered not being great, but he has lost count, of the number of lost people that have rolled up to gate.