I forgot to say at the end of my last post that I managed to complete the first week of my 6 in 6 challenge! Having to walk almost 6,000 steps indoors on the Wednesday of that week was really quite an experience. I made myself pretty dizzy and also seriously irritated one of my kitties!
Anyway, on to Week 3!
Monday 25th January 2021
Today was another opportunity for a slippery walk. I really enjoyed taking in the views of the snow-covered fields and breathing the cold air. Although being mindful is usually a good thing to do while walking, I decided to let my mind wander a little bit. I made sure not to stray too deep into my thoughts, but, handily, I allowed myself to have a few moments of art inspiration.
Tuesday 26th January 2021
I had another look in The History of the Countryside today and read about collared doves in the ‘Naturalized Animals’ section. Rackham writes about how the collared dove first appeared in the UK in 1955 in Norfolk and then spread rapidly across the country over a very short space of time. Before 1930, the collared dove hadn’t even ventured to Europe yet. Why the collared dove suddenly decided to travel does seem to be quite a mystery. Rackham’s theory in the 1980s was that:
We have to conjecture that the collared dove of 1980 is not the same as its ancestor of 1920; that some genetic change has created a new variety with different ecological behaviour.
Interestingly, the collared dove’s spread through North America (since the 1970s) has been even more rapid.
Wednesday 27th January 2021
I took a moment today to think about some of my past trips and the wildlife I’ve been lucky enough to see. It was a really nice way to switch off and – big bonus – it gave me a few new ideas for artwork pieces. For each place, I tried to decide on one particular animal that stood out:
🐢 Green sea turtles in Hawaii
🦃 Black guan and the Resplendent quetzal in Costa Rica (I couldn’t get it down to one!)
🦌 Red deer in The Highlands
🏞 Egrets in Japan
🐦 Bearded tit in Norfolk
🦆 Sanderlings in Harlech
This period definitely makes you realise how lucky you are – unfortunately, many people aren’t able to visit these sorts of magical places, even at the best of times.
Thursday 28th January 2021
It was quite a full-on day today so I had a read through a couple of articles in my BBC Wildlife magazine once I finished work to help me switch off. Two articles stood out for me: a very interesting photo story about the notorious US/Mexico Wall and a piece about the success of African Parks (this Nat Geo article from 2019 reports on their good work too).
Friday 29th January 2021
I just had time to have a walk after work while it was still light. I get to finish an hour earlier on a Friday and I’ve noticed over the past few days – to my absolute relief – that it’s staying lighter for longer now. I did feel a bit like I was heading straight into a storm (the clouds were very dark) but I was lucky enough to see a muntjac, a couple of pheasants and some very noisy robins and I only got a teeny tiny bit wet!
Saturday 30th January 2021
I finished a pencil drawing of a hyacinth this morning. The hyacinths from last week just about survived into the start of this week so I started drawing a single flower from its stem. I had to improvise a bit while I finished the piece (the hyacinths had well and truly flopped over by this point!) and I particularly enjoyed blending the purples, turquoises and blues together.
Sunday 31st January 2021
Well, it would’ve been rude of me if I didn’t do the RSPB’s ‘Big Garden Bird Watch’ today. So, from midday until 1pm, I set myself up downstairs in the “cats’ room” (it’s nearest to the garden), turfed said cats out of their space (much to their horror), grabbed a drink, notepad and pen and stared out of the patio doors for the full hour. Every time a leaf twitched, I was ready to note down what bird I’d seen.
Sadly, though we do usually get our fair share of sparrows, starlings, blackbirds, wood pigeons, collared doves and even the occasional blue tit and goldfinch, I had to report to the RSPB that I saw a grand total of zero birds during my hour. Oh well. All for a good cause!
Ramblings of a (very!) amateur artist 
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