AN OUTDOOR LIFE

The birds ARE here... arriving in this landscape with its views and vast skies and seas it appears at first to be empty of life. But as I settle and take it all in, listen and tune-in, cast my eyes slowly across the mudflats and grasses I start to notice, hear and see movement and bird-song. The birds are there alright - they've always been there, they've been there for centuries, for millennia, getting on with their lives of habitual routine, disturbed by us but adjusting around us and we would miss them if they were not here. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

At the end of the ridge between Holford and Hodder's Combes in the Quantock Hills lies this mound and cairn. In common with other tumuli the location of this one is an amazing vantage point with a wide view out across the Bristol Channel. This type of burial mound appears all over the world and although in Britain this is most likely to date from the Middle Bronze Age 1600 - 1200 BC, there was a revival of the Scandinavian burial-style after the Anglo-Saxon invasion, between 500 and 600 AD. Following their burial the buried person could enjoy the view and the living members of the tribe could feel safe with their ancestor watching over them. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Now the willow tree is joining in on the act and starting to stir - of the genus Salix, from the Latin salire, to leap, it literally springs into life. And the verb "to sally", meaning "to go forth boldly" comes from the same root. Also brings to mind Roger Deakins' praise of trees (from "Wildwood")... "Nothing can compare... (to trees) ...for signalling the changes in the natural world. They are our barometers of the weather and the changing seasons. We can tell the time of year by them. Trees have the capacity to rise to the heavens and connect us to the sky, to endure, to renew, to bear fruit and to burn and warm us through the winter - there is nothing that excites the imagination and passions as much as the flames of a log fire." Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Apart from their potential for stinging humans and animals stinging nettles deserve to be promoted into the premiership league of super plants - nettles are the favourite food of many butterflies and are packed with nutritional benefits, Vitamins A, C and K and minerals including magnesium, iron and calcium. Clinical trials have proved the effectiveness of nettle root in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. The wonders never cease - feeding less than 1% of dry nettle in chicken feed will colour egg yolks as effectively as synthetic pigments. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

The Dorset Down is one of the oldest breeds of native sheep and is known as "the king of the prime lamb breeds", renown for early maturing lambs fed from grass. The rams are extremely sturdy and quite capable of servicing some twenty ewes in twenty-four hours - I imagine a red-faced over-excited farmer, clipboard and stopwatch in hand, counting them off! Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

In the heart of the bramble patch appears a tunnel, as used by rabbits, who love the cover and protection that the dense prickly undergrowth provides. Uncle Remus knew how comfortable rabbits are in bramble patches and describes his immortal character Brer Rabbit, having been ensnared by Brer Fox using the Tar Baby, pleading not to be thrown into the bramble patch - skin him, rip his body apart, anything other than the bramble patch. And of course Brer Fox throws him in the brambles and Brer Rabbit escapes to provide a memorable example of how to get recalcitrant idiots to do what you want. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

According to the son of Charles Darwin teasels are partially carnivorous. They are adorning the fringes of this grassland in large numbers and their seeds are helping goldfinches survive the winter. Teasels were used in the woolen mills for "teasing", that is raising the nap on woolen fabrics, before being replaced by metal equivalents. Another fascinating aspect of these striking sculptural plants is that they have medically significant procoagulant properties.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Filling the hedgerows with vibrant sprays of white blossom the ambivalent blackthorn is one of the earliest bushes or trees to flower. The blackthorn has long been associated with the occult and chthonic -  both evil, as the preferred wood for the walking sticks and broomsticks of witches, but also for protection and purification as in this ancient rhyme: With blackthorn staff I draw the bound. All malice and bane, I thus confound. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

These muddy beaches are expected to disappear within 50 years as the sea levels in the Bristol Channel rise. However for the moment the numerous worm casts on the the surface of the mud show that this area is a convenient snack bar for fish such as sea bass and the various flatfish that come swimming and floundering in on the second highest tide in the world. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

The grassland and shingle breakwater at Steart Marshes in Somerset is the home of breeding oyster catchers and ringed plovers. In 2012 and again in 2015 avocet also bred within this protected coastal area in the south-east corner of the Bristol Channel. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

The waters of Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil beyond can be seen far below the patchy snow slopes of Aonach Mòr. Between the two lochs is the narrows at Corpach and the start of the Caledonian Canal, which follows the line of the Great Glen fault formed 400 million years ago when the NW side of the fault-line slid over 70 miles to the SW. Incredible geological forces at work that left this exhilarating and spectacular landscape as The World's Adventure Capital ( see  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/articles/Scotland-the-worlds-adventure-capital/ ). Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Skiing down the un-pisted run of Warrens we spotted a mountain hare, lepus timidus , in semi-winter colour with stripes of grey fur in amongst the winter white. It scampered away showing no concerns over our presence - it must be used to the comings and goings of humans in this area and probably feels safer in the proximity of skiers and mountain bikers rather than farmers and gamekeepers. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Looking across south to the summit of Carn Mòr Dearg from near the top of Aonach Mòr, which is the higher of these two mountains by only 1 metre! The reliability of snow cover here encouraged investment in Scotland's newest ski resort in 1989.  This endeavour was not entirely misplaced as in the winter of 2014 there was more than 3 metres depth of snow at this spot - more snow than many resorts in the European Alps. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Looking across to the Back Corries and the Braveheart ski lift on the north face of Aonach Mòr from the top of Winger Wall. This area of off-piste skiing is the most reliable lift-accessed skiing areas in Scotland and skiing is often possible until the end of April or even into May most years. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

A glimpse of the snowy cliffs of Stob Coire nan Lochan round the corner from Aonach Dubh. A clarty day opened up in the late afternoon with exploding cloud formations in the western skies.  Sent from my Raspberry  ®  mobile device

Skiing on the Happy Valley run at Glencoe. Scottish skiing is certainly a snow sport for the connoisseur - an optimistic disposition being an essential requirement. Spot the marker pole indicating the edge of the piste! Sent from my Raspberry  ®  mobile device

Looking from the top of Glencoe eastwards towards the Rannoch Moor. The moor occupies 150 square miles of bogs, lochans and outcrops and is easier to cross by canoe than on foot. When the West Highland Line was being built in the 1890s the engineers could not secure any stanchions so they floated the railway on a raft of logs and other flotsam.  It is the site of Scrooge McDuck's ancestral home Dismal Downs, which was abandoned in the 13 century.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Three photos that capture an amazing adventure that took place last year when Sarah McNair-Landy, Eric "Honey Bear" Boomer and Ben Stookesberry crossed 600 miles of the Greenland icecap. They towed all their kit with them, including their kayaks, and used kites to tow them when the wind allowed. Then dragged their gear into a system of ice streams culminating in the first descent of a wild river that included this waterfall, which they named "The Gatekeeper". Their brilliant, stylish journey shows that there are still many fantastic, original challenges out there for the taking. Photos © Eric Boomer and National Geographic Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Looking across Southampton Water from the Royal Victoria Country Park towards Hythe pier with the Fawley oil refinery in the distance. The Solent is still a busy waterway with a steady flow of commercial and recreational craft. The Country Park is built on the site of the Royal Victoria military hospital, which was, at the time of its construction the longest building in the world, and although it looked imposing from the Solent it was poorly designed and unfit for purpose. Nevertheless it still operated as a hospital for about a hundred years. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Claw-marks in the red mud leading to a badger set, reveals that this entrance is active and that badgers are coming and going regularly. Each evening the badgers will set off on their nocturnal travels and follow roughly the same route governed by access to food. Badgers are omnivorous and follow a similar pattern of existence to humans as we lived thousands of years ago as hunters and gatherers.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

This over-manicured hedgerow lies await for nesting birds as the rites of Spring progress. The grass in the adjoining field is staring to grow and is becoming greener each day also waiting - waiting for  this year's lambs to arrive from the byre.   Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

A splash of white-grey lichen swamping the green moss on the east side of an mature ash tree and on the sunny side of the tree early spring nettles are growing. In days gone by these leaves have been gathered as a welcome nutrient-rich boost to stews, soups and tisanes. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

You have to be there to capture the moment. A flush of gold and cerise on the underside of dark billowing nimbus cumulus scudding across the western sky as the sun set, was there for a few minutes and further evidence of the magic displayed in the last half-hour of the day.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

It was lashing down with rain and the fusillade of raindrops pierced the surface sheet of water - looking like an airborne machine gun strafing a sheet of hammered metal. Also the noise of this enfilade, though muffled compared to a real bombardment, was nevertheless violent and noisy in its own way.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

As if painted in the late 19th century by a French Impressionist of reflections of baguettes in the Seine, this abstract composition is typical of the fascination I have with water, light and imagination. I love being outdoors and moving through the landscape looking and wondering at the intricate infinite patterns and connections, making my own metaphors as an engaged observer.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device