May
The first of the swallows has returned, and at least one cuckoo has been calling regularly in the mornings across the valley. Birds are nesting everywhere, and the air is full of song. The tadpoles are growing - I saw the first one with both front and back legs (though still with a log tale) yesterday.

March/April
Wonderful sweeps of flowers everywhere, changing from drifts of snowdrops, to sweeps of daffodils, then hedgebanks full of primroses. The wild garlic are through, and the flowers in the bluebell wood won't be far behind.

December/January
Hard frosts froze teh river from bank to bank recently - the coldest for over 20 years apparently. The roe deer have grown very tame of late, sometimes seemingly trying to stare me out rather than run away. Three part-eaten salmon by the river recently, with claw marks indicating the work of an otter. Small birds are emptying our 8 feeding stations almost as fast as we can fill them - we've recently decided to try to list all et hbirds we see here, which should prove interesting.

October/November
Big salmon have been splashing in the pools on their way upriver to spawn. This morning I saw 4 of the rivers natural anglers - an egret, a heron, a kingfisher and an otter. It must be a sign of a healthy fish population, I hope.

The otters have been much in evidence lately, and I get the impression that they have had a good breeding year (or I'd like to hope so anyway). As the fish stocks in the river improve, this should provide more food for the otters, and as they have no natural enemies their numbers will, hopefully, continue to increase.

August/September
The playground is now in use, and people have been taking advantage of the recent sunny weather. Plenty of wildlife has been seen in the Grounds, with woodpeckers queueing for the bird feeders, and another badger seen from the Dining Room in daylight.

July
Yesterday evening we watched as at least 5 woodpeckers fed on the birdfeeder just ouside the house. We think that some of them must be nely fledged young ones, as we've never seen so many here at one time before.

June
Lots of wildlife, with the visiting badgers eating teh food put out for them every night.

May
The swallows have arrived, and are busy in the barn. The otters appear to be very active - I hope they breed again, and give the chance of a sight of the cubs.

April
April has arrived with both snow and sunshine. The daffodils, which took over from the snowdrops, are now being replaced by the primroses, which seem to be even more numerous than ever this year. A kingfisher was spotted by one of our recent Guests, and a pair of partidges has been much in evidence close to the house. George and Luke Crocker and their friend, Michael Agatiello (all 8 years old), earned Level 1 Shuteslade Certificates by making improvements to the grounds, so well done to them! Francesca and Carmen exercised their creative talents yet again (this was their third visit to The Shuteslades.)

Chloe Kealey produced a beautiful sketch of the Wishing Well which, along with a growing number of works of art produced by our Guests, will be framed and hung on the wall in The Shuteslades for other Guests to enjoy.

March
Spring is certainly bursting out all over. The woods are a carpet of flowers, and the wildlife seems to be even more in evidence.

Recent Guests were here to celebrate the 65th birthday of Dave Everett. A memorable time was had by all, with the party being catered for on two occasions by Christine.



Although the group were only here for three nights there were some wonderful opportunities to get close to nature.  A remarkably friendly badger gave them all a treat, and was watched from the Dining Room feeding on the water meadow below.

In fact, he was so intent on his food, snuffling in the damp soil for some sort of bulb or shoot that had really taken his fancy, that his whole face ended up covered in mud. He was so preoccupied that a number of the Guests were able to approach to within a few feet of him.

Also, the large feeding station set up within sight of the house was a hive of activity, and numerous sightings were made of a host of bird visitors, not least among them being a very splendid woodpecker.  There were also sightings of buzzards, deer and many of the other Shuteslade residents.

February
The badgers are now feeding regularly at the edge of the arboretum, where I put food (in the form of unsalted peanuts) down for them every evening. The viewing area is now ready in a rough sort of way - seat fixed and spyholes cut etc - though I shall improve on it over the coming months. I expect it will be possible to view all sorts of animals there - I have seen deer and foxes in the vicinity, and about three weeks ago I'm 99% certain that I saw an albino fox in the half light, though I've never heard of such a thing before. On the 21st, the first goose egg of the year was laid. Also, the badgers have started eating dog biscuits as well as peanuts, which will make life easier.

January
Following heavy rains the river has been very full and fast, though it hasn't burst its banks onto our Watermeadow this year. Animals that feed on fish find the going tough in such conditions, which is probably why an otter has once again been spotted feeding in the Flight Pond below the house. I don't think there will be much for otters to eat in there apart from a few eels, but at least the otters can swim and feed away from the very fast current of the river.

Primroses and snowdrops are now appearing, though the heavy rains are making the ground waterlogged. On the 16th the Watermeadow flooded, putting the new sleeper bridge more than a foot under water. This bridge had been washed away in a similar flood in December 2006, so it was a big relief to see the "new" version ( which has been wired together, stapled and tied to nearby trees!) still there when the water receded.

December
At last! The new Games Room is now up and running, and appears to be a great success. Egrets have been coming to feed at the Flight Pond in the mornings.

10th November
The new Games Room (located in a nearby barn) is nearly ready, complete with tournament size table tennis, 7 foot superleague pool table, traversing wall, darts board, table football and air hockey. This means that the room in the house presently used as a Games Room will become an additional twin bedroom, creating much more flexibility regarding sleeping arrangements.

September
Many sightings of deer, badgers, foxes and a host of other wildlife. I've seen the otter cubs a number of times, though to date no Guests have seen them. I think it needs either a lot of care and effort to be invested, or a lot of luck.

3rd August
This morning I took the dogs down to the river. I watched, spellbound, as two very small (no more than a foot in length) otter cubs searched in the shallow water by the far bank, making their way upstream with one of their parents. The cubs must have been born very recently, quite close by.

2nd August
Every pool on the River Torridge has a name. The section of river that passes by our Water Meadow was written about in the 1950s by a man called Lemon Gray in a book entitled "Torridge Fishery". This afternoon I made my way to the ladder Pool to fish for salmon (at the most downstream part of the meadow). As I approached along the bank a large otter surfaced in the middle of the river, then dived and surfaced, dived and surfaced on his way up the river. When he had gone I entered the water, even though I knew that the otter would have disturbed any fish that might have been there. As I stood in the middle of the river (fishing without success) a kingfisher splashed noisily into the water from an overhanging branch downstream and, more succesful than human anglers, flew off with a small fish in its beak.

July
Sightings of fox cubs and roe deer from the patio, and badgers on the track. There was heron stalking frogs in the stream within 15 yards of the house. I saw an otter early one morning, which surfaced in the middle of the river and then proceded to search the margins for a while before disappearing downstream.

15th June
The new games Room takes shape. We've finally got the Traversing Wall ready, the walls are painted and the floor is being prepared for the pool table, table tennis, darts and all the rest. In addition, the Playground is ready for levelling, and the new swingset has just been delivered, along with the scramble nets.

1st June
Springwatch are now very busy just along the valley from here. Given that I've read that otters have a range along a river bank of more than 5 miles, it's very likely that our Shuteslade otters will have been along to see what Bill Oddie and Kate Humble have been getting up to.

1st May
Many of our recent guests have either brought cycles with them, or hired them when they arrive, so we have now organised an under-cover bicycle store which can take 20 cycles. Recent cycle rides on the Tarka Trail and the Granite Way have been very much enjoyed by all involved - safe cycling for all the family in beautiful surroundings.

21st April
The Shuteslade swallows have arrived!  Yesterday I saw not one but two (I know the saying) swallows swooping above the house.  What with a dozen mallard ducklings on the river with their mother, almost full occupancy of our new 4-nest birdbox, and an otter gliding silently across the river just after dawn today,  it’s hard not to believe that summer’s just round the corner, despite the frosts in the morning.

14th April 
Easter has been a time not only for relaxing, having great days out in Devon and Cornwall and nature watching here at The Shuteslades, but also for a great many activities and successes, some of which have been recognised (for the under 18’s) with The Shuteslade Certificate of Achievement.  Certificates have recently been presented to Tom Appleton, as Fisherman of the Week;  Joshua Kitching and Jack Kingham for successfully surveying the Watermeadow; and Laura Appleton, Katie Appleton, Ashlie Kitching and Kelly Kingham all achieved Level 1 Pottery.  Well done to every one of you!

(Kingfishers Galore - The following entry was recorded by one of our Guests in the Shuteslade Nature Notebook)
31st March – 7th April " An amazing week for wildlife!  As soon as we arrived we were treated to two buzzards wheeling lazily on thermal currents above the house – we saw buzzards on a daily basis, often being mobbed by crows.
We saw a sparrow hawk on two or three occasions in the early part of the week.  The feeder attracted the usual variety of tits, sparrows etc as well as the great spotted woodpecker.  We also saw wrens, yellow wagtails, herons, ducks and geese. Bats appeared at dusk each evening to the accompaniment of owls (heard, not seen!).

Many hours were spent in search of the elusive kingfisher!  Early morning trips to the river through mist and frost, even donning camouflage, and numerous walks along the river during the day.  I had a very exciting 10 minutes studying a piece of blue plastic through my binoculars (could have sworn it was a kingfisher!).  I heard various splashes (salmon, otters?) but there were no kingfishers in sight.  I started to wonder if they were nocturnal?! Surely not!

Finally, on our last day, still full of optimism, I took a chair down to the river around midday, and settled down for a kingfisher vigil.  Suddenly I heard an unfamiliar yet repeated “cheet, cheet”, and two kingfishers shot past me at speed, heading downstream.  A fantastic sight!  I couldn’t stop grinning for ten minutes.  I was then treated to a series of flypasts, sometimes one bird, sometimes a pair.  Sometimes they were six feet above the water, sometimes six inches.  The colours were spectacular in the bright sunshine.

I was completely satisfied, yet there was more to come.  I heard a splash near the opposite bank, and turned to see what I thought must be an otter swimming directly towards me.  I thought it seemed too small to be an adult otter, and it would be a bit odd for a youngster to be on its own.  After consulting some wildlife books back at The Shuteslades I concluded that it was most likely to have been a mink.  Not an otter, then, but still a first for me.

Other highlights were Casper the large ghost koi trained to come to the bell, and the trout in the raised pond, as well as following an adult badger down the track late one evening.  All in all, the wildlife has been spectacular!  Hopefully next time we visit, we’ll see the otters."
(Recorded by J. Appleton)  

21st March  Butterflies, bumblebees and a 4 STAR Rating.
During the last fortnight spring has moved forward – the goose sitting tight on her eggs, peach and apricot flowers open, buzzards wheeling in spirals of half a dozen or more at a time, mallard flying distracted in groups of drakes, insect life evident everywhere – and now the hard frosts – extra feed for the birds – the valley is filled with their song in the morning – and coverings needed for the most sensitive of our plants. And today the Assessors arrived from VisitBritain. They looked into every aspect of our facilities, our accommodation, our grounds, our approach to customer care - and awarded The Shuteslades a Quality in Tourism FOUR STAR RATING! (Quality in Tourism is recognised both nationally and internationally as the leading quality assessment service for the tourism industry within England.) We are delighted that the very high standards we have set for The Shuteslades have now been officially recognised.

7th March - A Visit from an Otter
A frosty morning, followed by bright sunshine – a real contrast to the endless rain we have been experiencing.  Mid morning today I walked down through the oak wood, trying to avoid stepping on the daffodils and wild garlic springing up everywhere.  I was going to check that the small bridge across the ditch joining the wood with the water meadow hadn’t been washed away by the floods. Halfway along the path I had a clear view of the Flightpond – I knew there were a pair of Canada geese there, thinking about nesting.  I saw a disturbance in the water and stopped, breathless – I thought I had seen the head of an otter.  I crept forward, and was privileged to watch a full grown otter swimming and diving around the pond for at least 5 minutes, until I saw it swim gracefully away towards the river along the swollen ditch. I think it must have been searching for eels in the pond, as the river was so full and fast and discoloured that finding fish in it must be very difficult.  I’m not sure that it’s good news for the geese, mallard and moorhen that want to nest by the pond, but the sight of the otter, so close and so relaxed, will stay with me forever.

13th February 2007
Today as I was bringing down materials for making a new birdwatching hide close to the Flight Pond an egret silently landed and started to preen itself by the water's edge, before flying off as quietly as it had arrived.

31st January 2007
We feel that the website is now giving a real flavour of what The Shuteslades has to offer.  It was set up with much skill, effort and love by Sarah and James (as designers, photographers et al) and David (as co-ordinator and driving force).  They have now all moved on to do other things, after creating something very special for The Shuteslades.  We have now been joined by Graham Wayne as our webmaster, and he is already exploring and creating a host of new developments and innovations.

24th December
There was great excitement today as guests staying with Jason and Sharon Hull saw two otters in the river below the house.

19th December
We've teamed up with Claire Dodson, from the Oak Integrated Health Practice, and are now able to offer Reiki, relaxation sessions, meditation and pamper packages to our guests during their stay at The Shuteslades. All sessions would be delivered by a qualified Reiki therapist.

15th December
Today I worked with John (our neighbouring farmer) to try to rebuild at least part of the bridge. With a lot of effort and slipping and sliding in deep mud we managed to reposition the sleepers that were left. The resulting bridge is only one sleeper wide, and still needs wiring down to make it safe from the next floods, but at least it's there. This means that there are now 2 alternative ways to the Water meadow, or the making of a fantastic circular route.

8th December
Necessity being the mother of invention, we have just completed a totally new route to the Water meadow. We cut a gap in the hedge at the edge of the Nut wood, dug out some routes, put in about ten steps and a gate and, hey presto, a really good new route, crossing the Christmas tree plantation and going through the Nut wood.

3rd December
Great drama, as torrential rain has brought a flood to the Water meadow - the whole meadow one vast moving lake. The result? The beautifully crafted bridge (see Diary entry for 17th November) was completely swept away. I had no idea that the Water meadow could flood so dramatically - I would have secured the railway sleepers more effectively if I had. Walking downstream a couple of days after the flood I discovered various parts of the bridge caught up in hedgerows up to half a mile downstream, though there was no sign of three of the sleepers.

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27th November
We have now completed planting (and erecting sheep and cattle-proof tree guards) the new Willow Walk. We have planted a row of weeping willows along the riverbank. Although the trees are only about 8 feet high now, we hope that in years to come they will make a beautiful feature in the Water meadow.

17th November
After 6 months of paperwork and solicitors' delays, the small Oak wood is finally ours! We've given a parcel of pasture land to our neighbour, Graham, who lives some way down the track below us. In return, he's given us a section of ancient woodland, which finally joins up every section of our grounds. This means that the path down to the Water meadow (which you can see from The Shuteslades) and the River Torridge is through the beautiful old Oak wood. We've already built a bridge (out of railway sleepers) across the overgrown stream, and mallard and moorhens are regular visitors to the pond at the bottom of the wood, where I've been putting down corn to feed them.

8th November
Our most recent guests celebrated Kate's birthday in style with a bonfire and firework display on the Water meadow. The weather was kind, and a great time was had by all.