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Litter pick up along Baxters Loan in Dunblane as part of the conserve challenge.

When John Muir said ‘a shower is always falling’ I don’t think he meant all in one place like it has been in Callander over the last 48 hours! We went out (on our scooter) to look for slugs and snails as we know that they love the rain but it was too wet even for them! So we spotted lots of red things instead.

Joseph and Freya spent an hour in the woods on Sunday with daddy doing some exploring. Joseph found a feather which he gave to his wee sister, played in the den, ran on the golf course and looked for the Gruffalo. He’s also been enjoying using some binoculars (or telescope as he calls them) to try and spot things. We watched a couple of wee films all about John Muir this morning and learned all about him and his love of nature and wild places. We looked for Scotland (where he was born) and America (where he lived from the age of 11) on our globe. This afternoon we looked for signs of Autumn when we were out and found lots of toadstools, berries, lichen and also did some crunching with our feet in the leaves. We also found loads of sycamore seeds and had lots fun throwing them up into the air to watch them spin back down to the ground.

Cycle from Dunblane to Doune; Eden and Blane (mummy walked) cycled from home to the coffee van at Molawn Garden centre for a lovely bacon roll and bagel. We then cycled along the old railway line to Doune and stopped along the way to watch the scrambler motorbikes. We also saw lots of bird life such a blue tits, chaffinches and gold finches. We stopped in Doune for some water and a quick play on the zip slide before heading back home to Dunblane. We met lots of people we knew from school and work who were working in their allotment and either cycling or walking the railway line. Sorry we forgot to take photos! Cold water swimming at Loch Venacher; Blane, Eden and Mum went to Loch Venacher to try some cold water swimming. Mum had been before but this was the first time for Blane and Eden. Blane swam close to the shore line where he felt safe and managed to be in the water for 20 minutes. Eden managed to paddle her feet but found it a little too cold. However, both are keen to try it again. Daddy made the bacon rolls and cups of hot chocolate from the back of his pick up. Some fishermen had made a fire so we got to cosy round it too. While swimming, we saw geese flying over and landing on the water. Aberfoyle; We drove to Aberfoyle via the Dukes pass and had an lovely lunch in the Station cafe. On the way we passed lots of lochs and we wondered if we could swim in them. The colours of the trees were amazing, green, yellow orange and even red. We were all very full after lunch so walked to the play park to burn off some energy. In the play park we gathered some leaves and pressed them when we got home, the plan is to paint them white and make them look like ghosts for Halloween. We also discovered a bike skills track and watched some kids flying round that so Blane would like to come back to try that. Finally on the way back to the car we discovered some ground art.

Today we studied OS maps and the rivers that run through our area. S had picked a beer can from the river Wey in Farnham Gostrey Meadow park a few weeks ago and today we studied the river on maps and learning it is a tributary to the river Thames and that there is a North and South branch of the river Wey, a source of which is a spring in Alton for the north side. The South branch coming from Haslemere. Both branches meet at Tilford and then joins the river Thames at Weybridge going through London to the Thames Estuary and then out to the North sea. We also looked at a local stream which is a tributary to the river Wey which starts at Alice Holt Forest and joins the river Wey at Moor Park. We then looked at the river Thames and followed its course from Gloucestershire to London. S drew a map of the river Thames with the river Wey joining it and I drew the river Wey and the stream which joins it.

After exploring the Hill, I have chosen three locations with fungi which I will be monitoring each week for any changes. Each of these locations are slightly different in their micro-habitats. The aim is to identify the specimens of each location and investigate their roles in the ecosystem as well as studying their natural course of life. Each location is situated on or next to either a fallen or rotting tree. I will also take pictures of any fungi I find on the way to these locations and attempt to identify them; each time that I have visited the hill and walked from location to location I have discovered new fungi and other organisms which I had not seen before. Every time I go I pick up any litter that I find.

I am doing the John Muir award at St. Ann’s Hill which is a wooded public park in Chertsey, Surrey. It is right next to the junction that connects the M25 to the M3. It is the second highest point in Runnymede with a height of 240 feet (69 metres). The top of the hill is flat with steep slopes on all sides except the South slope, which is not as steep. It also has a flat clearing on the south slope of the hill called the Dingle. It has several paths that you can follow around it. St. Ann’s hill has a long history that goes back all the way to the Mesolithic era, when it was used as a fort. In the early medieval period there may have been a vineyard on the southern slope. There have been several landscaping works there, the first of which took place in 1794 and in 1927 Sir William Berry gave the hill to Chertsey for it to be made fully public. The hill also has an area, which was part of the old coach road in-between London and Winchester. For more information: https://chertseymuseum.org/St_Anns_Hill I chose St. Ann’s Hill because it is very close to home and because I have visited it many times. It has a good variety of trees and shrubs. Everytime I have visited these woods, I have found more unique and interesting species of fungi, plants and trees. I love the idea of identifying these and finding out more about them. I am particularly fascinated by fungi and their role in the ecosystem of the area. I would also like to explore it further and discover new specimens.