Green and Country in the City 21 January

• I've been making kombucha which is a drink using a scoby which is a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. Just started my 3rd lot. Supposed to be good for digestion but waiting for benefits to appear!
• Have found a funnel which has a colander arrangement in the bottom which will help with decanting sloe gin, etc.
• Still unable to prune fig tree - supposed to do it in January when it is dormant. Mine is never dormant!
• Last week couple of mornings when so gloomy street lights were on when I left house to catch bus.
• Problems with getting curtain rod for thermal curtain for front door - I plan to so a separate post on this.
• On the grass on the edge of the sports ground there is a row of crocus. The yellow ones are up and in flower. There was one primrose in flower in my garden.
• So windy Tuesday night I could hear wind through double glazing which doesn't happen often. Slept OK until last hour or so when just lay snuggled up listening to wind. I had no damage but friend in Sudbury in Suffolk lost a chimney pot. Also damage (caused by pot falling) to her solar panels.
• My mother is having her evening primrose pulled up as birds have stripped seeds. I haven't noticed birds on mine and think all seeds still there but need a closer look to check. Last year had gold finches in ash tree that then overhung my garden twice. Would love to have them eating my evening primrose seeds!

Green and country in the city 7 January

• Monday I heard a great tit calling from a tree in the road in front of the house
• Tuesday beautiful pink sky - and heavy rain later. So it was an accurate shepherds' warning.
• Wednesday there were a lot of Christmas trees discarded on the pavements. Very windy too (storm Eleanor)
• Rain Thursday morning made it so dark the street lamps were on when I left the house to catch the bus.
• To Walthamstow Wetlands for this first time since they opened on Saturday (see separate blog post).
• On the fence of the car park at the end of Coppermill Lane was a banner advertising guided walks in the Lea Valley - and the picture was of my neighbours, Piers and Charmaine!
• Weather forecast for wind today (Sunday). Luckily incorrect as I was in an open canoe paddling so someone could make recordings of the sound of the paddling. Wind spoils the recording and I can't control an open canoe in wind!

Walthamstow Wetlands

Yesterday I cycled through the Walthamstow Wetlands for the first time since they opened. It was a lovely day for it with blue sky - and a heavy frost.

I arrived at the entrance in Coppermill Lane at 9.20 and then had to cycle up and down the lane as the wetlands weren't opening until 9.30.

There is only one route for cycles, there and back on the same path. That was still interesting and enjoyable, but next time I plan to wear wellies so I can push the bike on some walkers' only paths and vary the route a bit.

Cycling north I noticed several moorhens and only one coot - the opposite of what I see on the Lee Navigation. Then right at the top - the north of High Maynard Reservoir - there were about 40 coots. Lots of tufted ducks which I don't see on the Navigation.

At the top of the southern section, by the engine house, which is the visitor centre and café, it was very strange to be cycling through the car park along side the old river lea - when I am usually paddling along the river and seeing people in the car park!

There is not clear signage here, so I had to go into the engine house and ask how I got to the north section.

I am looking forward to seeing the wetlands change through the seasons.