The comma is a punctuation mark which indicates the shortest pause. Despite there  being some simple rules for their use many writers tend to write long sentences with many commas in them. It's much better to use fewer commas, and writ... Read more

As I watch it rain in Michigan I must beg your pardon. I never promised you a rose garden. The flowers on the chives in the herb garden at my daughter’s home are a favourite with butterflies and dragonflies. I have had to s... Read more

  At dusk as the sun goes down behind the wood, the shadows lengthen and the light begins to fade.   Now’s the time for Rocky to appear to clear up the daily debris left at the feeder by the birds. It’s a mystery ho... Read more

We have watched with interest over recent weeks as pair of wood pigeons built a nest of twigs in a hedge close to our back door. The nest is at head height and the action of the birds while building the nest created a hole in the hedge the size of a ... Read more

  I have been a ‘fan’ of The Times columnist Simon Barnes for quite a while. Simon is a well known sportswriter, but his columns that interest me most are those on wildlife, especially birds. His book ‘How to be a bad b... Read more

Our garden is alive with birds this morning. I have resorted to trying to photograph them through a double glazed window. Here's two to share with you at this holiday time. Goldfinches   Robin

It was Moosey's poem about Holloween that had me looking for spiders' webs and not Sir Walter Scott.     I never saw the spiders that created these but it certainly wasn't Spike, the owner of my garden shed.  

Marilyn’s recent pictures of colourful fungi had me searching my files for some others. I can't compete on colour but here are some that interest me.   The tinder fungus is typically found on silver birch trees and can result in the... Read more

The flowers on the small buddleia bush in our garden have died off now so I was mourning the loss of the butterfly visitors. We have had lots of tortoiseshell butterflies and some beautiful peacocks again this year as well as the usual large whites. ... Read more

On my walk today I came across this colourful fellow tripping along the top of a fence:     He didn't look anywhere near as 'pretty' when in a tree.     If I could only get a picture of the bullfinch that visits my gard... Read more