Twitter. Twitter has a lot to answer for! I’ve never really had that much to say and it has become so much easier to do it in 140 characters or less than on this blog. Twitter has also opened up my world to things I have loved since I was a kid, but have never pursued. I have learned so much about wildlife and conservation and photography from people on Twitter, it has been quite wonderful. And as a digital marketer, if you’re not doing it or using it, then you don’t really know what you’re talking about!

Butterfly Conservation. Throughout last year I spent most weekends and quite a few summer evenings doing butterfly counts and sending in my data to my local Butterfly Conservation chapter. I also helped out with the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey as part of the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) and put in and covered a transect near Denham in Buckinghamshire. I’ve always loved nature and animals and it’s great fun. But butterfly numbers are declining rapidly. Butterflies are a fantastic indicator of climate change, as they have short lifespans, are quite particular in terms of habitat, and therefore react quickly to changes in environment. It would be a pity if they died out, so hopefully my little bit helps.

Part-time Ranger. I have been helping out the rangers on Harmondsworth Moor, near where I used to work – all in the grand hope of learning as much as possible for a change of career in the future! So far, I have done a Reed Warbler survey, a Harvest Mouse nest survey, and some general manual work – removing a picnic bench damaged by vandals. I have also conducted a survey to check for the possible presence of the White-letter Hairstreak butterfly.

New Job. I started a new job early this year. I needed a change.  I am very happy now! Great job in a bigger company and such lovely people! I travel to Italy rather than Asia, but that’s ok. Hopefully I can make a move back to Asia with this company – it’s a part of the world I love and I know extremely well, especially in terms of digital marketing – fingers crossed.

New House. We had to move away from Windsor for the new job. We’re now in Sutton. However, we really don’t like Sutton, and with a baby on the way, we are going to move further out away from London. We will be moving to Horsham this summer!

Baby. Number One Son is on the way. We found out this week that it is a little boy. Yayoi and I will be meeting our son on 25th September this year – all being well. He should be on time – his father always is!

So, a lot has happened…

But with lots on the horizon this year, I will get back to blogging. It acts as a great diary to see what we did when, and that’s all I ever intended.

After wandering into Windsor to take a load of photos today, Yayoi and I discovered this spider on the way back.

I’d love to know what kind of spider it is, so let me know, if you know!

We went on a roundtrip starting at Snelsmore Common near Newbury, over the A34 to Donnington Castle, and then followed the River Lambourne through some pretty villages before heading back into Snelsmore Common again.

Snelsmore Common is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), its importance being due to the wildlife inhabiting the common – ground-nesting birds, rugged heathland, and soggy bogs. It has been a country park since 1972 and has a load of Exmoor ponies roaming around!

Passing through Snelsmore Common – where it is very easy to get lost! – we headed towards Donnington Castle.

Donnington Castle was built in 1386 and famous for being involved in the Battle of Newbury and sieges during the English Civil War in the 17th Century.

There are some great views across the countryside and down to the River Lambourne from Donnington Castle. We followed the river back over the A34 and through some villages before returning to the car through Snelsmore Common once again.

It was really lovely walk and day out. Yayoi and I also managed to capture a few videos, which I will post soon.

Here we have the Large White.

The Large White butterfly is also more commonly known as the Cabbage White.

They got spooked by a large white duck and toddled off to mum at an amazing speed! Very cute!

The Vyne is a Tudor house which was visited on a few occasions by Henry VIII.

The house was built in the 16th Century for William Sandys, Lord Chamberlain to Henry VIII. The estate was sold to a Chaloner Chute in the mid-17th Century and remained in the Chute family until it was given to the National Trust in the mid-20th Century.

You can of course explore the house, which has a magnificent Tudor chapel, but you can also walk around the lake and grounds, where you can see the Walled Garden and Summerhouse.

The weather was a bit overcast and windy on our visit, which was a shame, but the house inside is incredible, taking you back over 300 years!