Today's Image
Visit again tomorrow, when they'll be another image displayed.
19 Jun 2014 - The new arbour seat sits on a newly laid patio to keep it from rotting as the old bailiff's hut had done. It's angled away from the house to help those using it forget about the work still to be done! Read more...
History
This site was created in February 2013 when we bought Ruston House. We sold it in October 2025. Over the years the site changed its form and purpose. Initially it used a dedicated blogging platform, but transitioned to this from in 2022, with the original material being transferred to this site over a number of months. The original purpose was described in a post which has been preserved in the History area of the site but, over time, the site's purpose became more focused on being a personal record of the wildlife seen and how the seasons were beginning to change as a result of global warming.
About the Site
During our ownership of Ruston House the site's focus was always on reporting the variety of flora and fauna found around the house and sometimes the planting or features we've added. Generally, the material is presented according to its location, with the bulk in the The Lake and Grounds area where you start with the most recent records of what's been seen. Once there you can check the "Related Pages" items on the menu for information about our earlier years at Ruston house. In addition there are pages on areas closer to the house that we refer to as The Gardens.
Besides the Grounds and Gardens pages there's also a set of pages that take you on Full Tours of the grounds.
In 2019 we were given permission by our neighbours, the Trustees of the Poor's Allotment, to build a bridge over the dyke that formed our western boundary and maintained the far bank of the dyke. For a time we placed wildlife cameras on the far side of the bridge. Initially they took still images of the wildlife passing by, but later cameras took video as well. Unfortunately, each of the cameras died after a couple of years and they were not replaced once the house went on the market.
In 2020 a log cabin was added to the site which we named The Manna. Originally, conceived as a venue for Retreat Days, once planning began in earnest its purpose changed and the plan was to develop the cabin for occasional "off grid" weekend lettings. However, health issues and age combined so we never got it to the point where it was used for that purpose.
The Site Today
We still have a significant body of photos that it was always intended to add to the site and the plan is now to add them when a spare moment is found. The easiest way to check whether new material has been added since your last visit to the site is to check the What's New page where you can also find a link to use to subscribe to our newsletter which provides emailed notifications of all updates made to the site.
If you're new to the site and what to get a quick overview of what it has to offer why not start with the entries posted in 2013 in the Lake & Grounds area and scroll through the list of entries you see there. Use the Search option on the main menu if you think you may have missed something that might be recorded on the site somewhere.
Have fun exploring the site and Contact Us if you want to offer a comment or correction to what you find here.
