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Spring has arrived, and all of a sudden!  There was no gradual appearance this year, one day it was chilly, dark and dank, and then seemingly over the course of a day Primroses, daffodils and the remaining Camellias were all blooming and being visited by Brimstone and Peacock butterflies!  The garden is such a special place to be at this time of year, everywhere you look something is in flower and the bees and butterflies are busy inspecting every bloom.   Its an overload of the senses, find a bench, sit and close your eyes for a minute; listen to the sound of the woodpeckers making new holes and the muntjac barking their territory chorus, smell the delicate scent of the daffodils and Camellias, feel the sun or breeze on your face, take a minute for your self.... I know I'm biased, but there really is no better place to be!

There's not much sitting around for the team though, we've been tackling lots more of our pre-Easter jobs in the garden, rounding up  more of the arisings of the Winter tree works now that the ground is consistently dry enough for machinery, dead wooding some of the larger shrubs, cutting back one of the laurel in the glade to give the more ornamental plants some much needed light, and continuing (and now watering!) our tree planting programme.  Our volunteers Ray and Susan, along with Aaron, have revamped the plant sales area and started to plant up the ground where we removed the mass of Rhododendron by the King Oak last year.   The plan is to plant these 'new areas' with scented and early flowering plants and shrubs and gradually join up the Sensory garden at the entrance with the Winter garden in the Dell.  Meanwhile, volunteer Sue is doing a wonderful job tending to the Sensory garden and Winter garden, making space and new homes for the seedlings rescued last year, I really do think they look the best they have in a very long time.

In the Tearoom we are delighted to welcome new members to the team: Pauline, Kelly and Ellie have joined us in the last couple of weeks and we are so pleased to be able to start the new season off on such a positive note.  I'm sure you will all make them feel welcome and encourage them whilst they complete their training in the funny goings on of Fairhaven!

As always, we look forward to seeing you soon!
Louise and the Fairhaven Team

Gardens, Tearoom and Gift Shop

Now Open 7 Days a Week!    10am - 5pm 
 
Whats' on Wildlife....
Well Spring is here at long last. The Winter seems to have dragged on a bit, but we have hopefully escaped the snow and ice. March as been a nice bright and relatively dry and sunny month giving plants a chance to recover from their Winter floodings.
It is great to hear the birds singing again and the woodpeckers doing their drumming as they carve out their nesting hole, surprising that the take the oak, the hardest of all timber, in which to set up home.  All the members of the tit family seem to have selected their nesting sites  and lining them with moss and feathers. All the kingfishers nesting tunnels are now completed. Buzzards which have until now always nested on the North side of the estate, but it looks like one pair have decided to try out the South side. The Great Crested Grebe are all paired up with not too much fighting and bickering and each pair having a slice of the Broad as it's own fishing/nesting territories which the males will defend at all costs. If you see one of these male grebe with it's neck and throat lying horizontally on the water you can be sure that he is about to attack an intruder, but it is usually all over in a couple of minutes when they just go their different ways clucking loudly. In the eight years I have worked here I have observed many of these fights, but have never seen a grebe injured or even lose a single feather, it's all a load of posturing, shouting and splashing, it works a lot better than killing one another. Quite a number of Greylag geese have decided to nest in the reedbeds around the Broad. Most of the mallards are now nesting/incubating  in the undergrowth in the woods, some will be nesting right beside the footpaths, so please keep your dogs on a short leash . All you will see of mallards for the next four weeks is the now bachelor male who generally stand around in groups doing nothing other than sleeping and bickering. A number of teal are still with us feeding for the most part on duckweed in the drainage dykes in the woods, hopefully some will stay and breed, no reason why the shouldn't.   Also there are two pairs of jackdaws, three pairs of Stock doves and a pair of jays nesting in the area of the Winter Garden.

On the warm sunny days quite a number of butterflies are appearing in the warm glades, mostly the lovely yellow brimstone, peacocks and small tortoiseshells and of course we can expect to see the early damselflies and dragonflies providing the weather remains relatively warm.  The warm days have brought about the emergence of many Minor bees , these are the bees that build those tiny little volcanoes that you see along the edges of the footpaths. There are a number of varieties of mining bees our most predominant one is the Clarks Mining Bee.  They are small and very docile.

The Great White Egret is still with us and it is three months since it first appeared also Little Egrets have been with us through the month they can be seen in the dykes in the woods..
All of the animals appear to be doing well except the bank voles numbers have shrunk somewhat due to continual flooding of their habitat, but everything else is stable.
 
Do enjoy your next visit to Fairhaven and should you see anything unusual in wildlife terms please let us know.  Take care and stay safe.
 
Tab's Taberham
Wildlife/conservation Warden
Fairhaven Trust

PANTALOONS


The War of the Worlds
Saturday 30th July

Funny yet faithful open-air adaptation of H G Wells´ Sci-Fi classic as they use musical instruments, puppetry and, um, enthusiasm to recreate deadly heat rays, giant fighting machines, squidgy tentacled Martians and interplanetary warfare on an epic scale. The chances of success? A million to one....

Much Ado About Nothing
Saturday 20th August 7pm

Shakespeare´s timeless summer comedy of masks, music and mistaken identities! The boys are back from war and it´s time to celebrate, but devious Don Jon plans to spoil everyone´s fun with his perilous plots. Will young lovers Claudio and Hero fall foul of the crafty criminal? Will bickering Benedick and Beatrice ever admit that they actually like each other? Find out in this fats paced, physical and funny new production.

 - PERFORMANCES STARTS AT 7PM, CAR PARK GATES OPEN AT 6:15PM please do not arrive before this time
 - YOU CAN BRING YOUR OWN DECK CHAIRS, BLANKETS AND PICNICS, but no umbrellas please
 - Sorry, No Dogs please

INTRO TO
STAND UP PADDLE BOARDING

Come and have a go at one of THE most popular water sports in England. Our introductory sessions, set in the picturesque setting of South Walsham inner Broad, will see you learn basic skills such as the transition from sitting to standing while on the water. Our vastly qualified instructors will give you lessons on paddling techniques, how to control direction and manage in different weather/water conditions.
Book Event Tickets Here!

FAMILY
CANOE TRAILS

Take the exploration of the broads to a new level with our new Family canoe trails, brought to you by our very own instructor Chris, of Free Spirit Canoe Tours.

Chris will take you out in his new family canoe to explore the broads and some water ways of Fairhaven. Glide through the waters as a family and see the best of South Walsham inner and outer broads. Keep your eyes pealed for our magnificent Heron or our sensational Kingfishers before trying to spot the gorilla from the outer broads.

- THE FAMILY CANOE HOLDS ANY OF 4 ADULTS  /  2 ADULTS AND UP TO 3 CHILDREN (Depending on age)

BAT NIGHT


Wednesday 17th August
7:30pm

Join us for family Bat Night, in partnership with Norwich Bat Group.

Family Bat Night is a family affair with informational boards and leaflets, lots of paper-based craft activities and a bat brought along with an educational carer for you all to have a look at and to learn much more about. An informational talk followed by a short walk to spot some in flight around the garden.


- PLEASE ARRIVE AROUND 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE EVENT START TIME.

- PLEASE WEAR APPROPRIATE CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR FOR THE EVENT YOU ARE ATTENDING.
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Fairhaven Garden · Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden · School Road · South Walsham, Norfolk NR13 6DZ · United Kingdom

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