Tawny owls

Finding inspiration from our night time adventure in Arnos Vale cemetery last week, there has been much owl interest in our household.  This has resulted in owl-themed creations, this collage made from autumnal collecting from the cemetery at the weekend.

Night time walk with the wild owls of Arnos Vale cemetery

Last night we had the most fabulous experience of taking part in a night time walk through Arnos Vale cemetery, looking for tawny owls.  Not only did we hear much owl activity, we had some lovely sightings, particularly when we stopped in the more sheltered woodland area.  It was hugely enjoyable and we learnt loads about the different owls that we will be able to find out in British countryside.  We now also know the differences between the "twit" and the "twoo" hoot.  The Owl Prowl was run by a local owl conservationist:  http://www.wildowl.co.uk/ - a must for anyone who wants to get the chance to see these lovely birds.

Successful renewal of our Exor accreditation

AFLA Ltd is pleased to announce that they have successfully achieved the renewal of their exor accreditation, demonstrating their ability to meet the rigorous pre-qualification requirements within the private and public sectors.

Autumn colour - Arnos Vale cemetery

We are very lucky to have Arnos Vale cemetery within a 5 minute walk from our office.  It is a fabulous cemetery which has recently undergone a major restoration project.  It is now being managed as a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI). 

http://www.arnosvale.org.uk/wildlife







Autumn is very visible during our daily walks.  Those berries that are not already red are changing colour.  The leaves have had a dramatic colour change in the last week.

There are still some very beautiful flowers though.  The war graves are particularly well maintained and even in mid October, provide the splash of colour. 

Dementia Care ward, RUH Bath

We are currently working on a courtyard garden for the Dementia Care ward at Bath RUH hospital.  The outdoor space forms an extension of the ward and has been designed as a calm, peaceful garden for patients, carers and visitors to enjoy.  Features include paving that matches the tone of the interior floor finish, continuous handrail, a garden shelter, seating and tactile plants. 

 

The beginnings of Autumn

Green holly berries, soon to turn red

Leaves turning yellow.  They have already begun to drop

Pink tinges on the ivy.  In a few weeks, this will be the most astonishing colour

Much spider activity!

The signs of autumn

Autumn is most certainly here!  We are fortunate to live on the top of a hill with views over the top of Arnos Vale park and out towards Bath and Lansdowne.  The sun rises have been spectacular over the past week, very pink skies creeping across the horizon.  The last few mornings we have woken to fog and no view whatsoever.  But the sunlight through the haze has been very beautiful. 

Our walk through the Arnos Vale cemetery to our local primary school provides us with all the signs of autumn too.  The leaves are already changing colour with some piles already on the floor.  Crab apples have fallen.  Berries are turning red, ready for to feed the lovely birdlife over winter.  And the spiders have been incredibly busy.  You most certainly need to take care when walking between shrubs or trees!

The apple harvest

We have started to harvest our apples from our espaliered trees.  Although we only have a small city garden, we have maximised the space by espaliering 6 apple trees (on M27 root stock) along two sections of our garden.  Not only do they create lovely spaces, they are gorgeous and interesting to look at. 

The blossom has been beautiful this year and the good spring and summer has resulted in a far higher yield of fruit (certainly much better than last year).  I look forward to picking the rest and preserving so that we have stocks over the winter.

Beach cleanup!

Last year, we were involved in a river-side clean up in Bath.  It is delightful when children already have an awareness of the dangers of rubbish on our beaches and are willing to get filthy and dirty in order to make our seashores a safer place for wildlife ... and more enjoyable for us too.  Four bags of rubbish, plastics and rope were cleared from a small section of our beach whilst on holiday in the Highlands. 

Recent awards

Green Flag awards (given on an annual basis) recognise and reward the best parks and green spaces in England and Wales.

To find out more about our parks and open space projects that have recently won this award, visit:  http://www.afla.co.uk/awards.html

One of our community garden projects has also been awarded the prestigious Gordon Ford Trophy which focuses on community involvement and environmental responsibility.  To find out more, visit:
http://www.afla.co.uk/PA/chocolate.html

Dementia Design Course

Alex Fraser has just completed a 3-day Dementia Design course at Stirling University.  Not only has this consolidated the wealth of experience and knowledge that Alex has with designing landscapes particularly for the elderly and those with dementia, but it will help with all future projects. 

For an overview of some of our recent elderly care/dementia projects, visit:  http://www.afla.co.uk/EL/cheltenham.html

AFLA Project updates

Our website has just been updated.  To find out more about recently completed projects and other new exciting projects that we have started to work on, please visit www.afla.co.uk. 

Keep an eye out over the coming days as lots more projects will be included, providing a far wider overview of the breadth and scope of our landscape design service.

www.afla.co.uk Housing Project Updates

We have had the pleasure of working on lots of new housing projects in recent months.  Find out more at:
http://www.afla.co.uk/HO/bouncers.html

Exciting new projects

Interesting clients, interesting projects, from care homes to private gardens and play areas.  Our website has been updated with a range of new projects - come and visit us to see what we have been up to.  Other wide-ranging updates will follow shortly - these include new Neighbourhood awards for one of our lovely community projects in Weston-super-Mare,a wild play project at a local Bristol school and much more.

Visit:  www.afla.co.uk