St Mary's Hill Spyglass
An occasional glimpse through the St Mary’s Hill Spyglass about what is ripening in the meadows and forests, which hidden corners of the Jizera Mountains are still waiting to be discovered, what is happening at local glassmaking festivals, what the weather is like and what condition the cross-country skiing trails are in, which wondrous plants are in bloom, which songbirds are performing their regular garden concerts – and whether the does have once again come to wish us good night while munching on my herbs!
In short, a gazette about life in an old glassmaking hamlet where the rhythm of the seasons still sets the pace and time itself seems to have paused…
Does in the Gentle Rain
Indian summer is slowly coming to an end – and what a beautiful one it has been!
Long shadows, soft light, lush, deep-green grass sprinkled with the first colourful autumn leaves, rich forest soil teeming with mushrooms… That was this year’s Indian summer, now slowly drawing to a close, giving way to shorter autumn days and the first frosty mornings.
It’s beautiful here, come what may…
Wild Mushroom Ragout Recipe
And suddenly, out of nowhere came a glimpse of our genius …
The River That Was Too Tame for Swarovski
Thousands of stars overhead, and the dark forest all around
Following Cimrman to the Three Does
Mushroom season is here!
The Jablonecká perle (Jablonec Pearl) festival is just around the corner, already sparkling and shimmering
A weekend filled with Jablonec’s famous glass and beads, as well as music, stalls run by local designers and craftspeople, and plenty of good food. A great idea for an enjoyable trip back to civilisation :-)
(21.-22.8. 2026)
See:
https://www.jabloneckaperle.cz/cs/
https://www.facebook.com/jabloneckaperle
https://libereckelisty.cz/jablonecka-perle-2026-program-novinky/
A bird concert in the garden, conducted by the free Merlin app
An unassuming beauty that can turn the whole of August blue.
"The time of (un)ripe raspberries is over…"
…as the famous Czech singer Hana Zagorová once sang. And I am happy to report that the raspberries have now ripened. They are not only juicy and wonderfully sweet, but, set against the pink haze of common bent I wrote about last time, exceptionally pretty as well. Almost too pretty to put in a cake… (But what a delicious cake it was!)
The Tragic History and Timeless Appeal of the "Burst Dam" in Desná
Deep in the Jizera Mountains lies one of the region's most captivating yet tragic historical sites: the Protržená přehrada (Burst Dam) on the Bílá Desná river.
From Bobsleighs to UFOs: Discovering the Secrets of Malý Špičák
Tucked into the woods just a short distance from our rental cottage, Chalupa U Tří srnek, lies a mountain peak with a history as wild as its scenery. While many visitors flock to the famous Tanvaldský Špičák for skiing and panoramas, its smaller neighbor, Malý Špičák, hides a pioneering sports legacy and some of the most striking modern architecture in the Jizera Mountains.
Nothing common about the common bent!
The pink veil that has appeared behind our cottage is the work of a delicate grass typically found in upland meadows and pastures. On its own, each stem is utterly inconspicuous, almost translucent, but when thousands of them come together, there is no overlooking them – and no stopping them. Much as in life…
We hope the fun – and the bentgrass – will last a little while longer, because we could gaze at this pink splendour for hours!