From Civil war in Dorset to the Napoleonic war, tits on a tightrope and Honeysuckle romps home

In May episode two: Buying two horses unseen was a risk, but the results are absolutely wonderful, and the season has started well, says Toots Bartlett, National three day event rider. In Tales from the Vale, Andy Palmer shares tales of rationing and his mum's war The fascinating history of compassion, bravery and the largest pitched battle in Dorset during the Civil War is told by Rupert Hardy, chair of North Dorset CPRE Pubs in previous centuries staged a wild variety of events to draw in customers – but they weren’t quite the same as today’s quiz nights and ‘open mic’ sessions, explains Roger Guttridge as he talks about Shroton's village pub The tale of an innocent Dorset boy who quickly became a man in the horrors of the Napoleonic war is vividly described by Roger Guttridge Birds living and breeding on the UK’s farmland saw numbers decline by almost a tenth in just five years, says Dorset Wildlife Trust Blue tits are on a surprisingly precarious tightrope each spring. Nature writer Jane Adams shares the task ahead of ‘her’ Bonnie and Clyde With his gardening jobs for May, Pete Harcom suggests now's the time to look for optimum siting for plants to bloom Originally a wildflower from Asia, Europe’s love for tulips meant that some bulbs were worth more than a house during the height of the Dutch craze for the plant, as Charlotte Tombs relates Life or death foals, DIY one-sided milking, windswept legs, film stardom and “Go Honeysuckle, go!” - it’s another average month at The Glanvilles Stud with Lucy Procter When Jemima Green was paralysed from the waist down after a car crash, she thought she’d never be able to ride again. She was wrong – she shares her story Events at a Dorset council meeting made national headlines, but ultimately overshadowed the importance of the vote, says Labour’s Pat Osborne The Government is punishing the victims of cross-channel trafficking, not the perpetrators, says north Dorset Lib Dems’ Mike Chapman.