butterbur is back

the first flower heads are pushing through the leaf litter, about three months earlier than last year. There is an unseasonal little gnat or midge of some sort on the right.

deepest woods

deep in the woods, a stand of cedars. I am not sure why but it feels very ancient.

more bacon

Cassie finds another Christmas present for us.

Christmas decorations

sycamore leaf acting as natural bauble.

Hingston island

when Kit Hill is surrounded by fog it creates the pleasing illusion of some ancient inland sea bathed in tropical sun. And by some strange coincidence it was very similar this time last year (see 21/12/05 by clicking on Kit Hill label)

Ginsters of Callington

A picture of Callington from Kit Hill with the world famous Ginsters puffing away in the foreground spreading the aroma of pasties far and wide. My eyes are usually focussed on Stoke to the North but the fog has mellowed Callington and my nostrils directed me towards the factory.

fog

just after sunrise this morning, on the way to Kit Hill, ice making it lethal underfoot, looking towards Heathrow.

fog

the view today from Kit Hill is somewhat different. Freezing fog is filling the valley. And one for sorrow.

Stoke Climsland

I can't resist these pictures of the village in the cold still air, with the low winter sun casting long shadows highlighting every hedgerow and tree.

mother and daughter

on the top of Kit Hill, bathed in wintry sun, looking very haughty.

Cornish reflections

this image of Bridge farm near Horsebridge reminds me for some reason of Switzerland. The 'lake' is a sign of how much rain we have had recently.

misty morning

In sharp contrast to the stygian gloom of recent weeks today broke with brilliant sunshine, low on the horizon to embue photographs with an atmospheric feel. Even the grass is glinting in the foreground.

powercuts

an eight hour power cut last night left us with little to do but sit around and play with the camera. Is this a harbinger of things to come? No oil, no lights, no fun?

wild sunsets

we haven't had many of these fiery sunsets recently. This one is from two days ago (blog problems). Last year they were much more frequent. When will it ever get cold again?

watery species

watery psathyrella, found in dense tufts on stumps of deciduous trees. The only thing of any interest on this cold damp day, it is very small and inconspicuous.

caradon

as you probably know, most of us in east Cornwall rely on Caradon radio mast for daily instructions. The buzzard always flies away as soon as the camera comes out, no doubt the radio mast is talking to it too (should that be twit twoo?).

rainbows and serendipity

sometimes one is rewarded simply for carrying a camera. Although the rain makes the background blurred, Stoke Climsland is sitting under the middle of this beautiful, double rainbow.

I stitched together two photographs, both of which are spectacular in their own right. Please do not put coffee mugs on my photographs.

streaming

more images of the streams in Greenscoombe woods, and one of the water with the light giving it an almost crystalline appearance.

oyster mushrooms

these are oyster mushrooms, they are edible and supposed to be tasty although I have never eaten wild ones.

more nuts

Spot was wondering if these were his missing items, sweet chestnuts anyway.

village life

.... at the village market this morning, local produce and craft ware plus a cooked breakfast.

it's that time of year again

lush holly in Greenscoombe woods, just in time for the bleak mid winter.

cherry gall

a cherry oak gall on an oak leaf, the work of a gall wasp. I never knew there were so many different types of gall.

lamb chips

why are all these potatoes going to waste? Well, at least he is as happy as a sheep in potatoes.

vivid mushrooms

this looks like black purple russula, who knows, but it is very vivid and looks very poisonous (it isn't but it isnt edible).

the flow

water is about all there is to photograph at present. These woodland streams run down to the Tamar at Luckett and are usually very quiet little glades but have become very lively following the torrential downpours we have experienced recently.

log fishing

Cassie braving the rapids to look for salmon.

nuts

the intricacy of nature on a small scale is fascinating, even in something seemingly as simple as a nut, almost as if the design is for the joy of it.

wrinkled club

clavulina rugosa, a wrinkled club, apparently both solitary and gregarious.

a good walk

all four of us, steaming along in the bright light after a good walk.

spate

the river is close to flooding. These eddies in midstream under Horsebridge are an image of chaos in turbulent flow. The vortices weave into one another; it is wonderful and exhilarating.

Crisis strikes

we have been having very severe problems ever since we tried to install Internet explorer 7 on a nice quiet functioning PC system. Crash bang goodbye followed by major rescue etc etc (I'm sure you have all been there) followed by total inability to access web pages, blog sites (ever since we moved to blogger beta) etc etc. And it started raining. It may well be that we are still blocked from logging onto our own blog, time will tell. Moral of the story : never let a giftware in the house.

milk caps

with a couple of small drops of the'milk' that gives the group its name, probably lactarius subdulcis

autumn, stone walls

 

Autumn light: the view from Crockett

plus rooks returning to the roost 

autumn scenes : the road from Kelly Bray

 

autumn scenes, in the woods

 

scenes from Autumn

these pretty scenes reflect the end of a brief but brilliant Autumn.

skipping off

well, that's one year in my blog. I have really enjoyed sharing my experiences with you (2001 visitors, including me!) and the dog's eye view of my amazing home, and some of my concerns about what you are doing, inadvertently perhaps, to the planet. I am not going to keep a daily diary now, but if there are any notable images I will ask Dad to post them from time to time. The blog will stay up for the time being.

Smile and the whole world smiles with you, weep and you weep alone.

Love Spot, Harriet, Cassie and Max and the admin staff at Orchard House.

Admin note: Spot is wonderful. An interactive DVD of thousands of images of local flora, fauna, and views including some from this blog is available for a small fee if you email me using his email address above.