a dog's life in the Tamar valley, Cornwall, PL17

bramble flower

2012-01-27T16:05:00.001Z

I have never seen bramble flowering in January. I guess it may have continued flowering from last year. I can hardly believe it has started to flower anew this early

cornish canary

2012-01-26T20:32:00.003Z

a goldfinch flashing its brilliant colours in flight (nothing much else to photograph at present)

ova seer

2012-01-23T09:52:00.000Z

as might be expected the pools and puddles are now full of amphibian eggs, some in aggregates and some that seem to have disaggregated.

morning

2012-01-17T17:27:00.002Z

It was quite a fierce dawn today, and it set the sycamores on fire

Oscar's great adventure

2012-01-16T14:01:00.000Z

Sometimes, just occasionally, something out of the ordinary happens. Today for the first time for a while we went for a walk along the Inny. It was cold and frosty and this makes the walk much easier where the cattle have churned up the ground. As we walked through the long meadow I could hear a dog barking in the woods, nothing much unusual in that. We went on to the little ruined cottage to see if there were any snowdrops out (there were indeed). There were also some frost flowers on fallen twigs.

As I walked up to the ruined pigsty behind the cottage to look for more snowdrops (see above) I could still hear the dog barking. "Odd" I thought. I decided to walk back along a track above the meadow to see if I could discover what was going on. I realised I had walked past the nearest point to the dog, but there was no sign of it which, if you know dogs, you will appreciate is unusually unsociable. So we back tracked, and then eventually up a little fork in the track I could see a little brown coat, but not moving. we walked up to the spot and there was a little long haired terrier seemingly tied down very firmly to a variety of root stubs and bits of undergrowth (see link for google map to get an idea of how isolated this place was). Cold and somewhat subdued the terrier was very pleased to see us even if he was dwarfed by two lurchers and a collie. I was very puzzled by this situation. It looked as if he had been tied up deliberately while his owner went off to shoot pigeons or some such. I couldn't leave him there though in case he had been abandoned, or his owner had dropped dead in the woods. After hollering for some time with no response, I disentangled his chain, and we slowly made our way back to Beals Mill.

Oscar plus chain

He was obviously very thirsty. When we got to Beals Mill we asked the owner (Mr Page, ex RM) of the fearsome pack of dachshunds if any one had lost a dog. He told me he had thought he had heard a dog barking in the woods over the previous two nights. Now, in these situations there is only one place to go, the village post office at Stoke Climsland. So we drove there (with found dog sitting in my lap gazing adoringly at me). Lo and behold only that morning someone had been in to put up a notice with information about a terrier called Oscar who had gone missing three days earlier. A quick phone call and a five minute drive and Oscar was reunited with his owner, Sally (strangely enough next door to the house where Cassie was born and Bracken still lives). It seems he had done a runner plus chain on Friday evening. How on earth he had got two miles or so through heavy undergrowth, meadows, woods, fences and streams with 15 feet of chain trailing behind him is anybody's guess. Maybe there is a shorter safer route to the spot where I found him.

Oscar reunited

Several things come out of this tale. Terriers are determined little dogs and nothing is going to stop them going for a ramble. Lurchers are very friendly to other dogs in distress. Oscar is very lucky it was a frosty morning. The post office is the centre of our social network. Always ask at the Post Office! Clean your lens before taking photos.

at the end of the day

2012-01-11T19:26:00.002Z

the first sunny evening for several weeks ended in a blaze of glory during our evening walk. It is worth checking the lane label to see how this little lane can be so colourful and change so much. It was interesting to hear David Hockney talking about this exact same issue on Sunday (on Countryfile), walking through the same landscape day after day one starts to see rather than look.

the first tortoiseshell of the year

2012-01-11T12:29:00.001Z

This is getting ridiculous, it is only 11 January and this bright tortoiseshell is already on the wing.

my tree

2012-01-08T15:23:00.002Z

the bracket fungus eye (if they have an eye) view of the tree

frog spawn and daffodils

2012-01-01T12:29:00.000Z

On our first walk of the year (in the rain, some things never change) we saw some frog spawn, a very happy robin whistling away, and our amazing daffodils. One advantage of having kept a regular blog (for 6 years now) is that it is easy to compare what we see now with previous years; without doubt this is the mildest winter we have experienced here, and the earliest frog spawn by about 3 weeks (which is a lot).

Happy New Year from Spot

2011-12-31T22:44:00.002Z

And a Happy New Year

and may the sun shine on us all.

out of season

2011-12-28T00:54:00.003Z

just wandering around the garden today I found these plants in flower (from the top, camelia, feverfew, geranium and cape lily), in addition to our normal winter flowering shrubs mahonia and viburnum. The camelia is at least two months earlier than usual. Any hard frost now will damage the buds. What a strange year!

only in our imagination

2011-12-24T17:56:00.000Z

It's been a tumultuous year for everyone everywhere, and a sad one for us, but here's to a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to you all.

Love

Spot and the OHG

Dismaltide

2011-12-19T11:47:00.000Z

At this time of year in the meadows it feels as if the party is over, the tussocks are drab and collapsed, seed heads look like cigarette butts chucked on the floor and ground out, the carpet is sodden, and the buzz of conversation has gone. All that chatting up and flirting, and vivid displaying on the dance floor in party frocks is over. No one has cleared up yet, but one gets the impression that the party goers, once over their hangovers, somehow somewhere will start the party again next year.

funnel troops

2011-12-13T15:48:00.002Z

not a lot is going on at the moment although there are more mushrooms about than usual for the time of year. These very large mushrooms are one of the species of clitocybe and are large enough to be gigantea (edible when boiled) or geotropa (v edible), but are probably just plain old common funnel mushrooms (edible). A group like this is called a troop. As usual I cannot tell which is which. My unease about eating wild mushrooms is not helped by the mention (in only one of my reference books but not the others) of the spread of the Paralysis funnel, (C. amoenolens) which is easily mistaken for the others other than that it smells of ripe pears, the ivory clitocybe (deadly poisonous) which is common on lawns. These look edible but are ivory coloured, and don't smell of much at all! It's back to the superstore then.

snipe starling

2011-12-04T17:46:00.001Z

a starling looking very smart after the autumn moult. The new feathers have creamy tips that stand out from the dark background, and the back feathers are paler brown than in the summer. Below is a snipe caught in mid flight. This was one of a party of 6 or 7, small groups like this are called wisps. There are two types of snipe, common and Jack. This is probably the common snipe becausethe wisp was feeding on very damp marsh land. They are extremely quick on the wing.

Lurchers frighten off rabbit

2011-12-04T17:40:00.001Z

large buck rabbit looking very scared in flower bed after severe warning as to future conduct. We will stop at nothing to rid our garden of rabbits as long as it doesn't involve running around and barking.

Daffodils in November

2011-11-30T13:11:00.001Z

It is hard to believe that these daffodils are so far ahead. Everything is out of kilter. Maybe it is a floral tribute to the sinking of the SS Europa after she hit a transatlantic debt mountain.

more autumn colour 4

2011-11-20T16:45:00.001Z

Stoke Climsland from the south west looking unusually picturesque for the time of year. And below our lovely scented climbing rose has decided to flower again

more autumn colour 3

2011-11-20T16:02:00.001Z

Apleasant but fairly dull picture, until you see the little black spot towards the bottom of the tree trunk on the left, which is a very late flying red admiral sunning itself

and adding to this picture of unseasonal warmth there was also a late comma out and about.

more autumnal colours

2011-11-17T15:08:00.001Z

Bracken has now turned reddish orange and brown. The dearth of mushrooms continues but at least there is fly agaric around to add some colour.

Innycent fun

2011-11-17T15:00:00.001Z

our morning walk (or in Spot's case madcap sprint), along the Inny, through the woods, bathed in golden sunlight and enjoying the warmth. The lower picture is at the same place where we came across a deer in September at much the same time of day. It shows how the colours change (see link).

autumn colours

2011-11-16T14:37:00.001Z

late flowering geranium and brilliant red of a fallen leaf.

autumn in the Tamar valley

2011-11-13T16:03:00.001Z

this cut down jpg doesn't quite capture the beauty of the woods in the Tamar valley below Greenscoombe meadows (unlike the full version). Devon and Dartmoor are in the background. We went looking for mushrooms today but there are very few around. I think it must be too mild for them and the undergrowth is still quite green and heavy. Strange warm weather for the time of year..

getting on with life

2011-11-06T17:18:00.001Z

a walk on Bodmin moor on a stunning day, a raven flying above us all, and below Spot recharging his endorphin levels after what has been a period of obvious uncertainty for him after his mother's death.

Cassie's demise has left an emptiness in our house. It has left me pondering why we experience grief. As an emotion it seems to have no biological value at all unlike every other emotion, all of which seem to map on to some sort of survival activity. I do not share the view that animals are mindless automatons, I think their minds are just not quite like ours, but I suspect we are the only animals to experience grief (perhaps elephants?) and so maybe it is the price we pay for our ability to articulate that we are alive. If so it feels like a bad deal.

Morning has broken

2011-11-01T09:16:00.000Z

The clocks have gone back so we caught the early morning sun bathing the mists in the river valleys below on our first walk along our favourite lane since yesterday. What a difference a day can make in the sense of things. One person, three dogs and the spirit of the fourth poddling along behind us. Everyone is very quiet now that the leader of the pack has gone.

goodbye, Cassie, old and faithful friend

2011-10-31T16:33:00.000Z

Cassie was put quietly to sleep this afternoon. We shall miss her great, soft, intelligent, loyal, mischievous contribution to our lives. The muddy paws, the hoarse barking, the great lurcher skill of extremely surreptitious thieving whenever possible, the log carrying, the joy of living, soft brown eyes, the woolly waterproof coat ... everything that makes a canine friend. Much of her life since 2005 is recorded intermittently in Spot's blog who was of course her favourite son. It was a good life.

redshank

2011-10-27T13:21:00.003+01:00

a redshank that has just arrived to spend the winter in the Camel estuary

quarry tails

2011-10-26T17:34:00.002+01:00

soft grey colours in the quarry on Kit Hill, and one inhabitant showing off the length of his tail. It is worth clicking on the Kit Hill label (see list to the right) to see how this little patch of granite varies so much through the year.

rainbows

2011-10-26T14:15:00.001+01:00

It has been that kind of weather, sharp showers and bright sun, with gold at the end of the lane.

herb robert

2011-10-16T17:05:00.002+01:00

Herb Robert is usually pink with leaves tinged with red, and reddish stems. This appears to be the white form which is described as occasional although I have never seen it before. It is growing in the same field where we find the double/multiple forms of mayflower. There must be something in the soil (probably radon). Not quite as exciting as grizzlies and bald headed eagles but at least we know the names of the wild flowers around here.

this is not Cornwall

2011-10-05T00:37:00.000+01:00

Black Rock at Ucluelet, British Columbia, on the edge of the Pacific ocean, just after a storm. How we pine for the heat of Cornwall.

last of the summer wine

2011-09-29T10:33:00.002+01:00

a comma warming up on an apple at Old Solomon's Farm, Latchley, and below the view looking up river towards Old Solomon's farm (on the Cornish side) and Weir cottage to the right on the Devon side. At long last the weather has turned warm and fine, just as we are heading off to Canada. Spot and the rest of the OHG will be house sitting for us with Ruth so this will be the last blog for a couple of weeks.

not quite Provence

2011-09-27T20:03:00.002+01:00

a field full of sunflowers in Venterdon, looking south towards the church, and Kit Hill in the distance. And the lane in its autumnal livery against a blue sky providing another example of Nature's painting.

honestly autumn is here

2011-09-22T14:32:00.003+01:00

the seed pod of honesty (we expect lots more next year)

the clash of colour of spindle berries, according to Flora Britannica one of the few violent colour clashes in our native flora

and our rowan tree bulging with berries

little beauties

2011-09-18T19:50:00.003+01:00

some eyebright (and canine hoof) still flowering, and a little footbridge across the stream below Old Mill, near Luckett

not much colour now

2011-09-16T11:17:00.000+01:00

all of a sudden the colour has gone out of the meadows which have become a sea of brown knapweed seed heads and the occasional flash of creamy meadowsweet and pinkish white angelica. Nevertheless the goldfinches are gathering into small flocks or charms and will feed on the seed heads through the rest of the year.

Cassie

2011-09-11T21:16:00.000+01:00

not long to go now

on sad days

2011-09-11T20:04:00.001+01:00

there are no poppies here, but these wild flowers on the rocky path up hill can stand in their stead, and there is light ahead.

handel bars?

2011-09-08T17:23:00.000+01:00

Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought

The Springer Spaniel at Treburley nestling under a chestnut tree showing the first signs of autumnal colour.

hints of autumn

2011-09-04T19:51:00.000+01:00

wild apples and hawthorn berries presage the arrival of autumn, alas.

and just to add a bit of colour

2011-09-01T15:09:00.000+01:00

the last of the summer butterflies (tortoiseshell, red admiral and peacock) on knapweed and heather

a chance encounter

2011-09-01T02:30:00.000+01:00

today, unusually, we came across several deer by surprise, probably because the wind was in an unusual direction. This little female roe deer was very slow to notice us and gave me time to take several photographs despite the dogs

two items of interest

2011-08-31T18:08:00.000+01:00

In our garden this afternoon, the enormous caterpillar of the elephant hawk moth, trying to frighten us with his evil eye trick, and below a female spider carrying her egg sac with her to ensure the best start possible for her off-spring.

a day trip to Looe 2

2011-08-30T13:47:00.001+01:00

catching crabs is a popular activity

east and west Looe from the bridge

a day trip to Looe

2011-08-30T13:36:00.001+01:00

rock pooling in Looe with the tide well out, a hobby for crows and humans

a good place to visit

2011-08-29T11:19:00.000+01:00

some of the stars of the donkey park at St Anne's Chapel (see link). It is in a good cause and good fun for small children although Spot wasn't allowed in! Mind you he is contemplating taking in some donkeys.

natural design

2011-08-25T14:30:00.000+01:00

some new roof finials have appeared

off the wall

2011-08-24T21:08:00.000+01:00

a very placid female wall brown warming up for a day's sport.

morning walking 2

2011-08-22T14:32:00.001+01:00

the otter spraint (we find it exciting, and some of us would roll in it if allowed)

there must be enough fish in the river for otters and kingfishers

arrowed for assistance(!)

morning walking 1

2011-08-22T14:27:00.000+01:00

Sometimes as this morning a walk becomes life enhancing. The mist in the valley was just lifting as the day warmed up. The first thing we saw was the brilliant flash of blue of a kingfisher, and although we did not realise it at the time (at least maybe subliminally we did) he posed on a branch while we photographed the river. Then the meadows were full of butterflies. Usually fritillaries are very nervous but today they seemed oblivious to our presence. It quickly became clear that it was mating day and the air was full of males fighting for the attention of a few ragged females. Apart from the barrel rolling flight which is very difficult to photograph, we saw a male and female land together and the male embark on a trembling wing display before mating. And then on the way home we found some very fresh otter spraint. And the sun was out. And all was well with the world.

natural opportunism

2011-08-20T13:52:00.000+01:00

our old dead apple tree has suddenly flowered again. I am not sure what sort of flower this is but I suspect the seed has come from the bird seed put out in the garden, and has been dropped by one of the birds that uses the tree as a perch. It looks like a malnourished sunflower.

a band of happy followers

2011-08-20T13:36:00.001+01:00

done with the vet, off on our hols to pastures new

more from the meadows

2011-08-17T09:42:00.005+01:00

Spot taking a close look at some red bartsia, a semi parasite of grass. Maybe he has toothache (qv).The last flowers of the summer are coming out in a tangled profusion, including from the bottom up, water mint, birds foot trefoil, purple loosestrife, meadowsweet, and hogweed at the top

there was news this morning of a new initiative at Kew Millennium Seed Bank to generate seed of our native meadow plants (link). Nearly all of the plants mentioned grow locally except the harebell, although the ivy leaved harebell is found in local woods. The devil's-bit scabious is just beginning to flower (the violet flowers top left) in amongst the purple knapweed

Fern brooch

2011-08-13T17:02:00.000+01:00

The fantastic remnant of a darter dragonfly rests on a fern leaf like a swarovski jewel.

muscovy sauce

2011-08-11T14:02:00.001+01:00

Calstock viaduct at low tide, and below, in close up, a surprising resident.

for dog lovers only

2011-08-08T15:54:00.000+01:00

her favourite toy(aka the Puppy)

meadowland

2011-08-08T15:52:00.001+01:00

wrens flourish because there are so many insects in the meadows at this time of year. The knapweed is now the dominant flowering species locally. My eye caught this very pale bumble bee, it looks like a white tailed bumble bee but the other bands should be a brighter yellow so it may be another species.

a bird in the bush

2011-08-08T15:39:00.000+01:00

the bushes are full of young birds although they are hard to see properly. This is a young wren. For small birds they make a lot of noise.

it's that time of year again

2011-08-07T23:33:00.000+01:00

It's the Flower show, it must be August again. It feels like the hand on a giant clock, ticking once a year. The criteria by which these apples came third are not clear; I would have eaten them.

the joy of flying

2011-08-07T23:25:00.000+01:00

for some reason early this morning the paddock was full of martins flying around chasing each other and generally having FUN.

lane warfare

2011-08-02T19:24:00.000+01:00

On our walk this evening the lane was full of red admirals and speckled wood butterflies. They seem to take possession and guard 5 or 10 metres of hedgerow, racing up and down and fighting off all intruders. The air was full of butterflies being aggressive, and this rather battered individual was taking a breather before lurching (appropriate word for this blog) off to do some more fighting. So much for the quiet life. More like boy racers.

beauty and the beast

2011-07-31T20:34:00.001+01:00

a crab spider has caught a meadow brown and is hauling it up to the flower head. Not all is beauty and light in the meadows.

knap hand

2011-07-31T20:10:00.000+01:00

although it is common, as this photograph shows, knapweed brings a blaze of brilliant purple colour to the meadows in late summer (a prize to anyone who can name every flower in this photo).

PS .... prizes are always photos of Spot :-)

silver washed out

2011-07-31T20:02:00.001+01:00

There were a lot of silver washed fritillaries out today in the sun. They seem to prefer meadows and grassland that lie next to woods. They are large and powerful fliers and are usually quite skittish, but the top photo is of a female who was prepared to pose for me with the sun shining through her wings. The male in the lower photograph is feeding on hemp agrimony instead of the preferred food of brambles which have almost finished flowering.

small and vulnerable

2011-07-30T17:29:00.000+01:00

A very juvenile blue tit (only a very few blue feathers on its head) recovering from an encounter with a window. Although very shocked it eventually recovered enough to fly off.

high and mighty

2011-07-30T14:54:00.002+01:00

if dogs were lords of the universe....

summer colours

2011-07-30T11:06:00.001+01:00

On Rowden lane. Is there a hint of autumn in these colours?

a very shy visitor

2011-07-27T08:06:00.002+01:00

Jays may be very noisy birds but they are also generally very shy, and only very occasionally come into our garden (see link). The local magpies were very unhappy about this intruder and tried to chase it off.

We also spotted this magpie moth yesterday, although its colouration might suggest that leopard moth would be a better description.

disappearing peacock

2011-07-24T08:50:00.001+01:00

we are now in butterfly count fortnight, and the butterfly conservation group have reported an "alarming" drop in the number of peacock butterflies. So it was heartening that we saw 5 or 6 individuals this morning, once it had warmed up a bit. The bramble flowers on which a lot of bigger butterflies tend to feed have already come and gone this year, and the knapweed has not quite come into flower yet so there seems to be a gap in available food for these insects. This butterfly is feeding on a species of thistle.

kings of their castles

2011-07-19T17:42:00.001+01:00

a small skipper on a marsh thistle, and (after much discussion about little brown birds) a chiffchaff

in the meadows

2011-07-14T23:27:00.000+01:00

soft light and a myriad of spiders' webs filled the meadows early this morning, as did the chattering of a family of long tailed tits enjoying the warmth of the sun

occasional visitors

2011-07-11T18:17:00.000+01:00

Another very occasional visitor to the peanuts is this nuthatch, adopting its characteristic upside down feeding posture, much to the surprise of the juvenile blue tit.

butterfly news

2011-07-09T22:06:00.000+01:00

just in time for the big butterfly count (see link) more species of butterfly are appearing; today in the meadows we saw large whites, small whites, meadow browns, ringlets, silver washed fritillaries, small skippers, and red admirals, in addition to the three above from the top a bright comma , a small copper, and a painted lady showing her under wear. No blues, tortoiseshells, brimstones or peacocks possibly because it was quite early in the morning.

a rare sight

2011-07-09T13:57:00.000+01:00

We know that hedgehogs live in our garden but we only see them very occasionally at night. It is extremely unusual to see them ambling around in broad daylight like this one, completely unconcerned by our (four dogs and one person) return. The rain has brought out a lot of slugs so maybe this hedgehog was too busy snacking to notice the time of day.

in greenscombe woods

2011-07-03T21:08:00.000+01:00

It was a warm sunny day but not much to see apart from cornish bladderseed and the strange slender variety of betony that is only to be found in these woodland meadows.

just like a leaf

2011-07-03T21:03:00.000+01:00

the first of the second generation of brimstones to appear this year. The first silver washed fritillaries have also appeared in the last few days

five or six

2011-07-02T13:53:00.000+01:00

the 3 main varieties of burnet moth are the five, narrow bordered five, and six spot. As far as I can tell this is the five spot (and only experts can tell the difference between this and the narrow bordered five spot). They are very striking in flight when they appear like a blurry ball of red (not black).

the middle picture is of a heart and dart moth. The dart is the black streak, and the heart is the round brownish mark towards the edge of each wing. The bottom picture is of a silver y moth, a frequent migrant to Britain. The picture looks slightly blurred. This is because this moth has the habit of rapid trembling when at rest.

on the Inny

2011-07-02T13:38:00.001+01:00

In the morning light the river looked like an impressionist painting today

getting braver all the time

2011-06-30T21:53:00.000+01:00

finding the peanuts irresistible, this juvenile woodpecker is prepared to come very close to the house

full sail ahead

2011-06-29T20:16:00.000+01:00

mid summer sees the appearance of the pretty yellow flowers of meadow vetchling, a member of the pea family

damsel in distress

2011-06-26T18:46:00.002+01:00

I am not quite sure what is going on here, but it looks like an aphid has a tiger by its tail. The damselfly was doing its best to dislodge its unwanted passenger by arching its back and rubbing its tail against the blade of grass.

Further research suggests it might be a water mite, various secies of which parasitize dragonflies, damselflies etc (see link for arrenurus genus) ... you live and you learn!

the view from Cotehele

2011-06-23T20:22:00.002+01:00

we were very lucky today to be taken up the North tower at Cotehele. The roof is reached via a very narrow steep flight of stone steps, and has a view towards Calstock and far across the Tamar valley. This is the same view as before (see link) but taken from a much higher vantage point and it includes the tudor roof of Cotehele itself.

more butterfly things

2011-06-23T20:16:00.001+01:00

the greater butterfly orchid, and the lesser Spot

another episode from Dr Doolittle's handbook

2011-06-23T13:39:00.001+01:00

He can even charm the heath fritillaries out of the trees. There were a lot of heath fritillaries about today.

hedgerows

2011-06-22T19:49:00.000+01:00

hemp agrimony about to flower - reputedly a rough medicine, or an ointment when mixed with hog's lard.

the scorpion fly returns

2011-06-19T15:13:00.000+01:00

this is the common scorpion fly (identified instantaneously thanks to the experts at wild about Britain see link) in a clump of brambles. The scorpion bit refers to its tail appendage but is not very obvious in these photos. The head reminds me of Star Wars: the clone wars

an occasional visitor

2011-06-15T19:21:00.000+01:00

great spotted woodpecker, one of my favourite but only very occasional visitors to the garden

the slightest thing

2011-06-14T18:13:00.000+01:00

a green lacewing (chrysopa perla I think) in amongst the grasses and sorrel. The pollen was coming off the grasses in the meadows in great clouds today. And there was a great flash of blue as a kingfisher flew past chinking as it went like two coins knocked together.

a small skipper

2011-06-11T18:37:00.000+01:00

the small skipper (male with little black bands on wings), quite common at this time of year but frisky and can be difficult to catch on camera

off spring

2011-06-10T18:40:00.000+01:00

a goldfinch showing its youngster the ropes, and a blackbird doing all the work for its youngster

summer days

2011-06-05T21:38:00.002+01:00

fresh frisky tortoiseshell posing on some silverweed

and a two coloured leaf beetle (chrysolina polita) on a flag iris

tableau des agneaux

2011-06-05T21:35:00.001+01:00

finding a cool place on a hot day

human landing strip

2011-06-04T23:09:00.000+01:00

In late May and early June, especially on warm days, you can see these longhorned moths performing little dances in the lanes, rising and falling before they mate. Here they are taking a rest before resuming the great battle to procreate.

walnut tree

2011-06-01T17:55:00.001+01:00

tiny flowers have appeared again on our much nurtured young walnut tree but will we get any walnuts? Watch this space for the next riveting installment.

2011-05-31T10:15:00.000+01:00

the thrill of the chase, and at the winning post

a day at the races

2011-05-31T10:12:00.000+01:00

some very small jockeys (this brave little lass came second in the pony race) and their larger connections.

in the paddock with the trainer

a day at the races

2011-05-31T10:04:00.002+01:00

we spent yesterday at the South Tetcott Hunt point to point (see link) Steeplechase at Upcott Cross, Halwill Junction with the owner of two of the horses running. It is hard to describe the ambience of these meetings but to me it feels like the essence of rural England, circa 1955, something past, something lost. The still strong rural tribe was out in force and in uniform... 'dedicated follower(s) of fashion'.

paradise found

2011-05-29T22:37:00.000+01:00

the meadows at Greenscoombe are full now of butterfly orchids (the lesser variety) which are slender and have a barely detectable but sweet fragrance. There is in these things a deep sense of joy in having lived at all in this vast cosmos, and to know that one has lived.

for all fellow bloggers these lines from Milton seem very apposite

For who would lose,
Though full of pain, this intellectual being,
Those thoughts that wander through eternity...

the house that martins built

2011-05-27T17:27:00.000+01:00

you fly all the way over from Africa, you build a nest out of mud and saliva during the dryest spring in 50 years, you line it with moss and you get ready to lay eggs and then a bunch of scruffy sparrows come and commandeer your living space .... and a gang of 10 of us can't shift one miserable little sparrow. What a bunch of losers! (the little chap on the roof in the bottom photo is a very feisty sparrow, and his mate is going into the nest in the top picture)

nature's garden

2011-05-22T22:42:00.000+01:00

Coming across scenes like this is one of the joys of walking in the woods. I guess many gardeners would love to capture this essence of Nature's random brilliance.