on Shaptor

at long last Spot has found a dog stinkhorn (badly photographed unfortunately), smaller and more slender than its common cousin, but much more dog like (!, or maybe more appropriately :-). If only.

sunset

every pole should have a buzzard, every dog should have a home

Orion rising

the stars above the church tonight on the first clear night for a while.

sheep talk

"Am I really beautiful?"

Happy New Year

thank God 2013 is over; welcome 2014

flood plains

 When the Tamar floods it creates a new channel through the woods below Carthamartha. The debris contains many of the plastic tubes used to protect the mixed deciduous saplings that have been planted out up stream (top picture). The floor is scoured clean, revealing the first signs of this years crop of purple toothwort (looking very dental!)

)

Inny foot

It was a lovely winter's day for a walk in the woods.

run run Ron

Today's guest dog Ron (Warnham R, see link), retired racer, doing spirit of running with his friends.

have fun

And peace on earth!

google translate fails again

"Take me to your Biscuit, now!"

just missed

It was extremely wet and windy yesterday!

still shell shocked, and hanging on for dear life, or like grim death. (It is interesting that these two similes have the same meaning).

very old indeed

Our village post  office (in Stoke Climsland) is 175 years old next year. We will be celebrating!

birds of prey flock together

Up to 14 buzzards have been seen sitting together in these bare fields. Buzzards are usually fairly solitary birds, but they seem to be congregating in these fields, possibly to feed on the worms, or to warm up in the morning in the winter sun.

Christmas tidings from Duchy College

a giant corn dolly prepared by Duchy college ready for the ritual sacrifice of a student (still to be selected) at the winter solstice.

Bal maidens

images from A Hole in the Ground, an exhibition (in aid of NSPCC) in our parish hall of arts and crafts inspired by mining in the Tamar valley and a reflection of the harsh life of young men and women who worked in the mines locally.

Come and have a look

Another exhibition of photographs from Spot's blog is now on show at the Old School Community Centre, Stoke Climsland. Entry free (! of course !)

p.s. Tea towels with this attractive image will soon be available, get your orders in now!

winter scenes

Wonderful and strange light this afternoon, followed by a crescent moon and Venus brilliant in the evening sky.

on the first day of winter

Alfie, today's guest dog. I have no idea what he was doing in the top picture, possibly looking for water-fowl or otters, but we had a 2 hour swim and run marathon along the Inny which exhausted the lurchers but not Alfie.

Hard though it is to remember, these meadows were full of butterflies only a few months ago (see link). Below is an example of witches' broom, a gall of birch caused by a fungal infection

autumn

Light pouring into the woods today, and, away from the sun's warmth, a frost flower in bloom.

dawn

all avian life trying to warm up in the morning sun after a long cold moon lit night

autumn 13

 

images from our walk in Greenscombe woods today

deep sleep

A tortoiseshell caught hibernating on a log from the wood shed. It is extremely well camouflaged in this situation by the seemingly drab pattern of the underside of its wings.

our lane

not much to say, autumn is gathering pace

windy days

We have experienced a succession of wet and windy days recently. It is hard to capture the wind in a photograph but the pampas grass gives some idea of the strength of the wind. And the scene below is of the Tamar valley in its autumnal clothes. There hasn't been much to photograph recently!

on the forest floor

Back to more local matters. It looks like it is going to be a good year for mushrooms, and they are beginning to appear in abundance wherever the leaf mould has started to form.

There are so many species of similar looking fungi it is very hard for an amateur to tell them apart. The middle  photo is of a species of russula, probably the aptly named sickener, or russula emetica, for that is what it does. The bottom photo is of slippery jack, a very slimy fungus (reputed to be edible as long as the slimy cap is removed!)

King Canite

we have spent a very pleasant week in Kalkan, Turkey, hence the lack of pictures of heavy rain. All the dogs run wild but seem well cared for, one way and another. They run round looking for people to whom they can attach themselves (rather like sophisticated street chuggers) so we were obvious soft touches. It is interesting that dogs seem to need us to go for a walk. This one seemed Canute like in his willingness to demonstrate that the sea was not to be deterred.