fireweed

the downy plume like seeds of rosebay willowherb, which make it look much more attractive than the garish pink flowers it goes in for during the summer. 

raspberries

growing wild in a secret location not far from here. It might have escaped from a garden but even so it is a wild treat to eat them. 

apples and doves

... the collared doves and the apples have done well this year. Normally the brood is 2, so maybe this is the extended family.

rooked

... no one seems very concerned about the fearsome, curry stealing, potato eating lurchers guarding the estate 

devil's bit scabious

this is much more typical of the bluish colour of this plant. There is a lot of it about at present.

Harriet and I went on an adventure today, over the wall by the gate and off. We came back in reasonable order but dad did not seem well pleased. He says if we are dog-napped he is not paying any ransom, in fact they would have to pay him to take us back.

Hobbies

No pictures today because we couldn't get a decent shot but we saw two hobbies in the woods. They are like large swallows, and sound like rusty bed springs "keekeekeekee". They like to nest in woods but hunt for swallows and other small birds and insects over open countryside. The tall trees in Gunoak woods provide the best possible combination of these two requirements. I am not sure about eating swallows (it seems unfair) but I suppose you must swallow to eat (apologies). And anyone who cuts the fins off sharks and throws them back into the water is evil, and anyone who eats the soup deserves to go to hell. What is wrong with us?

On a general note this summer has fizzled out. Everything is looking tired and dried out. It is almost as if after this hot summer everything is waiting for Autumn to start properly again. Usually there is an abundance of purple flowering plants at this time of the year; all I have seen is a bit of devil's bit scabious and some selfheal, and tons of bracken. Well, maybe one picture of db scabious (strange name!). Useful for treating the plague.