Friday, March 21, 2008

hellebores

a hellebore growing underneath a hedge tree. Not sure which type but probably a garden escapee, the purple edges are typical of stinking hellebore. Spread by snails, and used to make violent purgatives for worm infestations; unfortunately the treatment tended to kill the patient as well and thus fell (eventually) out of favour

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

falling between two pews


the villages of Venterdon and Stoke Climsland are situated between the methodist chapel on the left and the anglican church on the right. Unfortunately there is no pub between them. Dartmoor is visible bathed in sunlight on the far horizon to the left.

Monday, March 17, 2008

keeping up with the wistarias


our wistaria (named it would seem for an American anatomist, Caspar Wistar, hence the 'a' rather than an 'e', although everyone seems to spell it with an e enywey) is lagging behind the rest of the world (see link)

St Patrick's day wren


wrens love scavenging under bushes, and along with sparrows and tits are extremely busy now. They are difficult to capture on film because they are so quick and jumpy.

scurvy grass


scurvy grass (qv), spreading along road verges throughout Cornwall; it flourishes in the salty conditions that follow salting the roads in winter. The buildings in the distance are our local junior school, and if you enlarge the photo you will see some red blobs which are the children wearing their vivid red school jumpers out at morning play time.

Stoke Climsland and daffodils


our village and the church as seen from the main drive into Duchy College, our local university of agriculture, based at Home farm which used to be where Prince Charles stayed when he was visiting his Duchy (most of the rest of Cornwall).