Minions

colourful scenes on Bodmin moor today

pony nekking

Ponies on Bodmin Moor this (lovely) morning. The stack of Kit Hill can just be made out to the left on the far horizon. The bracken is turning, and the leaves are falling, Autumn is upon us already.

the fetch

the difference between working for a living, and living to play

more from wimalford

large red damselflies mating (top), a small heath butterfly (middle), and a miniature forest of marsh lousewort growing in the moss overlying some very swampy ground (the lush green gives it away)

wimalford marsh

This is the marsh fritillary, feeding on a spotted heath orchid at Wimalford farm (see link). It is a rare butterfly and is under a lot of pressure because of loss of habitat and possibly climate change. We also spotted a small pearl bordered fritillary (below)

and a chimney sweep moth

on Kilmar tor

mare and foal ambling across the seemingly barren landscape of Kilmar tor. In fact these moors support a large number of sheep, cattle and ponies.

small pearl bordered fritillary

we went in search of the marsh fritillary today at Wimalford farm which lies in the long narrow valley of the Fowey river that runs down from Bodmin moor south of Jamaica Inn. The area is very marshy and covered in low scrub, cotton grass and heath spotted orchids. It was dull and overcast and we didn't find any marsh fritillaries but we managed to spot two small pearl bordered fritillaries, one of which was torpid enough to allow some close up photos.

getting on with life

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.

quarry dogs

colours and reflections in the quarry near the Minions.

easter island comes to Bodmin moor

carved out of the granite, quarry on Bodmin moor

on the moor

it has been a lovely warm clear blue-skyed day today and there is no where better to enjoy the day than up on the moors. The standing stones are the Hurlers.

How long will it last ...

up on Bodmin moor, looking towards Kit Hill (just visible in the background), surrounded by the ruins, puts me in mind of Ozymandias and all his works.

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level moors stretch far away.

I am sure I have had this thought before up on this ancient and much abused landscape. Apologies for the liberties, "sands" in the original is much better because of the connotation with remorseless time.

bad hair day 2

meanwhile, there are others who would dispute with Spot his claim of unchallenged supremacy of the blasted heath and moor.

Spot rules the world

very much a spontaneous rock climber Spot surveys his kingdom.

bad hair day 1 (usnea barbata)

an ancient hawthorn completely enveloped by lichen. Is it 'liken' or 'litchen' or both? It certainly consumed one expensive Nikon lens cap. Hawthorns seem to be prone to these dramatic efflorescences (well, no flowers but what else can one call it ...hirsuitism), which are species of usnea and are common on isolated trees on Dartmoor and Bodmin moor.

Minions, hurlers and cheesewrings

Rosie (third horse from the front, and Spot's equine third cousin) and friends (from lower Tokenbury) passing by the Cheesewring. The whole area is covered in the ruins of mine workings and evidence of very ancient inhabitation.

Trewortha

Trewortha farm, below Trewortha Tor and King Arthur's bed. There are two yurts in front of the farm house where Dad says I will be kebab-ed if I show any sign of taking any closer interest in sheep. What does kebab mean and will I enjoy it?

Bodmin moor

even the sheep pause to take in the view.

this is taken from Kilmar tor, above Twelve Men's moor. Inhabited since neolithic times but windswept and bleak now.

at the Cheesewring

Uncle and Aunt pay us a visit. Well, I noticed that the boss was all fingers and thumbs during the New Year. He didn't manage one useful photo. Instead he is trying to pass this photo off from 2004 before we were EVEN BORN (when life was very peaceful, he says). Nevertheless most of the people to whom I am very important are in this photo. So I like it. Tomorrow is my birthday by the way.