Back From the Wilderness

Internet problems have kept me off-line for a couple of day's, thank you Talk Talk!  Hopefully my heroes at Orange will prove to be Knights is Shining Armour in the next few days.

Never mind, time for a couple of quick shots.

This robin chick was keeping a close eye on me yesterday.

A sunflower to brighten the day!

The Harvest

Well I have crawled out from under my rock at last.

After the last few days of politics and bad weather, the school holidays are upon us but I managed a quick walk round one of our local fields to collect some mushrooms this afternoon.

Lots more tomorrow.  Our own eggs with fresh mushrooms on my own toasted home made bread.....

Delicious!

Moderation by any other name?

It appears that our friends in the other place are at it again!

A dictionary definition..........

censor

 Pronunciation /ˈsɛnsə/

noun

• 
  
  
  
  1 an official who examines books, films, news, etc. that are about to be published and suppresses any parts that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security
• 
  
• Psychoanalysisan aspect of the superego which is said to prevent certain ideas and memories from emerging into consciousness[from a mistranslation of German Zensur 'censorship', coined by Freud]
  
  
  2 (in ancient Rome) either of two magistrates who held censuses and supervised public morals

verb

[with object]

• 
  
  
  
  examine (a book, film, etc.) officially and suppress unacceptable parts of it

Derivatives

censorial

Plaj..? Plageris....? Copying!

Ok, I confess.  I copied the idea for this shot from one The Children's Mother took a few days ago.

I will be in trouble tonight when she finds out.  Good healthy competition I say, until I find myself looking down the wrong end of a strongly wielded frying pan!

I will be in for a few waspish comments, some will probably be quite stinging.....

This is about as close as I want to be to a wasp!  I hated them even before I managed to put a brush-cutter into the middle of a nest one day, they weren't happy......I seem to remember bursting into the clients kitchen half naked having cast off most of my equipment and clothing during the 400m sprint back along their driveway.  The wasps had got under my hat, behind my face mask and inside my shirt. 

Ye Gods it hurt!

Well I have just finished hanging two loads of washing out to dry, and it is now pouring down.  The children will have to go to school in their pyjamas again tomorrow......

Beasts of the Realm

The sun appeared fleetingly between showers this morning, so a chance to nip into the garden and see who (or rather what) was about.

I have no idea what these insects are called and I haven't a book to help, so we will just have to look and wonder!

Small Heath Butterfly   Coenonympha  pamphilus

Longhorn Beatle  Strangalia  maculata  

Soldier Beatle  Rhagonycha  fulva

Edit.

I have just received an educationalists slap on the ear from The Children's Mother who has patiently handed me our book of insects etc!

The pictures have now been titled.....

The Old Bird!

I took this shot of my Mother with some of the older hens the other night.

She is the one on the right...!!

New Arrivals

The menagerie is expanding!

The latest additions arrived a couple of nights ago in awful weather but have settled in nicely, ready to join the others eating us out of house and home!

Hopefully these 8/10 week Light Sussex and Vorwerk chicks will form the basis of a little breeding flock for the future and provide a few more delicious eggs.  Both these breeds are officially "rare" but the Vorverks are particularly so almost dying out some years ago.   They will be welcome and interesting additions to the hybrid egg producers we have at present.

No doubt they will appear again!

A Quiet Day

Turned out to be a quiet sort of day, the girls returned exhausted from parties and sleepovers and the boy was out.

A few household chores and settled down to watch the Grand Prix.  A great victory for Webber and a good drive from Hamilton!  Now the sun has come out at last.......

A peaceful picture for a peaceful day.......

Life Goes On....

Despite the rogue gunman just north of us in the beautiful village of Rothbury, one of our old walking and climbing grounds in the Coquet Valley, life goes on.  Dogs are to walk and the wonderful countryside is here to enjoy.

The children's Mother was a little unwell this morning but dashed out for a short stroll with the dogs in the plantation up the hill from our house in the Tyne Valley, before going back to work this afternoon

It was a lovely morning and nice to be out for a few minutes.

Slender St John's-Wort  Hypericum pulchrum

Stumped!

Northumberland.  It's a big county!

If You Go Down to the Woods Today.....

After my visit to the woods last week I posted a shot of an orchid which I had not seen there before.  Today I went back on my bike and to give the dogs a run, imagine my surprise and delight to to find this white orchid!  Later, almost back at the car I found a clump of the lilac variety.  Even better!

Common Spotted Orchid  Dactylorhiza fuchsii

On the ride I saw these trees, the lower branches dead and bleached but revealed by some recent thinning.  I couldn't decide which I preferred, the harder contrasty top shot or the softer bottom one.  So you have both!  Looking at them again, I think I prefer the harder one.....

Frog Health?

Another uneventful day, a bit of sun, a bit of laundry, collect one of the girls from school and watch her ride this evening.

Vague attempt at an "arty" shot!

What ever next?  We haven't even got any frogs......

Woodland Treasure!

We avoided the forecast rain today (we will pay tomorrow)!

Up to the cottage late morning to collect Mother's terrier for the day and cut her lawn in the warm sunshine.  The light was good so I took a couple of shots that I had had my eye on, then up to the local forest with all the dogs.  The young terriers running for all they were worth, it must be great fun being only a foot high and able to running round under all the trees!  The old collie wandering along in the rear and me wandering vaguely in the middle!

I love the contrast between the Buttercup and Cotinus leaves.

At last I found an Astrantia with the right background and lighting.

The real treasure trove of the walk was this wild orchid, it looks like a Southern Marsh-Orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa, though we are possibly a little too far north here and it was on the small size (that could be the northern climate).  It is the first time I have seen any orchid in these particular woods, though I have seen one variety in Kielder Forest.