They are here

Fieldfares are here.
Definitely!

Though i have just seen one or two, not the groups of them that we normally see.


It is cold here today!

Strange bird

Saw a bird with undulating flight yesterday in Mill Lane. I think it was a migrant.
Cool day expected today!

First really chill night

We may get our first frost tonight. It is very cold, winter is beginning?
Not necessarily, the rest of the night temperatures this week will not be as cold as the 4 degrees forecast tonight.

The Plough is visible over the churchyard and my owls  were vocalising. This was  at seven o'clock this evening.
Very clear sky and quite nippy. I enjoyed being cold!

Skylarks

Jackdaws, Rooks and Skylarks; yes Skylarks, along Mill Lane!

Down and down and down we go

Down we go into winter, down we go into evening darkness, down we go into wind and rain.
I am just hoping the house holds up. There are some doubts in my mind. We shall see on Tuesday if we survived the wind. It is expected to be very gusty down here!

Slightly windy now at ten in the morning.

Looks like rain on the pond, but it's not rain, just the wind blowing prettily, rippling across the surface.

We are watching the F1 qualifying rounds in India. I am only vaguely interested, but it passes the time and reduces the worry (concerning the wind).

And even later

Six thirty pee em

The air is cool and fresh
Some light left in the sky
The church Owl makes its way
On its patrol

I put my hat on
Then after a short romp
Pop back home

Later the same day

A day of heavy rain showers.
A Long-tailed Tit was singing from a tv ariel. One solitary silent-flying Red Kite flew so elegantly over my garden.
I was in the greenhouse carding fleece and spinning when I spotted these birds.

The sky was clear for part of last night and my Owl was vocal. I do love to hear him, or her!

Bliss!

So mild and rain

Rain every day lately, often more by night than by day.
Particularly heavy last night!

Two claps of thunder early this morning.

So mild; it's like summer in the north of England.
Brings back nice memories!

May have seen a Fieldfare  yesterday, not certain!

Mild

The weather is so mild.
There is a full moon tonight.
We had rain today too

No rain yet

Well, it's half past midday and no rain yet.
But, it did rain heavily at 2am.
There was a puddle on my way home from town.
A Blackbird and some Chaffinches we're bathing, splashing and enjoying their shower.

No Feldfares yet, though I have not been really looking.

Bright

Such a bright day
Sunny
Windy
Cold
The trees going like the clappers
Sunset at six twenty
Days
Shortening rapidly

Rain!
What rain?
Yes!
They say from midday
All day!
We will see if we get a drop!
I have my doubts.

No birds yet
But
The Owls were vocal
Some time when I was awake
Busy vole hunting.

There was a dawn chorus of some sounds
Heard them through slumber.

18.23

Sunset is at 18.23 tonight, so it will be dark at 18.53.

Cooler today, in fact quite cold.
The wind is pushing the evening clouds along at a rate of knots.

The fire is burning in the grate.

Red Kite are flying around over my back garden.

The cloud tops are starting to be tinged with sunset colours.

Happy evening!

Cooler last night

Cool, clear nights
Loved by owls.
It was much cooler last night
Clear and bright and very windy today.

We had a roaring fire.
Burned a huge lump of our tree
It resembled a pair of shorts, still with legs inside.
While it was burning it seemed more and more
Like a blackened, treacle-coated leg of ham
As if being roasted in its glistening glaze.

Then I considered the feathered ones outside in the cold air.
Time to get the birdseed out.

Owls last night

I heard croaky owls again last night.

Today is another balmy one, tee-shirt weather. But, the forecast is for cooler weather at the end of the week.

Not been walking today, just doing arty type stuff, badly!

Won't be long before the winter visitors arrive: the Fieldfares and Redwings.

Fieldfares are my favourite winter birds. They both look and sound delicious!

Sunset is 18.29 tonight and at 17.25, the sky is overcast, still warm though!

Owls

There are Owls around just now.
Noisy ones.
They sound especially eerie in the church yard.
When I go to bed I hear their croaky voices in the garden and then again in the morning.
I love listening to them.

A clear evening with one very bright and twinkling planet, medium low in the sky, in a north westerly direction.
The stars are clear and crisp and the evening temperature is mild!

October!!

Summer again

Another warm and sunny day.
I was doing arty things in my shed!
Can't say I noticed any birds in the garden, but there are plenty, I am sure!

Was pulling up weeds by the ton. We have some wild sage sort of plants, they grow by roots and by setting seed. The only way to get rid is to touch each one with a weed killer and I am loathed to do that. I will just have to keep pulling it up. It is like perpetual motion in pant form.

Sunset tonight is at 18.32, so that's an hour away!

Dark by seven.
Autumn!
 Yes!
Nice!


Not long until Samhain (or Halloween),  the half way point betwixt the autumn equinox and mid-winter.

I have never enjoyed Halloween, partly because when I duck for apples, the water gets up my nose!

P birds

Lots of Ps around today. Well it is that time of year.
Pheasants and Partridges are everywhere. We have the red-legged ones in my neck  of the woods.
(Partridges, that is!)
I also saw a Kestrel this morning and there were many little ones hiding and singing in the bushes.

There were also many other locals: Rooks, Red Kites and Blue Tits among others.

It was a lovely, mild, October day.....good to be alive!

starlings

just put this photo here to remind me of something

 

 

starlings

 

a wire's worth of them yesterday

so shy

no binoculars

but

I knew they were starlings

 

they scudded along the wire with my approach

then flew off

murmuring

in small waves as they went

 

 

 

there are not many birds around these days

 

 

***

 

there is an owl niche available

if any barn owls are listening

call me and I will give you the address of the patch

 

the patch was vacated by the demise of a wonderful little barn owl

he used to show himself each evening before dark

on vole patrol

but he is dead

found

in a secluded ancient hedgerow

food for foxes

I wonder if he was shot or poisoned

 

 

so there is a gap

an owl-shaped gap

near the festival field.

 

I need a barn owl to fill it and fill our hearts with wonder and peace

 

 

 

 

Today

Frothy Cow Parsley is still holding its own.
The seeds are forming.

Please leave the hedgerow verges a few more days to allow the seeds to ripen.

Watched lenticular clouds forming.....was amazing.
First there was one, then two, then more and then several.
They were slimline ones and a delight to behold.

Rain expected at 2am and predicted to last all day tomorrow!

We shall see!

Lovely-walking

I have been lovely-walking


I had a lovely walk
half eaten Dandelion clocks
at the edge of a rape field
the weather- almost drizzle
ever-hopeful Clover triplets
chalice open skywards

and the twin  rape fields, almost sun

a heron flew over
just taken off and collecting its legs
darkening with its enormity

Finds
Flint pieces
Oyster shells, freshwater
a cone-

-art fodder

Cow Parsley

It has been frothy out there along the lanes and hedgerows.

After being concerned about missing the spectacle, I have wallowed in adoration of it.

And the perfumes, they are everywhere

The  air smells so lovely, in my garden, in the village, along the lanes and in the little towns.

Spring is so pretty and sense-awakening!

No Cow Parsley

After the winter, one of the sights I look forward to are the April lanes festooned at the roadside with frothy, creamy and gorgeous Cow Parsley.

So far it is not there.
There are Dandelions and Jack-by-the-Hedge, but the Cow Parsley is not open.

It may be too late.

This is what I think happened.

The very cold start to spring, held back the Cow Parsley from developing and flowering as it does in April.
Then the cutters were out last week mowing the roadsides and they cut the Cow Parsley off before it got going.

There are a few stragglers, but I think it has gone.

We are too late now for the glorious spectacle.

The whole point of winter is to set us up for the Cow Parsley show!

I feel robbed and disappointed.

Help!

Scream!

Shout!

Cuckoo and Swift

Yesterday I heard my first Cuckoo.
It was the bank holiday, so hopefully some child was not having a prank, but as far as I know it was real.
Then, very high up, there was a Swift. My first sighting this year.  It is so exciting, as I love the noise they make and love to watch them fly, like little aeroplanes with Rolls Royce engines!

Summer

Yesterday felt like the first day of summer and today was also sunny and mildish.

A Spotted Woodpecker was banging away high up in an Ash tree. I saw him as I approached. What a booming din he made. Such a noise for a tiny fellow. It was a wonderful sight and sound.

I saw him yesterday and today I heard him from my garden. He is not far away, just behind the church.

As I left the allotment at 4.15pm today, a Kestrel flew overhead, over my car as I turned into the lane.
There is always a Kestrel patrolling along Mill Lane, and there he was; low flying and saw me just in time!

Garden and country

At home in the garden this morning at about eight o'clock, there was a little brown thing singing in the tree top. I think it was a Robin. There were three others and a few Sparrows.
Then some Jackdaws appeared, looking over the fence for seed, the lady next for must have been about.
Down at the allotment, early about eight thirty, there were some Red Kite and singers.
It was cold down there out in the country, but sunny and I got plenty of digging done.
It always helps to have singing when digging:)

Springlike

It was springlike today, though winter isn't over yet.
Cold easterly winds are predicted for later this week.
It was lovely!
Lots of little choristers around in the hedgerow trees, Sparrows, Wrens, and other LBJs, I was not certain I could identify with confidence.
One enormous Red Kite and lots of my favourites-Rooks, were about too.
Rooks are my favourites, or at least one of my favourites, I have so many.

A Fanfare of Fieldfares

Three o'clock today at the allotment.  A beautiful vista of country delights.
I was welcomed by a fanfare of Fieldfares chattering in the Hawthorn trees.
Another Kestrel, as yesterday, too busy to notice me.
I noticed him and enjoyed him, he was quite close.

Rough weather walk

Wet and windy, north westerly wind I believe.
Skylarks and Blue Tits singing.
I crept up on a Kestrel, he didn't hear me coming due to the wind direction.

Then a Blackbird, who thought it was later than it was, sang beautifully!

My allotment needs so much attention.
Got to start in earnest tomorrow and be at it all week.

Teacher, teacher

A Great Tit is giving it some. He is so vocal and insistent, I think he has gone a little mad.
He is in my 'new' garden, reduced in its supply of nesting places. I hope the Tits find somewhere.

It is fresh and bright this morning after a little early rain.

Not much about today

Today at 4.30 pm, the temperature is 6 degrees and the wind has veered to a more southerly direction.
It is comparatively mild.

The usual suspects are here: Sparrows, Chaffinches and Red-legged Partridge..

There are some sweet little things singing on a wire where there are always sweet little things singing!

I never take my binoculars  when I do this walk every day, but I will have to from now on if I ever want to identify them. There were Rooks , but a complete absence of the ever numerous Red Kite.

A lovely evening for a walk, but not much birdlike in evidence.

Waxwing

I was out for my normal walk today.
I set off about 15.50.

I went first down Mill Lane, up to the allotments and back.

It was cold, no more than 4 degrees all day.
It was quite windy and that made my eyes water.


Anyway to get back to the Waxwing.

I saw it in the village as I returned today by the same route.

He caught my eye as he was rather unusual and very handsome.

I made a mental note of his head crest, black throat and dark eyes with white flashes.

Instinctively I knew ; Waxwing, but I needed to be sure.

Positive confirmation achieved on my return home.


He was alone: body feathers were brown but his crest and throat colours were vivid.
He was at shoulder height in a bush. My memory on these points are sketchy, but I think he was eating berries? Please don't ask me what berries they were, as I could be inventing this part of the observation.

I so enjoyed watching him, even though it was through tears running due to the cold.

Will upload photo tomorrow!

art and how it will progress

the art future

this is what i will do from now on:

 a limited palette

nature

book making

collographs

photography

 stitching

dyeing

rusting

tea bags

hand made paper

ink drawings

collage

jewellery, but not like anybody else's

feelings

writing

meaningful

annotated

 

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INTERESTS

art design history beliefs nature