SUBTLE COLOURS

Looking through yesterday's photos,which were taken in my favourite kind of stormy light with a hint of disappearing sunshine, I thought how beautiful the colour palate was and how close it was to the contents of my wardrobe. Nothing I own is as beautiful as this, but I realise that, on the rare occasions I shop for clothes, I gravitate towards all these colours. Some of these photos look like paintings I think. Today, I managed to go out just as it started raining and an hour later, having been battered with sleet, snow and rain, I tiptoed back over the cattle grid as the sun came out, DRENCHED. No photos at all; just a very wet camera case and its worryingly damp contents refusing to focus or shut down. Oh dear. Anyway, here are those lovely colours....

I know only the rain is in focus here but I love it. These next two are of the foal that looked like a calf when I first saw it....

I came across this lovely little patch of lichen and moss coexisting:

This lichen had been pulled up, possibly by the high winds, or more likely a stray hoof, so we can see its stunning underside. I didn't realise how beautiful it was until I blew it up at home:

Jack found yet another sheep horn:

On our way home, the calf pony and friend snoozed in the sun :

Later that day, I took this of one of my neighbours' other Bengal cats, hiding in their greenhouse, which was pretty much destroyed by the storms a few weeks ago

How do you get your son to sit on a bike to check which wheel and frame size he needs without him guessing he'll be receiving one for his up and coming birthday? This is the problem we face this weekend. OB is currently obsessed, in the way he often is due to the Aspergers, with his Rubik's cube. It goes with him everywhere and he has been memorising incredibly complicated algorithms so he can solve it. These he finds on Youtube clips of middle aged men describing each move in terrifying detail. It makes my head spin but better an obsession with a Rubik's cube than most other things. His ticks have been really good recently which is a relief for everyone, particularly him obviously. They'll be back, but the respite is hopeful for the future. 

Today, Jack decided to destroy one of the two toys he came with from his previous owners. There was stuffing everywhere and Snippet decided to join in. This was taken on my phone, as was the little film afterwards of them searching the tussocks for rodents in the rain this afternoon. I'm afraid, now I've found I can pop these little phone films in, you're going to be inundated with them. Apologies in advance.....so, until next time, here they are. Have a great weekend if I don't manage to post for a few days. 

SPONGY GROUND

Today the dogs and I went to a place where the ground is so saturated, you can jump up and down on it so that it wobbles like a water bed. Enjoying myself like a child I did it quite violently and found that bubbles came spewing out of various places, driving the dogs mad. I filmed it on my phone. Apologies for wobbliness. 

I am now going to give you a rather lot of bird photos as I found my editing skills lacking tonight. I could watch them all day, starting with the Robin:

Sparrow doing a Parrot impression:

The Nuthatches:

Great Tit:

Blue Tit:

Over the weekend, we booked our little holiday in Scotland in May. OB and I will fly up as he's desperate to go on a plane. He said that his class was once asked who had been on a plane and he was the only one who didn't raise his hand, so, after much saving, we're putting that right. M (who doesn't fly), will drive up with the dogs, the canoe and the luggage. I can't wait. We haven't been away for more than a few days since 2010. When I had my accident in 2011, it was two days before we were meant to be going to Cornwall for a week. Very bad timing.

Yesterday morning was really sunny and I took this picture of one of our neighbours' gorgeous cats. I really liked the curl of the bench and the planks of the stable behind. This cat has no tail. Can't remember why not; he's not a Manx. 

The dogs and I had a lovely walk after breakfast:

It was really windy as you can see from Snippet's fur:

Half term is over and I shall be more free to visit others' blogs. OB's social whirl is all consuming. It's his birthday in a couple of weeks and one of the things he's written on his list of things he'd like is a flight simulator. He looked very put out when I burst out laughing. This year, he will be a decade old and two months later, I will hit half a century. Two milestones. He'll be getting a new bike if he's lucky. 

Until next time, hope you had a good weekend and here are those dogs having one of their play fights. They look pretty serious to me but it's really nothing like a real fight having unfortunately seen Snippet have a couple of them. Hope your week has had a good start. 

MAD FROGS

Yesterday I got the rare school holiday opportunity to take the dogs for a decent walk....alone. I had become aware that, since THAT sunny day, frogs had been spawning everywhere and that this might be the opportunity to revisit certain prime sites, including one where I found an exhausted female, basking in the sunshine this time last year. I took many stunning close-ups, all of which I lost in some kind of computer-to-camera-file-loss disaster. Off I set to the remote site, forty minutes walk away into the boggy wilderness. Signs were good on the way.....

..........and as I approached, tiptoeing across the squelching moss, I saw the water in question seething and bubbling with amphibious action. The female was curled around a stone in a spawny soup with multiple males clinging on for dear life, vying for her attention.

I walked home in the drizzle to find a large natural pond in a neighbour's scrub full of frogs and newts floating around relaxing, including the one in the first picture. I had clearly missed the main event here. 

Some other pictures from this week so far.....

Early morning clouds over Kestor Rocks:

Strange misty clouds creeping over the hills towards me:

With spectacular ones following:

Sunny rocks:

Today's misty drizzle:

I've changed Trigger's routine a bit thanks to the slightly longer days, which is working better for me. When I take him down to see his Madam friends, I'm now doing it late afternoon so that he stays overnight and I collect him in the morning rather than the other way round. 

"What the hell is she doing to me?"

I'm going for an MRI scan of my spine in a couple of weeks in Exeter as the pain is not getting any better and my GP wants to get a fuller picture of what's going on. I haven't had an MRI since the day of the accident when I had two as the surgeon wanted to be absolutely sure of what was facing him before he went in armed with much titanium. Bit nervous to be honest but I think it's highly likely I will just be referred to the pain clinic. The only positive about the pain is that it is a constant deterrent to getting back on a horse! Enough of that. I've been so busy with OB this half term, I've been missing catching up with others' blogs. So, until next time, here are Mr Speedy and Captain Slow enjoying the dry-ish weather. Have a great weekend if I don't manage to post before then and a belated welcome to the four new followers since the 100 milestone.