OCTOBER BITS AND PIECES

This week I have decided not to stress about only posting once a week. It really is all I can manage and, though I miss more regular contact with all my bloggy friends, I just can't do it with everything else going on. I hope the future holds less stress and more time for blogging but for the moment, I hope you will all understand. 

The last week has seen a shocking change in the weather. I realise I haven't felt cold since March and this morning, when I marched out at 7.00am with no gloves and only two thin layers under my fairly insubstantial coat, I was actually shivering. I'm not ready for this at all and had to go scrabbling about in the cupboard to find a hat and gloves for later. Tomorrow is Guy Fawkes and I'm kind of hoping OB has forgotten.....no mention of it yet. If we stand on top of Kestor on a clear night, we can see  fireworks for tens of miles. 

It's definitely a bits and pieces post. As I went through what I had to show for a week, it was sadly lacking.....so......

Fungi have been in evidence for weeks but I haven't taken many very good pictures. I quite like these though. Nice Beech nut on the top of this one....

The wet weather has meant the lichens are flourishing after a our long dry summer. No Devil's matchsticks yet but they should appear soon.

I've been walking past this smallish rock very close to Kestor for over fourteen years now and, since we moved up here six and a half years ago, on an almost daily basis, and I have never noticed how like a Dartmoor pony the black section looks:

Diamond:

Smudge:

Halloween pumpkins in Chagford last Friday:

Perky sheep:

There is an enormous amount  of flocking going on at the moment. Hundreds of Wood Pigeons fly out of Gidleigh Wood onto the moor every morning and, more recently, they've been joined by crows, allowing me to indulge in some fabulous collective nouns. Other than the most obvious murder of crows, they can also be a cauldron, congress, cowardice or storytelling with a loft, kit or dropping of pigeons. 

In the morning, the sun from the East casts a shadow of the moor onto the trees in the valley:

Today the deciduous grasses looked bleached in the sun:

The last two days I've managed to spot the Golden Plover flock, or should I say the congregation, stand, band or leash of Plovers:

Jack cast a nice shadow this morning:

Every time I climb the hill and see this view of our house, I can't believe how lucky we are:

As I started to run, well....jog home this lunchtime having seen black clouds approaching from afar, I disturbed a large bird in the long grass with beautiful pale markings and a wingspan of about a metre or three and a bit feet. As it turned in flight I realised it had the flat face of an owl (just the one, not a parliament or stare of them). Talking to our neighbour and looking at pictures, I'm now sure it was a Short Eared Owl. I've rarely seen any owl, let alone one so close up. Because I was coming at it fast.......ish, I was only a few yards from it when it took off. Very exciting. 

Right, time to get stuff ready for the morning and finish writing a draft letter to GOSH about various bits and pieces, in the absolute belief that they will reply and we will get an answer. Brilliant. So, until next time, here is a rather strange picture of toothy Snippet and flying eared Jack. Have a great week everyone.