ENGLAND'S BROWN AND PLEASANT LAND

This is our town Chagford from up on our part of the moor yesterday. It was a bit hazy but you get the general idea. Thank goodness the rain has come in force today and things might start to go green again, but anywhere cultivated looks like it's been toasted and makes the usually bleak moorland look like lush pasture:

Parched grassy bits on Kestor Rocks

Our desert island in a moorland sea

Chagford again

I'be been keeping an eye out for Tornado over the past few days and, on one of the occasions I saw her, she was very much living up to her name. Most of the shots, from a great distance, were too blurry with speed but this one was okay as she slithered to a halt after much prancing. The faithful bay gelding from last year is keeping watch over her; I say her because after a close look I can see no obvious evidence of coltness. Knowing my abilities in this field I should look forward to the next post reversing my decision.

A few more of her. I'm a bit smitten....

Oh dear....what's that in the nether department? I give up. 

The bad hair mother and daughter were in evidence yesterday, still sporting their ridiculous fur coats. Here's the daughter with what looks like an aunt:

Origami Boy is well and truly in holiday mode, so long walks aren't really happening. However, he does love whacking a tennis ball for Snippet which get's him excercised in a concentrated kind of way:

 

There are lots of young Chaffinches around on the feeder at the moment:

The sole Blue Tit juvenile is nearly grown up:

Blackbird juveniles are appearing for the first time:

There are two broods of Great Tits around now. First, nearly mature:

And the second, still fluffy with gapes:

The first Thrush for ages:

The gorse is flowering AGAIN. This is the third time this year!

                                      

Meadowsweet is  looking beautiful around our neighbour's pond:

Spear Thistle are flowering everywhere:

Our Runner Beans are going a bit mad. Origami Boy has grabbed this one out of his window and tied it to his desk drawer with a piece of string:

We shouldn't have sown the second lot of salad when we did.....it's ready much too soon and we're handing bags of out to everyone we know:

I'm managing to write this in a brief window between holiday activities and bed. Hayfever is keeping me awake half the night at the moment, as the pollen gently descends from the stratosphere into my nostrils via the battle ground that is the windows. I would like them closed as a barrier to the sneezey stuff, whereas my partner likes them wide open. An age old argument I'm sure. I grump out of bed in the small hours of the morning, snuffling like a truffle pig, and slam them closed, only to find them open again in the morning. Tonight, I'm trying some drowsy making antihistamine tablets in the hope of killing two birds with one pill but we'll see.  Until my next available moment for communication, here's Snippet after my latest dog grooming exercise with the clippers. This is what he was like as a puppy....he'll be bald before you know it....