THE RAMBLINGS OF A STRUGGLING ARTIST ON LIFE WITH TWO TERRIERS, A PONY WITH ISSUES AND OTHER WILDLIFE AND BIRDS THAT CROSS OUR PATH

24 September 2013

BITS AND PIECES 7


For the past few days, despite the forecasters speaking of mini heatwaves, we have been shrouded in mist until just before dusk, when the sky clears for a few hours until the mist descends again. We wake in Autumn, retire in summer again.



The building of the scaffolding tower went well and the gutter is clear, if in need of fixing properly, which is the next task. I'm not going to include a picture of scaffolding so here are the birds who are pretty miffed at having had their feeding station moved, though not as miffed as I was to find half my hardy geraniums dug out so as to accommodate the mighty tower. Hmmm. Most were taken in the mist or rain, hence slight blurriness - sorry.



One of the young Great Tits


If Chaffinches did vanity, this one would be very upset about this picture


I like the raindrops bouncing off her back here


One of the young Blue Tits


A fraction of the Sparrow flock


Seeing off a Chaffinch



That Chaffinch is not scared of Sparrows


My hoop


Foal B - it's been a while since I saw any of those early foals


I remember thinking I would remember this one because of its tiny white hind socks

Fungi have started appearing, not in huge numbers yet, but lovely to see. I have no idea what they are. I wish I did. The only certain one is the second: the ubiquitous Dung Fungus. Nice. 




I spotted some of these lovely red flowering lichen yesterday. They are absolutely TINY. Cladonia Bellidiflora I think.


Yesterday the moor looked like this:


Today, like this:


Much nicer. 

Flying dog:


A tree nearby has fallen over the stream and I was able to get close to the fabulous lichens growing on the twigs and branches.




I'm sitting here cursing as the digital TV signal keeps dropping out as I try and watch the Great British Bake Off. The tea-loaves have gone but I can still hear them talking....no - lost the sound too now. Grrrr. What was wrong with an analogue signal? 

Until next time, here are two pictures I found on a CD which I think you may like. Why did I ever think Snippet was going to be short haired? He was three months old here and had been with us for a week. 



37 comments:

  1. Those photos of young Snippet are lovely!
    We had a heat wave. Yay! It was for half an hour this afternoon.
    Lichen on the branches is a sign of clean air apparently.

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    1. Then the air here must be very clear. Nice to know!

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  2. what fab photos, I especially likes the Snippet pup and the 2 dogs running together with their hoop.
    We had the same weather here today, thick mist which didnt clear until tea time and only for 2-3 hours, then came down again as it grew dark.

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    1. This is obviously a West Country weather pattern; the grass is always greener, weather-wise in my experience!

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  3. I was going to say the moon shot was my favourite...but then I saw the baby pictures!
    Jane x

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  4. Wow that moon shot is spectacular!!!
    The puppy is soooo cute.

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    1. It looks a lot better published than it did in a folder. I nearly left it out.

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  5. Gorgeous Snippet puppy photos!

    You have such spectacular skies over Dartmoor.

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    1. Lovely to hear from you! Hope you're well amongst the beechmast.

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  6. Terrific photos. The moon over the moor is wonderful and so is the Chaffinch with the rain drops on her back. Love the lichens, too. And Snippet as a puppy is so gorgeous.

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    1. It's tipping down today and the feeding station is too far away to get any decent pictures through the raindrops.

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  7. Of course every single photo is amazing.
    The beginning landscapes really pulled me in ,just gorgeous by the third one I was howling at the moon ...riveting really.
    I adore the one of Jack mid air on the moors, made be feel a full of levity !!
    The colt ? with the little whit hocks looks very fit and upright , beautiful face too.

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    1. Last year it was so much easier to follow the foals as the little herd stayed within a mile or so of home. It was lovely. I seem to have lost touch with all of them this year. Perhaps they'll choose this area again next time. I do hope so.

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  8. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG ! the photos of baby Snippet are adorable. If his ears were up and he had some white hair on his chin, along with his manly man white chest hair I would say that is a photo of Hamish. Even with the to long legs. So Kawaii !
    Love your moon shot so perfect.

    cheers, parsnip

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  9. O my goodness! Snippet is deliciously cuddlable! (My custom made word).I love how you identify everything. It brings back the names of things I'd forgotten -- and I love how you always throw in a picture or two of the dogs.

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    1. I like your custom word but I doubt Google does.

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  10. Wonderful photos as always - Snippet is SO cute :) Love the shot of the moon rising - just wonderfully atmospheric. Interesting fungi and lichen photos too - my toadstool id skills are dire even though I bought a better id book last autumn!

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    1. Glad it's not just me. All the little brown ones seem to look the same.

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  11. Hi Em Love seeing over the Moor, lovely moon shot. also loved the lichen and I have never seen it flowering. Is this the time of the year that that happens? The dogs are gorgeous,of course.

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    1. That red one seems to keep going all year but, looking back, I seem to have spotted most of them during the winter months. That might just be because there's not a lot else to spot at that time of year!

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  12. Snippet has a wow factor all of his own. We had a wonderful Sunday tootle out on the motorbike - good job as its horribly drizzly today. Did manage a walk on the beach though - always a good start to the day.

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    1. A beach would be lovely and it only takes an hour to get to one, so I guess we're pretty lucky. Hope you had a lovely weekend.

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  13. OH! Look at that snippet baby. Utterly adorable.

    So many gorgeous pics today Em I don't know where to start! Did you know (I expect you did) that the Boss Sparrow is the one with the biggest black bib?

    Lovely fungi and lichen pics. Mushies are starting to appear here too- I love going looking for them. And Jack is growing, no?

    CT x

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    1. We have SO many sparrows, it's difficult to pick the biggest, blackest bib. I think there must be at least a hundred of them up here. Perhaps there are sub-teams with their own bosses?

      Jack is definitely growing; I've had to let his collar out a bit as he gets a rather worryingly bullish neck!

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  14. Such beautiful shots Em that I want to comment on them all. First how exquisite are the markings on that humble house sparrow's back. Then those lovely foal pictures - and the lichens - and finally Snippet as a tiny pup. Isn't it lovely how the two dogs have palled up?

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  15. They've been a bit fractious with each other today....I think it's the weather.

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  16. Can you come up to Wales and photograph EVERYTHING I hold dear
    You make everything look lovely

    So you snap me first!

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    1. Next time we visit our friends in Cardiff I'll try and make a detour. Will you require vaseline on the lens, Hollywood style?

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  17. Fabulous images Em, especially like the lichen. Snippet at three months old looks so adorable, and of course he has grown into a lovely adult dog too.

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    1. I'd forgotten quite how enchanting he was as a pup.

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  18. Lovely to see your canine companions 'being' just that ... not that there is much 'being' but rather much 'action'! That red lichen is extraordinary. Didn't autumn come quickly this year? Thank you, Em, for visiting my blog!

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  19. Love your blog - it's always interesting and informative.

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  20. Darling baby photos of Snippet!!!

    Gorgeous moon shot. I am so envious of you being able to see the sun & moon rise and set. Still waiting for all the leaves to drop off the trees so I can see a little more.

    Great bird photos as always. We hardly have any birds right now. The hawk and owl have gotten most of them :(

    Love the photos of the foals also. They have really grown up!

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    1. It's great to be able to see both, you're right. I wouldn't wish winter upon you, but if it means a better view.....

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  21. Aww Snippet as a pup - very adorable! He still is! I love looking back at photos of Bracken when he was just 2 months. Lovely close ups of the garden birds too :)

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment. It's great to read them and I will always try to reply.