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

7 October 2014

SEPTEMBER BITS AND PIECES


From 600 to this. Still too many but I may carry on editing as I caption. I imagine you will have to whisk through them - sorry!  

We saw these lovely Highland cattle yesterday. It was pretty warm in the sunshine so they must have been sweltering.



These next ones are the various evening skies I captured during the brief walks after supper with the dogs. During the real summer months, M has time to take them out for much longer ones but now that's all over and they've slipped into winter mode, sleeping all evening by the fire.








A ruffled Wheatear:


The Great Spotted Woodpecker appeared briefly on the feeder:


And a male Chaffinch; the breeding colours faded now:


The Meadow Pipits are flocking at this time of year, with over a hundred of them soaring around Kestor. This did not photograph well but here are a few on what I thought looked like 'The Singing Ringing Tree', if you remember that Euro-classic TV programme:


A couple more Pipits:



A Magpie eating ticks off a sheep's back:


Crow:


Green Grasshopper:


Meadow Grasshopper:


Bright Eye. These are SO tiny as to be nearly invisible unless you're deliberately looking for them:


Jess from Rusty Duck ( http://www.rustyduck.net/ ) on a visit here. We had a lovely walk to the river. I realise, having blown this up, that it looks as though she's weeping but is actually taking a very lovely photograph:


Scorhill (pronounced Scorril) stone circle that day. There was someone sitting to the right so you don't get the full effect:


She had her eye on us.....


Speckled Wood on the washing:


I only put this appalling photo in because It's the best I've achieved in I don't know how many years of of Snipe hunting, and I mean that in a photographic sense obviously, not for the pot. I disturb them constantly and have never even got a blurry image until now.....could do better:


Enchanting sheep:



A pair of Kestrels have been breeding up at Kestor this year and I've been watching them with their two surviving offspring, hunting together over the summer. The last month is the first time I've managed to get any pictures of them though, and not brilliant ones at that. Obviously they're all ones of them hovering; such an awe inspiring sight:




This is my absolute favourite. The bird was at least a quarter of a mile away and the background is at least two miles away:


And to lower the tone, some beautiful dung fungus. they seem to grow exclusively on cow dung. No accounting for taste. 


The deciduous grasses are fading fast:


OB's Christmas decoration....there will be many more I hope:


I think this is a Sea King; I love that heat haze around it:


Ponies on the move:


Meerdog on the right:


Snippet just before everything started to go brown and it was still seriously hot:



More recent; a lot less green but no shorter:



Jack with a good vantage point:


I love the Meadow Pipit in the background here:


If you haven't fallen asleep by now after all that, I'll talk briefly about the Skype call from GOSH. It too over an hour, which was impressive in itself, and they went through all the results of their tests and observations. We now have and absolute and definite diagnosis for Aspergers, or a high functioning ASD as I believe it might be termed now. All this changing of names for things drives me mad. This means we can go forward with trying to get OB a statement of special educational needs. Ah - no - that's changed and is now called a DAF which apparently stands for Devon Assessment Framework. What it means is that, at the point where OB changes schools, there should be access to someone to help him through it, should it be necessary. Previously he would have had to have three statements, one for Tourettes, one for Aspergers and one for his amazing maths ability so I suppose this will be better....we hope. It feels scary to have to go back to our local services to do anything after our previous experience but, with back up from GOSH, we're hoping we might achieve results a bit quicker. We only have 11 months and they'll be gone in no time. They will send through a written report very soon with their recommendations which will be sent to everyone down here. 

So, if you're still with me, have a great week and until next time, here are those naughty boys speeding towards the camera.


49 comments:

  1. Fabulous photos as always ... good luck with Social Services

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    1. Thanks Sue. If it was social services I'd be REALLY worried!

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  2. What a wonderful kaleidoscope f animals,,birds, flowers and insects. Love the Highland cattle and the sheep and those far away shots of the Kestrels are amazing. of course you know I love you dogs adn love the last shot. Glad you are getting somewhere with the authorities and like you I hate them changing names and also when people talk in Letters assuming you know what they all mean!!!

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    1. Exactly. Almost as if they're designed to confuse and sidetrack you.

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  3. Totally fabulous pictures. I know Dartmoor quite well and your pictures just make me feel like walking right into them. Glad you have a diagnosis and some progress, of a sort. Very best of luck with the next steps.

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    1. Thank you Elizabeth. I'm so pleased you feel I capture the moors well.

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  4. Brilliant images of Dartmoor Em, difficult to pick any favourites out of them, but the Kestrel is great! So good to hear you have something concrete from GOSH which means you can go forward-my advice with local services is-chase everything up all of the time, agree a timeframe if you can with who ever you are speaking with/arranging things with and write it down in a diary. Services are so stretched as you know and many things are being left undone.

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    1. SO true. When we wrote our six page epic laying out everything that had been (not) done over two years, we were so pleased we had done just that! The file is very fat indeed.

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  5. A lot of really nice shots here Em. Yes its a Royal Navy Mk 4 Sea King (Commando Squadron) commonly known as a 'Junglie'. Don't worry, my shots of the Snipe are pretty similar to yours.{:))

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    1. Glad to hear it Roy; I was beginning to feel a complete failure!

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  6. OB should sell his origami! You should put some on your sidebar. Keep him busy. ;-)

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    1. I guess he could do it in aid of GOSH. Great idea.....I'll put it to him.

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  7. Em, your photographic ability is absolutely fantastic.
    Agree also with Susie about OB's origami.
    I am so glad to hear that GOSH is being so helpful - it is a charity I support willingly (they are building a new wing where parents of very ill children can stay) and it makes me pleased that I chose them.
    Hope the weather stays good for more lovely photographs.

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    1. I shall be suggesting it to him tonight Pat. It was the building of that new wing that disturbed him so much when we went to the family day!

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  8. It's an absolute pleasure to open your blog and see your world.
    Highland cattle are my favorite.
    We are getting spectacular sunrises/sunsets this time of year. Must try harder to capture them.
    Love the photo of the magpie on the sheep, and love the ornament. So glad GOSH is working for you.

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    1. Do try Terry! I love those cattle too. They're so benign; as we walked past, the ones lying down made no effort to get up.

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  9. I just love your photos of your part of the country, if we went on holiday there for a month we would never find all the interesting things you see on your walks. Always amazed at how different things are 300 miles away, we are only a little country after all

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    1. We have such variety don't we? I'm so glad to live in this country.

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  10. I hope you remember where those Highland cattle are Em, I want to see them next time... just love those guys. Unless they've moved of course..

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    1. They move a lot and weren't there today - sorry! I'll try and keep an eye out for them for you though.

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  11. Gobsmacked,
    You always have the best photos.
    I started to pick out the ones I likes the best and I picked all of them.
    But I love the shaggy cattle, and the sheep. Oh and the first sunset... the fog sweeping over the hillside.
    Perfect.

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. Thanks Parsnip. Those cattle are proving very popular!

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  12. Very impressed with OB's ornament. They will make lovely Christmas ornaments. Happy you have a diagnosis also. These photos are spectacular Em. Fancy having highland cows on Dartmoor. They truly are magnificent.

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    1. These ones are quite small but look big when photographed as they're so imposing I suppose. Lovely animals.

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  13. You tried the AWE technique..lots of things to look at,but I still spotted the magpie and I keep on going back to shot #3..that coat is fabulously impressive and a gorgeous colour!
    Jane x

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    1. I wonder of you could make a nice fabric out of it, given a pair of clippers, a spinning wheel and a loom? xx

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  14. I took my time enjoying each and every one of your photos, Em ! Good news from GOSH ... hope it is clear sailing with only the odd bump here and there now for you all. xx

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    1. There's so much to think about with OB, I'm having to write things down to get them clear in my head! xx

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  15. Loved the Woolly Bully!

    My friends son has Aspergers. Great kid. He was socially awkward in his younger years, but recently graduated from college, has a teaching job a steady girlfriend and like it seems OB, he is very smart especially in history. He sometimes takes things very literally, but he has a sense of humor about it.

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    1. The taking things literally thing can be really funny but OB is yet to find it so. He'll get there I'm sure though. Poor boy has so much to cope with at the moment. He's doing a brilliant job. Always good to hear from you Joe.

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  16. Oh Em! The wonderful one of the Kestrel from below!! The speckles are fabulous! And the Highland cattle - aren't they magnificent beasts. A couple of days ago we watched an episode of Griff Reece-Jones walking Highland cattle on the annual trek from one of the outlying Scottish islands to be sold. It was fascinating.
    Glad you've made some progress with GOSH, I hope it helps when the shift of schools occurs. Over here, they rename everything frequently, then say that the previous diagnosis is no longer valid! Grrr!

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    1. I don't think we could stand to go through another diagnosis process Virginia! How awful.

      I didn't see that Griff R-J programme but I wish I had.

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  17. What stunning photos Em!! I love the ones of the Highland Cattle especially, I have a soft spot for them. Good news that you got a diagnosis for OB, not good that he has these issues obviously, but I hope that now you have a diagnosis and the support of GOSH that you can move forward and get the things that he needs in place. I am afraid that I did have a chuckle at the DAF and thought that perhaps a T should be added to the end because of the way they make these things so hard to navigate, anyone with these issues trying to do it alone must find it impossible. Anyway, so glad that you can now move forward again. Take care. xx

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  18. Cracking pics Em and so pleased GOSH is getting things sorted for you all xx

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    1. Lets hope so....we're heading into new territory here which I haven't talked about yet so keep everything crossed for us. xx

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  19. Well echoing everyone else, lovely photos of the highland cattle, these and the white banded/black cows seem the ones for Bodmin Moor as well. Good news about GOSH, and I envy OB being a mathematical genius ;) I have always been hopeless....

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    1. I was good to 'O' level but after that....

      I love those banded cows and we do get them sometimes. You can spot them a mile off can't you?

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  20. Beautiful photos - I only have to read your blog to get transported over to Dartmoor :) I love the Christmas tree decoration and good to hear that GOSH is being so supportive and sorting things out.

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    1. The decoration production line seems to have slowed down a bit sadly!

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  21. Wonderful photos! I do love the moor, remember just bits and pieces from my childhood visit. Every so often your photos bring forth another memory.

    Loved the Highland cattle. We have none here that I know of. Also loved the sheep. Such a cool looking breed! The photos of the Woodpecker and Chaffinch are sensational!! And loved the Merdog!

    OB is very talented! Hopefully he will do many more ornaments for you. Please to hear that GOSH is being so supportive. I'm always leery of government services (I think this is government?).

    You and OB are in thoughts, hope you have a good week.

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    1. Thank you Gail. I love the feathers on that Chaffinch. Thank you camera!

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  22. Lovely collection of photographs, Em! I especially liked that close-up of the Woodpecker, the evening sunsets and your favourite Kestrel shot, but they were all good! I even like the Snipe shot - sometimes a shot like that informs you more about a bird's nature than a perfectly posed close up. To me, your Snipe seems elusive, mysterious and swift and the photo captures that nicely.

    You weren't kidding about the Dung Fungus! :)

    Glad that you feel ready to tackle the educational challenges ahead for OB. I didn't know he is maths-whizz too - good on him!

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    1. You're so right about the Snipe looking at it again and it also sums up my relationship with what is a very shy bird. I can feel my frustration as it flies off screeching at me!

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  23. A wonderful selection of pictures . It reminded me that it seems too long since March when we were last on Dartmoor. I'm glad you have at long last have a diagnosis and hope that it makes things easier for OB at school moving forward. Sarah x

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    1. It's such a long process Sarah and I just hope we can sort it out in time. My head is spinning!

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  24. Fantastic photos, thank you for sharing.

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  25. Your photos are always a feast for the eyes Em, no need to apologize I could browse them all day .
    That pic of the one Highlander standing alone I was incredibly taken with , I have always been fascinated with Highland cattle and those ponies on the moors !

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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.