BITS AND PIECES 2

First sighting of Lousewort (above) this year. It stands out in the sea of what is still very brown grass. I love it. This starts another bits and pieces post; random pictures from the last week, starting with another view of the wonderful, tiny Milkwort that nestles, often hidden, in the grass. No sign of the white or pink versions yet but I like the blue best:

Mating Damsel Flies:

This little bluebell heaven is on the way up the drive to our tiny hamlet:

Bad hair day:

 

Yesterday we met some friends down at the river. The weather was beautiful and Origami Boy and his friends swam happily for ages. Snippet met his friend Bracken and two new lady Border Collies, one of whom he really bonded with:

Drinking the river:

A gorgeous Chaffinch:

 

A long view:

Another new black foal with a particularly beautiful mother:

Messy Magpie:

Middle Tor looking like a sea monster....I think so anyway!

Layers:

This Broad Bodied Chaser female was crashing about with its beautiful blue mate and then laying eggs in the water of our closest marshy puddle. I saw tadpoles and a newt in there yesterday too. Sorry it's slightly blurry but she was in flight at the time.

Today, as I prepared supper, I spotted another little Bank Vole in the same place as the other. Slightly smaller and darker, I think it may be a female whilst the other was male. I'm making this up as I really have no idea - I'm just very glad to have them and to be able to observe their behaviour. 

The House Martins are still building but I really can't see how they're going to finish in time the rate they're going, only putting in an hour or so a day. Comparing my first picture of 'mud on wall' with the one I took yesterday, there is definitely progress, but not much! Until next time, here's Ernest Snippleton (as Origami Boy called him during South Pole studies last year) in his new collar and tag, having lost the other one somewhere in a gorse bush. I should have got a red tag again....this silver one looks VERY boring. 

SHOCKING ENCOUNTER AND A MISSED BORDER TERRIER

Not usually being a fan of anthropomorphism, it pains me to do so here. But....when our little vole friend appeared here, the robin really did looked shocked. Not fearful resulting in immediate flying off, just shocked. 

Robin lands first....

Vole appears.....

Shocking

I have been trying to persuade the other two members of the household that Snippet needs a canine companion for at least two years now and, yesterday, I found a year old Border Terrier on preloved.co.uk who, for many reasons, sounded absolutely perfect for us. Amazingly, when I brought up the subject, it was greeted with some fairly positive comments and I was told to ask our Border Terrier owning friends what they thought before MAYBE getting in touch with the owners who lived pretty locally. So, I spoke to the friends this morning, who were very enthusiastic. I got the go ahead and at about midday, I went back to the web page trying to hold down my excitement, only to find the advert had disappeared! I was ridiculously upset; and I mean RIDICULOUSLY, given the very slim knowledge I had of him. Anyway, it has now been admitted that we are actively looking for a dog, which is great. I watch Snippet standing at the fence, staring at our neighbour's pack of five dogs, or running up and down after them and not being part of the gang. Oh dear, I'm in danger of slipping into anthropomorphism again. Don't get me wrong - he's a very happy dog and he has a great life, but when I see him playing with his 'friends', it adds a whole new dimension to his life. I'll keep you posted....we are looking for a young male, probably not a puppy and preferably already neutered, terrier of some description. A mixed mutt like Snippet would be ideal. Not too small. Stick with what I know I think. If anybody knows of anything suitable in this kind of area, do let me know! It's shocking how many young dogs there are out there for sale where people have realised having one is a massive responsibility that they're not actually ready for. At least they're not abandoning them I suppose but you'd be amazed how much money people want for them. 

Friday's weather was very strange here. the sky was leaden but we somehow managed to swerve its dropping of water or ice most of the day. You could see it falling in the distance but we only had one shower. It was fairly dramatic though, with ice balls the size of Maltesers. 

I love the fresh green of the new beech leaves against the sky in these two

A few more pictures from the last few days:

One of the nesting Nuthatches on the wall; there are definitely squeaks coming from the box now

I got a terrible shock the other day when this huge troop of soldiers appeared on the horizon

I love this beautiful dark purple periwinkle. I'd never seen it before we moved here. It tumbles down the wall from our neighbour's garden

Snippet with Fernworthy Reservoir behind

Favourite pastime 

You may have noticed my hastily cobbled together thing in the sidebar about pet portraits. I drew the lovely John Grey's dogs recently ( http://disasterfilm.blogspot.co.uk/ ) and he has framed them and put them on his blog with a link to here so I thought I'd better get myself organised in case anyone flew over to place an order. Nothing yet! Never mind; maybe one day. Now that John has published them, my next post will be one of those progress-through-a-drawing ones. 

Thanks so much to all of you who left birthday greetings in the comments. It was very, very much appreciated. Until next time, here's the lonely one, soon to be less so I hope. 

WHO LIVES IN A HOLE LIKE THIS?

Whilst spreading the bird porridge on the top of the wall that runs up to the kitchen, close to the window, I have noticed this hole and assumed it was abandoned and unused. Today I was proved wrong as I stood waiting for the kettle to boil. Who should appear but a little Bank Vole. Mainly nocturnal, a lump of seedy porridge plonked on it's doorstep was obviously too much to resist. It shot back into the hole often, but was soon out again, snuffling about and eating seeds.  Why should I be so enchanted by a vole yet horrified at the mousy scratchings from the attic? Ridiculous really. Here it is. Full zoom through the not so clean window I'm afraid:

 The bird feeding station was busy today:

Great Tit

Magpie

Dunnock

Blue Tit

 

Nice try Woody....I can see you

What a grim day. Trigger is back in his rug after finding him shivering two mornings ago. The wind has dropped a bit today at least but the rain is hacking down and the sunshine a distant memory. Yesterday, I opened the boot of the car to get the hay and food out and the two black bin backs we use for plastic food container recycling flew out and into a nearby hawthorn tree. They are still there and, when the wind drops completely, I'm going to have to try and retrieve them. Not a great look as the guests from the Michelin starred Gidleigh Park Hotel cross the cattle grid on their prescribed moorland tourist trek. The weekend is here; I hope you all have a lovely one. Until next time.....here's that lovely Woodpecker again.