HUNGRY CATERPILLAR & A BREAK IN TRANSMISSION

My neighbour handed me this monster over the fence yesterday, attached to a dead weed. I put it in the border after photographing it and it had disappeared half an hour later. I think it's an Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar; I'm sure some of you will be able to tell me one way or the other. What a fabulous creature.

I haven't taken the camera out walking for days now - too busy concentrating on sheep training with Jack. If I stop to take a picture, he could be off and up to mischief. Having said that, he really is an excellent pupil, particularly for a terrier. So these few shots are insects in the garden.....

These next three are pollinating our raspberries - thank you very much..... 

I had both dogs at the vet's yesterday to look at Snippet's infected cheeks and register Jack. Nearly £100 later, I have antibiotics, wormers and flea/tick stuff, plus the consultation for both of them. I had to ask for a carrier bag to carry it all. Here are few pics of them from this week so far. Jack is growing VERY fast.

Snippet in his viewing hole through the hedge to next door's dogs:

We leave for Essex very early on Saturday morning, returning late on Wednesday night. A whistle stop tour through Essex, taking in a wedding in Tilbury and a trip to Walton on the Naze, up to the Cambridgeshire Fens and then back down into East London to see the friends we visited last year who live near the Olympic park. The dogs are being looked after by a friend who will move in for four days and Trigger will be observed by friends who live next to his field. I will be providing them with a big bag of carrots in the absence of his usual feed. I can't really ask them to stand guard, fighting off the madams like I do. So - a break in transmission for a week at least. It will be strange photographing flat land but I'm looking forward to the challenge. Am struggling with what to wear to this wedding. No Bridesmaid's dress provided this time! I bought something about four months ago, which now looks very funereal quite frankly. I'll be trying to blend into the background anyway. Until next time, have a great week and here are my two boys. Oh - I forgot to mention, it's Snippet's birthday today! He's four. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SNIPPET. 

BITS AND PIECES 3

The last couple of days have been thick with mist up here on the moor but the bees have been busy nonetheless. Today is much clearer than yesterday and the garden is humming.

                                      

Trigger is hopping about again so the poulticing continues. One day he's fine, the next he's not. The vet thinks he keeps stubbing it and to keep going. I'm giving him some Frankincense (Boswellia Serrata) for the pain; I found it very good for my old horse's navicular disease. 

Here are a selection of photos from this week.....

Common Speedwell.....not so common up here:

Moss flowering:

Honeysuckle:

Hawthorn flowers:

This lichen was almost metallic which isn't quite coming across - beautiful though:

Heath Bedstraw at last. It's so tiny I've had to wait until the clumps have spread. A bit of Tormentil in there too:

Rowan is flowering everywhere:

Great Tit. This one had just visited the seed feeder but I wasn't quick enough!

This Chaffinch lady though............caught in the act!

Sparrow babies:

Huge colonies of tadpoles in our neighbour's very large pond. The newts were on the prowl so we wondered if they might be clumping together, like shoals of fish, applying the principal of safety in numbers.

No idea what these water plants are but they looked amazing in the late afternoon sun. Any ID offers gratefully received:

Yesterday's thick fog:

Sheep....

A Wheatear:

White Jacob's Ladder in the garden:

Lady's Mantle flowers:

Snippet today:

Foal B:

The weather has cleared now and it's a beautiful evening. Have a great weekend and until next time, here's Snippet in one of his 'master of all he surveys' poses.