SIGNS OF LIFE

But not as many as there were yesterday before this insufferable laptop decided to delete all my lovely frog and lichen pictures. I'm getting really upset with its life of its own. Time to dig a mouse out of a drawer and deactivate the touch pad. Whether that will solve the problem of hovering over something and it pressing virtual buttons that you don't want to press, I don't know. Anyway, enough grumping. I followed yesterdays footsteps today, but the frogs I had photographed had finished spawning and disappeared today. Not surprising but they are all at it and the spawn is gathering in every available puddle. Some may have to be rescued and moved as some of the puddles will dry out if there's a dry period. This is a fraction of what I saw today:

I haven't seen Betty or any of the other mares and foals for weeks. The occasional little group of vaguely familiar ponies appears for a few days and then goes. Some are in foal but not many. I'm really hoping Betty and the rest of them come back nearer foaling time. They will have to be named by letter rather than number this year so I don't get confused. Here are a couple I saw today a couple of miles away from home:

Eating the lush greens in the stream

My lichen passion had reached the point of searching for a comprehensive tome for identification. Not easy to come by I can tell you. The one I want is ridiculously expensive so I may have to just stick with the on-line sites which are pretty good, but not exactly portable. I'm finding http://www.britishlichens.co.uk/ the best but I haven't done very well with these I saw today (and yesterday!).

I can't identify this one.....time for i-spot

Cladonia Bellidiflora

Cladonia Polydactyla I think

Cladonia PleurotaI I think

Another one for i-spot

Cladonia Pocillum I think

I've been trying to photograph a Dunnock that has been visiting the garden for a few weeks. It kept flying off every time I managed to focus and never comes to the bird 'table'. This picture isn't great but at least I've got it at last. I haven't seen one up here at all until now so I'm really pleased.

These sparrows look like one of those wooden toys with the swinging ball underneath that makes them peck:

And a rather lovely Chaffinch with a mouthful of seedy porridge:

My viola are still flowering: 

And the Columbines are beginning to spring into life:

Snippet enjoyed today - lots of rodents making noises under tussocks of grass: 

I'll leave you with Kestor at sunrise the other frosty morning. awe-inspiring and a reason to get up and out early. Until next time..........

HIGH WINDS AND THE JUBILEE

The winds have been staggering for the past couple of days. The strength of the majestic trees is amazing as they flex to the point where they should break, but don't. I say that but, on the way to town to buy some bread this morning, we encountered two enormous beech branches filling the road. A couple of phone calls later and the local farmer came up with a tractor and disposed of them like so much kindling. One was at least 18" thick and the road had been completely impassable. It showed how much power a tractor has when needed. Sadly, I'd left my camera on the desk at home having been changing coats through the previous day due to constant drenching. 

The Jubilee was celebrated with the Tinners' Fair in Chagford on Saturday where my son and other pupils at the school performed a fantastic puppet show. Chagford was made a Stannery town in 1305, hence the Tin reference. It was a lovely day with the threat of rain that never actually arrived. On Monday we watched the Two Hills Race rather than run it. It's been going for 35 years and is a gruelling slog up and down Meldon and Nattadon Hills, mostly over stumbly rough ground and a section through a bog. 

Enormous puppets of the Queen and the Tinner made by the pupils of Chagford Primary School

As usual, the half term holiday has restricted my walks and I have reverted to my role as social secretary and taxi. Birthday party and friends over while partner and I have tried to restore the kitchen after building works have finished. A series of minor disasters involving a slight size disparity between Ikea and other company's units have meant progress has been slow but tonight we had use of the sink for the first time in weeks. Hooray!

The gale force winds have had a rather detrimental effect on the garden. Huge clumps of wood Forget-me-nots, Columbines and my particular favourite, Billy's Button (Water Avens) have been flattened. Nothing I can do other than cut them back and hope for a second flush from the Billy's Button. Nice posy on the newly scrubbed kitchen window sill though.

Billy's Button and Columbines

No work with Trigger this week but back to it next week in earnest. Rug on yesterday thanks to 'unseasonable temperatures' and torrential rain. I had my winter waterproof gloves on too. I had to include this beautiful Jay's feather, sadly the result of a predator's meal. Jays are very plentiful here and we often see them, despite their reputation for elusiveness. 

Just a few more photos from this week and I'll hope to have more to tell next time.

Glorious view

Heath Bedstraw flowering everywhere. Used between bed sheets in the past because of its beautiful smell of vanillary new mown hay when dry. I tried drying it but sadly that smell is eluding me....

Leaden sky

Have a lovely week.