JACK BE NIMBLE

I wish I had his energy. The above is him, mid-pounce like a polar bear breaking through ice to get to a seal. Will he ever slow down I wonder? 

 

At last; a decent picture of Snippet:

Back to his bum:

Jack does stop sometimes but always alert:

But not for long:

Snip CAN do it once he's warmed up a bit:

At the end of last week it was incredibly misty:

Nothing will deter the nimble one:

I tried fiddling with the exposure of these misty ones but they looked ridiculous and this really is what it was like:

I think the marsh looks at it's most beautiful and mysterious this way:

A few other things from this week.....

Crow:

Last Thursday I had a very welcome visit from Seagull Susie who writes the great blog Beautiful Brixham (http://brixhamlife.blogspot.co.uk/ ). We went for a walk with the dogs and spotted these strange yellow things on some grass blades. I have absolutely no idea what they are....fungi? Eggs? Can someone please enlighten me?

We saw this beautiful little fungus too. Only one I've ever seen like it:

A young Stonechat experiencing its first winter:

More crows:

Our first proper frost AT LAST yesterday morning! We can finally harvest our Jerusalem Artichokes. Isn't the sky beautiful? This was about 7.30am:

Frosty Witches' Butter on the Gorse:

A dead Foxglove with a frosting:

This looks almost unreal I think:

Frosty grass:

Frosty gate on the way to school:

Cotoneaster in my mum's garden in Chagford:

Fleabane which my mum has always called Mexican Daisy; not looking very Mexican here:

This week OB has decided to get the bus into school as well as home which has been surprisingly disruptive given it should make life easier. Being lateness averse in a massive way, we always leave much earlier than we need to which also means I can get to my mum's by 9.00 to sort her out or take her to Waitrose on a Wednesday. Now, with the bus arriving at about twenty to eight, I'm champing at the bit waiting to discretely follow them in the car. The reason we're doing it is so that he gets used to being more responsible about getting his stuff ready and not relying on us so much reminding him about homework etc. The Aspergers mind is not renowned for its ability with what I now know to be called 'executive functioning'. I can't tell you how often he walks out of the door in the morning clutching a piece of Origami but leaving his coat and bag on the sofa. According to the book recommended by GOSH, 'Late, Lost and Unprepared', we have to try and create a 'prosthetic' environment where, subtly, we make it easier for him to remember things. For example, we have dedicated places for things he has to remember, close to where he is most likely to spot them if you see what I mean. I can't say my executive functioning is great but I've learnt to make copious lists and look at the calendar many times a day!

Things are not moving fast regarding the insulin pump. I had a letter with a booking code but when I rang the number, they seemed thrown by my choice of Exeter Hospital over Torbay (no competition I'm afraid) and said they'd have to pass my details on and get them to write to me. More waiting.....

Right, time to make sure OB is reading a 'proper' book rather than a Wimpy Kid one to which he is addicted but rationed as I'm concerned he'll lose the ability to cope with text without pictures. So, until next time, here are those dogs on their way up to Kestor on that frosty morning. Sorry about the overuse of the term 'frosty' by the way.........there it is again. 

OCTOBER BITS AND PIECES

This week I have decided not to stress about only posting once a week. It really is all I can manage and, though I miss more regular contact with all my bloggy friends, I just can't do it with everything else going on. I hope the future holds less stress and more time for blogging but for the moment, I hope you will all understand. 

The last week has seen a shocking change in the weather. I realise I haven't felt cold since March and this morning, when I marched out at 7.00am with no gloves and only two thin layers under my fairly insubstantial coat, I was actually shivering. I'm not ready for this at all and had to go scrabbling about in the cupboard to find a hat and gloves for later. Tomorrow is Guy Fawkes and I'm kind of hoping OB has forgotten.....no mention of it yet. If we stand on top of Kestor on a clear night, we can see  fireworks for tens of miles. 

It's definitely a bits and pieces post. As I went through what I had to show for a week, it was sadly lacking.....so......

Fungi have been in evidence for weeks but I haven't taken many very good pictures. I quite like these though. Nice Beech nut on the top of this one....

The wet weather has meant the lichens are flourishing after a our long dry summer. No Devil's matchsticks yet but they should appear soon.

I've been walking past this smallish rock very close to Kestor for over fourteen years now and, since we moved up here six and a half years ago, on an almost daily basis, and I have never noticed how like a Dartmoor pony the black section looks:

Diamond:

Smudge:

Halloween pumpkins in Chagford last Friday:

Perky sheep:

There is an enormous amount  of flocking going on at the moment. Hundreds of Wood Pigeons fly out of Gidleigh Wood onto the moor every morning and, more recently, they've been joined by crows, allowing me to indulge in some fabulous collective nouns. Other than the most obvious murder of crows, they can also be a cauldron, congress, cowardice or storytelling with a loft, kit or dropping of pigeons. 

In the morning, the sun from the East casts a shadow of the moor onto the trees in the valley:

Today the deciduous grasses looked bleached in the sun:

The last two days I've managed to spot the Golden Plover flock, or should I say the congregation, stand, band or leash of Plovers:

Jack cast a nice shadow this morning:

Every time I climb the hill and see this view of our house, I can't believe how lucky we are:

As I started to run, well....jog home this lunchtime having seen black clouds approaching from afar, I disturbed a large bird in the long grass with beautiful pale markings and a wingspan of about a metre or three and a bit feet. As it turned in flight I realised it had the flat face of an owl (just the one, not a parliament or stare of them). Talking to our neighbour and looking at pictures, I'm now sure it was a Short Eared Owl. I've rarely seen any owl, let alone one so close up. Because I was coming at it fast.......ish, I was only a few yards from it when it took off. Very exciting. 

Right, time to get stuff ready for the morning and finish writing a draft letter to GOSH about various bits and pieces, in the absolute belief that they will reply and we will get an answer. Brilliant. So, until next time, here is a rather strange picture of toothy Snippet and flying eared Jack. Have a great week everyone.