MORE OF SNIPPET’S FRIENDS AND AN UNIDENTIFIED CATERPILLAR

Apologies for delayed posting; our internet is a disaster having changed provider. I wish we’d never done it. At this time of day (early afternoon), we get around 0.5 mbps but by the evening it can be as low as 0.25 mbps. That’s almost a dial-up speed. VERY cross with company who keep blaming the socket but it was fine before we changed. Anyway, enough moaning although perhaps a little mention of the weather…..one day it’s drizzly and cold, the next it’s glorious sunshine.  My body thermostat is very confused and I keep finding myself stranded in totally inappropriate clothing.  The weekend was lovely for the shed building, which took about 8 hours; marginally less than the square footage of the shed. Some nasty cold drizzly days in the week and back to summer today.  

I left the shed construction to take Snippet and his friend Finnian for a run that day, where they expended more energy than I can believe a bowl of dog food could possibly contain. 

Snippet had a play with Lizzy and Foal number 5 over by the marsh yesterday which I took a film of. Apologies for poor quality!

Once they had tired him out, Lizzy came over with Foal number 3, who now looks like a Shetland, for a nuzzle with him. Interesting how she behaves differently with her various companions. I disturbed two Snipe while out there by the way but I’m afraid they were too fast for the camera!

On the way home, I photographed this caterpillar. I spent some considerable time on the internet and with my nose in books trying to identify it, to no avail. I would think it’s a moth rather than a butterfly but who knows. If no one can help I’ll have to send the picture to one of those identification places I think. Here it is:

In the drizzle and wind yesterday, Foal number 10 did NOT look happy; all tucked up and tense. I’m off to see if I can see a mark on its mum today and I’ll try and get hold if its owners before the weather gets really bad. Here he is looking cold and a few looking happier the previous day.

Yesterday, I saw the consultant shoulder surgeon at Exeter who has referred me for some saline injections into the joint under a local anaesthetic rather than the nightmare operation at Torbay I cancelled back in July. Hooray! I’m so glad I didn’t go through with it as this sounds much less violent and no general anaesthetic thank goodness.

And finally a few more pictures from the past week:

Shenanigans in the herd yesterday

Foal number three. His legs really are that short.

Snippet's favourite gap in the hedge for staring at next door's cats

Fabulous sky on Saturday

Bee and Blue Calliphoria Fly (possibly Protocalliphora Azurea) on that very popular pot of marjoram

Drizzly web in a dead hawthorn

A dead shrew I found this morning

Have a great weekend if I don’t manage to post again before then. 

AUTUMNAL WEBS AND THE END OF THE HOLIDAYS

The day before yesterday morning it was misty, slightly drizzly and distinctly autumnal (unlike the picture above from yesterday). The misty drizzle revealed a  moor covered in spider’s webs as far as the eye could see. The following morning we were back to summer and the extent of the webs had become invisible. I took these pictures but they only go some way to getting over the spooky atmosphere that was created.

Web on a piece of Sedge

Earlier in the week Snippet had another encounter with Lizzy, who is more playful than any of the others. She was chasing him and gently trying to pounce on him. They both really seem to enjoy it. Here is the pouncing evidence and a couple of her and Betty. 

Betty's mane really is out of control

Autumn is definitely coming; the grasses are suddenly brown instead of green and the ponies, including Trigger, are sprouting their winter coats. 

Give it a few weeks and he will NOT look like this!

Yesterday evening, our broadband connection was so bad I had to give up trying to publish this post. We've recently changed provider and the new router is proving less impressive than the last one. Being right at the end of the line and having the cables buried for aesthetic National Park reasons, means our broadband is about as narrow as it can be and still have that title, and we have little chance of it ever being improved given the potential cost for what is essentially five households out here. Anyway, I'm back today and hoping things might go better. 

Origami boy went back to school today and, like Danielle at Tales from the Rookery, I'm very relieved. I just need to be alone sometimes and, much as I love him, he needs to be with other children as much as possible, which is a strain sometimes. I try not to feel too guilty and it does get easier each year. We and some friends whose children are Origami Boy's friends too, all went for a walk and a swim in the river yesterday, which was lovely. Snippet had a great time too with his two doggy friends, one of whom is younger than him so they have a LOT of fun. I'm off out to feed Trigger now as I didn't have time this morning before getting to school, and then Snippet and I will be off for our first proper walk for seven weeks. Here he is with the lovely Sky. Till next time....