APRIL BITS AND PIECES

I've had no internet for four days now; it's been very challenging, especially as I'm in the midst of a mother crisis. On Tuesday, she was in a panic and said she couldn't cope any more. Since then, I've been in a whirlwind of arranging carers and looking for a respite place to bridge the time before her hip is replaced. Now, with a delightful commode and people coming in to help her (and me), the respite is no longer needed and she feels capable of staying in her lovely bungalow. I'm relieved as I can't manage it all on my own, especially as it's lawn mowing and gardening season as well as all her paperwork and, well, everything else too. Aging can be a terrible thing. 

OB takes his SATS next week and is very nervous about them poor love. There's so much pressure on kids these days. I never had homework OR tests at primary school. Did you? He'll have a room on his own in case of tics distracting the others, and a dedicated teaching assistant with him. We're so lucky to have such a supportive school.

I will be 51 next Friday. Rather an anti-climax after last year's fabulous day I fear. Slightly concerned that, the usually incessantly pestering M, hasn't asked me what I'd like as a present. My childhood birthdays were always pretty awful and, as an adult, I make a show of not caring whether I get nice things or even, perhaps, a party, while my pathetic inner child is screaming "Where's my ****ing present!". Perhaps I need to talk about this.....it's been a hard week. I'll try not to back the car into a wall the day before if you remember that eye wateringly badly timed incident last year. 

Trigger is going on holiday for about four weeks from Tuesday, to some friends whose ponies I've been helping get halter trained over the last couple of months. It will be a walk of a couple of hours but worth it as he'll have grass and company and his little paddock might recover a bit. I'll try and take pictures on the journey for next time. 

Time for a selection of pictures from April. they would have been nearer the end of that month had it not been for crises and internet issues. I didn't think it would be back till the middle of next week so I'm amazed to be posting at all. First a couple of sheep. Eyes and ears....

That bit of grass looks like white wool coming out of her mouth:

Fresh green of new Beech leaves. I do love that curve of more in the distance coming out too:

Fresh Hawthorn leaves and an old berry:

Remember the Dun pony I thought didn't look like the rest of them out there? Well here she is a couple of days before I managed to catch her and return her to her owner, who was delighted to have her back. Her name is Tilly:

New foals......this one has a mark like a tick and, since OB calls his tic supressing exercised 'tic tac's', that's what we've christened her (that means she's probably male knowing me): Tic Tac:

Another one....no name yet as I haven't got a decent picture of it's markings:

One of the gelding protectorate rolling a bit too close to a drop:

This year's herd on the move:

Skylark refusing to look at the camera:

Beautiful Buzzard:

Meadow Pipit singing and doing its Skylark impression:

Closer to the ground:

A lone Pheasant out on the moor looking a bit lost:

Kestrel about to drop on its prey:

Metal bird (Lynx I think) over Chagford:

Crossed vapour trails over Kestor:

This hasn't come out quite how it looked....I was trying to show the impact of a field of oil seed rape in an otherwise green landscape. Someone is stealing the show:

I love the colours of the trees in this one:

A few extra pictures from that day in Westwood Ho!....

The pebble ridge:

Jack and Finnian, who has a distinct height advantage!

The surfers prepare:

Scuba Jack?

Don't know what possessed me to take this. It was a beautiful day at a remote part of the river where I knew there was no chance of anyone disturbing me, my back was killing me, so I lay down on a rock and took this:

Then I heard some quacking......

All on his own in the middle of nowhere:

Mr Woodpecker giving me a hard stare:

The Bumble-footed Chaffinch is still going strong. 

I have a million things to catch up on so I'd better get on. I have no idea what you're all up to but will try and catch up over the weekend. Some more followers which is fantastic. Welcome and thank you. So, until next time, here is Snippet just after his haircut and Jack out cold, or warm, on my new wood-chip area. Have a lovely weekend!

REAL SIGNS OF SPRING

Today, Snippet and I went for our first walk of the year that truly felt like spring. For so many months, there has been barely a bird out there, but today, the grass was alive with little spiders, the air full of little flying insects, the odd bee and many, many birds. The sun was shining and, despite slipping over early on and bruising my knee, it was an absolute joy. Even the garden is beginning to show signs of life with many of the hedge trees starting to sprout; not the beech obviously - that will be late May if we're lucky! What follows is a record of everything I managed to photograph. there was a lot that I didn't get: a Wheatear, a couple of Palmate Newts and a trio of Buzzards soaring together.

We started in the garden where Celandine is at last flowering:

Past the big Beech tree on a wall where periwinkle tumbles:

As we walked up the path along the stream onto the moor, I spotted this pheasant; an unusual sight up here and it looked very unsure of itself:

I went to check the place where we put all the rescued frog spawn and saw this toad spawn in the water. Two Newts shot off as I got there so these may not last long. 

On the way over to the stream near the tin shepherd's hut, we saw these lambs. I don't usually see them out on the moor; the farmers normally keep them in fields until they're older.

Then, in the distance, I spotted a mare and foal. Foal D. 

Another dark coloured one. Not black, but after last year's endless skewbalds, it's lovely to see more traditional Dartmoor colours. They were very shy, so the zoom was in action, hence slight fuzziness:

A Meadow Pippet. There were lots and lots of them out today.

A small Tortoiseshell by the stream. Terrible picture - sorry. Zoom rather than macro.I was just amazed to see one at all.

Plant life in the stream. Didn't have time to trawl through books to check what it is.....apologies.

As we walked up the hill away form the stream, I spotted ANOTHER mare and foal. Foal E. Another dark one and enchanting again:

A long walk home again with a few misses again. Only managed to capture another Meadow Pippet:

A cup of Lapsang Souchong and a slice of walnut cake once home. Out again at 3.00pm to feed Trigger. We have a resident Pied Wagtail who joins us at feeding time:

Home again to wait for the school bus. A lovely day including starting a drawing which I'll post about another day. Until next time, here's Snippet today.