RUSTY DUCK FOR LUNCH

Yesterday, I had the very great pleasure of meeting Jessica of rusty duck (www.rustyduck.net), who came for lunch and a walk with the dogs and I. One of the fantastic things about blogging has been the people I've met around the world, usually virtually, but on occasion, in person. It was lovely to walk with another human and I only took this one photo due to chatting rather than snapping. I think most of you probably follow Jess anyway, but if you don't, I think you probably should. We were incredibly lucky with the weather as it stayed dry until mid afternoon. Today, however, we're back to persistent rain. Good weather for lichens it seems - many are 'flowering' like crazy:

I found these amazing little bent over fungi on a log whilst moving wood in the garden. The bigger ones are only about a cm (3/8 inch) across:

A sodden hawthorn leaf on plastic:

We've had a few rainbows in between downpours:

Sometimes the skies clear for a bit.....

Happy dogs:

And birds:

But the rain returns pretty quickly:

Inside, I've treated myself to a bunch of Narcissi to cheer up the gloom:

Today's rain is horizontal so some of the ponies are hiding close to the bottom of the drive. they're as drenched as I was when I got home after a very unpleasant twenty minute walk:

The lovely VW Polo has been out of action for a couple of weeks due to the hideous screeching noise coming from the wheels but today we had good news....a stone was stuck between the caliper and.....er something else. Water was coming in the back, Renault style, but that has been sorted too. We should have it back soon and I've bought it a celebratory ice scraper as a coming home present; I've been using a CD cover for the last ten years. Pathetic really. So, until next time, here are those dogs enjoying one of those welcome little dry spells.

SPOKE TOO SOON

Hopeless he's not and, yes, that is a rodent in his mouth as if to prove me wrong. In his defense, he did eat it which is more than Snippet did with his one and only vole which was dispatched in a split second and left for someone else to consume. 

A short post tonight. It's been a busy weekend with new household nightmares to deal with including damp patches appearing at the bottom of the stairs and render falling off the front wall after trying to poke a drainpipe which sounded like it contained the ghost of Jack's rodent; it turned out to be a trapped Sparrow which flew out after more poking. The end of last week was VERY windy so I decided to climb Kestor with the dogs and commune with the elements. 

This pony was using a gorse bush as shelter:

These three looked like triplets:

Trigger has stayed at home for a few days.

So, until next time, when I may have more to say for myself, hope your weekend has been better than mine, RIP rodent and here's one for Tom Stephenson (http://tomstephenson.blogspot.co.uk/).

RAIN RESPITE

Today the dogs and I had the first walk some time where we didn't return drenched. We have got off very lightly compared with those for whom the floods have brought destruction and danger; we have merely suffered road flooding and a new damp area in the house. It was a joy to be able to use a camera again, and this morning was the first time Trigger was able to go and see his madam friends for a week. We combined his collection later this afternoon with our walk:

I like this one in black and white too:

The Devon Air Ambulance off to save someone again:

Jack found a sheep bone:

The pair of them were delighted not to battle the elements today.

The ponies heard us coming:

On the way home, Jack stole a foil food container from a bin bag, mistakenly put out on Monday when it was actually a garden waste collection day:

Trigger is looking woolly and is also enjoying the lack of rain today. I've had to dump the rope halter in favour of a more traditional one for the moment as I have a very small window of opportunity to catch him and get him out of the field, and knotting the rope one takes too long. 

We saw a sweet foal hiding in the long grass before we got home:

Over the weekend, perhaps burning the Christmas tree in the garden wasn't the best idea....

Jack has been habitually escaping from the garden so we've had to put up unattractive chicken wire on top of the wall we mistakenly thought could contain him. The only up side to this is its new status as bird perch:

 

It's raining again. Sigh. Until next time, here are those two boys working together rodent hunting. For the first time ever, I saw their intended target, who trotted out of this tussock across the path and into another. The dogs didn't notice and were still snuffling and pouncing five minutes later. Useless.