03/12/2021 Getting so far behind!!!!!!!

 The maximum temperature here today is 12⁰C, minimum -2⁰C. Grey skies. Wind 27km/h icy South-Westerly winds with gusts up to 53 km/h.  Dry at present but 90% rain is forecast.

Sorry, I am struggling to keep up with everything. I had a bad fall out walking a couple of weeks back, looking at some cattle when my foot disappeared down a pothole. Sadly causing some damage to my lens which we are trying to get a spare part for.  I think I cracked a rib, I did not bother to get it checked as I know the feeling from past broken ribs. Nothing you can do other than wait for it to heal. I was black and blue and very sore. I was on the mend when a carpet slipped under my foot and I opened up my shin from sliding into the bed.  Two days later, I cracked my shin on the wheelbarrow in exactly the same place!! My leg ballooned and turned blue, so an urgent trip to the Dr.  I now have a special dressing on it to prevent it from healing too early and causing a clot, it is also heavily bandaged with a compression bandage, this now has to be dressed daily for the next 10days!!!  I am now on day three.  Herewith are some photos from that walk plus a few others in December.

Before I fell on the fatal day,18/11/2022, I was surprised to see this Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) still around in Mid-November

Dandelion (Crepis vesicaria).

Common chicory (Cichorium intybus).

Gorse. (Ulex europaeus)

European holly (Ilex aquifolium).

Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare).

Teasel, (Dipsacus).

Vipers Bugloss (Echium vulgare).

Red clover (Trifolium pratense).

A log of wood - I thought at first it was ET 😀

Cattle when I should have looked where I was going!

Grey heron (Ardea cinerea).

Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo).

Great Banded Furrow Bee (Halictus scabiosa) on the cosmos 20/11/2021 before the first frost.

A welcome visitor to the garden, hopefully in hiding from the hunters!

red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa).

Autumn in all its glory.  Acer tree.

Hydrangeas.

Possibly Mycena polygramma next to the woodpile.

Calendula.

Mexican Orange blossom (Choisya ternata).

One of the last roses.

A maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba)  golden carpet.

European robin (Erithacus rubecula),

All of the later photos (after the walk), are taken with my old Nikon D3200 camera and the old temperamental Nikon 55-300mm lens, or the Nikon Coolpix S7000.  My D3500 camera is fine and survived the fall, but it does not want to work with the 55-300 lens!

Take care everybody, keep well and stay safe.

My local list of wildflowers. (91 Species 02/12/2021).

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World. 

20/02/2021 Last weeks walk

 Maximum temperature here today 16⁰C, minimum 10⁰C.  Dry but very grey skies.  21km/h South-Westerly winds with gusts up to 74 km/h. 

I have not been out walking since last week when these photos were taken.  The very high winds have been a problem and my eyes, despite wraparound glasses,  just water all the time and I cannot focus on where I am going let alone focus on the camera.

At home the Viburnum tinus is in flower.

and the first crocuses.

Out walking it was a little misty to begin with but it soon cleared.

The lambs were playing...

as above...

As above...

Looking over the local town.

Seen outside somebodies house.

The little stream is still flowing very fast.

Muddy puddles everywhere....

and the cattle are still standing in mud.

A pleasant surprise was seeing about 8 Brimstone butterflies at various places along the walk, only one settled long enough for me to get a photo. (Gonepteryx rhamni).

Many hundreds of Cranes (Grus grus) were flying overhead, but I was only carrying the Nikon Coolpix so photos were not easy to get.  Even more so because most of my walk was through the woods and the trees were in the way!  Good to see them returning to the North.

Some of the track where I was walking.

Seen in somebodies smallholding. With thanks to Richard we believe them to be Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus), presumably, these have been domesticated. 

Flowers were in abundance, Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) above with a bug.

Gorse (Ulex europaeus).

Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna)

Persian Speedwell (Veronica persica)

Sun Spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia).

Unknown fungus.

And a sunset that surprised me at the end of the day.

Take care everybody, keep well and stay safe.

My local list of wildflowers. (90 Species 23/08/2020).

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World.

28/01/2021 Just another walk a couple of days back (13 .1 kms).....

Maximum temperature here today 13⁰C, minimum 10⁰C.  11 mm rain measured this morning and it has not stopped raining since then!  23km/h South-Westerly winds with gusts up to 67 km/h.   90% chance of rain forecast for the next 7 days!!!! Not sure when I will be walking again!!

The small stream that generally 'trickles' through our local village. Glad we do not live closeby!

Narrow streets.

Looking across the fields.

Wet tracks.

A drier patch of road with Rapeseed (Brassica napus) planted on the left.

Cattle paddling in the mud, not good for their feet.

Cattle being fed in a barn.

One lone Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus).

Old man's beard · (Clematis vitalba).

I think this is Oakmoss (Evernia prunastri).

Possibly, Common tamarisk moss (Thuidium tamariscinum).

Teasels (Dipsacus).

I suspect this logging is being done by a paper mill.

At the 8km point, I met up with this over the road, the track I need to get to is on the other side...

I sneaked sort of around the banks on the righthand side, this was looking down the stream.  The last 5kms I walked in wet, muddy squelchy shoes.  Isn't mud supposed to be good for the skin 😊

Take care everybody, keep well and stay safe.

My local list of wildflowers. (90 Species 23/08/2020).

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World.