Trying to catch up a bit......

 Maximum temperature here today 31⁰C, minimum 13⁰C.  Dry.   12km/h South-Easterly winds with gusts up to 24 km/h. 

Apologies for lack of blogs and lack of visits, but with the dehydrator not working, I had to keep up with bottling, and then when the dehydrator returned in working order, there was still a lot of figs (and they have not stopped yet) to be prepared for dehydrating.   I am sorry that I did not weigh all the fruit but I didn't.  We have though 5 large bags of quartered figs dry and a couple of bags of sliced figs also dry.  Now the apples are ready!   I have already bottled some stewed, and some apple sauce from the fallers.  But will pick out a few good ones for dehydrating, we have two Granny Smith apple trees.  In between we rescued a few quinces from the top of the tree, thankfully there was not a lot this year.  The quinces made up 4 large bottles of fruit and 8 jars of jelly.  Oh, and of course an overload of haricot beans meant bottling curried beans which we prefer to frozen.

Proof that I have not been loafing!!

I have though each day managed to get out and take at least get one photo - I needed to keep Blip going.  If you have never tried it, meet the great community of Blip  Here.  If you should join please let me know so I can follow.  I Blip under the name of 'Charente'.

Unusual sunset.  I was a bit late and missed the best of it.

Speckled wood (Pararge aegeria).

Californian poppy (Eschscholzia californica).

Bee on the Sedum.

Bee drinking.

Asian hornet (Vespa velutina), also known as the yellow-legged hornet.

Believed to have arrived in France in boxes of pottery from China in 2004. They have since spread all over France and are bee-killers!!!

Robber fly but not sure which one.  Family: Asilidae.

Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum).

As above

Common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus).

As above - Male.

A feather plant 😀

Cosmos.

Cyclamen.

Common Spitting Spider (Scytodes thoracica).

So-called because it spits a venomous sticky silken substance over its prey.  It has six eyes instead of the eight spiders usually have.

Ladybird (Coccinellidae).

As above.

Pearl-bordered fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne).

 

As above.

Californian poppy with bee.

Wall Lizard  (Podarcis Muralis).

The dehydrator using every other shelf as the fig quarters are too big!

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

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World

16/11/2018 Join me on yesterdays walk when the weather was almost as good as today. 8kms.

Maximum temperature today 19C, minimum 9C.  Dry; 14km/h south-westerly winds gusting up to 24 km/h. 

The weather changes tomorrow and winter arrives next week!!

Autumn colours are slow this year.

  

Down the road, I passed the paddock where our Dr's family keep some of their horses...

Nope, not the same horse but similar markings...

Here they are together....

Their little friend is at the top of the hill.

Further on a farm cat watches me cautiously.

I then spotted a huge hornet's nest which should have been reported.  It will be too cold for them next week though.  I think they are Asian hornets! 

An old pump of some kind.

Grapes wearing their autumn colours.

Cattle viewed across a field.

Down the leafy lane.

Sheep watching me closely...

as is number 5701.

 

I just liked this view.

Unusual here to see cattle with full horns.  Most have the tips cut off for ease in handling.

Unusual fungus growing on a tree.

David has given me a bit more info and it seems this is Fomes fomentarius (commonly known as the tinder fungus, false tinder fungus, hoof fungus, tinder conk, tinder polypore or ice man fungus) it is a species of fungal plant pathogen found in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.

  

Lots of mistletoe.

a small stream.

The oaks are changing colour.

I also saw a few birds which I will put on the bird blog in the next couple of days.

03/09/2018 Join me on a walk around the garden.

Maximum temperature today 27C, minimum 12C.  Dry; 13 km/h North-easterly winds with up to 35 km/h gusts. 

We seem to be constantly on the go and I am taking photos when I can.  This week there is something on every day, and nothing which is going to be photogenic, but I will see what I can find at home when I have the chance.  At the weekend we are taking a break for a week and I will be out of contact, no computer and no WiFi, but I hope to bring back some good photos if the weather holds.

Splish, splash, splosh Sparrows having fun. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Peek-a-boo, common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis).

Bumblebee heading straight for me...

and enjoying the lavender.

A not very cooperative red admiral butterfly, (Vanessa atalanta).

and another one that was camera shy, Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

Cosmos and what might be a small bee of some kind.

The first Sternbergia lutea, the winter daffodil, autumn daffodil, autumn crocus (it seems to have many names) - not a good sign so early in the year!!

Trying so hard to keep up with the figs.......

Green bell peppers.

Asiatic hornet (Vespa velutina), a nasty piece of work....

As above.

Nasturtiums.

Sweet potatoes are looking healthy with lots of watering; spring onions bottom right...

 winter broccoli on the left, carrots centre and haricot beans on the right, potatoes at the back.

I hopefully saved a little sparrow today that was being chased by something and it hit the window 3 times.  I went out and picked it up and brought it in to stay warm in my hands for a short while. We were going out soon after, so I gently put it in a tea towel to protect it, but so it was able to get out which I then put into a small container.  When we came home it had apparently flown the nest so I hope all is well.  I tried to take a photo with the phone, but realised holding a bird in one hand and trying to take a photo with the other did not work very well!!

My bird blog

has been updated HERE