31/01/2022 Just made it before the end of the month :-)

The maximum temperature here today is 10⁰C, minimum 3⁰C. Rain this morning but it has cleared a bit now with quite a lot of clouds. Wind 21km/h North-Westerly winds with gusts up to 44 km/h.   We have had a very cold past week,  temps went down to -5⁰C and maximums were only at 3⁰C.  Far too cold for me!!

The bud from the Red Robin shrub. (Photinia x fraseri)

Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) hanging on the shutter and looking in the window.

Our neighbour's lambs...

as above...

Mum watching me carefully...

and her babies.

Around the garden, if I look hard!

Top - Bergenia cordifolia and Bellis perennis.

Bottom - Viburnum tinus and Viola riviniana.

The seed pods from the hibiscus.

The lambs, 4 days older than above....

as above...

As above.

The only water birds I see around here are my two wooden Mallards.

There has not been a lot to take photos of, but I have some great shots of some of the birds seen in the last fortnight.  They are all on my bird blog.

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

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World.

11/04/2021 Now into April and still only garden photos.....

 Maximum temperature here today 13⁰C, minimum 5⁰C.  33mm of rain measured this morning.   14km/h cool North-Westerly winds with gusts up to 35 km/h.  We have 90% rain forecast again for tomorrow.   Next week the temperature drops and more frost is forecast!!!   

I just wonder if we will get any fruit this year with the continual change in weather from hot to freezing,  The vineyards have been lighting candle type lights between the grapes, but they say a lot of damage has already been done.  It will be a disaster if there is no wine later this year.

We are back in lockdown yet again for at least another 4 weeks... The curfew continues as it has been for several months now.

1 April cherry blossom - all gone now!

White bluebells.

Apple Blossom.

Chaenomeles Japonica - Japanese Quince.

Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera).

As above.

As above.

Quince blossom- note the little bee - and white and blue bluebells.

Choisya ternata or Mexican Orange.

Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis).

I think this is a Katydid (Tettigoniidae).

As above.

Standing in our vegetable garden, the neighbours have their lawnmowers out!!

Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis).

Apple blossom.

A slightly battered speckled wood (Pararge aegeria)...

As above...

As above...

As above...

I am open to correction here possibly a mining bee family Andrenidae or Heriades truncorum – the Large-headed resin bee??

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.

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.