New venue
I'm going to try out a new 'host' for a while. So, if you're interested, you'll need to go here. It may be temporary. The new blog has lots of added extras, but I'm not sure if the basic formatting and handling of pictures is as good as this one - I'll let you know.
Published Date:
29/07/2007
Modified Date:
29/07/2007
Vigorous or what?
Visited a garden centre today - as I do most weekends. It's a form of masochism - I wander round thinking 'I'd like this, I'd like that' but, of course, I can't justify spending the cash.
Mind you, it can be entertaining. There was a couple inspecting more or less every plant and commenting on them:
He (middle aged, bearded): It says this is vigorous (in a slightly sarcastic tone).
She (wearing rather unpleasant shorts): It is, I keep having to cut ours back.
He (still sarcastic): Yes, but it's not Eleagnus vigorous!
She (a bit defensively): No, not Eleagnus vigorous - but there are different types of vigorous.
Ufortunately, my ears were then tuned in and for the next 10 minutes all I heard was the word 'Eleagnus' - I think they must have talked about it on the latest Gardeners' Question Time.
The weather for dog walks has been a bit better this week. The highlight was bumping into a gang of lads (in their early 20s) who regularly fish in the nearby river. They're always quite pleasant and make a fuss of the hound. On this particular night, they were all dressed in their usual jeans etc except for one who had either come straight from a job interview or was on his way out on a posh date.
He was wearing a very smart brown suit, tan winkle picker shoes and a pink shirt and tie - the whole ensemble being topped off with flashy Aviator-style sunglasses. I'm not sure what he would have done if he'd caught anything, I don't suppose he wanted fish slime all over his best bib and tucker.
Here's one or two pictures from recent walks.
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Published Date:
28/07/2007
Modified Date:
29/07/2007
Summer break
I've had a bit of a break from blogging . . . no, I've not been anywhere, but the combination of a new (exhausting) computer system at work and a continual battle to get on one of the computers at home drained my motivation for a while.
I've not got much time at the moment but I'll share this rather crappy picture of a deer. It walked out in front of me and J during one of our walks. It stood and stared at me and I stared at it. I didn't dare risk lifting my camera up so I just 'shot from the hip' - so much for autofocus. It disappeared back into the undergrowth moments later.
A bit further down the path a fox ran out and along the track for a while but I was too slow to capture him on film (chip).
We've actually seen quite a few foxes over the past few weeks and, in fact, had a very similar experience as that with the deer, except I didn't have my camera with me. There's a stretch of open ground in a nearby wood which we call bunny avenue because there are so many rabbits there. One evening, we (me and the hound) stepped round the corner of the trees to see a fox stood in the middle of the clearing surrounded by dozens of rabbits. The rabbits saw us and decided to scarper but the poor fox didn't know what to do - chase the rabbits, duck down, run off . . . so, undecided he just stood glued to the spot, me watching him and he watching me. The stalemate was only broken after half a minute or so when J decided she'd had enough and started tugging on the lead.
I felt very guilty because he'd obviously spent an age gradually getting himself into a good spot to grab his tea.
Published Date:
23/07/2007
Modified Date:
23/07/2007
A huntin' and a fishin'
I've had an interesting week of walks with the hound this week, coming face to face with a series of natural born killers.
The other morning, we were ambling along a track when a young fox tumbled out of the undergrowth just 10 to 15 feet in front of us. It rolled over, picked itself up and then noticed us, dashing off into the hedge on the other side of the path.
Interestly, J was so engrossed in sniffing out the bunnies that she did not notice the fox at all until we got level with the point where it had emerged - this from a beast that is supposedly half foxhound!
Yesterday evening, we walked 'the other way' - along the river - and disturbed a kingfisher. Each time I see this bird it takes my breath away. It always strikes me as being a lot smaller than I remembered and its colour is just amazing . . . that blue is so unreal.
Today, we came across a couple of other 'hunters'. The river, despite the recent rain, is quite low at the moment and very clear. I was watching a shoal of fish (not sure what, not very good on fish) when I noticed a pike about 2ft long cruising downstream. The other fish cleared a path but at some point the pike obviously saw something it fancied for tea because there was a flick of the tail and it was gone.
Finally, we saw the barn owl again, patrolling along a hedgerow and then out into a field where it hovered, kestrel-like, for nearly a minute before setting off into the distance.
Published Date:
20/06/2007
Modified Date:
20/06/2007
Summer evening walk
Had a pleasant walk one evening with the pooch and camera during the week and took a few pictures of plants etc. I thought I'd try something different with the pictures.
The weather broke tonight and, ironically, I got soaked while watering my veg plot. The runner beans in my raised beds have gone a bit odd, with the leaves shrinking and going stiff. I'll post a picture tomorrow and perhaps someone can give me an idea what the problem is.
Published Date:
13/06/2007
Modified Date:
13/06/2007
Wheels on fire . . .
I did the St Edmund's Wheel bike ride today. There was a choice of routes - 15, 25, 50 or 100 miles. I'd like to say I did the 100, but since this is my annual bike ride, I plumped for the 15.
As usual, my preparation involved taking the number from last year's event off the front of my bike, pumping up the rather perished-looking tyres and wiping the dust off the saddle.
There was a group of us riding but we soon became separated and about two-thirds of the way through I took a wrong turning and did an extra two or three miles. There was no excuse, I had a map and directions and it was the same route as last year. But I was daydreaming a bit and I followed some cyclists who, it turned out, weren't anything to do with the St Edmund's Wheel event.
It meant that by the time I arrived back at the Abbey Gardens in Bury, my fellow riders were looking cool and relaxed, while I resembled a sweaty tomato.
I thought I'd suffer this evening but in fact I feel fine - just a little dehydrated.
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Ready for another 15 miles |
Dog talk
There was a sort eureka moment in the Dog Walker house today. Olive, our nine-week old Jack Russell puppy has been making life a misery for J, who's been running away from the yappy, snappy little beast for two weeks. Olive has rather seen herself as king of the castle.
But today, in the garden, it suddenly dawned on J that this creature was, in fact, another dog and she could play with it. This has turned the tables, because whereas Olive wouldn't leave J alone, now it's the other way round. J's realised she's top dog.
So, whereas previously we had a slightly morose-looking J hiding in darkened corners of the house, she's come out of her shell today and is much jollier.
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Something to play with |
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Olive has been finding her feet |
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J back to her jolly self!? |
PS - saw the barn owl hunting again last night, but even closer.
Published Date:
10/06/2007
Modified Date:
10/06/2007
Cuckoo waltz
I wasn't quite dancing for joy, but I was feeling rather pleased with myself this week - I saw a cuckoo on Thursday morning, the first one I've seen for more than 30 years. I know it's a bit sad, but it made me really happy. We (me and the dog) got to within 30 or 40 yards before it flew off. I suppose in a few weeks some poor sparrow or something will be feeding a giant chick saying, 'I don't know who he takes after!'.
To cap a good wildlife week, we watched a barn owl hunting this evening - what a beautiful, elegant bird.
It's also been a good week in the garden, with one of my courgette plants coming into flower:
Of course, it'll be a while before we're making ratatouille, but it's nice to think I'm doing something right (hopefully). I know it's early in the season, but both my runner beans and dwarf beans are also coming into flower, even though they've got a long way to grow yet.
Also the tomatoes, strawberries, carrots and onions are starting to grow away. What a feast is in prospect. In the meantime, however, it's just lettuce coming from the garden.
Being a new garden, flowers are at a bit of a premium, but this honeysuckle is rather nice. It's called Lonicera brownii 'Dropmore Scarlet'
Olive, our new puppy has made herself at home, but more of her over the weekend.
Published Date:
08/06/2007
Modified Date:
08/06/2007
Olive, anyone?
The Dog Walker pack has a new member, an eight-week-old Jack Russell called Olive. A very scrawny and sorry-looking individual it is too.
I have huge misgivings about having another dog, but for reasons far too complicated (and personal) to go into here, I've had to accept it.
It's a terrible nuisance at the moment - very yappy, very wee-ey and very pooey. Also, J our only dog until this weekend, is terrified of it. It's a shame really - she's quite a big dog and could dispatch the puppy with a single bite/whack. But she's been attacked a couple of times by gangs of small dogs and is quite nervous of them. So we're having to be very careful about introducing them.
The only saving grace, of course, is that all puppies are very cute!
Published Date:
28/05/2007
Modified Date:
28/05/2007