After the rain and the mow...

From unkempt to controlled wild - and, we hope insect-friendly.
The white plastic tubs, once full of fat balls for the birds are my improvised water butts for now! Last week saw an enormous amount of rainfall. The grass had grown a lot, so I did a quick mow.
The bees love the blue perennial geraniums, the pink cranesbill and the self-sown yellow Californian poppies which spring up everywhere. Aquilegia is over now. We have sown a few packs of wild-flower seed at the front of the house. I hope the birds don't eat them before they germinate.

Today's wildlife

A hare in a field of cows near Arthingworth
Swallows flying over fields
A tortoiseshell caterpillar (?) on a stile.

Yellowhammers by the road between Rockingham and Gretton
A kite over Gretton.

A good deed and exploring Leicester

Yesterday, a bat, today a bee - huddled on the windowsill looking cold and miserable - so I put out some water and honey, and within five minutes it buzzed and flew away! 

Then we decided to go to Leicester for one or two essentials, and combine it with a visit to Abbey Park. We first discovered the park at the end of April, though we walked a long way round to reach it, via the Great Central Station and cafe, the medieval Trinity Hospital, and Jewry Wall Roman Baths.

 We spent some time sitting drawing - I did a few sketches of this drake.

River Soar

We wandered over to the cafe, only to find it had just closed.

This time we took a more direct route, and reached the cafe in good time. The ice-cream was excellent, and the rain and wind that had appeared on cue as we ate a sandwich earlier stayed away.

The canal on the way to the park

The cardinal looks distinctly odd as he stands guard outside Peppercorn Cafe. 

He died in Leicester - maybe it was a better bet than facing the wrath of Henry VIII. 

Close to the cafe are two gardens, the Lavender Garden and the Cloister Garden.

Wonderful artichokes

The reconstructed wall plan of the abbey is just beyond, and the ruined gatehouse a little further still. It was an enormous place before being destroyed.

 The remains of the gatehouse are a little further on.

It's remarkable how much there is to discover in places we think we know.

a long eared bat

A coffee morning in the local church - we'd gone down to buy a cake, ended up socialising. Suddenly a bat landed on Phil's jumper. It was rescued, looking a bit dazed and replaced in safety.

National Insect week

I've just discovered this via Leeds Daily Photo .  But all I've done is a fleeting visit to the Butterfly House at the New Forest Wildife Park.  We had an excitable toddler in tow, so not a lot of time to stand and stare. One for the 'to do again' list!


a morning out
at the wildlife centre
little humans
need some space
to run and climb

Lepe Beach

My third or fourth visit to Lepe, and I didn't realise the connection to the D-Day landings in Normandy

Some of the remaining structures

The joy of sorting stones

Shame the sea is on a slope!

Marbled white butterflies in the wildflower/ conservation area, and lots of different wildflowers, then yellow poppies on the shingle

Ponies 1 - Donkeys 0

The cutest troop of donkeys with a couple of foals were wandering along a track near Deerleap, minding their own business.  Then sound of hooves thundering on the dry ground - New Forest ponies on the warpath. They chased the donkeys off, then calmly resumed grazing again. 

Ferns, foxgloves and fritillaries in the forest

The forest, ferns, foxgloves pink and white, silver-washed fritillaries and white admirals. 


I had to identify the fritillaries from online pics, but they fit the description - swooping flight, large, brilliant orange butterflies in sunlit woodland in summer.  Common in the South of England, very local further North.

A silver-washed fritillary pausing briefly

The white admiral was on brambles - a surefire way of distinguishing them from the similar-at-first-glance purple emperors of Fermyn Woods.


The hottest day of the year so far. A sticky five mile walk near the New Forest Wildlife Centre, from Deerleap Car Park.

 for details and map check this link

Whipsnade Zoo

Great views . . .

Tuesday 21 June 2011


Spacious and set in beautiful countryside - enough of the tourist-brochure-speak already!  Celebrating Joseph's first birthday on a deceptively burn-inducing day - not so  much sun as wind.  Just noting this until I upload one or two photos later.

blowin' in the wind

The first things we saw were the flashing colours as (trained) parrots flew free among the trees - no pics from me, it took me an hour or so to get into photo-mode.

photo-call

children's zoo

one of the less exotic species

Pipewell, hares, a heron and a pillar.

When Marta and I go walking we end up in some odd places. This is usually because we haven't brought the map with us, and tend to talk and follow our noses rather than think about directions. Last Friday promised well - we saw a heron stalking elegantly across a field as we drove into Pipewell. We parked and walked across the fields, hoping to head for the WW2 airfield along a path I have followed a couple of times in the past.

This is what happens when I use a tripod on uneven ground.

But the trees, a pond in a hollow and a solitary phallic pillar distracted us, brought out our silly side and like a magnet drew us too far to the left.

The pillar turns us slightly silly. And I should have compensated for the lightness of the sky.

To be fair there was something like a path. A startled hare ran out from very close to us, a piece of summer magic. No sign of young or 'form' where it had been. Then we had to cross a field full of cows, calves and a bull. Unfortunately the animals seemed interested, so we decided on a non-confrontational approach, and headed for a gate on a diagonal to our original path.

There was a big well-kept farm house ahead, and next to it mown grass like a private bowling green, complete with pavilion. We skirted round it mostly. Then stood looking bemused. This is definitely not the route we should have taken.

On the way back via the road, we found this stunning wild-flower meadow.

It'll probably be a neatly manicured garden by this time next year, since someone is having a house renovated.