Sunny.

Last night we were treated to a cacophony of sound from our local owls. Our bedroom has windows facing both east and west and from either side we could hear owls calling. Usually it is easy to tell which of our 2 species we are listening to, the Tawny owls do the standard whoo hoo while the Barn owls make a raucous screech, while last night we were hearing a lot of burbling followed by a screech that ended in a whoo hoo. I assume this is some sort of mating call, it went on for quite a while right next to the house before they went further up the valley. A quick check has found that Tawny owls make a higher pitched squawk (described as kweech) as well so I think it was a pair of Tawny owls that we were listening to. We rarely see the Tawny owls but occasionally we see the much larger Barn owls sitting on the fence posts at dusk.

The day started off looking as if it was going to rain but then it all cleared up and we have had a lovely afternoon and evening. The butterflies are finally returning to the garden. There were 5 different species on one bush and later I saw 6 peacock butterflies on a buddlia. Hopefully if this good weather continues we will have even more butterflies when the sedums in the garden flower.

I waited until the afternoon for my walk and took the usual route out to Okewill. I like going that way because there are some good viewpoints from field gate along the way. First from the top of our drive there are views north to Trentishoe Common and although it is hidden there is the knowledge of the sea just beyond. (On a good day you can glimpse the tops of the Welsh mountains from there.) Then after the road bends at Ashelford Corner there are great views eastwards with Arlington Court in the foreground and the hills of Exmoor beyond. I had my binoculars with me today and spent some time trying to place the various buildings seen from a different angle along the road out to Blackmoor Gate. Finally at the next bend in the road the views are southwards and if I climb up on the gate I can see Barnstaple a few miles away with a glimpse of the sea and then the plateau of Dartmoor rising up 60 miles away.

I've seen this family out before. Mum rides her horse while Dad cycles along with their baby in a child seat. A lovely way to enjoy a fine afternoon.

When I first passed the calves' field they were hiding in a corner but as I returned they were up by the gate. I spent some time hanging over the gate and crooning to them in a 'farmerish' fashion until they got brave enough to get right up close and one even had a good sniff of my hand.

Before my walk I had another weeding session on a bank means where I don't have to do much bending. Once my 'jobs' were done I was able to sit outside to read. I've read The Sillmarillion several times but but I've been saving The Sons Of Huron until I had a quiet time as it is a book that requires concentration. I love Tolkien but the linguist in him made the development of the numerous languages spoken by men, elves, dwarves etc an integral part of his books. Each character and place is given a name in several different languages and sometimes a second name after a significant event. Along with the long time span and the many characters I'm finding it helpful to write annotated family trees while I read. But yes I do enjoy it. I must be a real enthusiast because I enjoy the prologues and appendices as much as the text. When I finish this book I might reread The Silmarillion and then some of the Unfinished Tales and then finish up with LOTR & The Hobbit before the film comes out at Christmas.

Hot Again!

The temperature went up to the low 30's today, hot but bearable with the breeze that blew for most of the day. I decided that I'm ready to start walking up the hill again, it's only half a mile to the road but with the steep uphill start it does give a bit of a workout. I was out before breakfast (not that early though), and the day was so nice that I carried on and walked on past Ashelford Corner.
Most of the local farmers 'tidy' the hedges and keep them cut to about 8ft but in a few places the trees have been left to form shady tunnels. As well as being a cool haven on the occasional hot days I just think they are so romantic.

I walked right up to the point where I took Wednesday's photos - a little different today. Back home I celebrated the return of summer by having a pot of fresh coffee with my breakfast which naturally was eaten outside. Then after some tidying up and loading the washing machine it was time to rest. As I sat reading my book by the scree garden I heard a commotion overhead, looking up I could see about 20 swallows and that blasted sparrowhawk right in the middle of them. I thought I was about to witness a massacre but then realised that the hawk was being mobbed by the swallows. They kept diving at its tail which it didn't seem to like until eventually they drove it right away. Hooray!

Sun.

It was so good to wake to patches of blue sky which heralded an end to the run of rainy days. Would I have appreciated my al fresco breakfast as much if we hadn't had those weeks of rain? Maybe not but I could have coped with those weeks being sunny, perhaps I would have spent less of each day out in the sun but when you never know if this will be the last bit of sun we will see for weeks (Aug 2011 - no sun, Aug 2010 - no sun!) then a sunny day isn't to be wasted. I was up fairly early so that clothes and sheets could be washed, sun-dried and ironed in a day, a rare treat. Then apart from a little cutting of encroaching brambles, it was time to sit outside and read.
While I was up at the scree garden I was saddened to see a sparrowhawk emerging form the outbuildings where the swallows' nests are. It was too quick for me to see if it had taken a fledgling but all the adults were calling wildly up above. I positioned myself at the opening to the outbuildings to act as a deterrent and put our plastic owl (the one that was useless with the jackdaws) on a table there. The adults were back in later and I think I saw some youngsters when I had a quick check. Sparrowhawks are disliked by many people because as the name implies they feed on small birds.

Good news - the missing piece of the Taj was there all along.

Still Cool.

Much the same weather again today with the bonus of some sun in the afternoon. After a restful morning I was happy to potter about in the kitchen tidying up. I also did some paperwork, sorting out my diary for next term, not that I want to think about work yet. Linas had gone down to Plymouth again so I had to drive down to the station to collect him in the afternoon. It's such a shame that there are so few butterflies this year. Apart from the ringlets I have only seen a few skippers and one tortoiseshell. The first of the buddlieas are in flower and the air is full of the sweet scent of the nectar but all I see are little bees on the flowers. This pretty moth has been sitting on our hall wall today.

Sun.

Now today was so much better, both pain and weather wise. It was sunny for the whole day with a gentle breeze keeping it not too hot. As sitting and walking are fairly comfortable (with the aid of a few pills), I have been up for the whole day. I started by having my breakfast sitting outside in the sun. Then yes, I did some gardening! it was only deadheading the hanging baskets and sprinkling more slug pellets around the squash plants which are under constant attack. Then, after washing up I retired to my pc to catch up with the omnibus episode of The Archers which for a second time I had failed to record on the Sky+ box. Because of our slow download speed we can't watch TV programmes on i-player but luckily radio works. Later I moved outside to spend the rest of the day sitting in the sun, in my short pj's, reading a book. That was more how I envisaged my convalescence to be. Luckily the wooden garden chairs that came with the garden table I bought last year are perfect for me at the moment. The high slightly curved back supports me well without putting pressure on my lower spine and most importantly the sturdy arms make it easy for me to lower & raise myself supported by my hands. Linas has brought one of these chairs into the sitting room as there is no way I could get in or out of the armchairs or sofa. It was so much nicer watching TV in here than lying flat on my back upstairs. He also has put one up by the scree garden as the chairs I keep up there have lower backs.

Linas and Peter finished putting in and burying a drain pipe to take water across the small lawn so that is another job done. Then the 2 of them went off to town leaving me in utter peace and when they came home Linas tackled the lawns that had shot up in all the recent rain. Meanwhile Peter prepared a barbecue which we have just eaten up by the scree garden.

There has been a noticeable lack of butterflies this year and so far I've only seen these dark brown Ringlets and a few Skippers. While I was enjoying the sun I saw my first Golden Ringed dragonfly which patrols the garden like a mini helicopter.

A Magical Evening.

I've had another full day at work. In the morning I took my class to the Leisure Centre for their swimming lessons. We had a bit of time before we went so some of the children were finding places on a map of the UK that were relevant to them such as where their relatives lived or where they had been on holiday. I was surprised to see one boy had labelled Birmingham and written 'God was born here'. He was quite sure that this statement was correct and it took me a while to realise that he was thinking of - Bethlehem. Starts with B, ends with M and is 3 syllables, an easy mistake to make. After lunch it was Shuffle Up Afternoon, with all the children moving up to their new classes including the very young children who will be starting in September and the Year 2 children going across to the junior school. It was my afternoon to be in the Year 2 class so I had a visiting class of Year 1 children who just happened to be the class I teach several times a week anyway. So at least we didn't have to get to know each other.
Peter came home from work and went straight out again. We had both been invited to a barbecue and watch the football evening but I had declined the offer as I am not that interested in football and when I am working full days I don't like to go out in the evening. Instead I washed my hair and had an early supper.

As I sat down at my PC I glanced through the window to see a deer in the wet meadow. It wasn't until I looked closely at the photo that I realised it was actually a unicorn. I also realised that it was a beautiful sunny evening, far too good to waste sitting indoors. Instead I grabbed my camera and some binoculars and went out for a long stroll.

Leaving the house, the garden was a cacophony of bird song. This died away as I walked up the hill, maybe because there are far less trees. Eventually all I could here was the occasional bird, the buzzing of bees and the wheezing of some cows on the other side of the 10ft hedge.

This is one of the things I love about living here, the fact that I can, on a whim, walk out of the door and go for a beautiful country walk. I have even been known to end up half-way up the hill in my pyjamas when a stroll up the garden gave me the desire for more fresh air and far reaching views.

A Garden Day.

Apart from a few sudden showers that drove me indoors this morning I have been able to spend most of my day in the garden. Everything is growing well including the weeds so I'm hoping to get round the whole garden this week. I was hoping to start a project or 2 this holiday but as always my plans would need holidays twice as long so I shall stick to essential maintenance. Right now it is hard to know where to weed first. I start in one spot then my eye and hand strays to an adjacent area, never mind I'm sure I will have it done by the end of the week.
The azaleas don't last very long but they do provide a bright splash of colour along the drive. The yellow one is already over, the other yellow bush which is next to it has a lot of leafy growth but hardly any flowers.

Every time I go up the stairs I have to stop and watch the many small birds which visit the bird feeders hanging over the stream. It took them a long time to get used to this ball seed feeder but now the sparrow is a constant visitor and the little coal? tit is small enough to sit inside the globe. The blue tits and chaffinches prefer the peanuts while the robins and blackbirds wait for scraps that have fallen to the ground though I don't put any food on the ground because of my evil cats.

Here Comes The Rain.

The rain returned this afternoon just as the children were going home. We are all keeping our fingers crossed for a dry tomorrow because having a Jubilee Pageant and picnic with 2 schools crammed into one hall will not be a lot of fun. I had another full teaching day. I organised a number of activities for my class to do and we were all surprised how the time flew by and it was suddenly lunchtime. Things went well because I had 2 teaching assistants so each activity had adult support. We had some excellent pictures drawn to complete half a line drawing of the Queen because the children kept being encouraged to check that their picture matched the printed side.
When I got home I popped outside to take a few rainy photos when something brown scuttled along a nearby flower bed. Then I saw it was not a rodent but a thrush and it had a slug. Normally this would have good news but I had to put down some slug pellets to protect the agapanthus I bought in the Scillies and the slug could have been toxic. When I tried to chase it off the bird did not fly away but ran around and eventually into a small conifer. I am wondering if it was a youngish bird because it did not look injured. I spent a while out in the rain trying to catch it so I could at least take it up to the fields away from my evil cats but so far have had no luck.

Not So Much A Post But A Tweet.

It rained in the morning but it dried up by lunchtime. I spent the morning doing general housework and some sewing.

I finally got around to making myself this handy strap to carry my gortex jacket when I don't need to wear it. The ex-naval jacket is totally waterproof and brilliant for torrential downpours or braving the open sea but it is a bit bulky to carry especially as I tend to throw my worldly goods into an over the shoulder bag rather than a backpack. It is just a shoulder strap with 2 cross pieces that close using velcro. That way I can roll up my coat and sling it over my shoulder along with my bag, binoculars and camera. (I've just read this through and it sounds as if I need to carry the coat at all times but really it's just when I'm out walking in this changeable weather of ours.) The stair window is an excellent bird watching spot. Today I saw first the goldfinch (red face) having a bath in the stream and then he/she was joined by a greenfinch. I really should try and climb up over the oil tank and clean that window.
I had thought this was Mrs Goldfinch or a youngster but not according to my bird book. At least as far as I can tell.
Later in the afternoon I heard Jack yelling at Neville and when I went to bring in my washing there was only one gosling left with the parents. Shame.


I thought I had spotted a couple of swallows the other day. I went to do some weeding this afternoon and even if I hadn't seen them swooping in and out of the outbuildings their distinctive double chirrups would have alerted me to their presence. All 3 nests have been refurbished with fresh mud so things will be busy up there. I did a quick check to make sure there was no way for the cats to get up onto the rafters so hopefully the swallows will be safe.

Also heard yesterday was the cawing of young jackdaws, up in the loft! They must have pulled out some of the wire netting that Romas put up there or found another way in. We'll leave them up there now and I'll ask Romas to have another try at blocking all the gaps in the autumn.

Now the only summer visitors we are waiting for are the pipistrelle bats. They don't migrate but have different winter and summer roosts and our loft is home for them in the summer. I've given up hoping that the house martins will come and build their nests under the eaves as we haven't seen them for a number of years.

Bad Neville.

I can finally say that the spring cleaning of our bedroom and bathroom is DONE. Well, I might put another coat of gloss on the door in the summer and I still have to sand & varnish the window sill but that is it for the moment. Today I cleaned the windows, finished off all the awkward corners in the shower and polished the antique desk and chair with sweet smelling beeswax. This afternoon I walked over to Sarah's to ask if she and Jack would come over to feed the cats and hens when we are away. While we were having coffee in her kitchen she spotted these red deer stags on the other side of the valley. Even though the stags saw me, and Paul was chainsawing down below them they were relaxed enough to lie down for a while before going off again.
The red deer roam the moor and farmland that makes up Exmoor but this is about as far west as they come as there are no more wild or wooded areas between here and the coast.

The geese on the lake have babies but unfortunately as I walked past the lake Neville came running up with the body of one gosling in his mouth and there was another one lying dead nearby. Sarah was really cross as they had got one the other day and she had to conduct a funeral as Jack was so upset. Alice the stable girl told both the dogs off and Fred the dalmation lay shivering in his basket while Neville being a terrier ran around unconcerned. The weather is not too cold but fairly wet with no change forecast for the rest of the week.

Back To School.

It was frosty this morning and not good for gardening but that suited me as I needed to spend time working out the dance steps for our War of the Worlds dance. It has to be simple enough so that every child in the class can cope with it but still needs to make a good show as we will be dancing in front of other schools. So far I've worked out the steps for the first 2 mins but then it goes a bit more free-style with the children waving their arms in time to the music, hopefully. It warmed up considerably in the afternoon but as the evening drew in the sky became overcast and gloomy with a thin wind. I was not tempted to go out for an hour of gardening.
Before heading home tonight I went to get some petrol. While I was waiting at the traffic lights a fat duck wandered across from the stream by Pilton Park. It disappeared from view between the waiting cars but then turned and started crossing back to the park. Luckily the next car to turn the corner was not driving as fast as the previous car (which would have flattened the duck) and laughing, the driver stopped to let the silly duck cross. Actually it wasn't a duck it was a drake, are males generally dafter ?

Yes And Yes.

We did have snow last night. When I looked out of the window late at night I could see at least 2 inches of snow covering the grass. During the night the snowfall turned back into sleet and by morning most of the snow had gone. I had an early morning phone call asking me to cover for a sick colleague so by 7.30 I was marching up the hill to the car. I could see more snow on Exmoor but the roads were clear. Once I had driven along the top of the hill as usual there was no snow to be seen to the south. It rained all day long and on the homeward journey the rain became sleet once I reached Shirwell and right up on our hills it was trying to snow again.
The local news this evening had pictures of much heavier snow out at Blackmoor Gate and on Exmoor. The weather warning is now for a drop in temperature causing dangerous icy roads. I'm glad that once again my car is at the top of the hill. I had a quick look at the news stories on the web which always seem to be so much more dramatic than the tv. They were talking of temperatures dropping down to -10C this week, I hope not because although I love the beauty of the snow the cost of keeping warm is worrying. Not to mention water pipes freezing (though Peter insulated everything he could this summer), and dangerous driving conditions.
I was right about the sea anemone. I found a marine wildlife group site with pictures that led me to think that it was a Daisy anemone and because it is quite a rare species there was a request to report any sightings. I sent off photos and details and got an answer back confirming that it was a Cereus or Daisy anemone and information about 2 other unusual species that have been found on Barricane Beach. So my rusty brain can still drag up information from a marine ecology unit in my degree 35 years ago.

Is It Winter?

I thought it was supposed to be winter, and then I found this large (2") caterpillar munching away on the artichoke plant. I'm not too sure what species it is, the nearest I can come up with is a lappet moth. Once I had taken a mug shot I moved it to the field before it ate all of the artichoke which is already looking rather ragged. We've had some heavy showers today but it stayed dry through the morning giving me time to do some gardening. I was able to clear a satisfying amount of grass roots before time stopped play and I had to get ready for work. I would much have preferred to stay grubbing about on the hillside but that doesn't pay the bills.
It was fairly wet during the afternoon and then began to rain heavily on my way home. I had been thinking about doing some more gardening as it was still light but not in those conditions. I'm not that keen. Driving down into our valley the clouds that I could hardly see the other side of the valley.

I took some lazy photos (through the car window), on my way down the drive. There is a buzzard sitting on the left of the middle of the tree and a whole flock of smaller birds, starlings/finches? sitting above it. The little birds flew off when I stopped but the buzzard stayed put as there was a whole field between us.

Rivet, Rivet.

The recent milder weather has got the frogs revving up in both senses of the word. Walking quietly in the garden it sounds as though a couple of bikes are being revved up and already the little pond is half filled with frog spawn. Trying to get a photo of the frogs is a matter of creeping up the steps and hoping they don't spot me. (Zoom in on the picture to spot 14 frogs.) As soon as one does there is a great commotion and splashing as the frogs dive to the bottom of the pond.
Most years a cold spell, sometimes even snow, in February or March freezes and kills most of the frogspawn but enough survives to keep going from year to year.
It is very windy today with the wind roaring in the trees but there was enough of a break in the rain for me to get outside to do some weeding. Not as much as I would have liked but probably enough for my back. Kneeling down and weeding isn't the problem, it's the standing up and trying to walk afterwards that is so hard. I find weeding very satisfying especially when as today I am working on a scorched earth policy and digging right down to get every root out. I didn't do such a thorough job last year (teaching full-time took up most of my time), and it was too easy for the couch grass to re-establish itself. Hopefully a second weeding in spring before I move some ground cover plants from another part of the garden should keep that patch more garden than field.

Garden Work.

It was such a lovely feeling to wake up this morning and know that I had the whole day at home, no popping into town for a shopping trip or going into work. It was even better when I realised that the weather man was way out and instead of heavy rain it was actually sunny! So I donned my old gardening clothes and headed out to the scree garden.
As usual, whenever I am up there, I was serenaded by a cheery robin perched in the tree on the corner of the drive. He was preening when I took photos and all the sharpest pictures were when he was giving his back feathers a good clean.

Among the stones of the scree garden this frog was posing under an ornamental grass.

(Half-way through.)

Today's job was to cut back the large sedums. I've been putting this job off as the large flower heads look quite cheerful in the garden. However they have been sneakily dropping leaves which rapidly dissolve into a horrible brown goo. Not a good look on the stones so the quicker they are cleared the better.

I was able to clear everything including most of the moss that was growing on the stones. It has been a most satisfying day and I was also able to mentally organise some dance lessons for my Year One class. I've been asked to prepare some dances for the Christmas production. I am musical but I will be the first to admit that I'm not very well co-ordinated. But this has never stopped me from enjoying dance. So we shall be doing line dancing and Hawaiian dancing. Thank goodness for the 'How to ' clips on YouTube. I try some basic steps at home and then translate them into something 5 year olds can do and we all end up having fun.

Gales.

The autumn gales were here in force today. However there is nothing so soothing as lying all warm and cosy in bed listening to the wind roaring through the trees and watching the branches lashing wildly. This morning it was even sweeter as I knew that I didn't have to get up and rush off to work. I did make an early start and washed the penultimate section of the carpet before going to work in the afternoon. I shall use the rest of the week to sort my school papers and stuff so that next week we can move the desks and PC for the very final corner to be done.
This afternoon with the children was fine, no staff meeting (but there will be another one tomorrow) so I was home by 4.30.

It has been a very poor summer for butterflies. We've had less sun, lower temperatures and more rain than usual so not only have the butterflies been battered by the elements but their main food sources have been late in flowering. The swallows have mainly left for Africa though there were a few stragglers swooping along the back road tonight.

The First Day Of Autumn.

On this the official first day of autumn we had the most glorious weather, typical as this is also the last day of the school holiday. I was tempted to spend the whole day outside enjoying the warmth and sun (23.5C/ 74F in the afternoon), but I got on with working in the sitting room, washing the ceiling and the the carpet as well as a little painting and hole filling and constantly filling the washing machine with the sitting room curtains which need to be hung outside to dry. All the curtains have now been washed and I have even worked my way through the mountain of ironing. To celebrate the last day of the holiday I made myself a very indulgent apple and blueberry pancake for lunch. At least the fruit was healthy and the egg and the apple were home produced.
By 4.00 I called a halt to indoor work and sat out in the garden with a cuppa. It was good to see the butterflies reappearing.

There were so many species of bee around including it seemed, a whole hive of honey bees. I have to be a little careful with bees as I started becoming more allergic to being stung and the chemist suggested that I always keep anti-histamine tablets with me.

Back to work tomorrow.