Percy And The Perseids.

Sunny again today. Took Romas into town to catch the train to Weston and did a little food shopping at Brian Ford's. Later that morning I was back in town with Peter , we went to a local antiques shop clutching photos of various bits of furniture that we would like to get rid of (for cash) but the owner wasn't there so we'll have to call back next Saturday. I'm trying to clear out stuff that my mother collected and I don't have any need for. Once we got home I did some gardening around the pond. The alchemilla had overgrown the path so I've given it a good trim. The pond itself needs a good weed as a few unwanted plants have crept in.

I was checking out the buddleia to see if any new species of butterfly were around and I was pleased to see a Hummingbird Hawkmoth. It really does look like a little hummingbird with its wings vibrating so fast they are just a blur.

Unlike most moths and butterflies that land on the flowers to feed, it hovers some distance away and probes for nectar with its extremely long proboscis. The wings produce an audible hum like a little didgeridoo.

Back at the pond I had heard a frog croaking and after I had cleared some weeds I came across this large specimen staring balefully at me.

As I sat at the pc I saw Elwen running across the lawn with something large in her mouth. When I raced outside she dropped the mole which promptly scuttled under a piece of wood on the patio. After shutting Elwen in the conservatory I managed to get the mole into a bucket and was then faced with the problem of what to do with it. I didn't want it making molehills in my lawns and I couldn't release it in the ponies' fields because mole tunnels have been known to cause horses to break their legs so I had to march up to the top of the hill and release it in one of Mr Lewis' fields which are used for growing silage.

Peter and I have just come back from a party in our neighbour's barn. They had a hog roast and music was provided by the Oggle Band, an excellent ceilidh band. We've known some of the members of The Oggle Band since we first moved down here and were part of a LETS (exchange of goods and services without money) scheme. We didn't dance because of our dodgy knees but we enjoyed watching other people including Sarah's 72 year old Dad who danced every dance. We didn't expect to know many people there but spent most of the evening with a couple whose wedding we went to 9 years ago. It is so nice to be able to stroll home after the party. We stopped to have a look for the Perseids and did see a few while giving Percy the pony a cuddle because she had wandered over to see what we were doing. The peak of the meteor shower will be on the 12th of August and as usual I'll be out there watching for meteors.

Sad story, our neighbours had bought 7 call ducks at the market to go the lake. Unfortunately they don't like water at all. Paul built them a floating duck house and they spend 12 hours a night sitting in it before venturing out across the water. Unfortunately the fox killed 4 of them last night. The 3 remaining ducks spent the evening wandering around the party obviously hoping not to have to go near the lake again. I do hope the fox doesn't get them or move onto my hens which I never shut in at night. (The only time I have lost a hen to the fox was when they were shut in and the fox made a hole in the back of the hen house.)