It's Guy Fawkes Night tonight. We're not going anywhere. Henry's on call and I've got work to do. I'm also diving in the morning and want to get to bed early.
North Country Cheviot neighbours
Today was a deligtful day. It was dry and sunny. Tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same for us. This makes me happy!
Fly Agaric that has been nibbled
I took my camera with me when I walked the dog this afternoon. It was nice not to worry about the camera getting wet.
Blackberry blooms in November
Walking on our lane is nice and quiet on the weekends. I spotted some brambles still in bloom. The weather was so wet and cold this year, the poor plants don't know if they're coming or going.
Moss on fencepost
Moss just needs a surface. Any surface will do.
Whitelees and a typical view of my dog
I'm thankful for today's dry weather and my lovely dog, Polly.
Firstly, let me say that I am very sorry to have neglected the blog for so long. I had a cruddy summer job that sucked all my time and creativity - for very little pay. I don't work there any longer so, I'm back now.
I have been enjoying evening walks with the dog. As the days grow shorter, the walks are getting darker. I'm going to have to dig out the hi-viz vest.
George includes his hand so we have a sense of scale
The mushrooms this year are bigger than I have ever seen them. These seem to be the size of . . . oversized mushrooms.
Fly agaric
This one looks as though it should have an elf sitting under it.
I've been on numerous evening walks with Polly up to the woods.
Since August, our cat Julio has decided that he needs to come with us. So now there is this strange American just outside the village who walks both her dog and her cat. Julio is one odd cat.
The mushrooms are as numerous as they are plentiful as well. They are under every single large beech tree.
Mushroom with purple gills
-unknown red capped mushroom -
We had taken delivery of a load of logs the other day and the new logs need to be stacked on the big green plastic tarp. This morning, The Man of the Place was re-arranging the firewood and discovered some beasties that have already begun their hibernation. Frogs, toads and two newts were sleeping in last year's logs and old bits of bark. We didn't want to disturb them my desire for organisation overrides. I demand that all logs be put neatly on the tarp and the tarp folded over the logs to keep the rain off.. It is so nice to have dry logs when we need to light a fire.
The frogs were still jumpy but the newts barely moved at all. We have relocated the critters to a spot the poly tunnel under some black plastic that won't get stepped on.
hibernating newt
My newt was quite plain. The other newt had a few dark spots and a very red belly!
This frog was very handsome. I hope the hibernation is successful for these small and delicate creatures. When moving the logs, we found earthworms and wood lice. When relocating the frogs to the new hibernation spot, I put a fat worm next to each frog. They might want a snack later on. :-)
I'll report on the state of the garden next time. . . . .
I took an an idea from a comment in the last blog entry for today's post. I may have come across as a little bluer than I actually feel in the last entry. I am okay really. Its just that I am bone weary of rain. In my battle to stave of the winter blues, I have started to attend a dive club in Dumfries that meets on a Wednesday night. This will help enormously. In this blog, I have gone back to basics and taken the camera with me when I walked the dog. It didn't rain today and it was really quite glorious. Polly, my faithful hound and I went up to a favourite spot late in the day after I returned from work. She was so happy to be going on a walk. She just loves her chance to romp. I think I was looking forward to this walk as much as she was.
As it is autumn and we live in a particularly forested portion of the country there are loads of mushrooms at this time of year. A great number of these mushrooms have been broken, gone black and mushy or had been nibbled/licked by the forest creatures. Despite this there were a couple of specimens that were available for the attentions of me and my camera. Russula spec. Was found under a beech tree with another species growing underneath.Russula pseudointegra OR Russula emetica -The Sickener! This mushroom was found under a beech tree on clay soil. This chap and his mates were growing in a bunch of old wood chippings under a hawthorn hedge. Yet another species growing on some old beech chippings. The grey/black mushroom that is small and very low growing. Again found under a beech tree.I have done my best to identify the mushrooms but I have probably made mistakes. Any accurate information is gratefully received. The autumn light in this part of Scotland has a certain quality to it, almost liquid. It makes the colours rich. The orange in the first mushroom and the reds in this shrub stood out so vividly against the browning grass and the dark pines behind it.
Polly didn't care, she was too busy running around, sniffing things and being happy.
As she romped and I tried to identify who has been to visit by the footprints in the mud (pheasant, the dog, deer - male and female, fox and us) as the turbines rotated in the distance.
Note to turbine haters: I like these turbines! They are very close to my house and don't make noise! In addition, I think they're beautiful and not a blot on the landscape at all.
Now the sun is gone, dinner is over and I'm writing this most recent blog entry. To assist me, the dog is by my feet under the desk farting away.
