My life in rural Suffolk. The wildlife around my home, the weather that affects what I do, my family and the people I meet.

Two Evenings Out

24 Sat Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in family, music, poetry, Rural Diary, theatre

≈ 29 Comments

Tags

Aquarelle Guitar Quartet, Brian Patten, Halesworth, Halesworth Arts Festival, music, Neil Innes, Poetry

Richard and I hardly ever go out in the evening but this week we managed to go out twice! At the end of October each year the Halesworth Arts Festival takes place in The Cut, an old maltings that has been converted into an entertainment venue. The Cut takes its name from the lane it is in – New Cut – which refers to new cuts made to the river when a lock was built in the 18th century and the River Blyth was made navigable from Southwold on the coast to Halesworth.

The Cut

Last Sunday night we went to listen to a poetry reading by Brian Patten who made his name in the 60’s with the publication of the ‘Mersey Sound‘ anthology. (The other two poets featured in this anthology were Adrian Henri and Roger McGough). We enjoyed the evening very much. Patten not only read many of his favourite poems but spoke about why and when he wrote them. When I was in my very early 20’s and living in Liverpool I went to hear Roger McGough at a ‘Pubs and Pints’ event. A nice re-connection, I thought.

We discovered Brian Patten had known and read with many other famous poets apart from Henri and McGough; Robert Graves, Philip Larkin, Stevie Smith, Pablo Neruda, Allen Ginsberg, Laurie Lee and Robert Lowell. He had shared a house with Brian Eno and had been friends with among many others, Keith Moon and Neil Innes. Neil Innes was in the audience and joined him in a few reminiscenses.

Neil Innes? He is the minstrel in this clip.

He is the singer here

My father who was a cabinet maker, once did some work for Neil Innes in the 70’s when Innes was living in Lewisham. My father had no idea who Innes was and felt sorry for him and so undercharged for the work. ‘His jeans were split at the knees and he was obviously short of money’ said Dad. I think we were the ones who were short of money – always. My mother explained who Dad had worked for.

The other performance Richard and I attended was a concert by the ‘Aquarelle Guitar Quartet’. I don’t think I could describe them better than the blurb in the programme so please click on the link to read it and see the programme of music they played. There is also a recording of them playing.

The programme included classical – old and modern, jazz, folk and film music. I loved ‘Opals’ by Philip Houghton who is Australian and uses the Australian landscape as inspiration. ‘Folia’ by the American composer Ian Krouse was amazing.

The four young men, who had met when they were at the Royal Northern College of Music, were charming, amusing and very talented and I would urge you to see them in concert if they play anywhere near where you live.

Thanks for visiting!

A Walk in the Peak District.

17 Sat Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, Insects, plants, Rural Diary, trees, walking

≈ 45 Comments

Tags

butterfly, caves, Manifold Valley, Peak District, plants, sheep, squash stile, Thor's Cave, walking, Wetton, wild flowers

Not only did we have a week’s holiday in the Lake District this summer but we also went to the Peak District for a week. I have already told you about the sad start to this break – the death of my mother-in-law on the day of our arrival. We spent the first full day of our holiday with my brother-in-law but after that there wasn’t anything else to do but wait until we were told by the Coroner that we could arrange the funeral.

We thought we might as well stay in the Peaks and not abandon our holiday. If Chris (my brother-in-law) needed us we would be close at hand. We thought we would find comfort in walking in this beautiful part of the country.

After lunch on Saturday 15th August we drove to the village of Wetton in Staffordshire from where we intended to walk along the Manifold Valley. We drove along a very scenic road en route to Wetton.

IMG_5345The Roaches and Hen Cloud from top road

The Roaches and Hen Cloud (the nearest hill) seen from the road.

Another view of The Roaches. The Rocks look like spikes on the spine of a dinosaur.

We could just see the Welsh hills on the far horizon beyond the flat Cheshire Plain.

We got to Wetton and found the car park near the centre of the village. The buildings and houses in the village are mainly made of stone and the church, which was built in the 14th century has an exterior staircase to the belfrey which contains six bells. The Royal Oak pub, which owns a camping field next to the car park is also the venue for the World Toe Wrestling Championships which began in the 1970’s!

One of the buildings of Wetton.

Another of those squash stiles which let tall and/or thin people through but not livestock or short people with generously proportioned legs etc.

Richard and I crossed this field which sloped steeply down into the deep valley of the River Manifold.

There were many hazards.

A colourful seed-head – probably Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium). We also saw a number of Betony (Stachys officinalis) flowers but none of my photos were any good.

The route down to the river valley

At the bottom of the field we crossed a couple of stiles and entered a wood.

Path through the wood

Lots of invasive Rhododendron seedlings

Steps up through the woods

Yet more steps! Gasp! Puff!

We were going to see Thor’s Cave.

Thor’s Cave

This is a Karst Cave i.e. it was formed from the dissolution of soluble limestone. The entrance is just over 18m up on the hillside and the opening is a symmetrical arch, 7.5m wide and 10m high. I don’t think there is any connection between this cave and the god Thor; the name probably derives from the word ‘tor’ meaning a hill or rocky peak. I was most disappointed to find that I didn’t have the ability to climb up to the entrance from the path. I had to wait outside while Richard explored inside.

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You can see minute-me waving at Richard in one of the photos above. This will give you some idea of the size of the cave.

This is what the entrance to the cave looks like from the path below.

While Richard enjoyed himself in the cave, I kept myself busy looking for things to photograph outside.

Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia) growing out of a crevice in the stone.

A tiny Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes).

Jacob’s-ladder (Polemonium caeruleum)

I saw another cave entrance below us.

After Richard emerged from the cave we walked back down to the valley-floor.

Lots of different plants grew in the scree and rocks of the river-bed alongside the path. There were many wild raspberry canes with ripe fruit but again my camera failed to focus on them.

Meadow Crane’s-bill (Geranium pratense) next to the path.

I’m including another photo of these flowers because I like them! You can see that the seed-heads look a little bit like crane’s heads.

The large leaves of Butterbur (Petasites hybridus). Also known as Wild Rhubarb, the heart-shaped leaves can be up to 1m/3 ft across.

This Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) was so strongly and beautifully scented!

Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)

Wild flowers

The path we were walking along was the former Leek and Manifold Light Railway line. There had even been a station at Thor’s Cave!

This also explains all the well-made steps up to the cave.

View of a hill from the path.

Meadow Vetchling (Lathyrus pratensis)

Red Campion (Silene dioica) and Bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.)

More Meadowsweet.

Ripening Hazel nuts (Corylus avellana)

The pretty flowers of the terribly invasive Indian Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera)

Another view of the path.

Lots of Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium)

This is the dry river bed of the Manifold.

In anything other than very wet weather the river disappears into swallowholes and flows through caves and subterranean passages and reappears at Ilam further downstream.

Lady’s-mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris agg.)

Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis)

A wonderfully gnarled and twisted tree.

Cinquefoil. I think this is probably Creeping Cinquefoil but the leaves in the photo aren’t quite what I expect from Creeping Cinquefoil.

Hill and valley. We had left the old rail-track behind us.

Musk Thistle (Carduus nutans) with its drooping flower-heads

A black-faced lamb

Richard walking along the track

Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense)

It was about this stage in our walk that we missed a landmark and went up a hill on the wrong side of a wall.

A stream

Tufted Forget-me-not (Myosotis laxa)

Small Heath butterfly (Coenonympha pamphilus)

I took a photo of this house little realising that we should have gone past it and then climbed the hill.

‘You’re on the wrong side of the wall, you fools!’, said the sheep.

I took a photo of this sheep tunnel (note my shadow) little realising we could have used it to get onto the right side of the wall!

The wall. We little realised we could have climbed over it at this point.

View from the hillside

Another view

Sun setting behind a hill

It was here that it dawned on us we were heading for the wrong valley.

We re-traced our steps right back to the house I had photographed earlier.

Rock Stonecrop (Sedum forsterianum). This specimen was probably a garden escapee as the plant is only native in the SW of England.

I am not sure what this plant is. I think it might be Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata) but I am not sure. My guide says that the emergent leaves of Bogbean have the texture and appearance of broad bean leaves which I would say these do. However….

Knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare)

And that was the last photo I took you’ll be pleased to know. Only when we got back to the house and saw that the correct path went up the same, long, steep hill that we had just climbed and then come down again, but on the other side of that wall that we realised exactly what we had done and what we still had to do. I must admit that our hearts sank and we suddenly felt very tired. We did it though; and got back to the car before the sun set. We were tempted to have a meal in the pub but thought how late we would get back to our caravan if we did so. We were very thankful to find the car and then return to the caravan site.

Thanks for visiting!

Apologies for the length of the post.

Autumn in a Suffolk Lane – Part 2

11 Sun Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in churches, Days out, Gardening, music, plants, Rural Diary, trees

≈ 42 Comments

Tags

Acorn, ash keys, Astrantia, autumn, Bantam Cock, beach, chickens, Chrysanthemum, conker, dogwood, Dunwich Heath, dwarf gorse, eating apples, Elderberries, fungi, gardening, GERANIUM, Grove snail, Hibiscus, Jake Thackray, Knopper gall, leaf colour, Linstead Magna, Linstead Parva, liverwort, Michaelmas Daisy, moorhen, Pyracantha, rough sea, Salvia, silver birch, Suffolk, sunset, Tansy, viola

The beach at Dunwich Heath.

We visited yet another of our local beaches on a very windy, cool afternoon recently. We only stayed on the beach for a short while because the wind was so biting; Elinor and I both got earache.

The mist in the distance is sea-spray.

The waves were quite rough but the tide was going out.

Foam was left on the sand and was blowing about.

This little fish must have come too close to the shore.

This Grove Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) attached to its bit of bracken was swinging about in the wind.

My ID guide suggests that the Grove Snail “is used to demonstrate the survival of the fittest in evolution, because Thrushes eat the snails which are least well camouflaged against their environment.”

The Heather (Calluna vulgaris) was past its best but the Dwarf Gorse (Ulex minor) was looking wonderful

Another sunset.

In a post I wrote a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that the bright yellow of the Perennial Sow-thistle was not common at this time of year. I will have to eat my words because most of the flowers I have seen since then have been yellow!

Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) seen on the roadside between Linstead Magna and the village of Linstead Parva *(see below)

The Tansy has very aromatic leaves and the little button flowerheads are made up of disc florets only.

The genus name ‘Tanecetum’ and the name Tansy are both derived from the Greek word for immortality. The plant was believed to give eternal life to the drinker of an infusion made from it.

Tansy used to be used as a flavouring in food until fairly recently. Egg dishes especially, were enhanced by the use of finely chopped tansy leaves. Tansy was also used as an alternative to expensive imported spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon and Tansy Cake at Easter was very popular. Because of the strength of its scent, Tansy was also used as a repellent, keeping mice from corn and flies from meat.

Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea)

Close to where I photographed the Tansy I found this hedge of Dogwood. It was covered in large black berries – the largest I have ever seen on a Dogwood – and most of the leaves had turned a beautiful red. Dogwood leaves are usually a much darker, duller maroon in Autumn.

What also surprised me about these Dogwood bushes was seeing flowers in bloom at the same time as the berries and the red leaves.

It isn’t easy to see them in this photo so I cropped it.

One of the flower-heads is in the centre of this picture. The couple of weeks of warm and sunny weather we have had recently had fooled the bush into thinking it was spring again.

Richard and I have been working in the garden, getting it ready for winter. I only seem able to get out there a couple of days a week but I have managed to get quite a lot done. One of my jobs has been tidying behind the garden shed and round the back of the greenhouse. Behind the shed was rank with weeds, mainly stinging nettles, which I was able to pull out fairly easily as the soil is quite damp there. I had stored lots of pots and tubs full of spring bulbs behind the greenhouse so these have come back out to be smartened up and got ready for next spring. I discovered other flowerpots that should have been emptied and cleaned ages ago.

IMG_5783Marchantia polymorpha liverwort with snail

This pot was covered with liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. It has little green cups on the leaf-like structures (thallus). Do you see the baby snail?

We have a lot of fungus all over the grass in our garden. Nothing exciting or colourful, just brown and cream-coloured toadstools. These had been nibbled by something.

Two other unidentified types of fungi.

I have had this Hibiscus for about 26 years. It was a gift from my ex-mother-in-law who brought this with her when she came to see us when Alice was a tiny girl.

I love these double flowers – the peach petals have dark crimson bases.

Richard has a new Chrysanthemum flower

My Geraniums are still flowering

I like this pretty Viola

Three different Michaelmas Daisies

Salvia

The three ages of Astrantia

Elderberries from the bush at the end of the drive.

Acorn This is the first time in years that these acorns aren’t affected by Knopper galls.

This is a photo I took last year of Knopper gall damage on acorns

‘Conker’

Ash ‘keys’

The trees in our lane

Our Silver Birch is changing colour

Birch leaves

I pruned our Pyracantha recently

We not only had a lot of aphid damage to our apple trees in the spring and early summer but the apples on this tree are now being eaten by Moorhens! It is odd seeing water birds wobbling about in the trees gulping down our apples as fast as they can.

We are getting a little tired of next-door’s free-range chickens in our garden all day. They kick about in the flower beds and damage seedlings; they peck off flowers and generally make a mess of the paths, beds and compost heaps in the garden. We have spoken to our neighbours about it a few times but they don’t appear to have any intention of keeping their chickens on their own land. They have a constant supply of chicks too.

Linstead Magna (large/greater Linstead) is now a small collection of houses and farm buildings. The church no longer exists but I spoke to someone some years ago who remembered the church and used to attend it. For more information about this church see here.

Linstead Parva (small/lesser Linstead) is a pleasant little village with a pretty church. In spring the churchyard is covered in snowdrops and other spring flowers.

Thanks for visiting!

Autumn in a Suffolk Lane

08 Thu Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in amphibians, churches, Insects, music, Norwich, plants, Rural Diary, wild birds

≈ 38 Comments

Tags

amphibian, autumn leaf colour, church, common toad, Edith Cavell, Elder, field maple, Fish Slapping Dance, fungi, Great Tit, Halesworth, Herring Festival, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano, Monty Python, nest, Norwich Cathedral, picture-wing fly, shaggy inkcap, sunset, trees, wild bird

This post and the next will have assorted photographs of things I have seen. I’ll also mention briefly a few things I have done. The photos are inserted in chronological order as I can’t think of anything better!

Toadstools on the lawn at the surgery.

A couple of weeks ago I had to attend the doctor’s surgery a few times in one week. I collected my medication, I had my usual monthly blood test with a test for cholesterol which meant fasting from 10 pm the evening before, and I had my flu injection. All on different days. I noticed these toadstools after my blood test but unfortunately I had left my camera in the car. The following morning I took these photos after my flu jab.

These are Shaggy Inkcaps (Coprinus comatus) also known as Lawyer’s Wig and unfortunately most of them are past their best.

The early morning light made it difficult to photograph them and they had deteriorated significantly overnight.

The white fungi are emerging Inkcaps but I can’t identify the dark brown mushrooms.

Some of you may remember that our parcels box was taken over by Great Tits in the spring and we had to seal it shut so that the birds were not disturbed. I believe the brood was successful. Richard dismantled the box last week as it was rotting and we had a look at the nest inside.

Great Tit (Parus major) nest.

We looked closely at what had been used. Please click on each photo to get a description of the materials used.

Dried grass and lots and lots of moss

Bits and pieces of anything soft. I recognise lint/fluff from two of my pullovers here.

Sheep’s wool

Feathers

The work that went into constructing this nest is astounding.

This is a Common Toad (Bufo bufo) that I saw crossing our drive. Fortunately it took it’s time and I was able to run indoors and fetch my camera before it disappeared.

Common Toad

Autumn colour. A Field Maple (Acer campestre)

Last week was a week of sunny warm days and cool nights. The trees and plants began to show autumnal tints.

Elder (Sambucus nigra) leaves have turned pink

A wonderful sunset seen from the back of our house

A ‘picture-wing’ fly. Possibly from the Herina group.

This little fly was in our kitchen some nights ago. I took this photo when it landed on the window blind. It was only a few millimetres in length.

Richard and I noticed posters up in Halesworth announcing the Herring Festival. This is to take place in The Cut, the centre for the arts in the town. The herring industry has been in decline for some time and Richard and I wondered what went on at the festival (not ever having gone). We remembered this……

I haven’t been able to attend our local churches very often recently. I have been taking my mother to her church once a fortnight to enable me to go to church with Richard every other week. We took Elinor to the morning service at Norwich Cathedral a couple of weeks ago as she enjoys these services. The Cathedral was preparing to hold a number of services to commemorate the life of Edith Cavell.

My music choice for this post is one of my favourite arias sung by my favourite mezzo-soprano, the late, great Lorraine Hunt Lieberson

Thanks for visiting!

A Walk in Whinlatter Forest

05 Mon Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, Insects, plants, Rural Diary, walking

≈ 40 Comments

Tags

bolete, butterfly, cat's-ear, Climbing Corydalis, common ragwort, Forestry Commission, Fox-and-cubs, fungus, heather, lady's-mantle, lichen, moss, pixie-cup lichen, ringlet, walking, Whinlatter Forest, wild flowers

Alice came to visit us on the last day of our holiday in the Lake District. We met her off the train in Penrith at about 10.00 am and took her back to our rented cottage for a cup of tea. After catching up with all her news we took her to Whinlatter Forest which we had visited briefly earlier in the week, as Elinor wanted to show it to her sister.

This is another Forestry Commission forest and is mainly planted with non-native trees.

Not only are there a number of tracks through the woods for walking and mountain biking but they also have segways for hire too. There are trails designed to appeal to small children and zip wires and swinging on ropes for very active people.

We walked.

Whinlatter Forest

Alice is a fast walker so she and Richard went ahead. I am forever on the lookout for interesting plants and insects and take lots of photos and Elinor can’t walk fast or far so we both kept together.

Alice and Richard waiting for Elinor and me.

Elinor liked this forest glade.

A Bolete fungus. I cannot identify this one.

Looking at the underside of the toadstool. The photo shows that Boletes do not have gills but spongy tissue with pores in. This fungus has been eaten by something.

Climbing Corydalis (Ceratocapnos claviculata) Not a very good picture.

Heather (Calluna vulgaris) in bud with a faded Cat’s-ear (Hypochaeris radicata)

Lichen

Fox-and-cubs (Pilosella aurantiaca) with yellow Cat’s-ear

IMG_5250Lichen perhaps Cladonia pyxidata

I believe this lichen is Cladonia pyxidata – Pixie-cup Lichen

You can see how small these little cups are by comparing them with the pine needles next to them.

This butterfly flew next to us for some way along a sunny track. I tried to photograph it countless times and this time thought I had managed it….

The reason I really wanted to get a photograph of it was that I thought it looked like a Ringlet butterfly but they usually have eye-spots on their wings. I have since done some research and I believe it is likely to be a Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus) as sometimes they are seen without eye-spots. What is confusing is that all references to Ringlets state that they aren’t found in the north-west of England! I am sending my inadequate photo to ukbutterflies.co.uk to see what they make of it.

Yet more moss!

Lady’s-mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris agg) behind more Fox-and-cubs

Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea)

View of the surrounding fells (hills)

This fell is Skiddaw

We returned to the carpark and went into the café and had a drink and a sandwich. We took Alice back to our cottage for a while until it was time for her to catch her train to Sheffield. We spent the rest of the day cleaning the cottage and packing for our journey home the following day.

Thanks for visiting!

Dobgill Waterfall

02 Fri Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, plants, Rural Diary, walking

≈ 27 Comments

Tags

Dobgill, Dobgill Wood, foxglove, fungus, heath bedstraw, larch trees, liverwort, moss, Phytophthora ramorum disease, tree-felling, walking, waterfall, wood sorrel

After leaving Elinor in the car to rest (see previous post Thirlmere Reservoir) Richard and I began the steep climb up to see the waterfall.

The sign that was attached to the gate leading into the upper wood.

This is yet another disease that is killing our trees. I have found an interesting and informative article on a Forestry Commission site about Ramorum disease and I include it here. It includes a video in which an expert goes over a diseased tree and points out and explains the symptoms.

Almost the first tree I saw showed symptoms of a bleed.

Tree-felling in Dobgill wood.

I don’t know why the stone wall was here. Perhaps it had been constructed before the trees were planted. Just behind the trees in the photo is a sheer rock face.

There was a marked difference between the wood below the car-park near the lake and this part of the higher wood.

The trees struggle to grow up between boulders. The native deciduous trees have been left standing.

Chewed fungus

This is the steep stony path we took up through the wood.

Dobgill Falls

The climb was very tiring because so steep and rough under-foot and I’m not sure that the falls were really worth the struggle to get to see them. However, Richard and I were very pleased with ourselves at having managed to get to the top. After a short rest to get our breath back we began to walk back down the hill.

Heath Bedstraw (Galium saxatile)

Hypnum cupressiforme moss / Cypress-leaved Plait-moss

I love this moss. It looks as though it is made from plaited silk.

Wood Sorrel leaves (Oxalis acetosella)

Fungus (I think) on dead tree

Not a very clear photo of some liverwort

Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) in Dobgill Wood

I found walking in this upper wood rather a sad experience with disease and death all around. Because most of the trees in this part of the wood are non-native there are fewer insects, birds, wild flowers and plants than in the lower wood. Those non-native trees are now being killed by an incurable disease (also known as Sudden Oak Death). I hope that by destroying these trees the spread of Ramorum can be slowed down and that one day a cure can be discovered. It would be nice to think that the native trees in the wood that are unaffected might now be able to grow and spread and native wildlife might return.

Thanks for visiting!

Thirlmere Reservoir

29 Tue Sep 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, Insects, plants, Rural Diary

≈ 38 Comments

Tags

Dobgill Wood, fungus, Helvellyn, insects, moss, plants, slime mould, Thirlmere Reservoir, wild flowers

This post marks the return of posts about our holiday in the Lake District in July.

We spent an afternoon at Thirlmere, a reservoir which was created in 1894 to provide water for the city of Manchester.

Thirlmere Reservoir. You see here the typical stony, grey edge of a reservoir. I think the fell on the left is Helvellyn.

Thirlmere was originally two smaller lakes and in flooding the valley, the two villages of Amboth and Wythburn were submerged. Many people protested about the construction of the reservoir, the philanthropist John Ruskin being one of them, but theirs’ was a lost cause. The citizens of Manchester’s need of fresh water was thought to have been more important than the loss of a couple of villages and a community’s way of life.

Thirlmere

Thirlmere is 3.76 miles long and about half a mile wide. It is surrounded by 2000 acres of coniferous forest, mainly spruce and larch, planted in 1908. More deciduous, native trees are being planted now. There was protest at the planting of the forest because the fells were traditionally tree-less and bare.

Woods at Dobgill on the banks of Thirlmere.

We parked our car in one of the car-parks off the road that skirts the lake and then walked down to the lakeside through a pretty wood. It was so green and mossy in that wood!

This moss was about 8 inches tall.

I think the moss may be Polytrichum commune. I read that it has square capsules with pointed lids. These capsules can be seen if you look carefully at my photo.

This may be Amanita franchetii

I believe this is a slime mould. It’s bright yellow colour caught my eye.

We soon got to the lake shore where there was a lot more to see. There were plants living amongst the stones ….

The leaves of Marsh Pennywort (Hydrocotyle vulgaris). Marsh Pennywort is an atypical umbellifer. The flowers are tiny and pale (either green or pink) in small umbels on reddish stems.

…and plants at the edge of the wood.

Betony (Stachys officinalis)

Wood Sage (Teucrium scorodonia)

This plant tastes and smells like hops and in some areas has been used as a substitute for them.

Wood Sage

Richard and Elinor enjoying the view.

While they sat and relaxed I wandered about looking for plants and other interesting things.

A large mossy hummock or outcrop

This rock was covered with many different types of moss and lichen.

Moss

Mosses – the larger one may be Hypnum cupressiforme

Moss – this one may be Thuidium tamariscinum

Not a good shot but this moss may be Pseudocleropodium purum

Lichen in amongst the moss. Not at all sure which this lichen this is!

Mosses

Moss

Yet more mosses!

Lichen – for a change!

Moss

Thirlmere

Lichen with a reddish-brown fruiting body at the bottom right of the picture

Lichen

View of a fell from Thirlmere

Marsh Speedwell (Veronica scutellata)

Lesser Water-plantain perhaps? (Baldellia ranunculoides)

These spiders look like Lesser Wolf Spider females carrying their egg sacs

Another spider

We then walked back up to the car-park but by a different route.

Possibly a Male Fern (Dryopteris felix-mas)

Fungus on a dead tree

A mossy wall

Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica)

Hedge Woundwort flowers

Yorkshire Fog (Holcus lanatus)

Moss

Spores on fern

Walking through Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum). Bracken gets very tall – this was over 5.5 feet tall.

I don’t know what this beetle is though it does look a little like a Click Beetle (Athous haemorrhoidalis)

The Dobgill

Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes)

We returned to the car-park where we left Elinor to rest but Richard and I continued walking as we wanted to see the Dobgill waterfall. I will include that in a different post.

If anyone sees that I have made any mistakes with my identification I would be really grateful for any corrections. If anyone can identify any of the organisms I have been unable to name, again, I would be very pleased to know.

Thanks for visiting!

September’s End

25 Fri Sep 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in amphibians, family, Insects, music, plants, Rural Diary, trees

≈ 32 Comments

Tags

autumn, berries, buzzard, common lizard, crane fly, family, flowers, Fruit, fruit trees, fungus, garden flowers, greater celandine, wasp nest, wild flowers

Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

We have had some very cool nights already and lots of rain. Autumn has arrived! The nights are drawing in and when I get up just after six o’clock in the morning on Mondays and Fridays I have to wait for well over half an hour before the sun rises.

Chrysanthemum

I have no news to give you about Alice – I haven’t spoken to her for about a fortnight so I assume she is busy and coping alright.

Morning Glory

Dahlia

To our surprise, the day after I mentioned in this blog that it would take weeks for probate to be granted, it was granted! Richard has spent two days in Manchester with his brother sorting out all their mother’s finances. They also went to a place that Joyce was fond of and scattered her ashes. Richard was hoping to spend three days with Chris and wanted to travel up in his new car but unfortunately his windscreen was hit by a stone chipping last week which left a four inch crack and it needs replacing! The insurance company is sending someone to our house to carry out the replacement today (which is when Richard had hoped to return home). He came home yesterday instead (Thursday). He will have to go back to Manchester in a couple of weeks to finish going through all Joyce’s belongings and deciding what to do with them – a very difficult business.

Dog-rose-hips (Rosa canina)

Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus agg.)

Pyracantha berries

Cotoneaster berries

Black Bryony (Tamus communis) growing through Cotoneaster horizontalis

Cotoneaster horizontalis

Elinor has almost completed two weeks at college, is working hard and her tutors are very pleased with her. She is enjoying the course but finds the social side of college life very tricky. She is very insecure and worries all the time that she is saying or doing the wrong thing. She has also been badly affected by her grandmother’s death and funeral. She is afraid of going to sleep in case she doesn’t wake up again and she is frightened of being left alone both now and in the future.

Eating apples ‘Saturne’

Pears ‘Concorde’

Figs ‘Brown Turkey’

Crabapple ‘Evereste’

Crabapple ‘Harry Baker’

Crabapple

I have been busy in the house and with my mother; Richard has had a lot to do in the garden and has also been arranging our finances now that he has retired. We have had no time for a walk recently and in fact have done very few walks together during the whole year. We hope that in the next week or so things will have calmed down and we will be able to find time to go out together.

Chinese Lanterns (Physalis alkekengi)

Japanese Ornamental Cherry ‘Fragrant Cloud’

Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’

Spindle (Euonymous europaeus)

Hazel new catkins (Corylus avellana)

Elder (Sambucus nigra)

Fungus

The photographs in this post were mainly done during one afternoon this week.

This is the entrance to one of the three wasp nests we have in our garden. They took over an old mouse or vole hole.

Crane fly (Tipula paludosa)

Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus)

I saw this plant just inside the stone wall that surrounds St Mary’s church in Bungay.

Greater Celandine

This plant is no relation to the Lesser Celandine we see in the springtime. It is a type of poppy, similar to the Yellow Horned-poppy I found on Dunwich beach a few weeks ago. Its orange-coloured sap has been used in Asia for burning away warts and corns since the beginning of Chinese civilisation. This caustic liquid was also used to remove soreness and cloudiness from the eyes! It uses an oil gland on its seeds to ensure they are taken a distance away. Ants feed on the oil and then carry the seed off.

Juvenile Common Lizard

For the second week running, I discovered something hiding under our wheelie-bin. Obviously, rubbish bins are the go-to shelter for small creatures.

Elinor and I admired these clouds as we neared home the other day.

We turned to our left and saw these!

The following song is dedicated to Elinor.

Thanks for visiting!

Brancaster Beach

23 Wed Sep 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, Rural Diary

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

beach, Brancaster, sand, sand patterns, seaside, seaweed, shells

To mark my birthday I usually ask that we go for a walk together. The weather at the beginning of September is often warm and hazy and we always see plenty of dragonflies, which pleases me. This year, to ring the changes, I decided to ask for a family trip to the seaside which was acceded to with enthusiasm. So much enthusiasm that we went to Dunwich and Southwold as a taster and hors d’oeuvre to the main course. I then remembered that Mum loves the sea and hasn’t seen it for two or three years and so felt guilty. I arranged to take her to Dunwich Heath the day after my birthday treat.

I left the choice of beach to Richard as he had kindly offered to drive us there. He plumped for Brancaster on the north Norfolk coast which is about an hour and three-quarters drive away. He said we should have lunch in Fakenham on the way and I agreed!

Brancaster Beach

This was our first view of the beach with the sea some distance away. The sun was shining brightly but there was a strong north-westerly breeze blowing so as usual I was pleased I had brought my jacket.

This effect was caused by the wind on the sand.

You can also see the sand blowing across the beach on this picture.

It was a lovely afternoon.

Even when the sun disappeared behind a cloud and the tide began to come in it was still a good afternoon.

Sand with Worm/Razorshell holes

Worm Casts

Razor shell and worm casts

Seaweed – Horn Wrack

Sand with crushed shells

I love the patterns on the sand.

A warm pool in which I saw tiny fish and shrimps.

Seaweed –

Razorshells (Ensis arcuatus)

Crab Carapace

I wonder if the limpets were living on the crab shell before it died. The shell at the top of the photo is a cockle shell.

A view of the sand dunes

More sand patterns

Kite surfing

Brancaster Beach with Flock of Birds - Oyster Catchers

A flock of Oyster Catchers (Haematopus ostralegus)

Once the tide starts to turn it is advisable to get as close to the sand dunes as possible as quickly as you can. The water races in and if you are stranded on a sand bank it is not very pleasant! There is a ship-wreck on one of the sand banks which attracts a lot of people and the channels of water are warm to paddle in. It is easy to lose your sense of time here. Three children have died on this beach in the last ten years.

I cannot identify this bird. It may be a female wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe). It behaved like one, running about on the sand and through the grass catching insects. I just couldn’t get near enough to it.

Whelk (Buccinum undatum) Egg-cases

The tide approaching

Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)

I found some Sea Buckthorn with berries.

View inland from Brancaster Beach car park

Another view inland

Altogether, a perfect day!

Thanks for visiting!

Thank-you!

18 Fri Sep 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in amphibians, family, music, plants, Rural Diary

≈ 34 Comments

Tags

art work, cimbidium orchid, common toadflax, Diary, family, great crested newt, music, perennial sow-thistle, pop-up picture, thank-you

I would like to say a big thank-you to all of you who responded so kindly to the news of my mother-in-law’s death. I was quite moved by all your comments and I have duly passed them on to Richard who also sends his thanks.

Chris and Richard cannot do anything now until probate is granted and that may not take place for some months as there is a queue. We will probably meet up with the family in Manchester as usual just before Christmas and have a meal together in memory of Joyce.

Cymbidium Orchid. I repotted this Cymbidium many years ago when it became terribly pot-bound and split it into about six new plants. I gave away two and kept four and this one plant has decided to flower again at last.

Cymbidium Orchid. The flowers are so exotic!

Richard is slowly getting used to being retired – a difficult thing to do after having worked continuously for many decades. He has taken possession of his new car, done a fair amount of work in the garden and he is taking turns with me driving Elinor to college.

Elinor is coming to the end of her first week back at college. She is finding it all quite challenging but so far has coped bravely with all the changes to her routine.

Elinor’s Art. When Elinor attended her enrollment day she was asked to produce a piece of art work that gave some idea of what she was like or what kind of things she liked. She loves fairy tales, myths and legends.

Elinor’s Art. The students were supposed to find an old book and use it in the project – either cutting it up or sticking things in it. Elinor couldn’t damage a book even an old already-damaged one, so she inserted her pop-up picture into a book of myths with paper-clips.

I am trying to get on with the back-log of household chores I should have been doing through the summer. I had had such plans, but somehow the time slipped away and I still have two freezers to defrost and lots of cupboards to sort out. Having two one-week holidays to prepare for and then get over is definitely more work than a two-week break!

Great Crested Newt? (Triturus cristatus)

When I moved my wheelie-bin full of rubbish from it’s spot near the house in order to take it to the end of the drive for emptying, I saw this creature had been hiding underneath. It obligingly waited while I ran into the house to collect my camera. Great Crested Newts are a protected species throughout Europe as they are becoming quite rare through loss of habitat. If this is a Great Crested ( or Great Northern or Warty) Newt, and I suspect that it is, we will have to be very careful how and when we do any pond maintenance.

Perennial Sow-thistle (Sonchus arvensis)

I have been seeing a lot of these big shaggy flowers as I drive about the countryside. The flowers are about 4 or 5 cms across and are such a bright cheerful yellow – not a common colour at this time of year. They are large plants and can grow to about 2 metres in height.

Perennial Sow-thistle

Common Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) with Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

This is a verge by the side of a fairly busy road on the way to Norwich. I saw a lot of these little yellow Toadflax last year but never managed to photograph them. I was determined to get a photograph of them this year and parked off the road and walked back to see this group, dodging fast-moving articulated lorries as I went.

Common Toadflax

I hope you agree with me that it was worth the trouble I took to get this photograph. I think these little flowers are really special. They are little yellow snapdragons and can grow to about 50 cms in height.

Before I finish I thought I’d let you know that I will be adding a little music now and then to my posts. It will be up to you if you choose to sample my choices; they will be quite varied and you may find something you like!