Return to Bat and Ball Action

 After a fair few weeks of having been dropped, I was recalled to the side last weekend to take on Riverside CC, who were late substitutes are our scheduled league opposition dropped out. 

We wondered before the match if this was a bad idea, as they were a bunch of grown adults with rather elaborate practice drills, and when they won the toss and batted, we were thinking we were looking down the barrel at 300. 

As it turned out, they were a super bunch of lads, and although a superior standard to standard third team opposition, they were a good side for our young team to play. 

Fairly quickly it became apparent they weren't going to smash us all round the park, and our young - in the main - bowlers did a good job of containing them with some early wickets taken, including a casual one handed catch by yours truly that I only took because I thought it was a no-ball. Probably. 

With our side short of bowling, I got an early go second change with the expectation that I would bowl a full 7 over stint, which I haven't done in years. And you know, it went well for me - bowled one of their senior bats, had another caught at mid off - with a couple of wides thrown in when the ball slipped over my spinning finger. 

The last over where bowling over the wicket to a left hander was a total disaster, where I lost my rhythym completely and got spanked rather hard. 

We bowled them out for 167, with a surprise final wicket being taken by our quondam wicket keeper. 

Break time, and time for me to do some nature photography, because hey it's what I do, and reflect upon the red kite that swept majestically over the ground, the first one I've seen at Kelham Road. 

Now to batting, and as ever, I opened the...umpiring...while better bats went out there to take on the Riverside bowlers. After an early disaster when one of our openers nicked off. 

There followed a fantastic 100 stand by the aforementioned sometime keeper, and a returning senior bat who sadly has had injury problems, on one occasion being cuased by our club captain's dog running him over during a Sunday game I captained. He made batting look so easy, but after he politely retired at 50, it became a lot harder for our young bats, and we finished about 30 runs short, despite me maintaining my infinite average with a score of 6 not out. 

More importantly, this was the first game on our front ground for three years after major flooding problems, and that was the most important thing. 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 03.07.26 

A Holly Blue and other Insects

 After the blistering heatwave, we've had a slightly more pleasant week so far, with me enjoying time in the library gardens, running slowly and stiffly, and playing cricket. 

The latter causing the former. 

My best encounter in this time was with a well behaved holly blue butterfly I came across in the currently very colourful library gardens. It has been so species rich in there this year, in an area about the size of two tennis courts. 

I love to sit there with a cup of tea and read, take photographs, do some sketching either "live" as it were, or from photos later, I've dabbled with waltercolour, wax pastel and soft pastel, with varying degrees of semi-competence. 

Been playing cricket again too after a long time, and golly my body hates me for it. It doesn't go well with half marathon training! 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 01.07.26 

Small Skippers Close the Butterfly Gap

 We have now emerged from the June butterfly gap, with the cooler weather of most of the month so far replaced with this savagely hot weather of the last few days. 

For those weeks, there was barely a butterfly to be seen, but now we are seeing the high summer species like meadow brown and ringlet in the air, and in the library gardens, a very fresh and confiding small skipper feeding off a cultivated campion. 

I spend a lot of time in the library gardens, with a tea or a cold drink, and love to take in the vivid colours while photographing the myriad of insect species that populate it. I sit and read, or sketch, and just take it all in. 

When you have Tourette's, you have to enoy the peaceful and colourful moments. 

Si 

All text and images copyright 25.06.26 

Bee Orchids Return to Campus

 They've been missing for a couple of years, but today, in the less than glamorous surroundings of a workplace smoking shed, that I came across some beautiful bee orchids in flower. 

I had been tipped off, and if it wasn't for my guide who took me there, I wouldn't have seen them in the longish grass. 

Relying on a species of bee you don't actually find in Britain to fall for their cunning apine ruse, they are self pollinating in this country, and are not uncommon. But still, I love finding them, after all they are an uncommon sight to me! 

It's been a day of intermittent heavy showers, with not much sun around until evening, but in a gap in the downpours, I came across a real bee, and a glittering swollen thighed flower beetle feeding of musk mallow that grows in a scrubby little spot next to a footpath. 

I wonder what a sunnier day will bring, as always. 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 10.06.26 

Bumblebee Three Different Ways

 Struggling today with my various Tourettes and ASD associated symptoms - IBS, flaring eczema, rampant ADHD and all that stuff. 

We've been having more "Four seasons in one day" weather, and it was a brighter interlude that I got a decent capture of a buff tailed bumblebee feeding off bramble. 

In one of my fits of inspiration this evening, I decided to try and do a watercolour of it. I really am no kind of painter whatsoever, and I've never found a way of doing it that works. For this attempt, I decided to outline the subject matter in fineliner pen, before filling in with watercolours from my travel paint set. 

Not sure this has worked. 

In a flying flap of creativity, I then doubled down and did a soft pastel version which I am much more happy with, happy in the sense of not wanting to throw it on a bonfire in the morning. 

I suppose this is neurodiversity in manic action, I guess. I've started creating work relating to my Tourettes, but golly lolly gee, I won't be posting that here. 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 04.06.26 

Painted Ladies all over the Place!

 For those of you who do so, monitoring the feeds of nature lovers on social media will soon show you what an amazing spring it has been for painted lady butterflies. 

Small tortoiseshells - not a sausage. Painted ladies - a who hog roast.

The library gardens nature reserve has them feeding off the meadow clary, they flutter by at sconce park, pale orange in the save sunshine we've been having, and they are all over our work campus, where dogwood seems to be their food plant of choice. 

I remember a late summer pre-pandemic - gosh how that defines so many things - when we had a huge late summer migration of painted ladies and I saw a fair few around, but not as many as this. 

I wonder where they have come from. Is there an El Nino connection or something else of an arcane nature? 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 27.05.26 

The Weather Warms, More Appears

 I'd been wondering where all the red tailed bumblebees have been this spring; I've not been able to photograph one, and have barely seen any at all. 

Today, as the weather warmed and brightened in the afternoon, they were suddenly everywhere in the nature garden area of campus. 

After a disastrous 2025, the mini meadows have recovered somewhat, and today buttercups were attracting many of these velvety, firey-tailed worker bumbles. 

Nearby, on the rock cransebill, a big queen red tailed bumble was at work, her mighty body bending the delicate stems of these flowers almost onto the ground. It's a relief to see them on the wing again. 

Nearby, found a lovely holly blue butterfly too. 

Around campus there are currently many clumps of ox eye daisies, and one one of these sunshine-meets-fried-egg flowers, I came across another welcome returnee - the characterful and glittering swollen thighed flower beetle. 

They are wonderful little insects, and I hope you have met one too this spring! 

Si 

All images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 22.05.26