Commas and Damsels

 I've been a little unwell, having eaten some ice cream which I didn't realise had a sweetener in it that acts as massive trigger of IBS symptoms. 

Oof. Not nice. 

The sun has decided to make a few rare appearances in the last few days, and that has meant that some nice insects have made an appearance. Such as the lovely male banded demoiselle I found having a restful moment on the pavement of all places. and then a comma enjoying the sun by the River Devon while having a chat with a bee.

By lucky chance, this is one of the best shots I've ever taken. 

I myself then went to enjoy the sun at Rumbles cafe, although unable to sit on a flower like the comma did.

Fraction too heavy, you see. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 08.08.23

Nearly Stuffing it up

 Sunday saw the visit of Attenborough to our ground - the Nottingham suburb rather than the naturalist - and they had got me in a quandary before the match had even started.

They had told me earlier in the week that they were bringing a side with four adults, and seven juniors. On paper, we had quite a strong side, and so I had been working out in my mind how I was going to approach this to ensure a decent contest.

Would I only be able to use slower bowlers?

Would I have to tell our bats to go easy on any very miniture bowlers? 

If we batted first, would I have to declare rather than let our batters go mad and post 300 plus?

When the opponents turned up, may of them barely taller than the stumps, these thoughts returned. As it turned out most of them were moot, as they won the toss and batted first on a blisteringly hot and humid day. 

I opened the bowling with what I would thing of as being medium intensity medium pacers, firstly to see how well the youngsters were going to handle the bowling, and also because our two quickest bowlers were late and we only had nine fielders to start with.

Stellar capataincy and organisation from me there. 

One our openers had a couple of early wickets caught at mid off and in the covers, and then ran a very young lad out off his fingertips, an appeal I immediately and generously withdrew, thinking myself a very sporing captain. "No little kid is getting run out like that in a Sunday game on my watch" I thought smugly. 

Of course, he turned out to be their best bat, and very competently spanked boundaries, leading me to realise I could turn the bowling up a bit, with some first and second team bowling that prised out a couple of wickets with some lovely left arm swing in the heavy air, pregnant with a thunderstorm that never happened. 

I even brought myself on, and found that remembering to really keep my left arm high and active meant that I could bowl accurately and beat the bat, even if I was barely turning the ball. Got a wicket with a short ball dollied to mid wicket, before castling a young'un in my 5th over.

Five overs one maiden, two for fifteen. I quit while the going was good.

Now, there was a different kind of problem. I had managed the game well, getting different and unusual bowlers on, trying to give everyone a go, but we were still taking too many wickets and they weren't scoring enough runs. In a friendly, you don't want to kill the game, you want the opponents to get a reasonable score so it gives your batters a chance to have a reasonable game. They were about 70 for 7 at this point.

So, I allowed the chairman and third team captain to swap the keepers gloves with the first team captain - hilariously, I was captaining captains - so he could bowl some sort of googly variant that he only "unleashes" on Sundays, and brought on a leggie at the other end just as a chunkily built Kiwi came out to bat for Attenborough.

He proceeded to wallop some big old sixes, but the leg spinner was taking wickets when he wasn't batting, and after they had got to 128, I decided enough was enough and decided to bring back the opening bowler, who promptly took one ball to shut down their innings. 

Now, with our batting line up, we ought to have chased that total down fairly easily against a young bowling attack, and indeed I wasn't too worried about our batting line up and even though we had the first team opener in the side who had taken a wicket earlier on, I sent out the first and second team opening bowlers, who both normally bat a number 10 in their league sides to give them a chance to score some runs.

Right decision too, as they made it to 60 without loss with some good strokeplay, as ever making me completely envious of anyone who has any kind of batting ability whatsoever. However, in the twelfth over right on the stroke of drinks, one of them looped a catch up.

I now took a stint at square leg, and watched as our team seemed marooned in the 60s for what seemed like ten overs while losing wickets. Number three lobbed up a caught and bowled, number four was lbw off the bottom of his bat and the third team captain looked purposeful before spooning up a caught and bowled. 

So, umpiring stint over, back into the shade of the pavilion but wickets continued to fall, however at least a few more boundaries were being hit. For our first team captain and chief ship steadier was still out there after a sticky start as the wicket, which had been a belter most of the match, began to slow up and misbehave a little bit after it had about 600 runs scored on it over the weekend. 

We crept nearer the total, wickets still fell. But thanks to the ship steadier, we just got over the line 8 wickets down, with the unwelcome sight of me padded up and waiting to bat on the pavilion steps. 

Still, both teams got a lot out the game, players got a chance to do things they don't normally do, and our Sunday side remains unbeaten.

Good day all round really!

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 12.06.23

At Last, a Long Walk

 I've been so tired lately with having spent a long time organising a huge work event over the last couple of months that I've barely been out of the house in my spare time.

That being said, the event is now in my slipstream and after a week of recovery, I was able to take to the byways today to have a walk around Farndon and see how my camera does in the wilds.

The verdict is, pretty darn well. I walked around Farndon Ponds and Cottage Lane nature reserve and was able to do something I was never able to do with my old phone - get an in focus photo of a resting damselfly, a female banded demoiselle.

It just felt so good to be mobile and moving again, it was a pleasant afternoon, mild and dry, and I was back listening to the radio, the thing I loved to do while walking. 

It wasn't the most spectacular walk, there wasn't a huge amount to see, but it was good to be out in nature again. My mind needed it.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCRackeredNature 10.09.22

Swan Family and Giant Fish

Out to the river today, with plenty to see on my two hour walk under a warm sun.

First up, where the rowing club were just starting to come back to life, there were two big carp basking in the River Devon under the bridge, a peaceful spot they would be shortly forced to vacate by a flotilla of skiffs and canoes.

I also spotted my first male orange tip butterfly in a while, very late in the season to see one of those fellows out and about. It's the end of the season, sadly, for this beautiful species.

Cottage lane nature reserve was full of damselflies, and I saw my first dragonfly of the year, a female broad bodied chaser I think. I also flushed a skylark up from next to one of the ponds.

Down by the river, no hirundines again, but a heron and an egret were having a squabble over fishing rights on the weir, with the heron getting rather testy with its smaller, but prettier, companion. A common tern was hunting along the power station reach, a swallow of the seas normally but you do get them around here as they have nesting grounds nearby.

Sweetest sight was a little further round back towards town. Cobb and Penn were out taking their new family of six cygnets for a peaceful swim along a mirror river.

They are pretty now, but when they grow up a bit, not so much!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 27.05.20

To Barnby by Bicycle

Not as exciting as "Across the Andes by Frog" sadly, but still a nice gentle ride out of about 4 miles on a very hot day - as if any of you needed telling that about the weather.

I wanted to see if the house covered in house martin nests was still providing a home for them - sadly not. I think some people view these birds as vermin and like to deter them, which is rather sad.

Still saw a few flying over Barnby, there's plenty of farm buildings in the area for them and the swallows.

I went down to the church, and then to the River Witham to see if I could see a lurking big pike, but no. Plenty of small fish though.

I've been running too, and listened to the baby great tits in the scorebox nestbox. They are very noisy!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 20.05.20

Hirundine Fail

So, back out to Farndon today, hoping to take photographs of all the swallows, swifts and martins down by the river...

Only there weren't any - the feathery blighters had seen me coming and had totally cleared out; there wasn't a single bird to be seen at the weir apart from a cormorant and a little egret. Total disappointment.

However, the day was redeemed at Cottage Lane nature reserve, where at the pond by the bird hide, damselflies were out! Common blue and blue tailed damsels were flying about, being impossible to photograph as usual. They were even joined up in mating flights.

The damselflies must have decided en masse this was the day to appear, because there were banded demoiselles flying about next to the river, probably glad they weren't being eaten by swallows.

Still wondering what healthy food I can eat without it making me feel ill.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 19.05.20