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

Devon Pastures, Newark

I thought I’d give a little shout out for our town park, which probably doesn’t get much of a look in for nature afficianados round here, but is a fantastic little site. Perhaps you aren’t going to see anything super exotic, but as a place to perhaps take less outdoorsy folk to hear a chiff chaff for the first time, or see huge numbers of banded demoiselle damselflies, or take in the lovely water irises or see a charming little fleet of Moorhen chicks, it’s great.

I’ve taken to visiting any sunny day I can, perhaps en route of one of my long ten mile runs, or specifically on my bicycle to see what I can see and get a cup of tea at Rumbles café afterwards. Very soon now, I will be able to see the pretty small copper and common blue butterflies feeding and mating on the Devon-side flowers, and the big hawker dragonflies will emerge to rule like mini steampunk spaceships their patches of sky.

In the oak woods a treecreeper, with its broad clawed tail, is nesting, but I haven’t seen it yet. Orange tip and small white butterflies make their way along the flowered margins, teasing would be photographers by settling on a plant for a second before heading out of your just focussed camera frame before you hit the shutter. Try and spy how many different species of bumblebee you can see.

What has been done with the park, and what is still being done as Hawton Holt develops further, is fantastic, and it is so worth a visit from anyone.

 

Copyright Simon Hodgson / Cream Crackered Nature 22.05.14