Heavy Saddlebags

Slight loss of motivation today; My walk was a bit shorter than it should have been and frankly included far too much lying in the sun at the cricket ground than is good from a fitness point of view. However, on the plus side I didn't leave a huge pile of rubbish behind me unlike the folk who have been sat drinking in groups on the Riverside Park.

Among younger folk here, social distancing has gone right out of the window. Although looking at the photos of idiots piled onto Southend beach, there's plenty of older folk being daft as well.

It was a huge mistake to allow folk to drive out to beauty spots, in my view.

Got some nice pictures of bumbles today, all from bushes on a new housing estate, and all of them carrying a heck of a lot of pollen. So I'm glad they had a more constructive day than me.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 21.05.20

A Bug at Ruddington CC

Today was the first Sunday game of the new season, an away match at Ruddington  where seemingly entertainment had been laid on for us; a Deep South sounding marching band was playing somewhere nearby for the early part of the match.

I was hoping they would launch into "Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac and do a march past. But they didn't.

My first game for the club was here three years ago, on a freezing damp day in early May and Elms Park looked fairly grim. Today, in the endless sun, it was lovely.

We bowled first, and I in no way disgraced myself against a standard of batting rather higher than my usual level, although my opening partner is far quicker, more dynamic, and a brilliant fielder unlike muggins here who struggles if the ball is anywhere on my right hand side. Or frankly, anywhere at all.

I took 1-25 in 7 overs, until a young chap hit a couple of fours off me and I was rested. He then hit about 80, giving us a fair bit of runaround until our Sunday skipper, a natural athlete and distinctly quick bowler, took him and a few others out. Our Saturday skipper also bowled very well, but against that powerful batsman, who stung my fingers a fair few times, it was hard.

212 was about 40 too many really. On the plus side the tea was excellent, and the orange squash at drinks wasn't too dilute, which is really important.

However, thanks to our only upper tier playing today, who scored 88, we kept in the game for a long time, but the opponents set so many fielders back to him it was impossible for him to score at the required rate, even with the support he got from our other batsmen. Things all got a bit surreal at the end, I must say.

They usually do on a Sunday, as the sun lowers towards the horizon and the opposition bring the odd bowlers on, as opposed to the first team Asian speedster we had to fight off earlier on.

Nature wise, it was a little bit bland, but I did find a fascinating bug to commune with for a few minutes.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 20.05.18

Flowery Macro Tests

Went out in the garden tonight just to try and use the macro setting that was so kindly pointed out to me by a reader.

Alas, there was no bees or butterflies to shoot, only a few hoverflies investigating the last of the summer flowers and they were in no mind to sit still for a photographer who despite his best efforts to be gentle must have seemed like Mount Everest on the move to them.

Still, I got some flower shots, but we still aren't 100% successful yet, although I'd like to think we are now seeing some good detail on some of these shots. Minimum range seems to be about 8-10cm, any less than this and dire red "WARNING - AF" notices appear on the screen.

The flowers themselves have taken a fearful pasting from the rain in the last couple of days and aren't at their best, but this gives them a sort of dejected quality, an "oh bugger I'm a flower and I'd best try and look nice but I really can't be bothered" feel.

The season is nearly over. How swiftly it has gone. It has not been long enough, and soon the bleakness of autumn will arrive, and again I shall wit till January when new colour starts to emerge again.

But, until then I shall make the best of it, every chance I get.

Si

Today's Newark Wonders (another photographic miscellania)

The weather turned fine, but my muscles were still sore after a long run where I took a few mis-steps in the long grass. So I walked through a rather drab and uniform cemetery compared with the constant living changes of spring.

I walked through the threatened grasslands of the sports hub site, where butterflies - skippers, large whites, small tortoiseshells, meadow browns, ringlets, common blue and small heath were all on the wing there.

I walked through the estate, where I always look for life in unusual places.

And then I walked through Devon Park, where butterflies and damselflies flew, adoring the nettles like the least tacky QVC jewellery you've ever seen.

Even at home, a forest shield bug sat on a sycamore leaf, and helped me read Empire magazine in the sun.

This bluebottle can't read this Sconce Park sign

Small copper on the Sonce fortification

Female banded demoiselle chomps down on a mayfly of some kind

Female common blue damselfly, I think, on Devon Pasture

Grasshopper on the Sconce

A tricky subject - small heath on the Sports Hub site

Large skipper

Another large skipper - the small ones don't let you get close!

Common blue at the sports hub, wing undersides look a little dully coloured

You see I think these underwing spots are wrong for a common blue, but nothing else you'd see round here fits

Forest shield bug on sycamore

Not the prettiest face