Falling Over and Making Friends

Had a very steady run today, practising running nice and slowly - too slowly even - to try and find a pace I can run 42km at.

This is rather pointless because no matter what pace I try and run at, at the end of the marathon I will be utterly on my knees like a man lost in the desert. But, we'll give it a go.

Anyway, after making friends with a tabby cat at the town farm, I managed to get myself in a right old state on Clay Lane. Keeping my feet low in the name of running economically - ha! - I tripped over a tree stump, and fell.

I didn't fall at once of course. I did about 10 yards in a desperate forward lunge, trying to regain my balance, trying to regain my feet. I failed. I went full length down on the muddy track, in full view of a dog walker who was extremely good at suppressing her laughter as I ran past her pretending nothing had happened shortly afterwards.

Still it was a nice afternoon, and there were some lovely skies to take in. The bath I had when I got in was extremely hot and luxurious, and the water didn't get too dirty.

Si

All text and images Copyright CreamCrackeredNature 22.10.15

Quicker than a ray of light...

Here kitty!

Ear stroking

Camera investigated

Um yeah, I fell

Beacon Hill Park

Dazzling Trent

Baby barge

The castle bandstand

Mycological Dabblings - Or, I Hunted for Toadstools!

I thought I would try something new today, having been inspired by a lot of the pictures of fungi I've seen posted on my reading list. Seeing as we aren't in an Amazon rainforest dripping with arrow poison frogs, these not quite animals, not quite plants potentially combine colour and deadliness in a way rarely found anywhere else in the UK.

It was besides a rotten day, too sore to run, too wet and windy wild to cycle. On foot, in my hiking trousers and trainers, was the method of propulsion today, so I had to pick a hunting ground in reasonable reach.

I decided on Beacon Hill Park, as I figured the stands of trees there might prove a good hunting ground.

Above the favoured copse, a family group of four buzzards were flapping around, finding no air currents to soar on in the mottled grey sky. Within the trees, the sky disappeared, replaced by rustling leaves, damp smells and the snap of twigs underfoot.

The trees were young, and not the sort that looked like they'd harbour big bracket fungi. But every fallen trunk I came across, I inspected, and on virtually everyone I looked at, I found a different species of fungus.

Some were large, some tiny. Some were caps, some were brackets. I recognised perhaps three species, and I'm probably wrong about those. But as an observational exercise, to train my eyes to find the smallest objects lurking in the darkest corners, I think it was an interesting experiment.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 07.10.15

First species

Some sort of bracket or polypore

Bad shot here. Don't think this is orange peel

Amidst the moss

Maybe chicken in the woods?

King Alfred's cakes

Tiny caps on rotted wood

Another bracket

Strange growth

The only species found away from a tree trunk

Jews ear? And maybe witches butter?

Ditto!

Unadulterated Autumn

Today has been such a split day, it's been crazy.

This morning, the world was blanketed in a thick, cold haze that reduced visiblity to less than a hundred metres, and had my hands turning purple when I rode to my local cafe this morning.

Two hours later, the mist suddenly dissolved, and the sky became blue to the edge of the universe virtually instantaneously. A sky so clear has been a rare sight this whole year, there wasn't a single cloud to be seen for the entire afternoon. Visibility was miles from atop Beacon Hill.

Tonight will surely be cold and clear. A night for astronomy while clad in my warmest clothes.

I present you with these pictures, all unfiltered and uncropped just to give you a genuine idea of the colours on view today, especially during my 10km run this afternoon. It was lovely.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 01.10.15

Morning mist

Hazy River

Bees and butterflies enjoying this plant on the park late season

The last bastion of municipal colour

Mallards now out of eclipse

Dappled Clay Lane

I got a lot of nettle stings along here

Crab apples?

Haws

Hips

Elderberries

Ash keys against the sun

Pretty late season flower on the Beacon Hill Park

The industrial distance

Down the hill

October dazzle

Shimmering water

Buddleia Living

Today had one of my better, less painful runs that I've had in a while. Felt like I was going really well, trainers made of a bouncy substance moulded by the Gods in Olympus, until I looked at my GPS app and found that I'm still not able to do sub 6 minute kilometres, when I can do under 5 on a 10 km run when I'm in best shape.

Which to be fair, is still hardly world, country, county or even street beating. 

Ah never mind, just enjoy it!

So, I headed today for what I always refer to as "The Butterfly Park" on Beacon Hill Reserve. It's a brownfield bit of land that has been colonised by huge clumps of buddleia, and on nice days acts as a magnet for many species of butterfly, especially peacocks. But after a promising burst of sunshine in the afternoon, the clouds came over again, and the butterflies decided to stay in bed.

Luckily there were a few interesting bees to capture, and some hoverflies too. I've managed to find a way of sorting out the autofocus issues on my mobile phone, so hopefully photos will be clearer now. They couldn't be any worse, after all.

After the slight butterfly let down, I carried on my run down to the river, and was treated to the sight of two common terns seemingly having a slight aerial scrap. As well as being much smaller than gulls, their call is very different too. It's a rather plaintive and quavering cry, a sort of mewling sound like a souped up mega-swallow.

A very pretty end to my run!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 28.07.15

Just bumming around

Thistle restaurant

Bee mimicking fly I think

Upside down

On opposite sides of the globe

I've never known what this is!

Inside the butterfly park

Another view

Skippers Unlimited

Very stiff today after my cricketing trials yesterday, and so it was a rather hobbling runner who set off for Beacon Hill nature reserve on a warm afternoon where things had been freshened up by a few splashes of rain in the morning. By 4pm, the sun was out and large white butterflies had taken to the air again, so I was hopeful of getting to see some interesting sights.

First up, along the cycle path, was seeing my first big blue hawker of the year buzzing around; not sure if it was a migrant or a southern, but I saw another one later on the reserve itself, flitting about like a mad thing in angry zig zags.

The various species of thistle and knapweed are in full bloom at the moment, providing a rich source of food for bees and butterflies; today meadow brown butterflies and 6 spot burnet moths were enjoying the nectar on offer while virtually every species of bumblebee was on view. What was really noticeable however was the large number of small skippers on view. As well as the thistles, they were absolutely rampant for the blue vetch species found growing at the west end of the reserve.

As for ragwort, as ever my predictions were wrong...cinnabar caterpillars are munching on them already!

Si

All images and text copyright CreamCrackeredNature 12.07.15

All drake mallards are in eclipse now and no ducklings seen

Lovely comma on Clay Lane Bridge

Small skipper on thistle

6 spot burnet

Cinnbard caterpillar on ragwort

Small skipper makes friends with a burnet moth

Butterfly and moth

Find the skippers!

Here's one!