The Halo

 Clear skies, hexagonal ice crystals in the air, meant that the moon on Tuesday night put on a spectacular 22 degree halo for those skywatchers among us. 

I'm sure one of my readers must have seen it.  

As a binocular astronomer at the moment, the moon is normally bad news for me - I like looking for open clusters that get drowned out by the moon's light. But, there's still plenty of things that pop up for the naked eye viewer. 

And this saintly, crowned moon, was one of them. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 04.12.25 

Winter Skies

 I've seen some incredible sunrises this week, the vaults painted stunning reds and oranges but of course I've been riding to work at the time so I wasn't able to get any photographs. 

However I did manage to get some sunset photos of golden skies, as I seem to spam my Instagram with every winter. I nip outside during the golden hour as the seagulls fly to their roosts in raggedy echelons overhead, and the campus kestrel gives up its struggle against Arwen or Barra, and perches atop a lamp-post. 

I'm writing this on a Saturday. Recently Saturdays have become my do nothing days, days where I don't have to exercise and can eat treats like Port Salou cheese. 

It's worked out well really, because the last three Saturdays have had terrible weather!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 11.12.21

A Sleepy Butterfly

 Well, even as a British person the events of the last 24 hours have been at times unbearable to watch, and I turned off all my social media to avoid it. I am feeling a very little better tonight.

Yesterday was the first anniversary of my mother's death, a difficult day for my family especially as our Tier 3 status meant we couldn't meet as a family and had to make do with a conference call. I spent the main part of the day having a nice long walk, and finally biting the bullet and buying a new bicycle.

I tested it out today with a quick ride to North Muskham Lake and back, I saw quick but I got stuck at a level crossing barrier for about 15 minutes.

My new bike is a hybrid with racing bike sized wheels so it goes rather faster than my old hack bike I will still use for work. However to make up for the swiftness, it has no suspension and a higher pressure tires so it's a much bumpier ride! 

I haven't owned a new bike in so long! 

I made a great little discovery in the passage way that leads to my flat today. On a dangling strand of thick cobweb, a small tortoiseshell butterfly is hibernating! 

Heaven knows if it will make it to spring!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 04.11.20

Tier 3 it is then

 Today, we found ourselves hauled into Tier 3 along with the rest of Nottinghamshire. Our infection rate is much lower than the city and Mansfield areas, but so many folk travel to those areas to work it was then decided to bring us in with the rest of the county.

I also think that rising hospital rates from Nottingham are starting to overspill into our  hospitals, meaning there are less places for local patients. Strangely, infection rates all over the county are dropping after the University outbreaks, but it is rising amongst the elderly.

Hence, no more pub or visits to the tattoo parlour for me.

Joking aside, the effects are pretty devastating to a lot of people - my sister was planning to visit to commemorate the first anniversary of my mother's passing next week, but that has been cancelled. I'm no longer able to even go to the family home to sit in the garden to mark it. 

Still, as my stepfather said, we complain about other people who don't follow the rules, so we must do the same. 

At least I can still get outside, and get very wet indeed and very nervous when I cycle!

See if you can spot the kestrel.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 28.10.20

Celestial Bodies

Lovely close approach of Venus and the crescent Moon tonight, dominating the skies as I rode home and then went shopping later on.

The only thing other than the moon you will see at night that is brighter than Venus, is a supernova. Remember that. You never know when it may happen.

The building works at the old Robin Hood Hotel have required the arrival of a crane, that oerlooks my garden like one of the sinister Deceptacons from the Transformers movies.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 27.02.20

And Now Sunset over Work

During the week I don't have a lot to show you; the workplace isn't exactly brimming with life I can photograph well at the moment, other than a few daisies that have braved the frosts to poke up in the garden area where the blue and great tits munch upon the fatball and seed feeders.

The rabbits are plentiful, but wary; a flash of white tail suddenly erupts from beneath your nose almost, and is gone in an instant. Kestrels in the sunrise look beautiful, but they are mere dots in a mobile phone shot.

My hip is still bugging me, my neck too after some fairly violent ticcing today. But I will get it sorted, and I will get through.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 21.01.20

"Paint the Whole World with a..."

More Gold

An unusual nice and unexpected thing happened to me today, when work gave me a little Fitbit fitness tracker for helping out over the Black Friday weekend. It is something I need, because I've become very unfit and flabby since mum died, too much comfort eating being done and not enough hard exercise that isn't the exercise bike.

So, I managed to get outside to try and take some more photos - if they look a little different (and hopefully higher res and better quality) I've now got a Moto G7 Plus instead of my dear old Huawei, whose battery was dying very rapidly and needed to be on permanent charge.

It's still only a budget phone, but we have got a 16mp camera on it, so we will see how it performs as time goes on.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 03.12.19

Random Flowers Random Skies

The weather has been wet as hell the last few days, and really there's no reason to do anything other than hide from it. Apart from outdoor lovers like me who wait for gaps in the nearly endless matte grey clouds to go outside and have a look at what's out there.

There's still wasps around in the brighter interludes, but not much of anything else. Even the workplace cat has disappeared, and the rats aren't showing either. You'd think minus cat, we would be plus rats, but no.

As I type this I'm listening to LCD Soundsystem and trying to be electronically cool at the age of 47. I'm going to get back to my sketching and cartooning, if I can get the enthusiasm together. It requires a bit more effort than running and walking, strangely. I'm also doing plenty of reading, I avergage maybe 25 books a year.

I also want to see if I can pick up a basic small telescope to some more detailed astro observations than with my binoculars and try and do some photography with it.

Feel rather bloated!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 25.10.19

In Rainbows

I have had a very busy week at work and it has rained virtually every day, so I have very little nature wise to show you.

I do have a gorgeously vivid double rainbow that dazzled above the unromantic setting of the car park for you however. I apologise for this being a shot through a window, bizarrely I ran outside and it had already faded markedly in the space of about 20 seconds!

Nature is a very ephemeral thing, you have to be so fast! My phone isn't fast enough these days.

Neither is my running, although tonight I felt a little better as I plodded about town on an evening as gloomy as the lowest deck on HMS Victory. 5km in 32 minutes, which seems to be about the average at the moment. I was wearing my tight leggings, but no admiring glances from anyone, sadly.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 28.09.19

Look at these Skies!

The most magical light is when a low sun peaks out from the back of a weather front and lights up a world that is mostly under dark, rainy clouds.

Tonight was such an evening, and we had a rainbow thrown in too under the brassy sky.

It was a wonderful view.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 20.02.19

Weather Fronts

Well, after yesterday's mild conditions, we've had a real change with heavy rain this morning giving way to Northlerly  winds and much colder conditions. With weather unsuitable for cycling, and my foot still giving me a lot of bother, I only had a couple of small walks  into town in order to buy a balaclava and neck warmer for my increasingly cold cycling commutes.

I look forward to looking like a murderer.

The skies looked rather murderous at  times today as well.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature

Geese and Ducks in a Low Sun

I've been for a walk again today, round the lake on a crisp, cold day with an easterly wind to boot. I know I shouldn't be walking, but it is too cold to cycle, or rather too windy.

I hate being inactive, I just have visions of turning into a huge fat lump.

Anyway, it was a nice walk, a route that many others take on a daily basis. With easterly winds I'm wondering if any winter ducks might show up on town waters; velvet scoters have been reported in Collingham!

Anyway, to add to my exercise regime now I can't run, I dug out an old and very dusty eliiptical stepping machine I haven't used in years.

I did 20 minutes on it it, and now my other heel hurts too.

I feel like I'm falling apart, and the  long walks I have lined up in my mind, the running, is all going to have to stop. Yes, I worry too much!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 19.11.18