Latest Photos and Half Marathon News

 Well, it's a scorched earth out there; scenes from a JG Ballard novel as the straw brown ground supports very little in the way of flowers now. The beautiful library gardens have gone over, with only a few white scabious still in bloom. My own flowers have gone over, although the buddleia I cut back to less than a metre high is now standing at well over two metres and will hopefully soon come into flower. 

Sunny days are no longer a novelty, they just drive anyone sane for the shade. 

On Sunday 16th I will take to the local roads for the Newark Half Marathon. Training went well up until a month ago, upon which I pulled a muscle in my backside, which has limited running since then, and has stopped me entirely playing cricket. 

I'm hoping a ten mile run a month before will be enough. Mercifully, cooler weather with perhaps a dash of rain is forecast. Hopefully I can drag my sorry old body round! 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 11.08.26 

A Red Admiral - You'd Better Salute!

 No more cellulitis, but training for a half marathon on the 16th August and trying to play cricket at the same time have given me the indignity of a pulled muscle in my left buttock, and the hot weather has been very enervating for both human and wildlife alike. And that's before we (won't) talk about the debilitating bouts of IBS. 

I have kept on doing "my thing", whatever that may be, and a lot of that has involved getting a tea from Greggs or some other quality outlet, and visiting Sconce Park or the library gardens to read, clear my head. 

I have upgraded my garden with the pollinator stepladder of delight, and the various wild buddleias that have sprung out of the ground have flowered to attract more buzzers and flutterers. I did have a star visitor though, a perfect red admiral butterfly who was delighted to present itself for my irritating mobile phone camera. 

I hope you are all keeping well and enjoying the world around you, scorched and brown though it is. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 31.07.26 

Recent Butterfly Finds amidst Illness.

 Well, been a interesting couple of weeks. 

Last week, I noticed that I had a very area on my shin, and another in my inner thigh, which by Tuesday morning had turned into a more or less shin sized hot swollen area with a rash in the middle of it, plus a hot rash on my thigh. 

A hurried snap of the afflicted area was dispatched to my GP surgery with a description of the symptoms, and sure enough, later in the afternoon they texted me the confirmation of what I had already suspected. 

I had got a cellulitis infection. 

Now, normally this doesn't sound like very much, but it can lead to sepsis if you don't get on top of it quickly with antibiotics. Not fancying hospitalisation, amputation or death, I was a good boy and cycled off from work to get my prescription like a Temu Tadej Pogacar. 

Having a very hot swollen leg infection in 34C temperatures isn't really ideal, but I didn't want to get cabin fever so I did take a couple of short walks outside for a cup of tea on the market square or at the library gardens. Plenty of flutterers around at the moment - red admirals, peacocks, various whites, holly blues and the inevitable painted ladies this summer. So I was able to get a few nice photos! 

Back at work this week, and only a faint trace of rash left, so all good! 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 15.07.26 

A Holly Blue and other Insects

 After the blistering heatwave, we've had a slightly more pleasant week so far, with me enjoying time in the library gardens, running slowly and stiffly, and playing cricket. 

The latter causing the former. 

My best encounter in this time was with a well behaved holly blue butterfly I came across in the currently very colourful library gardens. It has been so species rich in there this year, in an area about the size of two tennis courts. 

I love to sit there with a cup of tea and read, take photographs, do some sketching either "live" as it were, or from photos later, I've dabbled with waltercolour, wax pastel and soft pastel, with varying degrees of semi-competence. 

Been playing cricket again too after a long time, and golly my body hates me for it. It doesn't go well with half marathon training! 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 01.07.26 

A Tiny Brown Argus

 With my back in somewhat better shape, I've been able to be a bit more mobile again, and get a bit closer to the generally rather low down action. 

The hot weather has gone and the weather is changeable, but still pretty pleasant when the sun decides to make an apperance. Therefore butterflies and bees have been on the wing, although on our campus there's not much in bloom for them to nectar off - ragwort, coralberry, and the remaining creeping cingquefoil. 

So lets see what's been out there, that I've managed to successfully stalk without my Tourettes ticcing scaring them off! 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 29.08.25

A Butterfly in the Garden

 Finally I have some new content for you!

I've had a rotten few days. I've had time at work, but gave myself a back spasm - thanks again, cricket - and it left me immobile for a few days. I've only been able to go for walks again the last couple of days, and so sad as always that the time of colour is coming to an end. 

This week has felt distinctly autumnal. But these last couple of days, a hew buzzers and flutterers have been out notwithstanding. 

As I left my flat this morning, a comma butterfly was feeding off the "communal" buddleia. I rushed back inside to get my phone, and got one shot before it headed for the rather grey heavens. A beautiful specimen, fresh out of the packet. 

I've found bees in the park and library gardens, scabious, rudbeckia and cornflower are still out for them to feed off. 

And I've been bending down very gingerly to photograph them. 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 21.08.25

Latest Critters from our Campus

 Welcome back!

What have I been up to? Well, struggling with food is where I have been. I'm now wheat intolerant as well as lactose intolerant, and have to avoid foods high in FODMAPs like the plague. 

No more normal bread - I'm on gluten free stuff that is only free if toasted. No more cheese or milk. No more fried food. A lot of fruit and veg is now out. No more caffeine. 

Worst of all, no more rum. Jack Sparrow would be weeping. 

No more joy lol. 

So, rice and chicken anyone? 

There have been some improvements, but working out what is best for me as an IBS-M sufferer is proving to be really really tricky. This is a long term slog. 

I'm still keeping my eyes out on nature. Today's big prize was the sinister bee-wolf, a solitary parasitic wasp that likes to paralyse honey bees before feeding them alive to its offspring. 

A charming creature, to be sure. 

Hope you are all well. 

Si 

All text and images CreamCrackeredNature 08.08.25 

A First Common Blue of the Year

 You know me when I'm at work, when the Tourettes tics become too much, when the ADHD demands movement, that I take 5 minutes to have a quick bimble outside, to see what's afoot on campus, to spy what's on the wing. 

On a patch of grass,where a few birds foot trefoil where to be found - a species that seems to have suffered horribly locally with the dry spring and summer - a low flying glimmer of blue caught my eye.

Creeping a little closer, and taking great care not to lose it as it flew, I saw the tan coloured spots on the wing that indicated the presence of a male common blue butterfly. 

It settled on one of the yellow blooms, and edging closer still, I was able to get a few shots - sadly not great ones - as it happily nectared away in the warm sunshine. 

Small, and rather lovely. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 25.07.25

Kinoulton Fun

 Sunday saw me take a side out to play Kinoulton at their pleasant little ground down endless bumpy lanes going out towards the Leicestershire border. 

I was thinking we were going to be going in with an actual 11 players, but as it turned out we had two late drop outs, so I was left with 9. Ah, never mind, I thought. It was a nice day, we'll figure it out. 

After "winning the toss" - me basically being asked by the very pleasant Kinoulton co-captains if I wanted to bat first, I tried to sort out some kind of batting order and see what would unfold. 

Kinoulton had said they had a very young side, but it certainly wasn't as young as ours. But our opening bats, the youngest and oldest players on the team I think, made a fantastic start, and batted with great authority for the first 15 overs and getting a fine 50 partnership on the board. I umpired for the second half of this, while spending the first half filming a hummingbird hawk moth that was putting on a show feeding off the buddleias in the posh gardens overlooking the ground. 

It was after drinks when things started to go wrong. One of the Kinoulton skippers, wearing an Oasis bucket hat which I found myself wearing while he was bowling. 

Cue much terrible punnage - "Champagne Super-Over", "Wonderball", and most disgracefully "Well that's Definitely Maybe out" being said myself when I had to give our young opener out plumb LBW. 

He then castled two more of our bats, taking three wickets for no runs and leaving us without much more batting in the tank, or so I thought. However, a debutant played decided to go postal in the last few overs with some big hitting. 

His power was remarkable, given that he didn't seem to move until the ball was about a foot away from him, before he whipped his wrists through generating incredible bat speed. In partnership with a young players dad, he got us to 124 for 6, much to my joy as it meant I didn't have to bat. 

I was actually going to send out a couple of the young ones to bat again. 

So 124 didn't feel like enough, especially as the big slogger who wiped us out last year was playing. But our young opening bowlers made a good start, although one of them said "You can't catch anything" when I offered to field at slip. 

No respect from the younger ones for their skipper.

He didn't need any fielders, as he soon castled one of the Kinoulton openers with a beauty. But this meant the big slogger came in, and it was time to patrol the boundary. 

But as it happened, he never got away from us. Our young slow bowler had him totally baffled, and he walked up and down the wicket before having to play a little block, or push a gentle single. He eventually holed out to the debutant at the other end, caught by his own captain who was fielding for us, and who refused to celebrate. 

So, they weren't murdering us, but they were getting the runs at the required rate. Gave myself a little bowl, and it went well, bowing their opener who top scored with one that turned two feet out of a footmark and kept very low. 

Too bad in the 28th over I suddently dragged a couple down short to lose us the game. 

In the end though, it didn't matter, we had a great afternoon playing a great bunch of lads, and there was a well stocked bar to retire to after the game. So all was well with the world. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 15.07.25