Wholesome Family Activities

 Over the birthday weekend, my sister and I had a mosey around the family home's garden, and were pleased find some good quality windfall apples from the bramley tree out back.

My sister collected them, and decided that her and I should crumble-ize them the next day. She feels my culinary skills need improving, which considering I am starting from a baseline of zero, shouldn't be hard.

She also thinks I'm rather more capable than I believe.

So, on the saturday, I found myself in the kitchen, attempting to peel apples, a tortuous process where I always thought I was in imminent danger of slicing my own thumb off. My sister did 5 in the time it took me to do one, but I was better at chopping them. I also competent at measuring out the flour and sugar etc etc, and managed to get it all in the bowl without covering myself in anything. 

However the making of the crumble was rather harder than I thought it would be, for some sensory reason I found it hard to tolerate the feeling of butter on my fingers, it was so so wrong. My sister had to do most of that.

All that being said, the crumbles turned out to be delicious. I think I could do one myself, but it would take a long old time!

The next day, I took sis for a walk around the lake, and told her about the wildlife. And as it turns out from later research, bats like it at night!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 17.10.21

The Pink Footed Goose is Back

I got out running very early by my standards today, meaning I was able to be infuriated by Gyles Brandreth on "Just a Minute" while I was pounding the pavement. I was hoping to beat the torrential rain that was forecast but in the event never came.

It was actually a lovely bright, if chilly, day, and I rather enjoyed my rather steady 9km jog around the park and  the two lakes. There were interesting birds to be seen on The Blue Lake as well - I reckon I might have come across a couple of common scoter on there, the only black duck. Certainly they were far more spooky than the typical resident birds.

Another unusual bird was seen, but this one more of a regular visitor. The random pink footed goose that arrived last winter has returned, and it was in the company of its massive greylag friend once again.

I wonder where they have been on holiday?

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 23.09.18

Goose Invasion

Recently, the Blue Lake has become goose central, with an influx of greylags arriving to breed to go with the usually honking canada residents, who themselves have become hissy and quarrelsome because of their own breeding.

They look very majestic, when out on the water like a fleet of galleons, but on land they are a bit more  of a nuisance. A canada goose is a substantial bird to try and jog around, let alone when there are 40 of them.

And then there are the droppings. They are everywhere, hard to avoid, these goosine deposits of coquille st jacques everywhere, making you hop and skip and take awkward strides. Ugh.

I enjoy their honking though, and they look amazing when they take to the air en masse.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 15.06.18

Sauntering Acycle round The Blue Lake

Slightly lazy today, a gentle run was scheduled, but replaced with a gentle cycle because I wanted to watch the original Clash of the Titans DVD. Jolly worth it too, it's a great movie.

I was hoping to get some shots of the cycle path kingfisher, or perhaps a goosander or pochard now the weather has turned for the colder, but I was out of luck. However, a first winter great crested grebe obliged me with some great preening and posing close to shore, and the tufted ducks were looking immaculate as normal.

But because I didn't exercise enough, I was only allowed a salad for my dinner!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 18.01.16

Low Light Waterfowl

Just got some unadulterated shots to show you from my walk yesterday afternoon, on a day where the strong breeze and sky bound duvet of grey cloud made it tricky for photography. I've not been running for a couple of days as I've bruised the very base of my spine ticcing, so after two good runs, I've had two blank days really.

Walking is no substitute unless you walk a heck of a long way.

Anyway, I was off to hunt down some photo opps with my bridge camera, and headed briskly off down to London Road Lake to see what birds were out to play as the sun began to sink towards the horizon. Assuming you were in a plane high above the cloudbase and could see that damned elusive yellow orb.

So, it was another rotten day for photography. Flat grey light and a strong wind. But hey, it was warm, and dry, and I was outside, and you never know what you might see.

As it happened, it was just the usual squadron of mallards with some coot and moorhen, but they were relaxed, and at a distance I was able to get some decent shots. The grebes however, those damn grebes, refused to co-operate as ever. I present the shots uncropped and edited, just so you can get an idea of how my camera is in lowish light.

Si

Copyright CreamCrackeredNature 20.12.15

General mooching

Near full bred mallards - note the specula

Moorhen

Cootish antics

Distant grebe

Are these two in breeding colours?

Oh the joy of spring!

These are the sorts of skies that have been greeting me as I get up with the bitter lies of the "Spring is coming!" weather forecasters reverberating from my dreams.

 

The South and West were reporting temperatures of up to 17 degrees, and my twitter feed was full of joyous folk reporting that they were out in speedos and thongs and taking pleasure in the first sightings of Brimstones of spring. Meanwhile here the temperature has barely scraped above freezing all day, and on Balderton Lake I could barely see more than ten metres out.

There was however a large duck out there I couldn't identify, I large dark headed duck with a sort of dirty grey body with darker splotches on the body. Judging by one or two other specimens I saw, I'd say it was a mallard crossed with a large domestic duck of some sort. Nothing interesting I'm afraid. There are plenty of Grebes about, and a squadron of Tufted Duck were patrolling on the water like a waterfowl representation of the Battle of Trafalgar.

The Starling murmurations continue, but it is interesting to note as the days get longer, I leave work earlier and earlier relative to the sunset, which means at the moment I'm catching the gathering earlier on, as smaller flocks mass before forming the thousand plus strong starling murmuration that is so annoying the residents of Lincoln Road, according to the advertiser.

The male blackbirds round my home really are singing their hearts out of the evenings now! I hope it bears the sweet fruit of love for them.

So yeah, I ran

I ran in a beautiful golden yet crisp early evening light, glowing over a London Road lake that was alive with waterfowl.

There was the largest group of Tufted Duck I've yet seen on there, loads of Coot, Moorhens plus chicks, out of eclipse Mallards, one of which's bottle green head registered quacked up surprise as an immature great crested grebe surfaced directly beneath it and nearly sank it. The Coots were really crying out, a sound I haven't really heard much of on London Road. Martins Pond you could hear them calling all the time.

Lots of berries out, Hawthorn, Elderberry, Rosse Hip, other really warming and dark looking crimson berries. The Holly berries on my tree are just starting to redden, but will barely survive ripeness for a day before the Woodpigeons descend like a biblical plague.

A biblical plague of Woodpigeons...there's an image!