No Hirundines in Winthorpe!

 Keeping myself mobile this week, I headed out to Winthorpe village, the next village downstream on the Trent from here.

I had a very specific location in mind; the old railway station cottage at the level crossing, presumably for when the barriers weren't automatic. This cottage has perfect eaves for house martins to nest under, and if you are there at the right time of the year, several pairs of these white rumped mini-swallows will be there, feeding their little ones with bugs caught from over the river. 

The swallows also enjoy swooping for insects over the water. Alas, no-one had told them or the house martins that I was coming, so they haven't sped up on their journeys over here from Africa. 

So, I just ran back through the village, taking a few photographs on the way.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 25.04.24

The Cheating Umpire???

 SAturday saw our third team and myself make the short journey to Winthorpe, a very pretty ground and the home of Coddington and Winthorpe cricket club, to play their second team.

Indeed, the trip was so short I elected to go by bike, which only took 15 minutes via various cycle paths and was probably a quicker journey than those who drove.

It was a rather odd team the captain had assembled, comprising 5 fully fit actual cricketers, a couple of walking wounded (myself being one of them), the mum and sister of one of the younger players, and a member of our ladies side. There were only 10 of us, and I have to say I didn't hold up much hope for our chances...

So we fielded first on a very bumpy outfield - not what you need when you have some inexperienced players - and because of the shortage of players, I found myself fielding at mid on. Not the best position for me as the ball often gets hit very hard in that direction, and I'm a bit more nervous than I used to be about getting hit. 

Which was already very nervous.

We did pretty well early doors, and we kept the young Coddington lads generally pretty quiet, with our irregular players really stepping up in the field and generally stopping most things. As I was doing too, although very clumsily and I got a hell of a whack on the wrist when I stopped a big hit. I made sure to try and help out as much as possible, and never stopped running around to cover other fielders if I could; having one player missing makes it so hard.

Rather amazed my muscles held up, for a change, but I was knackered afterwards.

We were short of regular bowling, and most of our side ended up having a go - apart from me  - and although our ladies side player did incredibly well and took a wicket, the grown ups had come out to bat by this time and the ball was being smacked everywhere. 

We never stopped working and helping each other out, however, and I certainly never stopped being encouraging although the skipper seemed to disagree. They got 198-6, and no-one really cared as no-one thought we had a cat in hells chance of winning the match anyway with the team we had. 

Oh I forgot, I did get to bowl one over, and nothing bad happened. 

Of course, yours truly doesn't seem to get picked for anything other than umpiring these days, and being the only lower order bat that knows how to do it, this generally means that there is no rest for the wicked and despite being knackered after fielding I was ordered to go out to the middle and get busy with my garden stone counters and wavy arms. 

I was hoping someone who knew what they were doing would get out so I could go and have a sit down. I figured I'd be needed to bat before too long in any case. 

Early events tended to support my hypothesis, as we were soon reduced to 13 for 2 with my lbw finger being required quite early on to remove one of our openers while the other was bowled playing back when perhaps he should have been forward. This brought the skipper in to join our young bat who having started the season in great form had had a bit of a trot of low scores.

Almost immediately the skipper had a waft at one, and virtually everyone on the Coddington team went up for the catch behind. I heard nothing, and the skipper did not walk, so I couldn't give it. 

This, to say the least, did not go down well. There was a lot of swearing, a lot of "Effing hell", dirty looks from captain and bowler and every fielder, and I was made to feel like a cheat, worthy of ground swallowing up status. 

I just wanted to walk off the field. But, it is all part of being an umpire, an honest umpire, at any rate. Most of us get accused of cheating, it just hadn't happened to me before. Folk refereeing kids football games get it far far worse. 

What didn't help was during the next over, the young bat was bowled. Off a no ball. Thank god I called it early. 

And why was this important? It was because after this, not another wicket fell as thew two of them put on an unbeaten stand of 188 to win the game. The batting at times was unbelievable, as was the attitude of the grown ups on the Coddington team who were straight down the throat of their young kids every time they made a mistake, yelling the full width of the cricket ground at times.

We had supported each other, backed each other up, brushed the cock ups aside, and enjoyed ourselves. Within ten overs the Coddington fielders were silent as the grave when they weren't barking at each other, and the adult bowlers when they brought themselves on were awful. 

It made me forget what had happened earlier. 

The mad thing was until we got within 20 runs of their total, I had no confidence we would win the game. We were so light in batting that one wicket could have led to seven in a very short space of time, especially with me yet to don the pads and gloves. 

The skipper hit a massive 6. The young bat just blasted anything off line all along the ground for four, 16 of them in total. With about 6 needed, he brought up his century. 

I abandoned neutrality at this point and got a photo of him in the middle - skipper thought this was a bit village, but so what! It was amazing his mum and sister were playing in the same game, you couldn't make it up.

Skipper sealed the deal next over. A team that shouldn't have won had gone and done a massacre. And I was on the field for every minute of it!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 08.08.22

The Bees of Winthorpe Village

 On one of the nicer days earlier in the week I was able to walk into Winthorpe for a look around, it's not far and there are various nice ways of getting there from here. 

As it happened, pleasant stroll though it was, there wasn't a massive amount to see - it feels like life is already starting to ebb away as we enter the last month of summer. 

However, the rudenkia are out in one garden, rather a lot of them, and here the bees were making merry, making the day feel more alive as the dread dead months of October and November begin to loom large in my mind.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 06.08.21

Wandering to Winthorpe

 A glorious spring day today, well worthy of a decent walk I felt. So, having been to the park for a cup of tea earlier on, I took myself out along the river to Winthorpe village, a walk where even in the less nice parts of the route - such as past the sewage farm - butterflies flitted off the path as I approached, and brimstones and orange tips worked along the hedgerows.

Several large herons were also working too, fishing at the edge of the Trent and like the butterflies, taking  off at my presence and making their way across the water with great, slow wingbeats. 

I was hoping to find photo opps with the yellow fields of oildseed-rape, but although I could smell its cloying scent on the breeze, I never got to see any. 

Winthorpe seems to be a village where they don't mow their verges; they are full of forget me not and dandelion. I hope the pollinators are loving it, I didn't see any there.

Perhaps they didn't like the fact the plants were in the shade.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 23.04.21

A Muddy Trek to Winthorpe Village

 Decent weather this afternoon meant I felt like taking myself out for a couple of hours, and wondered where I could walk that I haven't visited in a while, and wouldn't be a mud bath.

It was always optimistic thinking anywhere would be an easy walk today, and so it proved, although to be fair my trip to Winthorpe wasn't all that bad, and rather better than Clay Lane, say, would be at this time of the year. 

It isn't an attractive walk at all, it's rather featureless, in common with anywhere maintained for serious angling, I find. It also takes you under various road and rail bridges, and alongside a sewage works. 

Lovely.

However, saw some interesting birds; colourful deep pink bullfinches in the hawthorn heshes, and a lovely group of reed buntings. In Winthorpe village, there were long tailed tits and chaffinches and above isolated gulls rode the breezes. 

Not such a bad trek, occupied a couple of hours, had a nice listen to the radio, and got my 15000 steps in!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 29.12.20

Treading New Ground

A run to Winthorpe today, a much closer and more stifling one than I had expected as I headed out along the river to the railway cottage at the edge of the village, before coming back through the houses.

As I reached Winthorpe Road estate, I found myself curious about the back streets there, streets I've never set foot on before. I ran past the modern rebuilt Bishops Alexander school, and behind that found that there was a sort of long narrow urban nature reserve along a path where the buddleia were growing wild.

Taking a break from running, I photographed the pollinators on the cloyingly sweet smelling flowers.

I then followed the path along the backs of the houses before emerging by the railway workers club.

It is always interesting for me to break new ground, to find a little bit of urban green space on an estate where a bit of nature can flourish.

Especially at a time like this.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 01.07.20

Winthorpe's Mystery Lane was Found!

Gentle sort of run today, where I set off with one destination in mind, and ended up at a completely different one.

I was supposed to just to loop around the river, but ended up running all the way along the river, past such attractive landmarks as the sewage farm, to Winthorpe where I hoped to film house martins at the station cottage.

Sadly, they haven't arrived yet to nest, although my flat was being loudly being strafed by swifts this morning; 6 of them were giving it some low level flying around the houses which was very pleasing to see.

Winthorpe has a mystery lane I've enver explored, and today I took it. It was a gnat filled path by a brook, leading to a large open field. Not exactly mega terra nova, but it did lead me to near where I work so I was able to see how my wildflower meadow was coming along.

Not too badly as it turned out. Bees are now visiting.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 06.05.20

Around Winthorpe Lake

Another sort of walk that turned into a run today, a rather longer one out to Winthorpe Lake.

I've not been out here for a while, but regular blog readers may have seen posts about this place before, where I normally remark on how as a dedicated fishing lake, the waters always seem rather sterile and devoid of life.

That is still true, but the edge of the lake is a lively place when the flowers are in bloom. I got an accidentally decent shot of a flying green veined white, and rampant in the bushes were a mating pair of orange tips. Sadly, they weren't close enough and were too lively to get a good shot of.

There were swallows feeding on the Trent, and one on the telegraph wires at the cottage at Winthorpe Crossing - another not great shot sadly. This building is a big nesting site for house martins, but none are present yet. I might try and film them later in the year.

Watched the Starlink launch live on youtube, and then 20 minutes later watched it cross the sky at an altitude of 180km, which was a first for me.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 23.04.20