Up Upon the Fort

Really  it's been a beautiful day and although I spent large chunks of it outside I felt I wasted it a little as rather than go on a bike ride I had my hair cut as it was really annoying me, and that required a long bath watching the incredible TV work of Charlie Brooker.

For the first time while having my hair cut, I was asked if I wanted my eyebrows neatening. This is revoloutionary.

In the morning I had enjoyed the lovely weather at the park, standing atop the Sconce Fort, inspecting the gorse flowers for bees - there weren't any - and then enjoying a distinctly non 17th century cup of tea in a disposable cup while listening to 6 Music.

Small things are enjoyable!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 16.02.19

Sunset and Spring Miscellany

We are back in the world of spectacular sunsets and lengthening evenings. Tracking the sun at work you can follow it as it makes its way back to setting further and further west again after its journey to the southern dark.

New flowers are emerging now into the lovely week we've had; speedwell and dandelion. My own emergence into spring is also ongoing.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 15.02.19

Squirrels Eating Crocus!

The squirrels in the cemetery - and there are a lot of them with sometimes 6 or 7 of them in view at any one time - have been very active in the mild recent weather, looking for any opportunity to forage for food in between the cold snaps.

When they pause to feed, paws to mouth, I always try and work out what they are munching on which is tricky as squirrels being squirrels don't tend to let you get close enough to see without haring it up a tree trunk.

But the colour of what they were eating stood out plain. Flashes of purple, flashes of white. They were not eating nuts or  seeds, they were eating flowers! Specifically, crocuses.

This would explain why every now and then you'd come across a little patch of crocuses on the ground that looked like they'd been vandalised by pixies. It was not little folk who were the rioters, rather bushy tailed ruffians, grabbing the flowers and running up into the branches to eat them.

Cheeky sods!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 13.02.19

Stunned by a Stunning Mandarin Duck

Today has been positively spring-like...

I bet loads of blogs have started like that today, largely because it was true. I knew that I'd see some sort of spring sight today, and lo and behold, a very pale and worn small tortoiseshell suddenly flew up as I walked past its sunning post in the library gardens.

I've seen other reports of bees being spotted today too, but that was nothing compared to the surprise I got when walking around Balderton Lake this afternoon, when I sight of a beautiful mandarin duck swimming towards the lakeside with a group of mallards.

Now these exotic characters are a common enough sight at the various lakes at the various stately homes round  here like Clumber, Rufford and Wollaton, but this is the first ever sighting I've come across from the town.

Like the winter resident little egret, still present on the lagoon in its second winter, we are getting more interesting species coming into town.

I wonder why...

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 11.02.19

The Clouds! The Pain!

I went to the park for a lunch time cup of tea- nothing terribly exciting there I'm afraid, apart from the fact that the black-headed gulls were incredibly noisy and sounded like the gull-like screeches on "Echoes" by Pink Floyd.

I wonder how it gets decided which gulls get their black heads back first - is it a testosterone thing, like some form of avian puberty? Who knows?

The cloudscapes on yet another scuddy day were spectacular.

The early evening was taken up with cricket practice where again I bowled well, and batted horribly if not as horribly as last week. The main issue was my foot, which was fine last week, but this evening flared up really badly as I made an awkward step while delivering the ball.

Hence, it's rolling myfoot on a tennis ball time again.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 10.02.19

The Sport of Magnetic Fishing

It's taken a little while, but the modern day form of metal detecting known as "Magnetic Fishing" as now reached town. You probably know what it involves; dropping a very powerful magnet on a cable or chain into an urban stretch of river  and see if you can dredge up anything interesting or valuable.

As it turned out, the guy who has started doing it here fished out a stolen motorbike, which 1) goes to show how powerful the magnets are and 2) shows how the local criminal element just dump what they steal after first ruining it - cycle theft is rampant here and most of these seem to get chucked when it turns out they aren't a desirable brand.

Of course, it  would be nice if Mr Magnet Fisherman would clear up after himself, even if his haul of rusting metalwork makes a great photo-opp in front of the castle.

I was out wandering around for a couple of hours today, on a bright but very breezy day, looking at the flowers, taking in the sights and drinking tea. This was after 45 minutes on my exercise bike so I reckon I'd earned my own version of mac and cheese when I got in.

Don't ask me too much about that mac and cheese though.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 09.02.19

Forget Yesterday Today was Wild!

I said it was windy yesterday, but at least it was dry...

When I went walking at 2pm this afternoon, it was indeed dry, but that was not to last long. Crafty Green Poet reckoned today would be an overtrousers day, and she really wasn't wrong. I was walking  through the cemetery as a pall of grey cloud came scudding over, and had to make a slightly bizarre diversion into the sports centre reception in order to slip on the deeply unsexual overtrousers.

Felt very awkward. But I can't put trousers on standing up.

Had to be done though. The rain began to get heavy straight away, and by the time I got onto the path through the farm fields at the back of Grange Road, it had got really squally and I could barely hear this afternoon's Radio 4 play about post-traumatic air traffic controllers over the wind.

It did stop raining, at which point I started to feel rather sweaty and skanky, and was glad to get home after a couple of hours and jump in the bath for a few months.

Didn't go on my exercise bike. Body just kept saying no.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 08.02.19