Spitfire Hunting

Today, in honour of the NHS, a Spitfire did a fly past of our hospital, watched by a fair crowd of socially distanced folk who gathered on the green opposite.

Trouble with aeroplanes is that they are rather difficult to photograph, especially when they are whizzing by quite quickly! But I got a few decent ones, although you can't make out the NHS message that was painted on the underside of the wings.

This little bit of plane spotting followed a long two hour walk out to Coddington village. There's a medieval fishpond there, but alas it's on private land and you can't get to it, as with the other pond in the village that I'd like to look at.

Tonight I will be hunting for Comet Neowise, which I failed to spot at 3am this morning. The noctilucent clouds were amazing though.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 11.07.20

A Waitrose Red Admiral

After a horrible day yesterday where I did absolutely nothing apart from a 50 minute exercise bike session, I have been a bit more active today with a 2 hour walk in the damp up to our cricket ground and around the park.

Activity is ramping up at the club. Wickets are being cut and our first junior training session is on Friday. Matches I believe will start from a week on Saturday, and I'm excited and anxious at the same time. I want to play, but I'm very frightened still, despite all manner of precautions that will be taken.

Likewise when I go back to work. I've become very used to isolation and in my Autism Spectrum way have become conditioned to this routine. Which has become a very nocturnal one too.

Today, all the nature pictures are taken from one single buddleia bush at the entrance to Waitrose; because of the cool day the visiting buzzers and flutterers were being quite sluggish and easy to photograph for a change.

This enabled me to get my first red admiral shots of the year.

This red admiral is lucky. It can afford to shop at Waitrose, which is more than can be said for me.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 08.07.20

Ponies and Bumbles

A walk up to Beacon Hill Park today to see if the huge buddleia bushes had any nice peacock butterflies, and of course they all knew I was coming and there wasn't a butterfly to be seen.

However, the path up Beacon Hill from Clay Lane is like an alpine meadow at the moment, with bumbles everywhere. Lady's bedstraw is everywhere, as well as a yellow flower I can't identify, and the inevitable knapweed.

Some vivid blue migrant hawkers stalked me on the path under the trees, I tried to offer my hand for them to land on but they never did, they just buzzed me while flying about in angry acute angles.

There is a sort of ramshackle urban farm on Clay Lane, that used to have goats and highland cattle but is now a sort of horse livery. The ponies often manage to escape and go for a wander, I believe.

Ran 7.5km tonight, there was a beautiful sunset.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 06.07.20

Town is Livening Up Again

And I wish it wasn't...

This afternoon, it was busiest I've seen town since March. Busy yes, but controlled. Wetherspoons was open but under control and well managed, as was another bar near me. Everything felt normal, which worried me rather. Things should not feel normal.

Then this evening,, when I went for an 8km run this evening all social distancing was out the window and I got a load of abuse from the drunks at the bar nearest me, where about 30 folk clumped across the road were chumming about.

Men were stumbling about the market square.

I have so not missed these sorts of scenes. Nor have I missed the pub in the slightest.

Some of the pictures I've seen from across the country are far far worse. "Trust the Common Sense of The British People" we are told.

Trouble is most of them don't have any.

Si

Our Pagan Temple

Was just mooching around town in the wind with no particular destination in mind when I came across our town's Odinist Temple.

It dates back to pre-1556 in its chapel days, but was acquired and consecrated by the Odinists in 2014. Like the Freemason building, it's a place I'd be very curious to visit, although it is much smaller than that secret society's massive townhouse.

It is the only Odinist temple in the country.

It's a cute little building, once upon a time I thought it would be a lovely little place to live in, apart from the fact it is located next to a really rough pub.

You can find out more about it here

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 03.07.20

An Early Gatekeeper

We are back to wet grey weather today, but that has not stopped me being active, entirely the opposite!

I hate mentioning the weather all the time, but that seems to be so intrinsic to everything you see in the natural world, it's hard not to. I hope that doesn't make me a lazy writer, but it is true. For example, it meant that our cricket ground has had a major outbreak of fungi growing  down the damp end of the ground. 

It meant that the flowering clover was glistening in a way that made me want ice cream.

It mean that the first gatekeeper butterfly of the year stayed still, and allowed me to get a photograph. They are normally such an active species they are hard to get a good shot of. This one looked like it had got up early, and then wished it hadn't bothered, huddling away in the long grass.

I then flushed a very noisy family of wrens from a bramble bush into the hawthorn. The young ones looked fully grown, but you could still see the gape. 

I've had another walk and run day, which was pleasing. This evening I ran out to see the alpacas, which like me are in dire need of a haircut. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 02.07.20

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