Friday, 31 January 2014

January, sick and tired, you've been hanging on me*...

January has been so wet. So much rain, and then the 'freak storm' or 'mini tornado' (depending on which version you read) that lasted only 10 minutes last Saturday - thunder and lightning, fierce winds, and hailstones! The wet weather, and how bored everyone is with it now, is even more of a topic of conversation at the moment. Pity the poor souls down in Somerset and Dorset who have been flooded out for a month now...


The market always struggles in wet or windy weather, and it was pretty much deserted the other week.

The high street was quiet on market day, with only a few hardy types scurrying damply from shop to shop.


But, a puddle on the lane declared its love - I 'heart' rain!


Down to the wildlife site, via the cemetery, and past some lovely crusted gravestones.


Noticed some lovely mushrooms on a damp log and, elsewhere, there was a bit of pond sorting. You might think that the amount of rain we've had would mean the pond would be full to the brim, but there are splits in the liner, and it needs to be replaced. Meanwhile, George of the jungle has tried to make a little bit more space for amphibians by clearing out some of the weeds.


With yet more rain it was time to make hearty veggie stews, huddle in front of the fire, and enjoy some cookies made by our junior chef next door. No great hardship!

* 'January' by Pilot

Wednesday, 22 January 2014

On the road to nowhere...

Out early yesterday morning to deliver the Wildlife magazine (a voluntary thing I do a few times a year) so spent a couple of hours wandering around in the fog - which was surprisingly pleasant!


The ends of roads disappeared, trees loomed out of the grey, and the ends of my hair, sticking out from under my hat, sparkled with droplets of water. Everything felt 'shut down'. I made a detour through the graveyard because there are loads of trees in there and, as I hoped, they looked wonderfully ghostly...


There was a bit of colour around, standing out against the murk, like this lovely little mosaic on one of the gravestones (I accidentally caught the two words on the bottom right - I need to go back and see what else is written there!) and the skeletons of Chinese lanterns in one garden tucked away down a long driveway.


 I had to deliver a magazine to the old vicarage, and the church looked suitably Hammer Horror...


Down towards the river, and over the bridge, where I stopped for quite a while - it looked so mysterious and beautiful. Meanwhile, trucks and cars thundered along behind me, over the bridge - quite a contrast. I crossed over, and on the other side of the bridge a lone duck paddled out from the bank and drifted, a little speck in the distance.


Then, just as I lifted my camera after taking a few shots like this, there was a sudden flash of bright iridescent blue as a kingfisher flew below where I stood and disappeared under the bridge. It's only the second one I've seen, and the first one in flight. So, of course, I crossed back over again to see if I could spot it anywhere on the other side of the bridge, but no... Back over again, for just one more look, but no flash of blue. Still, what a treat to see one!


On the walk home, all the magazines safely delivered, I passed this place - I believe it's now someone's home, but the etched glass in the windows has been preserved from when it used to be a pub. It would be absolutely perfect for me and Mr Drookit...!