Down in the woods today

As the evening sun illuminates our prospect tonight

We ponder that one day is left of October and throughout the month we have received surprises of sun and warmth.  Today was due to be overcast but the sun forced through and now, nearing nine pm, it is 15 degrees outside with a strong twelve mph southerly breeze giving a lot of movement to the branches.

These branches are showing themselves again as leaves tumble down.  They told us Autumn comes early here – I think they mean finishes early as by not too far into November the trees will be bare.

Meanwhile we rejoice in the day by day transformation of the woodland

and watch as the seasonal rhythm pulsates

and… Ducks Of The Day:

Ducks twacked

As the slightly less than full moon rises over Gribin Isaf tonight

We wish hens were more like ducks.  The four older ducks and the two not much more than ducklings were given the opportunity to mingle and immediately formed a twack

Floppy and his consort will not be so compliant

Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:

Morning visitors

The late October sun illuminates the near slopes to the North of us before it rises itself sufficiently to topple over the Eastern ridge and show itself to us.

This morning it brought accompanying visitors

Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:

Looking up, looking down

As October seeps into the mists of November one’s eyes are drawn up to the flitting moon

and the scudding skies

and then, inevitably, down – to where the real Autumn is happening

to where past life is being subsumed to be used again

In the mid-levels fruiting continues

meanwhile the two minor ducks wonder when they will be too big for their pond

Seasonal Animal Movements

The pheasants are back

They were around in the spring and then on about August 12th they disappeared, presumably feeling the call of duty to go back to their home ground to be shot.  However some of them must have survived, as they are back

strutting around as if they own the place

Out of over a thousand lambs on our surrounding farm eighty are left.  They go up and down the lane and each time less come up than went down

watched by Roy

One of them is ear-marked for us.

Likewise the cows go up and down the lane

for them, the last trip down – which is due to happen shortly – means another six months living inside and eating silage.

Out of the seventeen Autumn juvenile hedgehogs under our care only one seemed not viable – his back legs did nothing so he was named Legless

A phone call to our nearest Hedgehog Sanctuary informed us it was probably spine damage and to the vet for euthanasia was the only option.  However he is now walking normally – it is a miracle – or, as the vet named it, Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome.  The vet has also taught us how to inject for worming and given us a load of wormer “it was out of date anyway”.

Some animals consider themselves ubiquitous and multi-seasonal

and of course Floppy and his Claire think they are here to stay

while Jenny practices her aerobatics

Meanwhile the ducks explorations take them to a fallen watering can

The combination of sucking water from various orifices and beating beak rhythms on the hollow plastic lead to duck ecstasy.

They were trying to avoid the latest worrying intrusion on their patch

little knowing that a little grit is good for everyone.

Around them all, the fall:

The nuthatch collects hazel nuts (to hatch…?)

and some things bloom on

while the decay creeps up from below

and a weak rainbow encompasses all

Which are more clever: hens or ducks?

We are new to ducks (well we have not kept them for nearly thirty years) and are in danger of being taken in by their modus operandi.  Hens look you in the eye, operate independently and generally let you know what they think.

Ducks keep their heads down, move as a group and secretly whisper to each other.  We think they have a masterplan.  Today they took over the dog’s foot bath

Did we say that the new polytunnel came complete with mature raspberry canes, which are fruiting lusciously at the moment

If you think that the pictures here can be a little bit repetitive, look at this

and consider:
(1) What more could one want more than to see this every day
(2) If you look closely, the sheep are in slightly different positions to last time

Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:

This week we are mainly eating tomatoes

They just keep on coming

Particularly the ones we had no room for and just threw into the ex-hotbed manure pile

Meanwhile it is becoming quite hard to keep track of poultry movements round the house…

The big ducks were reluctant to leave their house due to the Large Purple Thing

but when they mustered courage they set off on their morning forage

flaunting their plumage

but today they decided to explore further, round the back of the house

much to the consternation of Shelia and his entourage overlooking the expedition

and at the same time the rescue hens from up the road were paying a visit to the bird feeders

and the two young ducks were wondering what they were missing

Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:

Unexpected bounty

Golden October looked a bit like fading into November Gloom here today

But the excitement of still being on the first time round of the annual circle means we are susceptible to surprises

of late raspberries

and unexpected plumbs

Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:

Hedgehog Hotel

Inside Hedgehog Hotel today

down  in the kitchens

Weigh-in time

Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:

A fast pig is a fit pig

When Spot arrived she had just finished the gruelling processes of nursing a voracious litter and was a bit saggy.  Her previous carer said that at this point it would be impossible to feed her too much.  Now animals we are used to, like hens, can feed ad lib and just eat what they need but it seems pigs will eat all that is given to them and their weight is in our hands – which seems a responsibility.

Spot now looks fine and I think the fact that she can emerge from the wood at a gallop shows she is not overweight

In fact she moves so fast that her ears bounce up and down meaning she can briefly see where she is going

Bert doesn’t do fast

at the moment he mainly does sullen – standing a couple of yards from the fence through which he used to do a Pyramus and Thisbe and wondering why it now causes him pain.

Elsewhere October is  mainly red

as the ducks set off on their morning walk-about

Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw: