Today was a day of two halves.
As the wind blew and the rain beat, sight was focussed down
and then the squall passed, the sky cleared, and eyes lifted
There were other faces looking elsewhere
Other glimpses from today
Month: November 2018
Bert Tries Again
A windy day
and Pyramus-and-Thisbe-like Bert and Dinah seek a chink
through which to touch
Time to escort them to where the grass is greener.
Dinah has to wait while Bert finishes the snack that tempted him there
before he sniffs out other pleasures
Dinah stands well and Bert does his best
Piglets in the Spring?
The Essentials of Life
November 27th, and today was more or less the first time this season that it felt as if weather was starting to constrain activity.
Wind chill, or in modern parlance “feels like” temperature is what matters, together with how much water is falling out of the sky and, more importantly, what it does to the clay beneath one’s feet.
So, we are reminded of the plan that is designed to stop us fossilising.
The recent tweak was to invite in Jessie
Who has spent all evening collapsed on her chair – but only because we have been out and about all day.
By deliberately making ourselves responsible for land and livestock we have to continue with the essentials of life:
Pigs need bedding
and their drainage requires maintenance
If the meadow is going to thrive in the Spring it needs to be cleared before the year end
daily sessions are the way to get there
The hens may be looking cocky
but we know they know they don’t really like the bitter blasts, so we must prepare
Other glimpses from today:
A Rose in November…
A November Rose
and other seasonal wonders:
Freezing Fog is really good, isn’t it?
The freezing fog adheres moisture to branches and stalks and then slips away, allowing the light to reflect on its handiwork
Other glimpses from today:
Meanwhile, Jessie finds a particularly exciting stick
A dying year; a gestating year
As our first local snow falls
and Bert thinks he will stay Indoors
we look around and see the next year swelling…
on the Willow
and the Cherry
Ducks, of course, are oblivious
to the weather – and their guardian
Meanwhile we ceremonially roast the Last Tomatoes
Mutton, not dressed as lamb
We read: “Although mutton is often considered an old-fashioned cut, it’s recently seen a huge resurgence in popularity. It’s now featured on the menus of many high-end restaurants”
Well, in this high-end restaurant mutton has always been the superior choice. Not always easy to find good mutton in the shops, today we take matters into our own hands
and buy a suitable animal from our neighbours to take away for preparation.
We leave it in safe hands and come home with a bonus of two fleeces and a bag of testicles
Without much by the way of major storms this season the branches have gradually emptied with a little more sky visible each day
As the leaves leave they build up patterns below
different spots
reflecting the different species above
Twisted Tour
Twisted Hazel is not very tall but she can still provide many delights
Multicellular Reproductive Structures
Yesterday, deprived of the comedy normally available on TV of a Friday night, we sort amusement elsewhere by watching The Creeping Garden.
Our eyes were opened anew to the life that surrounds us. Today’s observations did not track down many Slime Moulds but did harvest these wonders:
What a pleasant month
In the olden days they said:
“October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces.”
But nowadays it appears November is mild, calm and continuing Golden – should we pleased or worried?
When this is blended with the angles of the near-solstice sun new illuminations appear
Up above the clouds feather and drift
mirroring the still standing meadow
where Jessie searches for voles
as her hunting ground is slowly diminished
Her tail flag bobs as she explores
Lottie finds a new spot to catch a bit of warmth
Down in Bodger’s Corner the workshop is taking shape
Meanwhile we continue to look for re-purposes
So the Half-Moon is here
and we remember that last time Winter did not properly come until March:
Gribin Isaf 