Otto's stay

I have enjoyed having Otto to stay for a little fortnight and we've enjoyed plenty of walks, many of them unfamiliar to him I suspect.   It took a little while for Ditto, the cat, to stand his ground with Otto, but eventually a modus operandi was found.   I shalln't make a decision about possibly having another dog until the winter..................

Quy Fen - 18 August

In over 30 years I haven't seen Quy Fen with such little water in it.    As it's raining hard as I write, I'm sure it won't be that long before the level rises and we shall have forgotten just how long the summer, of unbroken sunshine, lasted.   Quy Fen has been, and perhaps still is, a site for Coprolite and this county was an important site for Coprolite extraction.   Coprolite is fossilised faeces from as early as the Cambrian period.

Starling family

A couple of weeks ago there were several Starlings feeding in the garden, with little love lost between the family members.   The colouring of this year's birds was striking I thought, and I'd never noticed before the red markings which appear on the head, around the eye and beak.   And it can all happen on a bird table..........

Roses

I'd been given some cut roses which warranted a posting.   The third and fourth image is the same, one rendered in monochrome.

Otto & Polo Ponies

I think I'm going to enjoy taking Otto, a neighbour's dog, for walks during the next couple of weeks.   He's 7 months old today and a friendly creature with lots to experience and some lessons to learn!   Ditto, resident cat, isn't that impressed yet, but will make his species the more dominant I expect.   At least they are in the house together this time.

We went for a walk at Bottisham Lock this morning and the metal steps over the Lock needed careful consideration before Otto bounded down them.    I'm sure I shall take many more photographs of Otto......

Getting six Polo Ponies gathered up and ready to exercise looked quite a challenge, but not at the hands of an experienced handler.   None of the ponies seemed to mind being very close to other ponies when being negotiated through a gate, and then they readily set off, as a group, all facing the same direction!

"Bluebell's" first trip

I am the delighted owner of a fantastic VW T4 Multivan and earlier this month she and I enjoyed our first trip away.   She is 17 years old and was beautifully looked after by her previous owner - thanks Jody!   There are more trips planned and I expecting to have some wonderful times away, relishing all that the ownership offers.   A couple of friends (those who found her actually!) also have the same vehicle and we are exchanging pointers for making trips away even more convenient.   I plan to keep a record of all camp sites and in future will use a camera a little better than that on the mobile 'phone - although the 'mobile' camera has the advantage of being able to share the image very easily with others.

Sunset in Toft

I wonder if I shall ever make the time to fill in the gaps since I last posted on this blog!   Doubtful I hear you say................... as I am.

Anyway, yesterday evening I went for a walk with Ann and a Golden Retriever, Ted, living in Ann's household.   The sky at sunset was amazing so I captured what I could, using the camera on my mobile 'phone for the first time 'in anger'.

Here are a couple of images of Ted waiting for a tennis ball to be thrown once more.

Now some of the sunset which folk living locally are likely to enjoy many times during the year.

Old Fire Engine House

I was invited to have lunch at The Old Fire Engine House by a friend and we enjoyed being served out in the garden, in some shade.   We spared a thought for those working in the kitchen when temperatures all around were high.

I don't ever remember seeing this double phlox in previous years, but have seen it at least three times so far this year.   I gather it will take hold of a garden if given the opportunity!

Great Spotted Woodpecker

More usually any Great Spotted Woodpeckers in the garden are making use of the peanuts in the feeders so it was lovely to capture a male GSW taking a drink for the bird bath.  The second photograph shows how readily the bird uses its tail to provide stability while it is tipping water down its throat.

I was demonstrating to a friend how many shots per second the Canon 7D can take and captured this Grey Squirrel taking the casing off a peanut - put out for birds, you understand.

Dragonfly into the House

I found this Dragonfly struggling to find a way out of the house yesterday - which it did eventually but not before I'd photographed it.   I've failed to identify it and am wondering if it might recently have hatched.

UK Swift Awareness Week

Yesterday was the last day of a Week of Action for Swifts and I joined others in Landbeach to hear more about the bird, its migration routes from Africa, and its nesting needs.   All too many of their nesting sites in old buildings have been knocked down so it is very important we put up nesting boxes, internal and/or external.   I shall certainly ask Dick Newell to assess whether there is a suitable site(s) here at home for some external nest box(es).   One of the means of attracting Swifts is to play back their call on a recorder - but I haven't checked that out with neighbours yet.

Last Evening's Sunset

I was glad I spotted this sunset and took the image by stepping just a metre outside the garden last night, a little before 22.00.   Not everyone enjoys sunrises and sunsets but I expect I shall continue to photograph them.

Greeting Cards

I have recently ordered some more Greeting Cards and thought the images could appear here too.

Green Woodpecker

It was a delight to see a Green Woodpecker in the garden this morning.   I haven't seen one here for many months.

Bottisham Lock

A lovely windless, sunny morning and a few birds seen.   It was good to see the polo ponies being exercised and my being able to undertake a longer walk than when Boo and I were last there.   What delighted me was seeing some Swallows which have been so few in number this year.   They are presumably nesting at the pumping station but they didn't take kindly to a Kestrel sitting on the roof of 'their' building!   A Banded Demoiselle sat quietly for a while.   These cygnets are too large now to be thinking about taking a ride on a parent's back.  Not sure about the monochrome rendering of a Grey Heron.....