It must be old age, but I have no idea where last week went.
There was a lot of sitting in the garden, knitting, and a pleasant walk (the first house martins are back at the local farm), some gardening and some bead-ear-ring-making; and a shopping expedition.
In the garden, the apple trees are covered in fat pink buds, the snakeshead fritillaries are mostly over, the bluebells (only ours are pink) are nearly out; there are violets, auriculas, comfrey, cowslips and hybrid primulas, bergenias, daffodils, lungwort, hellebores, two tulips and two hyacinths, one rhododendron/azalea, honesty, and about a thousand forget-me-nots - a bit of colour.
There are 3 sorts of potato in bags on the paving, all looking good, and some seedling lettuces on the windowsill in the conservatory.
And we have some birds coming to the feeders; the regulars include a pair of robins (their nest is probably in our neighbour's garden), a pair of house sparrows, a pair of collared doves, several blackbirds, the dunnocks, and recently a small band of starlings - entertaining when they try to hover, but also very untidy feeders. The sparrowhawk has visited, but not fed.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
19 April: Venturing southwards
Yet another har this morning, so we decided to travel south, in the hopes of finding better weather.
To Yorkshire, in fact. Pausing only at Woolley Edge services for a M&S sandwich (how civilized), we zoomed down the motorway to Wentworth, near Rotherham, for our first visit to Wingham Wool Work.
It's amazing how much fibre you can get into a car - I might even have enough to keep me spinning till Woolfest. And there is very little chance I'll knit it all in the foreseeable future. No doubt some of it will be making individual appearances here in the weeks to come.
Then we drove to Nostell Priory, a NT property we've been wanting to visit for ages. And the sun came out.
In the grounds, the magnolias are looking wonderful, and the scent of the flowers was held in their sheltered corner.
There was a charming arch over the path.
This bridge had collapsed into the lake, and has been restored with much effort and expense. Of course, it can't actually be used; since it's narrow and has no guard rail, it doesn't comply with health and safety.
A cream tea in a loose box in the old stables, followed by a tour of the house (too much Chippendale for my liking, but an interesting building), and it was back northwards again. The sun through the car window was so warm that I dozed off. Fortunately, I wasn't driving.
To Yorkshire, in fact. Pausing only at Woolley Edge services for a M&S sandwich (how civilized), we zoomed down the motorway to Wentworth, near Rotherham, for our first visit to Wingham Wool Work.
It's amazing how much fibre you can get into a car - I might even have enough to keep me spinning till Woolfest. And there is very little chance I'll knit it all in the foreseeable future. No doubt some of it will be making individual appearances here in the weeks to come.
Then we drove to Nostell Priory, a NT property we've been wanting to visit for ages. And the sun came out.
In the grounds, the magnolias are looking wonderful, and the scent of the flowers was held in their sheltered corner.
There was a charming arch over the path.
This bridge had collapsed into the lake, and has been restored with much effort and expense. Of course, it can't actually be used; since it's narrow and has no guard rail, it doesn't comply with health and safety.
A cream tea in a loose box in the old stables, followed by a tour of the house (too much Chippendale for my liking, but an interesting building), and it was back northwards again. The sun through the car window was so warm that I dozed off. Fortunately, I wasn't driving.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
14 April: Marketing
Somewhere on the interweb (probably Ravelry) I read something about fleece/wool for birds' nests. Yarn is not good, as it gets tangled round legs, but wool fibres seem like they should be suitable, as bits drop off sheep anyway about this time of year. And the purveyors of bird-related products sell small containers of fleece, so it must be a good idea.
It may be a bit late, as blackbirds have been gathering nest material for a while now, and the robins have been a pair for some time, but a handful of fluffed up fibre was easily popped into an old peanut feeder and hung on a tree in the garden with a couple of tufts sticking out.
And we have a customer!
Still on the marketing theme, my jar of 250 vitamin tablets, which has lasted for 250 days, was nearly empty, so I went to buy another. Huh?
The new jar is just under half full.
It may be a bit late, as blackbirds have been gathering nest material for a while now, and the robins have been a pair for some time, but a handful of fluffed up fibre was easily popped into an old peanut feeder and hung on a tree in the garden with a couple of tufts sticking out.
And we have a customer!
Still on the marketing theme, my jar of 250 vitamin tablets, which has lasted for 250 days, was nearly empty, so I went to buy another. Huh?
The new jar is just under half full.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
11 April: Work in progress, and stitchwort
Somehow I seem to have started 3 projects. Normally there's only one main one, and perhaps a small, simple one like a sock.
After several swatches, and knitting over two-thirds of the back of a waistcoat in one way, I decided I didn't like it, and frogged it. Started again, different design, different yarns, much better, about 3 inches of the body done.
Yesterday I spun 2 skeins of yarn, one of 50 grams and one of 80 grams, using 3 plys of BFL, coming out about 17 or 18 w.p.i. This is the latest attempt to spin yarn suitable for socks. Previous efforts have produced nice yarn and pleasant socks, which have felted and shrunk hideously in washing. It is possible that a 3-ply yarn may stand up to wearing and washing rather better. This yarn has not been dyed, as some plain white (natural wool white, not when-a-mother-cares-it-shows white) socks would be handy for the summer. Half a sock foot has been knitted already.
And the third project is a bit of a gamble, using some sock yarn that I don't want to make socks out of. If it works out, there may be more about this. It's only just started, about a dozen rounds worked.
And then, out for a walk this afternoon, there were a few stitchwort plants in flower!
The flowers may not be in very good focus, but the grass is OK.
After several swatches, and knitting over two-thirds of the back of a waistcoat in one way, I decided I didn't like it, and frogged it. Started again, different design, different yarns, much better, about 3 inches of the body done.
Yesterday I spun 2 skeins of yarn, one of 50 grams and one of 80 grams, using 3 plys of BFL, coming out about 17 or 18 w.p.i. This is the latest attempt to spin yarn suitable for socks. Previous efforts have produced nice yarn and pleasant socks, which have felted and shrunk hideously in washing. It is possible that a 3-ply yarn may stand up to wearing and washing rather better. This yarn has not been dyed, as some plain white (natural wool white, not when-a-mother-cares-it-shows white) socks would be handy for the summer. Half a sock foot has been knitted already.
And the third project is a bit of a gamble, using some sock yarn that I don't want to make socks out of. If it works out, there may be more about this. It's only just started, about a dozen rounds worked.
And then, out for a walk this afternoon, there were a few stitchwort plants in flower!
The flowers may not be in very good focus, but the grass is OK.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
7 April: Upper Teesdale
A glorious walk today in Teesdale, from Cotherstone to Egglestone and back, mostly beside the River Tees.
There were ruins - this farm for example. The sheep here had no lambs with them, as many others did.
The chapel at Egglestone Hall is ruined and full of plants -
There were several bridges on our route; this 17th century one at Egglestone -
a footbridge over the Tees, with varied materials -
and another over the Balder; this one has a metal parish marker by the near end -
A few April showers, plenty of sunshine, good company, and a sensational lunch. Brilliant!
There were ruins - this farm for example. The sheep here had no lambs with them, as many others did.
The chapel at Egglestone Hall is ruined and full of plants -
There were several bridges on our route; this 17th century one at Egglestone -
a footbridge over the Tees, with varied materials -
and another over the Balder; this one has a metal parish marker by the near end -
A few April showers, plenty of sunshine, good company, and a sensational lunch. Brilliant!
Friday, April 03, 2009
3 April: The Amazing Spotted CronePants
After knitting hats, scarves, mittens, socks and jerseys, what else is there to knit? Why, trousers, of course.
Everyone needs a warm and comfy pair of pants to lounge around the house. And they are really easy to knit, there's just rather a lot of leg, if you're as tall as me.
To make them warm, they are stranded, but only on alternate rounds (knitted in the round to avoid seams), in a stitch pattern graphically described as "Lice pattern" - presumably it represents the bite marks!
This pattern also lends itself to colour changes whenever the knitter runs out of, or gets bored with, one colour. Ideal for the knitter with a low boredom threshold, especially on long legs.
The waist is fastened with a drawstring, made on a lucet, and tied at the side, as these are Reversible Pants (and vice versa, as we always say).
After the warm sunshine of the past couple of days, we have a suitable chill in the air today - just right for the new pants.
Everyone needs a warm and comfy pair of pants to lounge around the house. And they are really easy to knit, there's just rather a lot of leg, if you're as tall as me.
To make them warm, they are stranded, but only on alternate rounds (knitted in the round to avoid seams), in a stitch pattern graphically described as "Lice pattern" - presumably it represents the bite marks!
This pattern also lends itself to colour changes whenever the knitter runs out of, or gets bored with, one colour. Ideal for the knitter with a low boredom threshold, especially on long legs.
The waist is fastened with a drawstring, made on a lucet, and tied at the side, as these are Reversible Pants (and vice versa, as we always say).
After the warm sunshine of the past couple of days, we have a suitable chill in the air today - just right for the new pants.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
2 April: But I digress...
I was sitting in the garden, enjoying the warm sunshine, and idly knitting a sock, when I remembered that I have just missed a couple of anniversaries.
So, Happy (belated but Significant) Birthday, dear Bro!
And the other is yesterday's 17th anniversary of my bowel cancer operation. It's hard to feel you've actually had cancer when you didn't have any radiation treatment or chemotherapy and you still have and always had hair. Still, I am frequently reminded by my remaining bowel. Too much information?
So this all led on to musings about "where did all that time go?", and "what have we got to show for it?", and "does that really matter?" And that all very quickly becomes too deep.
Another happy half-hour wasted browsing through the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (I've been a fan of dictionaries ever since school, when a substitute for detention was having to copy out pages from the dictionary - I did a lot of that).
Never mind; "what is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare", as W.H.Davis wrote. Herman Hupfeld told us "the fundamental things apply, as time goes by", and Bob Dylan "the times they are a-changin"", and C. Northcote Parkinson that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion", who of course is on the same page as Dorothy Parker, who gave us such gems as "you can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think", and "she ran the whole gamut of emotions from A to B", as well as "men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses".
And just over there is a most appropriate quote from Emmeline Pankhurst - "The argument of the broken window pane is the most valuable argument in modern politics".
As Cicero said - "O tempora, O mores!"
So, Happy (belated but Significant) Birthday, dear Bro!
And the other is yesterday's 17th anniversary of my bowel cancer operation. It's hard to feel you've actually had cancer when you didn't have any radiation treatment or chemotherapy and you still have and always had hair. Still, I am frequently reminded by my remaining bowel. Too much information?
So this all led on to musings about "where did all that time go?", and "what have we got to show for it?", and "does that really matter?" And that all very quickly becomes too deep.
Another happy half-hour wasted browsing through the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (I've been a fan of dictionaries ever since school, when a substitute for detention was having to copy out pages from the dictionary - I did a lot of that).
Never mind; "what is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare", as W.H.Davis wrote. Herman Hupfeld told us "the fundamental things apply, as time goes by", and Bob Dylan "the times they are a-changin"", and C. Northcote Parkinson that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion", who of course is on the same page as Dorothy Parker, who gave us such gems as "you can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think", and "she ran the whole gamut of emotions from A to B", as well as "men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses".
And just over there is a most appropriate quote from Emmeline Pankhurst - "The argument of the broken window pane is the most valuable argument in modern politics".
As Cicero said - "O tempora, O mores!"
Friday, March 27, 2009
27 March: Dyeing
And here is Wednesday's spinning dyed.
The soy/BFL is orange, the soy/BFL/cotton is purple (except that cotton needs different dyes from wool, so hasn't taken the dye), and the BFL/BFL is green.
The green is an excellent shade; most green dyes are rather blue or greyed, and a good green is hard to obtain. This was a mix of Landscape dyes in the colours Tarragon and Mustard - a sort of "salad green".
The soy/BFL is orange, the soy/BFL/cotton is purple (except that cotton needs different dyes from wool, so hasn't taken the dye), and the BFL/BFL is green.
The green is an excellent shade; most green dyes are rather blue or greyed, and a good green is hard to obtain. This was a mix of Landscape dyes in the colours Tarragon and Mustard - a sort of "salad green".
Thursday, March 26, 2009
26 March: Spinning! Texture! Spring!
At last a whole morning when I could concentrate on some spinning.
Diane Varney's book "Spinning Designer Yarns" has sat on my shelf for quite a long time, while I was focusing on spinning straightforward even (-ish) yarns for knitting. The time was ripe for trying something new. Three-ply yarn is quite simple, and offers possibilities of fibre mixes which will take dye differently - that's another exciting area waiting for exploration.
Yesterday spiral and boucle yarn was the objective. Here comes some technical stuff, so just skip to the picture if you're not fascinated by the details.
I failed to spin soy silk alone into a suitable thread, so carded soy with some BFL (Blue Faced Leicester - it's the breed of sheep that grows that particular fleece/fibre) for the core thread.
Next a loose and thick strand of BFL; when you've spent months trying to get your thread fine and even, it's terribly difficult to make it erratic, but I did my best.
The next step is to ply the thicker wrapping thread loosely and spirally around the finer core thread. Again, normally the aim is even tension and equal plys, but it was fascinating to watch the looser-tensioned thick thread spiral around the finer one.
And lastly a fine thread is used, wound in the opposite direction, to bind the whole thing together. There was enough of the core soy/BFL to do a small skein; then I used a millspun cotton thread to bind the rest of the bobbin-ful of spiral yarn.
As a further experiment, I spun a small 2-ply skein of BFL, one single finer and even and one thick-and-thin and looser, and just plyed these 2 together, spiralling the thicker strand around the thinner one.
In the photo, the top skein is 2 strands of soy/BFL each side of looser BFL; the middle one is soy/BFL, BFL, and cotton; and the bottom one is 2 strands of BFL.
They all have slightly different feels, and the different fibres should make interesting dyeing (in the next day or two), and different textures in knitting (some time).
Aside from the spinning, we have primroses, miniature daffodils, bees, and more birds in the garden. Hedges have blossom and hawthorn leaves. The lawn needs mowing.
And a great flowering of charity collection bags - 3 dropped through the letter-box on Monday and a 4th on Tuesday.
Diane Varney's book "Spinning Designer Yarns" has sat on my shelf for quite a long time, while I was focusing on spinning straightforward even (-ish) yarns for knitting. The time was ripe for trying something new. Three-ply yarn is quite simple, and offers possibilities of fibre mixes which will take dye differently - that's another exciting area waiting for exploration.
Yesterday spiral and boucle yarn was the objective. Here comes some technical stuff, so just skip to the picture if you're not fascinated by the details.
I failed to spin soy silk alone into a suitable thread, so carded soy with some BFL (Blue Faced Leicester - it's the breed of sheep that grows that particular fleece/fibre) for the core thread.
Next a loose and thick strand of BFL; when you've spent months trying to get your thread fine and even, it's terribly difficult to make it erratic, but I did my best.
The next step is to ply the thicker wrapping thread loosely and spirally around the finer core thread. Again, normally the aim is even tension and equal plys, but it was fascinating to watch the looser-tensioned thick thread spiral around the finer one.
And lastly a fine thread is used, wound in the opposite direction, to bind the whole thing together. There was enough of the core soy/BFL to do a small skein; then I used a millspun cotton thread to bind the rest of the bobbin-ful of spiral yarn.
As a further experiment, I spun a small 2-ply skein of BFL, one single finer and even and one thick-and-thin and looser, and just plyed these 2 together, spiralling the thicker strand around the thinner one.
In the photo, the top skein is 2 strands of soy/BFL each side of looser BFL; the middle one is soy/BFL, BFL, and cotton; and the bottom one is 2 strands of BFL.
They all have slightly different feels, and the different fibres should make interesting dyeing (in the next day or two), and different textures in knitting (some time).
Aside from the spinning, we have primroses, miniature daffodils, bees, and more birds in the garden. Hedges have blossom and hawthorn leaves. The lawn needs mowing.
And a great flowering of charity collection bags - 3 dropped through the letter-box on Monday and a 4th on Tuesday.
Friday, March 20, 2009
20 March: The Green Man smiles
The Green Man smiles in the spring sunshine.
New lambs are making their appearance, and the skylark has returned.
New lambs are making their appearance, and the skylark has returned.
Monday, March 16, 2009
16 March: Getting out more
When DH was asked by a colleague what he intended to do with his retirement, he replied "Get out more".
With this in mind, we have got ourselves folding bikes, so that we can put them into the car and venture further afield for some gentle cycling.
So today was our first car/bike adventure. The bikes pack neatly into DH's car without having to take out more than the parcel shelf and the lid of the well in the boot. A couple of old bath sheets stop any scraping or rattling and protect the inside of the car.
We looked at the County Council's map of cycle routes in the area, and picked out a railway path that we have walked along, but never cycled.
The car park wasn't busy, apart from a couple of men lopping branches off trees and feeding them into a shredder. We got the bikes out, re-assembled them, found I'd got my cables tangled round my handlebars, untangled them, found my front brake wasn't working, re-aligned the cable, checked all connections were secure. Good. Trip to the toilets. Good. Drinks and snacks in the bum-bags. Good. Helmets and gloves on. Good. Off we go!
Rounded the corner from the car park onto the track, only to be faced with a mini-digger, men in hard hats and fluo jackets, and a big barrier labelled "Path Closed". All the way along. A couple of walkers were speaking to the man from the council, who smugly announced that it had been in the local paper for 4 weeks. A notice at the entrance to the car park would have saved us some effort, but at least we've had plenty of practice at folding and unfolding the bikes.
We folded them up again and took them to another railway track, where we enjoyed an hour or so of exercise. This afternoon DH had a little nap - I've been sitting on a soft cushion.
With this in mind, we have got ourselves folding bikes, so that we can put them into the car and venture further afield for some gentle cycling.
So today was our first car/bike adventure. The bikes pack neatly into DH's car without having to take out more than the parcel shelf and the lid of the well in the boot. A couple of old bath sheets stop any scraping or rattling and protect the inside of the car.
We looked at the County Council's map of cycle routes in the area, and picked out a railway path that we have walked along, but never cycled.
The car park wasn't busy, apart from a couple of men lopping branches off trees and feeding them into a shredder. We got the bikes out, re-assembled them, found I'd got my cables tangled round my handlebars, untangled them, found my front brake wasn't working, re-aligned the cable, checked all connections were secure. Good. Trip to the toilets. Good. Drinks and snacks in the bum-bags. Good. Helmets and gloves on. Good. Off we go!
Rounded the corner from the car park onto the track, only to be faced with a mini-digger, men in hard hats and fluo jackets, and a big barrier labelled "Path Closed". All the way along. A couple of walkers were speaking to the man from the council, who smugly announced that it had been in the local paper for 4 weeks. A notice at the entrance to the car park would have saved us some effort, but at least we've had plenty of practice at folding and unfolding the bikes.
We folded them up again and took them to another railway track, where we enjoyed an hour or so of exercise. This afternoon DH had a little nap - I've been sitting on a soft cushion.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
14 March: Gibside
As we'd been up to Newcastle on a re-cycling mission, we decided to go to Gibside (Gibside Chapel, a NT property) for a bite to eat and a walk.
The path we usually follow goes along by the River Derwent. Beside the stream, beneath the trees - those fuzzy yellow blobs are daffodils.
I love to find an interesting old tree to photograph.
And Gibside has its own Statue of Liberty -
A bit of a lizard-on-a-column* shot, but that was as close as we got to it this visit.
One tree had been "improved" - perhaps by a fan of Gonzo?
* we have (as you may also have) a number of poor holiday photos of the ground, apparently nothing in particular, which were almost all an attempt to photograph a small and indistinct lizard; we find "lizard shot" a very useful label.
The path we usually follow goes along by the River Derwent. Beside the stream, beneath the trees - those fuzzy yellow blobs are daffodils.
I love to find an interesting old tree to photograph.
And Gibside has its own Statue of Liberty -
A bit of a lizard-on-a-column* shot, but that was as close as we got to it this visit.
One tree had been "improved" - perhaps by a fan of Gonzo?
* we have (as you may also have) a number of poor holiday photos of the ground, apparently nothing in particular, which were almost all an attempt to photograph a small and indistinct lizard; we find "lizard shot" a very useful label.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
10 March: Reliability of cars
It's a good job DH is now retired; no loss of working time taking his car back to the garage. And back again.
Last month there was a problem with the fuel leaking - a seal was replaced, but the fuel pump was mentioned. A couple of weeks ago, after coughing intermittently for for some days, the car simply stalled in the middle of the road, and wouldn't start again; the RAC had to tow it to the dealership, where the fuel pump was replaced.
Yesterday on the motorway it started to cough again. So it has gone back to the dealership again. How fortunate that I still have my little car! It's over 6 years old now, compared with the 15 months of DH's car, and I was thinking that we had no real use for it now, but perhaps that's not right. It's awfully handy for ferrying him to and fro to drop off and pick up his car.
Last month there was a problem with the fuel leaking - a seal was replaced, but the fuel pump was mentioned. A couple of weeks ago, after coughing intermittently for for some days, the car simply stalled in the middle of the road, and wouldn't start again; the RAC had to tow it to the dealership, where the fuel pump was replaced.
Yesterday on the motorway it started to cough again. So it has gone back to the dealership again. How fortunate that I still have my little car! It's over 6 years old now, compared with the 15 months of DH's car, and I was thinking that we had no real use for it now, but perhaps that's not right. It's awfully handy for ferrying him to and fro to drop off and pick up his car.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
5 March: The Tweedy Cardi
It seems like this project has been on the needles forever, but it's under 2 months.
Last June at the Woolfest I bought (among many other things!) a batt from Wingham Wool Works - it was simply labelled "Wool/Silk", and was rolled up in a plastic bag. Grey in colour, it felt wonderful to the touch, so I happily paid £15.50 for the nominal 800 gms - it weighed a bit more than that on the scales at home.
When unrolled, this batt was full of all sorts of colours and textures, and it was split up into sections for spinning so that the different bits in it were fairly evenly distributed. The spinning was very enjoyable, and the bag full of tweedy yarn demanded to be knitted into something quite simple to show its subtleties.
Barbara Walker's book "Knitting from the Top" provided a recipe for a plain garment in a fairly fine yarn - about 17 wpi.
Working out the pattern as I went along was a bit of a challenge; and although I made notes, I'm not sure now that I can follow exactly what I did! The sleeves were a disaster the first time, but easily remedied by unravelling them and re-knitting them. The buttons chosen were another Woolfest purchase, from an earlier year.
Here are the photos -
And modelled -
This is going to be worn a lot.
Last June at the Woolfest I bought (among many other things!) a batt from Wingham Wool Works - it was simply labelled "Wool/Silk", and was rolled up in a plastic bag. Grey in colour, it felt wonderful to the touch, so I happily paid £15.50 for the nominal 800 gms - it weighed a bit more than that on the scales at home.
When unrolled, this batt was full of all sorts of colours and textures, and it was split up into sections for spinning so that the different bits in it were fairly evenly distributed. The spinning was very enjoyable, and the bag full of tweedy yarn demanded to be knitted into something quite simple to show its subtleties.
Barbara Walker's book "Knitting from the Top" provided a recipe for a plain garment in a fairly fine yarn - about 17 wpi.
Working out the pattern as I went along was a bit of a challenge; and although I made notes, I'm not sure now that I can follow exactly what I did! The sleeves were a disaster the first time, but easily remedied by unravelling them and re-knitting them. The buttons chosen were another Woolfest purchase, from an earlier year.
Here are the photos -
And modelled -
This is going to be worn a lot.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
3 March: Exit slowly
That's the fourth time recently, when driving into Durham, that I've got held up behind a funeral.
Is there any sort of etiquette about roaring past a hearse and the following cars when you get to the dual carriageway? Should you raise your hat as a mark of respect? Or simply refrain from cursing the 25 miles an hour procession when you are now definitely going to be late for that meeting?
Is there any sort of etiquette about roaring past a hearse and the following cars when you get to the dual carriageway? Should you raise your hat as a mark of respect? Or simply refrain from cursing the 25 miles an hour procession when you are now definitely going to be late for that meeting?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
26 February: Visitors
This morning, just after 7.30, I was at the sink, washing the cat's bowl when I noticed a movement in the garden.
It looked exactly like the little bird that had been in the buddleia the previous evening, which we had taken to be a wren - tiny bird darting about looking for insects.
But then it came right up onto the paving and perched in the potted oak tree - a second one darted down from the clematis - too pale to be a wren, and the movement not quite right. A stripe on the head - but not a coal tit - a yellow stripe. Two goldcrests!!!
I have found a picture -
I know it's goldfinches that are a charm, but these little creatures were truly charming.
It looked exactly like the little bird that had been in the buddleia the previous evening, which we had taken to be a wren - tiny bird darting about looking for insects.
But then it came right up onto the paving and perched in the potted oak tree - a second one darted down from the clematis - too pale to be a wren, and the movement not quite right. A stripe on the head - but not a coal tit - a yellow stripe. Two goldcrests!!!
I have found a picture -
I know it's goldfinches that are a charm, but these little creatures were truly charming.
Monday, February 23, 2009
23 February: 2 seasons in 2 weeks
Ten days ago we were struggling through snow, today the garden has not only these -
but also these -
and even this!
but also these -
and even this!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
21 February: Hamsterley coatless
At the third attempt, we made it to the forest. The first time, we forgot something, and had to go back, which was just as well, because the second time we set out, the car broke down at the top of the street!
Anyway, after the RAC had towed it away for the pump that was replaced a couple of weeks ago to be done right (we hope) this time, we took my little car, and actually got there.
Glorious sunshine when we arrived, though the wind got up and brought cloud across later. We started off on a different path from usual, made some interesting choices at junctions, and went off-path a few times. There are still plenty of places we haven't yet seen, and you can't really get lost - anyway we had both map and GPS.
Just as we were starting to feel hungry, we found a seat at a major track junction, where we munched on home-made bread rolls and fruit.
A bit later on we followed this stream down the hillside -
to the bigger stream. There was a lot of water coming off the moors above the forest and down the hillsides, and at the ford 2 mountain bikers were just about to cross. Neither of them made it with dry feet, but they did clean their bikes a bit!
The footbridge a few hundred yards further on was our preferred option, beyond this little waterfall-y bit, then we explored another path that was new to us, before returning to more familiar tracks.
As usual, there were few people about in the further parts of the forest, but there were lots of families nearer the car park. A good day to be out and about; the jacket, magic overtrousers, woolly hat and mittens, all stayed in my smart new daybag; a long-sleeved T-shirt and a good wool jersey were all that was required (yes, trousers as well!).
Heavens, at this rate, I may need to look for my shorts next month!
Anyway, after the RAC had towed it away for the pump that was replaced a couple of weeks ago to be done right (we hope) this time, we took my little car, and actually got there.
Glorious sunshine when we arrived, though the wind got up and brought cloud across later. We started off on a different path from usual, made some interesting choices at junctions, and went off-path a few times. There are still plenty of places we haven't yet seen, and you can't really get lost - anyway we had both map and GPS.
Just as we were starting to feel hungry, we found a seat at a major track junction, where we munched on home-made bread rolls and fruit.
A bit later on we followed this stream down the hillside -
to the bigger stream. There was a lot of water coming off the moors above the forest and down the hillsides, and at the ford 2 mountain bikers were just about to cross. Neither of them made it with dry feet, but they did clean their bikes a bit!
The footbridge a few hundred yards further on was our preferred option, beyond this little waterfall-y bit, then we explored another path that was new to us, before returning to more familiar tracks.
As usual, there were few people about in the further parts of the forest, but there were lots of families nearer the car park. A good day to be out and about; the jacket, magic overtrousers, woolly hat and mittens, all stayed in my smart new daybag; a long-sleeved T-shirt and a good wool jersey were all that was required (yes, trousers as well!).
Heavens, at this rate, I may need to look for my shorts next month!
Friday, February 20, 2009
20 February: Durham hatless
How pleasant to be able to walk about without a woolly hat, scarf and gloves!
After a meeting in Durham today, I walked back to the car. Deciding against the riverbank path, I went up South Street for the first time in (possibly) years. As the trees are leafless, the cathedral is visible from the road.
Actually, I think I like the woodland bit better than the cathedral bit.
After a meeting in Durham today, I walked back to the car. Deciding against the riverbank path, I went up South Street for the first time in (possibly) years. As the trees are leafless, the cathedral is visible from the road.
Actually, I think I like the woodland bit better than the cathedral bit.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
12 February: Still no snow photos
Happy (significant) Birthday, DD!
Just when it had thawed a bit yesterday, today it snowed constantly all day. DH, extremely glad he didn't have to go out, spent the day moving bits of furniture round, and setting up his hi-fi system in his newplayroom study.
And for our tea we had comfort food - chips with our omelette, and then a tin of fruit cocktail. Do you remember when a tin of fruit cocktail was a touch of luxury?
And here are a couple of photos as a reminder that sometimes the sun shines warmly and the flowers bloom:
Just when it had thawed a bit yesterday, today it snowed constantly all day. DH, extremely glad he didn't have to go out, spent the day moving bits of furniture round, and setting up his hi-fi system in his new
And for our tea we had comfort food - chips with our omelette, and then a tin of fruit cocktail. Do you remember when a tin of fruit cocktail was a touch of luxury?
And here are a couple of photos as a reminder that sometimes the sun shines warmly and the flowers bloom:
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