Brian Fuller at Pipes Place

Out in the Cold

2012-02-09T14:14:00.001Z

When the weather is cold outside I am sometimes reluctant to stir myself from my warm chair and head out into the garden. However today I did, and went to look at the sheep and llamas. The sheep are pretty active. They were nearly all grouped near the fence where I could see them, and there seemed to be a bit of head banging going on. As you can see in the picture above they were headbutting each other, but not in a violent way. At first I assumed it was the males becoming competitive, and some of them may have been, but insome cases a gentle tap of heads was followed by a pursuit and an attempted mating. Maybe, like the llamas this is just a dominance thing. The llamas do it quite often. However it may have been a precursor to the breeding season, so maybe in a couple of months we may have some Hebridean lambs.

The llamas had wandered down to our corner of the field, away from the fodder where they seemed to have spent the last few days. They were gnawing at tree bark and twigs and anything else they could find. The one on the right in the picture (Erica) is expecting in the next few weeks. Something else to look forward to.

Unlike me, the birds and animals don't have a choice about being in the cold. However they spend more and more time around the bird tables and feeders. This woodpecker has become a regular since the snow came down.

The previous time I had been round the garden I had seen large bird footprints in the snow, and I guessed it was a pheasant. I wasn't altogether surprised when this female appeared on top of the folly. It didn't find it's way right up to the bird tables, but kept popping its head in and out of the ballustrade.

Of course it is not only the birds and animals that don't have a choice. Many people have to go out in the cold and snow. One little group are the dog walkers. I see quite a few from my window almost on a daily basis. Sometimes their paths cross and the dogs are not always so keen on each other.

We are next door to a riding stables (Smith's Farm) and as they keep some horses in a field at the end of the road opposite (Malthouse Lane) there are often people and horses going back and forth.

...and of course the paperboy had to deliver the Sunday papers on the morning after the snow fell.

Our feathered friends have a very hard time at this time of the year especially the smaller ones, who pretty much have to keep eating all day, because of the short daylight hours.

So don't forget to put out any food you can. Either on your bird table, or even on your window sill. When the weather is cold they will come very close to feed.

They give us a lot of pleasure, so let's help them out!

Inside Outside

2012-02-02T17:25:00.000Z

I am obviously going soft in my old age as the inclination to go outside in this cold weather is getting less and less. However that doesn't mean I can't take photographs. I have had a very pleasant day today with my camera by the window from 9 this morning until 4 this afternoon, and have taken a lot of pictures. I did the same on several days this week. There have been so many birds outside that it was hard to know where to look, and they keep jumping about, having little fights, and generally being very active. Everything that I usually see turned up, plus the Great Spotted Woodpecker who doesn't come that often. He came twice today to make up for lost time. One thing that I had never seen before was him going onto a shaded ledge that never gets the sun which still had a little bit of snow on it. He crouched right down with his head to one side and was eating the snow. I suppose all the normal watering holes, like the pond, were frozen over. An intriguing sight. Here are the pictures I have taken from my cosy hideaway, looking out onto a cold,cold world.

Oh! You didn't think I would mention the snow eating Woodpecker and not give you a picture did you? Of course not! Here it is!

Winter Collection

2012-01-24T10:25:00.000Z

I had an idea the other day. Instead of wandering round the garden in indifferent light, or even rain, trying to photograph things, why not collect things and bring them indoors and photograph them under more controlled conditions. This is a record of my first attempt. I found various things, including walnut shells, hazel nut shells, acorns, a variety of brown leaves, a couple of feathers, some dead ferns and hogweed heads, a sycamore seed, a twig with lichen on, and most usefully a nice mossy brick.

When I got them in I tried various combinations set on coloured paper, that I had bought from a craft shop, and also set on the mossy brick. I used my camera on a tripod with my 100mm macro lens, a spotlight, and for some pictures my macro ring light.

The first picture (above) shows a close up of one flower from the hogweed.

The next is a close up of a twig with two types of lichen, one is grey green. The other, which really caught my eye, is dayglo yellow.

Next we have a feather probably from a Collared Dove that had fallen victim to a Sparrowhawk. The effect that I have created with this is with indirect lighting, hence the orangey look.

Finally we have a Sycamore seed with its wing that carries it down gently to the ground while moving on the wind. It is pictured with a Hazel Nut which had been well gnawed by a squirrel. The background is the mossy brick.

There were other pictures that didn't work out so well including a dried out sunflower and acorns. I will try this again as the months progress. It should provide an interesting alternative view of life in the garden.

Good News/Bad News

2012-01-19T19:43:00.003Z

The good news was, and I emphasize was, that up to a week ago we had six fish in the pond that we didn't know about. The bad news is, following the pond being frozen for about 3 days, they are now dead.

Today I went to the pond to rake out the dead leaves that had accumulated there. I had been up there a few days before, but because it was frozen I couldn't do it. Someone had broken some of the ice and taken it out, so I broke a bit more. Now that the pond has completely thawed, I started raking out the leaves with a grass rake turned over. The first scoop not only brought out some leaves and pond weed but two dead fish, one about 5 inches long pictured below, and another smaller one about half the length. I continued, and in the process of clearing the pond I came across 4 more small ones.

About 20 months ago, not long after the pond was built, one of my neighbours put some minnows in the pond. After a few weeks they disappeared and I assumed they had died. 6 months ago another fish appeared, I think I mentioned it here, and it was around for several months, but I hadn't seen it lately.
It appears that up until the recent cold spell they had all survived. I am told that the small ones pictured here are minnows, although they are bigger than they were. I have also been told that the larger one is probably a young Roach, although again this fish is quite a bit larger than the one I saw last summer.

Whether there is anything else lurking down at the bottom of the pond I don't know, but I doubt it. after googling "frozen fishponds" I understand that if there is rotting vegetation in the pond (which there was - the leaves) that when it freezes over the gases can't escape and the water quality deteriorates and the fish can die. I am sad that we have lost these fish, but glad that they had survived for as long as they did.
Because it is a wildlife pond, there is no filtration system, nor do I put any chemical treatments in, so I suppose this is just nature taking its course. Among the dead leaves that came out I did find a couple of live Damselfly Larvae that I returned to the pond.

Before I get too maudling I will just mention the wild birds, which are doing well. The next picture shows a pair of Starlings, a male and female. I have just learnt how to tell the difference. If you look closely at the base of the beaks you will see that one is pale blue, and the other is pink, and it really is blue for a boy and pink for a girl.

The Jays are visiting regularly now, as there are plenty of peanuts on the bird table.

....and for the same reason the squirrels are visiting a lot. Sometimes they just sit and eat and other times they dash off and bury the nuts in the lawn.

Experiments

2012-01-11T16:51:00.002Z

You are probably thinking that there doesn't seem anything very experimental about this picture of a Greenfinch, but you would be wrong. One of the Christmas presents I received was a radio controlled shutter release. There are places in our garden where birds or other wildlife come, to which I can't get near enough,without scaring them away. The pond is one of those places. Birds and animals come there to drink, but if they see me they don't stay. My idea was to set the camera on a tripod next to the pond, and to hide away in The Hide, and when they arrived press the button and the camera would fire. So I did it. After an hour nothing had come remotely near the pond.....typical. Then a few birds did venture down and I pressed the button. I couldn't really tell whether they were in the frame and so I have several nice photos of this piece of grass. However once, and only once, I got the bird in the frame, and this is it.

This is the camera set up, taken from the direction of the hide,though not from in it. The view from the hide is not so good as this, as the ornamental grasses get in the way.

This picture was taken with my 100mm macro lens and my new Speedlite flash unit (another christmas present). I was walking round the garden looking for subjects to photograph at a time of year that doesn't yield many opportunities. However this shrub was in flower and I took a shot that I then experimented with in the processing stage. This effect is called Holga-ish, with an extra effect "focal zoom". These are available on the latest version of Picasa 3, which is a free download from Google, and which I can whole heartily recommend.

This next one uses the same set up, 100mm macro plus flash. It shows all that remains of a rose set against the black and white of the leafless trees. I thought it summed up winter, while harking back to the colour of summer, almost forgotten.

......and finally a nice shot of one the Redpolls. They disappeared for a few days, but now they are back! I imagine they temporarily defected to someone else's bird table.

When I called this post "Experiments" what I really ment of course was "Trial and Error", but I suppose when all is said and done it comes down to the same thing!

It's not unusual

2011-12-30T10:01:00.001Z

It's not unusual to see a Great Spotted Woodpecker, although they havn't been around for quite a while, but just lately they are back, and can often be seen on the peanuts.

It's not unusual to see Mistle Thrushes in the garden, but they are usually flying round in some sort of panic making that strange high speed clicking noise that they so often do. However seeing one on the bird table is quite unusual.

It's not unusual to see Long Tailed Tits, but usually their visits are so fleeting that it is really hard to get a picture. Just for once three of them appeared on the bird table,although they seemed more intent on having a little "contre-temps" with each other than feeding.

It is definitely not unusual to see Magpies in the garden, in fact they are very common, and I usually pretty much disregard them. They are handsome birds, and I thought just for once I'd give them a mention, and include a picture.

....finally another bird that is definitely not unusual - The Goldfinch. I think I have had more entertainment from the Goldfinches this year than any other bird. Every morning when I open my curtains there is at least one out there, and often many more, up to a dozen at times. So for their consistent activity on the bird table this year, I am naming the Goldfinches as my Birds of the Year.

It's Bird Table Time

2011-12-17T20:17:00.000Z

It is that time of year when the daylight hours are short and the bird table is busy from dawn to dusk. Well I'll have to take it on trust that it's from dawn, as I'm never awake that early. At the moment there is usually a crowd out there. Bluetits, Great Tits, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Lesser Redpolls, Dunnocks, Starlings, Blackbirds, House Sparrows, Collared Doves, Wood Pigeons,the regular Robin, and occasionally Greenfinches.

By the way if you are wondering why there is a brick on the bird table, I will tell you.

This bird table sits on top of a brick pillar about 10 feet off the ground, which is ideal for me watching from my first floor window. Just recently we have had some high winds, and the bird table, and feeders have all ended up on the ground below, and the bird food scattered everywhere. So the brick helps keep it in place, plus shots of birds perched on a nice brick look quite good.

I have included pictures of three of the small birds that have kept me entertained throughout the past year, and as usual they were all here today.

However yesterday we had a visit from a bird that is often around, but not always seen, by me, and more relevently by the other birds. It swoops in to take its prey by surprise. It is inevitable that it would be attracted by the number of birds busily feeding. It was of course a Sparrowhawk. On this occasion it didn't catch anything, and in the short video clip below can be seen sitting and looking around just after the other birds had made their escape. It is a male, because it has the slate grey wing feathers, the female has brown, and is smaller than the female. On two occasions recently I have seen it just after it has caught a starling, which it takes down to the lawn.

I am hoping to get a couple more posts in before the end of the year, but if this happens to be the last one before Christmas, I would like to wish everyone who reads my Blog a very happy Christmas, and a terrific New Year

Winter Visitors

2011-12-11T17:47:00.001Z

A few days ago for the first time ever, a Lesser Redpoll appeared on one of my bird tables. I understand that although they are resident in the UK that many of them migrate from the north of Britain to the warmer south. Today I was delighted to see another one, then two and then four. I had to record this so I took some video with my Sony Camcorder. It is not HD but came out pretty well.There seems to be a lot of colour variation between individual birds. The one that seems to show a lot more red is still retaining some its summer colour, and the one in the second shot seems a lot more chestnut. However I am grateful to Ian on Flickr who knows about these things, and confirms that they are all Lesser Redpolls. At some point I am hoping to see some Common Redpolls which over winter here, from Scandanavia. I am keeping my eyes open!

Here it is.

The Daily Llama

2011-12-01T16:20:00.001Z

I know that the title is a terrible pun, and that I won't be giving daily updates on the llamas, but sometimes these things just cannot be resisted. However, I do have news about the llamas.

Firstly, having spoken to the lady who owns them, I now know their proper names. They are Daphne, Erica and Larry. You will have gathered from that, that there are two girls and one boy.

This is Daphne, who has the darkest face, and is seen here balancing on her back legs to get at the Ivy growing on a dead tree. I was a little concerned about this, having read that Ivy is poisonous, but I have been assured that llamas are very robust, and no harm was done.

Here we have Erica and Larry. The good news is that Erica may well be pregnant, and if she is, then she will be calving in February. So we can look forward to the patter of tiny feet. Not hooves, by the way, as llamas have toes. Larry, the white one, is a young male and is about 1 year old, so is not yet fully grown.

As you can see they spend a lot of their time eating and as well as grazing on the grass on The Warren, they also like to pick the leaves from the trees. Daphne is the tallest and is seen here sizing up some overhanging oak leaves, but as we saw in that first picture if at first she doesn't succeed she will stand up on her hind legs and reach that little bit further.

Ashenbanks Again

2011-11-23T16:55:00.001Z

Having seen a picture of an Amethyst Deceiver on Flickr, a rather unusual looking, though common fungi, I contacted Ian (aka Yellowhammer) who took the picture. I chat to him online from time to time, and know that he lives fairly locally. He told me it was in Ashenbanks Woods, and gave me very good directions to its exact location. I couldn't resist, and I was off to Ashenbanks again !
It was another productive day, and here are some of the fungi I found.

Yes they're mauve! Amethyst Deceiver

As this is a younger one it's got more colour.

Turkeytail - growing on an old tree stump

Sulphur Tuft - There were lots of these

Unidentified fungi but this type explode to release their spores

Yellowing Curtain Crust

Yes it's pink! This is a Lilac Bonnet, but they vary a bit and can be pink.

We're back to mauve again. I don't know what this weird fungus is. It was also growing on a tree stump not far from the Turkeytail. They were both in an area behind the Bronze Age barrow.

As you can see Ashenbanks is still throwing up surprises. Well surprises to me , that is! What is more remarkable is that I have only covered about half of Ashenbank Wood so far. I will be returning when my achy knees have recovered. Ashenbanks just gets better and better.

Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness

2011-11-20T16:04:00.001Z

I have been waiting to use this title for quite a while, and when I saw the mist and sun today, I thought that this might be the day.

Mists

When I looked out at about 10.30 this morning (yes I'm a late riser) I thought that with the sun peeping through the mist this could be a good day for autumnal photographs. However I wanted my breakfast first, so I took a few shots from the window while I ate. The one above shows the view across the garden towards the south (ish).

Once I got out, at about 11.25 the first view I saw was the sunbeams filtering through the mist and the trees by the gate and steps up into the garden from our parking area. As soon as I saw it I knew it would make a good shot, and as soon as I'd taken it, I knew that the black and white treatment would work.

Moving round to our back lawn, this is a view of the Beech trees, with a Common Lime to the left.

From almost the same place but looking in a different direction, the sun was just peeking through the trunks of the Common Lime......

.....and up by the compost heap the rays were really bursting through.

MELLOW FRUITFULNESS

After I had been in, and processed my photos and posted some onto Flickr, I thought that it was too good a day to be sitting inside, so I decided to go for a walk. I know I have been a bit fungi obsessed lately, but it was my intention just to take some general autumnal shots. However once I got out the fungi just kept presenting themselves.

I had only walked about 100 yards down Forge Lane, when there on the wide grass verge next to the road was a mass of toadstools. There were several different sorts, and I did my best to photograph them, but I hadn't brought my macro lens, only my standard 18-105mm one. These are Butter Waxcaps I think, and in among them were tiny green ones called Parrot Waxcaps, however they were so tiny and green that I couldn't do them justice, and will go back with the right lens.

I took the footpath across one of the paddocks belonging to our neighbour Smith's Farm, patted a couple of horses (as you do) and went on my way. Round the edges of the paddock are heaps of horse dung, perfect fungi country. The one above was right next to it, but there were others actually growing on it. I think it is a Parasol, larger than I've seen before, but I suppose the dung provides plenty of nutrients.

A bit further along and again growing on the dung, were these distinctive specimens, which I believe are Tawny Funnels. They were in clumps, and spread over quite a large area, again benefitting from the nutrition they were getting. So it seems you can't beat a good bit of dung.

My afternoon walk of only about half an hour, had proved very "fruitful". Now if you are thinking " What is he talking about? These are fungi not fruit" I will explain. In fact the larger part of fungi grow underground and are there all year round. It is only in the autumn that their fruit pop up, because that it was what they are, and of course they contain the seeds or spores that ensure that the fungi are regenerated. The mushrooms and toadstools that we see are just part of the fungi. Just as apples and pears are just part of the tree. So if you didn't already know that, you can now impress your friends with your new found knowledge! If you already knew that, remember no-one likes a clever-clogs :)

Ashenbanks Autumn

2011-11-17T16:04:00.001Z

After about two weeks of good intentions, which were usually thwarted by the weather, I eventually got to Ashenbanks Wood to look for fungi. On a beautifully sunny Autumn afternoon I set off down Ashenbanks' many paths looking for tree stumps and dead wood. Ashenbanks Wood is managed by the Woodland Trust and is between Shorne and Cobham, close to the A2.

My first sighting was on a Oak stump. I didn't know it was Oak at the time, but when I identified the fungi growing on it, I read that is the only place they grow. The cluster of Bleeding Oak Crust are orangey brown fungi with a lighter edge. They were nicely set off in the picture by the moss and toadstool also growing there.

It had been a good start, but was surpassed, to my mind about 10 minutes later when I came across a group of dead logs which were smothered in these Yellowing Curtain Crust fungi. There were dozens of them all along the half dozen logs.

I was so pleased with these, that I have included a second photograph, showing another cluster that were more in the sunshine.

The next one I came across was the Birch Polypore, which goes by an alternative name that I prefer: The Razorstrop Fungi. These only grow on birch. In this case it was a silver birch that appeared dead, but they can grow on live ones as well. This was the largest specimen and was about six inches across.

I only stayed in the wood for about an hour and a quarter as my legs were getting achy, but before I headed for home I took a short cut through an area that I hadn't been to before. I was glad I did because I came across this Common Puffball, complete with insect, that sat there for the five minutes that I was trying to get the angle right. It seemed oblivious to my presence.

One of the drawbacks with photographing fungi is that so many of them are on the ground. This means that instead of using a tripod I have to kneel down with camera on the ground and bend over to look through the viewfinder, while trying to keep the camera steady. It's not easy! So you can imagine how much I appreciate fungi that grow on wood, and are therefore a bit higher. Now if they all grew at eye level, wouldn't that be wonderful! Still no pain, no gain!

You can't see the wood for the Fungi

2011-11-09T17:26:00.001Z

Another productive afternoon in the garden today, and just to make it even better the sun came out. I was delighted to find some more fungi growing on dead wood. The first photograph shows the wonderfully named Jelly Ear, which of course is what they look like. A month or so ago a dead tree was pulled down. You may have seen the video I took at the time. Some of the smaller pieces of dead wood were put on a log pile that I intended for insects. I was therefore really pleased and surprised to find these growing on it in several places.

In another part of the garden, in a corner of a flower bed by an old brick wall is a large tree stump half covered by foliage. When I pulled back the leaves I discovered a microworld of fungi growing in the crevices. Some were really difficult to get a decent photo of, although I tried, oh how I tried, but the only shot that came out well was of these Rustgills (I think) which were a bit more accessible.

I didn't only find fungi on wood today. I also had a ferret around in some of the more hidden places. Behind the Rhododendrons, under a Holly bush, I spotted a Shaggy Parasol. I had to fight my way past the Holly branches and get down low, but I managed it.

I was taking a lot more care and time with my searching today, as it is so easy to miss things. It paid off when I found these tiny funglets! Actually I made that word up, but it seemed to suit them. I put down this twenty pence piece next to them just to give an indication of their size. I don't usually throw my money about!

Finally I have included this little Toadstool with water droplets on it, just because I like the picture.

Well I have to indulge myself from time to time,don't I.

It never ceases to amaze me what is living and growing in our 4 acre patch. It seems to be a microcosm of the countryside in general, and I only have to walk a few hundred yards to see it all.

I've got an Ology

2011-11-08T16:45:00.002Z

My new interest in fungi is called Mycology (the study of fungi) which goes along with Ornithology (birds),entomology (insects) , and tsiology (tea, not the study of, more the drinking of).I'm not qualified in any of these, but to paraphrase a cliché, "I don't know much about ologies but I know what I like).

I have now developed a system for identifying fungi.

1.I take photographs of the fungi

2.I look in my two new fungi books

3.I look on the internet

4 I compare all of these

5. I take a wild guess (or give up)

Joking aside, today in the garden I have spotted 4 different fungi that I hadn't noticed before.

However I have now realized that what I had previously taken to be two different species were actually the same fungi at different stages of development. the good news is I now know the name.

These are what I now believe to be Meadow Waxcaps...

....and after 4 or 5 days they develop into this.

The four new ones are the small delicate toadstools at the top plus the three shown below.

Possibly a fungi called The Goblet which at the moment are flat, but as I am learning , they change. If these sink in the middle then I will know that I am right.(possibly)

The one above I think just might be an Orange Bonnet

This last one I would guess is a Common Bonnet, but I stand to be corrected.

Finally a total change of course. While I was pottering around in the November gloom today, I noticed this spider on its web surrounded by beads of water. I knew it would make a good shot if I could get it, and with the aid of the flash, it came out fine.

Fun with Fungi

2011-11-04T14:16:00.001Z

I use the word "fun" rather loosely here, more "absorbing" really, but the term "absorbing fungi" didn't really roll off the tongue. All of the fungi pictured here are in our garden; so pretty easy to find then you might think. However the main problem is that they are quite small, and a very similar colour to the dead leaves which are smothering parts of the garden. There was a distinct danger that I would tread on them before I saw them, so anyone that noticed me wandering round staring intently at the ground would have wondered what I was doing. Apart from finding fungi, the other major problem is identification. I have a couple of books which include fungi , but not comprehensive by any means. This first one I put on Flickr, and someone told me what it was. It's a Waxy Snowcap. It was growing in our lawn with 3 more.

Our front lawn was home to two species. This is the first, still wet from overnight rain. I believe that it is a Meadow Waxcap

The second was this little clump that I had spotted yesterday, when they looked very much like Horse Chestnuts (Conkers), but 24 hours later they had grown a bit. I know it is difficult to tell from photos what the size of these things is. They are all, in fact, pretty small. For example the one above was about 2 inches across, and the ones below about 1 inch.

This next one was tiny, about 1cm across, and was in a group of three by the pond. I had been looking into the water for a while before I noticed them by my feet.I think it is a Brittlestem of some description

The next rather interesting one is growing on a dead tree branch. It looks like a sponge and has been there quite a while.The tiny holes are pores.

As I said , apart from the top one I don't know the names. I have ordered the Collins Book of Mushrooms and Toadstools, and hope that I can soon put a name to them.

These last two pictures are close ups of the Snowy Waxcap that we started with. With the low sun yesterday, when I took these shots, they look more of a buttery colour.

In the next few days, if the weather is OK, I am intending to go to Ashenbanks Wood to see what others I might find. However I will keep searching the garden for fungi that we have had in previous years. Five species so far, so I am suitable encouraged.

I now have two decent Fungi books. The first is Collins Complete Guide to British Toadstools and Mushrooms. This is a field guide and just about small enough to take out on trips. The second is a larger book which is beautiful in its own right. It is simply called "Mushrooms" by Roger Phillips. Even if you have only the vaguest interest in Fungi this is worth getting, especially as it is available from Amazon for just £10.

I heartily recommend it.

Ladybirds and Llamas

2011-10-24T17:30:00.002+01:00

Harlequin Ladybird

When I saw the ladybirds congregating around the window frame I realized that it would be an interesting day.

About this time of year the ladybirds hibernate, and in previous years we have had many coming into the house to sleep through the winter. However I didn't realise just how interesting the day would be until from my bathroom window I spotted something unusual on The Warren immediately behind our garden.

SNOWBALL

No I wasn't hallucinating, there were three Llamas grazing where I normally expect to see sheep. I grabbed my camera and almost ran up the meadow to a point where they were pretty close, One was white (above) which I refer to as Snowball., plus two brown and white ones. Fortunately for the sake of differentiation one had a brown face and the other a white face.

SOOTY

The white faced one with black eyes had to be called Sooty and the other one was of course Sweep.

SWEEP

They soon moved a bit further away from me, but I moved to my temporary hide that I erected in the Spring to watch foxes where I had quite a good view.

They saw me again but this time became curious and approached pretty close. They didn't spit at me, as Llamas are reputed to do, so they must be the well behaved variety.

I got a couple more shots before they wandered off again. I think they must have arrived at the weekend as they seemed to be exploring their territory, as if it was unfamiliar to them.

SWEEP

SNOWBALL

Anyway back to the Ladybirds! They were all over the outside of the house this afternoon, around windows and doors, and on walls. Always in the sunny spots! I imagine that their instinct tells them that a place that catches the sun will be that bit warmer through the winter. It is a good opportunity to spot the different species as they are all together. During the summer I only really noticed the 7 spot variety, but today there were 2 spot, Harlequin, and Pine Ladybirds, as well.

Here are a couple of the better pictures. I imagine that I will be able to get a few more over the next few days, as long as I'm not too busy snapping Llamas. Now that's something you don't get to say every day!

Pine Ladybird on a window pane

Harlequin Ladybird on window frame

Fungi in the Park

2011-10-18T16:31:00.000+01:00

About a mile from our house is Shorne Woods Country Park which is pretty large and in some places extremely hilly. At this time of year it is known for its fungi, in fact it is an SSSI. (A Site of Special Scientific Interest). To take in as large an area as I could, I have made two trips in the last seven days to look for mushrooms and toadstools. It was hard work, and so far I have only found two species.

The first is easily recognizable as the the Fly Agaric. They start off like the one above, and it is easy to imagine a pixie sitting on the top. They soon grow and flatten out, and turn into the specimens below.

Many of the ones I found had large chunks out of them and some had round holes bored through them. I havn't been able to find an explanation for this. They don't seem to stay pristine for long and many that I saw looked distinctly "past their sell-by-date".

In another part of the park were these Magpie Inkcaps. Some were almost plain, like the one above, but most had the white zig-zag markings like the one below.

As the Autumn progresses I will visit again to look for more species, and not forgetting that we get a few different ones in our garden, which sometimes seem to spring up overnight. I will have to keep my eyes open.

Beachcombing

2011-10-07T09:48:00.002+01:00

Just lately, for various reasons, I havn't embarked on any of my "Little Expeditions". With the onset of Autumn, and the number of insects in the garden becoming less and less, the macro photo opportunities were becoming hard to find. So I decided that I should make the effort and get out and look elsewhere. The first idea that had sprung to mind was beachcombing, and photographing items along the tide line. Surely there must be macro opportunities there. I didn't want to go far, and I wanted somewhere that there wasn't an exhausting walk just to reach the shore. I remembered the village of Grain right at the mouth of the Medway, just opposite Sheerness. It is about 20 minutes drive away with a car park close to the shore, and I went there yesterday.

The most prominent feature, as you walk along the sea wall, is the Grain Fort Battery (pictured above) which started life as a Martello Tower and then was developed in 1855 and during the two World Wars. It is now derelict.

There is a causeway that leads out to it, and some brave souls who like that sort thing make the walk out there at low tide to explore. There are features on it, on the website undergroundkent. I wasn't that adventurous,I'm afraid, and would hate to be stranded out there when the tide comes in.

While I was there I noticed tracks made through the mud from shellfish or bait diggers. As the sandy parts of the shore are covered in Cockle Shells, I assume that that is the primary target out on the mudflats. The guy pictured below was heading out in his "wellies", with a fork and bucket to start his digging.

There were a few other types of shell on the beach including mussels and the occasional oyster. I imagine these drift round from The Swale where they are farmed.

I walked along the boundary between the sand and the mud looking for things to photograph and to be honest I didn't find as much as I had hoped. A couple of dead crabs was my sum total until I came across the highlight of the day.

Half sunk in the sand were quite a few car and lorry tyres and I came across one in particular which looked promising as it still had water in it. I peered in, like the dog in "the Perishers" cartoon strip, I think its name was "Boot" and the crabs thought he was "the eyes in the sky" that appeared each summer. There was some seaweed, a crab ( actually alive) that kept itself hidden under the wall of the tyre, and five sea anemones. Their tentacles were brown and retracted when I put my hand in the water. The bodies were black, but when I touched one the black came off and they were reddish brown underneath with a blue edge. The black seemed to be tiny grains of the rubber from the tyre. Having looked them up I'm pretty sure they are Beadlet Anemones.

The pictures above show the dead crab, the live one was much to illusive for me, and the sea anemone. On the sea anemone you can see that the sides are black from the rubber, but the you can just make out the blue edges.

The day hadn't panned out as I had expected, but had been rewarding just the same. When I start looking I never know what I am going to find. I suppose that is part of the fascination!

Next week, if the weather permits, I am heading for the local woods at Shorne Woods Country Park in search of fungi, which are usually abundant at this time of year. Whether I will find them, or whether my trip will take a totally different turn, who knows!

The Sheep and The Peahen

2011-10-05T17:12:00.002+01:00

Two separate stories in this post. Firstly the story of the sheep. As you may know, on the land immediately adjoining our garden are a flock of Hebridean sheep. This morning I received a phone call from one of my neighbours to say that one of the sheep was bleating in distress and may be trapped, so I went to investigate. Following the sound I soon discovered that one of the sheep, in its efforts to reach some greenery, had put its head through the fence and got stuck. None of the others were in the immediate vicinity and had obviously left it to its own devices.They have small horns so getting in was a lot easier than getting out. At first I cut away some of the undergrowth and got hold of its horns to try to maneuvre it out. It didn't like that very much and was getting a bit frantic. I stroked it and talked to it and tried to calm it, probably a waste of time with a sheep, and then went off for something to cut the wire, which was quite thick. My first attempts were with some garden shears and some secateurs, but they weren't strong enough. I eventually found some larger cutters, and with a bit of effort, while trying not to shear the sheep at the same time, I managed to cut the wire in two places and the sheep was free. It didn't seem the slightest bit grateful and just ran off, although I must admit it did look a bit "sheepish". I can't actually guarantee that the picture below is the sheep concerned. Strangely they all look somewhat alike!

The second piece of news is of a separation. For the last two months there have been a Peacock and Peahen in and around the Pipes Place garden. However over the last few days we had noticed that the Peahen was alone, and the Peacock was nowhere to be seen. Fearing the worst, we were happy to hear that not only was the male alive and well, but that he had returned to the farm from which they had escaped in the first place. Whether he had deserted her, or whether she had driven him out, we don't know. Maybe, once the breeding and rearing season is over, Peafowl split up for the winter. It is odd though, as over the last two months I had never seen them apart. Maybe come the spring there will be a happy reunion, either at the farm, or here at Pipes Place. We have enjoyed their company, lets hope they have enjoyed ours.

Noisy Neighbours

2011-09-30T10:36:00.001+01:00

I never for one minute thought that I would be using this blog to complain about noise nuisance in our quiet village. However having been woken at 7.30am this morning by either drilling or a circular saw, I was too drowsy to know the difference, I thought enough is enough.

It all started back in May when the scaffolders arrived at the house opposite. The noise was acceptable, if slightly irritating. It turned out that our neighbours were having Solar Panels fitted to their roof. Highly commendable, and the people who did the job didn't make too much noise.

26th May - It all begins

It was done in a couple of weeks, no problem. Next, I don't remember the date, the builders arrived at the same house. The job was a garden reconstruction. I lost count of the number of lorry loads of earth that were removed from their garden, which sloped up steeply, and was being leveled. The sound of the lorries, the mechanical digger and the dumper truck got pretty tedious, but it got worse.

12th August

The first delivery of ready mixed concrete arrived in early August, and the work on garden walls began. The cutter that sliced through bricks and cinder blocks was extremely noisy and at a time of year when most people have their windows open, there was no escape. Even when I retreated to the end of the garden the noise still grated.

24th August

About two weeks later the second delivery of ready mixed concrete arrived. what was going on in there. There had been no applications for planning permission evident, and this seemed like a really big job.

The noise continued until the middle of September, and not only the machinery. Why do builders have such loud voices? Well this one did anyway. He could be heard right at the end of our garden at least 250 metres away. Sometimes the work extended into the weekend, and sometimes until 7 at night. Eventually it finished and I was mighty relieved.

However at the beginning of this week they returned and up went a scaffolding tower against the end wall, and yes you've guessed it the noise started all over again, drilling, sawing,and a nail gun were all making a racket.

Now it is Friday and as I said the noise started at 7.30 am. as I am typing this I can still hear a circular saw whining away at 10.30am.

So for the time being our peaceful village, in which the sounds to be heard are from a few cars, the occasional lawn mower and the gentle clip-clop of horses hooves, is still annoyingly noisy. I imagine that it will end soon, probably just before another neighbour, who has applied for planning permission, starts on his two storey extension.

OH WHAT JOY!

The Food Chain

2011-09-29T09:57:00.001+01:00

A Seven Spot Ladybird searching for a meal.

Which it eventually found. It appears to be eating an ant.

However they have to be vigilant as this one found out too late. This one had been caught by a Cross Spider, which are a common sight around our garden.

But even Spiders run into trouble. Sometimes in the shape of their own kind. Here two spiders seem to be locked in combat.

However not everything in the garden is eating one another. This Brown Tail Moth Caterpillar was eating the leaves on an Oak sapling.

...and this Long Winged Conehead was simply resting. The only thing to disturb it was me. Even then it casually moved to the other side of the leaf, and when I moved round there...... it just moved back!

Postscript: You may have noticed that I have changed the layout (again). This has enable me to make the pictures a bit larger,which I think is an improvement.

More Macro

2011-09-25T17:48:00.002+01:00

One of the good things about macro photography is that it makes me really look at things closely. In quite a small section of our meadow I was looking at the Oak saplings, and it is amazing what is going on there.

I was surprised to spot this caterpillar in the last week in September. It is a Brown Tail Moth Caterpillar, and if you touch its hairs they can give you a nasty rash. However I didn't touch it, despite it falling off the Oak leaf it was sitting on, and my retrieving it from the long grass. I'll forgive it for its itchy hairs, as it makes up for that by its great colours.

Also in several of our Oak saplings are Garden Spiders or Cross Spiders. If you look at its back in the picture you can see the white cross that gives it that name.

Nearby in another sapling was this one with a Bee wrapped in its web and being killed/eaten. A bit gruesome I know but that's how nature works.

To finish on a nicer note, this late season Red Admiral, was taking advantage of the sunshine in one of our flower beds. Aaaaaaah!

The Macro World

2011-09-21T21:09:00.009+01:00

An extra shot that I took on 23rd September It's an Oak Gall made by a Gall wasp.The holes are where the

new wasps emerged this summer. There is another new shot at the bottom

This week I pushed the boat out and bought a new "true" macro lens. I have had other "macro type" lenses but while they have produced some good shots, I have wanted to get "really" close to things. I didn't relise just how hard it would be. when you get "really" close every movement is accentuated. I soon realised that my tripod was going to be essential as the depth of field is so small. Millimetres in some cases. Any way that's enough about the technicalities, we'll get down to the nitty gritty. What were the pictures like? A few were good, some were "OK", but most were terrible. here are some of the good ones, and some of the "OK" ones. The terrible ones I'll keep to myself!

One of my first attempts indoors. its a small Peacock feather. The width of piece you can see is about 1cm across

A green tomato after the rain

"A leaf with windows" plus ladybird hiding

Drops of water on aleaf

A Spider's web looking more like

a string of pearls

A piece of barbed wire still containing horse hair from one of the ponies that were in The Warren last year

A little bug on my thumb

A caterpillar on our woodpile. I was surprised to see it in September, but it seems

that it is an Angle Shades moth caterpillar which can be seen all the year round

.....and finally a spider enjoying its lunch!

For an even closer view click each individual picture. I can

recommend the caterpillar. It definitely benefits from being seen larger.

Derek the Cranefly

Another picture that is better if you click on it to see it larger.

The Elephant in the Room

2011-09-16T14:18:00.002+01:00

While most of my posts are about Pipes Place garden, I feel that it is about time that I wrote about the "Elephant in the Room", the Pipes Place house itself. From the time the house was converted into flats the inside unfortunately owes more to the 1960's than to its Georgian origins. At the time of the conversion the carbuncular annexe was added to the back. It was due for demolition a few years ago, but the cost was prohibitive.
I have at various times looked for signs of the original Pipes Place interior, plus its Victorian/Edwardian alterations, without much success. there is wood panelling in the entrance lobby which has been painted over.
It could be:-

1. Georgian - unlikely
2. Victorian/Edwardian - possible
3. 1930's - probable
4. 1960's again unlikely

The picture above is taken through what was originally a door on the side of the building. Underneath the wrought ironwork are the supports for a couple of steps. Beyond the window some of the panelling can be seen by the stairs.
Unless the panelling is ever removed and we see what is behind it , we will never know.

I hoped that the cellar would provide an insight, but a mass of wiring, piping, and girder supports, plus its use as a storage area, has meant that it hasn't given away many clues. There are the remains of a large hearth, which is incorporated into the structure of the cellar, and therefore probably pretty old (maybe original) , and indicating that the cellar was used as staff quarters and kitchen. The area of the current cellar is much smaller than the house above it, and it is clear that parts have been blocked off. Who knows what is hidden behind the plasterboard walls that are there now.

Outside there are more signs of ages gone by, especially the alterations made by George Matthews Arnold. For more info on him look at the early posts on the history of the house. On the front wall at the level of the second floor is a large terracotta plaque showing flowers and the words "Pipes Place". The same flower design is also found on the gateposts which are definitely George Arnold's design as they have the family emblem of the lion on them. On the side of the building is a small engraved plaque bearing the inscription "GMA 4th July 1900" (below). This is on the rear flat roof extension he had built around that time, and the 4th July was his birthday. On the rear of the house next to what is now the entrance door and porch is another series of embellishment including a man's profile which I assume his George again.

At first glance one would imagine that the three storey main house was built first, and the two storey wing built as an addition. However when the folly at the front was being renovated one of the specialist builders told me it was in fact the other way round. What we now see as the main house was in fact built 20 to 30 years later in around 1760.

It is a shame that the original interiors are no longer visible. One can only imagine what they were like when Pipes Place was a family home through the 19th century and the 20th century up to 1960.

Drag and Drop

2011-08-30T17:22:00.010+01:00

There has been a dead tree in our parking area for as long as I can remember. During windy weather bits have come off of it, so my neighbour thought it was time to get rid of it before it fell down of its own accord. Rather than cut it down he thought he would pull it down with his car, and he did! Here is the video.

One of the events of note over the last week have been the arrival of about 30 sheep on the land adjoining us. They are Hebridean Sheep and are hardy and self sufficient. A picture of a few of them is shown here.

The other event was the visit of some Ring Knecked Parakeets. they have only landed in the tops of trees so far but I have put some peanuts out in the hope of tempting them down. I will be trying for some decent photographs of them and will add them here if I manage it.

The Birds and the Bees

2011-08-11T13:14:00.000+01:00

No! It's not what you were thinking. It's more literal than that. 10 days ago my neighbour introduced 15000 bees to the garden, having of course constructed a hive first.

There seems to be plenty of activity and bees can be seen coming in carrying pollen, mostly yellow as you can see from the picture above.

As there are plenty of woodpeckers here and they are liable to go after the bees in the hive by pecking through the wood (red cedar) a large cut out bird has been hung in a nearby tree to keep them away.

The six new hens are now here and after a short period of segregation are now in the run with the others. There was a fair amount of hostility towards them from the resident hens, but it is quietening down now. They are not mixing at the moment, but keeping their distance. However as we found out last year it doesn't take to long for them to be accepted.

The peafowl are still here and wander all over the place, from the front garden (above) to the back of the meadow by the pond. They also visit The Coach House and Smith's Farm, our immediate neighbours. We have contacted the owner, who lives about a mile away, but he isn't that bothered. They have escaped before and returned. It seems that this time they were upset by a fox taking their eggs and obviously started their exodus looking for a safer home.

....and finally, neither a bird nor a bee, but a Dragonfly. After a bit of research it has been positively identified as a female Migrant Hawker. There were a pair flitting round the meadow and eventually one landed on a stick and stayed there long enough for a few pictures to be taken

Proud as a Peacock

2011-07-31T10:19:00.002+01:00

Yesterday evening I happened to look out of my front window and noticed some people looking at the roof of a nearby house and pointing. I was curious of course. and when one of them produced a camera I couldn't contain myself any longer and went out for a look. On the roof were two peacocks, or to be more accurate a peacock and a peahen. They moved from to roof to roof before flying off. I took some pictures but as it was after sunset and with a long lens they were pretty rubbish. I had a wander to see where they had gone but to no avail. However as I came back I looked up at our roof, and could see a tail sticking out. They had roosted on one of our chimney stacks. When I looked out again at 7 this morning they were there on our lawn.

After a walk around pecking at weeds for a while they flew up onto the flat roof of our annexe. Fortunately this is overlooked by my bathroom window, and I was able to take photographs.

I then moved to another window where I put out some wild bird seed. While they were eating I got some close up shots. They were very tame and weren't bothered by me at all.

After a while a couple of my neighbours appeared and spotted them. However when Sam the dog came out, the pheasants retreated to the orchard. I followed them down there and they were quite happily strolling along the path.

They returned to the lawn had a look at the chickens and then ended up on the patio.

Eventually they returned to the annexe roof where they continued their preening.

How long they will stay is anyone's guess. They have obviously escaped from somewhere. Maybe they will take a liking to Pipes Place and settle here . It would be rather good!

It's Butterfly Time

2011-07-27T17:57:00.000+01:00

From time to time we get a dry and sunny day, not that often this summer, but just occasionally. When we do the butterflies come out. Where they hide on dull and rainy days I havn't worked out yet. This year we have much more Ragwort in the meadow, and as well as providing a home for the Cinnabar caterpillars it is very popular with this years butterflies. As you will see the bright yellow flowers appear in four of the pictures below. I have included two pictures of the Common Blue to show the upper and lower wing colouring.

Common Blue

The Small Copper below is a first for me. I had not noticed it in previous years. Of course as like many butterflies it is Black/Brown and Orange I have may have missed it among the Gatekeepers as it is about the same size.

Small Copper

Common Blue (showing underwing)

The Ringlet is another I hadn't recorded before, but I think I was confusing it with something else, so it it was probably there all along.

Ringlet

Large White

Speckled Wood

Meadow Brown

Gatekeeper

Comma

As you will see most of the regular visitors are here, and the Red Admirals are around but I havn't got a decent picture lately. All of the above shots were taken over the last week, so the meadow has been buzzing, and we still have the Cinnabars and Six Spot Burnets to come.I'm sure we will also get Peacocks, and if we are really lucky the Painted Ladies will join the Class of 2011.

The Signs of Summer

2011-07-11T09:11:00.000+01:00

Cosmos

After a very warm Spring I was eagerly anticipating Summer. However the weather had other ideas and June was WET! Oh dear! So July had to be better! Well, it has been a bit better, but rain showers are never far away. What this has meant of course is that everything has kept on growing, including the grass and the dreaded weeds. As our mower gave up the ghost at the beginning of the month I was a bit anxious. However after a bit of email negotiation our landlord came up trumps and agreed to me buying a new one, and now we are back to normal. The garden flowers have also benefited from the rain and the Cosmos pictured above is one of the flowers emerging at the moment.

Cinnabar Moth Caterpillars

Up in the meadow it had been fairly quiet, but an hour or so there yesterday revealed that things were starting to look good. The Cinnabar Moth caterpillars, a regular feature here in the past few years, have appeared on the Ragwort growing up there, so soon we should be buzzing with the Black and Red moths. We also get plenty of Six Spot Burnets , which are similar, and who like the Rose Bay Willow Herb, which is also in flower.

Rose Bay Willowherb

Also in the meadow the Soldier Beetles are starting to appear, and insect life in general is revving up and getting into gear.

Soldier Beetle

At last the butterflies are appearing in numbers. A couple of Red Admirals, a half a dozen Meadow Browns, and a Comma.

Comma Butterfly

.... and finally. In a tree, near the house, a young Green Woodpecker appeared and stayed to feed on a dead branch for about ten minutes. So the signs of Summer are certainly there. Lets hope the weather falls into line and that we have a hot and sunny August. My fingers are crossed!!

Green Woodpecker

A Robin's Day

2011-06-24T17:26:00.001+01:00

Today it seemed that wherever I went in the garden I was followed by this Robin. If you remember my post about identifying individual Robins, it is the one I called Rocket. As soon as I started the mower this morning he was there!( I'm fairly certain it's a "he") I know Gulls have learned to follow tractors ploughing, but this Robin has definitely learned to follow the lawn mower. Obviously as I mowed I was disturbing insects and grubs and the Robin was happily following me round picking up an easy meal.

When I stopped to empty the grass box it perched on the handle as if to say "Come on, don't stop, or I'll have to push it myself".

It did this on several occasions. It was almost as if it was determined to find out how the mower worked.

When I came out again after lunch it was still around and it's partner, called "One-Leg" was there as well. It hasn't actually got just one leg, but has at some time damaged one of it's feet. We noticed this about a month ago. When perching it stands on one leg while it's other leg is tucked up to it's body. However if it lands on soft soil or on a bag, it puts it's other foot down. I had been doing some weeding and disturbed an ant's nest. The ants went frantic of course, as they always do, and started moving the eggs to safety. However Robins obviously like ant's eggs and was soon picking them up. It didn't eat them but carried them off. I imagine it must have a nest nearby but I havn't spotted it yet. The area I was weeding was closer to the front garden and therefore was in another Robin's territory. The other Robin is the one that comes to my window sill that I named Square. It didn't take kindly to having it's territory invaded. At first it shouted from a Pear Tree and didn't come down probably as I was there. It is not so bold as Rocket. However it could contain it's anger no longer and flew down and they had a "face-off". They didn't come to blows but Rocket returned to it's own side of the garden. When the coast was clear he came back, but Square was ready this time and another face off ensued. Honour was done, and the territory successfully guarded.

Later while I was talking to my neighbour Lynne when she was working on her flower beds Rocket was around our feet all the time. He is unbelievably tame. The female (I assume) then arrived as well and sat on a post on one leg as usual. I was about to take a picture showing the one leg when she flew down and landed on the soil and hopped around on two legs. Then she hopped up onto a sack (pictured above) again on two legs, and turned after seeming to read the label saying "wear gloves" as if to say to it's partner "Where are my gloves?"

Robins seem to live quite an eventful life, and really take advantage of living alongside human beings. We have three territories on our 4 acre garden and all the Robins are pretty bold. If only some of the other birds were the same!

Too Much of a Good Thing

2011-06-18T10:52:00.001+01:00

It is said that you can't have too much of a good thing. Well, with the amount of rain we have had already this month, I imagine that most of us might not agree. It seems that this year someone scheduled April and June the wrong way round! All that warm Spring sunshine and we reach the summer and what happens .....It rains!
Drout, what Drout?

Singing in the Rain

As if to reinforce the point, in most years it is my failure to water the plants enough that results in some of them withering away. However this year I have managed to kill off the Fuschias in two of our four hanging baskets by over-watering. I din't notice that there was no hole in the liner and kept watering only to end up with waterlogged plants. However I am now replanting with Gerbera.

Very Scruffy Bluetit

Our young bird population is beginning to challenge Springwatch, eight young Bluetits and two young Great Tits plus young Blackcaps,Wrens, Starlings, Magpies, Jays, and Dunnocks have been spotted around the garden. Sadly no young Blackbirds so far, but as I have seen adult Blackbirds gathering nest material recently including pond weed, it looks like they are going to try again. The young foxes have disappeared now, so I assume they have joined their parents on the Night Shift.

Weren't the Springwatch foxes at Pitsea great! An old haunt of mine is right nest door to the landfill sight, Wat Tyler Country Park, now managed by the RSPB.

One of the consequences of the rain is that the Bluetits are going around with Punk hairstyles, particularly the one I call Mrs Scruffy pictured above. the young Bluetits are turning into regular little "bovver boys" and girls. they feed themselves now of course but the number of little fights that break out is surprising, sometimes with the young Great Tits joining in.

After seeing a bee box on Springwatch I decided to have a go. they suggested Bamboo or Japanese Knotweed and we have both growing here. I will use a bit of each and hang it on a South facing wall. Hopefully it will be used by some of the many wild bees we get at Pipes Place.

Foxes in the Grass

2011-06-02T11:19:00.006+01:00

Mystery Grass

At last the long awaited Fox cubs have arrived. They were first spotted in The Warren, which is immediately behind our garden. At first the cubs spent their day under a Cherry tree while Mum and Dad were probably sleeping off the nights hunting expedition. The cubs didn't stray far and were always looking around for their parents. After a few days they got more adventurous and started exploring further afield, and now are roaming about freely, usually on their own. From time to time they get back together, and judging by the squealing I imagine they are having a bit of a rough and tumble.

Adult Fox who had definitely spotted me.

Cub on the Move

Cub relaxing - but it still knew I was there!

Another new arrival, this time actually in the garden, was this Small Skipper butterfly seen on a Bramble flower.

Small Skipper on Bramble flower

At the pond there are both Large Red Damselflies and Common Blue Damselflies. One of each shown here taking the sun together.

Common Blue and Large Red Damselfly

The other morning this Green Woodpecker appeared on the lawn, a fairly common occurrence, but this time it came nearer and nearer until it was on a grassy bank very close to the house, obviously unaware that I was watching it from the window.

Green Woodpecker

A strange occurrence the other afternoon! I heard Magpies kicking up a bit of a racket, again not uncommon. As I approached I could see one Magpie with a second pinned to the ground, obviously involved in a fight. As I got near they flew up, and there weren't two but four magpies involved. I'm not sure what was going on, but it wasn't friendly.

Finally for the anoraks among us, I have been looking at the different kinds of grass in our meadow. As far as I can tell we have 8 different types, and I have identified 7. Flattened Meadow Grass, Wild-Oat, Smaller Cat's-tail, Red Fescue, Couch Grass , Cocks Foot, and Meadow Foxtail are the one's that I am pretty sure about.
The one at the top that I have captioned "Mystery Grass" is the one I cannot find in my book. It is extremely distinctive and should be easy to trace, but so far I've failed. If anyone knows, please tell me!

Postscript 8th June

I've now had second thoughts about this. Its not the ornamental grass after all. I'm pretty sure now that it is Yorkshire Fog. What confused me was that some of the "Yorkshire Fog" was growing through the ornamental grass and I thought it was the same plant. Confusing isn't it!

Baby Blue

2011-05-27T13:43:00.001+01:00

Just a brief post to show the pictures I have taken of a young bluetit being fed on the window sill. It was being fed by both parents, so presumably the only survivor of the brood. It goes without saying that it was being well fed.

Louder than Words

2011-05-25T09:30:00.000+01:00

Pipes Place Poppy

It is said that pictures speak louder than words, so in this post it will be mainly pictures with a few captions just to help us on our way. They were all taken here at Pipes Place.

Giant Pond Snail

Not so giant Pond Snail

Common Blue Damselfly - Female

Punky Pigeon

First of the New Generation - Young Starling

Young Squirrel

Large Red Damselfly Silhouette

Ox Eye Daisies

Lupins

Bumble Bee Pollinnating the Rhododendrons

Nesting Time

It is certainly all happening at the moment. I'm looking forward to lots more young birds, more Dragonflies and Damselflies, and maybe, just maybe, Fox Cubs!

Garden Newsletter

2011-05-10T11:38:00.004+01:00

For the last two years or so I have been publishing a Garden Newsletter for the residents of Pipes Place. There are only 11 of us but maybe some of our visitors read it as well and I also email a copy to our landlords Orione Care at Hampton Wick.. Anyway a pretty small readership! At the moment there is quite a lot going on here ,so I thought I would paraphrase the latest Garden Newsletter here just to give you a flavour of the place. It's fairly parochial but no less interesting all the same.

When I came to Pipes Place 14 years ago the garden was nice enough, neat and tidy, but a little dull. The landlords employed a gardener at that time who kept the lawns cut and grew vegetables that went to the residential homes that were run by Orione Care, then known as The Sons of Divine Providence. In recent years the garden has been cared for by the residents, well some of us anyway, and has developed a bit more character, with features like the pond, the hens and more and more flower beds, especially those tended by Lynne Taylor. The meadow which used to be just mown grass is developing into a little bit of the countryside right here in our garden.

The latest proposal, from Lewis Chapman who keeps the hens, is for a couple of beehives on the meadow. At the moment this is being considered by the other tenants, although I havn't heard anyone who doesn't like the idea. I think it is an excellent suggestion and will add further to the ever developing diversity and interest in the garden. In actual fact for the period up to 12 months ago there was always a beehive on the land immediately adjoining our garden, so in a way this this idea is a continuance of a long standing tradition here.

There have been pieces of good news this week. The obvious one is the return of some welcome rain.The garden had getting very dry recently and the newly planted climbers and hanging baskets will benefit greatly. the second less obvious one is the appearance at the pond of Large Red Damselflies. There were a dozen at one time flying round in linked pairs and from time to time landing for the females to lay eggs into the water. Hoepfuuly this is just the start of the Dragonfly and Damselfly season. There is also a splash of colour around the pond now as the Rhododendrons, pink, mauve,and red are in flower, and close by the yellow Azaleas are also looking and smelling good. The Honesty plant which is the only result of some wild flower seeds planted last year is also looking good and has been attracting some Orange Tip butterflies. It is remarkable to think that the pond water only went in on the 11th May last year, as it is looking so well established now.

Female Orange Tip (hence no orange markings)

There has also been some serious hard work done recently. The box hedges are in the process of being trimmed, and we have a lot of them, and the patio area has had a thorough tidy up.

This is just a taster of life in the Pipes Place garden, but is pretty typical. There is a lot of work put in,and a lot of pleasure taken out!

Rochester Sweeps Festival 2011

2011-05-02T08:48:00.002+01:00

Medway’s annual Sweeps Festival recreates the joy and laughter enjoyed by the chimney sweeps at their traditional holiday: the one time of the year the sweeps could leave the soot behind and have some fun. The sweeps’ holiday was traditionally held on 1 May each year. Locally, they used to mark the occasion by staging a procession through the streets of Rochester. This post will be mainly pictures, with a short video at the end of a very entertaining afternoon at the Rochester Sweeps Festival mainly in the Rochester High Street and Boley Hill.

Maenad - The wild Women of Lenham, Kent

Slubbing Billy's from Huddersfield

Black Pig Border Morris from Bakewell

Minster Mayhem and Maypole Morris

It's not all about about the dancers. The musicians are entertaining too!

....and there are many interesting characters!

...even though some are a bit scary!

And where would be without some smoky burgers and a funfair!

...and if you've got this far you deserve a bit of fun.

Enjoy the little video below!

I was very pleased to be contacted by Gillian from Black Pig Border Morris asking me to email her copies of the pictures of their appearance at Rochester,which I was more than happy to do. They may be published on their website.

Wallasea Island

2011-04-24T09:55:00.002+01:00

Yesterday, Easter Saturday, I went to Canewdon in Essex to visit my daughter. A rare foray out of Kent for me, it's almost like going abroad! :). During the afternoon we went for a walk around the nearby Wallasea Island on the River Crouch and enjoyed the warm sunny weather, although it's amazing that as soon as you get on the sea wall the easterly breeze across the water,coming from the North sea,is quite cool. I actually found it quite refreshing after the heat of the last few days.

We started from the Riverside Village Caravan Park, a very pleasant site incorporating trees, open grassy areas and a fishing lake. We headed up to the sea wall, and the first things that came into sight were the cottages pictured above across the the River Crouch at Creeksea.

We walked along the sea wall heading for the Essex Marina, but first we came across the mv Celtic Venture moored by the Baltic Wharf, which had recently arrived from Waterford in Ireland.

Then to the marina itself full of gleaming white pleasure craft, and as it was Easter weekend plenty of people messing about in boats. The small ferry "Lady Essex II" connects this marina with the bustling sailing centre at Burnham on Crouch on the far shore. In the next shot you can just make out the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club building, constructed in 1930.

Essex marina is the home of www.essexboatyards.com the UK's number one boat sales operation, who are open 7 days a week with helpful staff available to offer help and advice on any number of boat related questions you may have, they have a display of new Fairlines, Arvors, Glastrons and Four wins sports cruisers as well as used boats such as Sealine Princess sea ray bayliner to name but a few. (That 's the advertising blurb anyway)

After a wander past the boatyard looking at the prices on the boats for sale, we headed out to the country lane that would lead us back to our starting point. Along the way we noticed that the hedge rows were full of silken cocoon like structures containing caterpillars. I managed to take some close up pictures to enable me to identify them later.

They were the caterpillars of the Brown Tail Moth, and I'm glad I didn't touch any as they are very hairy and these hairs contain an extreme irritant that can cause a severe rash.

As we re-entered the Riverside Village we saw a yellow wagtail, and walking by the lake where people were fishing, a young girl landed a Ghost Koi weighing 4-5 lbs. this is not a natural species in the UK, so obviously the lake has been stocked with Carp. After we had admired it it was returned safely to the water.

Wallasea Island is the site for a new RSPB project, Wallasea Island Wild Coast which is a landmark conservation and engineering scheme for the 21st century, on a scale never before attempted in the UK and the largest of its type in Europe. To read more about it follow this link.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/w/wallaseaisland/about.aspx

A most varied and enjoyable walk on a lovely day!

Easter Heatwave

2011-04-23T09:44:00.002+01:00

It's easter weekend and the weather is Warm and Sunny.Can it be true! Nice weather at Bank Holiday times just doesn't happen! The predominant sound in the garden yesterday was mowers,strimmers and other mechanical garden devices. Not to be outdone I spent a lot of the day mowing and if I say so myself the garden is looking pretty good.

Bergenia

Despite the warm weather most of the new plants I have put in recently are surviving. I wasn't expecting to be watering every day at this time of year. I have lost a couple of Morning Glory's, although my neighbour Lynne had a couple of them and hers are doing OK. So it it must be me! All the other climbers are doing well,Clematis and Honeysuckle, as are the Bizzie Lizzies and Fuchsias.

I have constructed a very small bog garden near the pond and put in 5 Flag Irises.This is something of an experiment for me, but I have done everything that the web has told me,and hopefully it will work out. If it is successful I will enlarge it. Talking of the pond, it is slowly coming back to life. the pond skaters are still there and I have now seen three pond snails that have emerged from the depths. The reeds and bullrushes are growing quite quickly now, and I have my fingers crossed that the Dragonflies that were so abundant last year will return soon.

After the winter winds pretty much deconstructed my temporary hide, I have rebuilt a bigger and better one overlooking The Warren, an area of about 11 acres behind our garden consisting of trees, shrubs and grass, which is home to many of the birds and animals that visit our garden. I am particularly keen to get a view of fox cubs which have been there in previous years. So far I have only seen the pair of adults, but I am optimistic.

The lilac bushes are staring to flower now, but they are not so prolific as in previous years. However there is one fairly new bush emerging from the undergrowth, that seems to be flowering well.

Bird activity is rising to a peak,with courtship and nest building going on all round the garden. It won't be long before the first chicks start appearing. The Bluetits below often come to my window sill together and pass food as part of their bonding behaviour, and the jay is now a regular visitor and likes to sit on top of The Folly.

.....and finally! It is said that we learn from our mistakes. While adding water to my bog garden I decided that the pond could be topped up a bit more. As it is about 100 metres from the tap I have to connect two hosepipes to get water up to the pond which is on slightly higher ground. After filling the pond I separated the two pipes but left the one nearer to the pond in place. A bit of water ran out of the pipe but I thought it was just the water in the pipe itself. The next morning I was alarmed to find that the water level in the pond had gone down by 2 inches!! I thought I had a leak! However all that happened was that I had left the hose in the pond about 5 centimetres below the surface. Overnight it had syphoned water back down the slope and deposited it on the grass. Lesson to be learned don't leave the pipe in the pond!!

Not so much Pipes Place, but place pipe!

A New View for Blogger

2011-04-11T11:15:00.007+01:00

http://brianfulleratpipesplace.blogspot.com/view

Blogger has introduced a new way to view blogs. If you access http://brianfulleratpipesplace.blogspot.com/view you will find 5 new ways to view this blog including mosaic, flipcard,and snapshot.Give it a try.If you prefer the conventional way then continue as before.The link is above! Try it!

Once you're there click the blue sign that says "Sidebar" and you will see the 5 options.

Cushty

2011-04-08T23:02:00.004+01:00

Recently my neighbour Vince Ward has taken delivery of a Reliant 3 wheel van painted and kitted out to replicate the van used by Del Boy in the classic TV series Only Fools and Horse.

Here he is, complete with sheepskin coat, flat cap and suitcase, ready to make a swift exit if the "Old Bill" show up. The car has all the relevant signage on it, and contains furry dice, faux leopardskin seat covers, and the blow up doll in the back.

Vince's hobby is collecting film and TV memorabilia. He has the "Midwife on Emergency" sign on the dashboard, plus the "Tax in Post" sign on the windscreen. Of course the vehicle is really taxed, just in case you were wondering.

All the pictures were taken here at Pipes Place. If you are in the area of North Kent and you are interested in hiring the van along with the "Del Boy" driver, Vince would be happy to hear from you on 07500 339112.

You know it makes sense!

He asked me to take some publicity shots for a flyer to go in local newsagents windows, and here it is!

The Finished Product

Bloomin' Luvverly! Again

2011-04-08T11:44:00.002+01:00

I may have used this title before, but as it is so apt I had use it again. Everything is bursting into life, flowers, blossom on the trees and shrubs, everything is looking great. It is an annual sign that spring has arrived when our Magnolia tree comes into bloom, it's a great sight.

On a much smaller scale, but no less beautiful for that, is this blossom on a Quince.

The wildflowers are starting to show now, and this Honesty was being visited by some sort of bee. I tried to identify it , but couldn't.

The birds are very active. Amid a sudden burst of small birds shooting in all directions, a Sparrowhawk landed in a Holly bush outside my window. I reached for the camera but it was gone as quickly as it came. There has been a jay visiting the front garden on a regular basis lately, and rather than the screeching and nervousness that I have come to expect, this one just sits and chirrups!

Near the pond the Blackcaps have returned. This female (with a brown cap of course) spent a lot of time there, including taking a bath. Unfortunately from my position in the hide I could see the splashing, but couldn't see the bird for the plants in the way. However I did get some other shots.

In the pond the Pondskaters are increasing by the day, and are getting harder to count. I think there are 24, or 25 or maybe 26!

The ladybirds are out and about, and the warm weather has brought out the butterflies. Comma, Peacock,Brimstone and Small White were all on the wing over the meadow.

The definitive sign of spring is the Swallow, and I saw a couple wheeling overhead yesterday.

So I will stop saying it's almost Spring, and start saying it's almost Summer!

Something in the Air

2011-03-28T11:13:00.003+01:00

As is often the case with me, when I headed off in the car on Sunday afternoon, I didn't really know where I was going. Just out with my camera! A mystery tour! I knew roughly that I was going past Maidstone and out into the Weald of Kent. I was heading for the Tenterden, Biddenden, and Headcorn area. It was only as I went through the little town of Headcorn that I remembered that there was an aerodrome nearby. I suddenly saw it and there was a little, brightly coloured, plane at the end of the runway, waiting to take off. I could see that there were plenty of cars in the car park and thought that it must be interesting. I was right!

1973 Avions Mudry And Cie CAP 10B C/N 039

The signs said there was a canteen, a museum, and a parachute club. So plenty to keep me amused. There were small planes taking off at regular intervals, so I started taking pictures.

After a while I decided to have a wander round, and to visit the Lashenden Air Warfare Museum that is part of the aerodrome. Headcorn although only a grass runway was used in 1943/4 as a WWII airfield. The museum reflects this, and the inside displays are mainly parts of WWII aircraft that have been recovered. A lot of them were from German aircraft, but there were complete engines from British planes. There were a couple of planes outside including the one below.

Dassault Mystere IVA84

By this time the parachute club were ready to go, and seemed to be taking up club members who were jumping solo, and visitors doing tandem jumps. I was sitting in the canteen having a coffee, and I could hear a chap on the next table telling his friends how much he enjoyed his earlier jump.

Cessna 208 Caravan I, belonging to Headcorn Parachute Club taxi-ing out to pick up jumpers.

Pretty soon the jump plane pictured above was taxiing down to the end of the runway, followed by a van full of eagar jumpers. The guy in the picture is an instructor, not one of the jumpers getting ready to make a very short jump!

The jump plane was quickly in the air, and circled the aerodrome gradually gaining height. It was a hazy day and by the time it was at jump height it was just a misty speck, way above my head. The first thing that got my attention was a sudden noise that sounded almost like a jet engine. The first part of the jump is freefall, and then as the chute opens there is a sudden rush of air though it. That was what I had heard. I looked up and spotted a parachute high in the sky, then another, and another. Suddenly the air seemed full of chutes weaving to and fro, and gradually getting closer. When they were at a reasonable height I started taking pictures.

The plane did a second circuit and then another group emerged. Then the plane came down rather more quickly than it went up. Actually it landed before the last jumper. Everyone was safely down in a nearby field, and the van went out to bring them back to the aerodrome. It must be an exhilarating experience, although it would not suit me, I don't have a great head for heights.

There was a short lull in procedings, so I wandered to the fence and had a look at the sheep that seem to surround Headcorn Aerodrome. Being Spring there were plenty of young lambs.

The aerial action soon got going again. The jump plane went up again, and some more small planes took off. The little red and yellow plane that I had first seen (pictured at the top) went up and did a series of aerobatic manouvres, rolling, looping the loop, twisting and turning, it was very entertaining.

The final two planes I watched were this Robin DR400

and the "piéce de resistance" a Tiger Moth.

The unusual registration number T-7842 is in fact Portuguese.

It was an excellent afternoon out.

The aerodrome is open to the public each Sunday and on Bank Holidays.

It is well worth a visit!

There was one other thing that made me enjoy it all the more.

IT'S FREE!

Daffodil Time

2011-03-25T10:30:00.002Z

Once a fortnight I write a garden newsletter for the residents here at Pipes Place. I have just completed the latest edition, which mainly featured daffodils, although I expect some of them are narcissii. In the newsletter I featured pictures of five different types. Then I realised that I had photographed 6, "Doh!". On looking out of my front window it occurred to me that I had forgotten about the front garden, and I immediately spotted two more. That makes eight. then I remembered that there was one tiny one yet to flower, so nine then. I think I will have to do a recount. who knows how many different species we have. Here are some of them anyway. I don't know all their names of course, only one or two that I have planted recently.

This one is a miniature, and I think it's called Minnow.

This one I do know, another miniature called Téte a Téte

This one grows almost wild here. It's a double but I don't know the name.

Another old favourite, it's been here many years

It is really a delight here in the spring, especially as many of the flowers grow wild. as well as Daffodils we have Primroses, Bluebells (still to come), Snowdrops (now finished , of course), Crocuses, Celandines, Honesty (in the Summer) plus many more.

Marsh Meanderings

2011-03-23T10:29:00.002Z

OK I'm breaking my own rules again, by including a little trip out. But hey what the heck!

Yesterday I went for a wander on the marshes down by the hamlet of Church End near Lower Higham. I hadn't realised just how much rain we had had recently and in places it was very, very wet. I crossed the railway track to the west of the hamlet and headed out past the barrow. Well I say "barrow", but I spoke to an archaeologist once and he shattered my illusions that it might be a neolithic burial mound, and told me that it was an old salt working. A slow walk brought me to the river and the sun was shining.Two ships crossed right in front of me.One was the P&O Norking heading up river, the other the MV Daniel heading for the sea.

MV Daniel

Out on the sea wall it was pleasantly warm, and there wereplenty of birds enjoying the calm conditions on the river.Ducks,Geese,Oyster Catchers, and I did see a solitary Reed Bunting. The other feature of the sea wall was the number of horses roaming there.They seemed to be in groups of 7 or 8, and in total I must have seen about 40. Most were eating grass, but one or two seemed to be munching on bushes. I couldn't get very close to the majority of them as they moved away as I approached, but eventually I came across one group that seemed a bit more tame and I moved quietly up to them and took some pictures and they mainly ignored me.There was one young one that came very close, although not quite close enough for me to give it a pat.It was a nice moment just standing among a group of horses watching them moving slowly around me.

Another footpath that headed back to Church End was nearby, but one of the disadvantages of horses on the marsh when it is wet is that they churn up the paths with their hooves. The path I had taken was positively glutinous in places and I was only wearing normal shoes. I backtracked slightly and took a different path that I new led to the same place.

They say it's an ill wind that blows no-one any good, and I ended up at the edge of one of the gravel pits that contains a derelict crane.I have photographed it before, but with the sun dipping in the west a different shot was possible. I am currently trying to find out, through the Kent History Forum, when it was last used and something of the history of these pits.

The final leg of my journey was across the meadow and over the railway line again. As I approached the gate by the crossing a goods train came, groaning and creaking, slowly by, and then with a sqeek of its brakes stopped at a red light just up the track. The crossing was now blocked temporarily, so never one to miss an opportunity, the camera came out again.The wagons in front of me seemed to be container wagons, without the containers. There is a picture below.

I had just one more stile to go, and it was one that I wasn't looking forward to. I had climbed over it many times before and it always seemed the highest and the most awkward, especially at the end of a long walk. It's probably just me but stiles in general seem to be getting higher these days. Imagine my joy when I found that the stile had been replaced by a new galvanized gate. Brilliant! At this point I was rejoining the road between the church and a new barn conversion. I was greeted by a German Shepherd dog that came bounding out of the gate barking as it went. I could see that it was friendly and I made a bit of a fuss of it, which it seemed to enjoy. A lot of dogs may seem aggressive at first especially when barking, but usually they just want a bit of attention.

I made my way back to the car past the row of cottages,several of which were thatched, and rather liked the look of this one "Clerk's Cottage".

I had enjoyed my walk in the fine Spring weather, even though I ended up with sore feet. As a result I have just ordered a pair of Karrimor walking boots, so now I am equipped for all weathers and walking surfaces.

Next time "Across the Andes by Frog"! (If you remember Ripping Yarns you will know what I mean)

What's wrong with this picture?

2011-03-16T13:02:00.002Z

I have been experimenting with Serif Photoplus X4, and trying to combine two images. Although I could do it in their tutorial I hadn't been able to merge two of my own pictures. The instructions and resource guide that came with it didn't seem to explain it adequately and my trial and error method wasn't paying off. I then tried Googling and found a forum where someone was asking the same question. When you know the answer it's obvious! Simply drag and drop from "My Pictures" on to a new image blank (it only works with jpeg, not RAW) and then do the same with the next one. Make the necessary adjustments, like cut outs,converting to Black and White (optional) and a bit of touching up.et voila!

The tower in the picture above is actually part of Cooling Castle about 5 miles away from the meadow at Cliffe in which I have place it.

The gorse bush in the foreground of this picture is actually on the common at the top of the hill at Shorne, but the horses are a mare and foal I photographed last summer at Smith's Farm , next door to Pipes Place.

I know these have nothing to do directly with Pipes Place, but I was so pleased that I had worked out how to do this properly after a long frustrating period of confusion, I just had to blog it!

Ghost in the Mist

Back to Work

2011-03-12T09:36:00.000Z

All of a sudden it's Spring, and all those jobs around the garden that I have been mulling over actually need doing. My bad back has finally gone away and I've started on the things that have been waiting for so long.
The mower started quite easily and the small back and front lawns have been mown. I have read that on the first cut you leave the cuttings on the ground. Which means that I don't have to keep emptying the grass box. I always think that this is the worst part of mowing.

I am not alone in being busy. My neighbor Lewis has planted strawberries in bags, and erected a new plastic greenhouse. Unfortunately we had a windy day and it kept blowing over and is now temporarily "hors de combat", but I expect it will be back up soon.

Apart from mowing I've been weeding and tidying in the flower beds, cutting back the dead stuff, and clearing the way for the spring flowers that are starting to appear. The daffodils are looking good, and the hyacinths are starting to open.

Sometimes it is funny how things come together. My neighbor Lynne had been clearing an awkward patch between the car park and the house, which is pretty gravelly and had never really looked good. She had cleared the weeds which never have any trouble growing there, and it looked nice and neat and tidy. At the same time I had an email from the mail order company Thompson and Morgan advertising there "Lucky Dip" offer. At certain times of year they sell off what they have remaining at heavily discounted prices, but you don't know what you'll get. I ordered two lots, and expected that they would be miscellaneous bedding plants. I was pleasantly surprised when I received climbers, Morning Glory and Flame Flower. The only problem was I hadn't planned for climbers and didn't know where to put them.
I asked Lynne if she could use any of them and of course she could. So three of them are now planted against the house, along with replanted Clematis and Honeysuckle that we already had. The other three climbers are now next to an old pear tree in the main garden. I had two poles from a previous abandoned project, so I bought some garden wire and made a frame for them to climb. Job done!

The final job that needed doing was to clear up the detritus that had accumulated in various parts of the garden over the winter. Between Lynne and myself, we cleared most of what was lying around. It's amazing what you find when you look around.Bits of wood and metal, old compost sacks, my camouflage sheets from my temporary bird hide,etc etc.

The new hedge that was planted in the Autumn is now starting to shoot after looking pretty dead all the winter, and the pond which also looked pretty lifeless has revealed that there is something stirring in there after all. While raking out some more dead leaves,I came across three different types of aquatic insect. I probably woke them from their hibernation, but I'm sure they were grateful for their early alarm call!

Identifying Robins

2011-03-07T13:16:00.002Z

Since I have been feeding the birds on my window sill I have been getting some very close views, especially of the Robins, who linger a bit longer. I started to realize that there were at least 3 robins, and started to look at them more closely for identifying marks, so I could tell one from the other. I the went on to photograph them and realized that there are at least 5 different birds. On the Robin's chest where the buff inverted V meets the Russet Red, there are distinct shapes. I have now named the individual Robins so I will remember which are which.

Rocket and Square

These first 2 I call Rocket and Square, the top one Rocket has a longish narrow mark that reminded me of a rocket taking off, the bottom one Square, on close inspection isn't really "Square" at all, but when I saw it thats what the little block sticking straight up looked like from a distance, so the name stuck.

The next two are a bit more obvious once you look. The top one Matterhorn, reminded me of a mountain leaning slightly left with snow blowing from the summit. The bottom one , Scottie, looks like the silhouette of a Scottie dog, with the upright tale to the left, and the head to the left. Yes I know my imagination has run a bit rife, but I had to call them something.

There is one other that visits that I havn't got a picture of yet. Actually it was the first one I noticed. It looks like Matterhorn, but leans to the right, and I named it Wave, as it looked like a breaking wave. There maybe one other, but I am not sure. It would make sense as that would be 3 pairs. Some of them do appear together, but I havn't yet worked out who is with who.

I'll be interested to see which if any build nests, and whether they successfully rear young.

Watch this space!

Signs

2011-02-24T18:06:00.001Z

If you look hard enough you can find more signs of Spring.

Breakthrough

Witch Hazel

Forsythia

Another Rainy Day

2011-02-20T14:36:00.003Z

Yes, another rainy day, so trips round the garden with the camera are pretty futile at the moment. However, not to be outdone by the weather, I have started taking pictures of the birds on the window sill again. The trouble is that most of them fly off when I move, so using the camera is difficult. What I needed was an indoor hide. I found an old curtain and hung it from a frame and cut a hole in it for the camera lens and sat behind it. There was just enough space around the camera for me to see through. After a series of shots either just missing birds or of out of focus birds, I tried various settings and eventually started to get some decent shots. The Great Tit was the most difficult as it was extremely nervous and flew off at the slightest thing.

On the first day of trying I found the Bluetits most obliging and this male blackbird was a pretty good sitter. There are two females that come, but if he sees them he chases them off.

The second day provided a couple of shots of the regular Song Thrush and eventually the Great Tit, seen here with an accompanying Blue Tit.

These Sultanas are MINE!

You can't choose your friends on a rainy day

I have kept the best until last. Well, I think it is the best anyway. Hope you like it!

Four Churches on Romney Marsh

2011-02-15T13:32:00.001Z

My most recent "Little Expedition" was to Romney Marsh, and the full details are on my VideoJug Pages site. The link is below

http://pages.videojug.com/pages/18624-Four-Churches-on-Romney-Marsh

St Clements Church, Old Romney

Just to give you an idea here are a couple of the photographs, which also appear on my Flickr Photostream seen on the right.

St Thomas á Becket, Fairfield

Chicken Little

2011-02-07T14:46:00.002Z

I feel a bit like the cartoon character Chicken Little who runs around shouting "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!". I seem to be continually saying "Spring is coming, Spring is coming!". The only difference is eventually I will be right. Once again I have searched the garden looking for signs of new life, and at last I can say "there is life out there".

Snowdrops that are usually plentiful in January have now appeared. Obviously the cold snowy December weather held them snug in their beds until the weather was better.Now they have the tossed aside their duvets and popped their faces out into the daylight. The potted plants that I planted in the Autumn, are starting to stir from their slumbers. The pansies are the most awake and flowering in several pots, and there are even one or two Primulas who are like teenagers reluctantly emerging from their beds after a night out. The daffodils are showing green shoots now and even they will be blooming soon.

So I can confidently say "Spring is Coming!"

Some time ago, early 2010 I think, a visiting delivery truck managed to dislodge and break several bricks from one of our gate pillars. No big deal you might think, but the lion mounted pillars along with the front wall are Grade II listed, so it's not that simple. It has to be referred to the local Conservation Officer, and then the replacement bricks have to be specially made before they can be put in place. All this has now happened and today the pillar was repaired. The picture below shows the work in progress.

Finally a Pipes Place first for me on the bird front. On the Niger Seed feeder along with the regular Goldfinches was a Siskin. I got quite excited! However I am easily pleased.

There is more to Penshurst

2011-02-02T11:50:00.001Z

I had to visit Southborough near Tunbridge Wells yesterday to collect a repaired lens. On a previous trip to Lullingstone I had set up my tripod ready for a shot on a footpath. As I was setting up I noticed someone approaching so I moved the camera and tripod to one side. the fatal mistake I made was letting go. The ground wasn't quite level or a gust of wing caught it, I don't really know, but the next thing it was tipping lens first earthwards. The lens took the full force and obviously was now well and truly broken. The rattling from inside was a giveaway. Fortunately it was insured, and was repairable.

After collecting it I thought I'd spend the rest of the afternoon taking some pictures and Penshurst wasn't far away. Although it was a grey drizzly day I thought I couldn't pass the opportunity by.

The full story is my VideoJug Page "There's more to Penshurst", but just to give you a flavour here are a couple of pictures taken through the repaired lens.

Here's the link

http://pages.videojug.com/pages/18318-There-s-more-to-Penshurst

Industry on the Marsh

2011-01-10T13:36:00.001Z

The latest in my series "Little Expeditions" is now on videojug pages.

Here's the link.

http://pages.videojug.com/pages/17681-Industry-on-the-Marsh

To give you a flavour here are a couple of pictures

The Wreck of the Hans Egede

Railway Wagons at the Brett Plant,Cliffe

January Blues

2011-01-07T11:24:00.002Z

After the excitement of Christmas and the New Year we seem to have run into the January Blues, or should it be Greys. In the words of the song "The weather outside is frightful", dull, grey, and wet. I'd rather have the cold and snow of December. However things are'nt all bad, in fact there are signs of new life. I noticed a little bit of blossom on one shrub and the Hazels have small catkins on, so as another song says "Things can only get better".

The garden is looking a bit flat, metaphorically and literally. The weight of the snow that laid over everything for so long has flattened everything to the ground. However the wild birds are out and about with a vengeance now and they can feed more naturally rather than depend on what I am putting out for them. There is a female pheasant in the garden most of the time, plus a large number of Blackbirds and Magpies feeding on the lawn.

I am continuing with feeding the birds on the window sill and they have taken to it very well so I will keep this up. I get really good views of a Song Thrush, Robin, Blue Tits and Great Tits. The Thrush is pictured below.

I know that this isn't really riveting stuff, and if you are still reading I admire your patience. Just to add a bit of variety I will tell you a little of my first foray of the New Year. On Wednesday I went to The Knole at Sevenoaks. When I left home the sun was out , but by the time I got there it had reverted to the usual gloom. I was looking for the Fallow Deer that live in the park there. No problem spotting them, but getting close wasn't so easy. A long lens was essential and with the poor light and the fact that the deer were under trees getting a good shot was really difficult. The best of my efforts are shown below and the black and white treatment got the most out of them.

I will certainly go back when the weather and the light is better. While I was there I was puzzled by a group of birds high in the trees that were making a lot of noise. Certainly not Magpies or Pigeons, or Crows, but I couldn't see them very well. When one broke cover it had a long tail and was still squawking. I did a bit of mental head scratching, before I realised what they were. You may be ahead of me! Yes of course Ring Knecked Parakeets! They are becoming more and more common inside the M25, and obviously now they are spreading out further. Definitely something to look for again when I return.

As the forecast for the weekend is much brighter I am hoping to get out and about again. Happy New Year everyone, Spring is just around the corner!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2010-12-20T09:45:00.003Z

Just as one lot of snow melts away, another lot comes along. Déja vu all over again. This time it looks like sticking around until Christmas, and today the Sun is out and it looks very pretty. The number of fox tracks this morning is incredible, zig-zagging all over the garden. I am hoping for a day time view with the weather being so cold. I begin to worry about the wildlife in weather like this, but I suppose they are better equipped for it than we are.

This picture was taken a week or so ago when we had the melting snow from the first deluge. It's entitle Red Sky at Night, Shepherd Roasting Chestnuts!

At this time of year, with the weather we are having, I have to give a grateful nod to the people that have to be out and about on the roads serving us, like the binmen above, and the postman and the other delivery drivers who battle through to bring us all those online orders that make our Christmas shopping so much easier. Thanks Guys!

Finally I would like to wish a very happy Christmas to everyone who is reading this or who has read my blogs throughout the past year. I hope you have had as much pleasure reading them as I have writing them., and bearing in mind the snowy icy roads of the UK at the moment, and to quote from Hill Street Blues ,"Be Careful Out There!"

Merry Christmas!

Does it feel like Christmas?

2010-12-09T12:48:00.002Z

Most years about this time the thing you seem to hear is people saying "It doesn't feel very Christmassy yet, does it". Usually its because the weather is still quite mild, and it doesn't seem five minutes ago that it was the summer.
But this year is different! With the "unseasonal seasonal weather" and the cold temperatures it certainly feels like Winter. I've just been for a "crunch" round the garden. There is something strangely satisfying about crunching through frozen snow, and today it is really crunchy! The water butts and pond have thick ice on them, and with the covering of snow even the untidy parts of the garden look good. All the brambles and weeds are pressed flat by the snow and the birds are hopping around on the snow quite happily. When it first fell they were reluctant to land on it, but all caution has now gone. The feeders and birdtables are all 'snow free' so feeding isn't a problem, but I'm still putting out extra, at the moment. I was pleased to see the Redwings are still around although the Holly bush near the house has been almost stripped bare of berries by the Wood Pigeons. There is one young Wood Pigeon hanging around, which I was curious about as it's so late in the year, and after consulting the Bird Forum website I discovered that Wood Pigeons can breed in any month of the year, not just the Spring and Summer like most birds. So this will account for it. I hope it is equipped to survive a cold winter. It can be identified as young as it hasn't yet acquired the white flashes on the sides of its neck.

Young Woody

Oh, and the answer to that question, 'Yes, it certainly feels Christmassy to me!'

A New Blog

2010-12-07T15:35:00.002Z

St Katherines Chapel

Although I may have included some details herein the Pipes Place history, I don't think I have done justice to St Katherines Chapel in Shorne. It was at various times part of the Pipes Place estate. I have been lent a copy of the definitive history ,written in 1988 by local historian Anne Vince. It was Anne's work that I used as the core of the Pipes Place history. I have searched with Google and cannot find a detailed history Of St Katherines Chapel on the internet, so I thought this a good time to put the record straight. I will add one or two of my pictures, but apart from that it will be all Anne Vince's work. Here is the link to the new blog

http://stkatherineschapel.blogspot.com/

This blog will of course continue as normal

Pipes Place Trans-Arctic Expedition

2010-12-03T13:28:00.002Z

The Coach House

OK, so the title is a bit over the top, it was really a walk round the garden, but it felt like a Trans-Arctic Expedition. There was snow up to 18 inches deep in places. If you live in Canada , Finland or even Scotland this may not seem much, but for North Kent it is positively Alpine. The picture above is the Coach House which is part of the Pipes Place Complex. I had cleared some of the snow away from the Pipes Place main building (seen on the left of the picture) round to the door to my wing of the building so the first bit was easy going. As the supply of huskies and sledges is a bit thin on the ground here I had to make my journey on foot. The further I got from the front door the deeper the snow seemed to be.

I uncovered the wild bird food that I put out yesterday, which had disappeared under the snow. Now that it has stopped snowing it should be available to the birds for the rest of the day. I headed up to the meadow which was covered in undisturbed snow, so it was a bit of a trudge. The picture below shows the pond. I was a bit concerned at first as the water level looked so low. Then I realised it was only as the surrounds were 18 inches higher than normal with the snow on top, and much of the ice on the pond had disappeared under it.

The bird hide was almost hidden and the branches of the surrounding trees were drooping right down with the weight of the snow. I ducked my way though until the inevitable happened and I knocked a branch and got a shower of snow down the back of my neck.

I continued my trek and headed round to the hens. I expected them to be huddled in their house but most of them were out and about, and seemed totally unconcerned by the snow and the freezing temperature.

When I got back into the warmth of my flat I was pleased to see 4 Redwings in the Holly bush, the first that I have seen this winter.I had put some food on the window sill and Bluetits and Great Tits have been coming regularly for it. The final surprise was a ring on my door bell. Bruce the maintenance man who looks after Pipes Place as part of his business had called in his 4X4 and brought bread and milk for any one that wanted it. As I hadn't taken my car out since Monday and was starting to run a bit low I was more than grateful. What a great chap he is, it just shows how we pull together in times of difficulty.

November Snow

2010-12-01T12:49:00.003Z

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member--
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,
November!

This is the last verse of Thomas Hood's poem "November". I don't think the last couple of days were exactly what he had in mind. There was definitely "no warmth", and certainly "no shine" , there were of course"no butterflies" and "no bees".
However there were a few birds yesterday but they seem to have given up and hidden away somewhere. The small birds should be OK, as the hanging feeders are still accessible but the larger birds, Wood Pigeons, Jays,Magpies and Collared Doves are having a problem. All the bird tables are covered in snow! Yesterday I went out and swept several inches off of them and put out some more seed and peanuts, but within a couple of hours they were covered again. I have put some food out on my window sill, if the birds are brave enough to come that close. This morning even that was covered, but I risked losing some precious heat and opened the window and brushed it off.

The nearest pillars on the folly at the front of the house are where two of the bird tables are. You can't see them in this picture as the are under about 7 inches of snow. The road opposite is Malthouse Lane which although being cleared by a tractor yesterday is covered again this morning. To take this picture I once again had to open the window as all the panes were steamed up. Just after I took this a gust of wind gave me a nice blast of snow flakes in the face. Oh how I suffer for my art! :).

The view from the other window (also open) shows the tracks of an overnight fox that passed through on its quest for food.

Later today, if I'm feeling adventurous, I might get out in the garden to take some more pictures and try to clear the bird tables once again. As Captain Oates said "I might be some time!" :)

Early Winter

2010-11-29T12:43:00.002Z

Now that the cold weather has swept South the Pipes Place wildlife is congregating around the house and feeding avidly. Scattered round the garden we have five bird tables and eight bird feeders of various types. They are not all mine, but I am looking after a neighbours feeders at the moment as well as my own. On a cold winter's day I don't really have to go out in the garden, as I can see quite a bit from the window. The Jays are overcoming their usual shyness and are coming for peanuts regularly throughout the day. Squirrels are starting to appear and are obviously expecting a hard winter as they are already burying peanuts.They say that when there are a lot of berries on the holly bushes that we should expect a cold winter. There are definitely a lot this year, and if the last few days are anything to go by, the prediction is true.

Here are a few pictures taken from the window yesterday.

Jay on the bird table picking out the peanuts

Grey Squirrel with the same idea

Two Starlings join the regulars

Wood Pigeon in the Holly bush eating berries

Back to Basics - Again!

2010-11-26T10:22:00.005Z

As I said back in September this blog has always had something of a split personality. Initially it was just to be about Pipes Place history. Then it expanded to the garden activities of the wildlife, and finally to the trips I made to places in the area. Then Videojug came along and my "little expeditions" went on there. When that didn't take off as quickly as I liked I implemented Plan B and started duplicating posts on the two sites. I am happy to say that my pages on Videojug Pages have started doing rather better, so my trips around Kent will be exclusively there from now on, so we are reverting to Plan A. However I will create links on this site so people can easily find them.
This blog will revert to its roots once again, almost literally, and will become a diary of my activities around Pipes Place house and garden. I say "almost literally" as this week saw the delivery of some hedging we had been waiting for. Fifty plants in all consisting mainly of Hawthorn, but with a mixture of other native species including wild rose. They came from Ashridge Trees, I don't mind giving them a little plug, and were ordered online and delivered: very reasonable. They were bare rooted as they are dormant at this time of year, and were between 30 inches and 48 inches tall. They had to be pruned by about half as soon as they were in the ground, which always seems a bit unkind, but of course come the spring this will encourage them to bush out. They have been planted along one of our boundaries where there was insufficient cover between ourselves and a neighbour, and will blend in well as we have old hedging along the rest of that side.I have added a picture below. This is fairly typical of the sort of thing that happens in our 4 acre garden, which is always throwing up something interesting to see or do.

While I was out in the garden getting this photo, I thought that as I was there I would rake the leaves out of the pond. I hadn't appreciated how cold it was, and of course the pond was frozen over. Doh!

However I was inspired to take a few "Autumn turning to Winter" pictures.

Frozen pond with fallen leaves

Oak Leaves - Gold against a blue sky

Forge Lane looking seasonally mellow

Ice on the water butt - a sign of an early winter

The cold snap has certainly arrived ahead of schedule this year, maybe my next blog will be about the SNOW!! It could be a looooong winter!!

Derelicts of the Marsh

2010-11-24T10:58:00.003Z

For another riveting read (maybe!), check out my latest Little Expedition "Tyrannosaurus Wrecks" on Videojug Pages here's the link.
http://pages.videojug.com/pages/15029-Tyrannosaurus-Wrecks

Over the last month I have spent quite a bit of time trekking around the North Kent Marshes, and I am amazed by the number of derelict buildings and boats that are out there. In the last post I talked about Shornemead Fort, which has long been abandoned, and I was inspired to look for more signs of days gone by.
My next trip was to the area around Egypt Bay, which lies between Allhallows and High Halstow. I knew of two abandoned buildings there, one of them is shown above, and had spotted others further away, which I later located on Google Earth. I decided a visit was called for.

The picture above shows one of seven identical buildings close to St Mary's Bay. My first instinct was to imagine them as military buildings, possibly barracks, but when I saw them close up they were too small and too scattered. As you can see the wooden roofs are all missing, although part of one was lying inside. There was a small porch on the front of each, which had a rectangular hole in the floor about 2 feet deep. They were all made of concrete and had what looked like drainage pipes in the wall. One near the floor and one near the roof. You can just make it out in the picture. Unfortunately they didn't give me any definitive idea as to their use. I can only guess at animal shelters.

PS Having talked to a friend of mine, we have a new theory. His answer was that they were used to store explosives. Therefore no windows, only a wooden roof to allow any accidental blast to go upwards. This would also account for the earth banks around them, and their distant positioning from each other. They also seemed to have a pond to the rear of each building, which would give easy access to a water supply in the case of fire. To my mind this all seems to make sense, so maybe we have a solution!

My second destination that day was to two structures nearer to Egypt Bay. One was shown in the photo right a the start of this post and the other is below. Once again there purpose remains a mystery to me, although it seems that there is more likelihood that these do have some military function from World War II. There is an old barracks out on the marsh near Cliffe, which I intend to visit when I can workout how to get to it.

There is another remote building that I am really keen to get to, if I can discover how, and that is Shade House. It is an old smugglers inn on the marshes and can be seen from Egypt Bay and Northward Hill Nature Reserve. The trouble is there doesn't seem to be any access on public rights of way, but I havn't given up on it!

The following week I went to Riverside Country Park near Gillingham to have a look at Horrid Hill, the sight of a prison camp from the Napoleonic War and later a cement works and jetty. To be honest Horrid Hill itself isn't very spectacular although the views over Medway Estuary are worth the walk out to the end of the causeway where Horrid Hill is located. However it's an "ill wind" as they say, and my journey wasn't without highlights. Around the area are a number of derelict boats. Three are pictured above. So I spent most of my time there looking at those, and taking pictures.

This last one was definitely my favourite. After doing some research I discovered that there are even more hulks at Hoo, on the Isle of Grain. The other side of the Medway. So a trip there is probably my next outing. It is amazing how much history is just lying around waiting to be discovered. When I think back to the abandoned crane near Higham, to Shornemead Fort and to the Egypt Bay buildings and the hulks of Horrid Hill, my appetite is well and truly whetted for further expeditions.

If you would like to read a more detailed account of the two "Little Expeditions" in this post, there are links at the top of the Shornemead post below. They are on my Videojug Pages site.