Over the Hill and Far Away

Shot of the Day

The forecast today was as predicted....rain and lots of it. I busied myself by generally tidying up and making two curries, Tikka Masala and a Red Thai curry. I recently bought a large pack of chicken breast fillets and stupidly froze them altogether so I had to defrost them then dice them and split it all into two. I purchased two cook in sauces and marinaded them over night in the fridge. 

While they were cooking I spent the time going through my photos trying to get entries for Canonbie Flower Show in the end I managed to get ten reasonable entries I now need to look at entries for Westerkirk and Langholm. 

After Tootlepedal's gentle persuasion over the past couple of years to start pedaling I finally gave in and purchased a bike at a reasonable price a few month ago but due to a bout of pneumonia I had to postpone getting started. I've been pedaling for a couple weeks now and starting to really enjoy it; in fact I wish I'd done it ages ago. 

The following images are from a pedal I did a couple weeks ago when I went to fill the bird feeders. Tootlepedal accompanied me to the feeders I continued on and he returned home.

I came upon a large area covered in horsetail weed. This is a gardeners nightmare. I had it in mine and the only way I managed to control it was to dig as much of the roots up as possible and in the following years just pull up the new growth as it appears. I've no problem now but it took several years for it to weaken and disappear so a certain amount of patience is needed

I continued on over an asphalt road track which eventually  gave way to a rough track. Just as I approached this ford I became aware of some movement on the track......

.....the ground just before the ford was covered with white butterflies. Maybe they were getting moisture or maybe some mineral from the soil, it would be interesting to know.

The track got so rough I eventually had to dismount and push my bike to the main road.

One of our local postmen returning from a delivery.

Stopping for a drink of water and an apple I was entertained by a Hen Harrier in the distance.

The track brought me onto the Langholm-Newcastleton road. I headed for home passing great swathes of heather that has been destroyed by heather beetle. Local nature enthusiast Mac Hotson explained to me recently it was the grub that did the damage. It's unbelievable the amount of devastation a tiny grub can cause.

This should be purple now.

An Excellent Day Well Spent

Shot of the Day

After filling the feeders at the moorland feeder station and conducting some personal business in Carlisle this morning I returned to take my turn manning the exhibition. Tootlepedal appeared after a  while which was good as it allowed me to pop round to the Corner Cafe to get a coffee and sandwich to take away. When I returned Fred and Irene had appeared; They had travelled up from Carlisle especially to see the exhibition and seemed to be very impressed with the variety and improvement of standard since last year. It also gave Tootlepedal a chance to show off his new child disinheriting lens to Fred and I. It is hefty piece of equipment and I hope he gets the results that one would expect from a lens of that quality. 

Fred and Irene left to visit the new craft shop that Laura Ellis has recently opened on the High Street; Blue Moon Crafts (Crafts from the Muckle Toon) well worth a visit. The insect repellent Bog Off is worth a try against the ferocious midge's that are about at the moment. 

I wasn't overwhelmed with visitors during the afternoon but the few I did get were very complimentary. After I shut shop at 4:00 pm I joined Tootlepedal at Wauchope Cottage for a quick cup of tea before going to do some Harrier Spotting. Tootlepedal was keen to give his new lens a serious try out. 

We had got ourselves comfortable on the new folding chairs that Toot had purchased recently and sat back and waited. After about twenty minutes Cat Barlow paused as she was passing and informed us that the Harriers were being sighted on average once an hour then busily drove off. On this information we decided to sit at least a full hour. 

To pass the time I took a shot of some of the flowers on the roadside.....

.......and a passing cloud.

Eventually we were rewarded with a few sightings of the Harriers and I managed to witness a food pass in the distance. It would have been even better if I had packed my binoculars when I came away in the morning, but I did get some shots that were better than I'd hoped for.

Click on Tootlepedals blog to see his results.After a while we decide this was as good as it was going to get and it was time to head for home; Tootlepedal to choir practice and I to visit the feeder station to see if I could get a shot of the Jay Tootlepedal saw in the morning. 

The birds must have been very hungry today as all feeders were to fill again before I set the camera up on the tripod and settled down behind the hide and enjoyed the small snack I made as I was hungry as well.

A Reed Bunting made an appearance as it did for Tootlepedal on his visit in the morning....

  

.......then a Woodpecker...

...............and finally the Jay

The midges were starting to bite and as I had left my Bog Off (which can be purchased at Blue Moon Crafts From the Muckle Toon) at home it was time to retreat and head home to compose this post. all in all, it was an excellent day well spent.