We also saw the RAF Falcons display team from the boat.
Coming back up the lake we got this lovely view of the Troutbeck Valley.
A great day out all round.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Messing about in boats
Windermere Airshow took place over the weekend so on a baking hot Sunday Afternoon we hired a boat from Shepherds and floated down the lake for the afternoon. The Red Arrows weren't there this year but the Yakovlevs made up for them.
We also saw the RAF Falcons display team from the boat.
Coming back up the lake we got this lovely view of the Troutbeck Valley.
A great day out all round.
We also saw the RAF Falcons display team from the boat.
Coming back up the lake we got this lovely view of the Troutbeck Valley.
A great day out all round.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
A pair of mink coats
Today I heard a commotion on the beck - lots of splashing and squeaking. It turned out to be 2 mink. I'm not sure whether they were fighting or playing but they chased each other up out of the water and along the bank. I just managed to get them in the corner of this hastily snapped photo.
They seem to be American mink - some of the very few Americans I have seen in the Lakes recently :-)
It's been a good day for visitors - we've had the red squirrel again and the woodpecker and the nuthatch. I've been sitting very still working on my computer so maybe that's why I've seen so much. The golden rule is always "let Nature come to you" isn't it?
They seem to be American mink - some of the very few Americans I have seen in the Lakes recently :-)
It's been a good day for visitors - we've had the red squirrel again and the woodpecker and the nuthatch. I've been sitting very still working on my computer so maybe that's why I've seen so much. The golden rule is always "let Nature come to you" isn't it?
Monday, July 21, 2008
My new friend
I was really pleased to see that my encounter with our red squirrel was not just a one off. Today I have been feeding him/her peanuts from a distance of about 4 feet!
Here he is in the pine tree near the lodge. He seems very unfazed by my presence near him.
The best time of day
Taking the chance to do some work up here I was delighted to be woken up at 5:30 a.m. by the dog. My mood improved when I looked out of the window and saw a cloudless sky. I decided on a pre-breakfast walk and went up past Dubbs for a couple of hours.
It was amazingly quiet. you have to remember to stop so you can hear the silence - the trudging noise of your own boots is the noisiest thing around! The meadowsweet along the hedgerows have a really heady scent and were attracting clouds of bees. They reminded me that it's time to revisit Holehird gardens to see the astilbe (the cultivated versions of these) in full bloom.
It's always rewarding to keep your eyes open down the sides of the path. Today I had an extra early breakfast of wild raspberries!
I'm not sure if the raspberries are native plants, but in any event the walk was a feast for the senses and set me up for a day loosely connected to the world of work.
It was amazingly quiet. you have to remember to stop so you can hear the silence - the trudging noise of your own boots is the noisiest thing around! The meadowsweet along the hedgerows have a really heady scent and were attracting clouds of bees. They reminded me that it's time to revisit Holehird gardens to see the astilbe (the cultivated versions of these) in full bloom.
It's always rewarding to keep your eyes open down the sides of the path. Today I had an extra early breakfast of wild raspberries!
I'm not sure if the raspberries are native plants, but in any event the walk was a feast for the senses and set me up for a day loosely connected to the world of work.
Coniston Country Fair
Sunday saw us at the Coniston Country Fair. This is always a great day out and given the recent rain the organisers must be thanking their lucky stars as there was only a brief shower or two during the afternoon.
It was quite windy though and the rescue helicopter that was to have landed in next to the hall had to abort the landing shown here and find a field a little further away.
Tom had a great afternoon buying tricks from the joke stalls, climbing on the climbing wall and learning tricks with a diabolo at the circus skills stall.
It was quite windy though and the rescue helicopter that was to have landed in next to the hall had to abort the landing shown here and find a field a little further away.
Tom had a great afternoon buying tricks from the joke stalls, climbing on the climbing wall and learning tricks with a diabolo at the circus skills stall.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Better Red than Dead!
Today we saw a new visitor to our window feeder - a red squirrel!
The reds are so much more graceful than the greys and this one seemed quite capable of eating the odd peanut without having to destroy the bird feeder in the process like his grey cousins do.
We reported the sighting to Save Our Squirrels as the reds are really fighting for survival now.
In the hope that he (or she - how do you sex a squirrel?) comes back we decided to give him a name.
I tried to suggest Rufus (red and he comes over the roof to us) or Eric (the Red ) but Thomas was not interested in history or bad puns and insists that our new friend is called Bob.
As we don't know whether he's a boy or she's a girl then those of you who may remember the Elizabethan episodes of Blackadder will remember why it's not such a bad choice.
The reds are so much more graceful than the greys and this one seemed quite capable of eating the odd peanut without having to destroy the bird feeder in the process like his grey cousins do.
We reported the sighting to Save Our Squirrels as the reds are really fighting for survival now.
In the hope that he (or she - how do you sex a squirrel?) comes back we decided to give him a name.
I tried to suggest Rufus (red and he comes over the roof to us) or Eric (the Red ) but Thomas was not interested in history or bad puns and insists that our new friend is called Bob.
As we don't know whether he's a boy or she's a girl then those of you who may remember the Elizabethan episodes of Blackadder will remember why it's not such a bad choice.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Dancing in the moonlight
Taking the dog for a late night walk at the weekend I heard some noise by one of the lodges. I looked up and saw 4 young badgers trying to get the nuts out of a low feeder.
I have always known that there are badgers on the site. The campers often make the mistake of leaving sausages and bacon outside their tents to keep cool, which the local badgers came to accept as kind of natural larder.
I have frequently seen the signs of their presence, normally grass uprooted in their hunt for worms - the mess they made of the recently laid turf was a sight to see!
This, though, was the first time I have ever seen them myself. They were totally unfazed us, and played on for a couple of minutes before they finally noticed us and decided to move on.
There is a big debate about a mass cull of badgers. Whilst I sympathise with farmers dealing with bovine TB I'm with the RSPCA on this one. (Ignorant townie that I am)
I have always known that there are badgers on the site. The campers often make the mistake of leaving sausages and bacon outside their tents to keep cool, which the local badgers came to accept as kind of natural larder.
I have frequently seen the signs of their presence, normally grass uprooted in their hunt for worms - the mess they made of the recently laid turf was a sight to see!
This, though, was the first time I have ever seen them myself. They were totally unfazed us, and played on for a couple of minutes before they finally noticed us and decided to move on.
There is a big debate about a mass cull of badgers. Whilst I sympathise with farmers dealing with bovine TB I'm with the RSPCA on this one. (Ignorant townie that I am)
"Badgers are not the main source of TB in cattle," said Colin Booty, senior scientific officer of the RSPCA, which is resolutely opposed to culling.
"The trial results show that killing large numbers of badgers - most of which are disease-free - may even make the disease situation in cattle worse. Such a policy would clearly not be sustainable."
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