Y ho-Silver

What with one thing and another, staying with friends, having parents visit, going to London for work, time is running away with BR and the blog is being neglected. So a short posting to say I'm still here, in mind if not body.

I've mentioned before I love this time of year, it's all about change and colour and for the last 2 weeks, sunshine! Sadly I noticed on Sunday I'd not heard a house martin all day, so they must have finally left my area. A few Swallows around still and though I've not seen one yet an influx of Honey Buzzards into the UK at the moment as they migrate across Europe.

Speaking of migration, below a Silver Y moth, I photographed on a photo frame on Sunday night. The name comes from the inverted Y on the wings. These are interesting, in that they are big migrants. In the spring, what could be the grandparents of this chap, pop over to the UK, breed, die, breed, die and by this time of the year, UK emerging Silver Y's are preparing to fly back to Europe, as they are unable to over-winter here. Which is interesting as firstly why bother coming here in the first place and secondly, how on earth do they get back without any guidance. Nature is very clever, ingenious and never ceases to amaze.

What is also interesting is that down here at least there are scores of Silver Y about at the moment, presumably newly emerged. I mentioned this to Brett at lunch yesterday. As the presenter of World on the Move on Radio 4, funnily enough he said, we're doing an article about this very species tomorrow. So listen in, or listen again.

This is a very bad photo showing the wing beating, while in my hand. When these moths feed, they will vibrate their wings rapidly and this one did it just for me, before being sent packing outside for the evening.

Finally just an arty shot of dew on a spiders web. I must get out soon with the camera and capture the autumn before it's too late. Mind you I'll be at the Malvern Autumn Gardening Show this weekend, so may get some scene setting photos there.

10.09.08.....Hanna knocks at the window

What a strange title for me to place on the "Blog-Web"

Well it is the 10th day of the 9th Month of the 8th year. Must have some significant meaning!

And as I write this at 11pm on Wednesday, the remains of Tropical Storm "Hanna" has arrived, only showing it's abilities since dusk fell, it's now knocking at my house and giving the windows a good rattling in the night.

I've long found it fascinating that watching a hurricane across the Caribbean on the TV only means that 5 to 6 day later it'll make landfall in the UK as a low pressure system. I've just been in the garden and one could feel the moist heat in the air, even though there's no rain, as the leading edge of this pressure system approached.

Either that or it is a side effect of the Hadron Collider switch on.... it is black out there, and is that a hole passing over??? I don't know about you all, but I'm more intrigued at what happened the moments BEFORE the Big Bang. We know the Big Bang happened, but why did it happen and what caused it to begin......now that's something to research.

Which got me thinking. If this Accellerator does finish off the Human Race, what will survive. My money is on spiders, such as this female Garden spider, Araneus diadematus in the garden this morning. Spiders are the great colonisers of virgin land, able to balloon huge distances by hurling themselves off vegetation and using their silk as an air brake or parachute. Go out on an Autumn day and look across rough grassland. I can guarantee there'll be millions of threads, all made by these remarkable animals.

Sadly the Cern Collider will not produce a Hudsonian Whimbrel at Sand Bay tomorrow. Which was the rarity a colleague of mine saw on the Scilly Isles this week. Mind you he's on a years career break out there, so he should provide a fine tally, by the time he returns.

But then again, just before coming upstairs to write this posting, a Lesser Yellow Underwing, Noctua comes decided to come into the kitchen, flit about the lamp and then land on the wall. So a photo on the blog for all to see before catching it and sending it back outside to battle with Hanna's warm air.

And just in case you're wondering, as the photo above will testify, Border Reiver did not go bird watching at the weekend, deciding to spruce up his lounge as the rain came down. Luckily I decided to stop putting the "Toffee Cream" on the window wall at this point, as next to the "Calvados" or Mocca Brown, it made it look like a 1950's Railway Waiting Room.

Blues and Twos

Strange title I know and a strange week. Are the moons and planets in polar opposite alignment or something at the moment? Last 10 days have been to say the least interesting for a friend of mine, who in that space of time was made redundant and out the door. Brutal but in a way, allows her to move on. Border Reiver has been doing his HR/Staff Manager but more importantly good mate bit to calm the nerves over the days, and I always think positive things come out of adversity.

So yesterday we whisked off to North Cornwall, for some proper job, sea air, sun and sand. If you come to Cornwall, don't do the crowded south, hit the coastline twixt Camelford and Bude. Top Dollar scenery, and more birds than you can shake a smugglers spotted hankie at. The coast walking isn't half bad either.

Yesterday though was just about a day out to recharge her batteries, and mine for that matter. Helping her, while over the same time the number of people in my office crashed by 80% after redundancies and stress related sickness, the boy Reiver and the one remaining colleague have been fingering the dike continuously over the last 2 weeks to keep it from braking wide open. No more Wednesdays off for me for a while, and this explains the slow down in postings. I need sleep.

But even a non wildlife day brought the blogger out in me. After a few spots of rain, the sun broke through and the painter in me watched as the sea developed the turquoise - azure blue - purple - white colour mix I could have just watched for hours and hours. Incessant movement as an Atlantic Gale blew in, mesmerising. Those of you into seabirds could have watched for hours as they wind-surfed the waves.

Mind you some of the seabirds were a bit soft and preferred to perch inland next to the ice cream shop.

And lets not forget the plants, this Common Catsear clung onto a ledge in full force of the wind. No matter how good a garden designer is, this level of "it works" can never match a naturalised planting of plants finding niches to grow and survive.

And finally, a moth. No I didn't photograph this in Cornwall, but in the kitchen. This Riband Wave Moth (non banded form to be precise)had been on my kitchen ceiling for a whole day, so I thought in the evening I'll release it into the garden. Well sadly I don't know what happened but it slipped out of the egg-box and landed in the washing up bowl. My good Samaritan deed ended in death. So here it is preserved in my memory and the blogging community for ever.

And while I'm on about moths, a fellow blogger ST was kind enough to buy one of my charcoal paintings recently of a moth. He collected it this morning from my parents, and it now resides in sun-kissed Northumberland. Thank you ST.

Is this a Magpie I see before me.....

Arising from my slumber, I popped downstairs to make a cup of tea to be greeted by this Magpie Moth Abraxas grossulariata on the window. This photo was taken with my old camera, as the new one is on charge, the difference in quality is interesting.

Well best get on, but what marvellous wildlife watching; still in my PJ's, cup of tea, slice of toast and a house awash with wildlife. Okay that last bit is pushing it a bit. Must spend today on my art, but the prospect of Large Blue Butterflies near here is tempting.

Plus she who must be obeyed is back from Italy tomorrow night. I better behave, she'll be asking searching questions. Can I truthfully say, oh never left the house, of course the cleaning and list of chores are all done darling!! Just hope I can get the cider cans recycled before she's back; where have they all come from, I think it must be the hedgehog pixies having a party.

It will be great to have her back though, not been a good holiday apparently, she left her famous red coat in a hotel in France (it would have been easier to pay the bill, not do a moonlight flit?) and Italy has been rain, cold and she fell over on Saturday. Honestly it must be drink!! So the photo above is homage to the coat and to welcome her back.