Thursday, July 21, 2016

2nd half of Spring 2016

June started unfortunately, with Helen injuring first her back and then tearing a hamstring when compensating for the pain in her back.   This significantly curtailed our activity in those first sunny two weeks.

By the time she was fit enough to get back out again, the weather had turned:


Around the time of the Brexit vote (suffice to say i am still struggling with accepting just how backward, afraid and ignorant the vast majority of the population of my home country is) i went on a boat trip with a camera club i'd previously been a member of but left due to some extreme racism posted by one of their members and supported by others... 

The trip was socially uncomfortable but i did get to see a number of our common seabirds including Gannet:



and Herring Gull:



The boat spent a wonderful half an hour surrounded by a pod of dophins, which was a very enjoyable distraction: 



With Helen beginning to recover we started to get out more again, seeing many more butterflies.   I was chuffed we finally visited the right place at Perran Sands, at the right time, seeing Dark Green Fritillaries:


We attended a wedding in Oxfordshire, taking time to visit a Nature Reserve in the Chiltern Hills, seeing Marbled Whites:


And more Dark Green Fritillaries:



The first Ringlets of the year (last years visitors to our garden did breed so we've had them emerge here at home too):


A Large Skipper on an Orchid:


On a trip to Eastbourne, like earlier the in year we were frustrated by the weather, we visited 'Kew in the Country' at Wakefield Place which was a treat and worth visiting again.   I snapped this Sea Holly there:


We also saw the first Gatekeepers of the year:


Back home a Small Tortoiseshell enjoyed one of the many insect friendly flowers we've planted:


We visited West Pentire, famous for the wild flower fields, we were about 10 days too late for the poppies, but there were lots of Corn Marigolds turning the landscape yellow:

Our most recent trip, for work, was a four day round-trip via Durham and Glasgow, some 1,330 miles.   While Helen met a client, I visited the Bishop Middleham quarry in search of the 'Durham' Northern Brown Argus, which proved very obliging on the roastingly hot morning:


The reserve is also renowned for Orchids, i missed one species but did see the early purple:


Dark-red Helleborine:


and Common Spotted:


One the way up we stopped at RSPB Old Moor for an enormous lunch, and briefly watched a Kingfisher from one of the hides:


We also visited Barnard Castle and enjoyed a wander around there:


Helen particularly enjoyed the visit to the Bowes museum and the shoe exhibition therein, on loan from the V&A:


We're settling in nicely in Cornwall, making great friends, enjoying the County and the occasional escape.   Everything that is apart from the Bexit vote which has made us think hard about what we need to do going forward.   All change then!