Mushrooms and Rain

 

Spent the day raking up fallen leaves. Found this little fungi in my lawn. It's tinged with pink with a pointed head.   It looks stunningly beautiful but I would think, definitely not one for breakfast.

Any idea what type it is?

Snow

Walked out of one life of forty four years and moved deeper into Wales 8 months ago. I love living here.

Whoever's been singing 'Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow' .............    you can stop now.

Hedgehog

 Look who I saw in my garden today.  Hello you.

A new way of life

A wild drake and duck have made their home in my garden. They have become totally tame and fearless. They happily wander around the barn conversions next door and then come to see me. Colin, my neighbour has named them, Captain Sir Tom and Vera Lynn which is pretty good as we all love seeing them.

RIP Dame Vera Lynn 1917 - June 2020

Molly's Lamb

Been knitting lambs for our Mothers and Toddlers Group, but we've had to shut the doors because of the corona virus. This thing WILL NOT last indefinitely and we Are going to get through it.
Hope Mother's Day has been good in spite of everything.
Love Molly

Happy Christmas

Baby Hedgehogs

Last Tuesday evening my neighbour, Jackie brought her Scottie and Jack Russell for a walk up the lane past my house as she often did. She walked a few yards up the lane to make a phone call leaving the two rips on their own for a few minutes. All of a sudden, Jack Russell dived into the hedge and brought out a brown ball in his mouth, dropping it smartly and then brought out another and another. They were little baby hedgehogs. Neither of us knew what to do. I found a cardboard box, lined it with dry grasses and straw and brought them in. I knew that if we popped them back into the hedge their mother would reject them because of the scent of the dogs. I looked up the RSPCA site on the web. The advice - take them to an animal welfare site, which is fine if you don't live 2 miles from the middle of nowhere, it's not 8pm and the nearest site probably around 50 miles away. I found an old fleece hat, made a nest for them and fed them with warmed up semi skimmed milk through a small syringe. One didn't make it through the night but the other two are doing OK. Hopefully they'll make it and live and eat eat all the slugs munching on my cabbage and lettuce.

Wet Wet Wet

Spent the day painting the bathroom.

Log Fires and Below Zero

I had a good day yesterday. A local farmer came with his Landrover and brought me a trailer load of logs. Must have been well over a ton. He dropped them on the driveway outside my back door and then waved good bye. Hard working farmers are always busy.

 I got my wheelbarrow and started to ferry them across the lawn into  the nearest polytunnel. And then the heavens opened and didn't it rain. It took me just over an hour to stack them all in the dry. Wet through to the skin but so chuffed to get the job completed. 

Not so long after the sun came out for a few moments - (yeah I know) - and brought with it the most fabulous sunset. Two gifts in one day.





I woke up this morning to minus 6 and ice on the insides of my window.

Like this



                                    and this

But soon had my Rayburn lit and a roaring log fire in my 'front room'

All toasty.
It was a good day yesterday.

Shadows after the Storm

Yesterday Storm Callum hit home, bucketed down all day and most of the night.

Still raining Sunday morning.

Then late afternoon the sun came out.

Happy Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Shadow Shot Sunday II - Hot Dry Summer

Today we walked the hot, dusty  single track right up to the top of the Long Mountain. I hadn't been up there for ten years. And it's still as beautiful.
Lots of sheep and lambs.
Silage bales lined up ready to be taken down into storage for  Winter feed.


Linking up with

Shadow Glass on Shadow Shot Sunday 2

I bought a set of glasses way back in the 70's. They have a picture of a pheasant in flight embossed on the side. I still use them. I was amazed today as the sun caught the picture and left the shadow on the table. Just for me !

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Enjoy your week x

For Christmas 2017

In the winter of 2012 my O/H had to go through daily treatments of radio therapy for 37 days.  One day the machine was being overhauled and we were directed to a different waiting room. On a shelf just above the arm chairs where we were sitting waiting, someone had placed a knitted nativity set complete with cardboard box stable. I loved it and you know how it is when sometimes something really strikes you .....  I really wanted to knit one of these myself (apart from the fact that I can't knit for toffee.)

 This year
I found a pattern book on the internet. Bought some wool and knitted this set.  Donated it to 'Messy Church' at Westbury for the children to play with. The snow came and the event had to be cancelled.
 I've been asked to start a knitting group  starting in February next year  ...... What?

Happy Christmas and a bright New Year
Love from Molly xx

The Valley Of Shadows

Shorter days. Longer shadows.

Clocks go back at midnight. Time to light the fire.

Ophelia Part II

8 am this morning the tree surgeons arrived.

10 am bough down, logs in a neat pile and a whole heap of tree bark for my garden. All for little more than 3 mugs of tea and a plate of biscuits.

I feel blessed.

Ophelia

I woke up this morning to find that Ophelia had left me enough fire wood to keep me warm through the winter.

It was quite strange though, because all the house roof slates seem to be intact and the poly tunnels weren't a bit torn. The wind must have channeled high speed  through a very small area.

I took a photo today of  a pheasant roosting up in a nearby tree.
He wouldn't have done that yesterday.

Blood Red

 A strange sort of a morning. All over was covered in a thick blanket of cloud and it was still dark enough to need the light on at nine am. It was quite warm though when I went out to feed the cats. No sunshine but  the sky completely tinged with an orange/yellowness. It had the feeling of everything being put on hold for the time being. Almost like it was holding it's breath for what was to come.

 I had intended to go into Welshpool today to refuel my car but decided against it after I heard the weather  forecast. I started to clean a cupboard out instead. I happened to look out of the window - and saw the most amazing sun. One of those moments when you've just got to grab your camera and shoot - except the battery was low on mine, just when I needed it most -

It hardly shows the outline of the sun but there it was - blood red and a perfect circle. And everywhere else a thick blanket of grey.

I tried to play around with the colours/ saturation etc with Windows 10 tools on screen but the blood red still didn't show like it was.
I've just read in the news that apparently it was a dust phenomenon thrown up by hurricane Ophelia and did actually appear to turn the sun a blood red. Amazing.

Did anyone else see it?

The wind was wild here late afternoon and getting wilder.

For Tom

Shadow Shot Sunday 2

 

Fadgy cat making the most of a shadow snooze in a small burst of late September sunshine.

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Have a great weekend

Today ....... I

Dug my potatoes up.

Picked a few tomatoes

A sweetcorn

A courgette or two

A handful of runner beans

And some beetroot.

Fat caterpillars polished off a bit more of my broccali

And O/H's storks line-danced in the sun.

Then it poured down so I went inside and put the kettle on ........