Tags
amphibian, autumn leaf colour, church, common toad, Edith Cavell, Elder, field maple, Fish Slapping Dance, fungi, Great Tit, Halesworth, Herring Festival, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano, Monty Python, nest, Norwich Cathedral, picture-wing fly, shaggy inkcap, sunset, trees, wild bird
This post and the next will have assorted photographs of things I have seen. I’ll also mention briefly a few things I have done. The photos are inserted in chronological order as I can’t think of anything better!
Toadstools on the lawn at the surgery.
A couple of weeks ago I had to attend the doctor’s surgery a few times in one week. I collected my medication, I had my usual monthly blood test with a test for cholesterol which meant fasting from 10 pm the evening before, and I had my flu injection. All on different days. I noticed these toadstools after my blood test but unfortunately I had left my camera in the car. The following morning I took these photos after my flu jab.
These are Shaggy Inkcaps (Coprinus comatus) also known as Lawyer’s Wig and unfortunately most of them are past their best.
The early morning light made it difficult to photograph them and they had deteriorated significantly overnight.
The white fungi are emerging Inkcaps but I can’t identify the dark brown mushrooms.
Some of you may remember that our parcels box was taken over by Great Tits in the spring and we had to seal it shut so that the birds were not disturbed. I believe the brood was successful. Richard dismantled the box last week as it was rotting and we had a look at the nest inside.
Great Tit (Parus major) nest.
We looked closely at what had been used. Please click on each photo to get a description of the materials used.
The work that went into constructing this nest is astounding.
This is a Common Toad (Bufo bufo) that I saw crossing our drive. Fortunately it took it’s time and I was able to run indoors and fetch my camera before it disappeared.
Common Toad
Autumn colour. A Field Maple (Acer campestre)
Last week was a week of sunny warm days and cool nights. The trees and plants began to show autumnal tints.
Elder (Sambucus nigra) leaves have turned pink
A wonderful sunset seen from the back of our house
A ‘picture-wing’ fly. Possibly from the Herina group.
This little fly was in our kitchen some nights ago. I took this photo when it landed on the window blind. It was only a few millimetres in length.
Richard and I noticed posters up in Halesworth announcing the Herring Festival. This is to take place in The Cut, the centre for the arts in the town. The herring industry has been in decline for some time and Richard and I wondered what went on at the festival (not ever having gone). We remembered this……
I haven’t been able to attend our local churches very often recently. I have been taking my mother to her church once a fortnight to enable me to go to church with Richard every other week. We took Elinor to the morning service at Norwich Cathedral a couple of weeks ago as she enjoys these services. The Cathedral was preparing to hold a number of services to commemorate the life of Edith Cavell.
My music choice for this post is one of my favourite arias sung by my favourite mezzo-soprano, the late, great Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
Thanks for visiting!
A Suffolk Lane 
In your country, the mailbox is called a letterbox, isn’t it? So, does everyone also have a parcel box?
I hadn’t seen that Monty Python skit. 😀
Birds work so hard at their nests – and all without complaining. 🙂
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Thank-you Lisa! Most people in this country have a little slit in their front doors through which the post is delivered – a letter box. We however, live in the country where our mail is delivered by a postman/woman driving a van. The area that one postal worker has to deliver letters in is very large so to save them having to drive down the drive we put the box near the road. We also have quite a long driveway and we don’t have a letterbox on our front door. The old mailbox wasn’t big enough for parcels so we had another wooden box next to it for them which is what the birds pecked a hole in and used for their nest. We have now replaced both with one enormous box that should be able to cope with letters and most parcels. I bet you wished you’d never asked now! 😀
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Haha – no, it’s all interesting. So now you have a box large enough for letter, parcels AND a bird’s nest? 😀
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Yes I have! But the bird will have to have a drill as the new box is a metal one. 😉
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The bird’s nest is fascinating. So beautifully constructed, and all from sustainable materials. We could learn a lot from birds. 😉 Very much enjoyed Lorraine Hunt; a new voice to me, with an interesting life story.
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Thank-you Ann! I am glad you liked Lorraine Hunt. She lived her life ‘her way’ and her untimely death caused by an operation that went wrong was so unfortunate. She sang with such feeling and passion.
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She did, and so sad her life was cut short. We should all sing our lives with passion.
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Well said!
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Thanks Clare – lots to delight the eye and ear. Really moving music. Regards Thom.
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Thank-you Thom! I’m glad you liked the music. Best wishes, Clare.
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The Field Maples are beginning to colour up here too, its such a beautiful time of year, I am really looking forward to the rest of the trees joining in. The Great Tits nest is really fascinating Clare, loved that you could recognise some of your jumper wool too! I had not heard of Lorraine Hunt before, I have enjoyed listening and Monty Python is always a winner in this house, I cant imagine though the script meeting and what was going through their minds!
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Those script meetings must have been riotous! I did recognise the green and red fibres from my pullovers both of which shed bits of fluff regularly. The Great Tit found a soft rotten corner of the parcel box and excavated a hole through which it carried all that material! Really quite amazing!
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Your posts are always varied and interesting, Clare. I enjoyed seeing the remnants of the blue tits’ nest and the strange inkcaps. The sunset was lovely! Thank you also for the beautiful music at the end and a dose of Monty Python. Poisonous cane toads are a terrible introduced pest here and they look quite a lot like your common toad. Do your common toads poison animals such as dogs that try to bite them?
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Thank-you Jane. Our Common Toads do have poison glands on their back and apparently there is enough poison in the glands to kill an animal or even a human though this is very rare. The effects are similar to digitalis poisoning and affect the heart.
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Thank you for the beautiful music, Clare. I love that toad! He’s so handsome. Lovely photographs. Enjoy your day!
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Thank-you Jill! He was a handsome warty toad! 😀 I hope you have had a good day.
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A delightful post ( apart from you running up and down for medical reasons) Fall, Toadstools and toads, a pretty, pretty nest, laughter with Monty and delight in the music. Sigh…I am totally Zen again! xo Johanana
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Thank-you Johanna! I am so pleased you liked it xo Clare
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Ah the old fishing slapping, never fails to raise a chuckle that one! I love how you seamlessly get lots of different topics into your posts. I love the birds nest most of all!
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Thanks Ste! I don’t know about seamless! The bird’s nest was fascinating.
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Bird’s nests have always fascinated me and I used to have a collection of small ones years ago. That one looks very well made.
The maple leaves are beautiful. Ours are just turning and the peak of color will probably be next week.
Interesting that your common toad is poisonous. I’m fairly sure that none of ours are.
Beautiful sunset!
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Thank-you Allen! Toads are alright as long as you don’t mess with them. They will only secrete the poison if they feel really threatened. Some Grass Snakes eat them but most creatures avoid them. The poison smells awful and tastes disgusting (so I am told!)
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The herring festival looks as though it might be too exciting for me.
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We thought the same. Money for old rope etc
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Great colors in the sunset, as well as in the foliage turning for fall! The bird’s nest was very interesting, hard to believe that the birds put so much work into it for how long it was in use.
I’d never thought of it before, but it’s also interesting to hear how people in other parts of the world get their mail and packages delivered. Things that we take for granted where we live may be completely different in other parts of the world, little things like that fascinate me.
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Thanks Jerry! I think the nest was used once and then abandoned. The birds probably had another one or even two more broods elsewhere! Unbelievable amount of work! I’m really interested in the social details of other peoples’ lives too. When we go abroad on holiday to France, Germany, Italy etc we are fascinated by the way the shops are run and how different the procedure is when buying train and bus tickets.
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Lovely post Clare! I so enjoyed seeing the beautifully made nest! I find things like that just so fascinating and I often wonder if that little bird had an overall plan when it started its construction! How lovely that it had all that woven into it. Hope Autumn there continues to share its loveliness with you and that it stays warm and dry.
Kate
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Thank-you Kate. Since then we’ve had quite a lot of rain and it has got a lot cooler. The next few days should be mainly dry but with an easterly wind. Brrrr! I find it fascinating that all bird of the same type will construct the same design of nest. It must be genetic!
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That is quite some nest! Always an interesting and enjoyable tour through your part of the world. Autumn looks lovely there!
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Thank-you Lavinia! I was so looking forward to analysing the nest this autumn – I found it fascinating. Autumn has been good so far though this week has been quite rainy and windy. The chill has started to set in!
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Your fall brings special wonders in this post. Those look like more mushrooms along with your toad.
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Yes, the lawn is covered in them!
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A lovely post Clare, this is the third time I’ve been introduced to Ariodante this week.
My best wishes
Charlott
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Three times! My goodness! Thank-you for taking the time to comment Charlotte. I hope all is going well with you. Clare x
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Yes on my way to London, busy weekend 😊 my new teacher is keeping me busy, and my first audition is next month 😳
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Oooh!! Good luck!
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Very nice autumnal images, love Mr. toad! Really enjoyed the musical choice for the post as well, very apt 🙂 x
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Thank-you Becky! I was so pleased to catch him before he disappeared into the long grass by the ditch. I’m pleased you liked the music. xx
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