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A Suffolk Lane

~ A diary of my life in rural north Suffolk.

A Suffolk Lane

Tag Archives: autumn

A Few Autumn Memories

30 Thu Nov 2017

Posted by Clare Pooley in Rural Diary

≈ 57 Comments

Tags

'Canary Bird' rose, autumn, autumn leaves, Cotinus, goldfinch nest, harvest festival, harvest moon, Mahonia, oriental poppy, photographs, rainbow, red admiral butterfly, Rumburgh Church, Suffolk, sunsets, viburnum bodnantense, winter-flowering honeysuckle

A mini rainbow seen on a breezy day in September.

I have a few photographs of things I’ve seen this autumn dating from the beginning of September until mid October.  I thought I’d make a post of them all.

A sunset seen from our back garden – again in September.

This photograph of the harvest moon at the beginning of October was taken in Norwich by Richard.

A Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) nest in our Greengage tree.

Once some of the leaves had fallen from the tree it was easier to see the nest which, when it was occupied, prevented us from harvesting our greengages until it was almost too late.  Moss, grasses, feathers and cobwebs have been used as well as green plastic garden twine.  The nest has been anchored to the branches of the tree by stouter grasses.

A Red Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) sunning itself.

Our church at Rumburgh, decorated for Harvest Festival

P1030429Harvest
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P1030431Harvest
P1030432Harvest
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P1030434Harvest
P1030435Harvest
P1030436Harvest
P1030437Harvest
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Richard and I collected all the fruit and vegetables the next day and delivered them to a local nursing home where they were very gratefully received.

Another sunset

I love the dark purples and greys with the slash of bright yellow cutting through

Autumn colour in October

These Elder ( Sambucus nigra) leaves have lost nearly all their colour and have become almost luminous

Cherry tree leaves in our garden

Yet another sunset!

A late and rather battered oriental poppy

The almond-scented flowers of Viburnum bodnantense

Mahonia flowers smell like lily-of-the-valley.

I like to have late autumn, winter and early spring flowering plants.  On milder days when the wind isn’t too strong, their scent can be so welcome.  The insects, especially the bumble-bees, enjoy the flowers too!

Winter-flowering Honeysuckle

This ‘Canary Bird’ rose is one of the first to flower in early summer. It decided to flower again in October.

The Cotinus leaves were very attractive

I’m sorry but here is one more sunset!  This was the colourful one caused by storm Ophelia and the smoke pollution from the forest fires in Portugal.

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My music choice today is Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau singing ‘Herbst’ (Autumn) by Franz Schubert.  Here is a link to a translation into English of the lyrics.

Thanks for visiting!

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Autumn Berries and Fruit

23 Thu Nov 2017

Posted by Clare Pooley in Rural Diary, walking

≈ 74 Comments

Tags

autumn, berries, blackthorn, colourful leaves, countryside, field maple, haws, Hawthorn, Holly, ivy, rosehips, sheep, sloes, Suffolk, walking, wild fruits

Richard asked me if I’d like to accompany him to the post-box down the lane.  He had a birthday card to post to his brother and also a notice to put on the village notice-board.  The weather was fine, though cloudy and we hadn’t walked anywhere together for a few weeks.  I quickly put on my coat and walking shoes and we set off.

The hedge on the opposite side of the lane was pale green and orange.

The hedges still had a few leaves left on them. This is a Field Maple (Acer campestre) hedge.  Not in focus, but I liked the colours.

A gap in the hedge further along the lane gave us a sight of the tower belonging to All Saints church.  It is surrounded by trees, most of which have lost their leaves now.  The field has been sown with barley or wheat which has germinated and will continue to grow on milder days all through the winter.

All Saints church in the distance

Some of the more sheltered Field Maple trees still had leaves.

This fine-looking old house near us has been empty for some time.

Richard proudly demonstrates his posting technique!

We met a neighbour and chatted with her for some time.  I admired the fine cherry tree in her front garden.

Our neighbour’s beautiful cherry tree.

We walked on to the notice-board and then decided to continue down the lane.

A row of Italian Alders (Alnus cordata) were planted some years ago as a wind-break along the edge of a field.  The cones are much larger than our native Alder cones.

Italian Alder cones

Our local stream, The Beck, has been dry for months.  We have not had enough rainfall this year.

The Beck

Another pretty hedge

The Guelder-rose trees (Viburnum opulus) have been beautiful this autumn! I have never seen so much viburnum fruit before!

Here is another Guelder-rose.

This is a Spindle tree (Euonymus europaeus) in the hedgerow

Here is the pretty pink and orange spindle fruit

This is a picture of the lane along which we walked

There were a few sloes left on the Blackthorns (Prunus spinosa)

A few Common Hawthorn berries (haws) too (Crataegus monogyna)

A view over the hedge to the fields beyond. The skies were clearing.

This tree-trunk was covered with Ivy stems (Hedera helix). It attaches itself to trees, fences and walls by short roots and can completely cover tall trees. A Dog Rose (Rosa canina) stem hung in front of the tree.

Rosehip

Bird’s nests are easier to see now that the leaves are falling from the trees

Puddles were full of leaves and reflections

We walked through St Margaret South Elmham churchyard and Richard sat for a while to rest his back.

A late rose was blooming

The Holly (Ilex aquifolium) had a few berries on it

Our Blackberries (Bramble) (Rubus fruticosus agg.) were very poor this year because of the low rainfall. Even the mice and birds didn’t chose to eat these ones which have been left to shrivel on the vine.

I am not sure whether these fruits are Blackthorn or Bullace (a type of wild plum). 

Autumn leaves

Sheep were being grazed on the common at the end of our lane

This sheep was happy to stop and stare

We soon arrived back home, having been away a lot longer than we had originally intended.

This was a walk we took a fortnight ago and after a couple of frosts and some strong wind last night most of the remaining leaves have fallen from the trees.  The countryside looks ready for winter now.

My music choice today is ‘Somewhere in my Heart’ by Aztec Camera.  There is no special reason for my choice except I like it and am amazed it is thirty years old!

Thanks for visiting!

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An Apology.

24 Sun Sep 2017

Posted by Clare Pooley in Rural Diary

≈ 76 Comments

Tags

apology, autumn, too busy to post, wordpress problems

As most of you will have noticed, I haven’t posted anything here for nearly two months.  I have been quite busy and have had to limit the time I spend on-line.  I decided that I would use that time answering e-mails and just reading other people’s posts and commenting on them instead of writing my own posts.  I also realised recently that I haven’t been reading as many books as I used to and I missed that pleasure, so my on-line time has been reduced further.

An extra problem I have had for the past couple of days is an inability to post comments on your WordPress blogs.  My words disappear immediately I click on the send button.  Some of my comments have arrived in your in-boxes but most have completely disappeared.  Some have been discovered in spam folders so may I ask you to have a look to see if a comment of mine is there, please?  I haven’t commented at all on your more recent posts as I knew it would be a waste of my time.  I have read them all and have ‘liked’ them.  As soon as everything is back to normal I will be commenting again.   I have contacted the WordPress help team and they have re-directed me to Akismet.  I am waiting to hear from them to see if there is anything they are able to do.

Now that the nights are drawing in I will probably have a little more free time and might manage a post or two to let you know what I have been doing.  I enjoy blogging and have missed it!  Meanwhile I have included a couple of photographs I took late this afternoon.  Autumn has well and truly arrived here!

Spindle with berries (Euonymus europaeus ). The leaves turn a delicate shade of pink in the autumn.

Spindle berries are bright pink and when ripe, split open to reveal orange-coloured seeds!

Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna ) with its berries, which are known as Haws.

Pyracantha covered with scarlet berries. I have just finished pruning our pyracantha and have got it neat and tidy for winter.

This evening’s gentle sunset.

Sunset

My music choice for this post is ‘Dream of Me’ by Kristina Train.

Thanks for visiting!

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October’s End

31 Sat Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in churches, family, Insects, Landscaping, music, plants, Rural Diary, trees, weather

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

Anastasia Moutsatsou, autumn, berries, Diary, insects, leaf colour, Mendham, October, plants, renovations, Sir Alfred Munnings, sunset, trees, weather

IMG_5822Holly

I saw these holly berries (Ilex aquifolium) in one of the carparks in Halesworth at the beginning of the month.

We have had a fair amount of cloud and rain this month and there was a week when the rest of the country was getting very pleasant weather while we in eastern East Anglia and also those in eastern Kent were having gloomy, wet weather with north-easterly winds.   We have had a few slight frosts and some sunshine too – but not as much as we would have liked!  For anyone who is interested in our weather here in the east of Britain – and why wouldn’t you be! – here is a link to the local BBC weather forecast.

IMG_5823Spindle

Spindle berries (Euonymous europaeus) seen in our garden at the beginning of October

The leaf-colour has been very beautiful but I haven’t been able to get out often to take photos.  The leaves are falling fast now and the recent heavy rain and windy weather have stripped many trees of their leaves altogether.

IMG_5831Autumn colour

A beautiful Maple tree I saw on the way to my mother’s house on the 14th October.

IMG_5833Autumn colour

As I stood admiring it it began to rain heavily, as you can see!

IMG_5834Rainbow

The rainbow that appeared at the same time.

IMG_5835Autumn colour

I took a photo of the tree again on the way home later that day.

IMG_5832Hemp Agrimony

I was surprised to see some Hemp-agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum) in flower in the ditch next to the maple tree. It usually flowers during late summer and all other Hemp-agrimony plants had already gone to seed.

Richard and I have been sharing driving Elinor to and from college and I have been feeling much less tired than I did when I was doing all the driving.  The month has had its fair share of hospital, doctors’ surgery, optician and dentist visits.  Every week this month one of us (at least!) has had an appointment or has had to take someone (my mother) to an appointment.

DSC_0621

I mentioned to Richard that I had seen a beautiful Guelder-rose (Viburnum opulus) on my way to my mother’s house (yet again!) so he kindly photographed it for me with his phone when he walked past it on a breezy morning later in the week.

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He photographed it from the other side too

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He also photographed a Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

Elinor has had her half-term holiday this week.  She has worked very hard during her first half-term and has had quite a lot of homework to do during this week.  She has enjoyed the course so far and her tutors are very pleased with her and the standard of her work.  This bodes very well.  She is also working hard to overcome her anxiety and also the sleep-phobia that has returned to plague her nights.

IMG_5836Raindrops

Raindrops caught in a spider’s web

IMG_5837Witch-hazel

A Witch-hazel leaf. All the rest of the tree’s leaves were a buttery yellow but the leaves on the new shoots went red.

IMG_5838Cricket

This Cricket, a female Speckled Bush-cricket (Leptophyes punctatissima) I believe, was sun-bathing while sitting on a yellow Witch-hazel leaf.

Alice seems well and is enjoying her new job but wishes she was able to work longer hours.  She has to have her PhD thesis printed before she can take part in her graduation ceremony so is trying to save up enough money to get it done.  She is coming home for the weekend in a fortnight and I am looking forward to it very much.  To see her in action discussing horror films please watch the video on the following link.

IMG_5840Autumn colour

Fine trees on a fine day. The churchyard of St Mary’s church in Halesworth. Whenever I see this wall I remember the times I have held one or other of my daughters’ hands when they were little as they balanced all the way along it. It used to take ages! Alice was especially keen.

Richard and I are starting to compile the list of improvements and repairs we need to do to the house and garden.  One of the first jobs will be to replace most of the windows and we hope to get this done before Christmas.  We are also getting a gardener/landscaper to clear and dig out the front ditch which has become overgrown and blocked.  We have asked him to cut the hedges too.  This will be done in a fortnight’s time.

IMG_5850Ladybirds

I found these ladybirds sheltering in my Rosemary bush next to the front door. I think they were hoping to hibernate there. We have since had some very wet weather and they are no longer there.

Last winter we had no ladybirds hibernating in the corner of the window in our bedroom.  This year, when we hope to replace the windows in a few weeks time, the ladybirds are back!  I will have to think of a way of gently moving them before the windows are removed.  I don’t know if they will be as interested in the new poly-carbonate windows we are to have, as they are in the old wooden ones with ladybird pheromones on!

IMG_5844Sir Alfred Munnings pub

Last Sunday we went out for lunch to The Sir Alfred Munnings in Mendham. (I don’t know what the black shadows are top right and bottom left of the photo).

The artist Sir Alfred Munnings was born in Mendham in 1878 and this restaurant and bar was re-named after him.

IMG_5849Mendham

Mendham is a very pretty village just a few miles from where we live.

IMG_5845Mendham church

Mendham church is quite large and well looked after. I couldn’t get far enough away from it to get the whole of the church in one photo.

IMG_5848Mendham church

Mendham church

IMG_5916Sunset

Sunset

IMG_5926Sunset

And another!

Here is one of my favourite songs – ‘Ola Ta Diskola’ (All the Difficulties) by Anastasia Moutsatsou.

Thanks for visiting!

 

 

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An Autumn Walk at Minsmere.

29 Thu Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, plants, Rural Diary, trees, walking

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

autumn, fungus, lichen, Minsmere, plants, ponds, RSPB reserve, Suffolk, trees, walking

We took advantage of a dry but cloudy afternoon earlier this week to walk through the woods at Minsmere.  To those of you who don’t know, Minsmere is an RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) wildlife reserve situated on the coast in Suffolk.  We didn’t see many birds, though as the afternoon wore on and the crowds of visitors began to leave we began to hear more birdsong.

IMG_5857Sand martin burrows

The cliff behind the visitor centre with Sand Martin (Delichon urbica) burrows. I’m not sure what the larger holes are – probably rabbit burrows.

We went first to the ponds behind the visitor centre to see if there was any sign of the Bird’s-nest fungus that was discovered there last year.  I looked but didn’t see any though that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there!  I did see some lichen on the decking.

IMG_5852Cladonia  Lichen

One of the Cladonia lichens

IMG_5855Lichen

More lichen was growing on the ground amongst the sparse grass and moss.

We saw lots of fungi on our walk but because of the low light many of my photographs didn’t come out very well and had to be erased.

IMG_5854Fungus

Fungus

IMG_5856Reeds

Reeds in the pond near the visitor centre – mainly Great Reedmace/ Bulrush (Typha latifolia)

IMG_5858Chestnut tree

A bright Sweet Chestnut tree (Castanea sativa)

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IMG_5871The wood

A little pale sunshine filtered down through the trees

IMG_5874Path at Minsmere

I believe the section they have roped off here is where the Adders (Vipera berus) live.

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IMG_5869Bramble flowers

We saw plenty of Bramble flowers (Rubus fruticosus agg.)

IMG_5876The wood

There was dead wood everywhere

IMG_5877Richard and Elinor

Richard and Elinor watching the rabbits on Warren Hill

IMG_5878Warren Hill

Lots of rabbits live here. The birds of prey appreciate this!

IMG_5879Sun through trees

We saw more of the sun as we neared sunset

IMG_5880Minsmere

Sun on the reeds and rushes

IMG_5882Minsmere

Minsmere at sunset

IMG_5883The wood

Edge of the wood

IMG_5886Minsmere

Sunset

IMG_5895The wood
IMG_5896The wood
IMG_5897Perhaps Lesser Water-parsnip

I think this may be Lesser Water-parsnip (Berula erecta) but I am probably wrong.

IMG_5898Lesser Water-parsnip

Here it is again showing its leaves

IMG_5900Pond

One of the many ponds

IMG_5901Fern

A fern

IMG_5903Holm oak

Holm or Evergreen Oak (Quercus ilex)

IMG_5905The wood
IMG_5907The wood
IMG_5909Minsmere

The bracken has turned such a rich colour

IMG_5910The wood

More dead wood

IMG_5914The wood

More colourful bracken

IMG_5915Fungus

The last fungus we saw – in the carpark!

Thanks for visiting!

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Autumn in a Suffolk Lane – Part 2

11 Sun Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in churches, Days out, Gardening, music, plants, Rural Diary, trees

≈ 42 Comments

Tags

Acorn, ash keys, Astrantia, autumn, Bantam Cock, beach, chickens, Chrysanthemum, conker, dogwood, Dunwich Heath, dwarf gorse, eating apples, Elderberries, fungi, gardening, GERANIUM, Grove snail, Hibiscus, Jake Thackray, Knopper gall, leaf colour, Linstead Magna, Linstead Parva, liverwort, Michaelmas Daisy, moorhen, Pyracantha, rough sea, Salvia, silver birch, Suffolk, sunset, Tansy, viola

IMG_5766Beach at Dunwich Heath

The beach at Dunwich Heath.

We visited yet another of our local beaches on a very windy, cool afternoon recently.  We only stayed on the beach for a short while because the wind was so biting; Elinor and I both got earache.

IMG_5767Beach at Dunwich heath

The mist in the distance is sea-spray.

IMG_5768Beach at Dunwich Heath

The waves were quite rough but the tide was going out.

IMG_5769Beach at Dunwich Heath

Foam was left on the sand and was blowing about.

IMG_5770Dead fish

This little fish must have come too close to the shore.

IMG_5771Snail on bracken

This Grove Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) attached to its bit of bracken was swinging about in the wind.

My ID guide suggests that the Grove Snail “is used to demonstrate the survival of the fittest in evolution, because Thrushes eat the snails which are least well camouflaged against their environment.”

IMG_5772Gorse

The Heather (Calluna vulgaris) was past its best but the Dwarf Gorse (Ulex minor) was looking wonderful

IMG_5776Sunset

Another sunset.

In a post I wrote a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that the bright yellow of the Perennial Sow-thistle was not common at this time of year.  I will have to eat my words because most of the flowers I have seen since then have been yellow!

IMG_5778Tansy

Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) seen on the roadside between Linstead Magna and the village of Linstead Parva *(see below)

IMG_5779Tansy

The Tansy has very aromatic leaves and the little button flowerheads are made up of disc florets only.

IMG_5780Tansy

The genus name ‘Tanecetum’ and the name Tansy are both derived from the Greek word for immortality. The plant was believed to give  eternal life to the drinker of an infusion made from it.

Tansy used to be used as a flavouring in food until fairly recently.  Egg dishes especially, were enhanced by the use of finely chopped tansy leaves.  Tansy was also used as an alternative to expensive imported spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon and Tansy Cake at Easter was very popular.  Because of the strength of its scent, Tansy was also used as a repellent, keeping mice from corn and flies from meat.

IMG_5781Dogwood

Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea)

Close to where I photographed the Tansy I found this hedge of Dogwood.  It was covered in large black berries – the largest I have ever seen on a Dogwood – and most of  the leaves had turned a beautiful red.  Dogwood leaves are usually a much darker, duller maroon in Autumn.

IMG_5782Dogwood

What also surprised me about these Dogwood bushes was seeing flowers in bloom at the same time as the berries and the red leaves.

It isn’t easy to see them in this photo so I cropped it.

IMG_5782Dogwood - Copy

One of the flower-heads is in the centre of this picture.  The couple of weeks of warm and sunny weather we have had recently had fooled the bush into thinking it was spring again.

Richard and I have been working in the garden, getting it ready for winter.  I only seem able to get out there a couple of days a week but I have managed to get quite a lot done.  One of my jobs has been tidying behind the garden shed and round the back of the greenhouse.  Behind the shed was rank with weeds, mainly stinging nettles, which I was able to pull out fairly easily as the soil is quite damp there.  I had stored lots of pots and tubs full of spring bulbs behind the greenhouse so these have come back out to be smartened up and got ready for next spring.  I discovered other flowerpots that should have been emptied and cleaned ages ago.

IMG_5783Marchantia polymorpha liverwort with snail

This pot was covered with liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. It has little green cups on the leaf-like structures (thallus). Do you see the baby snail?

IMG_5818Fungus

We have a lot of fungus all over the grass in our garden. Nothing exciting or colourful, just brown and cream-coloured toadstools. These had been nibbled by something.

IMG_5814Fungus
IMG_5816Fungus

Two other unidentified types of fungi.

IMG_5786Hibiscus

I have had this Hibiscus for about 26 years. It was a gift from my ex-mother-in-law who brought this with her when she came to see us when Alice was a tiny girl.

I love these double flowers – the peach petals have dark crimson bases.

IMG_5788Chrysanthemum

Richard has a new Chrysanthemum flower

IMG_5789Geranium

My Geraniums are still flowering

IMG_5792Viola

I like this pretty Viola

IMG_5799Michaelmas Daisy
IMG_5800Michaelmas Daisy
IMG_5807Michaelmas Daisy

Three different Michaelmas Daisies

IMG_5808Salvia

Salvia

IMG_5811Astrantia

The three ages of Astrantia

IMG_5793Elderberries

Elderberries from the bush at the end of the drive.

IMG_5805Acorn

Acorn  This is the first time in years that these acorns aren’t affected by Knopper galls.

018Acorns with galls (640x458)

This is a photo I took last year of Knopper gall damage on acorns

IMG_5806Conker

‘Conker’

IMG_5815Ash keys

Ash ‘keys’

IMG_5795Autumn colour

The trees in our lane

IMG_5812Silver birch

Our Silver Birch is changing colour

IMG_5813Birch leaves

Birch leaves

IMG_5797Pyracantha

I pruned our Pyracantha recently

IMG_5821Apple tree damage

We not only had a lot of aphid damage to our apple trees in the spring and early summer but the apples on this tree are now being eaten by Moorhens!  It is odd seeing water birds wobbling about in the trees gulping down our apples as fast as they can.

We are getting a little tired of next-door’s free-range chickens in our garden all day.  They kick about in the flower beds and damage seedlings; they peck off flowers and generally make a mess of the paths, beds and compost heaps in the garden.  We have spoken to our neighbours about it a few times but they don’t appear to have any intention of keeping their chickens on their own land.  They have a constant supply of chicks too.

Linstead Magna (large/greater Linstead) is now a small collection of houses and farm buildings.  The church no longer exists but I spoke to someone some years ago who remembered the church and used to attend it.  For more information about this church see here.

Linstead Parva (small/lesser Linstead) is a pleasant little village with a pretty church.  In spring the churchyard is covered in snowdrops and other spring flowers.

Thanks for visiting!

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September’s End

25 Fri Sep 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in amphibians, family, Insects, music, plants, Rural Diary, trees

≈ 32 Comments

Tags

autumn, berries, buzzard, common lizard, crane fly, family, flowers, Fruit, fruit trees, fungus, garden flowers, greater celandine, wasp nest, wild flowers

IMG_2485Hawthorn

Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

We have had some very cool nights already and lots of rain.  Autumn has arrived!  The nights are drawing in and when I get up just after six o’clock in the morning on Mondays and Fridays I have to wait for well over half an hour before the sun rises.

Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum

I have no news to give you about Alice – I haven’t spoken to her for about a fortnight so I assume she is busy and coping alright.

Morning Glory
Morning Glory
Dahlia
Dahlia
Dahlia
Dahlia

To our surprise, the day after I mentioned in this blog that it would take weeks for probate to be granted, it was granted!  Richard has spent two days in Manchester with his brother sorting out all their mother’s finances.  They also went to a place that Joyce was fond of and scattered her ashes.  Richard was hoping to spend three days with Chris and wanted to travel up in his new car but unfortunately his windscreen was hit by a stone chipping last week which left a four inch crack and it needs replacing!  The insurance company is sending someone to our house to carry out the replacement today (which is when Richard had hoped to return home).  He came home yesterday instead (Thursday).  He will have to go back to Manchester in a couple of weeks to finish going through all Joyce’s belongings and deciding what to do with them – a very difficult business.

Dog-rose-hips (Rosa canina)
Dog-rose-hips (Rosa canina)
Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
Pyracantha berries
Pyracantha berries
Cotoneaster berries
Cotoneaster berries
Black Bryony (Tamus communis) growing through Cotoneaster horizontalis
Black Bryony (Tamus communis) growing through Cotoneaster horizontalis
Cotoneaster horizontalis
Cotoneaster horizontalis

Elinor has almost completed two weeks at college, is working hard and her tutors are very pleased with her.  She is enjoying the course but finds the social side of college life very tricky.  She is very insecure and worries all the time that she is saying or doing the wrong thing.  She has also been badly affected by her grandmother’s death and funeral.  She is afraid of going to sleep in case she doesn’t wake up again and she is frightened of being left alone both now and in the future.

Eating apples 'Saturne'
Eating apples ‘Saturne’
Pears 'Concorde'
Pears ‘Concorde’
Figs 'Brown Turkey'
Figs ‘Brown Turkey’
Crabapple 'Evereste'
Crabapple ‘Evereste’
Crabapple 'Harry Baker'
Crabapple ‘Harry Baker’
Crabapple
Crabapple

I have been busy in the house and with my mother; Richard has had a lot to do in the garden and has also been arranging our finances now that he has retired.  We have had no time for a walk recently and in fact have done very few walks together during the whole year.  We hope that in the next week or so things will have calmed down and we will be able to find time to go out together.

Chinese Lanterns (Physalis alkekengi)
Chinese Lanterns (Physalis alkekengi)
Japanese Ornamental Cherry 'Fragrant Cloud'
Japanese Ornamental Cherry ‘Fragrant Cloud’
Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum'
Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’
Spindle (Euonymous europaeus)
Spindle (Euonymous europaeus)
Hazel new catkins (Corylus avellana)
Hazel new catkins (Corylus avellana)
Elder (Sambucus nigra)
Elder (Sambucus nigra)
Fungus
Fungus
Fungus
Fungus
Fungus
Fungus

The photographs in this post were mainly done during one afternoon this week.

IMG_2479Entrance to wasp nest

This is the entrance to one of the three wasp nests we have in our garden. They took over an old mouse or vole hole.

IMG_2487Crane fly

Crane fly (Tipula paludosa)

IMG_2494Buzzard

Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

Greater Celandine

Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus)

I saw this plant just inside the stone wall that surrounds St Mary’s church in Bungay.

Greater Celandine

Greater Celandine

This plant is no relation to the Lesser Celandine we see in the springtime.  It is a type of poppy, similar to the Yellow Horned-poppy I found on Dunwich beach a few weeks ago.  Its orange-coloured sap has been used in Asia for burning away warts and corns since the beginning of Chinese civilisation.  This caustic liquid was also used to remove soreness and cloudiness from the eyes!  It uses an oil gland on its seeds to ensure they are taken a distance away.  Ants feed on the oil and then carry the seed off.

Juvenile Common Lizard

Juvenile Common Lizard

For the second week running, I discovered something hiding under our wheelie-bin.  Obviously, rubbish bins are the go-to shelter for small creatures.

IMG_5734Clouds

Elinor and I admired these clouds as we neared home the other day.

IMG_5736Clouds

We turned to our left and saw these!

The following song is dedicated to Elinor.

Thanks for visiting!

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I talk about what it's like living in a quiet part of Suffolk. I am a wife, mother and daughter, a practising Christian and love the natural world that surrounds me. I enjoy my life - most of the time!

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