• About my Blog
  • GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) and This Site
  • My Life in a Suffolk Lane

A Suffolk Lane

~ A diary of my life in rural north Suffolk.

A Suffolk Lane

Tag Archives: lambs

Highlights Part 2

10 Sat Dec 2016

Posted by Clare Pooley in Gardening, Insects, music, plants, Rural Diary, seashore, weather, wild birds, wild flowers

≈ 75 Comments

Tags

'Something in the Way She Moves', alderfly, azure damselfly, cactus flowers, communal mining bee, Early Purple Orchid, echinopsis oxygona, Four-spotted Chaser, greenfinch, highlights, Jacob sheep, lambs, oedemera nobilis, pond water-crowfoot, red campion, Robin, Southwold, Suffolk, The Beatles, the moon, The Saints Benefice in north Suffolk, the sea, thrift

The weather in May was changeable; cold, wet and windy for a few days then a couple of days of warmth and sunshine then back to cool and damp.  The beginning of June wasn’t much different.

These first photos were taken towards the end of May in our garden or within a short walk of home.

p1000277pond-water-crowfoot

Pond Water-crowfoot (Ranunculus peltatus) has two sorts of leaves; the submerged leaves are thread-like but the floating leaves have rounded lobes. I found this plant in the pond at the front of the house. It is a relative of the buttercup and appeared here for the first time this year.

p1000320alder-fly-001

Alderfly (Sialis lutaria) In this country we have just three species of alderfly and they are virtually indistinguishable from each other. One (this one I believe) favours still or slow-moving water and the other two prefer running water.

Adult alderflies are weak-flying insects and never move far away from water.  The two or three weeks they spend as an adult are almost entirely taken up with looking for a mate.  Most don’t bother feeding but some may nibble a little pollen or algae if they are in need of sustenance.

Mining bee
Mining bee
Mining bee
Mining bee

I think this Mining bee is a Communal mining bee (Andrena scotica).  The females share a tunnel entrance but have separate nests underground.  They prefer slightly open ground and so are often found near paths.  I discovered this one while I was weeding and I think I had probably disturbed her nest.  She was making a lot of noise; I am sure she was very cross!

p1000330robin-001

I was being helped in my task by a friendly Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

ooOOoo

Richard had noticed some orchids on the grass verge of a lane near us so we set off to walk to where they were growing.  I took a couple of photos on the way.

p1000333red-campion

Lots of Red Campion (Silene dioica)

p1000343greenfinch

A Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris). I had to zoom as far as my camera was capable to enable me to get this rather grainy shot.

p1000345early-purple-orchid

Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula)

p1000346early-purple-orchid

Early Purple Orchid

p1000349early-purple-orchid

Early Purple Orchid

p1000367jacob-sheep

We walked past a field full of Jacob sheep on the way back home

p1000368jacob-sheep

They are more like goats than sheep and the lambs are very endearing and inquisitive.

ooOOoo

At the very end of May we visited one of our local seaside resorts, Southwold, on a very cool and windy day.

p1000371southwold

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside!

p1000386southwold

The sea was rough…

p1000387southwold

…but this couple were happy to be there watching the waves together. Note how well wrapped up they were!

p1000375southwold

I like this weather vane on top of the Southwold Sailor’s Reading Room

p1000377southwold

These flowers caught my eye

p1000378southwold

Thrift (Armeria maritima)

ooOOoo

Within a day or so of our trip to Southwold the sun came out again and I was able to find insects to photograph.

p1000392damselfly

Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)

img_2756damselflies

Male and female Azure damselflies

img_2766dragonfly-001

Male Four-spotted Chaser dragonfly (Libellula quadrimaculata)

My field guide says these dragonflies are rather dull but I don’t find them so.

p1000468oedemera-nobilis

Male Oedemera nobilis.  A beetle that feeds on pollen; only the males have the swollen hind-legs.

ooOOoo

Just a few photos I took towards the middle of June.

p1000475cactus-flowers

Beautifully scented cactus flowers – Echinopsis oxygona

p1000485moon

The moon

And finally a slideshow of a field of Common Poppies (Papaver rhoeas) I saw from the road at Ilketshall St. John this summer.  I wished I could get closer to it!  I think you may also appreciate this link.  It is a wonderful description of where I live and also has praise in it for our Rector who will be retiring next August.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

My music today is from the Beatles.  Many of you will know why I have chosen this today (though I am a couple of days late as usual!).  I was a student living in Liverpool at the time and heard the news of John’s death as I made my toast for breakfast on the 9th of December.  Thirty-six years ago!  I was surprised later to hear he had been shot on the 8th of December but I had forgotten the time difference.  Listen to the superbly melodic bass playing!

Thanks for visiting!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Print
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn

Like this:

Like Loading...

Holiday Memories and Other Musings

28 Fri Feb 2014

Posted by Clare Pooley in Rural Diary, Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

'Local Hero', Austrian Tirol, Cinqueterre, Hen Cloud, holidays, Lake District, Lake Garda, lambs, Limone, Long Sleddale, Northern lights, Ramshaw Rocks, Staffordshire Peaks, Tuscany

So nice to be at home for the day – no trips to the shops or doctors and no errands to run.  Spent the day recovering from a bad headache which bothered me yesterday and doing lots of ironing – lovely!  R phoned me earlier and mentioned that I might be able to see the Northern Lights this evening.  Went out well wrapped up as it is quite frosty tonight but wasn’t lucky enough to see them.  I would love to be able to see them – one of my greatest dreams I think.  I love the scene in the film ‘Local Hero’ when the young American oilman sees them while on the phone to his boss on the night of the ceilidh.  Tonight, in spite of waiting for some time and turning into a block of ice I saw nothing.  The stars were extremely bright but there was some light pollution on the northern horizon.  Heard a tawny owl in the distance and some squeaking in the hedge from some type of rodent.  How strange it feels to walk in the dark outside!  The heavens so clear above and so big and then not to be able to see the ground or one’s legs and feet at all.  Is it like swimming?  Almost a floating feeling – as though with just a little effort one might be able to rise up and up to the stars.

Rainy, wet morning today and then showers (some hail too) and then a little sunshine.

R and I have been talking about past holidays recently and thinking about where we might go this year so I’ve decided to post a few pictures of some of our holiday destinations over the last few years.

Last summer’s holiday was in Tuscany – so lovely.  Here are two photos I took on a trip to the Cinqueterre.

016The sea (640x480)

 

023Sea view (640x480)

For the last few years we have gone to the Staffordshire Peaks in early summer.  It is a wonderful place for a holiday and also close to Manchester where R’s relatives live.

045Moorland walk (480x640)

054Moorland walk (480x640)

010Hen Cloud (640x480)

015Hen Cloud (480x640)

020View from Hen Cloud (640x480)

086View from Hen Cloud (640x480)

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went to the Lake District at Easter in 2010.  Lots of lovely lambs!

017Lambs (640x480)

018Lambs (640x480)

 

 

The same year we went to the Austrian Tirol.  We had gone to the same places in 1994 for our honeymoon.  The Lakes immediately after our wedding and with A for a week and then to Austria in August just the two of us.  A went to Disneyland Paris with her Dad for a week and stayed with my parents for the second week.

062Mountain view (640x480)

063Mountain view (640x480)

 

 

In 2011 we went to Limone on the banks of Lake Garda in Italy

098View at Limone (640x480)

106Sunset (640x480)

 

 

Where to this year?

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Print
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn

Like this:

Like Loading...
Follow A Suffolk Lane on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 658 other followers

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!

My Posts

Mar 2021
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Feb    

Pages

  • About my Blog
  • GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) and This Site
  • My Life in a Suffolk Lane

Archives

Blogs I Follow

Posts I Like

amphibians art Arts and Crafts churches cooking Days out domestic animals family fish Folk Traditions Gardening Historic Buildings holidays Insects Landscaping literature music Norwich plants poetry Rural Diary seashore theatre trees Uncategorized walking weather wild animals wild birds wild flowers

Tags

architecture autumn beach berries birds blackbird blackthorn butterfly church clouds common knapweed cow parsley crocus daffodils Diary dogwood family field maple flowers fungus garden gardening geese greylags ground-ivy Halesworth Hawthorn heather holiday Holy Week horse chestnut Hoverfly insects ivy Lake District Lent lesser celandine lichen Lords and Ladies Mallard mallards Minsmere moorhen moss music Norfolk Norwich Peak District pheasant plants pond ponds primrose primroses Rain rooks Rumburgh Rumburgh Church sheep Sheffield snow snowdrops spring Suffolk Suffolk Wildlife Trust sunset the Beck trees viburnum bodnantense walking weather wild cherry wild flowers winter-flowering honeysuckle witch-hazel

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Goodreads

Blog at WordPress.com.

Writer Side UP!

Waking the Writer Side...and keeping it "Up!"

Meggie's Adventures

Travel, thank you notes and other stories

amusicalifeonplanetearth

Music and the Thoughts It Can Inspire

lovefoundation.co.uk

Traveling Tortuga

Simply Living Well

Pakenham Water Mill

Historic watermill in the beautiful Suffolk countryside

Take It Easy

Retired, not expired: words from the after(work)life. And music. Lots of music!

cindyknoke.wordpress.com/

Cindy Knoke

Diary Of A Church of England Vicar's Wife

Public Rights of Way Explorer

PROW Explorer

thanksfortheadventureorg.wordpress.com/

The Beat Goes On

#TBGO

PLESZAK

Frank Pleszak's Blogs

John Bainbridge Writer

Indie Writer and Publisher

roughwighting

Life in a flash - a weekly writing blog

Walking the Old Ways

Rambling in the British Countryside

Shiny New Books

What to Read Next and Why

A Voice from Iran

Storytelling, short stories, fable, folk tales,...

CapKane

thoughts on social realities

SkyeEnt

Jottings from Skye

jodie richelle

embracing my inner homemaker

Skizzenbuch/Blog

Just another WordPress.com weblog

Author Kevin Cooper

Life, Love, Tears & Laughter: Then, Now & Hereafter.

Have Bag, Will Travel

The Call of the Pen

Flash Fiction, Book Reviews, Devotionals and other things.

Book Jotter

Reviews, news, features and all things books for passionate readers

John's Postcards

STADTAUGE

Ailish Sinclair

Stories and photos from Scotland

Art in Nature

The ‘Beauty of the Moment’

The Strawberry Post

Here to Entertain, Educate & Inspire!

You dream, I photographe it !

Smile! You’re in Barnier World......

theinfill

the things that come to hand

Dr. Mary Ann Niemczura

Author of "A Past Worth Telling"

Provincial Woman

Life in Mud Spattered Boots

Creative Country Life

The Pink Wheelbarrow

The Mindful Gardener

The sensory pleasures and earthy delights of gardening.

Luanne Castle's Writer Site

Memoir, poetry, & writing theory

The Family Kalamazoo

A genealogical site devoted to the history of the DeKorn and Zuidweg families of Kalamazoo and the Mulder family of Caledonia

everythingchild

The Book Owl

Canberra's Green Spaces

people, places and green spaces in Canberra

Schnippelboy

Ein Tagebuch unserer Alltagsküche-Leicht zum Nachkochen

Paul Harley Photographer

WALKS WITH PUMPKIN

bowlandclimber

Walks and climbs

M T McGuire Authorholic

Humorous fantasy fiction author... the books are quite funny too... seeking an agent, a publisher and my fortune.

Tails from a Norfolk cottage

Moments from a Norfolk Country Cottage. The furred & feathered & the worn and weathered. A Druid Herbalist with a Passion for Cats, Vintage, Dogs, Interiors, Nature, Hens, Organic Veggie Food, Plants & Trees & a Kinship with The Earth.

Woodland Wild flowers

Of the Wye valley and beyond.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
    %d bloggers like this: