WHO IS THIS DUDE?

After the last days of rain it was lovely to see the weather become more settled overnight.

A barn owl was hunting at dusk behind the house, normally I hear it hunting in the very early hours. On of the things I've missed this year is the wonderful starry skies we get here due to very little light pollution, in the evening the Plough can clearly be seen from the back door. No such sight last night, the sky was still rather cloudy and moody.

We headed up to the old church to enjoy the views that can be witnessed from there and found that some of the hay figures still remained, though somewhat reshaped by rain. 

I smiled at a memory of a small four year old who when these hay folk had been freshly made, wouldn't touch them because he thought they were dead people and in a quite defiant voice, said they were decomposing.

After the last weeks they are definitely doing something similar ... composting! Beneath the dry surface the hay was damp and mouldy and so ... they had to go. They are all now bagged up and will soon be heading off to the farm manure heap for spreading next year.

<<< This one was formed to look rather like a local character called Dude. Who is not human but could be confused with being a sheep.Can you see the similarity?

I know this is not the best photo >>>

but trying to catch these two on camera wasn't easy. Ffin wasn't quite sure what to make of this fluffy white creature. Being trained as he is, not to chase sheep, he wasn't quite sure how to play with a dog that looked like one. Dude is only five months old and full of all the boisterous, dash about fun of an energetic pup. Ffin is more sedate these days due to his early onset arthritic joints and ... not being used to other canine companions, wasn't quite sure how to play this game of race around the gravestones. But they got on reasonable well together though when Dude stopped for a rest he looked more like a cosy fireside rug!

Meanwhile as these two were chasing and exploring I had my eyes more focused on the clouds forever changing and rearranging themselves, I never tire of watching the sky.

One minute bright sunshine and then the cloud s occluded the sun darkening the stones. But then there would be moments of early evening warmth and soft muted colours ...

as if inviting one to sit and just witness the goings on around this lovely churchyard.

It is a beautifully peaceful place and I love just sitting and watching the changes not just in the skies above but also throughout the seasons. It seems the swifts and swallows are preparing to leave on their long flight to warmer climes and who can blame them, there was a distinct chill in the air as sun started descending beneath the western skyline. At first it didn't seem as though the sunset would be a beautiful rosy glow, but ... I waited patiently and was rewarded for getting rather cold. Sadly, it was then that I realised my camera battery was getting very low and I subsequently missed the best of this evenings dramatic display.

The trees on the horizon almost look like grazing beasts, some even resemble bison. Not that we have any around here, though there is a man fairly locally who breeds Llamas!
As we drove back down the mountain road, I was to witness the sky turn red and gold with patches of clear blue sky and deep blushing pink clouds. The jackdaws were revelling in an end of day flying display, it was wonderful. We've had so few sunsets like that this year, but as I listened to the news on the car radio, I heard that an old haunt of mine, York has suffered the second worst flooding problems since records began. Other areas too have had terrible flood problems and gale force winds, so we have been quite blessed here.