Just to add insult to injury as the saying goes, apart from a brief excursion to get the daft dog out, Dafad here has got a full blown, raging cold. Forget the tissues. it's a loo roll on standby! Last night, in between rolling over to rest one hip or the other ... coughing and sneezing fits, I managed to catch up with the ongoing news via radio re, the Presidential Election in United States and (in the dark. early hours ) Barack Obama had won another four years in charge of the nation. Oh and I forgot to mention the police helicopter circling somewhere very close overhead for at least half an hour around one in the morning!
Today, stuck indoors I decided to look back at the photographs I had taken this time last year and found this one of heavily loaded hawthorn berries in the old churchyard, very little sign of any berries this year which makes me wonder how so many of our overwintering birds will survive.
These haws were wet with rain, but not all the days through the start of November last year were as sodden as they've been this "moisture" beleaguered year.
Yes, there were moody skies, but this time twelve months ago the weather was mostly dry and looking back over the posts written a year ago there was a lot of autumnal blazes of colour and to my delight a lot of late edible fungi. I was finding blewits, boletus edulis, parasol mushrooms and lovely little puffballs. This year I've eaten just one single, golf ball sized puffball,just pathetic!
Also looking back through the photo files (done on a daily basis) I have realised that there was very little need to wear wellies. This year they have become almost continual footwear. A good way to avoid foot rot! And there were lovely, dry sunny days such as these to enjoy too.
The above I note was taken on 5th of November, last years Bonfire night and it was a really lovely day. Conditions dry, scrunchy beech leaves underfoot, a very autumnal feel.
<<< Taken on the 4th November, there had been a little overnight rain, enough to leave drops on the pine needles, but apart from that the ground conditions underfoot were reasonably, seasonably dry.
This year has been so very, very different. Some meteorologists say it's the worst on record since 1766. Added to that there are now at least ten pathogens attacking our native and non native trees, the latest scare being Ash Die Back which could effect millions of our long established woodland, it's all rather worrying. Climactic change and diseases are changing the face of our countryside quite dramatically and the knock on effect is going to be great.
But just to lighten this doom and gloom ... they say that it's the fat cats that do O.K ... well this one should do alright then!
Also looking back through the photo files (done on a daily basis) I have realised that there was very little need to wear wellies. This year they have become almost continual footwear. A good way to avoid foot rot! And there were lovely, dry sunny days such as these to enjoy too.
This year has been so very, very different. Some meteorologists say it's the worst on record since 1766. Added to that there are now at least ten pathogens attacking our native and non native trees, the latest scare being Ash Die Back which could effect millions of our long established woodland, it's all rather worrying. Climactic change and diseases are changing the face of our countryside quite dramatically and the knock on effect is going to be great.
But just to lighten this doom and gloom ... they say that it's the fat cats that do O.K ... well this one should do alright then!
Now that is one overweight, rather pampered cat. I quite envy it.
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