SPHAGNUM & STRIATED SKY

Having been stuck indoors these last few days, the camera has been out of action, the last time being on Sunday when I took a few other photographs I would like to share. 

The above was of fresh new shoots in the sphagnum mosses, regenerating on the earth so badly damaged by fire a couple of years ago. But in other areas, they were doing well.

These green cushions of sphagnum, were delightfully decorated with early morning rain drops. In the sunlight, they sparkled and danced with rainbow coloured light. Magical.

And here's another ground level view of the remaining badly  burnt stems of heather. It almost seems like another country when seen from this angle. But, the good news is that as the heather grows new shoots, which grouse prefer to feed on, that there will be food for these fairly rare local birds.

Meanwhile in peat dark water pools, almost submerged grasses shone out against their watery background with the seeming star strewn blaze of a firework display. Just after I took this photo, the dog went paddling, disrupting the mirror smooth surface.

The strange thing is, that on Sunday I was beginning to feel O.K after more than a week of a heavy cold. Little did I realise then it would suddenly turn into pneumonia. But the antibiotics and various other medications are at least easing the situation. Meanwhile, back to that strange but fascinating cloud line in the sky. It just quite simply intrigued me and most definitely was not an aircraft con trail.  It stretched for miles, left to right, low above the distant horizon on the English side of the boundary. Meanwhile on the Welsh side as one can see, the ground was super saturated and most definitely boggy. Yes. folks ... it was yet another wellie wearing day!

IN REMEMBRANCE.

<<< This is where I was on Sunday at eleven-o-clock. It was Remembrance Day and I stood for my minutes of silence, just thinking about friends I have known in all three services, some sadly are now no longer with us. But ... despite the tragedies of lost lives, many of the memories were good ones. Lots of fun and laughter, practical jokes played on each other and a yet also a very strong feeling of comradeship, even given the loyalties that caused acts of one-upmanship between the three. The sad thing is, that given the recent conflicts I would say that every serving person knows of someone who has within the last years, lost a life. This is no longer just about the two well known world wars and of course here there has been the loss of miners who added their contribution to the war effort. Coal was much needed to fuel the sustainability of a whole nation and many non combatants did their bit.

Meanwhile we visited an area that had been severely burnt out a few years ago. What started the fire, who knows but in this year of much wetness, it has finally started to regenerate. There were signs of new young heather plants, sphagnum mossed mounds and ...

young fresh red leaves of the whinberry plants. Sadly this year there were very few berries. I normally have pounds of these in the freezer and I have missed gathering them this year. Sheep it seems don't eat them, so ... usually,  all the more for freezing and jamming. No signs of grouse though,. yet farmers during the various gathers of sheep off the mountain, disturbed quite a few.

In amongst the burnt out heather remnants, there was new growth of young regenerating  heather plants, sphagnum mosses as well as crow berries and the tender shoots of new grasses. I felt O.K on Sunday, not brille but able at least to go for a short walk with the dog. I thought I was over the worst of this bug ... until yesterday when things got kindov worse and an appointment today with "Doc" has seen me diagnosed with Pneumonia! Now, suitably medicated, I am staying indoors, keeping warm with a huge supply of tissues and various medications. Bothox!

Meanwhile, looking back to Sunday. you know me well enough by now, I love capturing reflections, with the camera held close to the ground. For the time being I am stuck indoors recuperating. I've lost count of the loo rolls I've gone through ( cheaper than ,man sized tissues) the dog is fed up because I can't walk him. But, bless him he seems to understand that his boss is not functioning at all well at the moment.

So ... with various medications and of course a weeks worth of  anti-idiotics, I shall be recuperating. But one last thing left over from Sunday,  a large stripe of cloud, that most definitely was not just a con trail but an elongated layer  of unusual cloud in virtually, total blue sky. It was quite an uncommon sight to witness.

NOVEMBER CONTRASTS.

Today after a night of rain the weather seemed set for a dry day at least for a while ...

 the sun shone brightly and between passing, overhead clouds highlighted the landscape.

The last remnants of leaves on some of  the beech trees, glowed bright in the sunlight.

But in the darker shades of the old pine forested area, raindrops still dripped off the pine needles. Caught in the November sunlight these last few remnants of rain, glistened like mere temporary diamonds and the sphagnum moss mounds were bejewelled too. Underfoot the going was soggy and muddy, not that the leaf diving dog minded in the slightest.

There were deep, recently water filled courses to splash about in, the scents of a recently deceased vixen to sniff. He was just glad to be out and about and to be honest, I was struggling. As he sniffed, I sneezed, As he caught a scent, I coughed. It was great to be out and about but after a recent fall my hips were feeling rather fragile and very sore. I quite envied his enthusiastic energy and this from a dog diagnosed with crepitus of the two fore joints, but his decrepit owner was struggling.

There is a saying, "Every cloud has a silver lining." and this morning the clouds were definitely silver rimmed with bright sunlight and as the clouds moved their shadows across the landscape, the ever changing scenery was really quite magical to observe. One minute the land was in shadow, the next minute held in a spotlight of brilliant brightness that brought the russeted autumnal colours to vibrant life. Despite feeling slow and grotty, it was good to be out in the fresh November air.

There were small new growths to be observed like this tiny fungus pushing up through the deep moist carpet of sphagnum moss. Blink and you miss it. It really does pay to keep your attention focused on the ground as well as on the huge  and dramatically changing skies up above. Miniscule details can reveal so much.

And then there are the larger details such as this moss encrusted stone caught in the recent flow of extra water flowing across the moorland after a full night of yes, yet more rain.

But the continually  changing contrast between light and shade is just simply mesmerising.

As I took this photograph, a green woodpecker flew into the bare branches of the beech trees. The colour of it against the leaf bare beech was bright and lovely to see.

This excursion tired me for the rest of the day but ...

it was worth the effort.

LATE SEASONAL COLOUR.

I felt a bit like this little beetle today ... slow moving in damp conditions ... mild drizzle. Having had to go out to get a few necessary items, I wrapped up well and gave the "mildly fed up" mutt a short walk in a local area of forestry. He's been looking at me quizzically over the last few days unsure what to do about this snuffly, sneezy, just about feeling  human ... being. The forecast this morning had threatened our area with a lot of rain, so best to get out and back in again before we got deluged. Just as we got out of the car, the sky decided to give us a small idea of what was to come. But it was worth the effort required. As the dog delighted in the damp woodland scents, I had the camera.

And, a bit like the dog. I was almost nose to the ground, there were so many tiny details to delight in and to capture on camera.

Like this raindrop bejewelled blade of grass, each drop magnifying the details beneath.

Unless one looks closely. one just doesn't notice the growth lines in a single grass leaf.

Also, despite the overcast skies, the rain made other details more vibrant in close up, such as this single bright red bramble leaf, blown by the breezes onto pale yellow oak leaves.

And another, quite dramatic pale contrast to the rising forest banks on one side ...

a single, cream coloured bracken frond, arching over the mosses and grasses.

But the most vibrant colours of the vegetation, had to be the fire-bright blackberry leaves.

Now, normally among the species that have a show of scarlet are the wild strawberry foliage, but, not this year. I didn't see one single bright red leaf on any of the many plants that grow so low on either side of this forest track and going back to fruiting time, I picked but a mere handful of fruits this year. In the past I have been able to make wild strawberry jam. Going back a few years ago, I picked four pounds of these tiny fruit in a few hours.

Another tree species that usually provides an amazing variety of colour, the oak ...

has, this year, been very lacking in it's usually wonderful variances in shades, but at least there were those few that shone out amongst all of the dreary rest.

Now. I make few apologies for this repetitive moan, but ... in this area of forest alone over the past five years, I have gathered, wild strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, whinberries, various edible fungi and ... even crab apples on a lone tree.  Not this year!

Which reminds me ... all my favourite crab apple trees have been devoid of fruit this year.  My secluded damson trees on the sites of long dilapidated farm houses were almost fruitless. Forget elderberry cordial this year and apple and bramble, winter warming pies.

Like so many of our late spring, early summer flowering species they were hit hard with the seemingly constant battering of unseasonal cold winds and yes that word again, rain!

One water loving plant has thrived quite well, rich in a source of iron, wild watercress.

It is only one very small area of this water loving plant, but I have regularly gathered these iron rich leaves to add to soups, stews and omelettes, but I have to admit, not as flavour rich as some of the other "hedgerow" harvests that I've missed this year. But, visually at least, we have not totally missed out on that last autumnal flare of brightness.

Forget Bonfire Night, nature can succeed where fireworks may fail.

GOING BACK A YEAR.

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!

Now that is one overweight, rather pampered cat. I quite envy it.

DAFT DAFAD

Apologies folks for no recent photographs in this post.. Last night was bonfire night, but the weather was so wet, there were very few fireworks to be heard. I took the dog for a short walk along the back lane and slipped in a pile of very wet leaves and fell hard on my right hip. Which, has kindov evened things out a bit. A few  years ago now, I got kicked in the left hip by a horse, something that still causes problems, so now both hips are rather sore. So a day spent safely in the warm with painkillers and am just taking things easy for a while. I have to be careful due to a deteriorating spine, but last night just added to problems I could well do without. As for the day outside the weather has been clearer and tonight there are fireworks going off all over the place as folk make up for last night.

Meanwhile ... tonight there is the big American question ... who will be the next President?

Being on such a different time zone to us, it will go on throughout the night and I will be safely tucked up and fast asleep, so will find out the results come the morning but it seems from the statistics, that the result might be a very close call. We we shall see what happens, but closer to home the alternating weather remains variable to say the least.

So ... as the bangs, whizzes and fizzes fill the night air, I shall simply say ... goodnight.

THE SCENE CHANGES

Today, after a night of hail turning to rain, during which we stayed safely indoors hiding away from all that the current weather could throw at us, we woke to dry skies!

The family whose chickens & rabbits I had to care for over the week had had a reasonably  sunny, fun time and enjoyed their half term holiday in the sunnier climes of Spain. They arrived safely back last night, only to be met with the vagaries of our local weather. As you can see there were still remnants of snow, hail, frozen stuff on the mountain.

As you can see above, an oak leaf blown by these wintry winds had blown from miles away, had to come to rest on the sphagnum mosses on the mountain where ice crystals had not yet melted. But amazingly the ambient temperature was surprisingly mild.

And in a field of a local, recently regenerated farm, different sheep.

These are the  Balwen breed, normally a pure white, mid to lowland breed, but somewhere in a throw back in the genes, a darker offspring appeared.  

The rest of the flock were studiously grazing with their backs turned to me.

In the fields behind, the hardier breeds of Wesh Mountain and Texel sheep.

Meanwhile ....

on the commons ... fresh sheep droppings on a rosette of thistle leaves ... ? 

This indicated to me that there were still sheep loose on the mountain.

Also in the muddy areas, there were distinctive sheep hoof prints ...

Talking to a local farmer in the pub at lunch time ,

he had gathered some of his last missing sheep off the common grazing land.

Today, finally the weather began to clear ....

 

but for how much longer?

EARLY NOVEMBER SKIES.

At the risk of being repetitive ... as I write this, yes, it's raining again, loudly ... or so I thought until I looked outside the door. It's frozen rain ... hailstones and some quite large!

This morning listening to the weather forecast on Radio 4 before I had surfaced out of the warm comfort of duvet country, they mentioned snow on The Brecon Beacons. Now up here, we tend to get very similar weather. So that set the mood for the day, lots of warm layers, thick sea-boot socks, my last morning of getting the chooks let out and fed. After they and the rabbits had been attended to we drove up to the highest point ... there was some, but not much snow. Looking across towards England, a bright break in dark clouds.

Now you might think ... "What a scenic view." except that, just stand back a bit and ...

Yes ... a recently unloaded pile of fly tipped mess! Using the cover of the recent weather, someone had dumped a load of bits of cardboard and old window frames, right by the edge of the road and judging by the fresh tyre tracks near the scene it had probably been done just this morning. Now I may be wrong but this was probably a tradesman not your average D.I.Y type.

There were other tyre tracks too, another set of folk who like to abuse the mountain under the cover of drizzle and mist ...

Offroaders! They churn up all the mud and leave great scars across this lovely landscape.

This morning, these moors were the wettest I have ever known them, every step was squidgy, slushy or splashy. There were remnants of overnight snow but without the ground being frozen, it was melting easily and rivulets were running everywhere. Across the commons, the main off road tracks seemed like shining ribbons across the heath. I saw no grouse today and one single skylark fluttered above us with its call seeming lonely.

The dog was enjoying the pleasure of paddling in heather hedged pools, I was  frozen.

There was a bitter breeze and the skies were rather overcast and grey ... not a good day.

But then a shaft of sunlight started to spread and widen over the hillsides and valleys.

By this time my hands were so cold, we headed home for a restful day before heading back up the mountain to put the chickens and rabbits away for the last night of our care. As it approached that time of day, the skies were dramatically darkening and as we headed up the mountain road once again dark clouds were gathering in the skies above, but ... there was one very singular patch of brightness to be seen in the whole of the dome of sky.

Just to the right of this,  from the same standpoint, the clouds were rather different ...

and so we headed back to tend to seeing the chickens and rabbits fed and safely locked away for the rest of the night and just as we did so we were hit by the first of the hail.

All I can say is "Ouch!" and we're glad to be safely warm back inside!

I should apologise for these recently sky fixated posts on the blog but there is very little worth taking photographs of on the ground at the moment, except maybe  ...

like this ornamental hedgehog, we are hibernating for the rest of the night.

ANVILS IN THE SKY

This morning started of with a word I've not yet used on this blog ... sleet. Not quite rain, not quite snow, but still wet and very cold. As I attended to my charges, the chickens and the rabbits, I was yet again a wee bit more than damp. Taking the dog for a short walk, the sky changed and we got soaked! Just as we got back into the car the sky changed yet again and the sky cleared to blue and sun bright dryness. I didn't have my camera with me this morning, but as I went up to put the chooks away safely for the night, I made sure I had it with me and a good thing too.

<<< This was the old church lit by security lights, a warm looking sight,

unlike the sky which was looking dark shaped and cold ... but with interesting shapes.

On the horizon, a rather odd anvil shaped cloud and beneath it in the foreground the lazily grazing sheep. As the dog nosed in amongst the drifts of fallen leaves, I was trying my best to get some of the best photographs, even though my fingers were getting numbingly cold, but these skies were too good to miss and yet I still had the chickens to get safely out away for the night, they would have to wait just a wee while longer, because, just for a change ... the weather was dry. This mornings wet weather clothing was still rather damp, to say the least, so I was warmly wrapped up in layers and a thick fleece, I rather envied the one coat copes with all weather sheep!

In the south, more storm threatening clouds were rather ominously gathering, it was time to get the chickens and rabbits safely fed and locked away for the rest of the night.

I noticed a buzzard perched on top of the old church tower ... looking for a possible opportunity. It was definitely time to see that my charges were shut in and secure!

But one last photo had to be taken before I saw to the smaller animals.

I just love the swirling, almost dancing clouds in this photo and if ... you look carefully ...

you can just about see a rather intriguing face.

I got my charges fed & left with fresh water for the night before I finally shut them away. then spent a few minutes taking a last look at the rapidly darkening, evening skyline.

These "anvil" shaped clouds were just fascinating. Apparently they are mostly composed of ice particles. Google them, they are a rather interestingly formed shape of cloud.

As for us, we were headed back down the mountain to get fed ourselves and warm again.

On the way down, I noticed other shapes that looked like flying birds but by then it was too dark to get decent photographs. A shame because the clouds tonight were fascinating. As I write, I can hear fireworks going off, a reminder that we are close to Bonfire Night.