FIT. (31/07/15)

I do like it here but am walking miles to get pictures of dragonflies and not even seeing them. I suspect I go out too early but they should still be parked for the night on reeds. Not a sign. This morning I went to see if I could find some Great Crested Newts as this is supposed to be their northerly limit. Not a sign of them; there is a sign about them but no sign of the creatures themselves. I circumnavigated Glassarts Glen which takes about three hours, much of the walk is in pine forest so a bit depressing but every now and then I get a view. It is supposed to be eight miles and the beauty of it is that I rarely see anyone. This morning was the exception as I met a lady on a horse but the horse was naughty and tried to kick the dogs. Fortunately the dogs know horses can be bad so Moll gave it a good barking to. The horsewoman was not best pleased but as I pointed out it was her horse started it. I then met a gillie with three dogs but his dogs are properly trained and didn’t want to speak to Moll and Alf. It was busy this morning.

Here are a few views from our walk.

The little red line is where the camper is. It always looks a long way home from here. This is about halfway as I have to follow the track round the head of the glen. I don’t like being old, twenty years ago I could have run round here in an hour.

I am getting fitter again, I got back and hardly felt as if I’d had a walk whereas last winter a couple of miles was my limit.

Alf sleeping off his wander and dreaming of the deer he failed to catch. A filthy but contented dog.

Have a great weekend. The pictures are a bit gloomy but it was a dull morning at least the rain held off.

THIS IS LIFE. (29/07/15)

I love it here but whenever the outside world intrudes I despair. If it isn’t one thing it’s another. This morning I did my monthly shop. Bread was fifty percent cheaper in Morrisons than Aldi and so were grapefruit. Chicken quarters were half the price in Aldi and Aldi sardines were cheap so I guess it’s well worth shopping around. I like Aldi and I like the lad selling the Big Issue who sits by the trolleys. He is better dressed than I am but he still gets my trolley pound as last month he lent me a pound for my trolley.

Dithery Dave is appointing a lot more disGraces;  he announced this revelation in Singapore. Perhaps he thought he was far enough away not to be brought to account. He is still in the northern Hemisphere by a degree or so. I am sure he promised to reduce the size of government but maybe increasing it doesn’t count if it is announced far from home. I can’t see him building a new shed to pop them all in; he looks fit to drop when out for a walk. I blame Samantha. More expense on top of their pay rise. I think it would be a good idea to means test MP’s salaries, that way at least the working class ones could get paid and the silver spoon brigade could show the rest of us how altruistic they are.

Morrisons roast in the bag thinghies are half price, nearly as much as chicken quarters in Aldi but I deserve a bit of luxury.

Has anyone noticed that Amazon put the price of books up if you start reading a series? Happen it’s just me being paranoid. I have been reading a few whodunnits by Kate Ellis and they have doubled in price. I’ll read somebody else and see if they come down again.

I got back to inspect the work on the combine and see it needs a new injector pipe and a drive belt. I can see me having to silver solder the new injector pipe to the old olives. I bet Andrew is wishing he had never found the oil leak. I just love refurbishing stuff when I’m not paying for the bits. I could really go to town on this machine with Ken’s money. I was looking in the book and it can process three tons of grain an hour. Barley is fetching about £1.50 a ton, be cheaper to plough it back in but then what would I do for whisky and beer.

I have done you a quick flower arrangement for today, Tomorrow is gong to be hot so I will cart a hundredweight of gear up to the overgrown pond for lots of dragonfly images and video. I have plenty of sound track that just need synching to moving pictures and I am really looking forward to that job.

Todays posy is Barley, Smooth Dead Nettle and something else.

Jeremy Corbyn is still doing well and with a bit of luck will be Prime Minister in waiting.

DISPARITY PART 3+X. (28/07/15)

It isn’t raining today but it is cool and damp. I went out bugging first thing, I actually went for a walk and took the macro lens which amounts to much the same thing. I did find a Snipe Fly I haven’t got a picture of before as they have the ability to fly backwards which makes then nearly as difficult to photograph as Leafhoppers.

I found lots of tiny flowers at the edge of the Barley so decided to make a tiny bucket for you. The white one is Eyebright I think but I don’t know what the other two are.

                                                                      POSY or NOSEGAY.

I have posted a few in the Disparity series but have lost track hence the title.

                           SNIPE FLY; Rhagio scolopacea

          RINGLET BUTTERFLY, Aphantopus hyperantus.

Now just a taster of a machine to come in future posts. This beautiful combine is fifty one years old, the second oldest working combine in The Kingdom of Fife.

It is running like a watch but unfortunately has an oil leak on the injector pump drive. The engine will have to come out but it isn’t more than a days job; it’s a Deutz four cylinder air cooled diesel and I suspect shoddy German workmanship is to blame.

I will have to go now as I’m a DisGrace and in keeping with my status have a couple of slappers calling round with a pound or two of nose candy.

Have fun.

 

SLIMED OUT. (27/07/15)

I spent or to be more precise the camera and strobes spent six hours yesterday trying to get a time lapse of the slime mold. Nothing much happened and then the mold shrivelled up and died.
It's raining again so here is some time lapse I've popped together. I was going to use it in a video and more than likely still will.....I'll leave it a while in the hope that you'll forget.
Here is CLOUDS.

DOG’S VOMIT. (26/07/15)

I was out at the crack of dawn this morning and was hoping the weather would clear enough for some video. I carried a couple of lenses and the tripod for miles and miles and the mist never lifted. I did get some sound of a young buzzard shouting for it’s breakfast but it was hidden in the fog.

I call this a pond but I have yet to see any water in it. I visit every few days as it looks as if it should be teaming with dragonflies, newts and frogs. I have never seen anything but I live in hope that my luck will change. It is far too wet to walk across even with wellies.

The Blusher; Amanita rubescens.

I was about ready to write today off, I couldn’t find any squirrels and yesterday when I only had a 100mm lens the little red devils were hopping about all over the place. I was within half a mile of the camper when I found this wonderful stuff. I got a quick picture then headed back for the macro gear and a plastic tub.

Dog’s Vomit, Scrambled Egg, Fuligo septica. I have collected a bit and have it on a piece of wet paper on a plate, I’ve offered it some porridge for lunch and if it get’s moving I’ll take some timelapse of it. Brace yourselves for DOG VOMIT the MOVIE.

That’s all for today, enjoy your week.

PEEK-A-BOO. (25/07/15)

I thought I’d show you a little map of a walk we often do. It’s not far and takes a couple of hours with stops for pictures and waiting for the dogs to return from deer exercising. This morning I decided to take the 100mm macro lens as it’s a while since I have given you a look at the countryside.

I have semi-settled here. It is hilly but the hills aren’t too arduous and walks take from an hour to about four hours. I am seriously thinking of lugging a tripod, a couple of lenses, the sound recorder, making a day of it and shooting a few hours of video. I think a five minute film would be worth doing.

I don’t know why yesterdays post posted twice. It’s never done that before. I’ll see what happens to this one.

A REAL SURPRISE. (24/07/15)

The weather was forecast to be awful today with hail, heavy rain and wind. It has been gorgeous. To celebrate I thought I’d have a change and wander out with a wide angle lens.

The last picture shows a Noon Fly; it is the first one I’ve seen in Scotland.

Enjoy your weekend.

A REAL SURPRISE. (24/07/15)

The weather was forecast to be awful today with hail, heavy rain and wind. It has been gorgeous. To celebrate I thought I’d have a change and wander out with a wide angle lens.

The last picture shows a Noon Fly; it is the first one I’ve seen in Scotland.

Enjoy your weekend.

MD (23/07/15)

Todays post really ought to celebrate my one thousand five hundredth post. When I was looking back there are so many that I could have done with not posting that the number becomes irrelevant.

I am feeling happy as for the first time in years it looks as if the labour party are going to elect a leader with principles and not yet another political clone who will say anything if they deem it expedient. It matters little to me that he is going to struggle to be elected as it will hopefully give people with a moral conscience someone to rally behind. I hope I haven’t misjudged Jeremy Corbyn.

Yesterday we had a superb walk through waist high grass surrounded by hundreds of Ringlet butterflies. I didn’t get a picture but it didn’t matter. I did get some pictures of other things.             WHITE-TAILED BUMBLE BEE

         MOLLY AND ALFIE

      TELEGRAPH POLE 

      PURPLE POPPY

        TWO DIRTY DOGS

            Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens)

         These should need no introduction.

        DAGGER FLY (empis sp.)

I am proud of this shot. I have been trying for weeks to get a clear, in focus image of this attractive little fly, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

That’s all for this post and here’s to the next fifteen hundred.

IT CAN’T BE. (22/07/15)

This Soldier or Bonking Beetle can’t be thinking what I think it’s contemplating.

The Ringlet Butterfly (Aphantopus hyperantus) didn’t wait to find out. Very wise of it. The beetle found something  it’s own size.

Here we go again. There are hundreds of these. Rhagonycha fulva. Little wonder, they are always at it. It is difficult to find one on it’s own.

These tiny creatures are not far behind. I assumed they were flying ants but they are, as usual something else. I think it is a Lesser Dung Fly one of the Sepsidae. Sepsis fulgeus I’ll settle for. Beautiful little things but getting very near the limit for me size wise.

I have searched and searched but can’t identify this. It is on Hogweed but didn’t seem to be eating it. It is very attractive.

I have checked the willow but can find no sign of the Puss Moth Larva. There were two and both have disappeared. They may have turned into pupae but I can’t find them if they have. At least I got them on video before they departed. This morning there was a new kid on the block.

I don’t know what it is and I only got one shot before it fell off the willow twig and I couldn’t find it again. I’ll have another look later.

Today is going to be the last fine day for a while so I am going out for another wander.