It was on a frosty morning we found these blobs, I imagine they turned to goo once thawed. 


In fact I'm wondering how large the growths get, whether I might one day stumble upon a huge quivering dollop on the side of a tree. 




Cold week. Hopefully you have something nice planned for the weekend or a chance to get festive and enjoy the rest.

 

It's been very cold lately with daytime temperatures lucky to lift above freezing point. Wrapping up warmly, we set out at the weekend for fresh air and a stretch of the legs.

Some beautiful sights to be seen.

 

This dotted sallow moth joined me as a passenger for a car ride recently. After a bit of squealing in horror I took a picture. When I flick through my RSPB pocket guide to butterflies and moths I'm always interested in the moths. They really are quite curious and fascinating. Provided you have good light for getting a picture they are more easily identifiable than butterflies too with quite different markings. Plus they have some pretty cool names too. 

 

Oh dear, where has the time gone? December does rattle round so quickly and despite having plenty of plans for our festivities, it feels like the time slips away far too quickly before you know it. I intend to have all Christmas cards and letters written and ready to send. Nope, but the list is prepared (shorter every year).

We have bought most of the gifts already, a combination of advance buying and getting things delivered. There's nothing worse than heading to busy shops and this year especially we had no intention of partaking in that furore. 

I've made my wreath and finished most of the Christmas decorating, so hopefully can just put my feet up for a bit and eat some mince pies.

Not much to see on some days, the drab outlook on grey days can be so dreary. I did want to talk about the birds I see out and about because some of them change behaviour over autumn and winter. Smaller birds you might find in your garden make delightful little nests in spring in the hedge and take up residence in bird boxes. Over autumn some of them club together with others to make a mixed flock who travel around with the benefit of safety in numbers. Apparently, it's also a good arrangement as they have different ways of feeding and food they seek out, so it's not a direct competition, more a complementing of skills.

There's something we could learn from them...

 Take care,

Sophie

 

I love the grey branches, blue sloes and acid yellow leaves behind. 







While the countryside may yet carry on to capture my imagination, I'm petering out with energy at varying intervals. There's so much to do.

Take care,

Sophie