All dressaged out after Thursday at Burghley Horse Trials - and still another day of the dressage phase to go. Live on the big screen, live in the arena, then back to our accommodation to watch it all over again on the excellent burghley.tv…🙄
Jonathan Hutchins
@jvphutchins.bsky.social
Ludensian but now Stokie, via Sheffield, Cambridge, Hailsham, Penzance, Guildford and Bournemouth. Librarian. Classical music, birds, plants, insects, eventing, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, ‘Veronica Mars’. 276 BOU, 1,058 PSL.
Slumped on the garden recliner on a cloudy warm Friday afternoon, eyes closed after listening to Haydn’s B flat string quartet op.50 no.1 through the headphones, in a state of heady bliss (idleness + magical music + the day’s first glass of wine) When Suddenly - a tickling upon my knee #teammoth
Taking a break from my fictional feisty young Californian blondes (Veronica Mars, Buffy Summers) to binge ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Scott Pilgrim’ - and, well…. I wish I liked them more…. Comments in ALT
A few other bits and pieces from my five-hour trudge under the merciless sun round lower Apedale and the Knutton edgelands. Tentative IDs, please correct! The Common Fleabane’s specially for you @sj84turner.bsky.social !
Water-boatman somewhat out of context. For full story see ALT text
Unexpected bonus on WeBS count @btobirds.bsky.social at Silverdale CP this a.m. in the shape of two Common Terns arriving calling from W 0952, flew around lake and attempted to fish then left >SE 0956. Only my second record here @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social
A proper full day’s cross country fence-judging at the remarkably revamped Bradwall Manor Horse Trials: 290+ competitors across 3 classes with a smattering of stars (including Oli Townend), start 9:30, finish about 7:15. A long while since I’ve entered a time starting 19 on the scoresheet! #eventing
Delightfully unkempt lower Apedale in the evening sun - with, in the background, a ‘big box’ looking as intrusive unnatural and inexpressive an artefact as the monolith in ‘2001’
Just an hour’s evening stroll round a not particularly special* local spot, but nice to see ‘lots’ of nature: masses of Tufted Vetch, Meadow Vetchling everywhere, in any sunny spot Small Skippers, Ringlets and Meadow Browns flitting about. Plus Field Scabious, Zigzag Clover, Wild Carrot
New Zealand Pigmyweed on a small pond on Apedale Country Park, Staffs #InvasivePlants #Wildflowerhour
Chimney Sweepers and Yellow Shells fluttering up in the field enlivening the routine dog walk this grey warm June afternoon
Today’s top oddity - Red-hot Poker on the edge of a field at least a quarter of a mile from any garden!
Today’s top highlight - Wasp Beetle Clytus arietis, a longhorn and new to me! On comfrey at the yard
Rubbish photos but the teeniest #tinyplants I’ve seen lately: Wall Speedwell Veronica arvensis with my favourite ballpoint for scale #wildflowerhour
Different perspectives on ‘good’ records; Small-flowered Crane’s-bill was my standout Plant Of The Day, being a lifer and all. However it was the Great Lettuce which set excited little coloured text alerts jingling when I entered it on the @bsbibotany.bsky.social app, being apparently new for SJ75!
My new favourite circular walk on the south side of Crewe. But this is ‘rescue naturespotting’: all the white on the map east of the railway, between Weston Road to the north and Weston Lane to the south, will soon be covered in housing, commercial units, ‘big box logistics’ and the like.
Froghoppers and fence-hoppers: it’s been that sort of a weekend! More, possibly, later
Canis lupus familiaris var.”Ruby”. Synonyms: Roo-roo, Snurgles, The Damned Dog etc. Easily identified by ‘pogoing’ behaviour prior to food, walkies. Obligate kibblevore. Distribution: only known from one location in N.Staffs
‘Feta, Feta and Blame Me’ is apparently a well-known wildflower book, according to the closed captions on a YouTube video I’m watching 😂
The Law of Negative Effort in operation: stuck at the yard for an hour or so this afternoon, mooching about bored in a place I know like the back of my hand and - bingo! Two lifers, how’ve I missed them before? Oh and a soaring Hobby, year tick. Less purposeful naturespotting, more idle mooching!
Library team awayday at Yarnfield conference centre, formerly a Post Office/BT training centre and late 60s gem. Highlight apart from my wife’s yummy chocolate cake was a striking and photogenic water tower
A few more mini-beasts from Newcastle Cemetery the other day
It’s hot in the village, hot in the village tonight….
Put last year’s bee hotel out the other day as an afterthought and not sure it was a good idea. Never seen anything like this. I think Osmia bicornis is in the mix but there’s a bigger sp with orange abdomen and smaller black ones with stripy purply-iridescent abdomens. Bees defeat me, let me go