Green Valley

The Valley is really green now and everything is burgeoning with new life  - here are some pictures!

A purple Spotted Orchid in a secret Location in my home town

The Moors in Summer

Mayor making

I went to mayor making yesterday and had a good time.  Our new mayor is a good honest bloke - a quaker and the quaker grace confused people nicely.  It was nice to have a moment of quiet.
It will be fun to see how the mayoral years progresses - I think he will shake up a few things. Good!

Time to Blog!

 A sunset from our house in April

 Violets and Primroses

 Blossom Snow

 Not in our Valley - Martimere!

 Todmorden

 Apple Blossom

New Life in Lumbutts

It has been a while and the valley is now truly Green - so here are some Pictures

Leighton Moss

We went on a trip out of our still icy green and somewhat muddy valley to a reedbed  by Morecambe Bay.

  Here are a couple of Pictures

Bittern   - this was one of 6 we saw  - the other were flying around.

a brilliant day

A Twitch

Just over the hill is Hollingworth lake and there was a rare American bid visitor and i went to find it.

And here it is -- yes thats right a Pied Billed Grebe -  Impressed  - probably not  but this lot  and many many others were

As the birders walked from the car park around the reservoir to where the bird was - I could see in their walk and anxious faces (and in me too) the silent prayer "let it still be there"  and of course it was (it still is)  and when we saw it there was a relaxation, a breathing out, we were excited, thrilled to be there and to see this liitle bird which had, somehow, crossed the Atlantic and ended up if the South Pennines.  Afterwards people strolled back and I saw in faces of the later arrivals that same suppressed excitement - the same hope that I had when I walked that way half an hour before.  A good one!!

A couple more pics I took of some of the water works around the reservoir.

   The Overflow

 

and the inflow!

Some Autumn Pictures

Not from our wet valley - when I've been well it has been wet - when it was nice I was tied to the loo with invisible string - or had to to go to North Wales - though that was good!

Thes were taken from Church Island in Menai Bridge.  The church is a 7th century foundation by St Tysilio.  And the view of the Bridge and the woods are brilliant

The Graveyard is amazing - and so many have this panel at the top of each stone

The yew this year is heavy with berry

This next picture is Redesmere in Cheshire

A great place to feed the ducks

Martinmere - a good day and a great little bird !

Amazing Fungi

I have been walking around our valley and Halifax this week and I have seem mushrooms than you can shake a stick at!

Here a few pictures!

Cep/Porcini Boletus Edulis

And few Fly Agaric - The Smurf House - so now we know how they came into being - this is a toxic mushroom that gives strange visions - very strange if Smurfs are anything to go by.

Some Others I don't know!

  

This one is an Earth ball ?