sea mayweed

and Widemouth Bay. Is it wide - mouth or widdy mouth? There were lots of new plants on the coastal path, fragrant agrimony, sea carrots and all sorts. Perhaps we should do flowers of North Cornwall.

martins

these are sand martins (identifiable by the brown band on the chest) flying in and out of their burrows in these sand cliffs.

fractals

Apparently my surfaces cannot be defined in single dimensions, I am hugely more complicated (x1.333) than this. Hence, it appears that my journey around the Tamar may not have an end. This is a fractal rock with sand grains. Harriet however is simply fractious (x 1.67).

a day out at the sea side

.... I don't think this is the Tamar, it was wider and saltier. This is an unusual photo, we are all running away from a strange man with no shoes on, he had just been to some early morning dog retraining (EMDR) training (aka CPD civilising pooches day). He had learnt so much he was powerpoint perfect (note movement of arm and leg) and we responded immediately by having a flashpack. Great stuff.

dog

more reflections on reflections, Mum swimming in the Tamar.

dog daisies

dog (aka Ox eye) daisy and little green thing at the trough. Speaking for myself I can only say that it must smell very sweet.

Stoke Climsland

This is a picture of the church in Stoke Climsland, next door to the old school and in the background Kit Hill. This is the golden light for which Cornwall is famous, it is very soft, and suffuses things rather than illuminates them, and is very hard to capture on film, although it was often caught very well by the Newlyn (especially the naughty Mr Tuke) and St Ives painters.

grasses

nor are we hot on grasses, but this red grass grows extensively in the meadows in Greenscoombe woods, princess H in background for colour control, plus some Cornish bladderseed, and a little patch of yellow slender St John's wort.

skipper

.... we are not very good on moths and butterflies, but we think this is a skipper, that skips about the meadows at this time of year

Tamar views

....No kingfisher today, just this beautiful translucent green image of the river rolling by.

yes, more of me

well, just one more little picture of little me. Watch out lurchers of Sampford Spiney (near Tavistock), I'm on my way. Meet me at the lurcher show there at 2pm Sunday, 2nd July, where I will be doing pawgraphs and photocalls. Spot (or Fourth as I like to call him now) may be in attendence.

(admin note:- notes reluctantly taken by dictation from princess H)

winner takes all

well, it was an enormous show with folks from all over the place and the world Luckett, Liskeard, Callington, Trebinthar, Tresinthat, Tredunit, America and Croydon. I came first in everything except the pairs where Spot let us down by being black and spotty, although he did come fourth in the crossbreeds (only just I thought) and then it was me FIRST, FIRST, FIRST and BEST BEST, now I'm off for a bit of spar therapy and to do my claws, Dad where's my mirror? love you all, kisses
Harriet the BEST

Harriet does quite well

Harriet, who you can see here wearing her best of show rosette came first in best crossbreed, first in best dog or bitch over 20", first in best movement in 20" and over, and BEST IN SHOW (best of all the bests) !!!!!

In fact I have agreed to record a few words from her (she can't read or write) so that she can speak for herself.

It's not about winning

....It was very sunny and warm today and I was planning not to put paw to keyboard at all but Mum took us to the Callington Horse show at Golberdon. I came FOURTH in a huge class for best crossbreed, and then, later, FOURTH in best pairs with young Harriet. Harriet did quite well too.

reflections Kit Hill

.....
which causes us to reflect on the quarry lake. What is it about reflections that soothes the eye? The reflection seems more interesting than the reality.

Perhaps reality is a pale reflection of some higher canine dimension casting its shadow in this space, each reflection becoming less material than its predecessor.

Is this Spot I see before me real or not? Am I the result of the collision between two multi dimensional dogbranes? Should I have a nap now or later?

stonechats

the unmistakeable sound of tsk tsk, in the middle of an expanse of gorse, is the sure sign of the male stonechat, boasting to his mate who was not far away. Grey day.

terzanelle for anonymous

Spot finds villanelles tough but terzanelles ...

thanks for stimulating his interest.

.......................................................................................

I saw a dappled fish gleaming

To leap and take the fly

And fall back to waters teaming

.......

To disappear beneath the silver sky

Full of life and dreaming

To leap and take the fly

.......

Swifts arrow in, and screaming,

To touch the water with a sigh

Full of life and dreaming,

....

As willows watch the running by,

Waiting as they always do

To touch the water with a sigh,

....

Their roots contorted so, to

Touch the earth, absorb, or die

Waiting as they always do.

....

Of this I know not the meaning

Except our time is short and so I

Touch the Earth, absorb or die,

And fall back to waters teaming.

.....

Spot, one I wrote today

sisters

this is sister Meg who came down from London to see us. She is very like Mattie, but with an even smoother coat. Mum immediately gave her her sound thrashing, presumably on the basis that all her daughters need keeping in their place. She was very taken with me, which is not surprising. Someone told me today that lurcher is from the romany for thief, can this be true? I know we are good at removing things from the kitchen but this is more by way of snacking.

sylvia's meadow II

spiders, meadow brown butterfly with wings open, and the confusingly named fairy flax best know for its extreme purgative powers in an infusion of wine

sylvia's meadow

There are 1000's of orchids in this ancient unspoilt grassland meadow in St Annes Chapel. It was open on Sunday, as it is at weekends through June (check through the link to the wildlife trust) and five species were out , the lesser and greater butterfly orchids, southern marsh orchids, heath spotted and common spotted orchids, and seemingly a lot of hybrids.

mutts

Waiting
for the rough run running,
on banks
by which the river runs.
A soft stream
hardly heard,
this dream
flows absurd
in which I, waiting,
Watch.

by Spot

blue insect movies

two of the fittest young demoiselles caught in delicto flagrante fitting together although God knows what is actually fitting where (on reflection only He probably does). Boss says they probably are work mates.

figwort

this is probably marsh figwort, a very big luscious and foreign looking plant with huge winged stems, the small flowers have complicated innards including a staminode (an infertile stamen). Why would one have an infertile stamen?

elvers and others

an elver from the Inny, recently died. Its mouth is designed for sucking the life juices out of things, a bit like some of the humans Dad has to put up with. Dogs are more straightforward I think, once we are your friend we are your friend. It is strange how humans have come to dominate the planet, the one consolation is that their hegemony will not last forever. For example, why put a tax on rubbish in the full and certain knowledge that all that will happen is that it will be dumped in our living space. Presumably at some point there will be no space left between the rising sea and the rubbish dumps.

hill forts

Devon from the top of the ridge (dark and brooding Cornwall overlooking sunny Devon). On the other side of this steep coombe is the site of a hill fort. The map of 1816 shows it very clearly but there seems to be nothing left now.

more butterflies

with yellow rattle and wide pollinia, close up it is a jungle in there. And the meadows are full of eyebright now. But no bird's nest orchid despite tramping through miles of cluttered woodland. Where are they?

wild strawberries

sweet and delicious just in time for Wimbledon, in woods near you.

lesser stitchwort

this slender relative of greater stitchwort is beginning to appear in abundance in the meadows. Its stamens have a dusting of red pollen almost like cinnamon powder.

banded agrion

this is the male banded demoiselle staying still just long enough to be snapped.

trouble returns

this photo gives a good guide to the vivid red of the male bull finch; the barbecue is wrapped up for the coming rain, this is summer in Cornwall.

rarities

and coming into flower is Cornish bladderseed, a genuinely rare umbellifer. I don't know whether it is always the case but this example has obvious notches on the petals. This flower was surrounded by heath spotted orchids.

butterfly orchid meadow

this picture shows a group of lesser butterfly orchids. The greater butterfly orchid is found nearer to the edge of the wood.

butterfly orchid

the butterfly orchids have reappeared, lesser at the top, and greater butterfly orchid below. In fact close up the flowers are quite different apart from the pollen masses. And the lesser had a beautiful gentle fragrance today.

jacob's sword

flag iris:-this is an exotic but common plant of marshy places, but very bright and jolly when we see it.
In ancient Greece, Iris was the goddess of rainbows which is why people say my eyes are like pools of liquid (as opposed to solid) diesel.

swifts and martins

you may wonder how we take these photos. It is a family tradition to stand in rivers barking or holding large pieces of wood (tree trunks not fishing rods) and wait for the next bird to fly past.

Jay fleeing

not Sir DA, but unmistakeable nevertheless. They are very shy and secretive and it is the only Jay the boss has ever seen feeding at the bird table. Maybe the news is getting around the OH is a very good spot for a bird's day out. Earlier today, down on the Inny by Beal's Mill we saw the next chap/ess dipping its wing and catching gnats, sand martin? swift?