Menage a Quatre

Male Earwig (left) and three females.  Nikon D7000

31st August 2012

On removing the bird feeder from the post this morning to refill it, I came across a menage a quatre of Earwigs looking very shifty.

Apparently the males have the most curved pincers, and the females almost straight ones, leading to the very tired looking earwig on the left being a male.

I did consider throwing them to the chickens, but instead decided to leave them be; the sparrows might get lucky then :)

Wearing Only Tassels

Sweetcorn.  Nikon D7000

30th August 2012

Normally the thought of only tassels can be rather exciting.

When it is the sweetcorn that only has tassels and no cob in amongst the leaves; it's less fun.

I remember as a child opening up the wrappings of a sweetcorn cob at my Nan's market garden; only to find it full of earwigs.   If these wrappings do provide homes for earwigs instead of nice juicy corn, at least the chickens will have fun with them.

Horse Tales

Horse Tails on Hackpen Hill.  Nikon D7000

29th August 2012

I stopped off this evening at Hackpen Hill as a large crop circle has appeared in one of the fields at the foot of the escarpment.

Unfortunately the aliens/local youth (same thing really) who constructed it, did not consider that they needed to be further back in the field; you cannot see the crop circle from the car park at the top of the hill!

The traffic was too busy to make it safe to walk down the road to a point where I could see the circle, so I took a picture of horses' muddy butts instead :)

Pigs Might Fly ?

Piggy cloud formation.  Nikon D7000

28th August 2012

Well its nose looked a little snout like and it very nearly had a curly tail when I first saw the cloud; by the time I had grabbed my camera its nose was transitioning from piggy with a snout, through to mouse nose and heading towards elephants trunk. Its curly tail started to dissipate too.

I am sure seeing animals in clouds is akin to reading tea leaves; yet another sign either that insanity is getting a good grip, or that the kids have had long enough on holiday now and need to go back to school!

Unseasonal

Bluebird Azalea flowering again.  Nikon D7000

27th August 2012

I noticed this morning that our Spring flowering Azalea is starting to flower again; I wonder if it thinks it has had Autumn and Winter and back to Spring, rather than just 'Summer'.

I have not noticed any bees trying to visit the bush yet, but at least it would put a little 'Spring' in their honey!

Perception

Knackered Rugby Ball.  Nikon D7000

26th August 2012

Some people see a rugby ball that has been trashed by the dog;

some of us see a hat :)


Edit 27/8/2012

Jo emailed a picture of some muppet wearing the rugby ball ....

Muppet with ball for a hat

Yellow Stains

Pollen Stains on Lilly.  Nikon D7000

25th August 2012

We had a fantastic thunderstorm today.   As a consequence, it threw it down, then the sun came out, then it threw it down etc.

One of the Lilies got a battering in the rain and lost most of its pollen, creating a yellow stain on the flower petals.

I did not get too close as Lilly pollen stains pretty much everything it comes in contact with; especially new T-shirts and that would have got me into trouble...