Tuesday morning Penny and I drove the 13 minute journey to the village of Legbourne, Lincolnshire. There is a delightful walk alongside a stream I haven't visited for many years. The short walk totals about 0.5km there and back but well worth the visit for the serenity and change of view.
First a video of the last part of our journey. Mill Lane, Legbourne.
Always a pleasure driving our village country lanes - as long a nothing large is coming in the opposite direction. All clear on that anyway.
As usual the video is in HD but may have to be forced to show it as that.
Lots of photos. All can be clicked on to show larger.
Our starting point
Walk across the footbridge
Along the path by the side of the stream of crystal clear water.
Not very deep as we have had little rain recently.
Me enjoying the peaceful views as we strolled gently towards our destination.
Penny enjoying new odours in the vegetation.
Last time I walked this path there was an old ramshackle wooden structure.
Now there is a very inviting dwelling or summerhouse surrounded by a terrace.
Sitting by the tree:
Our destination now in sight in the village of Little Cawthorpe.
A place where a road fords the stream, known locally as The Splash.
Both sides of the ford have signs reminding drivers to try their wet brakes.
Next to the footbridge is a notice which tells of an ancient stone brought down from Scotland to Lincolnshire by a glacier in the last Ice Age.
I guess this is the stone in question:
From the footbridge one can see where the stream flows through a garden.
Not just water wheels here:
After a look round, time to return the way we came.
A closer look at the garden ape
Back to the car after an enjoyable breath of fresh air
Surprisingly I heard only one bird and saw only a couple of skinny Wood Pigeons during this walk. I saw not a single butterfly or any other insect.
For identifying last week's WidsMob Montage modified photo very close were -
Adrian, Wilma and Ragged Robin who suggested it was a eReader / Kindle
and close with 'iPad' was The Weaver
Impossible to see exactly in the montage the make but it was a photo of
my Kobo eReader which I mentioned a couple of weeks ago.
For this week have a go at identifying what this montage is hiding
As always, please leave any guesses in the comments.
They, along with the original photo, will be revealed next Monday.
The four legged boss woke me soon after 5 a.m. this morning. As I blearily opened the back door for her we could both tell it was chucking it down with rain. She poked a nose out, nearly changed her mind but finally decided, yes, it was urgent. Race down the garden like a bat out of Hell. Disappear under the remaining trees for a while. Then back again like a run-away express train. Pause in the kitchen for a quick rub down. Back to bed. Unlike the two legged one who decided it wasn't worth going back to bed as it was less than an hour to his usual getting up time.
For once we had a decent amount of rain. Just over an inch in three hours. It certainly freshened up the general atmosphere and got rid of the stifling heat of the past days for which we were both grateful.
On our mid afternoon walk down the lane I finally found a butterfly, and one which rested for a while. Apart from 'cabbage whites' I have seen very few flutters this Summer and this was the first one to land and rest since last Spring.
A Speckled Wood:
Over the past ten days or so I have kept my eyes peeled when we walk between the tall hedges at the end of the lane. A favourite place this time of year to spot dragonflies. I have seen a few but so far none have landed. All have been too busy zooming about chasing food.
We are fortunate in not having much of a litter problem in this part of the village. Usually a discarded drinks bottle or can, an occasional crisp packet, so this was a more unusual find:
In the middle of April this year I planted a couple of Virginia Creepers to climb over the large stump left when the Leylandii was cut down. You might just be able to make out the dead looking stems in this blurry cropped photo taken just after they were planted. The arrows point to the top of each plant.
I wondered how long it would take for them to get established, maybe years.
I needn't have worried. Here they are this month.
I kept them well watered as they started to grow and the ground they are in is rich in a deep layer of decaying needles dropped over decades by the Leylandii. They are positioned so the base of the plants are sheltered from cold northerly or east winds. At this rate of growth by Autumn next year I should be able to watch a lovely display as the leaves turn from green to red.
Well done to Adrian, Bettina, Wilma, The Weaver and Ragged Robin.
All identified last week's WidsMob Montage modified photo
of
a watering can.
What will you make of this one?
If you think you know what it is or just want to hazard a guess -
please leave your suggestion in the comments.
They will be revealed, along with the original photo, next Monday.
