Yet More Bells

Our local Bluebells just keep getting better...

...and better.

When back-lit too. There seemed to be millions of them around Shipley Park this morning and among the trees on Shipley Hill, their fragrance was intoxicating.

It was also quite nice at Osborne's Pond today. The old Oak is in full flower now and the leaves are beginning to appear now too.

A passing Coot was in a hurry and kicking up quite a fuss as it scampered across the water.

Bells and Bugs

The recent warm, dry weather has been good for the butterflies. Already this year, we've seen Speckled Woods, Red Admirals, Small Tortoiseshells and at least one Common Blue. But probably the most numerous at the moment have to be Male Orange Tips.

This one was keeping his distance so a certain amount of zoom was required, but what a beauty!

Another insect which seems to be having a good year, is the Bee Fly (Bombylius major). We usually manage to see one or two during the spring and early summer, but this year, they seem to be all over the place already. Easy to recognise, they resemble a bee with a long proboscis, which may look scary, but is used for sipping nectar.

Back to the Bluebells and Mapperley Wood is beginning to fill with their heady fragrance.

... go on then, just one more!

And one from this morning's walk, which took in the viewing platform, giving a fine view over much of the surrounding countryside - with some developing rain clouds this morning.

More Bluebells

We thought we'd check out the Bluebells on Shipley Hill today. So Malcolm and I headed up the hill and to start with, we came across this beautiful Cherry Tree.

Always spectacular in flower, it's better when the sun's shining on it, but still pretty good this morning.

Onward to find the Bluebells and we were not disappointed.

With the birds singing and the scent of these little beauties filling our noses, it was lovely just to stop and enjoy a peaceful minute or two...

and just kept getting better.

We need a short video...

There will be more to come...

Bluebell Time

We've been enjoying some remarkably high temperatures lately - unusual for Easter! But as a result the flowers have been popping open all over the place. Not least of which have been the Bluebells which have started to make quite a show on Shipley Hill.

Not yet quite at their best, it may still be a few days before we get the full show, but it's not bad for starters.

With the promise of much greater things to come.

Also on Shipley Hill, the Cherry blossom is looking good, particularly this double-flowered specimen.

At the lakes of Straw's Bridge, the careful observer will notice a profusion of small blue flowers growing close to one of the lakes.

These belong to the Ground Ivy. Get it in your garden and it will be the bane of your life, but out in the wild - where it should be - it is quite beautiful. And the bees love it!

Just one more from this morning's short walk. This, taken looking across the small lake of Pewit Carr while we stood listening to a Cetti's Warbler singing his little heart out on such a lovely day.

Bees and Trees

Things are warming up again. After several days of very chilly weather, we seem to be heading into Spring again.

Our walk this morning, took us through Mapperley village, around the reservoir and back through Mapperley wood. Around the reservoir, the trees are beginning to open their leaves as Bluebells open the first of their flowers and this beautiful clump of Primroses looked gorgeous.

Through Mapperley wood, the fresh green of new growth is a welcome sight after the winter and heralds the coming onslaught of Bluebells. It shouldn't be too long before they become the main attraction through here.

I have added a new 'tick' to my life lists this week. There are more than 250 different species of Bee in Britain and this was a new one to me. May I introduce, the Tawny Mining Bee (Andrena fulva). Usually a solitary bee, it will sometimes form small colonies and makes its nest in a vertical hole in the ground - hence the name!

The Willow trees are looking particularly good at the moment too. Their strange-looking flowers are easily overlooked, but reward closer inspection.

Bright yellow pollen gets all over you camera lens if you get too close!

Finally, as Malcolm reminded me, it's a special someone's birthday today. So happy birthday to....

Muttley!

Full Swing Spring

It's not just the blossom which is breaking out all over - like this Blackthorn - which signal the fact that spring is in full swing (complete with Honey Bee.)

At Straw's Bridge yesterday, a rather feisty Coot was sitting tight on a nest, built in the shade of a water-side willow.

It's a sad indictment of modern times, that its nest includes several pieces of plastic woven into the structure.

It was a little less sunny at Osborne's Pond a couple of days ago, but here too, spring was happening, despite the chilly wind.

Cowslips are blooming around the lakes of Straw's Bridge. In places, there are dozens of them taking advantage of some sunshine before the leaves on the trees, block it out.

From their vantage point, they had a pretty good view across the nearby lake.

Elsewhere in Shipley Park, the plethora of wooden sculptures which have recently sprung up in recent weeks, has a new addition. This time, a large Snail, sitting on a half-eaten apple. Lets hope the real ones do not get to this size!

Spring Blooms

Despite the very chilly wind, everything seems to be bursting out into flower right now. Even the Bluebells are beginning to bloom - still very early for them. As we walked around Shipley Park this morning, the Blackthorn trees were in full swing...

their brightly coloured stamens picking out the centre of a million little white flowers.

On the site of the Old Hall on Shipley Hill, an Amelanchier was also in full bloom.

Not something you see every day, but surely worth it for such a spectacle. White flowers again, but this time contrasting with the reddish tinged, new leaf growth.

More white flowers, this time in the shape of Cherry Blossom. This tree is always good value at this time of year, but sometimes has it's beauty cut short by bad weather. Not so this year!

More lowly perhaps, but no less impressive, were these Violets which we found a couple of days ago.

Plenty of them too, growing along what we refer to as the 'Donkey Walk'.

Back to Shipley Hill and the grounds of the Derby Lodge are bright with Daffodils.

The Tea shop which usually occupies the lodge, has closed temporarily, so for now, the Daffodils have it all to themselves.

Last from the Lakes

We had a very nice - if short - time in the Lake District and surprisingly, the weather was very kind to us. So often, 'The Lakes' can be wet and you can easily have a short break ruined. But we were lucky. It was however, pretty chilly. No more so, than when we stood on the shores of Ullswater after our walk up to Aira Force. We had glimpsed the lake from our walk down from the waterfall.

So a closer look was called for...

The wind was whipping across the water and seemed to be coming straight from the North Pole. But at least we had a good view of the 2,759ft summit of St Sunday Crag in the distance.

All the while we were being watched by the local Herdwick Sheep.

"Make sure you get my best side."

With a little manipulation, you could hang the scenery on your wall...

All too soon it was time to head home. I mentioned the snow a couple of days ago and hinted that there was more to come. Well, on the Wednesday morning, we woke to quite a dusting and as we set out south along the M6 over Shap, there was plenty of the white stuff about. We stopped off for coffee at Killington Lake services and had a fine - if almost monochrome - view through the window.

Just the job for a warming Cortado and Biscotti to round off our break. (These two pictures, courtesy of Malcolm's phone, as I'd left my camera in the car.)