Weather

The forecast last night, said today would be colder, but brighter and dry, so of course, it was just as dull and trying to snow. Why we pay for the 'Met Office' I don't know. We would be just as well informed if we were to consult a piece of seaweed and a pine cone. Anyway, we trudged in the cold around Straw's Bridge and thought how much worse it would be if were ducks and had to spend the winter bobbing around in the icy water. The Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) don't seem to mind the cold water, or the very sloppy mud on the banks.

The mud has turned to, what looks like potters' slip clay. I wonder if it's good for the feet! It seems to be causing this female no problem, despite being all over her feet - and her bill too.

The bare branches of the shrubs around the pond are covered in bright yellow Lichen (Xanthoria parietina). This gives a certain amount of colour to the otherwise wintry greyness.

Lichens are fascinating things and are known in almost every part of the world. This, Foliose or 'leafy Lichen' is common in Britain and was once thought to be a cure for jaundice - due to it's yellow colour.

Wetter

Another exceedingly dull day. Optimistically, we set out for our walk around the 'American Adventure', ignoring the darkening skies. Of course, by the time we were half way around our walk, it started to spit with rain. Ten minutes later, it started to come down a bit harder and after another ten minutes, we were putting our hoods up and I was tucking my camera into my coat to keep it dry.
One, most welcome sight however, was the appearance of the first catkins on the Hazel trees (Corylus avellana).

Hazel nuts are supposed to impart wisdom and inspiration according to folklore and if the brothers Grimm are to be believed, Hazel branches are the best thing for warding off serpents and other 'creeping things'. So, good job we didn't come across too many 'creeping things' this morning, or I would have been tempted to try it out! Nice to see the first signs of the approaching Springtime.

Grebe

Another short walk this morning as it is still so wet under foot. The peace was disturbed again this morning by people jogging, cycling and generally getting in the way. Do they not realise that Malcolm and I have sole right to the paths around this area...?
Trying to ignore everyone else, we strode along the side of the Manor Floods. Here the peace was also being shattered by the coots which were squabbling and fighting amongst themselves as usual. Among them all - and also trying to ignore all the fuss - was a lone Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus).

Shy and not too keen to have it's picture taken, it swam quickly away as I approached, but at least didn't dive to avoid me.
An expert swimmer and diver, it's main food is small fish and aquatic insects. Found almost everywhere in Britain, this is the most common and largest of the European Grebes. It is also the most 'showy'. In it's winter plumage, it is much bore drab-looking than it will be in a few weeks time when it will once again put on it's full, spring dress.

Numbers of these birds in Britain, are swelled during winter as European birds fly in to avoid the worst of the savage weather. The population regularly reaches about 20,000 individuals at this time of year.

Still Wet

Another wet day. We woke this morning, wondering what to do as we didn't fancy walking around in the mud.
Malcolm had the idea that, as it was 'that time again', we should take a trip to Toton, near Nottingham and get my eyes tested at Tesco. So, off we went and while I was being scrutinised and having wind blown in my eyes, Malcolm took himself off round the store to do battle with the other customers.
I made up my mind a couple of years ago, never to set foot in Specsavers again after they made a 'mess' (polite wording to avoid shock!) of my eye test and the subsequent manufacture of the specs. Malcolm had a good experience of Tesco opticians, so that's good enough for me.
I opted for the two-pairs-for-one option with photochromic lenses in one pair, so it's now a waiting game until I get the call to tell me the glasses are ready. Fortunately, I haven't yet reached the point that Dame Hilda Bracket has got to in this short video.....

Wet

Too wet for a country walk this morning, so we decided to 'take the bull by the horns' and brave Tesco. It was very muddy under foot as we skirted around the industrial estate which backs onto both our estate and the Country Park, near to the 'D.B.C. Bogwash' as Malcolm calls it - seen here, a couple of days ago as we passed it when the ground - and some of the water surface - was frozen.

The lake, actually called Manor Floods, is always packed with mallards, coots, swans, tufted ducks, moorhens, gulls, etc. At this time of year the coots are beginning to notice the lengthening days and are obviously looking forward to the Spring. As such, they are starting to squabble amongst themselves and cause much disturbance on the water, not that the mallards take a great deal of notice of them.

Cold.

Yesterday, having delivered Malcolm's mother and her friend to the airport for their holiday, we spent a rainy day visiting my mother in King's Lynn. After all that rain, we woke this morning to a very frosty scene. This meant we were able to take a longer walk around the country park as the otherwise muddy terrain was frozen solid. We were joined this morning by Kay - a friend of ours, who had seen us walking past her house on our way out and came along for the walk.

The frost was thick on the bare bushes, highlighting their outline and looking very severe.

Some of the plants which retain their leaves through the winter look beautiful as they too are edged with the frost and are made to stand out against the dark soil and dead, dry grasses.

The Blackberry bushes also have some leaves still clinging to the stems and the frost which clings to them is every bit a 'sharp' as the thorns which adorn them, making them appear all the more unwelcoming. Al a far cry from the warmth and sunshine of Benidorm!

Benidorm

Just a quick post today with a short slide-show video of some of my pictures of Benidorm. I recently downloaded a new piece of software called Photo Story 3 to create these films/slide-shows, having always used Microsoft's Moviemaker in the past, so this my first attempt at using it. The music is Recuerdos de la Alhambra, written by Spanish guitarist, Francisco Tárrega in 1896 and involves the very challenging technique of 'tremolo' where a single melody note is plucked repeatedly by the ring, middle and index fingers in rapid succession, while the thumb plays the counter melody on the bass strings. Very difficult!