Water, Water Everywhere

Following yesterday's deluge, Malcolm and I set out to have a look at the lakes of Straw's Bridge this morning.  We were expecting the Brook and old Canal to be rather full, but we were not expecting quite as much water as we found there.  Here, where there is usually just a placid flow of water, a gushing torrent was spilling over onto the banks and into the storm drain.

Further along, we got to 'Swan Lake' to find that our usual walk around the lake was impossible this morning.  Where the footpath was, now coots and ducks swam and the trees which normally stand up on the banks, were standing several feet deep in the water.

Odd to think that just a few weeks ago, the water level in this lake was becoming so low that we were beginning to think it dry up altogether.  Now it is spilling over the banks and well into the surrounding grassland.  Judging by the mud clinging to branches and trees around Peewit Carr, the water level there had been at least two feet higher than it was this morning and everywhere the reed beds were battered flat where flood water had forced through.  Here, two swans were enjoying their extra swimming space and feeding among the vegetation which was, until yesterday, growing well up the bank of this lake.

No shortage of water here!

Very Wet

At about 4.45 this morning, I was woken by the sound of torrential rain hammering on the roof.  At the time of writing this (about 1.45 pm), it's still raining - although not so hard.  Reports of localised flooding have started to appear on the news channels and the view from our front windows is of water flowing like a river off the playing fields opposite, onto the footpaths and then pouring into the drains.  Thankfully, no damage has been caused around here (as far as I know), but a walk was definitely out of the question this morning.
So, here is just one picture from our walk yesterday.  From the old car parks near Shipley Lake, you get a good view towards the Power Station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, some 9 miles away.  Malcolm commented that wherever you are or wherever you have been, the sight of this power station always reminds you that you are near home.  Belching smoke and steam and supplying electricity for more than 2,000,000 homes, it is quite something to look at.  But when you hear people complaining bitterly about new wind turbines going up near their homes, we always ask "What would they prefer to see?"

Home

Turning our attention away from our break in Cornwall, we return to more local things.  Our walk this morning took us around Shipley Lake.  Warm, partly sunny and very humid, it made a nice change to be able to get out and about without getting soaked.  The walk was rewarded with some beautiful flowers, not least of which were the few Bee Orchids which are still blooming around the parkland.
On the old 'overspill' car-parks where the bulk of the Bee Orchids were, we saw large patches of English Stonecrop (Sedum anglicum).

This succulent plant is more usually found growing in coastal areas - particularly in the west, but the dry, gravel surface of these old car-parks does just as well.
Close by, a small Dog Rose bush had been attacked by an even smaller gall wasp known as Diplolepis rosae producing a red-tinged and rather attractive gall on the rose's stem, known as a Robin's Pincushion.  The gall will probably house more than one of these wasp larvae, feeding on the stems of the young Rose which continually produces and replaces the 'nutritive' cells by a process still not fully understood.

Lastly, Malcolm spotted a Moth feeding on the flowers of a Lucerne or Alfalfa plant (Medicago sativa).  It turned out to be a 5-Spot Burnet Moth (Zygaena trifolii).  The larvae of these moths feed on Birds-foot Trefoil plants - another member of the Pea family, while the adults get most of their sustenance from all of the Pea family's flowers, including Clovers, Melilots and these Lucerne.

Beaches

Newquay is of course, surrounded by wide, golden and very famous beaches.  Many are particularly good for surfing and even on calm days, many surfers can be found splashing about in the waves.  Here is the most popular surfers beach, Fistral.

To the south of Fistral Beach a quieter stretch of sand awaits those who like a more peaceful way of life.  The Crantock beach lies at the head of the river Gannel.

At the other end, North of Newquay, Porth Beach is popular with Gulls and also marks the outfall of a trout stream, which originates in Porth Reservoir a few miles inland.

Gulls and Seals

As always, the skies above Newquay were filled with circling Gulls - particularly so when we were attempting to eat our fish and chips!  Signs everywhere, try to prevent people feeding the gulls and thus stop them becoming a problem.  Most common seemed to be the Herring Gulls.

Looking spectacular in their pure-white plumage, they glow in the sunshine like fresh snow.  Always with one eye on the opportunistic attack on someone's chips or ice-cream, they have a formidable reputation.

More formidable than even the Herring Gulls, were the Great Black-backed Gulls.  Plenty of these huge birds were in evidence too with a wingspan up to 7ft and a ferocious beak and an appetite to match, they will  happily take other birds, mammals - up to the size of rabbits - and almost anything edible.  This gathering of Black-backs and Herring Gulls all seem to be youngsters, but they can look forward to a long life (for a bird).  The oldest wild Great Black-backed Gull was said to be over 27 years old.

Scavenging for scraps at the other end of the resort were a small group of Grey Seals which have learned to beg for food in the harbour whenever a boat pulls in.

Wild Flowers

The cliff-tops and footpaths around the Newquay area are sprinkled with wild flowers of all kinds.  among the most common on the grassy slopes are the Sea Campion and Thrift which usually carpet the tops with white and pink flowers at this time of year.  However, the very wet weather this year has meant that the thrift has been 'hammered' and as a result, the pink is less obvious.  There are plenty more flowers to take their place.  I mentioned the Wild Thyme yesterday but there is another diminutive plant equally as gorgeous, known as Eyebright (Euphrasia nemorosa).  The common name derives from its use in the middle ages as a universal cure-all for eye infections and "all evils of the eye".

Another low-growing plant around the area is a little yellow stunner called Tormentil (Potentilla erecta).  A member of the rose family, the roots of this plant have been used to dye leather red.

Much taller and more stately than either of these is the Tree Mallow (Lavatera arborea).  Purple flowers appear up the tall, woody stems of this plant as it clings to the cliff edges, but it does mean that this plant gets a fine view of the beach!

It wasn't just the plants which caught my eye.  On one particular pink-and-whire, candy-striped, Sea Bindweed flower, a bright, green, shiny little beetle called Oedemera nobilis - a catchy name, but what a gorgeous insect!  This is a male as indicated by the swollen 'thighs' or femora.  While the adults feed on pollen and nectar, their larvae develop on the stems of various types of Broom and Thistle plants.

Trevelgue Head

One of the finest ancient monuments in Cornwall (and there are thousands of them), Trevelgue Head is a promontory just north of Newquay and is the site of great historic significance.  Evidence of occupation has been found dating back about 8,000 years with ramparts, ditches, burial mounds and Iron-age houses.  Large quantities of animal bones have been unearthed too, pointing to a stock farming community.

These days, there is no human occupation on the headland, but there is a plethora of wildlife which makes the area its home.

Among the most common and most colourful is a diminutive, ground-hugging plant with bright purple flowers and a pleasant scent.  Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) grows all over this part of the British Coastline and is always worth a closer look - and smell!