Frosty November

Britain has its earliest snowfall for 17 years. Except for Congleton, which is in a rainshadow and never gets much more than a relatively light dusting.

A Great Northern Diver has arrived on the Mere. It has not managed to wander in front of my camera lens, however.

Spotted this month, a couple of Wrens by the butterfly pool (too quick to capture on film), a single Great Crested Grebe bobbing aimlessly alone, and 2 additional cygnets have flown in with whom the resident youth does not appear impressed.

Lammas Harvest at All Saints Church, Siddington

Hundreds of years before Christianity got beached on British shores, the tradition amongst farming communities was to 'hold' the spirit of the fertile earth within a corn dolly over the winter months, and then release it back into the field in the spring. Siddington All Saints Church is respectful and embracing of these pagan/druidic harvest traditions with the whole interior lavishly decorated - thanks to local historian & farmer Raymond Rush.

This is a tudor building built in the 15th century, however the brown timber frame with beige wattle & daub was encased in brickwork by the victorians, to stop it falling down. So now the bricks are just painted black & white instead. But it's still in there.

September 2010

Swans flying over the Mere, and a weather front moving across in late September.

Lammas

The cygnet and parents are preparing for their Autumn separation...


Crickets & butterflies

Ominous skies

RHS Tatton Show 2010

Mostly cloudy this year with some light rain, but I managed to get a few shots - there are more on the title link to the BBC page, taken by other visitors.

Chester Raft Race 2010

Not as many pics this year owing to having a water gun in one hand and a rucksack of flour bombs in the other, and having to prise our way through far too many spectators and CSOs on the Dee Bridge!
Many thanks to the Rotary Club and Friends of the Meadows, and to the sporting rafters who took the time and trouble to soak all the kids at the yacht club - they LOVED it!! see y'all next year

The usual suspects...

Summer 2010

Some interesting sightings recently - beautiful yellow dragonfly and an ichneumons wasp.
Great shot of a corona on one particularly hot day, too.

... but there's only one coot chick left out of the original nine, and only one grebe chick too. One of the parent swans is also missing.