Just One Swan a Swimming!

What a beautiful day! So off we went to the river in Bedford…..and look who we saw, displaying herself to maximum effect!

She didn’t want to look at me but I love her reflection in the water.
I’ve really done nothing to enhance the colour-that’s the sky reflecting in the water!

Well, I hope you like them.

That’s All!

See Ya xx

Cerinthe in the Rain

I inherited a plant from my mum that always amazes me with both its hardiness and ability to survive almost anything coupled with its amazing flowers. The cerinthe’s flowers remind me of dragons….maybe it’s the way they fall and the shape of them. I think they’re lovely – my dragon flower the Cerinthe.

That’s All!

See Ya xx

What’s Underneath…..

On a walk around a local park I came across many different fungi and quite a lot of them had been kicked/knocked over, most likely by children….no judgement…..I used to do it myself when I was a child! But what was revealed underneath was rather lovely….

That’s All!

See Ya xx

Amethyst Deceiver

Earlier this week I took my grandsons to Cooper’s Hill in Ampthill, Bedfordshire. Whilst they were climbing trees and having fun I was spotting fungi. And then I found some purple fungi…..I’ve never seen purple fungi before so I was very excited and out came the trusty camera. Research led me to finding out that they are called Amethyst Deceivers and are edible (though I’m not going to be frying them up for dinner!).

I used the flash on this one hence the brightness.
I think this one is a young ‘un with its little frilly edges!

This is probably going to be the first of a few fungal blogs as there were so many different ones at Cooper’s Hill!

That’s All!

See Ya xx

An Ode to the Stinking Iris, Poor Thing!

We have many stinking irises in our garden-they are very hardy and will survive almost anything including very vigorous hack backs by myself! They are so prevalent that I sometimes forget how pretty the flowers are and how striking the seeds and seedpods too…..

Quite complicated and pretty!

And here’s the seed pod….

Bursting with seeds!
Wow!
Ah purdy!

Now sometimes I can be inspired towards poetry and today I found myself pondering the rather brutal name of such a pretty flower and why someone would have called it a ‘Stinking Iris’ when I have never detected unpleasantness in its vicinity…..ahem…..

An Ode to the Stinking Iris..

1) Oh what, pray tell, did you ever do

To deserve such a horrid name?

For surely you are pretty

Who can be the one to blame?

2) Was it that chap who crushed your leaves

And you, in your defence,

Released a rather pongy smell

An odour quite immense!

3) “Oh me oh my,” he shouted

“What stench assaults my nose?”

He glares at the poor dear iris

While the stink around him grows!

4) He snarled, “I am a botanist

And you have got me thinking

Your name is no longer just ‘iris’

I’ve added the adjective ‘stinking!”

Well-if you wanted to find out more about “Iris Foetidissima” click here.

That’s All!

See Ya xx

Drowsy Dragonfly

It’s not often that dragonflies stay still enough for the number of photos I got of this one today. But this one seemed to be enjoying the sun and had decided the background showed off his colouring to a tee!

It’s called a Migrant Hawker Dragonfly.

The hawthorn berries seem to suit him very well!
What an amazing head!

That’s All!

See Ya xx