Today was one of those days where I could take advantage of the fact that my job often requires me simply to read things, in this case a draft PhD thesis; so into the pack it went, and out into the country I went. No thanks to the local train service, but that’s another story. The thesis was read. Well, about two-thirds of it anyway.
A random bird shot yes, but point 1) — you really don’t see many jays, generally and point 2) you certainly don’t see many of them within 15 yards of Oxford Road, the A34, in the absolute midst of the UoM campus. Perhaps now and again we do something right.
And point 3). How did jays end up with quite such specific colouring? Who said, evolution-wise — OK, what you guys really need, to successfully reproduce, is that blue-and-white ‘policeman’s helmet’ style band? I’m sure evolution was the agent — really, I’m a Darwinist — but what drove it?
The weather doesn’t show any real signs of getting crappier. Expect hosepipe bans by the end of the month, at this rate. These two jackdaws had found a shady spot to shelter and wonder what the strange human was pointing at them from across the road.
In both 2013 and 2015 our plum tree fruited in ludicrous profusion. In 2015 we were taking bags of fresh plums down to the pub and giving them away, we had too many to use: the tree produced about 45 pounds of fruit (20kg) that year. Not so much in the last couple of years — but looking at it right now, it’ll be a bumper harvest in 2018. As long as the branches can bear the weight.
It landed on me. We communed for a minute. I took a photo, it flew off but it had done its job.
God, I’m getting grey. Slowly but surely.
Our exertions of yesterday finished late enough to make crashing at the in-laws’ desirable. Morecambe was still a fine, sunny place this morning however. These flowers may, or may not, be columbines — the identification is hesitant. I like the one in the centre, though, just opening up, stretching its tentacles like a little octopus. Or pentopus maybe.
Are the babies of all species innately cute? Is this just something nature does? Well, OK, not flies, maybe, but the rule seems to hold for most birds and mammals at least. These goslings were being closely watched by Mum on the canal at Mytholmroyd this afternoon.
I’ve been moving around a lot in the last couple of months — Norway twice, Slovenia, Croatia last week — but apart from a couple of trips to London there will be no more of this until into August. So expect plenty of HB, Manchester and, when the local train service allows, the Lakes. It will give me a chance to show the progress of the summer, anyway. The arrival of the first mint crop in the garden is always a welcome one, as that means it’s also home-made mojito season.
I’m aware this photo could have been taken anywhere, but it happens to be in Zagreb, Croatia: making this the first place to begin with Z that has appeared on the blog in its 2,454 days.
The pigeons of Zagreb, at least, the ones pictured here, may have decided for many reasons to have a fight but amongst those may have been the fact that on this late morning it was absolutely throwing it down with rain, as is visible here (and it’s not always easy to see rain on photographs unless it’s very heavy). I have been here 24 hours now and there’s certainly been copious amounts of moisture pouring out of the sky. I think there are three birds visible on this shot, but I must admit I’m not entirely sure.
They’re very pink, but very ephemeral, the cherry blossoms. Maybe that’s why the Japanese like them so much, it matches their general aesthetic.
Being 42 