Making the best of a bad day

Got up at 7.00  felt like shite and went back to bed,   got up at 10.30 with the intention of having a day blogging.   the sun was in and out for a while  then the whole sky became sky blue with just a few clouds . thats it  I thought and packed my camera and off I went in search of fungi.

that load of mushrooms outside the gate had beed vandalized just leaving a few standing

ah well at least they will grow again

lets go find some more I thought as I headed out of town towards the Mochdre  end of town. Mochdre !strange name  that people would not translate into English.  Sloping Town or Pigs Town,  ie” mochyn is one pig, moch is pigs,  bae  is boar , hwch is sow, then there is the offspring moch/ mochyn bach,   little pig/s. any way I ended up on a walk to Mochdre hoping to find something as excotic as a Fly Agaric , thats the red and whie  spoted mushroom that everyone else has seen,  photographed and blogged . but i did get some nice shots of other things including mushrooms .

always around is the Robin singing its song not sure if it thinks my long lens is some kind of earth mover to look for worms,

here we are mid October and flowers are still coming out this cranesbill flowers they say, May to September

another species of field mallow that blooms May till September.

as you can see I really did look for the elusive Fly agaric.

Balwen welsh ewe. mamog cymraeg.

white ewe

black and white cows

white charolais calves

a field full of ewes

I even stopped to take a photo of a red ladybird on the way.

flies do not like flying in the rain

the shire stallion belongs to the powys agricultural college

fence post rotted from the inside.

just after i gave the horse a few strokes and told him he needed a haircut it started to rain again so took shelter for a few minutes then decided to head back.

Dolfor stream  is a bit more than a trickle after the showers we have had recently,

looking up to the 3 houses and the bridge and that in the pre 19 50s was Mochdre beyond the houses is the hamlet of Stepaside,

looking over the small bridge one of the 3 old houses as a nice collection of old colectables a hand rolling mangle a single furrow horse plough.

i took shelter from the rain under the trees thinking there may be some fungi amongst these old logs. no such luck so i decided to head back home then saw a walk sign along the mochdre brook. .

The grey wagtail flycatching on the mochdre stream.

and a closer shot.

the scenic shots will be onthis link  http://newtownpowys.wordpress.com/.

Coming to terms with diabetus.

Robin in song

Now what did I make all that noise for? cos all them blue birds are pinching the nuts.

the pair of Great Tits are on the monkey nuts. the other seven are Blue Tits

and if the word great tit is offensive you can say Parus major. then no one will have a clue what we are talking about

all nine birds are in this picture one is doing its acrobatic routine they love this new feeding station one of the b&b guests left six jam doughnuts. I made them into pieces the sparrows seem to like them.

As I said I had the flue and influensa jabs last Friday. my right arm where I had the influensa Jab feels like I have been in the boxing ring and had a right hook to the muscle. left arm is not so bad . I decided to go for a walk as I only went 300yards Friday to the surgery and back. and my legs stiffen up if I do not go for walks everyday I must go as my doctor says so. I also enjoy my walks as I always take my camera incase I see something I want to photograph. a few times I have been out on walks not feeling up to carrying the canon. total weight with lenses is about 20kilo. and as I have 3 slipped discs I should not carry any more than 10kilo Docs advice, but as long as I take it easy a stop in town for a tea or snack I am usually O,K. but today I got as far as the Dolfor park and started to go giddy. will explain as I go through todays photos,and even though I felt awfull I am pleased I carried on along the river. as I saw another bird I had not seen before and more fungi.,

as I was leaving the house I noticed this clematis out usually this is a spring/summer flower

Bugloss has been in flower since I came back from Egypt almost four months ago as ,some folks ask why did I come back from such a warm climate with all the health problems I had . first if I stayed in Egypt I would be six foot under or as it goes in arab countries 2 ft under, and put in the ground within 24 hours with no post mortem just a note FROM THE CORRUPT DOCTOR “the poor unfortunate man died from histoplasmosis” thats what the docter in Luxor diagnosed me with and for several months I was keeping his brother the pharmacist in money by byuing expensive pills.

I WAS IN A TERRIBLE STATE LOST ALMOST 3 STONE AND HAD A PROBLEM WALKING. ONCE I ARRIVED BACK HOME IN WALES I WENT TO SEE THE DOCTOR, FIRST I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A HERNIA BUT HAD TO WAIT 9 MONTHS TO SEE A SPECIALIST,AS I WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN WITH THIS HUGE LUMP POPPING OUT I HAD TO WALK ABOUT HOLDING MY GROIN STOP IT COMING OUT. SO I WENT PRIVATE , TO THE NUFFIELD HOSPITAL IN SHREWSBURRY TO SEE A SPECIALIST,, THAT WAS ON A MONDAY AND HE BOOKED ME IN FOR THE FRIDAY FOR THE OPP BUT HAD TO GO FOR BLOOD TEST ON THE THURSDAY, WHERE I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH SUGAR DIABETUS, THE COUNT WAS 15 NORMAL ITS BETWEEN 4 AND 7.

GOT TO GET YOUR BLOOD NORMAL BEFORE WE CAN OPPERATE THEY SAID. SO IT WAS BACK TO MY DOCS FOR ADVICE AND PILS FOR SUGAR DIABETUS. GOT MY LEVELS LOW ENOUGH WITHIN THREE WEEKS. RABBIT FOOD NO FAT AND NO CHOLESTAROL, AS THAT WAS ALSO WAY HIGH,

IT TOOK A FEW WEEKS TO GET TO SOME KIND OF NORMALITY AFTER THE OPP IE BIRDING AND GETTING OUT FOR WALKS.

Sheathed woodtuft (kuehneromyces mutabilis)

.

the other six fungi on this dead silver birch are the Birch (riptiporus betulinus )

there is seven fungi on this dead silver birch

lots of these fairy villages about this one is just outside my front gate some nice person has put his foot in it.

friday photo.

sunday the village has almost doubled in hight and size

another fairy village by the river

Southern bracket (ganoderma australe)

forming a new   tinder fungus (Fomes formentarius) growth.

grey wagtail(motacilla cinerea) female , my eyesight is playing up again (sugar diabetus) out of 12 shots these are the best.

just love the bark in autumn colours

strange fungi growing on this willow by the river Ii think its a very old tinder fungi, i hope some prat does not get to use his lighter on it. lots of things being set on fire by the vandals of Newtown like the next photo

not one bouy along the newtown section of the river severn has been left intact, this is the remains after a fire.set by the yobs of the town.

mausoleum has become another target of the mindless yobs

the problem with todays yobs they have no morals or respect of anything

In the body of the church stands a mausoleum erected over the tomb of the Pryce family in 1900.

read on St Mary’s church   here

Maybe they were after the old garden roller but just can not see the point of setting fire to the place.

the old oak door’s hinges are damaged as is the lock that was forced open.

the bark of the popular tree by St Mary's church

http://newtownpowys.wordpress.com/category/st-david%E2%80%99s-church/

acorn collection service

a large daddy long legs

sunset casting its light on the false Acasia tree in the front garden, this is the tree the birds use before venturing to the feeder.

blue tit on the feeder

female chaffinch fringilla coelebs, in the acasia tree

This years cutting of the Datura trumpet flower tree. not had one flower the same year as cutting before

reflections

All todays reflections have been taken along the Severn river at Newtown Powys

another Welsh valley full of leaves.

” Hint” look on the house roof.   all settled down for the night  poor sheep have to sleep outside tonight some bugger has stolen the barn  roof slates.

the montgomery canal pump house.

http://www.montgomerycanal.me.uk/newtownpumphouse.html

looking down the wall that housed the water wheel

looking down the overflow pipe under the pump house

standing on the low water line of the river severn looking down the over flow pipe

Siamese

Our 12 month old Siamese  kitten has become a cat burglar, totally deranged  anything with a tail on it is hers like this pear. thats what happens when one buys them toy mice to play with to keep them amuzed as little kittens,pears are also a good play toy as they also have a tail.

most of her mice are now tailess and today she came home with a new one it even has a squeek.

fully relaxed in her bed on the radiator in the sun,( with her ill gotten gains)

I wonder if its a hint to get her some more mice .

another paw stroke!    Sylvester the Maine  coon  as always laid back, taking no notice  because maine coon do not talk siamese.

Sylvester in laid back mode

Sylvester  our Maine Coon is almost Eleven, that makes him as old as me  so he also is retired, now the winter is coming he has claimed his place on the radiator as near to  me as possible  while I am on the computer. since my return from Egypt 3 months ago  he has become a constant companion  .

|Masters at Camouflage

• 
• Female Sparrow in the Acasia tree.
• male Sparrow in the Acasia tree

Leaves in the Welsh valley

Leaves in the valley”    on this slate roof on the Cafe in the Dolerw Park, Newtown Powys

Autumn is upon us as one can see walking through the park

Crab apple windfalls among the autumn leaves

yellow plums all going to waste

Autumn over the River severn inevitably leaves will end up in the river,

The roof made from natural slate and in the shade of trees will get moss , as the valley will also catch the falling autumn leaves off the trees.

Squirrels in the oak tree

Along the severn river

lady bird

lady bird and an aphid

large white butterfly

red admiral on the ivy thats taken over an old building

red admiral and drone fly on the ivy flower

the ivy flower is attracting all the pollen loving insects butterfly wasp drone and hrove fly are in this one shot

fungi is sprouting up everywhere.hygrophoropsis aurantiaca,

fungi on the trunk of the oak tree

last of this seasons wild flowers

the speckled wood looking a bit worse for wear

a hoverfly on the brook thistle thats been eaten by aphids

they say that once the certain kind of fungi grow on trees the tree is dying

trametes hirsuta

  tinder fungus (Fomes formentarius)

there are three of this type of fungi on this willow tree by the river. tinder fungus (Fomes formentarius)

FUNGI GROWING ON THE STUMP OF A CUT DOWN TREE.

TREE REFLECTION IN THE CALM RIVER

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

mallard's play time

Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos and Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
on the severn river near St Mary’s church  in Newtown Powys.

and away it goes down stream,

Something else was trying to get in the river today,   over the past few months I have had the pleasure of seeing a shopping trolley,park bench,footballs traffic cones a waste paper bin or rather a doggy poo park bin and today this unusual sight of a bicycle looks like the owner  missed the water while doing a jump off the dolerw park suspension bridge,  I hope the silly **** has broken his neck

it takes two minutes to get to the river from the bridge and the seat had dissapeared

Squrrel collecting acorns, The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera Quercus and Lithocarpus, in the family Fagaceae).

our garden

strawberries are still in flower

the garden spiders are getting big

and a few are monsters

a drone fly

the gate keeper butterfly

soldier flies are pollenating what flowers are left.

,

Southern Hawker, Aeshna cyanea

 

 

Southern Hawker,  this one flew around the garden several times then came to rest on the holly tree very hard to see  until I got close to it. almost manged to change the lens to get a macro shot, but not today but I was lucky to get so close.

 

Llandinham walk

llandinham bridge with tether loops each side of the bridge stonework,the first iron bridge to be built in Montgomeryshire in 1843.

 

David Davies, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:David_Davies_%28industrialist%29

FUNGI ON THE HORSE CHESTNUT TREE

BADGER SET

free range pigs have the woods to themselves

rabbit warrens

the old station gates

culvert under the old railway track

huge leaves not seen them before

disused roller

hide and sheep

all tups together

dunno who cut his coat.

pesky flies

anthophora plumipes. bee on a wild flower

fungi, sheathed woodtuft,kuehneromyces mutabilis

welsh sheep,

bird carcass on a mossed stone, most like the pickings left by the buzzard

broneirion lodge and hall

C

do not overload the bridge

pied wagtail

guides camp at Broneirion hall field

this weed was growing on the bridge

wild rose rather late flowering

wild damson tree, it is overloaded with fruit this season.

Horse-chestnut tree avenue from the Lodge to the bridge

fly fishing at Llandinham

one of thesehorse tether loops each side of the bridge.ideal ties for balloons

the bridge from the river severn

steel structure of the bridge

bridge from the style

looking towards the main A 470 road

the bridge from the road bellow me was the dipper bird,

one of the four Lama’s

above shot of the dipper

dipper

sand martin,Riparia riparia,

sand martins,Riparia riparia,

buzzard

king of the trough

pheasant

speckled wood, pararge aegeria, butterfly

Dipper, Cinclus cinclis.

butterflies,dragons and damsels

common rustic mesapamea secalisan underside shot of the common rustic mesapamea secalis

an underside shot of the common rustic mesapamea secalis

PEACOCK, Nynphalis io,

Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria,

HOLLY BLUE Celastrina argiolus. male.

Gatekeeper ,maniola tithonius

Comma Nymphalis c-album

RED ADMIRAL,Vanessa atalanta

moth but which one ????

Aeshna Grandis, The brown hawker

Southern Migrant Hawker (Aeshna affinis) Female no water up near the castle but this hawker dragonfly was resting on the blackberry bush, one shot and it was gone.

Montgomery and its castle

WELSH BLACK SHEEP. in a field near the castle footpath.

the 1227 was its population  it’s now  1,256 (2001 census

Montgomery castle as seen from Chirbury

the route for those who have transport is behind the town hall building. for us on foot the route is straight up a steep hill,unless one knows to take the path, but that's only if one does not miss the wicket gate as its 50 yards off the road in the trees, the next wicket gate is by the road but I am not sure if it leads up to the castle. A few years ago this beautiful building was going to be demolished because the local council could not afford to spend a few bucks on its upkeep.so now it belongs to the people of Montgomery who look after it, now for me to just re tarmacadam my drive it would cost in the region of £10.000.00 without any demolition. so how much was the council bill going to be for repairs to the building. this building should also be in the care of cadw, they are soon up in arms if we touch our own old houses without letting them know of any repair work being done.

the old gaol house once past this point the last house on the almost vertical hill to the castle there is a wicket gate, I took the next photo as its such a long time since I saw a wicket gate made from iron today they are made of wood and are v shape not semi circular.

he wicket gate on the path from the Castle this path comes out almost opposite bunners hardware shop,

bunners hardware over the years I bought many an aga cooker and wood stove for central heating from here, Arthur Street Montgomery PowysSY15 6RA 322229,296510 -3.147792375063816452.560405963705385Telephone: 01686 668 308Fax: 01686 668 564Web: http://www.rhbunner.co.uk

http://www.rhbunner.co.uk

the wicket gate near the road

I remember 28 years ago while looking at a house for sale near this wall, then there was a water-spout here, but today most like the vandals have been here or thieves wanting the lead pipe work.

view from the Gaol of the weather cocks to the town hall and St Nicholas Parish Church, Montgomery. O, K,"one is a cock the other is the welsh dragon

the rather splendid clock and weather veign on the town hall. and me I had 3 hours to wait for a bus.

the cock on St Nicholas Parish Church,

St Nicholas Parish Church tower clock and I still had an hour to go before my bus home.

half way up the hill to the Castle the shot was taken of St nicholas church and graveyard, where the robbers grave is,and the View across Montgomery towards Long Mynd Shropshire

this piece is from http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/montgomery/pages/robbers_grave.shtml .

The Robber’s Grave in Montgomery or “the grave of the man unjustly hanged” has long been a legend of note connected with the town of Montgomery.

In 1821, John Davies a plasterer from Wrexham was accused by William Jones from Welshpool of assault and robbery.

Jones produced two witnesses (not to the robbery) and appealed to them to help him find his assailant and to finding his missing watch and money on Davies’ person. Davies was accordingly committed to the autumn sessions, where he pleaded ‘not guilty’ but was found guilty by the jury.

At that time highway robbery was one of the many crimes punishable by death. At the place of his execution, persons claimed to have heard John Davies declare his innocence and pray that God would not allow the grass to grow on his grave for a hundred years as a sign of his innocence.

He was buried in a portion of the churchyard where there had been no previous burials. The grave lies about 24ft west of the path from the north gate of the churchyard to the church tower, and about 30ft from the gate.

first view of the castle as entering from the car park.

the first bridge to the castle

this bridge has four oak beams about 30 foot long without any knots or mid supports as a builder I found it almost imposible to get a piece over 10 foot without a knot in it,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_Castle

harebells growing in the rock foundation of the castle walls.

View towards Welshpool from the castle

view of Shropshire towards the Mynd

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Mynd

now the blackberry flowers are out so is the Gatekeeper butterfly

https://wildaboutwales.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/large-yellow-underwingnoctua-pronuba/

Southern Migrant Hawker (Aeshna affinis) Female no water up near the castle but this hawker dragonfly was resting on the blackberry bush, one shot and it was gone.