Rain Again, Inside Day, Dolly Death, Weds 13.8.08

What a day. It rained all day until about 6.30pm. The poor dog has been going stir crazy. I've tried to play inside games with him, as has Jim, but it's not the same as a good walk! In his boredom today he managed to destroy his dolly. He's had her since he was first with us and it's always been his favorite toy. I think I'll have to try and make him another, stronger one. Here she is, her insides more outsides now!


this was after the first attack














and this was after the second attack. Her tummy is flat as a pancake! But still she smiles.












Jim decided to tackle the 'everything' store cupboard between the kitchen/diner and shower room. Floor to ceiling shelves and anything that doesn't have a home ends up there. Dog and cat food, seeds, drinks, bathroom smellies, bin liners, light bulbs, duster, water filter filters! It's certainly much better now, but I don't suppose I'll be able to find anything for a few days.

I made the effort to tackle my vast pile of ironing. At least I was able to watch the Olympics while I ironed, thus making it more bearable. I guess I did about half.

It looked a bit brighter by tea time, so I decided to take poor Buster for a walk to the newly discovered woods in spite of the weather. In fact it had stopped raining, but was very muddy underfoot and the trees drip dripped as we walked underneath their canopy.

I did take my camera today and took far too many photos. Some of them are ok, so I'll post those. It was beautiful in the wood, somehow it felt very autumnal. There was a constant dripping sound and everything glistened with the rain. I slipped on the slope down to the lake but luckily only got a wet knee in the process. Buster was much more at home today and rushed about all over the place, walking much further than I did, backwards and forward, up and down, always checking to see whether I was still there.

He also seemed to enjoy the water more and paddled a bit on the lake shore. As I reached the far end of the wood, I saw a figure coming towards me. It was Jim, who had walked down to the other end of the wood and came to meet us. What a lovely surprise. We retraced our steps today, rather than taking the route up to the road, which is a bit boring. I'm glad we made the effort, it was great to get out after such an inside day. I forgot to mention the wood is called Dillon's wood, the name of a local family who have lived around there for ever.

This evening we've eaten sausages with potatoes, green beans, peas and carrots, all picked from the garden today. Delicious. We watched more Olympics of course.

A new series of 'Who Do You Think You Are' started at 9, where various well known actors, tv personalities, etc, trace their ancestry. The first series was excellent, so we decided to watch the latest batch. Tonight it was the turn of Patsy Kensit, actress, who is currently starring in Holby City. Her father was a criminal and hung around with the Kray twins and the Richardsons in the 1960s. She was desperate to find an ancestor who was a 'good guy' and did eventually discover a great great great Grandfather who had been a curate at a church in Bethnal Green, a dreadful part of London with terrible overcrowding and poverty. He had set up various charities and was obviously a real 'good egg'. Eventually, after many years of gruelling work there, he was given a country parish with a glorious church, which Patsy visited. He had died in his 70s and such was the admiration of his parishioners that he had been buried right by the alter. It was odd how Patsy was so relieved to find that not all her ancestors were criminals. It was as though she felt somehow 'tarred by the same brush' as her Dad, though she had obviously loved him dearly.





I love seeing the new trees beginning to grow on the wood's floor. Here's a tiny oak sapling. Will it reach maturity, I wonder?

















The path through the wood, rather dark and threatening at times.
















You can see the density of the wood here. These branches from a fallen tree look like sea creatures















This bench sits alone. Maybe there was a picnic table here once? Someone has had a camp fire here recently.


















The lower branch of an old oak tree is covered in moss - and ferns sprout from it like caterpillar's legs.











On the damp wood floor, fungi sprouts next to ferns and moss










Although a little blurred, this fungi is wonderful, rich colour












This is the whole dead branch. Still supporting a myriad of life
















A much larger yellow fungus. How striking it looks against the dark wood's floor











A rather blurred shot of my dirty trousers after I'd slipped and landed on my knee
















Buster was ready for a drink at the edge of Lough Graney

A few bullrushes reflected in the lake














The rain drips off the oak trees and makes circles in the lake






Finally, Jim took this photo of me with my first prize winning photo of Jack at the Gort Show:
















Finally finally, I'm off to find a photo of Buster's caterpillar for Edward!





Buster was a very little puppy. Here is his caterpillar with it's wonderful purple feet! His head's under the blanket, you'll have to imagine that.



















Aha, I found this one with his head and dolly, before she was murdered, looking all clean and with pretty pink ribbons in her hair.


I'll save some of the photos of the lake until tomorrow.

I don't know why the fonts in this post are all weird, I've tried to make them the same, but it's not playing. Please forgive!