Shadow Shot Sunday #140

Three days ago we saw the sun shining brightly in a flawless blue sky and casting shadows among the branches of the trees.

Here is a Great Spotted Woodpecker in an oak tree. There must be insects and larvae around and she's making sure they don't damage the developing buds. Actually, she's not in the least altruistic - there's a feast to be had and she's having it!
Thank you to Tracy at 'Hey Harriet' who organises this weekly meme. Click here to see more shadows and perhaps join in.

Doggy memories

Watching the ‘Collie Walk’ video in my previous post brought to mind a couple of memories.

I first started work in a village where everyone knew everyone else. Most of the families had been living there for generations. The vicar, a charming ex-Naval padre, was closely associated with the school. He often talked to me, bringing me up to speed on the family circumstances of the pupils. His turn of phrase was frequently colourful, evidence of his service life.  He was proud of his son who had had much to do with designing hovercraft.

The headmistress, Joan, was a pleasant, amusing woman who had lived in the village for many years. She had been the inspiration for one of John Betjeman’s ‘young women’. Her husband lectured at the nearby college in Shrivenham where my soon-to-be husband was studying. They had a collie with a strong herding instinct and it was not unknown for the dog to herd the children along the road into school. This dog also attended church, remaining quiet throughout the service until the time came for the vicar’s sermon. The dog would then walk out of the church, no doubt watched ruefully by some of the congregation.

At that time, dogs at Shrivenham were commonly allowed to attend lectures with their masters (there were only male military students then) Our yellow Labrador, Whisky, lived with Barry and accompanied him everywhere. Consequently, she was a very well-educated dog in all aspects of life, appreciating beer and bar snacks, and swift and neat at helping herself to tempting morsels in people’s hands – or shopping baskets. She liked hedgerow fruits, too, sucking blackberries off the thorny brambles. During lectures, Whisky was quiet and unobtrusive most of the time but there were occasions when she sensed that the young officers around her, all fit and healthy and fidgeting to do something physical, were bored. She would then produce a loud drawn-out yawn and wander to the front of the room to sit next to the lecturer and look at him. This caused much mirth among the students and broke the tedium, at least momentarily.  

Whisky came to school with me on a few occasions when Barry was away and was a great favourite with the children. Though she was a large dog she nonetheless considered herself a lap dog and would clamber up so that when the children looked up from their work they would see her gravely observing them rather than me. She enjoyed joining in their games, too, and was instrumental in teaching at least one child to overcome a fear of dogs.

You can read more about Whisky here.

Every dog has an individual personality and a lifetime of living with dogs bequeaths a wealth of memories.

I'm linking to Camera Critters, Pet Pride and Shadow Shot Sunday.

Shadow Shot Sunday #130

Thank you to Tracy from 'Hey Harriet' who organises and hosts this meme.

photo copyright M R Oakley

Mark is one of the charming vets who look after our animals' health. In his spare time he  builds 1/12 scale F1 models from scratch. They are mainly from the 70s with some from the 60s and some from the 90s and later. He builds them for his own interest, each one representing a year's work from start to finish. They are not working models and are intended for museum display - indeed, he has been invited to display at the world-famous National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in Hampshire, UK.
Each model is 12" - 14" long (30 -36 cms)

Mark's meticulous approach involves photographing the original machines with permission, drawing his own engineering plans, and ensuring that the model he subsequently produces is as faithful to the original as he can make it. To this end all bodywork is removable so that the engineering can be seen and the underside of each car is carefully replicated. 

You can read more about his models here

By posting this blog I hope to draw attention to some of Mark's requests. If anyone can help or knows someone who could be of assistance I know he would be most appreciative.

1: He is looking for someone able and willing to print a small number of single decal sheets with a large proportion of white, using an Oki printer. The decals are all smaller than approx 30mm to suit a 1/12 scale model racecar subject. The artwork would be supplied, or be drawn up by the same person with use of an Oki printer.

2: He would be able to supply only basic artwork and photos of the desired end product (decal) and would appreciate someone with a drawing program such as Coral Draw or similar, to produce the digital artwork prior to printing on an Oki printer, with draft copy on plain paper for my final assessment before committing to the Oki printed material on the appropriate (Oki style) water-slide medium. Fee to be discussed, hoping to keep this realistic.

3:  He is very keen to see an Hewland TL200 gearbox from a Grand Prix car or Sports Car, in the UK, preferably out of the car on the floor/bench to measure and photograph for a scale model.

4: On an unrelated subject, he is keen to acquire a (spare/no longer wanted) FAI Home security on/off hand held remote control, preferably from the UK.

I shall be posting this in various formats (ie: with different illustrations) throughout the next few weeks in the hope that someone will be able to help.

Shadow Shot Sunday #128 Me and my shadow

Me and my shadow - or Double Trouble . . .


Thanks to Tracy from 'Hey Harriet' who hosts this weekly meme. Click here to see more shadows.

Shadow Shot Sunday #127, Today's Flowers #116 Nasturtiums

This year the nasturtiums have been outstanding. The colours have ranged from cream through orange to scarlet and crimson. We are enjoying their final flourish before they finally succumb to the frost. We have had two or three heavy frosts in the last week and it is only the flowers in sheltered places that are surviving. 

The bees are still working hard.

This bee is using an alternative method of reaching the nectar. It's called 'robbing' because the bee approaches from the back to find the nectary, denying the flower the chance of pollination. The bee may probe between the petals or bite a hole through the flower.

Thank you to Tracy from 'Hey Harriet' who hosts this meme.

Shadow Shot Sunday #124

Thanks go to Tracy from 'Hey Harriet' who hosts this weekly meme.

The Common Carder-bee (Bombus pascuorum) is the commonest of the bumblebees in UK and the most likely to be seen. It flies from spring to late autumn - bet it's tired when it stops ;)

Weekend Reflections #43, Shadow Shot Sunday #113 Kiri

James from Newtown Area Photo organises and hosts Weekend Reflections. Thank you, James! Tracy from Hey Harriet does the same for Shadow Shot Sunday. Thank you, Tracy!

14-year-old Kiri went to a photo shoot a couple of weeks ago and here she is recreating some of the moments (though I gather she wasn't supposed to smile!!) The make-up is much heavier than she would normally wear!

Kiri enjoys larking around, pretending she's something she's not. Much of the time I was laughing so hard I could hardly hold the camera!

No reflections in this last one - just shadows and Kiri looking reflective.

Camera Critters #116, Shadow Shot Sunday #110

The European Hornet (Vespa crabro) is usually simply called 'hornet'. This one appeared in our garden earlier this month. We see them less frequently than common wasps since they are not attracted to human food . They feed on insects, including bees, and ripening fruit.
I discovered that some people believe that three stings can kill an adult and seven can kill a horse - neither of these beliefs is true! Though their stings are painful they are no more dangerous than any other wasp sting, unless you happen to be allergic to them, in which case, keep your Epipen handy! In fact, hornets are less aggressive than other smaller wasps. If approached they will gradually retreat and then fly off rather than attack. However, a colony will defend its nest if the workers sense danger.
While verifying facts I learnt a new word - 'eusocial'. It describes the highest level of social organisation in hierarchical communities. The hornet is the largest European eusocial wasp.
I also learnt how to differentiate a male from a female but my photograph is not clear enough to count the segments on the the antennae - a male has 13 segments and a female has 12. The male  has seven visible abdominal segments while a female has six. I think the insect in the photo is a female.

Thank you to Misty Dawn of 'Camera Critters' and Tracy from 'Hey Harriet' for 'Shadow Shot Sunday' who organise and host these entertaining memes. To see more posts please click on the appropriate title. 

Shadow Shot Sunday #109

A nameless sculpture by an unnamed sculptor in Canary Wharf.

There are a number of sculptures but none of them (that I saw) carry any information.

Thank you to Tracy from 'Hey Harriet' who organises and hosts this weekly meme. To see more Shadows, please click here.

Shadow Shot Sunday #108

Blue tit in oak tree

One of the last flowers on Kerria japonica

Climbing rose 'Warm Welcome'

Tracy from 'Hey Harriet' organises and hosts this entertaining meme. Thank  you, Tracy! To see more shadow shots please click here.

Pet Pride, Shadow Shot Sunday #104 - Pansy Blue

The breeders of our brown Burmese cat encouraged us to breed from her - I am more resistant to such suggestions these days! She was a pretty little queen and gave us many years of pleasurable companionship and five litters of kittens - three planned by us and two of her own desiring! In her second litter there was a blue kitten which we kept and called Pansy Blue.

Pansy had the most amazingly luminous eyes which changed expression remarkably. When she gazed at humans her eyes were soft and loving with no hint of evil but sometimes when she looked at one of her feline house mates her expression would  harden and she looked every inch the fighter though she never squabbled with the others - perhaps the look was enough!

She was blind for the last two years of her life and we so missed her loving looks though she continued to chat to us as she had done all her life.

As you can see from the photographs a 'blue' cat is really grey. Against a blue background the coat looks 'bluer'.The 'blue' is a dilution of black. Our children became so used to the descriptive colours of the cats that other animals were so categorised. One day Susannah described a squirrel as being 'blue' and that's when we had to explain that colours vary acccording to breed and species and custom. A white horse is a 'grey', red hunting jackets are 'pink', a brown-spotted Dalmatian is 'liver' while a brown Labrador is 'chocolate' ,and so on ad infinitum.
Thank you to the hosts of these memes. To see more please click on Pet Pride or Shadow Shot Sunday - and maybe you might be tempted to join in, too!

Shadow Shot Sunday #99 Gus

Gus, 7 months old, grabs all the balls he can and waits for his friends to chase him.

Shadow Shot Sunday is hosted by Tracy from 'Hey Harriet'  - thank you Tracy :-) Click here to see more shadows.

Camera Critters #97, Shadow Shot Sunday #91

Whisky was the first dog Barry and I had together. He bought her as a three-year-old for my birthday but as I was still at college she went to live with him in an officers' mess. She went everywhere with him, to lectures, to pubs, in cars. The only thing she never enjoyed was running. They would start together but after a short while she'd turn and trot back home. She was house-trained when we got her and nothing else but she learned quickly if there were treats involved.

She would sit . . .

. . . sometimes balancing a biscuit on her nose, which was brown as she was part of an ongoing breeding programme to produce chocolate Labradors. She never had puppies.

She would lie down and stay for long periods. I could take her shopping and she would stay quietly outside shops while I was inside.

One day I forgot – briefly – that she was with me but when I returned to her she was still waiting, looking rather anxious but trusting. She joyfully jumped up at me on that occasion and nearly knocked my front teeth out! (It would have served me right!!)

In those days, more than 40 years ago, we did not know of the danger that chocolate posed to dogs so in this photograph she is gently taking a finger of 'Kit Kat' from my mouth. Even so, she would not eat it until told she could and would sit with it melting in her mouth.

However, she was as greedy as any other Labrador and sucked berries from brambles, bread rolls from strangers' shopping baskets and sandwiches from their hands. It was essential to keep an eye on her while we were out with her.

She submitted to being dressed up but we didn't often put her through that pantomime and of course, we never laughed at her, only with her.

She looked and felt her best in the great outdoors and, like all self-respecting gun dogs loved water. This photo was taken in 1967, the year before our eldest child was born.
She was a wonderful dog, a worthy pioneer for all the dogs we have had in succeeding years. We often discussed changing her name but somehow never found the right one for her.

She was 16 when she died and is still remembered fondly by all who knew her.
To see more Camera Critters or Shadow Shots please click on the appropriate label.
Thanks go to the organisers and hosts of these entertaining memes.

Shadow Shot Sunday #85 January 2010

It is cold in UK, even in the soft South, but on a day like this, when the sun shines in a perfect sky and the ground is iron hard, it is glorious to be outside.

There is always green in the forest, providing a pleasing foil for the browns and yellows of dead bracken, fallen leaves and grasses.

The colours look warm!

There was no wind to flay the skin and make eyes water.

I never tire of this walk - it changes all the time while remaining familiar.
It was exhilarating to breathe in the clean, sharp air - and to spot shadows all around!
Thank you to Tracy from 'Hey Harriet' for the hard work she puts into organising and hosting this enjoyable meme. To see more shadows please click on the blue.

Shadow Shot Sunday #68 Cobnuts

In our front garden we have Kentish cobs and a corkscrew hazel (Corylus avellanus 'Contorta') - the squirrels love them and plant them all over the place so we have MANY saplings.

Thank you to Tracy at 'Hey Harriet' for hosting this meme.

To see more Shadow Shots please click here

Shadow Shot Sunday # Qu'est-ce-que c'est que ca?

Qu'est-ce que c'est que ca? or - What the blazes is that?

No prizes but I'd love to know your guesses - no holds barred! The background is my garage floor if that helps . . . (can't see that it would . . . )

Thank you to Tracy from 'Hey Harriet' for creating and hosting this meme.

To see more Shadows from around this wonderful world please click here or on the logo

Shadow Shot Sunday #64

Animal, vegetable or mineral? Twenty Questions anyone?

Thank you to Tracy at 'Hey Harriet' for creating and hosting this meme.

To see more shadows please click on the logo

Shadow Shot Sunday #63 Dingy Skipper

I'm a bit late with my post this week. This is a Dingy Skipper on a courgette leaf. Although it looks quite like a moth it is a butterfly. Thank you to 'Hey Harriet' for initiating and hosting this meme.

To see more Shadow Shots please click on the logo.

Shadow Shot Sunday #62

Thank you to Hey Harriet for hosting this meme.

To see more shadow shots please click on the Shadow Shot Sunday logo.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Too hot to garden . . .

For more shadow shots please click on the logo above

Thank you to Hey Harriet for this fascinating meme!