Today’s guest picture shows the River Trent at Burton-on-Trent. My brother Andrew took the picture while visiting the town.
We had another pleasantly warm but very grey and gloomy day. Luckily, we had plenty to keep us occupied. Dropscone brought round some of his traditional Friday morning treacle scones to go with a cup of coffee or two and when he left, Mrs Tootlepedal and I settled down and did our tax for 2014-15. It has got a lot simpler since we retired from the B&B business so we were able to get it finished before lunch…and have time for a walk round the damp garden.
After lunch, I walked up to the town to post the tax envelope, deliver the heritage DVDs which I copied last night to the Information Hub (as the tourist office is rather grandly called now) and drop off a begging letter for Archive Group funding to a local charitable trust.
Once home, Mrs Tootlepedal declared herself ready for a cycle ride in spite of the ever present threat of rain but I fancied a walk so we went our separate ways. It remained dry for some of our outing and didn’t rain hard enough to get us really wet when it did start so we chose a good moment.
My walk took me onto the Kilngreen where I came upon Mr Grumpy surrounded by a very large flock of ducks.
I haven’t seen any little ducklings this year but obviously the ducks have been busy and I was nearly knocked over by a rush of quite mature ducklings hoping that I was bringing them food.
I managed to sidestep them though and continued my stroll up the Lodge Walks.
There were some fungi to be seen.
I crossed the Castleholm past this tree which looks as though it is imploring heaven to be kind to it.
It doesn’t look as though it has led a happy life so far.
I was hoping for wild raspberries but either the crop was poor or some greedy so and so had beaten me to it and eaten them all. There less edible fruits to admire.
Alongside the school playing field there are a set of trees that make you look twice.
There were a couple of bright moments to offset the gloom, one among the wild flowers beside the path….
..and the other in the minister’s garden which I passed on my way home.
Mrs Tootlepedal had cycled her five miles more quickly than I had walked my mile and a half and was home before me.
I took a moment to watch the bird feeder.
The grey weather is set to continue tomorrow but I hope to be able to have a more active day if I can persuade myself to get up and go. This is by no means something to bet the house on.
The flying bird of the day is a chaffinch. It came out better than the day deserved.
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Weird and wonderful trees. The left lower fungi is a queer shape and color.
It seemed rather redder than I would have expected.
Colorful pictures! 🙂
🙂
A lovely shot of the River Trent. I think what makes many of your rivers so appealing is that they are accessible, with towpaths or walkways or landscaped areas abutting them. That happens very rarely here, even when the rivers flow through a city. In many instances you have to crash your way through tangles of trees and scrub to get to a river. A pity, really, as there’s something essentially soothing about bodies of water (at least when they’re not in flood!).
Our local rivers vary and are some accessible and sometimes not. I love a broad river flowing through fields.
I don’t like posting letters to the Tax Office, Tom.
I am hoping for a small refund. 🙂
I’m not sure what tree or shrub the samaras are from either, but they’re pretty ones.
I hope you’ll see some sun tomorrow.
We live in hope of a sunbeam.
The seeds you don’t know look disturbingly like giant hogweed seeds. I see there is a common hogweed in Europe, perhaps it’s that? (Heracleum sphondylium)
We have giant hogweed around.
I think they may be Hogweed seeds too. The Lodge Walks looks very inviting – pity about the gloomy weather.
It is a lovely walk even on a gloomy day.
The Lodge Walk looks inviting, much like the old country roads I knew back east, way back when. The trees look like they could be out of J.R.R. Tolkien. Young Ents, perhaps?
I often think of Ents when I look at the gnarliest trees round here.
Great gallery of nature shots, again! I loved Mr. Grumpy with the ducks. He looks like he’s in charge 🙂
He certainly is.
The gene for great photography must run in your family, the guest photo of the River Trent from your brother is stunning.
It was nice to see Mr. Grumpy again, and I’m happy that you weren’t trampled by the ducks.
I liked his photo a lot too. I am lucky to have siblings who send me such good pictures.
Lots of lovely flowers to admire both in and out of your garden.
Giant hogweed is dangerous: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=458
I am well warmed not to touch it.
Well done getting your tax return done.
Lovely colours both in your garden, especially the nasturtiums, and a fine hydrangea on your walk. Glad to see Mr G out and about.
Oh the ducks – nostalgia!
I miss your ducks too.
It was nice to see Mr Grumpy again. I like that you and Mrs T are happy to let each other do your own thing (she cycled and you walked). Some are not content to give their partners such freedom. Lovely flower photos as always. As Jerry said, the photography genes must run in the family. I also liked Andrew’s picture.
Oh, Mrs T is very kind to me and lets me wander about unsupervised quite often.
😀
Those trees look like they could tell a few stories!
🙂
I had the same thought about you and Mrs T “doing your own thing”. I was surprised to see Mr Grumpy hanging about with all those ducks! I pictured him a bird of constant solitude.
No, he knows where he can get fed and doesn’t mind a crowd at all.
Mr Grumpy looks like a school master in charge of some very unruly pupils. I think the seeds are hogweed. We have a lot of the non giant stuff around here.
Perhaps that’s why I like Mr Grumpy so much.
Those trees are most interesting. I wonder what their branches would sound like as flutes!
You certainly ought to be able to bend a note on one.