Today’s guest picture is the second of Susan’s pictures from the Dunrobin falconry.
The day started quite promisingly with some pleasant sunshine so I popped out on the slow bike to see if there were any pictures to be had.
We don’t get many reds in our autumn colour but this tree on the Castleholm is an exception…
..but even it is a bit half hearted about the whole thing.
I cycled down to the Skippers Bridge and stumbled down to the riverside (slippery shoes!).
I thought that it was worth the trip.
I scrambled back onto the road and pedalled on up the hill and took two views back across the valley.
Then, like the Grand old Duke of York, I pedalled back down again and went home, stopping on my way for a shot of the Esk in the middle of the town.
As you can see, it was a very lovely morning to be out and about. Mrs Tootlepedal didn’t waste much time indoors and was soon hard at work in the garden.
I took advantage of the good conditions and joined her. I spiked and sanded just over a quarter of the front lawn. It doesn’t sound much but that was as much as I could do in one go and after a little dead heading and some shredding (Attila the gardener produces a lot of debris), I went and fetched my camera and had a gentle walk round.
There was plenty of zing about.
This Fuchsia is going to be moved to join my new one at the end of the year. I hope it survives the shift as it has been very productive this season.
The poppy and cornflower bed in front of the pond is the gift that keeps on giving.
After this, it was time to go in and look out of the window.
If there is such a thing as a cuddly jackdaw then this is it.
It soon flew off though…
…looking a bit less cuddly.
After lunch, Mrs Tootlepedal went off to catch the train from Lockerbie to visit Matilda in Edinburgh. Just as she was leaving, it started to drizzle so I rushed out and got the washing in.
A very intractable crossword gave me lots of time to recover from the lawn spiking and then, as the rain had stopped, I put the washing out again and mowed the greenhouse grass and the drying green.
I went in and looked out of the window again.
The bench was more popular with the sparrows and dunnocks than the hedge today.
Then I went to our keyboard to go over some of the songs for our Carlisle choir as we have got a concert coming up but I was soon interrupted by the sound of heavy rain. Once again, I dashed out and got the washing in. I should have been paying more attention though, as most of it was almost as wet as when it was put out.
We have still got plenty of potatoes left in our potato store so I had a couple of baked potatoes for my tea and then Susan came and fetched me and we went off to Carlisle to play with our recorder group for the first time for several weeks.
Roy produced a good selection of music and we had an enjoyable evening. It had rained while we were playing and our spell of dry weather looks as though it might have come to an end. Ah well.
The flower of the day is a cornflower triptych….
…and the flying bird of the day is a sparrow giving the fat balls the go by.
I gave up on hanging out the washing this week and it got dried indoors – eventually. I had a giggle about your stumble and the view being worth the trip! I hope you didn’t twist your ankle. Lots of excellent photos today. Lovely autumnal views, a robin and a cuddly jackdaw, beautiful flowers including some attractive cornflowers.
My ankle was OK but I banged my knee which will teach me to take a little more care.
The landscapes are beautiful with the new colors added. I don’t think a river could be any more relaxed than that one and the reflections are perfect.
The poppies and cornflowers go together well and you have very linear birds on the bench. The robin looks annoyed.
The river was calmer in the picture than it was in real life which surprised me a lot.
The linear birds were very appealing.
Your scramble down the riverbank was well worth the effort. The bank of a still river with lovely reflections is a very restful place. Love the lineup of birds on the bench!
I have got some new(ish) shoes which must have been made by people with a sense of humour as they have very slippery soles.
I like the robin and the great shot of the bench an the birds. 🙂
It was quite unusual to see four birds perched there.
It’s a very picturesque view of the Esk and the hills above.
It is a view I like.
Wonderful autumnal reflection in the Esk, thanks for taking the trouble to get the photograpgh to delight us all.
Lovely reflections on your early morning walk.
You captured the start of Autumn colours wonderfully. The birds are looking quite demure today.
They seem a bit subdued at the moment. Maybe they are feeling the colder weather a bit too.
I add my thanks to those above for sliding down the bank for the reflection shot. It has my vote for inclusion in your next competition.
🙂
Nice one, about the washing! I can sympathize with that.
It was all good exercise.
Gorgeous photos, all, before the rain the light was perfect. I think Jackdaws are cuddly when compared to their larger corvid cousins. The stance of your lovely Robin reminds me of our Hermit Thrushes.
I suppose that you are right about jackdaws. I have never seen a cuddly rook. The robin is a great poser.
It looks quite beautiful and more colorful over there by the day. The flower panels are always eye-catching arrangements. Your jackdaws seem to have a lot of character to them. Being in the crow family, I suspect they are rather mischievous birds?
They are very intelligent.