Today’s guest picture is a small bridge across one of the ditches on the River Derwent flood plain that my brother crossed on his walk. The low sun ensured that his shadow never got far away from him! (I am open for new guest pictures.)
We had a slightly colder and slightly greyer day today but it didn’t halt the very gentle progress towards recovery. I am fine as long as I take things very slowly but Mrs Tootlepedal is still pretty flat and spending time in bed.
In another first though, I got the car running in the morning and drove down to the Co-operative Store to do a little shopping, more for the sake of checking that the car was OK after a week of idleness than the urgent need for provisions. We have been eating so little that we have both lost weight. Under normal circumstances a bit of weight loss would have been very welcome but we don’t recommend catching flu as a sound dieting method.
As well as the shopping, I made some bread and cooked a pan of soup so I didn’t have much time to look at the birds. This was no great loss as there were very few birds about today even when I did look.
The poor light led to poor pictures…
…so I didn’t waste a lot of time.
I had to go and open up the Day Centre for an Embroiderers’ Guild meeting after lunch as Mrs Tootlepedal would normally do this.
I cycled up to the town to unlock the door and then cycled off up the Wauchope road to keep my legs turning over. It was a bit colder and windier than yesterday so I just went a bit slower today and got on not too badly. Once again, I stopped from time to time to give my breathing a break.
I like the way that trees grow out of the banks of the small burns on the hillsides at a jaunty angle.
I had parked the slow bike on the bridge when I walked up to take the tree picture and when I went back to it…
…I was very struck by the combination of lichen and moss on the bridge parapet.
Life’s a jungle.
Further up the road, I was brought to a halt by a perfectly upholstered stone in the wall beside the road. It is most unusual.
While I was stopped, I had a look at the next few metres of the wall. It was a good place to spend a few minutes.
The colour of the day prize definitely went to a lichen with this very striking burst of yellow.
It was so vivid that I might have thought that it was a paint spill at first sight but a closer look…
…showed me that it is probably xanthoria parietina, a lichen I more usually see on concrete fence posts.
Another elegant clump of moss could be seen and …..
…a striking but pale lichen rounded off my inspection.
I could have picked many more lichens and mosses within a few yards but I didn’t want to stay standing around for too long as it wasn’t very warm.
I cycled up the Cleuchfoot road and lifted my eyes up from moss and lichen to admire the scenery.
I went through the farm yard and took a picture just to show that not all our bridges are made of beautifully cut stones.
I like the valley beyond Cleuchfoot farmhouse. There is something very restful about it.
It is possible to ride up a track across the hill below the larch plantation which you can see ahead of me and come back to join the Wauchope road further along……
…but that would have required more time and energy than I had so I turned round and eased gently back down the hill into town. A circuit of the New Town brought my distance up to to 10 miles and I don’t know when I have been more pleased with a 10 mile cycle ride at 8mph.
And that, as they say, concluded the entertainment for the day. I am going to see if I can sing tomorrow.
A perching bird of the day today.
Sorry to hear that you have both been laid low with flu. I hope that you are both fully recovered soon.
We are well on the way, thank you but could do with a bit of decent weather.
Having the flu is indeed a hard way to lose weight. It is great that you felt well enough to go on a bike ride. Some of those pictures of lichen and moss look as though they could have been taken under water.
They did have a seaweedy look about them, didn’t they.
You are doing so much better and I hope Mrs T will soon follow.
Funny how just the one stone got cushioned.
Your scenery is a tonic for the eyes.
Getting out on the bike did cheer me up a lot.
Lovely scenery, lichen and moss. The Robin looks quite proud to be the perching bird of the day. 🙂
So it should be.
Sorry recovery is so slow, hope for better news tomorrow. The lichens and mosses that you photographed are well worth looking at, thank you for such interesting pictures.
I liked the lichen and moss photos from the day, but I loved the landscape images from along your ride. The hills and valleys do look very peaceful and relaxing in your photos, but I’ll bet that at times, the wind comes roaring through the valleys at quite a clip.
That particular little valley is mostly protected from the wind which is what makes it so peaceful.
The wall stone with moss on it obviously has something that all the other stones don’t have, and I wonder if it is lime.
That yellow lichen is a beautiful thing. I wish we had more like it.
Seeing a snow less landscape isn’t possible here right now so I was happy to see yours.
I’m glad you are feeling better. I hope Mrs. T will follow.
It was most unusual to see the yellow lichen on top of a wall like that.
That mossy stone is very localised!
True.
Very sorry Mrs T is still laid low, do hope she will soon feel better.
You will be an expert on lichens soon, if not already.
Lovely photos of the lichen and trees . I especially like the trees reflected in the water and the cushioned stone. Get well soon message to Mrs T.
The cushioned stone was a real eye catcher.
Excellent fungi as usual. Lovely trees and scenes.
Winter is the time for peering closely at small things.
What a blow catching the flu’ after having the injection! The yellow lichen is a very striking colour.
My flute pupil tells me that there are 30 pupils CURRENTLY off school not to mention the entire office staff so we are not alone.
Misery!
Nice to see a slow and steady improvement as I catch up day by day.
So much beautiful color in the lichens and mosses! Everything on my side of the pond is frozen and gray. I hope Mrs. T’s condition improves soon. There is nothing better this time of year than soup and bread. Period.
The mosses and lichens have really enjoyed our weather. Plenty of rain!