Today’s guest picture comes from my sister Susan. She was very impressed by this cheerful stall which she encountered on an outing. She didn’t tell me whether she had sampled its wares.
We were greeted by a sunny morning with cloudless blue skies here today, and a crisp coolness to go with it. Once again, it had stayed above freezing though, so there was little to complain about.
Thanks to my niggling back, I was in no rush to get up and sample the early morning chill, and the temperature had crept up into double figures (10°C, 50F) by time that I had had a quick cup of coffee with Mrs Tootlepedal and Margaret in the garden. I left them to their conversation and set out to see what Dr Velo could do for my back.
I chose to cycle round the new windfarm route as this would mean setting off with the wind helping me on my way. I stopped to look back as I went up the hill at Callister….
…and it was evident that our world has changed from mainly green to largely brown.
More work has been done on the turbines, but the latest addition to the plantation has only got two blades on it at the moment.
I crossed the little bridge at Linnbridgeford…
…and pedalled on until I got on to the Solwaybank road.
The lady I met a few days ago who assured me that they were only going to erect nine turbines had clearly got wrong information. I could count ten and two thirds already up (as can you, if you look at today’s header picture) as I cycled past the site and there are two more half built towers waiting for completion.
There were glimpses of some autumn colour as I cycled on….
…and once again a grey squirrel crossed the road in front of me (once again too quickly for me to take a picture).
Looking down to my right, I could see why the wind farm has been built where it has, as there is nothing to get in the way of a helpful breeze between it and the northern English hills, 25 miles away.
Mind you, the chilly wind was coming from the north today and a buzzard, taking off as I approached, hovered into the wind for long enough for me to get my camera out.
Our oldest local windfarm in the background showed me that I would have a spell of cycling straight into the wind coming up soon.
Just before I turned into the wind, I passed a new road being driven into a plantation. They have used material from a nearby quarry to make the road and I suppose that these spindly trees, left exposed after the last bout of felling, will be next in line for the chop.
There are plenty more trees left to fell, as I could see when I looked over towards Cleuchfoot.
Luckily, the wind wasn’t too strong as I came over the hill and I was soon cycling home in the shelter of the Wauchope valley, passing this increasingly dilapidated cottage on my way.
I took nearly two hours, including photographic stops, to cycle the twenty mile loop, and the gentle exercise seemed to have loosened my back up a little, though the many bumps in the road on the way hadn’t done much to reduce the pain.
Having taken twelve flower pictures yesterday, I looked round the garden when I got back to see if I could find twelve other flowers to take today.
I was spoiled for choice….
…and was able to throw in two potentillas….
…and an Icelandic poppy as a free gift.
I took a closer look at the poppy. It had a good selection of varied visitors.
I was back in time for a bowl of soup and some bread and cheese for my lunch and then I settled down to watch today’s stage of the Giro with Mrs Tootlepedal. The weather in Italy was appalling. The racing was excellent.
From time to time, I looked out of the window.
A lone siskin was at a loss with no one to shout at and soon left.
A blue tit arrived…
…and goldfinches approached and landed with care…
…while two sparrows waited for their turn at the table.
When the stage ended, it was time for a shower and a shave and the weekly virtual choir practice with my Carlisle Community Choir. There was no mention of our virtual performance so I fear that it might never see the light of day. This might not be an entirely bad thing.
After the choir, we went off to combine some recycling with shopping and this neatly filled up the time until our evening meal. I impressed myself by using the Co-op phone app to take up an in store offer.
As well as stretching my legs on my bicycle, I have also been working on some stretching exercises while lying down. The combination is showing some promising improvement. It is too early to say yet, but I may have hit upon the road back to leaping about freely. Tomorrow will tell.
The flying bird of the day is a sparrow.
Tootlepedal's Blog 
A beautiful selection of colorful flowers. That poppy was quite busy with pollinators. The birds look rather peaceful today.
The trees to be harvested have long straight trunks, just the way the loggers and mills like them. Dense growth will do that.
Old vacant cottages are both interesting and sad. It is in a beautiful place. If walls could talk.
The trees are grown amazingly close, I agree.
I like the wind farm panorama. I saw some spinning quite fast yesterday but I couldn’t get close enough for a shot like that.
That’s a nice crop of flowers for October. I’d have to search for quite a while to come up with that many.
Those are nice shots of the insects on the poppy.
I hope the back continues to improve.
Windfarms are tricky to shoot as they are quite big if you get close and hard to get them all in.,
The cottage near Linnbridgeford is in an idyllic setting.
I find the stretching exercises I do on the floor to be quite beneficial for my back – hope that approach also works for you.
I have been doing floor stretching exercises for some months with good results so getting renewed pain is a bit of a blow.
Spoiled for choice is right! Good luck with that back.
Thank you.
What an interesting variety of insects on that poppy – they are akin to a variety of wild animals drinking from a waterhole.
A nice image.
Glad the stretching exercises may have helped your back. Enjoyed the view showed in your header picture and congratulations on capturing that buzzard.
You have done so well keeping those poppies going
They really repay dead heading so I try to keep at it.
Snap, I use the Co op app to get a discount on this and that as well. Great pictures and yet another buzzard hung around to show their best side, or are you just very fast on the draw? Cheers, from a very, very wet south Wales.
No, the buzzard was hanging about in a helpful way. We got the rain today.
Still an amazing amount of colour in your garden.
Your picture of Linnbridgeford is an absolute delight.
I wonder whether the inventors of aeolians thought they might have a use as weathervanes?
You have lost me there. I don’t know what an aeolian is. I thought that they were a race of people.
Posh/French name for wind turbine. Also a musical mode. (I couldn’t think of the word for turbine and knew windmill was wrong!)
Ah.
The photo of the bridge at Linnbridgeford is a delight…very picturesque. That poppy must be extra special to attract all those flying visitors…wish I could id them all! Learning and remembering new facts is always recommended…I do try…but to no avail! Good to read that your back problems may be getting better…fingers crossed.
I just settle for hoverflies if stripy and with one set of wings.
That is a wonderful photo of the poppy with so many insects.