Tilting at windmills

Today’s guest picture comes from my Manitoba friend Mary Jo. She added some interesting detail when she sent me the picture.

“We visited some friends at their cabin at Lake Metigoshe this weekend. The lake spans the Canadian/US border, and if you peer through the smoke you can see the cutline through the distant trees that marks the border. The border runs through the lake and I had more or less one foot in each country as I took the photo.”

We had a fine start to our day here, but we never know where we are with the weather just now and I had to take an umbrella with me as I walked up to the town to get in supplies of milk and honey. It was just as well that I did, because it absolutely poured with rain as I crossed the suspension bridge. But by the time I got home, it was a fine day again. The weather can best be described as unsettled.

I watched the birds in the sunshine after we had had coffee . . .

. . . and then went out to enjoy the garden

I shared my pleasure with a dunnock who was scurrying about on the ground.

I did some dead heading, sieved a batch of compost for Mrs Tootlepedal, and mowed the middle lawn. The battery powered hover mower does make life simple. When I went in for lunch, I checked on the birds and saw a young starling the feeder. It was quickly supplanted on the perch by an older bird.

After lunch, I put most of a week of the newspaper index into the Archive Group’s database and then went out into the garden to check on the weather.

In spite of some faint drizzle, it was dry enough to hang the washing out, and for me to go for a bicycle ride in the hope of some early evening sunshine as I came home. Mrs Tootlepedal was busy in the garden as I left.

I stopped to admire a harebell by the road not long after I had left the town.

I had prudently taken a rain jacket with me, and I had to put it on at the top of Callister when a passing shower threatened to spoil my day. It was just a little joke by the weather gods though, and I was soon able to take the rain jacket off, and pedal on into what became a better and better day.

I crossed the bridge at Paddockhole today, and cycled up to Corrie Common, a long pull up the side of a valley.

It is worth it though, as there are some generous views when you get to the top.

Looking south west

Looking north west

Looking north east

I stopped long enough to admire the views, eat something and look at the wild flowers at my feet.

Tufted vetch

Knapweed

Pineappleweed

When I turned to cycle home, I had the wind behind me. This was a relief after rather a slow journey on my way out. I was in a windy spot as could be seen from the number of windfarms that I passed. The biggest one is at Ewe Hill, and these are just some of the turbines there . . .

I used the panorama function on my little Lumix to take in all the turbines at Ewe Hill as well the newer ones at Crossdykes beside it.

As I cycled on back down the hill to Paddockhole, I could see the turbines at Minsca, the first windfarm to be built in this windy corner . . .

. . . and once over the bridge and heading home, I passed the newest turbines in the area, the Solwaybank windfarm.

It makes cycling into the wind a lot more tolerable when you know that wind is at least being put to good use. The wind farms put some money into the local towns and villages which is used to support non profit organisations and projects, and community things like village halls.

My out and back ride was pretty ‘lumpy’ for me as you can see from the elevation profile below . . .

. . . but it did end with six miles downhill and downwind so I got home feeling particularity cheerful.

After a second helping of mince and tatties for our evening meal, the evening was so delightful that I went back out into the garden to finish the day with a walk round . . .

Special Grandma trying to pack as many roses into the smallest possible space.

. . . and some useful tasks. I shredded a lot of the material that Mrs Tootlepedal had accumulated during the afternoon, sieved another batch of compost, and took down and cleaned up the bird feeder pole and tray, as they had become very smelly in the recent wet weather.

Then I went back in and watched the first programme in the new series of Only Connect, a brainy quiz programme that Mrs Tootlepedal and I like a lot, although we can’t answer many of the questions at all.

The forecast for tomorrow is exceptionally gloomy with a 90% chance of cold, wet weather all day from after breakfast, so I was pleased to have got the gardening and cycling in today.

The flying bird of the day is a small white butterfly. Not a good picture but a change from sparrows.