Double

To most people these are weeds, but I like them!

English plantain

Treasure

The first really sharp frost of winter this morning reminded me that there are a few months of cold wet weather to come.  One the the greatest treasures for me after the bleak Winter days is to see the first snowdrops of the year.  They are such an affirmation of life and are often overlooked.  So for this photo, I gave them pride of place.

 

Harbingers of warmth and Spring

Landscape

This is a view of the rolling hills of Exmoor, on a walk that is just behind my house

View from the hills behind my house

Colour Pop

I am going a little bit “flora and fauna”  for this challenge!  😀  I think that this Six Spot Burnet on the Sea Holly really makes a statement!

Insect shows off in Wales!

 

I really hope I have identified both of these correctly 😀

The Natural World

Well, I am totally spoilt for choice with this challenge!  Living on Exmoor , I am surrounding by glorious Nature every day.  Constantly changing with the seasons, constantly amazing me with new sights and sounds.

Local honey bee enjoying a sunflower

Hardy Exmoor sheep in the first snows

The view from my window

Pine cones in early Autumn

local woods in early Autumn

Rain dripping off an Autumn leaf

Wild Exmoor pony foal

Solitude

I walk a lot, enjoying the solitude of the moors in all seasons.  Normally, the nearest I come to “civilisation” is a keepers hut or a weather eroded wall.  This day I took a slightly different route and came across this bench under the trees.  No discernible path led to or from it, but I enjoyed a welcome break, surveying the moors.  I would love to know who put it there, but I suspect that, whoever did was also perfectly happy in their solitude

A welcome resting place

Bliss: A message to Flynn

Living on Exmoor, I have been lucky enough to share some time with my  Springer Spaniel , Flynn.  The times we spent walking on the moors were bliss.

Happiness in the form of a spaniel

A message to Flynn:

What a glorious dog you were, my boy Flynn.  Happy to see me arrive home, ecstatic when we leapt into the car for the short drive up to the moors.  Head through the window, wind blowing your ears back, desperate to get out.

As soon as the door was open, out you shot, chasing imaginary foes, scenting the ground.  Occasionally you managed to scare up a pheasant, or a deer but rabbits..oh yes, you did love rabbits.  Head buried as far as it would go in their burrows, snout covered with soil, but you never caught one.  Thank heavens, I am pretty sure neither of us would have known what to do with it.

Then down to the brook, the muddier the better, bringing me the largest stones you could find.  Not waiting for them to be thrown, but back in the water to find bigger and better ones, I don’t know why you did it, but we both enjoyed it.  Covered in mud, well, always you and occasionally me , we climbed back up to the car and headed home, tired, muddy and in your case pretty smelly..but  happy.

I miss those times Flynn,  I still walk there of course, I still enjoy the moors, the sounds and sights make me happy.  But oh, I miss those times.

Home : Photo101

This is my first photo for the BloggingU , Photo101 challenge, the theme is “Home”

This is the lane I drive up every day to the village I live in, the colours and the feel of it changes almost everyday and I love taking photos of it