First Day of Spring and Love is in the air

Yesterday was pretty spectacular here in North East England. Just prior to totality, the eclipse sky was completely clouded.But a small window of thinner cloud allowed me to get the best view possible.

Couldn't have been better When the sun re-emerged it seemed spring-like and we decided to go to Cragside. Nelly's Moss Lakes is our favourite walk. It's on the flat ;) A gentleman who'd never been there before came up for a chat and told us to look out for the frogs in the weeds along the margins of the lakes. We didn't have to go far to see them. The water was full of bubbles from their chasing about and frog spawn too and the air was filled with what I can only describe as frogs' purring -- chirruping little sounds, calls and answers from all over the pond. And then we saw them. poking their pretty little heads out of the water and generally having a spring orgy!

And they were not the only ones! 

At this point we began to notice toads on the path.

Only some of them had - eherm - too many legs ;)

and soon there were so many you really had to watch where you were stepping!

because they are so well camouflaged and when the detect someone coming they remain stalk still. It's not the best survival mechanism in the world when there are serious walkers and CARS are involved. 


3 toads/ five toads/ toads just getting in the mood/ toads that had just finished/ stoned toads! But it is Spring and this is the perfect habitat for frogs and toads and after all it's educational :) Get out there this weekend and see what you can see.

Oonahverse Eclipsed

Well, it was spectacular! The air went cold. A breeze blew up. The birdies stopped singing and the local mogg stopped mousing and left the garden. I didn't expect much and when I saw the cloud this morning I though that's that BUT it was the cloud that enabled me to see the eclipse -- glance at it -- take a few photos. I just snapped and snapped to see what I could get. And this is what I got.

I was PLEASED

A few years back I wrote an eclipse poem Celestial Sunflower and it's HERE along with a professional and tranfixing picture of a total eclipse at the South Pole. You'll see why I called it that when you see the photo!

This photo shows just how dark it got outside -- a mini nox in our Equinox!  

And I had the TV on of course watching the event with StarGazing Live which has been superb with the wonderful Buzz Aldrin being very entertaining and suggesting that Dara OBriain is way too emotional to ever be a test pilot :) Yip that Buzz is a COOL dude!

So that was it. A celestial event in my own back yard. Wonderful!

Not the Ides, the 8th, but nonetheless

The 8th March and therefore one year since the NHS once again saved my life! SUPPORT IT! If you don't there may be a time when you can't afford some vital operation without selling your house. Rich people ALWAYS exploit those less well off. They are on the take! Unless you don't need to earn a living you too are one of the 99%  

Don't fool yourself!

so thanks NHS and all the staff at the Wansbeck and my GP 

for giving me another spring

and this poem

Day at the Theatre

And this walk: Spring seems to have sprung. In fact mid-week we spent a day at Wallington House and Gardens and it was so warm sitting in our usual little arbour in the walled garden that we sat for longer than usual and then we wandered through the woodlands too -- double our accustomed walk. 

And here are some delightful photographs for you of the wonders of Wallington. 

snowdrops

and my Aspen which is so beautiful it doesn't mind posing nude:)