Friday 30 October 2015

Mairi's Wedding - JR Bannerman

It's starting to get a little tiresome as it was rain that upset the visit of Frederick and Alexander, it was rain that confined me to barracks for most of yesterday, and guess what - it's pisscipitating down as we speak! However, always looking on the bright-side of life, with the rain and total cloud cover also came reasonably high temperatures, mostly in lower double figures, which usually = Moths.
Having caught an Oak Rustics on 2 successive days it was initially thought
something of a miracle to secure the hat-trick, but beware! Having already been 
cautioned on the pitfalls I was all to quick to shout what was thought to 
have been found as on closer inspection, some time later, the presumed OR
was seen to be a rather tardy
COMMON RUSTIC with OAK RUSTIC
for comparison.
But there were more.
PALE MOTTLED WILLOW
PINION-STREAKED SNOUT
which, not for the first time, fooled me into thinking it was a Micro.
A very pale and lightly marked
NOVEMBER MOTH (type)
We say 'type' as this small group can only be positively identified
by examination of genitalia, and we ain't going there!
COMMON WAINSCOT with LARGE WAINSCOT
for comparison.
COMMON CARDER BEE 
 also still on the wing
 TAPERED DROANFLY
Eristalis pertinax 
RED-LEGGED SHIELDBUG
before heading north in the gloom.
 In the half-light of early morning a rather pale
 COMMON BUZZARD
while the rest of the morning was spent on 
Merritown Heath
 where everything is now
 Beautifully Autumnal
First to be located, this
 COMMON TOAD
 and then the smallest
 SMOOTH SNAKE
 we have yet encountered. Not hidden away under the sheets of metal or
roofing felt but thought to be enjoying the heat retained by the metal,
just sitting on top, in the position shown.
 Make the most of it as it won't be long now before all these 
Reptiles and Amphibians go into hibernation.
Next up was a combination that sent me travelling back in time to my
Early Schooldays.
Yes, I can hear what you are saying "he's got a bl***y good memory"
 BOG MYRTLE
BRACKEN
MAIRI'S WEDDING
Step we gaily, (strictly in the Anglo Saxon sense you understand) on we go,
Heel for heel and toe for toe.
Arm in arm and row on row,
All for Mairi's Wedding.
Over hillways, up and down, Myrtle Green and Bracken Brown.
Past the shielings, through the town,
All for sake o' Mairi.
John Roderick Bannerman (1865-1938)
I was once considered half a decent Choir Boy during my formative
years in Nottinghamshire where at one of the annual competitions at the
Albert Hall (Notts) I performed this song as a solo.
Up at the intended Balancing Pond there has been something of a
conundrum.
First they excavate more gravel and then put the same gravel back,
before top dressing with clay like soil and then return to stack the
same back into heaps??
Whatever they are up to one thing is sure that the site isn't
"things will be back to normal this time next week"
as predicted by the Civil Engineer in charge 10 days ago.
However, the Factory/Maintenance Hanger (whatever) is certainly
growing apace.
REINDEER LICHEN
is now springing up
 all over the place,
and on the way back we took
 a quick peek into Phase III of the Solar Panel Project were large
wooden boards have been laid as a base for the Heavy Plant,
 while thus far only the clearance continues but my visit did coincide
with the arrival of the first lorry-load of steel. 
 FIELD MAPLE
looking as resplendent as they ever will and
ALDER BUCKTHORN
in autumn plumage.
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