Dead Otter

On our way down to Cornwall early on Sunday we spotted this poor dead Otter lying beside the A30 on Bodmin moor, such a sad sight as it had obviously been hit by a car. It has to be taken to Cardiff as they collect all dead Otters and if there are a lot killed in the same spot an underpass is made so they can get from one side of a busy road to the other.

Dartmoor Sunset

We took my collection of seventeen Three Hares prints over to hang in Parke yesterday as I have been kindly asked to have an exhibition of them there over Christmas which I hope will bring a bit more notice to the trail and Chagford. On the way home we drove over the moors towards Widecombe and stopped to watch this beautiful sunset before going to the Old Inn to warm up!

Stourhead

Sunday the 10th of November, a perfect day to visit Stourhead. The autumn colours were glorious against the deep blue sky reflected in the lake.

Wild Seas at Bantham

We took Monday off and headed for the coast, a good decision as it was a glorious day with really wild seas. We watched a seal having fun in the huge waves really close in to the shore and a surfer! There were lots of large hairy Fox moth caterpillars along the coast path and we had to moove several to safety to prevent them being trodden on! There were also lots of Red Admiral and Tortoiseshell butterflies making the most of the warm sunshine and a dry day, I am glad we did too!

Fallow Deer

I took this picture of a beautiful female Fallow deer near Castle Drogo, I love to see these deer but sadly the National Trust is culling a lot of them so I don't see them so often now. I know there are too many deer in some places but here there are miles of woods for them to roam in and I think it is sad they are being killed. The places I used to see them rut on and gather are growing over and will soon need "managing" to keep the vegitation down! And actually it is all about money as they are selling the meat in Castle Drogo. I think they would make more money if they encouraged people to come and watch the deer instead.

Meeth Quarry Nature Reserve

On Sunday we went to explore the recently opened Meeth Quarry nature reserve, the Devon Wildlife Trusts newest reserve and full of promise of wonderful wildflowers and butterflies which I am looking forward to seeing next spring. I love this Dragonfly bench, very clever!

The Royal Pavilion Brighton

Last Sunday we explored the amazing Royal Pavilion in Brighton, a place I had often seen but never been in.
The interior is incredible especially the huge chandelier being held by a silver dragon. Having just seen the dragons painted by Roger Dean the night before I could not help wondering if he had perhaps been influenced by seeing the ones in the pavilion when he was young! It was such a beautiful hot day I really wished I had my swimming things with me & I would have been able to have a long swim after seeing all those fiery dragons!