Amelia's photos

I'll be offline for a week or so, but will get back to you all when I have more time. Meanwhile enjoy the week ahead everyone.

Mud-puddling, or simply puddling, is a behaviour most conspicuous in butterflies, but occurs in other animals as well, mainly insects; they seek out nutrients in certain moist substances such as rotting plant matter, mud and carrion and they suck up the fluid. I think these are both the common blue butterfly or European common blue (Polyommatus icarus). We'll be away for a few days. Enjoy the forthcoming week.

Ma’amalade sandwich Your Majesty? At such a sad time there is still humour, supplied by this great lady. As a child I followed her progress, loving the books which told of her childhood. I clearly remember George VI being ill and having one lung removed, and blocked off one nostril to see how this might have felt. I admired her fortitude when she had to take on the mantel of Queen at a very young age. She has been an inspiration to so many over her long years as the monarch of the UK.

Attingham’s Deer Park was created in 1798 as part of Thomas, 2nd Lord Berwick’s grand improvements to the Mansion and grounds. Today, around 200 fallow deer, descended from the original deer herd live in the park. There was a group of stags, of which this is one, away from the main areas towards a shadier area where there was more grass. He was well camouflaged against the tree trunks.

This slightly wet poppy was a promise of rain to come. It didn't amount to anything and hardly wet the ground

Sitting in the shadow of the dam at the southern end of Llyn Clywedog Reservoir, Bryntail’s buildings illuminate a time when this tranquil spot was a bustling site of industry. During the 19th century this was a noisy, smoky place as lead was extracted and processed, before being transported to nearby Llanidloes and shipped down the River Severn. Bryntail closed in 1884 as the local mining boom came to an end. The remains that still stand include crushing houses, ore bins, roasting ovens, smithy and the mine manager's office. The mine produced lead ore and barytes. The barytes mill includes massive Yorkshire stone slab tanks. I assume that this photo is part of a tank made of Yorkshire stone. Visible workings are largely of nineteenth century date and include three main shafts and a deep adit, well-preserved remains of an earthwork incline, tramway track beds, a leat which once carried water drawn from the Clywedog further upstream, substantial remains of buildings including structures which housed pumping and winding machinery. Other surviving features include the mine office, smithy and store building, a circular explosives magazine, together with wheelpits for winding and crushing machinery, ore bins, roasting ovens and precipitation tanks, jigger placements, a washing and picking floor area, buddles, slime pits. A wheelpit close to the river is 60 feet (18.23 metres) deep.

All of the Anemones in our garden suffered from drought and extreme heat. Petals withered before the flowers were fully opened. The most dramatic effects were seen of the white flowers of Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert'. Now we have had some rain and it's considerably cooler, so Honorine is back to her normal beautiful self.