Jew's Ear

                                              










Whilst out walking in Pleasington wood my partner Phil spotted these ear shaped gelatinous brackets. I'd been on the lookout recently for these apparently edible fungi but had failed to spot them myself. Phil told me the reason for passing them by was that I lacked the 'spider sense' something he had in abundance and enabled him to be in tune with nature;-). According to Richard Mabey's Food For Free guide to edible plants, (a highly useful pocket sized book given to me by my brother Mick), these make a really tasty Chinese- style soup. Watch this space I may give it a go, and then on second thoughts.....

Squirrel

I'm sure I left a stash of nuts here. Where are they? I could do with some spectacles. Hang on, have I got some spectacles? Hmmm. If I do I wonder where I put them.

Can't find the nuts. Cant find them! Can't Find them!!! Can't find them!!!!!Okay. Calm down. Let's just think. What would mum say? "They're where you left them."

No. It's no good. Who's that lurking about over there. "Hello there. I'd just like to say. If you see any nuts around here. MINE!!!!"

A Spiders Work Is Never Done

Even on cold, damp and misty mornings webs need sprucing up to help secure a tasty breakfast. When I first spotted this little white spider he was sneakily lurking on the other side of the leaf, then hid on the other side when he realised he'd been spotted.

                                                                                

Cayenne Chillies

Being short of space, I don't have room for a greenhouse, so I tend to have lots of little pots on the windowsill. It drives Phil crazy especially come spring time as I love to grow stuff from seed. Anybody who knows me will tell you that I'm  messy and unorganised, so you can imagine the carnage:-) This little Cayenne chilli pepper was grown from seed last year and is still flowering a treat. The flowers are so pretty and it's given a decent crop of chillies so far. I'm going to repot it with some fresh compost to see if I can keep it going for another year. Not having space means I have to be very selective about what I grow. This year I think I'll go for lots of different varieties of Sunflowers, Chillies, Foxgloves, Spuds, Lettuce,  and a good selection of herbs. In all honesty I tend to stick to plants that benefit wildlife and are useful when cooking.

Sledging On The Wintery Hills Above Burnley

This photo was sent today from an I Phone by a colleague of Phil's, a guy called Scott Carter. He just captured the moment, technology is a wonderful thing

Ragged Robin?

This picture was taken back in October/Novemberish, I couldn't put a name to it until now. At first I thought  it was a Red Campion but on reflection thought the petals on this flower were too ragged.  After surfing a couple of woodland flower sites I stumbled on a flower called the Ragged Robin which is 'apt' and fits the bill better. It's not as unusual as Eileen's Pink Lady Slipper but is lovely all the same.

Elusive Pimpernels Of The Bird World

Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)

These cute little long-tailed tits don't hang around for long, not like our resident Robin's which literally pose so you can get a whole album of shots.