30 Days Wild: 3

Day 3

Day 3 of 30 Days Wild and my first proper post for the event.

Having risen unusually (for me) early and done my duty (yes, my desk is clear!) long before needing to prepare lunch, I treated myself to half an hour outside. It had been raining so I wandered down the track and along the verge. I was seeking some nice droplet shots but it turned out to be too breezy for sharp handheld photographs.

A walk on the wet side

It remains very squishy underfoot, with a few puddles about the place. The wind and rain had combined to demolish the dandelion clocks, which were all looking the worse for wear and not at all photogenic. Another day, perhaps. I took a few photographs:

1. A dried stalk from last year’s fine crop of dockans – standing out against a background of rain falling in the distance. I liked its structural qualities
2. Some of the aforesaid raindrops, these on the leaves of the reeds that line our garden track
3. A little lichen growing on an old fence post
4. A cloudscape over the bay, looking out to Stronsay
5. Another cloudscape, this one over Elsness

The Skylarks were up in the air, singing their little hearts out, and the Snipe was diving and drumming. I began to consider attempting some recordings during this wild month. I shall have to see what technology we have that will enable me to do that. In the verge by the sea I noted a lone Campion plant, new this year. It suggested to me that one day this month at least I might conduct an audit of the wild plants that grow about my house.

Today’s Photographs