Sky Watching



 Hi.. Happy Sunday, hope your weekend going well and if you're out and about that the weather is being kind for you.

For a couple of weeks now we've had some wonderful skies here on the UK East Coast and (unusually?) it's been quite warm for October. I've been trying to snap some photos of sunrises in particular, albeit a lot of the time through a window for a better angle, but better than nothing.

 

 

I knew the bright star this time of the year in the morning is Venus but wasn't certain what the other bright star showing near it and the moon was. After a little searching, it would seem that there were a few days last week with Venus, Jupiter and Mars in alignment. I think Mars has a reddish look and not sure if visible with naked eye, so I have a feeling the other spot of light which doesn't really show as the sky was getting brighter anyway, was more likely to be Jupiter.

 

Then the week before that was the Lunar eclipse/Blood moon.
On the night/morning of the eclipse I kept looking for hours waiting to see something happen. The moon looked more red in the early evening than midnight so I was pleased I got one reasonable photo.
I gave up looking about 1.30am as I couldn't see any sign of an eclipse and the moon was just very bright so I went to bed. However I woke up about 4.30am (a bit reluctantly got up) and went and had a look. Lights outside etc. and me leaning over table in my craft room full of pastels made taking a photo awkward, but I got something at least. (see photos top left showing both photos together)
I'd missed the main event and the shadow was half way but again it was better than missing the whole thing - and I managed in the dark not to even get any pastel dust on me - a good result!

My digital diary pages made using some digital kits by Algera Designs

Thanks so much for stopping by

Gill x

Holding on to Summer and Lunar Eclipse/Blood moon

  

I can't believe it is almost October already. The evenings have suddenly become noticeably darker much earlier and the hedgehogs are coming around earlier too.
All of a sudden this year seems to be flying by and though I hate to mention the 'C' word - I am thinking of Christmas already.
I have a few cards made and have even ordered some presents last week to try and get ahead of the delivery chaos that is sure to happen.
But you don't want to think of that yet do you - we want to try and hold on to our Summer days as long as possible before having to turn our heating on.

Here on the Essex coast we seem to get a fair amount of sunshine when others seem to have bad weather - so I'm told :) and I'm hoping it will be a warm and clear night tonight so as I can go out in the garden and hopefully see the Lunar eclipse/Blood moon as its suppose to be quite spectacular.
From what I can find, in the UK it should kick off properly about 1.am-ish with the eclipse lasting till approx. 2.20am-ish....  I just hope I haven't doomed things now with cloud and rain.

What ever you're doing this weekend have fun

and thanks for stopping by

 Gill x

A Blackbird called 'Ruffles'

  

 

For a while there has been at least four male Blackbirds in my garden, maybe five and two or three females.

It's hard to sometimes tell one male from another, but after a while you see different things and sometimes they have little quirks which help to identify them too.

 

I like to give my birds a name, it helps when keeping notes about them and I swear that over the years some have responded when I call their name.

The Blackbird above is called 'Ruffles' as named by my friend Mary over at Daisytrail. Its a great name considering how ruffled his feathers are from lots of nest activity.

Several weeks ago he had a bad leg but that seems to be OK now.

'Ruffles' has a little mark on his face by his beak on his right side, which I hope stays after he moults.

He is not as confident as two of the other males but like them he  will come looking for food and look in the window/door until I go out to feed him.

 

Made using one of the fabulous kits from Digifiddle Designs called 'Summer Secrets'.

 

thanks for stopping by x

 



The Busy Robin

 

 

 

 

 

It was easy to get a photo as this is the Robin that will often come up on to my pot of fat pellets while I am holding it.

When I spotted him waiting outside the back door I knew what he wanted but the pot was empty. I had to run off and quickly get some and tell him to wait - which he did - must be the way I whistled at him or maybe I've learnt to speak Robin at last :)

So he was very obliging and posed nicely for me just before my camera battery ran out and then flew off very happy with a mouthful of moth and fat.

 

The digi kit used to make this scrap page was 'One fine day' by G&T Designs. 

 

 

thanks for looking x

Garden Diary 23rd to 30th May 2015

 So these are a few things that caught my attention this week....

 

The Weigela always puts on a spectacular show.

 

 

Just love the way the light shows through the starlings wings

 

 

Pretending not to notice each other for now,

 but any minute now they will be

pushing and shoving like Sumo-wrestlers - they are so funny!

 



'Nick' the yellow-necked mouse

He's just got to be called 'Nick' with that lump
 missing out of one of his ears.
And boy can he move fast - it was dusk, photo taken through 2 panes of glass and a 'Yellow-necked mouse' that is there one minute and the next a streak of blur!


thanks for stopping by ...I'll be back regularly now x