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

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