Run-Away Summer

So summer begun and now is almost over in what seems like only the blink of an eye! 

The kids have spent most of the summer pootling about, playing with friends and enjoying the sunshine. I have been very busy working on a plan for next years Youth Church, (which has consumed a LOT of time & still needs a bit more). I am also picking up the Teen Girls Group and need to have some thinking time about that. I also STILL have some of last years marking to do (the big boys' work) and I need to do a little planning for this year's Home Ed - not that much will change tbh, although I will be missing one child of course :( . No need to fix what ain't broken :D

One week of the holiday was consumed by almost all of us being involved in running (or attending) our church's Pyramid Rock holiday club. It was well attended and lots of fun (for everyone), but as always with these things, thoroughly exhausting!

DD has started back at Gym and been moved up to the 'County' group ~ which means more hours and more competitions. We've decided to ease him in gently, otherwise it'll be twice the hours all in one go! Looking forward to seeing him reach his potential ~ he definitely has some!

Last weekend Paul & I were up in Preston for a friend's wedding and decided to stay overnight. Fortunately my Mum is here atm, so she was volunteered to stop over with the brood, although Bugs and Minnie agreed to do the cooking. Paul booked a rather special room and we celebrated almost 18 years of marriage with a night off! 

The next day we went for a lovely long walk together in the Ribble Valley, before heading home to the tribe! 

Bank Holiday Monday, we took the children over to Tatton Park for the day. It was more fun for the younger ones (it's hard to find things that appeal to everyone these days), but at least they all got to have another go at some archery ~ which is fast becoming a family favourite activity ~ and we did build a rather excellent den together. 

Of course, on the return to the car it refused to start! Apparently the start motor had given up the ghost, so the ranger gave us a tug to get us going and we got home OK. It's fixed now, and thankfully was paid for under warranty :D

Bugs enrolled at college yesterday, and is now the proud owner of a student card! He catches the bus for his first official day next Wednesday!  It seems they have him down to do English GCSE (sitting in June '14)  & a Numeracy proficiency class (testing Jan '14), as well as his BTEC. No big deal and at least he'll have some bits of paper to his name! I'm wondering about asking them if he can sit both in January though, rather than have to study for a whole year for something that he has effectively already achieved ("working very well at level 2 (GCSE level)" was their own assessment of his English).

I know that summer is almost done, when the swallows have fledged and gone (last week), the Buddleia is heaving with butterflies & bees on a last ditch feast, and the blackberries are ripe for picking. A couple more weeks and I'll be harvesting the Damsons and not long after the Elderberries, signalling to us all that Autumn is here... I'm never quite ready for summer to end, but I love that I have learnt, by living here, to read the seasons by nature's flora and wildlife. ;D

There's a gazillion more pictures on Flickr if anyone is interested ...

Comma Butterfly ~ 2

Thankfully another chose to grace my path the other day ~ and posed for me :D !

Butterflies ~ 7

I saw another butterfly today. It's the first time I've seen one of these this year actually, and I suspect will be almost the last! The sun was shining, and I think it encouraged this one out to feed perhaps for the last time this year :D! It's sitting on my dying pumpkin leaves (more of that in the next post...) and only gave me time for one quick shot. I waited for a while in hope it would return, so I could get a better one, but it chose not to :(

Comma Polygonia c-album(Linnaeus, 1758) Family: Nymphalidae UK Status: Resident  50-64mm printer friendly version

Description Eggs are laid singly on the uppermost leaves and the caterpillars usually hatch after about 15 days. The favored foodplant in the past was Hops but a decline in village breweries has caused a move towards nettle (usually growing in shaded positions) as the favored foodplant although Elm is often used as well. The larvae of the Comma are particularly attractive at close quarters although from a distance resemble a bird dropping. Pupation almost always takes place on the foodplant. Butterflies of the summer brood appearing around May/June are deep orange and are known as form hutchinsoni. Later broods and those overwintering as Adults are more usually deeper brown above while their underwing is either a beautiful mix of blues greys and browns or the more usual orange/brown. Habitat The Comma is presently a relatively common butterfly but up until the 1940's the Comma was only regularly seen on the Welsh borders. Larval Food Plants The larvae feed on Common Nettle (Urtica dioica) Hops () and English Elm ().

Taken from:http://www.britishbutterflies.co.uk/asp/species.asp?vernacular=Comma#ixzz11cHqD4lA


All in all I am very pleased this year to have been able to photograph the majority of Britain's top 10 butterflies. I have seen more, but not always had my camera to hand at the right moment. I'd have liked to have seen a Red Admiral, but haven't. I know I've seen a 'Painted Lady' but not settling long enough for me to grab my camera and shoot :D