Pond and Insect Life

I will have to do a proper catch up post soon, but in the meantime, these two dragon flies were spotted near the pond yesterday. 

I believe this is the Yellow-Winged Darter

This largish dragonfly was busy depositing eggs.

I am not positive about this one, but I think it is the Gold-ringed Dragonfly.

A grasshopper, not sure what particular one it is.

A Good Monday

A little cooler on the Island today, at least in the morning it was.  I managed to get the plums picked and some jam made, did some gardening, studying and painting.  I enjoyed a lovely walk in the later afternoon and was delighted to spot some dolphins out in the bay - about four or five, it was difficult to tell, and unfortunately a bit far out for  my little pocket camera.

In the garden today:

Beautiful roses.

All a bit too high for me to prune  and dead head roses unfortunately.

Fabulous dragonfly

It was very high up so I had to zoom in to capture it on film.

Someone's cat visited the garden.

In the kitchen:

Picked plums.

Cutting the plums open - quite a lot had yukky creepy crawlies in them, so they ended up in the compost, that was partly why I prepared the plums outside.

A 'double plum'.  

I'm not sure what type of plums they are - either Cambridge Gage or Pershore apparently.

Chop them up. (1307 g of plums)

Add 120 mls of water with 1 tbsp of lemon juice.

Boil and then simmer until plums are soft, add sugar - I added about 1200 g of sugar,  boil until reach setting point.  Pour into sterilised jars.

On my walk...

A bit a sea mist/haze this afternoon, I took this from the seat I sit on most times I come down to the bay.

The fields are so very dry.

A couple of crows.  There was quite  a few of them at one point and there was a kestrel (?) trying to dive bomb them - normally it is the other way round, but it must have been after something.  In the end it did fly away.

The highlight of my walk, as mentioned at the beginning of the blog, was seeing the dolphins.

Art today:  

I'm finding it a bit frustrating that I don't have any of my easel boards anymore, (no thanks to the removal company who lost them!), as I have nothing to prepare and tape the watercolour paper to.  I tried out some of the other papers I have... one was really for acrylic paints, and it definitely wasn't as good for doing water colours on.

This is just a mess!  Free style, is definitely not my style! Ha ha.

I tried an elephant.  Room for improvement, but pleased with my first attempt, using only one colour.

Soothing Sunday

At last a lovely no noise, no smoke day!  A quiet soothing Sunday, just the way it should be.  I didn't do any gardening today except for watering the garden in the evening.  It was too hot in the morning, and I was a little sore and tired, so decided just to have an easy day.  I did some reading, a little crochet, a little sewing and just general pottering around.  The guinea pigs got cleaned out.  Baily & Felix, Jeremy and Murphy came down to the outside hutch for the day.  It was nice watching them eating, and sleeping in their cage, while I was sitting and reading.

The sky was a glorious blue.

I spent some time by the pond.

I managed to get several photographs of a Broad-Bodied Male Chaser

Just love these lilies.

Ships going past.

Dennis enjoyed being on the grass.

The wild flower mat that I got for my birthday in March has some very big plants grown from it!

Courgettes!  I am so looking forward to these.

After I had watered the garden I went for a short walk along the coastal path to the bay and home.

Well that was May - can't believe it is June tomorrow!