Friday, July 02, 2021

Into July

 It's July already and days are racing by

The garden is needing more water although we did have a very wet Monday, Tuesday was back to warm and sunny weather which was great for butterflies.  I'm pleased to say that when we walked over the fields the air was full of them, joyfully flittering and spiralling in twos and threes over the tall grasses.  We must have seen at least thirty of them as we walked, I lost count so it may have been more. They were mostly small brownish ones,  perhaps Speckled Woods and Gatekeepers plus the occasional small tortoiseshell and a Cinnabar moth or two.  You just can't miss the bright red as they flutter by.  There were also lots of little silvery moths that disappeared when they landed on a blade of grass and jumping grasshoppers. Paul always says 'just listen to the grasshoppers' but of course, I can't hear them,  all I can hear is the hissing in my ears from the Tinnitus. 
 
 
There are no photos as I didn't have a camera (the photo above was taken with my old camera before it packed up on me.) I doub't I'd have got many images anyway as they all moved around so quickly hardly settling at all. It was just such a joy to see them.
 

Since then I've had a new camera.  it's a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ80.  It was a reduced end of stock one.  I'm learning how to use it. It's quite complicated. I will get there. The photo above was taken with it - and the ones below.

Of course we had to visit somewhere interesting so I could play with the camera.  A sunny morning, a garden walk and coffee and cake.  What could be better? 
 


18 comments:

  1. How exciting yo have a new camera to play with, you can go to all your favourite places to get some great shots. I'm glad you've had some good weather, it's been so cold and rainy here apart from today, it's good to see all your butterflies are out and about again and who can resist a piece of cake. 😊

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    1. It has been dry weather through most of the week but it started raining about 9.30p.m. last night and hasn't stopped yet. The garden, I hope, is benefitting from the much needed rain. We shared a flapjack and a chocolate brownie, half of each, both were lovely:)

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  2. I can't believe we are into July already. 6 months gone of 2021. A new camera & a new adventure with it? The photos look good so far & although I listen to frogs & birds etc., never thought about our grasshoppers & butterflies. Thanks for sharing, take care & hugs.

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    1. I was pleased to get the camera I had spotted on line and thought would be okay for me. Apparently the grasshoppers make a noise, I can't hear it but I can hear buzzing bees - must be the frequency. Same way I can hear some voices and not others. Even worse through masks. Take care:)

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  3. Enjoy your new camera! It's nice that there are a few more butterflies out now, they've been a bit scarce in these parts. But am explosion of meadow browns and ringlets appeared recently. :)

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    1. Thank you. Perhaps those were what the butterflies we saw were, they didin't stop for a second so it was impossible to identify then. Glad they are out and about at last:)

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  4. Very changeable weather we're having at the moment and you just have to go out and make the most of the few fine days we get. I look forward to seeing how the new camera performs; smart move to buy a reduced-price end-of-line model as the improvements they make on new models are so incremental these days with no huge breakthroughs from any of the leading manufacturers.

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    1. I hope I can work out how to use the camera for what I want from it, it's a bit 'whizzy' and technical for me. Weather here changed last night and it has rained ever since. The garden needs it:)

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  5. You must be pleased to have a new camera and reasonable weather so that you can get out and about. I haven't seen many butterflies in the garden so I shall go back to places where I think there'll be more of them to see. Enjoy your new camera and have a lovely weekend.

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    1. It was lovely to have a day out with my new camera in hand. We too have had very few butterflies in the garden so it was good to see them out over the fields. Have a lovely weekend:)

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  6. What a lovely tortoishell. Well done on a new camera. Lots of reasons now to get out and about to have fun. B x

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    1. The tortoiseshells love the Valerian, I find more there than anywhere else in the garden, sedums seem to be the second popular flower for them now we have lost the Buddleia. I've a lot to learn about the new camera:)

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  7. So pleased you have a new camera and have been out to try it. Photos look good :) I noticed far more butterflies when we were out yesterday but perhaps it was just the place we went to that suited them. It is difficult at the moment to plan when to go out with showers forecast all the time but I hope you have a lovely weekend.

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    1. Thank you RR. It does seem that there are more butterflies around the meadows than in gardens at the moment, perhaps we will see some of the larger ones later. I haven't seen a Comma this year at all and only one Peacock. We had rain all of today and now thunder rumbling away. Have a lovely weekend:)

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  8. Lovely photos Rosie. Cute little bird strutting across the water lilies! :)

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    1. Thank you Simone, the little bird is a Moorhen chick, there were one or two on the lake:)

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