Monday, 2 May 2016
I think this is some kind of Taxus spp., most commonly called yews (in English). In any case, I find the contrast between the deep green of the old needles versus the fresh yellow-green of the new growth visually arresting.
Saturday, 30 April 2016
We’re finishing up the run of pale pink azaleas out front.
And…another “residual”…of a detail shot…from the Cluny, of a 1467 Mullenheim family arms stained glass piece. Love the shading, 3-D effects, color choices, whole ball of…not-wax.
Thursday, 28 April 2016
Somehow I associate both wild and Victorian with columbines…and it seems I’m pretty ignorant of their botanical history.
Having trouble adjusting to temps with highs well into the 80s. Still cools off at night, thankfully….
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
We “did” more than Dartmoor, but Dartmoor was a highlight. And we didn’t “do” Dartmoor; we just cut through a slice of it. This part was remarkable for the narrow two-way roads, deeply incised into the terrain, with poor visibility very far ahead to spot oncoming traffique.
There are Dartmoor ponies. I don’t know if this is one. It looks rather like a pony, and not a horse. And we saw it on Dartmoor. Conclusions are up to you.
We set off walking on a route I had charted from afar, and quickly realized that we needed to turn back. This lovely forest primeval is just a pine plantation on moor-steroids, meaning that you walk on soft ground, wet in some places. It is not unlike walking on moist sand, requiring a LOT of energy…so we turned back. That’s adventure.
This is called a clapper bridge, and is in Postbridge in the center of Dartmoor. Clapper bridges are stone slabs on a line of piers that cross a river, often near a ford. Interesting conjunction. (If WikiPee is right.) They are essentially Medieval…. We visited this bridge in 1989 during our honeymoon….
Stone alignments on western Dartmoor…. One of these fellows told us that this pair of stone alignments are 87cm apart, and align with the rising of the Pleiades in 1600BC. There are actually two pairs of Pleiades alignments here, with the other ever so slightly differently oriented, which he said fit with 2000BC. We also saw a stone circle and individual standing stones, and more. Plus what they call “hut circles,” which could have been circular foundations for low-walled buildings. Or for cattle pens. I have seen no excavation data and soil testing on these constructed features.
The rocky tops of the rounded crests of Dartmoor “peaks” are called tors. My dictionary notes: “Old English torr, perhaps of Celtic origin and related to Welsh tor ‘belly’ and Scottish Gaelic tòrr ‘bulging hill.’” If this were on a hill it would be a tor, but it is next to an abandoned WWII airfield called Harrowbeer.
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
Looking up at the west entrance to Badbury Rings hill fort. These tend to have begun as Neolithic enclosures, later modified into Iron Age ring/hill forts. This entrance has several rows of deep ditches/high berms to control access or impress non-locals.
Its wildflowers are these little yellow ones.
Street view, Dorchester.
Homemade parking lot sandwich: cheddar and rocket on a stale bun. Mmmmm!
Our lunch view: the giant Maiden Castle, similar history to above, with even more complex berm-ditch entry area (west end). Note grazing sheep.
Sheep are an easy way to maintain these grassy archaeological pastures. Twin lambs should make the farmer happy. Dorchester in background.
Archaeologists(?) have revealed this Celtic-Roman temple atop Maiden Castle…the altar is in the far room; these two small rooms (foreground) were where its tender lived; the treasure was here, including a piece of metal with Minerva on it (so, a Minerva temple?). We saw this pattern in Rome, too, where the gelt was kept in separate rooms.
Jurassic cliffs bordering West Bay, aka Broadchurch for you fans of British television. En route, we passed the turn to Chesil Beach, but didn’t take it. Choices, choices.
Small church, West Bay.
DI Hardy’s house, the blue-blue one with the narrow double doors and colorful floats/bumpers, West Bay, just up the river channel from the marina, and behind the bathing gulls.
Blackbury Camp is a much smaller fortification above Sidmouth (mouth of the River Sid, eh?). The late-day light was stunning, with the leaves not yet out.
The most prominent flower here: bluebells. Very Broadchurch, second season.
That’s it for hill forts for a while. Conclusion: with the great ascent of Maiden Castle in the mix, average ring-fort ascent is about 25 Fitbit flights (otherwise, much less, thinks the cynic).
Post-dinner perambulation past fancy waterfront Sidmouth hotels….
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Had some typical once-a-year paperwork to get taken care of downtown. Only a mediocre view of that fancy capital dome from this traffic light, with that elevated hobbit-trail blocking the building supporting the gleaming dome.
Elsewhere, many trees heavy with fancy cherry blossoms gussying up residential areas, many shedding petals that were blowing in the streets, and this wisteria, pronounced with “stair” in the middle by some in these parts.
Monday, 4 April 2016
I named this photo hot pink azalea cascade, and that is exactly what it is.
We did porch-pizza tonight. Although that’s the short name, mostly we laughed and talked. Very good times. Thanks, all.
Sunday, 3 April 2016
Looks like the fennel did very well at self-seeding this year. [Deliberately not commenting on the gosh golly gol-dern weeds.]
Friday, 1 April 2016
Last night’s storms were…not too bad. For storms. You know how jumpy we are. I slept through the post-midnight line, but the early morning wave woke me…and I listened and drowsed after that….
As a result of all the rain, the fresh-petals of the azaleas got loaded, and they’re drooping to the ground on their flexible branchlets.
This shrub has sturdier, woodier limblets, and tinier blossoms, and it seems unscathed.
