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Three years and counting

I started posting to this blog exactly three years ago today.

The blog is now heading for two thousand posts, and for four thousand pictures. There have also been thirty-odd videos; the shortest lasting just a few seconds, the longest about fourteen minutes.

To mark the anniversary, here is a re-posting of the short video of a, sadly often missed, mechanical sculpture in the city centre.

The wolf in sheep’s clothing is above the main entrance to the Art Gallery on Lichfieid Steet. It repeats its routine every on hour on the hour – actually, last time I checked, it got going a couple of minutes after the hour.

More details at the original post.

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A slightly riper sloe.

Sloe ripening

Enthusiasts for DIY sloe gin are in for a disappointment this year. The weather earlier this year meant that very few blackthorn flowers set fruit.

Sloe ripening

Today’s pictures are two views of the same sloe. They were taken at the same time as the one featured the day before yesterday. That sloe was on the next bush. They were the only two berries I noticed in a quick look around a patch of bushes which are normally covered in sloes at this time of year.

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Moorhen and half grown chick

Moorhen and half grown chick

Moorhens are normally the most timid of the local waterbirds. Those living on our canals prefer to keep the width of the water between themselves and walkers.

The adult bird here was the first I ever remember swimming towards me as I came down the tow path.

Moorhen and half grown chick

It became clear that the bird was still feeding four well-grown chicks. This task is normally shared by the adult pair, but there was no sign of a second adult here.

Half grown moorhen chick

The birds were right by Newbridge, and were probably used to getting a share of the bread brought for the resident ducks.

Half grown moorhen chick

A group of half a dozen ducks were indeed lurking nearby, though they seemed to have a better sense that I wasn’t going to feed them.

Moorhen and half grown chick