nature Archives - RAMBLING EXCURSIONS

Covid 19/Lockdown

So here we are at the end of week 7 of lockdown. I have quite enjoyed it in a funny sort of way, but Im one of the lucky ones with a house and a front and back garden, a husband who is my best friend and a dog who is also my best friend! Its been lovely and quiet. The airport is silent, even though it’s not normally intrusive for us, it is noticeable that there are no flights in or out of Leeds Bradford airport. So I’ve done loads of gardening and loads of online shopping! I’ve walked, cycled, read, cleaned and completed lots of jobs that needed doing but i just never got around to them.

Above are some of the most peaceful scenes I’ve come across whilst out on my bike. The top one is looking over to the airport which is just full of parked up planes. The second is of a deer I saw whilst cycling through the Harewood estate. Next looking across newly ploughed fields where the Red Kites circled above. A mother with her foal, more horses and beyond the silent airport. Ending with a map of my ride that day.

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE.

Theres so much beauty all around from the bluebells in Adel church, to the deer beyond my bike and on the path at Harewood to the gorgeous blossom on the trees. The lock down has given me more “down” time to appreciate these things.

It could just be something as simple as a blackbird taking a dip on my patio or the thousands of tadpoles we get in our pond every year. (Where do they all go?)

Or the mighty beautiful awe inspiring trees that I pass under on my local walks.

And then theres the wildlife – mainly birds…..but that’s for another post.

Completely off topic!

I love riding my motorbike and although this seems completely off topic it isn’t really because there is a link! O yes, there is because I often use my bike to get out into the countryside to see nature. It is much better than the car – you are actually nearer to nature more immersed in the elements! Ok so we prefer not the have the rain obscuring the view as we don’t have the luxury of windscreen wipers and snow can cause a little skidding but on a sunny clear day there is nothing to touch it. Only problem with the gorgeous sun drenched ride is the sweat running down your back and forehead as we have to wear protective clothing and helmets!!!! Despite all of this I can’t think of anything that makes me feel as free as a ride on my bike (except perhaps a sun-soaked beach somewhere like Mauritius or Madagascar .
I love the feeling of being in charge of my own destiny, the feeling of beating the odds, of me against the world who are trying to knock me down!! LOL!
I adore the feeling of leaning into a bend, hips at a jaunty angle, knee slightly down – I have no need for speed – it is far far better, in my humble opinion to round a corner at 40mph, feeling every nuance of the camber, savouring every second. The speciality for me is a double “S” bend one way then the other, with a full throttle pull out onto a nice straight stretch and up to 60/70mph, bring a wide grin right across my face. Any faster and its gone, over, no time to savour.
I love the burble of the pipes and the rumble of the engine under my bum!! A nice throaty burble, not an ear splitting roar like a Harley or a wild whine of a sports bike with no soul, but a gentle soft calming burble!
I actually fall in love with my bike every time I ride it. I love cars too and have a lovely little mini cooper clubman but it hasn’t got soul like my bike has.
I took a Triumph Bonneville out today. At first I thought wayhayyy I found the bike of my dreams. Beautiful to look at, easy to ride. Gears nice and smooth, good breaking, easy to manoeuvre – although can’t be that easy because I dropped the sodding thing! O yes, welcome to Helen’s world of slow manoeuvre accidents. I have fallen off my bike once whilst on the move going round a corner and hitting diesel on the road and I have fallen of my bike several time whilst at standstill! That’s my speciality!! Because the trouble with the Bonnie is that being a short arse of 5ft 3inches I can only just get the ball of my foot on the ground!! Add in a sloping car park and a turn and that is it!!!! Bugger, and it’s a demo bike! Scratched mirror, slightly scuffed engine casing, exhaust pipe and clutch lever! Shit its into hundreds. Then I couldn’t pick the damn thing up, so had to seek assistance! Apart from the embarrassment of making a total tit of myself, it sort of put a damper on the ride back.
Back on my bike home – after negotiations at dealer – feet flat on the floor at traffic lights, I felt at home. I’ve had this bike three years so am bound to feel easy on it aren’t I? Decisions Decisions!

Triumph Bonnie — Triumph Bonneville at Cow and Calf Ilkley West Yorkshire

Nature Can Be Cruel

The last couple of weeks I have been watching a pair of robins fly in and out or the leylandi (do you spell it like that) hedge in our back garden. It looked like they had nested there but I didn’t dare go and look. This was sadly confirmed at the weekend when I found three dead chicks on the hammock which was next to the hedge. The chicks only looked to be maybe a week old at most and had not been eaten at all. So it didn’t look as if a predator had got to them. I believe robins can sometimes get rid of chicks if they think the nest is not safe. Or maybe it was a rival male? What’s confusing me is that the chicks were actually about a foot or two away from the hedge and not below the nest. Looked like they’d been thrown out!! If anybody can throw any light on this I’d like to hear.

Below are a couple of photos of the tadpoles in my pond. They’re not brilliant photos as I haven’t got a macro lens. There are literally thousands of them – however, many are being eaten by the Blackbirds. Maybe that’s why frogs produce so many.

Spring at the park and in the garden

Fantastic weather again-so glad I work part time. Busy day in the garden yesterday, tidying up and seeding lawn. Its very patchy and full of moss. Raking it left a huge pile of moss for the birds building their nests. Here’s half of my garden – it’s only small, with my summer house that I absolutely love and sit in as often as I can and watch the birds on my feeders. We actually jokingly call it my Wendy house! Does anyone know where that name came from for a child’s play house?

Here you can see some of the feeders I have.

And two of my very contented companion animals.

Walking my dog through the woods at Golden Acre park at the weekends is one of my most favourite activities. Watching Sparky hare through the trees after squirrels that he’ll never catch, seeing the birds and rabbits and the new growth as spring really gets going.

These photo’s all taken with my iphone. Pretty amazing piece of kit – I love it! Don’t love itunes though!!
Anyway, click on the thumbnails if you want to see the bigger version in all it’s glory.
I’m off now to have a blast on my motorbike. Kawasaki EN500