Muir burning .....

Muir burning in Teesdale yesterday - burning off the old heather stems so that new shoots develop, to feed grouse. A period of dry weather and light winds produced good conditions for these controlled fires.

Click image to enlarge.

Ceramic Wild Flower Meadows ...

The millennium spawned all sorts of arts projects, many of them grandiose, but these ceramics entitled Field of Flower are amongst my favourites. They are displayed on a wall just off of the marketplace in Alston in Cumbria and are the results of a community tile workshop run by Alston potters Syl Macro and Sue Sharp.

These delightful interpretations of North Pennine meadows are well worth looking out for if you are passing through Alston.

Incidentally, if you are in the town stop by The Moody Baker and try one of their wolf pies - perfect picnic food. I had one for my lunch today. 

Harassment...

Yesterday, when we were walking along the river Tyne at Wylam, a cacophony overhead drew our attention to this gang of crows mobbing a buzzard. Birds of prey must get fed up with this constant harassment but this raptor had the situation well under control. It soared higher and higher in tight circles then, when the crows got too close, threw in a wide circle that left them cawing at each other in the centre, wondering where their victim had gone. 

Wonderful to watch - a masterclass.