It is a late year...

I was listening to Gardener's Question Time yesterday.

Now I will admit that statement is not something I ever thought I'd be writing when I started this blog but hey...

First there was an interesting point over bees. They were discussing whether foreign plants were bad for bees and the expert said that some bees are generalists and are fine with virtually anything but some species are more picky and they mentioned that one type of mining bee only feeds on one specific species of native flower. They all said we should garden less tidily to encourage insects - my head gardener would have a fit at this ;)

Less of interest to me personally, a member of the public asked why his tomato plants were so bad and the expert said that it was the latest he had ever had a crop from his plants. He put this down to lack of light.

Now what is interesting is that a few people commented on this blog recently how few flutters they have seen and this is something I've noticed. Also I have seen very few damsel and dragonflies this year. Now I don't go to many nature reserves these but any good pond should attract damsels  and dragons but I've seen very few. I wonder if the lack of sun is the cause.

Lets hope we get some sun soon or it could be a dire year.

Buckland Abbey and Lydford Gorge

After a lovely meal I slept  well....

I  decided to take the scenic route over Dartmoor

Buckland Abbey is famed as being the home of Sir Francis Drake (Armada fame) well it was until a few years when a painting that they had assumed was school of Rembrandt was identified as a Rembrandt.... It is probably now worth more than the whole estate I'd imagine!

The chickens are from the Battery Hens Welfare trust some look in a state but they are now able to roam free and will get better. They are providing eggs for the B&B!! :D

This little chap was in the wild garden I can't believe how close I was !

You can make him out here!

Ooh a Rembrandt......

And lunch.... LOL well I had no toast at breakfast so I had Soup sans bread as well. It wasn't bad a little on the "stale"/dry side but a scone of promise....

Buckland is a lovely property!

So what next ?? I could sit in the garden and read ?? I could head to Saltram but as I wasn't far from Lydford Gorge and the exercise would do me good.... So I walked up and down to the waterfall.

I had driven to the Waterfall Car Park.... I didn't want to walk all the way along the gorge so I drove up to the main car park.... Curiously I did the hardest bits probably....

Plain Scone - Nuked! :(

And down to the Devil's Punchbowl.....

I heard noise by the window of my room and look what I found!!