News From the Hill

Posts Tagged ‘Beauty around us’

We have had a few beautiful days of sun, light winds and starry clear nights. This week in August every year there are amazing night skies with shooting stars (Perseids) in the northern sky. Check out the Astronomy Ireland website for more details.

If you are blessed with clear skies then you owe it to yourself to go out at night, bring a rug, wear a warm hat and settle into your favourite deck chair to watch the show. If you have binoculars they may add to the fun however I often find it less frustrating to just gaze upwards and let the magic unfold.

I don’t think that I will get to see any stars tonight as we had a day of rain, all day…

I decided to make use of the rain to wash the outdoor bathtub so I put the plug in this morning to allow it to fill. After a few hours I went out to check on progress. Imagine my surprise to find two fine frogs swimming about in the tub…

A pair of happy frogs

Here is a close up of one of the swimmers, handsome fella isn’t he?

An Irish frog enjoying the rain

Beautiful Beech

I am every day amazed by the loveliness that is around me here on the hill. How lucky am I to live here?

This spring there were really beautiful whitethorn (hawthorn) flowers to be seen across the countryside.

Our own whitethorns were not as spectacular as last year and I have been told that often happens with flowering or fruiting trees, they seem to rest every now and then.

Whitethorn

Luckily I happened upon some very lovely trees this springs and took some photos….. I hope our trees won’t be jealous!

Here are a few more photos from springtime which I didn’t get around to putting up until now, enjoy…

Daisy and Friend

These are common flowers found in the shelter of hedgerows and easily overlooked if you are moving quickly. Sometimes it really good to slow down and really see what is all around you.

Unfurling Fern

These ferns are now all stretching skyward, drinking in the sunshine and the rain.

Forget Me Not?

Sometimes I am amazed at the ability of a  mobile phone camera to get detail at the macro level. I rarely think to carry my camera when I nip out for a wee stroll however the phone is often in my pocket and it comes in very handy.

I was struck by the beauty of the spring flowers all around me this year and took some photos which I never posted…

Better late than never…

Wild Woodland Bluebells

Pretty as a Picture