I somehow turned 50 today, so treated myself to a lovely walk up Cadair Idris. It was cloudy and cool(ish) going up, sunny and warm by the summit. I was struggling in the heat on very tired legs by the end.
I haven't been up there since pre-pandemic times, and it showed in how tough it felt.
06/07/2026 - Evening walk after work. After a windy few days there were a lot of samaras down from the different maple trees. There are 4 maples in the "wild" round my way. Wild being anything by the roadsides. I'm not counting all the weird and wonderful maples in folk's gardens (Smooth Japanese-maple seems very popular here).
It was nice to compare the size and shape of these 4 samaras winged fruits or as I called them helicopters.
Sycamore
Field Maple
Cappadocian Maple
Norway Maple
Eempolder
I went on a guided walk yesterday up to The Cheviot via Hen Hole. The weather was foul, but despite appearances, a good time was had by all. #Walking #northumberland
As I do not approve of this 30+ degree heat coming back again, I plan to cope by living in denial. Ordered myself some nice cashmere wool to knit a scarf and dream of winter ❄️
#Knitting
Thanks to @tayfonay I've discovered the Explore.org live puffin ledge cam on Seal Island, Maine, which, to my great delight, includes audio.
I'm sitting here at my desk with the sound of the sea, the wind and puffins in my ears.
https://explore.org/livecams/puffins/puffin-loafing-ledge-cam
05/07/2026 - Just me today on a nice walk along the quiet roads. It was a bit rainy but nothing too bad. All the wild flowers looked a bit bedraggled though.
Here's a few snaps of things I'm very good at mixing up as they look quite similar.
Bird Cherry & Wild Cherry
Common Bird's-foot-trefoil & Greater Bird's-foot-trefoil
Wishing you a peaceful evening from the Bishop's Garden at the Priory Church of St Mary, Abergavenny.
Natureposting will continue until morale improves
Flat Holm heritage project wins awards:
https://nation.cymru/news/island-heritage-project-wins-top-awards/
Haven't been far this week due to a deep aversion to hot weather, so this week's #FensterFreitag is the view from our reading nook of a still baking village 🥴
I’ve finally cracked this sleeping in the heat. Not my invention so I can’t claim credit but seriously I turned off the fan as was just blowing hot air and irritating me. 2 little bottles of frozen water, slipped inside a thin trainer socks with the bottom of the bottle just exposed enough to sit on the skin. Put the exposed end on face/ neck/ pulse points. It really helped bring down my body temp. Then I just cuddled them to sleep 😂 They are my new best friends, cos I feel great this morning!
25/06/2026 - Bus out to Braemar and a hot walk up Morrone. First time visit to this one using public transport. Though it makes the day longer I like using buses if I can, gives more of a sense of adventure. The views from the top of this hill are really good of the surrounding Cairngorms National Park. Did I mention it was hot? My brain was melting on the way up. Burnt my arms too. I'm not used to this sun thing. I need to go back to my night walking!
A very late feed for the #sheep today. It’s so warm that it’s still in the 20s at 11 PM.
These boys are not fans of the heat.
#sheepofmastodon #defaidodon
Ok what’s the plan? How are we all getting to sleep tonight? 🥵
Yesterday's walk around the lake 🦆🪿
Today is cancelled, on account of M
E
L
T
E
D.
Happy Summer Solstice to those who celebrate. If you're like me and you hate summer, autumn is only three months away!
A watercolor painting I created the day after the airstrike on Kyiv on June 15, 2026