love is like a butterfly

Love is like a butterfly

It lives for a day and then it dies, 

This is such a terrible lie,

Wendy Wendy Craig

Hokas

New shoes this week. All my shoes were feeling a bit flat so I hunted around the interweb and got a pair of (trail) Challenger ATRs 3 (second pair in orange and black colourways) and NEW (road) Clifton4s. Former off Ultramarathonrunningstore, latter Pete Bland for £95 which is pricey but £10 less than full price. They didn't have them in black, only that blue but they are kind of summery and bright. I picked up the Cliftons from Telferton which is why they were in the car for the Saturday Gullane run.

Also on the shopping list this week were a pair of Salomon S Lab Speedcross. Although Pete Bland had them reduced from £145 to £95, Run 4 It shop in Lothian Road, a place I don't really go to, had them at £75. My previous hillshoes, S Lab Fellcross (pretty much identical) also came from there and have been feeling thin, so felt it best to warm up a new pair in plenty time for the Skyline. They are super fantastic and my feet survived unscathed, unblistered and in great nick after the straight-out-the-box-and-racing Baddinsgill Round on Sunday. More of that later. First, the usual...

Saw this dragonfly (Common Darter?) on the Sea Buckthorn down the JMW beside the golf course. Given there are no bodies of water nearby, I was surprised. But they are strong fliers. This one (as many others were today) was sunning itself on the red dirt path between passers-by.

another darter on a fence post, posing for photos

A ladybird you say but look closer and there is more than one beastie here. Many of today's photos have an accomplice as well as the primary subject - keep your eyes open for them, see how many you can spot.

So, to the Butterfly Bushes at toad corner again. I have to say thanks to Mary for being extremely patient this week. The light was good but the subjects very similar to last week. I felt nostalgic for the Blues so ran around the shorter grass to kick up a couple and chase them. The one below had lost a lot of his scales and looked a bit washed out. But still scolding and chasing the Small Heaths as they flew into the Blue's airspace. Geroff my land!

 

Then I waded into the thistles and nettles to have a chat with the peacocks and admirals.
Hah! you forgot to keep an eye out for doublers!

accidentally cropped out this bee, bottom right

But keen to get in on the act it obliged.

There doesn't seem to be a pecking order or rank. I've seen bees chase butterflies from their perch and vice versa. They all get along and don't mind each others' proximity. There's a cheesy meme right there, and lesson for us all.

too easy no points for this pairing
But did you spot the fly below the peacock 4 photos up???

Mary said this photo looked like heaven.
Not sure if she meant when you get to the pearly gates there is a large butterfly sternly looking down and measuring you up.

less welcome wildlife

after gadding about in the undergrowth for a while I checked my legs and removed 4 or 5 ticks

In search of dragonflies I went over by the other pond, but there were no joys. I had seen a large blue monster earlier but it was moving too fast and didn't land as I watched it fly 300 yards away in seconds. I did spook a deer and it took a line that I thought would bring it out directly in front of Mary. Unfortunately there was a rise in between and it disappeared unseen. Photos of me bushwacking on Mary's blog along with some very similar shots of dragonflies and pretty flowers HERE. No deer though.

no sure what's going on here

often below fence posts or perches you can find these

They are collaborative art projects between owls and mice although mostly to the benefit of the birds and decidedly not the rodents. Mr Owl, possibly Tawny, eats mice and shrews and then re-imagines them into furry bone sculptures, which are spewed out while perching on a suitable viewing point. You could tease apart the multi media sculpture to analyse the audience (4 shrews, 2 field mice, 1 vole) but we left this one as found. They often have an uncanny essence of mouse about them, implied but not stated.

We did some ill advised tempo pace running along the beach.
Mary won a groin strain, I went home with a tweaked glute. 

another fabulous run - right, off to Tesco's