Braithwaite, Keswick

A large and complex linocut trying to capture the main features of the village ...I forgot to photograph the print before it went into a frame, so apologies for the reflections!

Transferring the design - in reverse.

Beginning to cut away....

The final block.....

The print ...and ...

The final framed colour print. 

Roadside verges in North Cumbria...

It's on nights like this I feel really privileged to live here - a few photos from an evening dog walk.

Tonight's moth trap...

A lovely evening ..and morning...highlights included a cinnabar and latticed heath moth - day fliers - why were they in the trap? ...Poplar and plenty of elephant hawks. Good to see heart and dart back in such good numbers too!

The trap...

The moths ....Left hand column - poplar hawk; light emerald; spectacle
Middle column - peppered; small magpie; white ermine and elephant hawk moth
Right hand column - female ghost; green carpet; beautiful golden y; coxcomb prominent.

and three of the five elephant hawks ...

Waitby Greenriggs ....lesser butterfly and fly orchid extravaganza!

After we'd walked along the Smardale reserve last weekend (click here for: Flora and Butterflies), we walked along the Trust's new access footpath along the railway to the Waitby Greenriggs reserve - so good to have the two reserves connected by what will become an increasingly important wildlife corridor. The full walk up Smardale and then back to Waitby was 10 miles ish. The fly orchids were immaculate as were many other orchids.

The new connecting path between the reserves.

Fly orchids.

Lesser butterfly orchids.

Common spotted; fragrant; heath spotted; northern marsh and a possible northern marsh/common spotted hybrid orchid.

Globe flowers; marsh helleborine; bird's-eye primrose and twayblade.

A grasshopper...

Islay's Precambrian Stromatolites

While we were on Islay, Tom had asked me to photograph any 'interesting' rocks when in the north of the island. He explains here what these rocks represent and their importance: 

In the north of Islay, there are are some relatively small sections of coast where unusual rocks are exposed. These rocks are the Member 3 of the Bonahaven (Bunnahbhain) Dolomite Formation. These rocks were deposited, as sediment, in the Neoproterozoic- the name given to the period of time around 700 million years ago. During in this time the first multi-cellular life began, that would eventually give rise to us. 

These rocks were deposited in a lagoonal/intertidal environment from silt and sand. Within these sediments algae lived, photosynthesising and coagulating sediment- these are stromatolites. Modern day stromatolites can still be found in areas such as Hamelin Pool, Australia and the Bahamas. These ancient life forms are preserved in their life positions in the rocks of north-east Islay. 

Exposures of interbedded metasandstones and metadolmites. 

Some stunning stromatolite bioherms (large rounded forms) with strongly laminated upper sections. 

These represent the earliest life in the world, and possibly represent life on other worlds in the universe. The stromatolites on Islay are some of the earliest fossils in the UK and are a fascinating and crucial key to our past.

For a previous blog on these stromatolites- click here- and for more information visit:
https://islaygeology.org/ or https://www.islayinfo.com/islay-geology.html.

Allonby Art Ex 2019

Well that's this year's four oil paintings completed for the Allonby Art Ex...now for a new linocut ...!

Looking across from Mawbray to Silloth ...before it began raining!

Solway reflections.

Storm over Criffel.

Solway view....

Smardale Gill NNR ....butterflies etc

More photos - I took a few and deleted many!

Northern brown argus. 

Northern brown argus.

Northern brown argus.

Large skipper; small heath; speckled wood; common blue and northern brown argus.

Melancholy thistle and a pollen covered bee; a frog hopper, white-clawed crayfish and a click beetle. 

Smardale Gill NNR - today's flora.

What can only be described as a fabulous walk out today ...the new Cumbria Wildlife Trust car park has solved all the parking problems and access to the reserve is easy. The walk, as always, along the old railway line, along the left hand side of Scandal Beck and back along the railway over the viaduct was stunning ...we then walked long the newly opened path to Waitby Greenriggs reserve, but that will be in a few blogs time!

Field scabious, dog rose, bloody cranesbill and common rockrose.

Common rockrose and bloody cranesbill; Guelder rose; wild strawberry; quaking grass;
burnet rose; common wintergreen and bird's eye primrose.

Water crowfoot.

Greater butterfly orchids...

Fragrant orchids - just coming out; northern marsh; twayblade and common spotted orchids.

Drumburgh Moss NNR

An enjoyable morning photographing at Drumburgh NNR yesterday. The sun wasn't out to start with, but when it did come out the site became alive with insects.

Exmoor pony at the reserve entrance, the extended boardwalk being extended
 beyond the viewing platform and cotton grass.

Views across to Skiddaw.

Four spot chasers, common blue and dark red damselflies.

Common blue damselflies.

Large heath, drinker moth caterpillar and cross-leaved heath.

A spectacular hoverfly.

A pair of curlew were continually calling and displaying.

Large skippers at Drumburgh Moss NNR

A walk out this morning - initially nothing was flying at all, but then the sun made a brief full-out appearance.

Mawbray Banks to Silloth

Another oil for Allonby Art Ex ..this time a small piece - Looking across from mawbray Banks towards Silloth before the rain came! Lots of heather and willowherb!

Solway reflections

With the Allonby Art Exhibition coming up it's full on this week to paint so that my oils have time to dry....so here's an oil from Monday....

Foxglove prints ...

In preparation for today's gelli printing course I had a quick play with my gelli plate and a variety of stencils and foam blocks. The final prints had no resemblance to what I had wanted to do - as always!

Inspiration...

The first pulls....

Continuing to layer up ....

Keeping layering....

Result!