Steve's Nature Blog: Breaking Rocks in the Hot Sun

Before we go off on our travels, I just want to lead you down the garden path. Last year we created a wildflower meadow in one corner of Ishbel's garden. It was not a roaring success, but this year we tried flower bombs; balls of seeds packed in nutrients, that you just lob on to the bare earth and add water. As you can see, the result has been quite magnificent. There are cornflowers, poppies, borage, ox-eye daisies, and numerous others. The honey bees that live two yards away seem to have totally ignored this largesse but the bumble bees love it.

And now to the breaking rocks in the hot sun bit. Just down the road is Parton Beach. This particular stretch of the Cumberland coastline around the Whitehaven area is our Carboniferous Coast and is famous for its plant fossils. An hour's rock splitting produced a selection of fish scales and possibly an insect wing (centre).

Last time out, I introduced you to the Cumbrian tarns with a trip to Devoke Water. This week, I'll take you to another one, the ridiculously beautiful Tarn Hows. There's a great walk all the way round, and we'll stop for a picnic half way.

Maybe I've got fossils on the brain, but surely those are lines radiating out from a point on the left? Looks a bit like the imprint of a leaf.

This looks like an ideal spot to sit and sandwich. We're surrounded by clouds of Blue Damselflies, drifting fairylike, among the reeds and Mattie seems happily fascinated by the Mallard ducklings, navigating their way through the waterlilies. Could anything be more idyllic?

Steve's Vintage Collectables. (click to visit)

Keeping the nature theme going...