The bunnies are talking...

So, a few days ago, temaris and I went to a place called Trevose Head, which is quite possibly one of the most picturesque places I've ever been. There's a lighthouse, and we saw three kestrels (at least, we think they were kestrels), two of which stayed around for quite some time hunting.

And since taking many, many photos has been the theme this holiday, here, let me show you the view. And some birds. And a snail. But mainly the view...

( Pictures under cut... )

So, I was sitting on the front door step earlier (it was sunny and I sit there and play random stuff through YouTube and then sing along ::grin::) and saw what I thought was a leaf blowing across the path. And then it stopped and lifted a leg up. Turns out it was a cricket. Now, the thing is, I've never actually seen a cricket before (much to the amusement of everyone else, who were all "Really?!"), so I did what any normal person would do when confronted by a strange and wondrous creature... I grabbed the camera.

( Cricket under cut... and it ain't wearing a hat... )

Only, I figured that was kind of a distance shot, and I'm still in love with the close-up function, so I got a little closer.

( More cricket under cut... )

Everyone then mocked me for getting snap-happy. Well, paf I say... 74 pictures of a cricket is totally reasonable ::grin::

ETA: After a couple of comments and looking online, she's more likely a grasshopper than a cricket, as the nearest I could find was the long-winged conehead grasshopper :D

So, I was sitting on the front door step earlier (it was sunny and I sit there and play random stuff through YouTube and then sing along ::grin::) and saw what I thought was a leaf blowing across the path. And the it stop and lifted a leg up. Turns out it was a cricket. Now, the thing is, I've never actually seen a cricket before (much to the amusement of everyone else, who were all "Really?!"), so I did what any normal person would do when confronted by a strange and wondrous creature... I grabbed the camera.

( Cricket under cut... and it ain't wearing a hat... )

Only, I figured that was kind of a distance shot, and I'm still in love with the close-up function, so I got a little closer.

( More cricket under cut... )

Everyone then mocked me for getting snap-happy. Well, paf I say... 74 pictures of a cricket is totally reasonable ::grin::

ETA: After a couple of comments and looking online, she's more likely a grasshopper than a cricket, as the nearest I could find was the long-winged conehead grasshopper :D

On Tuesday temaris, lost_house, lost_house's M and seiyaharris went to the Cornish Bird of Prey Centre. So fabulous! We stayed for a couple of the displays and the birds are gorgeous. They're all rescue birds and some of their stories just break your heart, where they've rescued birds that were tied to perches for months on end or kept in boxes barely big enough to fit them.

The displays they do are amazing. It's one thing knowing that owls fly silently but it's another having one skim a centimetre past your head and not hear it. And birds apparently suffer from 'little dog syndrome'. They have one falcon, Sabre, who's about a third the size of the others but has at least twice the attitude ::grin::

I'd wanted to do one of the experience days they offer, but the only times they had left were next Friday onwards, which is when we're driving back. Next time, though.

( Pictures of various birds under cut )

And it's not just birds of prey the centre has. There's other animals, as well. Including rabbits which, to my surprise, have never been eaten during one of the displays ::grin::

( Other animals under cut )

Dear Diary,

Today I discovered that I can't row and got glared at by a duck,

love,

Claire

The full story:

A few of us went to Newquay today and, on the way back, alyse, alyse's Nibble, seiyaharris and I stopped at the boating lake and hired a row boat.

Yeah.

Picture the scene: me and Becca rowing, Al behind us at the front and Nibble facing us at the back (and also the only one with a lifejacket, so if we went in, at least one of us would survive...)

Phrases of the day included:

Me: How come Steve Redgrave makes this look so easy?!

Nibble: We're all going to die!

Alyse: Mind the swan!
Becca: They can break a man's arm!

When we got stuck on the reeds:
Complete stranger watching from the bank: You're reminding me of Deliverance.
Me: Great, I always wanted to assrape Burt Reynolds...

Alyse: Claire needs to stroke harder! And now Becca! You both needs to stroke harder!

Me: I've got Swamp Thing on the end of my oar!

Becca: We're on a collision course with a duck!

And then after the row boat, we got pedalos. Ah, the full body workout ;D

Dear Diary,

Today I discovered that I can't row and got glared at by a duck,

love,

Claire

The full story:

A few of us went to Newquay today and, on the way back, alyse, alyse's Nibble, seiyaharris and I stopped at the boating lake and hired a row boat.

Yeah.

Picture the scene: me and Becca rowing, Al behind us at the front and Nibble facing us at the back (and also the only one with a lifejacket, so if we went in, at least one of us would survive...)

Phrases of the day included:

Me: How come Steve Redgrave makes this look so easy?!

Nibble: We're all going to die!

Alyse: Mind the swan!
Becca: They can break a man's arm!

When we got stuck on the reeds:
Complete stranger watching from the bank: You're reminding me of Deliverance.
Me: Great, I always wanted to assrape Burt Reynolds...

Alyse: Claire needs to stroke harder! And now Becca! You both needs to stroke harder!

Me: I've got Swamp Thing on the end of my oar!

Becca: We're on a collision course with a duck!

And then after the row boat, we got pedalos. Ah, the full body workout ;D

So, I've managed to take about 150 photos so far, and that's just random stuff that I've snapped in the garden of the cottage. (Digital cameras ftw!) Since I've told people there will be photos, have some pics...

( Bees! )

( Other Flying Things! )

( Non-Flying Random Things )

I dare say there'll be more pictures before long. I mean, I took 1,800 last year and we're here for twice as long this time. I'm reckoning the Eden Project will be the big one again this year ::grin::

So, I'm in Cornwall with alyse, alyse's Nibble, lost_house, lost_house's M, temaris, seiyaharris, klo_the_hobbit, katie__pillar, saffronra and solittleshame.

Half of us got here on Friday and the others arrived on Saturday. So far, I've bought two silver rings and taken photos of flowers, moths, butterflies and bees. Apart from the jewellery, pretty much the same as last year ::grin::

Also, I may have just accidentally bought tickets to Collectormania in November. The one Misha Collins is going to. Completely accidentally. Utterly and totally. My fingers just slipped. They also slipped and made me buy photo shoot tickets, as well ::grin::

So, I'm in Cornwall with alyse, alyse's Nibble, lost_house, lost_house's M, temaris, seiyaharris, klo_the_hobbit, katie__pillar, saffronra and solittleshame.

Half of us got here on Friday and the others arrived on Saturday. So far, I've bought two silver rings and taken photos of flowers, moths, butterflies and bees. Apart from the jewellery, pretty much the same as last year ::grin::

Also, I may have just accidentally bought tickets to Collectormania in November. The one Misha Collins is going to. Completely accidentally. Utterly and totally. My fingers just slipped. They also slipped and made me buy photo shoot tickets, as well ::grin::