Sulby Dam +

Still limping along.

Monday 22nd September, 2014

We are keeping up the regular "get fit walks" and have been out every day since my last post on the blog - mainly in the glen.  I only took photos on three of the walks because they are getting rather repetitious.

This morning we walked up to the Brookdale top gate.  No photos.   I couldn't even look around for fungus because I had to keep my eyes firmly focussed on the path ahead.  I managed to kick a heavy bit of furniture early this morning and had a very sore toe which protested at the slightest stumble.  My foot feels a bit better this afternoon but  I have a rather spectacular bruise - probably more colourful than most of this batch of photos.

There isn't anything new in the garden although the last of the garden flowers, the Nerine bowdenii are on the verge of opening.  But the colchicum alba are still looking pretty.

On Thursday we attempted an extended walk in Skyhill plantation.  On the way up to the top south-west corner we passed this unusually shaped fungus near one of the streams.

After reaching the top corner we walked along a mountain bike path that follows the wall along the edge of the Skyhill Farm fields until we got to the view site above the Ballagarrow fields.  The air remains hazy so the view of Ramsey was still in soft focus.  

Instead of turning back we decided to take another mountain bike route around an old field which is now part of the plantation.  At the edge of the trees I saw some interesting berries.  They are the fruit of Solanum dulcamara - a member of the potato family.  It is native to Europe and Asia - and is an invasive weed in North America.  The common names include bittersweet, bittersweet nightshade, woody nightshade and poisonberry.  The berries are toxic but not as poisonous as deadly nightshade which is a totally different plant.

We continued past the corner of the plantation which is closest to Skyhill keeill.  This ancient chapel puzzled me for years because I had read of its existence but couldn't discover its exact location.  Then I got my new camera with 24x zoom.  I just happened to take a photo across the glen from Brookdale - and noticed an odd little fenced off area in one of the fields.  It enclosed the foundations of the keeill.  We thought of visiting the keeill last winter and did a bit of exploring.  We decided that the best way to get there without doing too much trespassing would be to climb over a bank and fence at the end of the hedge behind the keeill - but we haven't been brave enough to try yet.

On the way back to the road we had a happy encounter with the "lost" dog from last week's post.  This time we were introduced.  His name is Duncan and he is a seven month old Bedlington terrier.  I took a photo but it is rather disappointing because the light wasn't good and he was moving.  He is nervous with strangers but we stood still as he approached and he didn't panic - even sniffed my hand!

The next day we climbed up through Brookdale again.  I wanted to get a photo of the keeill and found a few other small items of interest - or items of small interest.  The first was an incredibly shiny black beetle.  It was crossing the path.  This is a slightly magnified image.  It wasn't very large - a middle-sized beetle.   I looked in my insect book but couldn't identify it.  Google turned up some similar photos - but they were dung beetles and mine was in a plantation where there were no large dung-producing animals.

On the way down to the gate we passed some bracket fungus on an old birch branch.

At the side of the Fern Glen branch of the glen road is an elder tree which puzzles me.  I don't know why the birds are ignoring these clusters of berries when every last berry has been stripped from the tree in our garden.  They seem to favour the berries on some holly trees over others  too.

And when we got home there was a small tortoiseshell on the centranthus outside the gate.  If was the first one that I had seen for a couple of weeks.

When we got into the house, I saw another small tortoiseshell sunbathing on the chunk of slate in the back garden but it disappeared while I was fetching my camera.

We decided to try a different walk on Saturday and drove up Sulby Glen to the dam.  We last visited this area towards the end of winter and I wrote about that walk in the post dated 14th February.  

The water level was much lower than it was about seven months ago.  During our last visit the water was spilling over the edges of the bellmouth overflow - now the overflow is standing well clear of the surface.  According to my cheap, and probably inaccurate, rain gauge we had four inches of rain in July and August - but the gauge has remained resolutely empty for the whole of September.

We walked across the dam wall and took the track down towards the bottom of the valley until we reached the fork which turned up towards the Druidale Road.  We were interested to see that some work had been done to repair last winter's water erosion.  The ditch alongside the Druidale Road had been patched in a couple of places where the water had undermined the edge of the road.

We turned off along the footpath towards Druidale Farm.  On the left work was continuing on draining  the boggy slope down to the stream and contouring the edge of the watercourse.  On the right was a large field sprinkled with unexpected blue flowers.  The only blue-flowered crop that I could think of was flax - but with the help of Google I discovered that the flowers we saw are in fact chicory.  There appeared to be a mix of chicory and clover which could have been sown as a soil improver or forage crop.

We didn't find any interesting fungus on the walk.  Not even under the ancient beeches on the path down to the dam.

As we returned to the car, I took a few photos of farms on the far side of the dam which illustrate the importance of roads.  The first is Druidale Farm which can be approached along the Druidale Road - either via Brandywell or from Ballaugh Glen - and is now a flourishing farm.

The second farm is Crammag which could only be approached via a pack-horse trail up the steep side of the glen from the valley below and is now a ruin.  The name, Crammag, may be a corruption of the Manx for little hill or little cliff but crammag can also mean snail and a popular explanation is that the track up to the farm was so steep that anyone climbing it would be going at a snail's pace by the time they reached their destination. 

The farm was abandoned years before the dam was constructed (about 35 years ago) and the valley was flooded.  I tried without success to find out when Crammag was last inhabited but all I could discover was that the roof had already started to collapse by 1970.  Now the old track is under water and the ruined farm can only be reached by crossing boggy moorland and a deep ravine on the south side of the dam.    It has become the haunt of sheep and the occasional intrepid hiker or fisherman.

Ballaglass, +

Summer is still gasping . . . we could do with some rain.

Sunday 14th September, 2014

On Monday we walked in Ballaglass Glen.  It wasn't looking its best but - on the plus side - the paths were  dry instead of boggy.  The water level in the river was unusually low although there were a few nicely splashy bits . . . 

. . . and some interesting reflections on the still water above the top footbridge.

The main disappointment was coming across this sign on the lower path along the north side of the river.

  
We climbed up to the higher path and decided to walk up to the top bridge near the tram station and then walk back down the path on the other side of the river - hoping to get an interesting photo of the fallen tree devastation. Unfortunately the whole of the path along the south side was closed!  Another case of 'elf 'n safety gone mad?

We cut the walk short and returned to the car along the track past the three ancient horse chestnuts. 

We just did our regular Skyhill walk on Tuesday.  Not very exciting, but I did see something red on an old log at the side of a mountain bike ramp.  A solitary autumn leaf?  No, it turned out to be a tatty example of another variety of fungus - possibly related to the "orange peel" fungus that we saw in Ballaugh Glen in October 2013.  It was the right colour for "Scarlet Elf Cup" but too flat. 

There were two more "not particularly welcome" signs of summer's approaching end this week.  I had an "I cannot believe it!" moment when I saw that the first mince pies were already on display in the Co-op on Tuesday - and Tim pointed out the first condensation on the windows on Wednesday morning.

The light winds from the east wind are back.  I notice that the weather forecasters prefer the word "haze" to my description last week of "light smog".  Perhaps it is more politically correct.

One good thing about the current spell of settled weather is that the butterflies are still around.  They are not as numerous as they were last month but on Wednesday afternoon I saw four different ones on the single sedum spectabile plant behind the kitchen.  They seem to prefer this plant to the others at the edge of the lawn near the plum tree.
The red admiral, comma and speckled wood arrived first and were later joined by the peacock.  I also saw a second comma on the less favoured sedums.

By Friday it was getting more and more "hazy" every day.  In the morning North Barrule was barely visible from Ramsey.  Just six days ago we climbed up through Brookdale and enjoyed a lovely view all the way to the Scottish coast.  And, it may get worse before it gets better.  The forecasts for the next five days indicate winds from the east and no rain.

     Last week                                                               This week

In the afternoon we walked up through Brookdale again in search of more fungi.  We were inspired by an email from Dorothy which included a very fine photo of Fly Agaric in Ohio Plantation - as well as some amazing damselfly and dragonfly photos.

It was another mildly disappointing outing as far as photography was concerned - but good exercise because we walked all the way up to the top gate.   Apart from a scattering of small tufty toadstools which I mentally filed under "looks a bit like honey fungus"  we saw almost no fungi.  There wasn't a single fly agaric in the areas where we have seen them in previous years.  Perhaps there hasn't been enough rain.  Apart from a trickle in the streams on Skyhill and a murky puddle in the pond in Brookdale, both plantations are dust dry.

We eventually spotted one almost interesting  toadstool half obscured by moss on a steep bank near the top of the track.

Brookdale may have lacked fungi but I have never seen as many speckled woods on a walk.    We even saw a couple of red admirals which was surprising because they usually prefer gardens.   As I said to Tim  "There are speckled woods all the way up!"  They seem to favour the edge of plantations and now the larches have been felled there is a wonderful mix of sun and shade in Brookdale for them.

On Saturday we had a quick dash up Skyhill.  I will never be a true photographer because I miss so many opportunities.  

We came across a disconsolate unaccompanied dog  at the gate into the plantation.  It was inside the gate with its head through the bars.  If I had been a true photographer, my first reaction would have been to take a cute sad dog photo - but instead I worried about reuniting the dog with its owner.  We had come across the dog before and I knew that it was incredibly nervous.  There was no way that it would let us get close enough to catch it.  All we could do was look for the owner.  We closed the gate after going through and the dog went back to wait at the gate as soon as we were a safe distance away.

We started up the hill as fast as possible.  Part of the way up the track we came across a young boy with a dog lead and no dog - so I told him where we had seen the dog.  I was still a bit worried but when we returned there was no sign of the dog or anyone looking for it.  So I suppose they both got home safely.

We saw a group of three really tatty fly agaric near a damp ditch on the way down to the gate. They were in the same area where I photographed the first one last week.  This photo is not really worth including but I might as well as we went to a lot of trouble to find some more.  

Then just before we left the plantation we came across some more even smaller "looks  a bit like honey fungus" growing on a log.

   Brookdale                                                           Skyhill

Skyhill, Beach, Brookdale, Garden

Last gasp of summer?

Sunday 7th September, 2014

Just when we thought autumn had arrived, the weather changed its mind and turned from cool, wet and windy to warm, dry and calm.  Apart from a sprinkling of rain on Friday night the forecasts have been for zero rain every day since the beginning of September.  It has been perfect weather for tidying the garden.

For the first time ever, I finished cutting the ferns by the end of August but it was almost a dead heat.  I wasted a couple of hours on Sunday - trying to replace a defective drive belt on the lawnmower - before starting on the ferns.  The lawnmower job took longer than  anticipated because we didn't have the right tools.  Normal screwdrivers were no good for four of the screws and one of the screws was impossible to shift with our beat-up old allen key.  I drove to the accessories shop at the filling station in Ramsey - twice.  The first time I got two allen keys - which looked similar to the one we had been trying to use.  Neither one fitted.  So I returned with one of the screws as a sample and the man in the shop found a suitable fancy screwdriver that fitted.  The job was easy after that - but when I was mowing the grass on Wednesday the mower made a brief shrieking noise every time it was switched on.  I checked the internet and someone had the same problem with a new belt and fixed it by loosening the belt.  I will have to make an adjustment to the tension before I mow again.

On Monday I started clearing the daffodil bed under the hawthorns.  The robin was happy.  He enjoys weeding more than fern cutting because I dig up an occasional worm.

Tuesday was devoted almost entirely to shopping in Ramsey and medical appointments.  I did manage to follow the hypertension nurse's instructions to go on a daily brisk walk when we got back from Douglas but didn't take any photos.  There are no photos of the heather up by the mountain road  either - because I forgot to take my camera when we drove to Douglas.
  
Wednesday was no better because I was too tired to go anywhere after mowing the grass.   I decided that mowing was more than the equivalent of a brisk half hour walk.

On Thursday we did our regular Skyhill walk.  I recorded some of the fungi that we passed on our way up the hill.

Top left.  Fly Agaric.  The only toadstool I can positively identify.  The first one I have seen this year - but a slug obviously saw it before I did.
Top right.  Similar to the Fly Agaric - apart from the colour.  May be a relative.
Lower left. The most common of the fungi growing under the conifers
Lower right.  One of those weird ones without gills - with an artistically slug-carved stem

Learning to identify the various fungi seems to be an almost impossible task.  Photographs are not enough.  If you want to learn to identify fungi, you really need to collect samples so that you can touch and smell the mushrooms as well as checking the colour of their spores.  Even then it is possible to make mistakes.  It is easiest to leave them in peace and just enjoy their beauty or weirdness in their natural habitat.

We stopped at the gate into the paddocks to take a photo of Ramsey - in soft focus through the light smog.  The wind has been blowing from the east for a few days - bringing dirty air from industrial northern Europe.  Luckily for us, the prevailing winds are from the south west and travel over thousands of miles of ocean.  The only land they cross before reaching us is Ireland.

On Friday we decided to go on a beach walk - an old favourite from the parking area north of the Mooragh Promenade to The Dog Mills.  The tide was a long way out.  Although it was still murky,  we were hoping for rain in the evening to wash the air.

There wasn't much to photograph on the beach.  Very few birds, just a couple of herring gulls  and of course the inevitable oystercatchers wading in the shallows and probing the wet sand with their ridiculously big beaks.

 I found this piece of flint - with the stone showing through worn patches in the chalky covering.

Further up the beach there were a few razor shells.

We turned back when we reached the wooden steps up the eroded bank to The Dog Mills.  

The reason for the curious name of this little cluster of houses has been lost in the mists of time.  I did once wonder whether the name could be a corruption of an old norse name.  This has happened with Foxdale which was originally Forsdal (Fors = waterfall and Dal = valley) and Skyhill which was originally Scacafell (Jutting Hillside) in Norse.  I have read that the name of our hill was pronounced "Skyall" (like trial) by the Manx before the English decided on Skyhill.  My Norse theory had to be discarded because I found out that The Dog Mills is just a translation of the older Manx name  Mwyllin-Moddey (Mill of the Dog).

I read that there are two local theories to explain the name.  The first is that there was a mill there that made a noise like a whining dog.  The other is that  "a dog in a trundle-wheel" was used to raise water in times of drought.  Not knowing what a "trundle-wheel" might be I resorted to Google and discovered that it is one of those little wheels that are pushed along to measure distance!  This seems rather weird because I had imagined a sort-of giant hamster wheel.  The idea of a dog pushing a trundle-wheel to measure its walks amused me, but I cannot see how it would be an effective way of pumping water.  Perhaps there are two meanings.

On the way back to the car we passed a couple walking with eleven dogs!  They all looked like border collies.  Enough energy there to power several dog mills!

On the way home we had to stop.  Traffic in the glen road was being held up by some mallard.  They are rather arrogant ducks and get quite cross when they are chased off the road.  It is a regular occurrence and is quite amusing - unless we are late for an appointment.

While we were waiting for the ducks to move on, I took a photo of the first real autumn leaves on a horse chestnut near the road.  The chestnuts are always the first to change colour and the first to get their new leaves in spring.

There was only the slightest sprinkling of rain on Friday night but the wind changed direction and on Saturday the air was sparkling again.  We walked up through Brookdale plantation and as we approached the clearing we could see two ferries, probably on the Fleetwood to Larne route, crossing just north of the Point of Ayre.  

I saw one interesting toadstool growing under the patch of broad-leafed trees . . . 

. . . and a late sprig of wild honeysuckle.  I rather like the old name . . . woodbine.

Not much new in the garden.  The first colchicum autumnale alba (autumn crocus) poked its head out of the ground and was promptly chewed through by a slug.  I dropped the bud into an old dog bowl in the garden and it opened!  Now some more buds have emerged but the larger one already has a hole.

The slugs don't like fuchsias, thank goodness.  I have some plants in the terrace below the rose bed.  I bought them more years ago than I care to remember.  They were a small collection of tiny plants in the supermarket.  They had been reduced in price because they were half dead.  The plants were intended for hanging baskets and pots on patios but I am not a house plant enthusiast so I planted them in the garden.  They have surprised me by surviving - even flourishing during  good years.  They die back in cold winters but always shoot up from the base of the plants in spring.

PS  I think I may have to invest in a crash helmet to protect myself from low-flying robins.  I was clearing the daffodil bed under the rowan this afternoon and there were a couple of robins chasing each other around and competing for the worms.  They got rather over-excited and nearly crashed into me a couple of times!