#working on my last photoset reminded me how much i love this scene

[dansnaturepictures]

Rutland Water blog 1: 20/08/2021-Lyndon Nature Reserve Part 1 of 2: Ospreys, dragonflies, Muntjac and more 

As mentioned in my post about 19th August on 20th August we headed to Rutland Water, where we came every summer between 2008-2019 to visit the Bird Fair, rightly not going ahead this or last year due to the pandemic. But our wild year aligned for a trip to the nature reserves around this enormous reservoir to be very useful so me and my Mum came away staying Friday night and returning Saturday night to visit the Lyndon and Eglton Rutland Water nature reserves. I didn’t take my laptop on a one night stopover so the blogs about the time away are retrospectively posted so will read in the present tense of the date at the top. I have four blogs about the two days away, two each day and the part two of the days carry straight on from part one and its both part twos that have my Wildlife Sightings Summary for each day. Writing this bit at the time of posting: I shall aim to have part two up for each as soon as I can after. 

So going back to Friday now; today on a pleasant journey from Hampshire to the East Midlands I knew we were approaching this area that means so much to us when I saw the picturesque agricultural landscape of Leicestershire which is the heart of England. The landscape was painted well with an interesting summery shade of brown as it was all journey and so often is at this time of year. There were nice well grown and vegetated road verges too. Today we started this trip as we do every one here by coming to Lyndon nature reserve at the south of Rutland Water. As we came down the steep winding road towards the visitor centre which was adorned by pink great willowherb, it was great to see the stunning scenery and get tremendous views down into Rutland Water. I took the first, third and fourth pictures in this photoset here today. 

It was so brilliant to be back, and not much had really changed in the initial glances here. There were dragonflies, for me a key wild attraction of this reserve flying around from the off. I did wonder, with dragonflies being something I have focused on a lot more the past few years, whether me associating the Bird Fair with being a strong point in my year for dragonflies was because it stood out against the rest of the year where maybe I didn’t look for dragonflies a lot. But being so focused on them now particularly with the Lakeside walks working from home seeing some I can say once more as I address below this is an extraordinary and special site for dragonflies. And I was reminded how brilliant it was for them today.

Something that is new since I last came here as I said when I went to Blashford Lakes for the first time since early last year recently is the depth of my interest in and more knowledge of flowers. Today I saw so many lovely flowers, including the sweet great willowherb that was widespread today as well as purple loosestrife and water mint fitting for beside the water, with ragwort too, bee nettles, nice pink marsh woundwort in front of hide and some bright red fruited cuckoo pint looking stunning and red near the visitor centre both new for me, the similar to the woundwort hedge nettle, self-heal, Herb-Robert, red campion still going strong, rosebay willowherb, yarrow, cow parsnip, hemp acrimony, a tiny forget-me-not, scabious by the visitor centre and some nice yellow flowers by there too. It was also great to see some sloes whilst walking around a key image of this time of year.

Such a key part of our Lyndon and Bird Fair visits are going in the huge selection of varied bird hides with different habitats. In the first we went into, the first going west from the visitor centre it was great to notice a bright Great White Egret lurking at the end of the water. This has became a really key bird for Rutland Water but I believe this is the first we saw at Lyndon.

On the way to the next hide we got an early key moment of the trip when I was stunned to see a deer skulking out of vegetation, running across a field over the fence and back into the thick vegetation at the base of the water. I was amazed to get a clear view of it to be able to see it was a glorious Muntjac Deer. It was a stunning view of this sweet little mammal. I was so happy and thrilled to see this exceptional species. And there is a big history with this mammal and our Rutland trips as it’s my fourth ever sighting of one, and three of them were at Rutland Water. The first ever one we saw at our first ever Bird Fair at Egleton the part of the reserve the fair is held. And then we didn’t see one again until one at Lyndon in 2019 when we were last here. This is the third year running I have seen a Muntjac Deer now after seeing one at Blackwater in the New Forest in 2020 which is really smashing for a species I saw early on in my wildlife interest and then not again for a few years. This sighting made me feel very happy.

And then it turned into a brilliant few minutes as first of all typically for the species on the wood of a bench outside the second hide along was an excitingly red male darter dragonfly. And after photographing and examining it I was thrilled to see the jet black with no yellow on the side legs to show it was a Ruddy Darter and not Common Darter that I have enjoyed a lot this year. This was a very precious sighting for me as a year tick and I didn’t see one last year at all so this felt really good. I initially tried for photos with my normal lens which I had on at the time. I tend to use zoom lenses for dragonflies whilst my macro lens and all its closeup detail would maybe be the preferred option like all other insects. But the dragonflies land less frequently than butterflies say and after faster so I don’t normally have time to get my macro lens out or bend down to get the picture. Rare macro dragonfly pictures I’ve got in recent years have been down to luck at having my macro lens on my DSLR camera at the time. But this one was landed so frequently, always returning and settling again on the wood so I had time to get the macro lens out and take pictures possibly the extra bit of details I needed to get the ID over the line which I got the second picture in this photoset of. A brilliant view of a fine dragonfly and flipping back to the time of posting for a second I didn’t realise until I got home that Friday was ten years to the day that I saw my first ever Ruddy Darter dragonfly also at Rutland Water one I am fond of so this was special. 

Then in the hide we spotted a blue beauty of a big dragonfly parading in front of the hide over vegetation, it was the smashing species a Migrant Hawker one I see as a very notable species. I have seen these three years running now too with sightings of one on different days at Lakeside last year sandwiched by today and last time here in 2019. It was fantastic to see a couple of these together. And with that the two dragonfly targets I had for this trip big parts of it for me had been seen which I was thrilled with almost straight away. It took my year list to sixteen making my year list my joint second highest ever levelling my 2018 total and behind only my 2019 total now, with my mammal year list on the same amount and riding high when comparing to past years too and I know today will be a big dragonfly focal point in another very successful dragonfly and damselfly year for me. 

In the hide too I liked seeing a Little Grebe pair on a nest which was very interesting as I’d not seen them on a nest before unlike their cousins the Great Crested both grebe species on nests a very notable thing around the reserve lately it seems. There was a bare tree covered in Cormorants which was great to see with another one further up too as well and a Grey Heron flying over was nice.

A big event of the day occurred afterwards as we made it to the hide at the end, one of the two you can see the Ospreys within. It’s always a big moment whenever we come here and I was so thrilled today to see one as soon as we got into the hide a possible juvenile we think and it stayed sat on the Osprey pole for the whole time we were in this hide. And it was fascinating to see it had a fish in its talons. It was such a precious view of a bird that has been one of my very favourites for so long and such a key part of this usually annual trip for us. I was so delighted to see three more Ospreys join it as the time in this hide went on sitting on posts, the nest the one that has a webcam on it which I quite often watch and going through the big and prominent trees. It was wonderful to see and there was a very key moment of the whole trip when one Osprey flew out over the water in pursuit of a Grey Heron for a bit of heavy duty aerial tussle which put a lot of the ducks up unsurprisingly. This gave me some of best flying Osprey views for a few years it really was spectacular. I loved watching this and taking in the pure joy and pleasure of seeing it and taking photos as I did the whole time with the Ospreys. I took the fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth pictures in this photoset of the Ospreys still and flying today.  After being so lucky to see the Rutland Water originated bird at a local reserve for us Fishlake Meadows to keep Ospreys in our lives this year and last I was so grateful to get to see these here today.

Also from this hide it was great to see the quirky scene of some cattle in the water which is a strong memory. A Pied Wagtail made a great sighting here too and it was delightful to see a charm of Goldfinches fly down onto the shore of the water with their splash of colour a few times. Lapwings were all over the place here which was brilliant too and it was entertaining to see them together. I reflected on how I’d probably not seen the two of them together before. Common Terns sat on posts and hovering made a great sight here too as it so often does and I liked seeing lots of Sand Martins with later on seeing them at the third hide along landed in vegetation which was very interesting to see. It was a splendid day of egrets and herons with Great White Egret, Little Egret and Grey Heron all present which was very interesting to see and is always brilliant to see. On a good run I am on for them and a great year I’ve had for them Stock Doves were a highlight this afternoon too with one flying over and one by a nest box type area. I took the eighth picture in this photoset of one of a few Greylag Geese about flying in to land on the water too.

I also had a great moment with my macro lens again when I saw two sweet orbweaver spiders very intimately on webs over the hide windows. It was interesting taking one spider picture and seeing the shadow of a prominent clump of trees which I always enjoy when coming to Lyndon across the lake behind it and this was the tenth and final picture in this photoset that I took today.

[wolfwhiteflowers]

So I see carylers freaking out over the fact that the actress moved to Georgia and is confirmed for S11. I mean I get it, we’re all tired but at this point I’m not even gonna stress about it. If they intended to have her be endgame with Daryl they would have waited until season 11 to build it up more. It’s implied that they’ve already slept together and most of the “first moments of intimacy” happened off screen. I know shows don’t always follow logic but let’s not borrow trouble yeah? Breathe.

Yeah I'm feeling overwhelmed by shipdom reaction. I'm gonna do what I think is ok or what is enough for me. Everyone's different. I guess it's best to not read so many opinions.  Idk. I even avoided Rick movie thoughts and caryl spin-off show thoughts. Because everyone was so edgy and opinionated. Idk I'm going arc by arc .. I Already made a photoset on how I want the movie to go/ my happy ending. Just to like have it there for me..  And let it go. Idk.

So I haven't heard that she moved there in GA but something like she will be in s11. Idk for how long she will be in s11. It really makes me think Kang wants to do a love triangle arc or to show Daryl in a romance and .. Then she dies? cos idk if she's in the spin-off too. 🤷 Something to show character growth with Daryl and I think if Caryl will be canon by s11 finale. They know what works for them in their relationship. It could be that Carol realizing she has romantic feelings for Daryl. Maybe Daryl realizes he always wanted to be with Carol, and Leah was someone he was settling with.  Just Caryl angst..again. 

Anyways this reminds me of CZ ..on how the arc started in s9. I was really upset by learning that timejumps😒, Carol married him and the writers just rushed it ..forced it on the show. They made it all ooc for Carol/shipping. (And during last of Rick in the show). It made it seem ooc of everything. It made me wonder if they got something else in plan with Henry, Z, and pikes. But I dont really trust the writers so I just felt stuck in the middle.  So what I did I didnt watch s9 -hate watch it. I just kinda ignore Carol plots and focused on Rick/Rlchonne/TF. It was hard but I learned that Carol moments were meh and Cz was not so developed. I realized Carol asked Daryl if its ok to marry Z or something. That was an intimate Caryl scene...ukno like we don't see that kind of scene with CZ. Or Caryl scene kept being top bonding scene to me like writers still care about Caryl that way.

 So ..i just avoid it..waited till when the season ends /arc ends to know wtf the writers were really thinking. And I was surprised. They really wanted to forced the ship to have Henry be piked and add more drama to Carol. CZ was over. Even in s10 writers didn't try to get CZ back again like a real ship/endgame way. 

So I guess I'm saying  to wait it out to see how this daryl/Leah arc will go and see what it means till s11a or finale, idk.  To see if writers will still focus on Caryl and their bond like how they always are. And wait for more news and facts n quotes on how s11 is going. Or , if its too much then you could stop and take a break. Check on it s11 finale on what is going on to see if its  ok to get invested again or not. 

It is frustrating with daryl/Leah thing and because. I don't trust the writers 100 .. Random ships. They had Rick / jessie before they get to rlchonne for comic plot reasons(eye shot& hand chopped off) even tho it was rushed and weird for me to see R/J. So it's hard to be positive... Caryl might be like bell@rke, a ship of 2 leading characters, who just ended up being friends (and she shot him dead 🙃) but so far the story is going kinda the way I predicted/wanted to go. 

[melien]

I wanted to express my gratitude for your amazing support throughout the latest Twinkle storyline. All the lovely comments about Carn and Claret have made me so happy. I think I can’t find the right words to describe how thankful I am, and how much these comments always made me smile, laugh, go “awww” and be like “god same” when people were yelling at them. I have to confess that along the way (ever since I started planning their story in March/April last year), I’ve also hopelessly fallen in love with these two, and all this time I was trying so hard not to give up and just spill the beans. I usually reply directly under the post when I know what to say, but I didn’t want to spam you all, so I decided to compile the comments from the last few days into a large reply post! I haven’t made such posts in more than a year since they’re quite a pain due to x-kit, and they will probably be occasional, but this time I wanted to do one, and even made a new banner for it. I’ll try to replicate my live reactions to the comments :D

Carnet will be back very soon with the quadruple portion of feels (and I mean it). It makes me so content that you love them as much as I do, and I promise to deliver. 😁 Now, it may be a good time to start posting at least a little introduction to my new legacy, the Lilygreens. Here’s a fun story about where I got the inspiration for their last name: I was looking for something special to no avail. But what inspired me was this song (only true eurofans will remember, lmao. It’s from ESC 2010). It’s so lovely and reminds me of a few couples of mine (Carnet included, I’ve listened to it a lot during working on their story). So I thought the singer had a really unique last name, and the rest was history. I hope you’ll enjoy this legacy, it’s a vanilla one and I haven’t played vanillas in such a long time!

aestheicpixels replied to your photo “Claret: And this one is… ???: Claret?”

Lowkey hoping it’s Carn even though it probably isn’t.

simlovinggirl replied to your photo “Claret: And this one is… ???: Claret?”

Eeeee is it who i think it is??? i hope so *excitedly waiting for the next post* :D :D

I mean, it could be Master Fu Huang or Cami or Cat or her parents or literally anyone... but I’m sure it would be frustrating :P

simlovinggirl replied to your photoset “Claret: CARN!!!”

♥o♥ is it possible to be in love with a sim?!? Omg, he's such a heartthrob ♥ ♥ Claret is one lucky girl! :D

simlovinggirl replied to your photoset “Claret: CARN!!!”

Also, her face, i'm dying xD

No worries, that’s exactly how I feel about Carn :D

cafeheart replied to your photoset “Claret: CARN!!!”

SHIT HE GLO'D UP

I think he had the biggest glo-up among my sims, ever! He doesn’t even look like his old self anymore. :D

a-simming-princess replied to your photoset “Claret: CARN!!!”

*low-key screaming*

cloudberry-sims replied to your photoset “Claret: CARN!!!”

I KNEW IT!!! I had this feeling in my gut that Carnelian would come for Claret *w* Ahh what a lovely love story!

aestheicpixels replied to your photoset “Claret: CARN!!!”

YEET, also awwwww her reaction!

vintageplumbobs replied to your photoset “Claret: CARN!!!”

He’s such a cutie. I love this boy 💜

simside replied to your photoset “Claret: CARN!!!”

IM CRYIN

Ajdksdkslkd I was anticipating this post so much! I was trying so hard to keep my lips sealed :D

simlovinggirl replied to your photo “Carnelian: Oh my god, you– your hair! Claret: No, it’s your hair! And...”

lmao xD omg i love this ♥

I just imagine them screaming at each other until they realize what’s going on xD

aestheicpixels replied to your photoset “Claret: I sent you scenery pics! I thought it’s more important!...”

Awwwwwww, I am so excited about this! This is too cute!

aestheicpixels replied to your photoset “Claret: I did. I really missed you. Come here… I’m so happy to see...”

AWWWWW

That hug, how much both of them craved it!

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photo “Carnelian: We have matching hairstyles now. We’re basically soulmates....”

Soulmates! <333

The original draft said something like “soul buddies” but I guessed it would be too much even for them lmao

aestheicpixels replied to your photoset

Awwwwww

aestheicpixels replied to your photoset

I love them

I do too, so much ♥

borderlinedub replied to your photo “Carnelian: Why am I even in lo– I mean, why am I even friends with...”

DON'T BE A TWIT CARN

weirdsimfreak replied to your photo “Carnelian: Why am I even in lo– I mean, why am I even friends with...”

We all know what you meant Carn ;)

monets-pixels replied to your photo “Carnelian: Why am I even in lo– I mean, why am I even friends with...”

boi just SAY IT

aestheicpixels replied to your photo “Carnelian: Why am I even in lo– I mean, why am I even friends with...”

👀

Carn is one of those precious people who is constantly worried about overstepping boundaries, so he was trying so hard to show that his intentions are solely friendly ;_;

cherishsims replied to your photo “Carnelian: Oh my god, you– your hair! Claret: No, it’s your hair! And...”

He became a daddy during Claret's time away

Stop it Anonymous Friend

borderlinedub replied to your photo “Claret: And this one is for Cami and Cat. They are already bombarding...”

fsr Claret's eyelashes are particularly prominent in this one. so pretty

Right, I love these eyelashes! They sometimes glitch out and randomly disappear but it’s not too much of a problem, I just replace them.

simlovinggirl replied to your photo “Claret: And this one is for Cami and Cat. They are already bombarding...”

Awwwwwwww ♥

aestheicpixels replied to your photo “Claret: And this one is for Cami and Cat. They are already bombarding...”

They’re so adorable!!

Spoilers: Cami and Cat died from all the feels

simlovinggirl replied to your photo “Carnelian: Ahhh… Quite refreshing, after such a long flight. Claret:...”

Bahaha, Carn's face xD I love him ♥

High five, I’m so in love with him right now! :D

tainoodles replied to your photoset “Claret: You’re beautiful. Carnelian: Uh… me? Claret: I mean! The water...”

guuuuuurl

simlovinggirl replied to your photoset “Claret: You’re beautiful. Carnelian: Uh… me? Claret: I mean! The water...”

LMAO i mean she's not wrong ;) but that words vomit, i love it xD

For some reason the words vomits are always so fun to write!

simlovinggirl replied to your photo “Claret: What a wonderful day. Blue sky, green grass, Carn’s abs… Wait,...”

Dang right girl, no one missed those Carn abs xD

simmeronnie replied to your photo “Claret: What a wonderful day. Blue sky, green grass, Carn’s abs… Wait,...”

Relatable tbh

Love me some abs

aestheicpixels replied to your photoset “Chinese guy 1: Girl, just kiss him already. Chinese guy 2: Yeah....”

Carn and Chinese Guy 2 for sure

weirdsimfreak replied to your photoset “Chinese guy 1: Girl, just kiss him already. Chinese guy 2: Yeah....”

New otp

a-simming-princess replied to your photoset “Chinese guy 1: Girl, just kiss him already. Chinese guy 2: Yeah....”

Haha!

Claret who?

vintageplumbobs replied to your photoset “Claret: I mean, what I did to you at the homecoming. What I’ve been...”

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “Claret: I mean, what I did to you at the homecoming. What I’ve been...”

Omg omg omg

theladygrace replied to your photoset “Claret: I mean, what I did to you at the homecoming. What I’ve been...”

ALJDKLLSJDKL FINALLY

simlovinggirl replied to your photoset “Claret: I mean, what I did to you at the homecoming. What I’ve been...”

asdflasdkfs OMG I wasn't expecting her to actually say it, i'm dyyyyyying ♥o♥

a-simming-princess replied to your photoset “Claret: I mean, what I did to you at the homecoming. What I’ve been...”

YAYYYY finally, a confession!! 😍😍

simmeronnie replied to your photoset “Claret: I mean, what I did to you at the homecoming. What I’ve been...”

*insert more screaming*

This post!!! I’ve come with the idea of it when I was going on a trip in November and was exceptionally bored on the bus. It was past midnight, too. All the best ideas come unexpectedly! But yeah, since then I was imagining how he’s saying “I won’t force you into loving me when you don’t” and she’s like “but I do...” and not gonna lie, it made my heart skip a beat every time I thought about it. Sometimes simple lines like this can evoke so much feelings!

simlovinggirl replied to your photo “Carnelian: You… do? Claret: I was lost and confused when I was...”

His face, I'm dying right now!! ♥ ♥

aestheicpixels replied to your photo “Carnelian: You… do? Claret: I was lost and confused when I was...”

Yeeeeeeee

I also love how his face turned out. Deep inside he almost lost hope that she’ll ever reciprocate! But she, unknowingly for herself, did all along.

simmeronnie replied to your photo “Carnelian: You mean, about Lemon? Claret: No. It’s hard, but I’m...”

I keep reading Lemon as Lennon for some reason and I don't like it lmao

OMG SAME! I’ve done it so many times that I lost count. Stop haunting me, Lennon!

simlovinggirl replied to your photo “Claret: I know what you’re thinking! Now I made everything awkward....”

I'm crying, i love this so much ♥ ♥

aestheicpixels replied to your photo “Claret: I know what you’re thinking! Now I made everything awkward....”

Awww! I’m so happy now! Oh my goodness! Best thing to happen!

I’m happy that I have made people happy and managed to touch hearts, it’s the main purpose I want to achieve with my stories!

aestheicpixels replied to your photo “Claret: My parents had this magical love story which almost seemed...”

This is so beautiful. Like beautifully written and oh my goodness Claret

simlovinggirl replied to your photo “Claret: My parents had this magical love story which almost seemed...”

I think someone inherited some writing genes from her mommy :) She could be a poet with this, love it ♥ ♥

Claret has a soft poetic side for sure :P I’m always insecure about my writing, but I can definitely say this is one of the best scenes I’ve written and I’m 100% satisfied with how it turned out, it’s the kind of scene I’ll probably be randomly reading in the future and getting hit with feels. I’m glad that you also like it! ♥

a-simming-princess replied to your photoset “Carnelian: There’s a reason why I had no chance to be happy with Guava...”

Omg make me cry 😭💗

monets-pixels replied to your photoset “Carnelian: There’s a reason why I had no chance to be happy with Guava...”

AAAAHHHHH

simlovinggirl replied to your photoset “Carnelian: There’s a reason why I had no chance to be happy with Guava...”

My hear omg ♥

vintageplumbobs replied to your photoset “Carnelian: There’s a reason why I had no chance to be happy with Guava...”

😭😭😭😭

Quoting my girl Claret when she was talking to Cami, “my mission is to make you cry. Happy tears, of course. I won’t accept sad tears”.

a-simming-princess replied to your photoset “But you’ll never be alone I’ll be with you from dusk till dawn I’ll be...”

Mfkfkdiejddnslcof the lyrics match perfectly with their names 😭💕

Yessss! I’ve always associated this song with them. I had quite an interesting experience with naming these two. I know a lot of simblrs had a dusk/dawn theme going, but it wasn’t them who influenced me. I’ve always wanted to name my sim Dawn ever since I had banilla legacies going on, it’s a beautiful name. It was Claret’s first name originally, but then I decided to give her a double one, because that’s when I started noticing there’s a lot of sims around with this name or middle name, including some people’s BPR heirs for gen 3, and I didn’t want to seem like a copycat.

As for Carn, he didn’t even have a middle name originally, for some reason I was dumb and didn’t figure out I could give them matching ones. But it was once again on another trip in summer, at 6 am, when I was tired and the only thing that kept me awake was listening to my playlist. This song, “Dusk Till Dawn”, came on shuffle, and I was like “... Carnelian Dusk. CARNELIAN DUSK. I’M SO DUMB WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG”. I had to replace his tag too when he was still a kid. But yeah, these names fit them absolutely perfectly.

So yeah, that was story time with Melien :D

simlovinggirl replied to your photoset “But you’ll never be alone I’ll be with you from dusk till dawn I’ll be...”

*sobbing* ♥ ♥ ♥

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “But you’ll never be alone I’ll be with you from dusk till dawn I’ll be...”

Omg omg omg

I'm not crying not crying

Wait I'm totally crying

aestheicpixels replied to your photoset “But you’ll never be alone I’ll be with you from dusk till dawn I’ll be...”

YEET

Words cannot describe how happy I am

I’m happy too, it was so hard to keep it under wraps!

simlovinggirl replied to your photoset “I’ll hold you when things go wrong I’ll be with you from dusk till...”

*cries happy tears* ♥ ♥

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “I’ll hold you when things go wrong I’ll be with you from dusk till...”

They are so beautiful! ♥ ♥ ♥

I wasn’t kidding when I said that I also cried during writing this scene. I don’t know, it’s just so feelsy! I love slow burn relationships because it’s so satisfying in the end when they finally get together.

simlovinggirl replied to your photoset “Carnelian: Ah, Claret. Your lips are the sweetest I’ve ever kissed....”

lmao xD ♥

a-simming-princess replied to your photoset “Claret: Hah… Carnelian: What? Were my kissing ideas so funny? Are you...”

Okay but they are so cute??

aestheicpixels replied to your photoset “Claret: Hah… Carnelian: What? Were my kissing ideas so funny? Are you...”

This is so great. I love them so much

I can’t wait for you all to see how wholesome they are as a couple! I can hardly call this a spoiler because it’s obvious that they would be. :P

[brattywriters-anonymous]

A Rose In Harlem

OC x Erik Story

Based on Teyana Taylor’s VII & KTSE

Warnings: Language

@chaneajoyyy

Chapter IX: Rize

February 6, 2014

22 HOURS BEFORE SHOWTIME.REHEARSAL, NINE PM.

"Ladies, Gents! Find Seats! Sit in them!" All twenty-four models followed Yani's request. We just wrapped our rehearsal, everyone did phenomenal. I can only pray that we get it like this at 583 Park Ave. Yani and I have been thee dynamic duo for the past seventy-two hours. I've been steaming outfits, she's been bagging accessories. I've been designing roll-away walls, she's been contacting every contractor in her contacts to design the black and gold glitter floors.

Honestly, in the past month, Yani and I have been on our hustle. I finished my last shoot and have been on go since. Erik and I have basically been like two ships passing in the night. I usually would leave before him, and come home after he arrived. We never talked about my father's birthday, our kiss..well..kisses. None of it. I've been too busy. Yasin and I have been texting here and there, but I haven't seen him either. He's been understanding about it though. The only person I've been spending my time with is Yani.

We've collectively gotten maybe eight hours of sleep in three days. So now, we're just exhausted and over it. We're trying to get this rehearsal over and done with. The theater's silence is my queue to step on the stage, I do so, scanning my models faces. They're looking like kids on Christmas Eve. So excited for what the next day has to bring. Their faces make me grateful, my smile spreads and everyone breaks out in applause. I decipher a few, "Yeah Syd!" "You did it girl!" and "Woos" in the crowd, I yield my hands up and down, they lower their yells. "Hey everybody, We're down to the wire here. We're less than a day away. We've been working our asses off for a month and a half. I couldn't have ever gotten this done without any of you. I'm excited for everyone to see our hard work. I'm even more excited for you to see your hard work pay off."

I point to Iyo in the control center, He dims the lights and lower the projector screen. "I now present to you.. UPTXWN." Applause rings out as the projector displays a drone clip of High Bridge among the sunrise and Syd's voiceover, "Uptown, Home of the greats. From The Bronx, to Harlem. The place I know, the place I love." The six models she started with appear on the screen, daringly sitting on the railing, laughing with one another in their high end garments. "Our hustles.. It always had this special..thing about it. We always went a little harder. Thought a little smarter. Emerged to the top a bit faster." Photos of me and all of Uptown's finest begins scrolling through from right to left. From a photo of me and Dapper Dan when I was fresh out of college. Diddy and I when I was an intern at Chanel. With Kerry Washington a bit after Save the Last Dance came out when I was twelve. Sistah Souljah, Kid Capri, Bianca (aka Young B), Cam'ron, Juelz, and Jim Jones back when Rock-a-fella were still together, Kalis, and finally, A$AP Mob & me when they were fresh in the game back in 2011.

"And when we're on top, we set trends. We define eras. Their stamps will forever be evident in our culture. Here's mine. Here's UPTXWN." All of the photos scroll backwards and the screen goes black for a few seconds. Images of the Big L tribute wall outside of the Harlem Up Deli Market, in black and white appear, then the same original six models; Sam, Levi, Von, Jade, Deanna, and Cass kneeling at different levels, crowded around the wall. Making sure not to block his face or name. Then Pretty Flako instrumental bangs through the theater's speakers. The TV flake transition changes to the Bailey house shoot. The drone shot pans around the corner of the property, all twenty four models posing looking like royalty draped in over $80,000 worth of clothes collectively.  The visual pans over to a slowed down visual of Nina flashing her bottom grill, her thick frame vibing out to the up tempo beat. Then to Xierra kneeling beside her, giving face in her side profile. The screen shortly displays a wide pan of the property and models again, then switches to Levi. Iyo's suggested scene of displaying the details of his tattoos on his shirtless body-- while simultaneously showing the VVS necklace, the embroidery on the custom one of a kind jean jacket; came out perfectly.

The photos of each model in each of their looks scroll through at the right speed so each detail is fully displayed. Every model stands up, showing off as their photos went across the screen. As Gina's photoset emerges, I turn to the screen so I can roll my eyes. I instantly become reminded of how flirty she was with Erik before Yani had to snatch her up to take these.  Yani stands beside me, peeping the entire scene, "Girl, suck it up. She in it now. Let's get it over with." I shake it off, turning back to the models.  

The park Marcus Garvey Amphitheater scene pops up, it was a gloomy overcast. Which was perfect for the theme. As the looping instrumental repeats, each model was either sitting at the top of the folding seats, or crouched on the seat of the folding seats. The collective total of every look? $110,878. I'm lucky I got such great relationships with these clients and these models didn't fuck up any of they shit. The first visual was Von, on the center stage. His long hair hanging over his entire face. He rocked this black long open hooded jacket, shirtless. Displaying his massive musical themed chest piece. It gave me a grim reaper vibe that I was definitely looking for. The jacket was a piece I asked Chris Brown's people to create for their Black Pyramid line. They fucked with the vision and agreed to do it. Von flipped the bottom of the jacket back with force, the rest of the models appeared on stage, smoke filled the stage floor as the all black visual came to life. Gina and Cass rocked matching contrast dresses, Cass was the only model not in black that day. I put her in a white intricate lace Erdem Dress. Gina wore the matching Black dress.

Jade and Deanna were back to back. Jade was wearing a black deep v neck, with a leather ribbed comme des garcons jacket. With a cascading gold necklace reaching her stomach. Accompanied with black and gold aviator Louis Vuitton shades,  Black ripped Levis I thrifted on the East side, and Jefferey Campbell's Legion booties. Deanna was wearing my favorite outfit of that day. A black long sleeved Oscar De La Renta ruffled shirt with cut out shoulders, a Burberry black ruffled skirt, and black Averil Doc Martin boots. Her bamboos and three finger ring spelling out her name put a street edge on her look that was near and dear to my Harlem bred heart. GG beat every woman's face and gave them the same cohesive smokey eye with the black, In The Spirit MAC lipstick. The only difference makeup wise was Cass' white undereye liner.

Once again the photos of every model starts cascading slideshow style. Johan was my second favorite look for that shoot, He rocked a black high low long sleeved Alexander Wang shirt, black distressed Givenchy jeans, and his personal black on black Ralph Lauren Hi Boots. I was going to put him in some other shoes, but I saw the ones he had on and they looked way better with the fit. We accompanied that look with a black Cuban link necklace, the matching bracelet, and Dolce & Gabana retro flip up  round glasses.

Everyone's rave reactions trigger my tears of joy, it's all of our first times seeing the visual's final product and I couldn't be any more proud. This has really been my baby. I've nurtured it, I've put in the work for it. This moment was like its graduation. Everyone looks at me, "Awwwwww!" Yani gives me a big hug, "I'm proud of you, kid." I squeeze her, "I'm proud of us, kid." I push out a laugh.

The final shoot displayed the brownstones on Mount Morris Park, the street right outside of Marcus Garvey Park. Where my parents' old brownstone was. I only needed my original six for this one, since all twenty-four wouldn't fit on the stoop. That day, it was sunny. Not one cloud in sight. Perfect lighting for the intimate shoot. The theme was spring, specifically, pastel colors.

I dressed Jade in a pastel yellow Ted Baker maxi dress, I accessorized her outfit with vintage canary yellow teardrop earrings with a matching tennis bracelet. She wore some nude Christian Louboutin spiked peep toed heels. She stands up when she finds her face and yells while twerking, "Long Hair! Red Bottoms! Long Hair! Red Bottoms!" Everyone, including me burst out in laughter. She kept saying it so much during the shoot, I let her keep them. Paid the $1,500 tab too. Deanna was draped in a Monroe and Main white two piece suit with black accents on the collar and cuffs. We accompanied that with my personal pearls I got from my mom before she passed, some white Manolo Blahnic pumps, and some VVS diamond earrings while her hair popped in the sunlight. She wore her low cut with a rose gold tint. I put Cass in a pair of nude Emilio Pucci wide legged trousers, a White Alexander McQueen peplum top, and a matching nude blazer was draping over her shoulders. Her accessories was a silver double C Chanel choker, charm rings from Tiffany Co., and a vintage Chanel crossbody, gifted from Karl Lagerfeld himself. He said I needed something old for my collection.

The guys were matching my girls' fly. Von parallels Deanna with a Tom Ford cotton two piece suit,  I laced him with some white Versace loafers with the gold Medusa emblem on the center, with the Cuban link chain Johan wore at the Marcus Garvey shoot, and golden Panthere De Cartier  rounded sunglasses. Levi's parallel was for Jade's look. He wore a pastel yellow Calvin Klein. Accompanied with a large size canary ring on his index finger, and the Burberry vintage loafers. Sam paralleled Cass, in a nude ASOS suit with the matching vest. I kept it simple and just accessorized it with my dad's gold pocket watch and black Stacy Adams dress shoes.

I thought the presentation was over, but then the screen transitioned to me working behind the scenes. Me pointing and directing at the Bailey house, with the wind blowing like crazy, me filming on Highbridge at the crack of dawn, Iyo even snuck some footage of the meeting we had in Morningside Park. It looks like Yani snuck some footage of me putting the image board for the fashion show stage together as well. I'm just admiring the scene of watching the hard nights and amazing days I shared with an incredible team. The last shot was me sitting on my old stoop. I was just reminiscing, thinking of how my mom, dad, and I would eat ice cream in the spring in the same spot. I looked up, as I normally do when thinking of them, put my hands together and mumbled, 'allah , shkraan lak.' The camera was too far to catch my phrase. Afterward I bowed between my legs so I could have my emotional moment to myself.

Everyone hops on the stage to crowd around me and initiated a group hug. Once everyone slightly disbursed, I see Gina still sitting in the audience with Erik, I guess he just got here. I hear the doors open again and see Yasin, smiling at me.

--

By half past 10, everyone had gone home except for Yani, Nina, Gina, Erik, and Yasin. Nina is waiting on Rashad to pick her up, and I guess Gina is looking to Erik to take her home. She's literally been all up under him since his arrival.

"Tomorrow's gonna go great, babe. You got a great team behind you, you've been super focused. It can't go any other way." Yasin lands a kiss on my temple as I blush at his encouragement. I blink in Erik's direction, he's giving the same look he gave us at Rashad's party. He then grips Gina, pulling her closer to him, "Yeah. You got it Syd. We gon head out. See ya later." with that, Erik and Gina strut to the exit. Nina's phone dings, "Oh, bae is here! See ya tomorrow Syd! We gon kill it, boo!" She hugs me and Yani then jogs out the double doors, "Nice seeing you again Yasin!" he nods, "You too!"

--

"So tell me something about you, Sin! I've only talked about me when I see you. What was lil Yasin like?" We are strolling down Saint Nick Avenue after getting grilled jerk chicken from King Barka. We decide to sit on a park bench right outside Saint Nick Park to chat since I wasn't quite ready to go home. "Well, I was born and raised in Brooklyn. Flatbush. My moms is from Brooklyn as well. My dad's side of the family is from Harlem, the eastside, but they love uptown just as much." I grin as he continues, "I was a bad ass kid growing up. Always fighting, getting into trouble at school, I even got expelled in middle school." "Well damn! How did you go from that to--" I wave my hands around his silhouette, "This?" He takes a bite out of his chicken and flashes a sexy smile, "My mom sent me to live with my Uncle. The one that retired and gave me the maintenance business."

"Ahhhh, I see. He whipped you into shape?" He snorts, "Oh, he whipped me alright. A lot. He taught me what it is to be a man." "Where was your father?" He continues eating, pausing his story for a spell, "Uh.. He was in prison. He pushed weight for about ten years, he got caught up. He didn't snitch, so he got twenty. He got out after eight years for good behavior." "How's your relationship with him now?" He shugs, "We're cool. We had a little spat when he first got out. I had to be the man of the house for a while for my moms and sisters. I resented him for it." I take a hold of his free hand, "We patched things up recently." "So him and your mom still married?" He nods, "Yeah. Moms held him down. That lady.. She deserves the world." He finishes his dish as he glows at the mention of his mother.

"She had to get two jobs before I turned sixteen and worked with my Uncle. She held down our household for three years, alone, before I was able to step in and help her. After that, she went back to school. She finished the year before my pops got out, now she's a nurse. Doing what she loves to do." "That's great. That's what life is about, doing what you love." "Definitely." He throws away our empty plates and we keep walking down the avenue, "So what do you love to do Yasin?" "I love music." I stop in my tracks.

"Let me guess, you rap?" he sucks his teeth, "Nah, girl. I play instruments. Three; Acoustic guitar, piano, and snare drum." "Ah, okay! When did you discover your talent?" "I was... ten, I think?" "You make songs?" He pulls a slick move behind me, grabbing me by my waist. I roll my eyes as we continue to walk, "I haven't made a song in five years." "Why not?" I feel him shrug behind me, "I've been busy." I turn around to grab his hands, "You're never too busy to do what you love." He smiles at me, I sense the same glow about him that he had when he spoke of his mom. "Especially when it makes you this happy...just talking about it." Yasin closes the gap between us, "Maybe, you're right. Look at you. Doing what you love. You're inspiring Syeda. Beautiful, too." He strokes my left cheek with his palm. I freeze, much like I did a couple weeks back in my apartment with Erik.

Speaking of Erik, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do about what happened since my dad's birthday. I guess Erik knows what he wants, and that's Gina. So why am I freezing? What's stopping me? All of a sudden my inner thoughts are silenced when Yasin seals our distance, gently kissing me. My knees buckle and he hoists me up by my butt, cuffing the bottom of my cheeks. That makes me even weaker, he breaks off from me, "Damn girl. You good?" My eyes flutter as I respond, "Yeah. Yeah. I'm good." I pull him by his shirt to kiss him again.

--

[nostalgicatsea]

This is my second go at filling out the year-end writing meme that @sineala​ and muccamukk did on Dreamwidth because my computer freaked out and shut down on me without warning while I was writing and my entire post was lost. I was almost done with it so you can imagine how upset I was.

So here’s my reflection on my writing in 2018! This is going to be long. You can read it in full here on Dreamwidth as well.

All of these stories are Steve/Tony unless stated otherwise.

April

Leaving Promises Against Your Skin (MCU) - Post-Civil War soulmate AU, 18,611 words

May

The Great Silence of Loss (MCU) - Post-Infinity War fic about grief and hope vs. despair, 1,075 words

Little Moments in Between: A Brief Interlude (MCU) - Tony thinks about his relationship with Steve while they wait for a train, 844 words

June

Signals Between Two Satellites (MCU) - Post-Infinity War angst and hurt/comfort fic about Steve and Tony seeing each other for the first time after the snap, 2,290 words

August

Hidden Declaration (Generation Kill, Brad/Ray) - Ray tries to convince Brad to get matching tattoos with him, 728 words

You and Nothing Else (MCU) - Steve doesn’t like seeing Tony stressed out and unhappy over their wedding plans, 785 words

Every Last One of My Demons (MCU) - Post-Infinity War emotional hurt/comfort fic about Steve and Tony talking after having nightmares, 1,705 words

Rushing Headlong in the Wrong (Right) Direction (Avengers Academy) - Steve bids on Tony in their school’s charity auction, wrongly assuming that he’s auctioning off a date, 2,727 words

December

A Long, Final Rest Among the Stars (MCU) - Endgame trailer fic about Tony reflecting on how he’s come full circle from Afghanistan in a way, 2,732 words

Last year I wrote and posted:

Nine stories and 33,333 words, including the 1,836 words I wrote on New Year’s Eve for a Cap-Iron Man comm gift fic but didn’t submit because I wasn’t happy with it.

Overall thoughts:

Last year was a productive writing year for me! My 2018 New Year’s resolution was “to build on my progress and write even longer pieces and more works that I’m proud of.” Suffice to say, that happened. In the past two years, I went from writing one or two fics a year that were at most 1-2.5k to writing my longest fic at the time I wrote that New Year’s post (Multitude of One (4,277 words)) to the number of words and fics above.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would last year, less, or about what you'd predicted?

I didn’t have a specific goal, but nine fics is more than half my fic count on AO3 and the other eight were posted over the course of four years so yeah, WAY more than I thought I’d write. I don’t know how that happened especially as I get stuck while writing all the time.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?

Brad/Ray and Gen Kill. I never thought I’d write a GK story because just the thought of doing so is intimidating. Ray Person is intimidating. I love him, but he’s so easy to get wrong and I’ve seen people get him totally wrong or get close but still fall short. I didn’t even want to bother trying until @luxover​ gave me a Brad/Ray prompt and I wrote Hidden Declaration. Just to make things both harder and easier, lux is a good friend so I hoped she would be gentle even if she hated it lol, but I wanted to make her happy because she’s my friend. She’s also the only person I know who writes Ray perfectly so, you know, no pressure. But I wrote a thing! In a fandom I didn’t ever expect to write in!

This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most:

A toss up between “angst with catharsis/grief and healing” and “post-Infinity War.” Or maybe “I never thought I’d write this.” It’s funny because after Infinity War came out, Alanna (aslightstep​) and I talked about how it didn’t fill us with the desire to write any fics based on it, and three of my fics from last year are post-IW ones (four if you include the one based on the Endgame trailer).

Leaving Promises Against Your Skin hits all three things.

What's your own favorite story of the year?

Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?I’m not sure it makes me the happiest, but it’s definitely the fic I’m proudest of and it so happens to be my longest and most popular one: Leaving Promises Against Your Skin again. LPAYS was the sequel to Multitude of One which, until I posted LPAYS, was my longest fic. I knew it would blow MoO out of the water, word count-wise. That was one of the reasons I was too afraid to write it because I didn’t know how to write long fics nor do I know how I wrote this one now that so much time has passed since I finished it. I’m proud of it not because it’s perfect and I love everything about it (a few things bother me about it actually) but because writing it was agonizing. I wanted to give up so many times.

The only reason I kept going was that I didn’t have that much of an option to do so as it was a STH fill. I’m proud of sticking with it. Once everything snapped into place, the words kept flowing…and flowing and within days, I wrote several thousand words more than I had expected the fic to be. This is how I felt once I was done. For the first time ever in all my years of writing, I got choked up over my own writing lol. I understand how great it feels to finish a long fic, write the scenes you had in mind for so long, and get to the ending that you envisioned from the start (I had the ending of LPAYS in mind while writing MoO even though I kept mum about it when people asked me what happened after the ending of MoO). I got so happy that I made my first photoset! That’s another unexpected thing that happened last year.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

A lot!

- I mostly write angst and never thought I would ever write unadulterated fluff with zero angst and I did so twice in 2018 with my first Avengers Academy fic, which also has a dash of humor (“humor”? I’m not really funny), and this wedding preparation fic, which also is an established relationship fic about marriage. I never thought I’d write those things either especially because wedding fics tend to bore the hell out of me and I never seek them out.

- Both of those fics were prompt fills (I filled four in total). I never take prompts because I get stuck and stressed out that I have writer’s block, but it worked out fine which I’m happy about as the prompts for the two fics were out of my comfort zone. I had no idea what to write for the cheese one, but I was determined to fill it. I can’t recognize myself. Fluff? Humor? No angst? Established relationship? Wedding preparations? Prompt fills? ME? What?!

- Long fics! I wrote my first one because eh, 4k doesn’t count as long even though it was long for me at the time.

- MCU Tony POV. MCU Tony scares me from a writing standpoint, so I avoided writing from his POV until LPAYS and now I have two fics with his POV.

I learned that what may seem or be impossible to do doesn’t stay that way and that trying to get out of my comfort zone can be incredibly rewarding. It’s worth a shot even if I fail because I gain more experience, and it makes me feel hopeful about growing as a writer. It’s hard to think that you’ll ever improve or be able to write things you can’t write when you’re frustrated or not feeling great about your writing.

My best story of this year:

I don’t remember what I put the first time around.

My most popular story of this year:

Leaving Promises Against Your Skin

had the most bookmarks, comments, hits, and kudos. Not surprising because it’s a sequel to my most popular fic and it’s a soulmate AU which tends to draw people in.

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:

Hidden Declaration has the fewest bookmarks, comments, hits, and kudos without contest, but considering the size and lack of activity in the fandom (which is why I don’t care that no one has read it, but I generally don’t obsess over those markers anyway especially if it’s a gift like this one was), I can’t exactly say it’s underappreciated by the universe.

You and Nothing Else had the lowest comments to hits ratio, but it performed well on Tumblr where I originally posted it, so I have to pick Every Last One of My Demons which had the lowest kudos to hits and bookmarks to hits ratios of ALL my fics from 2018 and went a bit under the radar on Tumblr too. I thought it would do better because hurt/comfort! Post-Infinity War! Oh well.

My least favorite story this year:

Rushing Headlong in the Wrong (Right) Direction. I’m not good with humor, and the words kept coming but kind of in a “oh no, I can’t stop word vomiting” way. But hey, I never write dialogue-heavy fic so there’s that. And it’s a silly and fun fic for a silly and fun prompt (“cheese wheel”...I almost ended up ignoring the prompt because cheese wheel?) and universe. RIP soon, AvAc. You’ll live on in our hearts and in fandom.

Most fun story to write:

Hidden Declaration! Ray was super fun, which is a big surprise as I said he’s scary to write. There are one or two lines in the story hat I want to tweak because I think they toe the line in being “too much” (as I said, he’s very easy to get wrong, and many people go overboard with him), but he’s really fun to write and I love him!

Story with the sweetest moment:

You and Nothing Else. The part where Steve tells Tony he doesn’t care about what their wedding is like and Tony not only gets what he means, but he meets him halfway because what he ultimately decides on reminds him of Steve.

Story with the single sexiest moment:

Haha I don’t have any sexy moments. The closest would be Hidden Declaration, where Brad imagines Ray beneath him with a tattoo that matches his (he totally learns how to tattoo so that he can ink Ray himself).

Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story:

None. I didn’t do anything that’s more horrible than what I usually do.

Most overdue:

LPAYS. It took a year for me to post although I only seriously thought of writing it and began writing it months after I posted MoO.

Most eye roll-worthy title:

A tie between Rushing Headlong in the Wrong (Right) Direction which is awful, but I got stuck on a title for that one, and Little Moments in Between: A Brief Interlude, which is so pretentious (that colon!) and long for such a short fic about nothing. I couldn’t decide between the two phrases separated by the colon, so I used both.

Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:

LPAYS. It’s written in Tony’s POV, but it helped me explore Steve a bit and feel better about him. A lot of people, including me, were upset with Steve after CA:CW and hated his letter because it made little sense (I still think this way). I also kept thinking about the line “I can see now I was really sparing myself” and tried to figure out what he meant by that. For once, Steve was selfish and it led to disastrous consequences, but his selfishness came from losing so much in his life and not wanting to lose more and...I really do think he didn’t want to lose Tony and was afraid he’d lose him and that Bucky would fall out of his grasp again. He was a coward, but because he cared too much, not because he didn’t care at all.

Hardest story to write:

LPAYS again! I knew what would happen after the ending of MoO and had the ending of LPAYS in mind too while writing the ending of MoO, but I kept mum about it even though people wanted to know and asked me about it. I couldn’t figure out what scenes to write other than one BARF scene and the ending which I desperately wanted to get to. I couldn’t figure out how to deal with the idea of forgiveness, how Tony could ever heal, and how Steve could earn back Tony’s trust again. It was so, so hard and I was miserable until things clicked and then 8k became 10k...which became 12k. I thought I’d stop there, but then it became 18k. I couldn’t stop which felt so liberating, fun, and rewarding because it had been so difficult to write until that point.Thank you to everyone who listened to me, brainstormed with me, and held my hand through the process as I whined and suffered.<3 I couldn't have written it without you.

Biggest Disappointment:

I couldn’t write a comm gift fic that I was happy with in time, and I wanted this year to be the year that I finally wrote one. Hopefully I’ll be able to participate in another writing-related Cap-Iron Man event this year! Oh, and I didn't write that other soulmate fic that's been on my mind for years.

Biggest Surprise:

Everything under the “writing risks” part. Um...that LPAYS did so well. There’s a risk with long sequels; the longer a oneshot fic is, the less likely it is to get as much feedback as say, something that’s in the 5-7K range (I forgot the exact range, but someone put up stats about this), and if it’s a sequel? People back out because they think they won’t know what’s going on unless they read the first story. I was that “Troy from Community enters a room on fire with a pizza box, smiling and then alarmed” gif when MoO did incredibly well, and I sort of feel like that with LPAYS, even if MoO has double the bookmarks, comments, kudos, and hits.

Most Unintentionally Telling Story:

I don’t know.

Favorite opening line:

I’m not extremely fond of any particular opening line from last year. This is easier with opening paragraphs. If I had to pick, though, it’s “They were like bedtime stories, his nightmares” from Every Last One of My Demons.

Favorite closing line:

The one from LPAYS and the last four paragraphs of that are my favorite closing lines ever, but they’re spoilery so I’ll pick something different. My favorites have to be from Every Last One of My Demons, Signals Between Two Satellites, and A Long, Final Rest Among the Stars. I’ll pick two.

Favorite in terms of meaning: Hope, he thought as Tony turned to look at him, exhausted and afraid and beautiful from Signals.

Tony is the embodiment of hope for Steve!!!! I honestly think that Tony embodies that for the Avengers and especially Steve in so many ways, even in the MCU; it’s not as apparent as the other universes, but if you think about what Tony did for Steve in all their movies together and in Infinity War, which they aren’t in any scenes together, it makes sense.

Favorite in terms of writing/prettiness/mood: “Tony,” he heard the voice whisper again, and it was all their voices all at once, calling him to them from here and beyond, all with him as he drifted off, into the boundless darkness, into the stars and the lights he had loved and then feared and loved again from A Long, Final Rest.

In conclusion:

I’m proud of myself.

Fic-writing goals for 2019:

I’m not going to try to top what I did in 2018. I don’t think that’ll be possible. What I hope to do in 2019, other than write my MTH fill for @sabrecmc​, of course, is to finish the two fics that have been on my mind for years: the reconciliation/reunion fic and the one that everyone must have heard me complain about by now as I’ve been whining about it on and off for about 4.5 years. Yes, that one. That soulbond fic. The one that I tried to abandon, but even if I put it aside for a long time, I can never actually let go of. It haunts me. I WANT TO BE FREE. I WANT TO BE FREE. If you’re curious, the two fics are the second and third fic on this post. I have some other stories I want to write, but those two are my only priorities. PLEASE, I WANT TO WRITE AND POST THEM EVEN IF I DON’T KNOW HOW.

Anyway, happy 2019. One more year until 2020! What a scary thought. I wish you all a prosperous, joyous, creative, and prolific year.

[somuchkdrama]

Bride of the Water God Ep1 Pt3

We’re back with the third and last part of our review of episode 1!  

That One Scene - Part Two

dramajib: So my main big thing - that wild boar scene

rocknghorss:  lol I was wondering what you were going to make of it.

triangularlily: Yeah I was curious too

dramajib: I kinda skimmed through you guys talking about it, and I had no idea what to expect, but I laughed hysterically when it happened. Like I'm pretty sure I was laughing for all the wrong reasons. What the hell was that?! I legitimately feel like the second hand clasp (where he adjusts to take the lead and it becomes more "intimate") is probably WAY more uncomfortable for running away together. Also that pig was so cute. And non threatening, apart from being massive.

triangularlily: It also just occurred to me they must have put so much effort into doing the cgi of that… Like that of all things

rocknghorss: Right?!

dramajib: Also also, I've never actually tried to get in the boot of a car (do you call it a boot or a trunk? I get confused with British and American English because we use both here) but I'm very certain my car would NOT fit two people that comfortably, let alone leave room for snuggling.

rocknghorss:  Maybe in like an SUV that would've been possible, but in her little four-door Hyundai no way.  Especially considering how massive JooHyuk is!

triangularlily: Yeah that whole scene was so strange

dramajib: I don't know, maybe it's like the odd-end of korean humour that I never seem to get. Like the gag concert stuff

rocknghorss:  I call it a trunk btw, but wouldn't be confused if you called it a boot.

triangularlily: Same

Vanuatu and Fruit

dramajib:  Is Vanuatu Tourism a sponsor or something? Because that seems oddly specific. Also do dragonfruit actually grow in Vanuatu, or was that just like token exotic tropical fruit? Am I just ruined to fruit-fantasies because I live on the equator?

rocknghorss:  LOL probably you are ruined for them. But yeah the Vanuatu thing was very, very strange. It actually kinda reminded me of Healer and his obsession of going to that whatever island it was

dramajib: Oh God I forgot about that. Did they actually name the island??

rocknghorss:  I don't think they ever did!

Representations of Mental Illness

dramajib:  I foresee some poor representations of mental illness. Like when she repeatedly mentions how he looks perfectly normal on the outside but is clearly suffering from delusions. I want to believe that it's their way of saying "oh you never know who's suffering, it could happen to anyone" but I have doubts

rocknghorss:  Yep.  Also, the whole "are you really hungry thing?" kind of pissed me off.  I was like really, we're going to do fat jokes, really?

dramajib:  omg I didn't even realize it was a fat joke. I thought maybe his fly was open and they didn't do a good job with the camera work or something

triangularlily: I didn't realize either but I was confused with that whole scene

Speculation on who racked up those loans of hers

dramajib: Obviously some family sob story there, she brings up family like fifty times while talking to suspected patients.

rocknghorss:  I’ve perhaps missed something, but where is her family?

dramajib:  I'm thinking dead? Or abandoned her and left the country. Or in JAIL for DEBT. because of stupid Korean laws which is why she hates Korea!

rocknghorss: Lol

triangularlily: I feel like that's a new thing I haven't seen in a lead before.

rocknghorss: Ooh. Hating Korea you mean?

triangularlily: Yeah saying it so explicitly “I hate Korea”

dramajib: Yeah I don't think I've ever seen it expressed unless it's like a... war scene or something, by the opposite forces. Like even in Healer, since Marie mentioned it, he doesn't want to leave Korea, he just wants to leave everything behind, which just so happens to be in Korea.

rocknghorss:  Yeah, perhaps it's only because of the genre of show that we're watching. Like in Secret Forest (because I'm obsessed with that show right now) it's pretty blatant that nobody likes Korea but that's to be expected in that kind of show. Versus this kind of show where it's supposedly a fantasy romcom so you don't expect to hear people giving opinions on the state of the country. But who knows.

dramajib: Definitely something I'm gonna be keeping an eye out for, I don't think it's the sort of thing they'd just throw in there for the heck of it. Also you're doing a really good job of making me want to binge watch Secret Forest lol

rocknghorss: I'm trying real hard!!  Also, going back to her nurse. I actually really liked that he was super whiny. I mean it was irritating, but at least it was new and different

A Brief Digression

dramajib: True I guess. Speaking of supporting cast - was the portrait guy in heaven that musician? The one who's married to the singer who does ridiculous jazz? pause while I google this…. Jo Jung Chi, and yes, yes it was him

triangularlily: Wait in real life or the drama? I don't remember a singer.

dramajib: So like you know when we first see him in heaven, and he's getting his picture drawn? The guy doing the drawing is Jo Jung Chi, a musician. He's married to Jung In who sings really well. it's a weird cameo, because I'm pretty sure he's not an actor. Like at all.

triangularlily: Ahhh I see

rocknghorss:  Ohh lol. Maybe he's friends with some of the cast

That Buried Ring

dramajib: Why did she bury that ring? Why not just sell it at the time

triangularlily: Maybe she was better off before?? I mean her house looks nice but idk if that's just the typical kdrama "I'm super poor" but don't look like it

dramajib: I think her family was probably rich as hell and then she's started getting poor while trying to sort it all out by herself? There's some backstory with the nurse too, when she tells him at the bar that she doesn't want to talk about it. That probably plays into it somehow.

Overall Thoughts

dramajib: I'm confused, to be honest. Sometimes I thought the writing was really good. Like in her first scene with a patient, where they kinda twist it so we think for a moment that she actually understands alien speak, or that she can hear and interpret messages from other beings, because she's the god-servant-person-thing. but then they turn it around and it's just grammar and made up languages. I thought that was kinda smart, and a level of detail I don't usually expect to see from this sort of a romcom show. But then they do this whole pig-hand-holding-thing and I just... what?!

triangularlily: Yeah I think that's why I was so meh about it

dramajib: I'm not captivated by the show, but I'm not dying to drop it either. There are so many little questions to be answered. and also it's just SO PRETTY. That final scene by the road, where every time the light is on her and it's all colourful, but when it's on him it's dark... I bet we'll see so many photosets on tumblr

rocknghorss: Exactly. Also, because it was actually fairly OK, that makes it fun when talking about it with you guys.

dramajib: Yeah! I'm so glad we decided to do this, because I don't think I would keep on with it if I were watching alone. I can't imagine NOT having someone to thrash out that pig scene with. That would be tragic.

triangularlily:  Lol and I mean the writer and pd do have a good reputation so I'm optimistic

dramajib: I loved arang and the magistrate.

Next up: Bride of the Water God Episode 2 Part 1

[luanna801]

Obviously 001 for SatoDai~

YESSSS, let’s do this. :-)

(Also I hope you guys are prepared for a lot of rambling, because. Uh. This got super long.)

when I started shipping it if I did: Haha, okay, so. I first started reading D.N.Angel like a decade ago, when I was 15, so bear with me that my memory is slightly fuzzy here. But the two moments that stick out in my mind as when I started having shippy feelings were the scene when Satoshi dives into the pool to save Daisuke (technically Wiz!Daisuke, in the manga), and this scene:

I’ve talked a bit in the past about how bb!me, as a general rule, did not have slash ships. With the kind of religious upbringing I had (I was, and still am, Orthodox Jewish) I was just really unlikely to see a character as gay (or bi, or pan, etc.) unless it was outright stated in the story. But these two managed to be an exception to that because… well, it was just that obvious.

Then I kinda forgot about them, and for the most part about D.N.Angel, until I started watching the anime and re-reading the manga last year. And was reminded all over again how much I love these characters - honestly, in certain ways I think I feel much more strongly about them than I did back then, because I think I relate to the story in a more complex way now. And I’m also happily in a place where I’ve evolved a lot in terms of my religion and how I view LGBQTA issues, which does also affect the way I am as a shipper. So all in all I’m in a place now where I ship them even more strongly than I did as a teenager, which is really nice.

my thoughts: MY PRECIOUS CHILDREN, I WILL PROTECT THEM FROM EVERYONE WHO TRIES TO HURT THEM OR CONTROL THEM OR PREVENT THEM FROM BEING HAPPY IN ANY WAY. *laughs* No, seriously, I love them a lot. I think their relationship is a really good one for both of them (amazingly so, considering how they started out), and they help each other grow in a lot of really important ways. I say this all the time, but: I love that they were supposed to be Predestined Mortal Enemies and yet they’re so absolutely terrible at it. I love that at the beginning of the story, you have Satoshi talking about how they have to be enemies Because Destiny, and yet he still runs in there to save Daisuke over and over. (Not just in a “Okay, you’re my enemy, but I can’t actually let you die” kinda way either - he literally runs over to catch Daisuke when he’s falling down the stairs??? Just because??? Apparently he can’t stand the thought of seeing his Mortal Enemy TM fall and hurt himself? A+, amazing enemy-ing, Satoshi.) I love that you have everyone - Emiko, Daiki, Dark, Satoshi himself at times - telling Daisuke that the two of them can’t be friends, that they have to be enemies, and Daisuke absolutely does not care. He just keeps trusting his instinct that Satoshi is a good person and reaching out in friendship no matter what, and that ends up making all the difference.

It’s especially amazing because - I’m gonna talk a bit more about this below - one of Daisuke’s major character flaws is that he has a really hard time standing up to people and putting his foot down about the things he thinks and wants. And yet when it comes to his friendship with Satoshi, that boy does not let anyone tell him what to do. He stands up to his family and Dark about it over and over, he even freakin’ yells at Emiko over it at one point. And the beautiful thing is that speaking up about that leads to him letting out more of his frustrations with how the Niwa family does things in general (that argument I mention leads to Daisuke blurting out that, shockingly enough, he’s really not comfortable with all this stealing, ‘family tradition’ or no), and that’s something incredibly healthy and important for him as a character.

I think the lovely thing about their friendship is that it leads to some hugely important and positive growth for both of them. Satoshi starts being able to open up more and actually trust someone and have someone he openly calls a friend (probably for the first time in his life). Daisuke learns to trust his own instincts and stand up for what he thinks and the relationships he wants in his life, even if it’s different from how his family’s traditionally done things and he’s facing opposition from almost everyone. Their relationship leads to both of them growing into stronger and healthier people, and I think that says a lot about them.

What makes me happy about them: At their core, I think their story is one about love being stronger than hate. The Niwas and Hikaris have been at odds for centuries, and ultimately it’s brought both sides nothing but a lot of needless misery. And it takes these two kids coming along and saying “Hey, everyone says we have to be enemies, but maybe we don’t actually have to be” for things to start changing, and you see how much stronger they are together and how beautifully they work as a team once that happens. Ultimately, I think if the manga did end up being finished we’d see that play a big role in ending the curse, because I think their friendship is hugely significant not just for them as individuals, but for what it means that a Niwa and a Hikari are working together as friends after all this time.

But I also think on a personal level, their friendship is just so good for both of them, and really different from anything they’ve had with anyone else. (Well obviously, Satoshi’s pretty clearly never had a real friend before, but I think even for Daisuke their friendship is something pretty unique.) I mean, I talked above about how it leads to some really important character growth for both of them, but I also just really love how mutually supportive they are (I even made a whole photoset about it!) and the way you see them open up to each other about things you really never see them confide in anyone else about. Can we talk about how we see Daisuke struggling with his insecurity issues over feeling like he isn’t good enough on his own and he can’t do anything without Dark for almost the entire story, and yet it isn’t until he and Satoshi start becoming closer friends that we finally see him openly talk about it to someone? Like??? I see people talk a fair bit about how Daisuke helps Satoshi open up (which is true!), but I think people ignore what a big deal it is for Daisuke to have a friendship like this, too. He has other relationships which are important in other ways, but we see him opening up with Satoshi in ways that you honestly don’t see with anyone else.

I think the biggest thing I love about them is how much they trust each other, because it’s a trust that exists in spite of so, so much. It’s a trust that exists in spite of the fact that Satoshi has huge (understandable) trust issues and is incredibly disinclined to trust anyone, let alone the kid he was raised to see as his mortal enemy. It’s a trust that exists in spite of Daisuke being told by almost everyone (including, again, at times Satoshi himself) that he shouldn’t trust Satoshi. It’s a trust you see them both struggle with at times, but ultimately they do choose to trust each other, over and over - as allies, as friends, as confidantes. That’s a hugely powerful thing. 

And again, that trust isn’t always a simple thing (how could it be, with their situation being as complicated as it is). But I think ultimately it’s solid because it’s built on something very real. It’s built on them consistently being there for each other and saving each other’s lives over and over. It’s built on them choosing to be honest with each other (it says so much that Satoshi is more than once the one filling Daisuke in about things his family should have explained long ago) and confide in each other. It’s built on them having the courage to call each other a friend and admit how much they mean to each other, even when it’s hard.

Also I just??? Love the more lighthearted aspects of their dynamic??? I love that Satoshi, who is so serious and so restrained and so emotionally repressed in almost every way, is such an effing flirt with Daisuke. I love how much he clearly loves teasing Daisuke, and the way Daisuke gets so incredibly flustered and is constantly blushing and stammering around him. I love when Daisuke is being such a huge dork (a la the Great Glasses Freakout of 2kWhatever) and Satoshi is just so incredibly Done with him, but you still see the affection underneath it.

I really need to make myself shut up already before I just ramble endlessly, but uh. I love them a whole darn lot, basically. I love that Satoshi canonically says that his relationship with Daisuke is the only thing that’s ever really brought him joy. (It also makes me sad because, y’know, I wish he’d had more happiness in his life. But I’m glad he has this, at least, and I think it’s a first step towards him moving forward in important ways.) I love that they generally just seem to make each other so happy, and the way Daisuke beams around Satoshi even more than usual? I love how good they are for each other and how hard they’re both willing to fight for their relationship. 

What makes me sad about them: It messes me up that Satoshi’s feelings for Daisuke have to come with so much heavy, complicated baggage. That he has to worry that those feelings could literally get Daisuke killed if he isn’t careful. That as much as his relationship with Daisuke is something positive and good in his life, those feelings are also responsible for letting a monster take control of him. That in many ways the best relationship in his life and the worst relationship (if you can call it a ‘relationship’) are inextricably tied together. Can you imagine the way that must mess with his head? The way it must make him hate his own feelings, and feel like those feelings are something he needs to feel guilty about and protect Daisuke from?

You know that scene where he’s like “I will, one day, unquestionably destroy you” after Daisuke says they’re friends and he’s worried about him? That breaks my heart because… he doesn’t say “Krad will destroy you”. He says “I will”. Because I think Satoshi very much blames himself for anything Krad does (he should have been strong enough to stop him, etc., etc.), but also because I think Satoshi sees his own love as an inherently destructive thing, Krad or no Krad. He talks several times in the manga about how he tries not to hold anything dear to him because he believes you only end up losing everything you care about in the end, and it just… breaks my heart that he’s so young and yet he’s so constantly terrified that letting himself love anyone will just mean hurting both himself and anyone he might love.

In general, I think these two have a lot of really deep insecurities and self-worth issues (Satoshi more obviously than Daisuke, but honestly Daisuke has some major ones too) and it really saddens me. I think Daisuke has a really hard time believing that he’d good enough just for being who he is, not because he’s Dark’s Tamer or the Phantom Thief his family expects him to be, and I think he has a hard time really believing that his own opinions and wants are legitimate. One of his big struggles in the manga is learning to stand up for himself more and believe he’s good enough on his own, and I think his relationship with Satoshi definitely plays into that in a very positive way. But it’s gonna be a long road for him to fully get over those insecurities, and I hate that he has to deal with that.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: CONSENT ISSUES, OH MY GOSH. I think manga/anime fandoms from that era tend to have a lot of consent issues in general (for whatever reason), but it particularly bugs me with these two I think because consent and choice are major themes for both of them, and their relationship is one of the rare places where you see them choosing something simply because it feels right to both of them, not because they were forced or pressured into it. So it bugs me when fanfic portrays one of them as violating the other’s consent (which is ridiculously OOC, in my opinion) or them somehow being forced into doing something they don’t want to. I mean, I’m never gonna be there for that kind of thing regardless… but it seems to be particularly prevalent in this fandom, and it particularly bugs me because it’s so very against what these two are about.

My other big pet peeve would have to be ridiculously OOC takes on Krad and his dynamic with Satoshi, which is… sadly really common in D.N.Angel fanfic. (Also like… a solid half of all the Daisuke/Satoshi stories are also Dark/Krad stories, which I am Not Here For. Just… I could probably do an entirely separate post on ways Krad gets handled in fanfic that bug me, but that’s not the point of this post so I shall move on.)

Also, any story about these two which tries devaluing Daisuke’s relationship with Riku, writing Riku as a jerk or in other OOC ways, or having Daisuke (ugh) cheat on Riku is an absolute no-no in my book. 

things I look for in fanfic: Honestly like… if it’s in-character and well-written and doesn’t also contain pairings I dislike, I’m probably already on board. (This rules out a lot of the fanfic out there, sadly.) Also like… letting them be innocent teenagers and not ridiculously oversexualizing things? In general I like fluff, and cuteness, and angst that exists for a purpose but is ultimately resolved. I like the two of them healing and supporting each other through things. I wish there was more established relationship fluff tbh. There’s almost none I’ve found, and I’d really love to read more with them.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I’m cool with Daisuke/Riku being endgame! I assume that’s probably how the story would end if Sugisaki ever actually finished it (ha), and honestly that’s fine with me. I think they’d have a tough time rebuilding the trust between them after how he lied to her, but assuming that was dealt with properly (I think it would have to take time), I think they’re a cute couple and would be happy together. They’re not my OTP in the way Satoshi and Daisuke are, but I have no issue with them.

Satoshi is a tougher case. I know a lot of people ship him with Risa, but (apologies to any Satoshi/Risa shippers out there), I really can’t see their relationship that way. (I love the idea of them becoming friends, though!) So I suppose in a scenario where Daisuke ends up with Riku, I’m rooting for Satoshi and Nice Future Boyfriend Who Makes Satoshi Happy. :-P

My happily ever after for them: They break the curse and Dark is able to get his own body somehow. Krad is gone forever. Daisuke learns to set boundaries with his family and live his life on his own terms. Satoshi is finally free of all the people who abused him and is able to heal from everything he’s been through and find the things that make him happy. Daisuke and Dark stay close while also living happily separate lives as independent people. Satoshi and Dark learn to tolerate each other for Daisuke’s sake. They’re close friends with Riku and Risa (there’s some awkwardness after Daisuke and Riku have first broken up, naturally, but after a while they’re able to move beyond it). Satoshi’s dad dies or goes to jail and is out of their lives forever. They move in together after finishing high school (which seems really young, I know, but they’ve been dating a couple years by that point and Satoshi already has his own apartment, so… ) Daisuke goes to art school and ends up having a career in animation or as an art teacher or something like that. Satoshi ends up becoming a doctor. They get married and adopt a little girl together eventually. Everyone is happy.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: Satoshi’s usually the big spoon by virtue of being taller (which I headcanon he is when they’re adults), but sometimes he has really bad nightmares and then Daisuke holds him until he relaxes/falls back asleep.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: I see them as a quite low-key couple. I think they spend a lot of time quietly at home, sometimes Satoshi watching Daisuke while he draws and offering little bits of advice from time to time. Sometimes that makes Daisuke self-conscious, though, so then he’ll sit and read a book while Daisuke does his art. Sometimes they’ll cuddle together and he’ll read to Daisuke. I think they like going for walks together, and going to art museums. Also I think Daisuke is very determined to get Satoshi caught up on all the Normal Childhood Experiences TM he missed growing up, from games to junk food to movies and TV. So they have a lot of fun experiencing those things together, and Daisuke’s always really excited when he can tell Satoshi is really having fun. (Lord knows that boy hasn’t had nearly enough fun in his life.) I also think when they’re older they’d like exploring the world together - visiting new places, trying new foods, seeing new things. But really, they’re just happy as long as they’re together.

[ofchevalry]

Replies to @declarations-of-drama

Yeah let her fight if she wants to! (Great story so far! Will catch up with the rest later, thanks for the cool pics!) Thank You for all the comments! I makes me so so happy to see you following the narrative!

declarations-of-drama replied to your photoset

What a scene! And how did you manage to get that setup with the sims carring a corpse?? WOW Poses are Tumblinrob’s mover poses, and Eun’s funeral pose. The board is an object edit by me, which I always mean to post, but the box that goes with it is giving me trouble.

declarations-of-drama replied to your photoset

The levels of detail are immense! Continue tobe amazed by your work thats gone into this story Thank you, but I do protest, there’s a ton of Crowkeeper’s work in this particular scene! (I’m rather scared to touch any built structures in Middle Earth, as I’d never be able to fix it if I break anything)

declarations-of-drama replied to your photoset “*       *       * Footnote”

OMG I AM SO WITH YOU!!!! I also have all the mods too AND the retuner settings all nerfed to stop it but THEY STLL CANT GET OFF THEIR STOOPID TIME DEVICE KILLERS! I think it’s an idle animation. But it’s always historical Sims doing it!

declarations-of-drama replied to your photo “Gre: Is that your idea of a joke!? Val: No indeed. That’s what I’m...”

That is one well trained horse! Will get important later ;)

declarations-of-drama replied to your photoset

I love how you've used the headwear in black to give the impression of nuns, I might have to steal this idea for my game :) Hihi, this is actually a nun’s headwear :) I switched to different hoods though, where I do rely on making them black.

declarations-of-drama replied to your photoset

This looks brillianT! And how did you get the sims to pose without them running around panicking over fire? lol Fog emitter effects ;)

declarations-of-drama replied to your photoset “Fav: Having the time of your life, eh? Gre: Better than freezing to...”

I wonder if they were experiencing the mini Medieval Ice Age we had back then? Hmmm... Basically Favin’s just doing smalltalk there - I mean what to talk about with a complete stranger whose life he saved out of general decency, and now he’s stuck with him...

declarations-of-drama replied to your photo “Much to Harokar’s and Favin’s annoyance I did not change my mind,...”

I would have trusted him - his face is too honest to be a bad one I reckon But I do try not to make my villains too ugly!!

declarations-of-drama replied to your photo “Harokar: If this were any regular army, you’d be facing punishment...”

Oh wow! The way you did this and last shot! PERFECTION! I woke up in the middle of the night after I posted this, and was suddenly convinced I had turned the camera around the wrong way. (It was right after all, but I was too tired to figure it out)

declarations-of-drama replied to your photo “I was knocked off my horse, but not immediately unconscious. I...”

THE BASTARDS! They LEFT HiM??? Yep. They’re really just arrogant cowards, but they have manpower - even to spare.

declarations-of-drama replied to your photoset

Amazing pics! I can't begin to imagine how much time these took you to do! This scene crashed the game, because when I had it all set up, my brother walked in, and I scrolled away to show him the marvels of Middle Earth. That was too much for the computer of course :) Luckily I had all the pictures taken! It’s a bit of a pity - this story is all about epic riding scenes in my imagination, but they’re so hard to do.

declarations-of-drama replied to your photo “I was born in the Capitol City.”

Minis Tirith? More like Rome (East or West), but as I took the story out of any specific context, it’s just a random dazzling city.

declarations-of-drama replied to your photoset “Gre: Nerena used to. Ka: And what happened? Gre: Try not to remind me...”

He needs a slap! If you're not going to tell her the reason, then let her SIT ON IT! Currently doing the scene where Rena sits on a sleeping-bag ;)

declarations-of-drama replied to your photoset “You can come with me, if you want. My brother is a farmer, quite near...”

Are they going to give her some decent clothes or WHAT?! I imagine they have a bag of spare clothing for such cases (presumably from people who died)

declarations-of-drama replied to your photo “Ka: I was asked what I want to do, and I want to join you. I saw you...”

The little guy with the monk hair immediately got my attention for some reason? Yeah, he somehow manages to be the most intensely medieval looking character. Must be the haircut.

declarations-of-drama replied to your photo “When you are rested, we will escort you to the nearest fortified...”

Oh! I thought they were trying to STEAL the slaves not set them free LOL If this were a story of yours, I guess that’s totally what would have happened :D I’m a romanticist.

declarations-of-drama replied to your photoset

And when I say "Wow" I meant to emphasize the feeling of realism, imagery and feelings of anticipation these pics gave me!! WOW

*blushes*

declarations-of-drama replied to your photo “This story never had a title until I made some characters as sims,...”

What a great date to start a new story! lol 1st Jan I think I mentioned to someone back then, that my story would start after Christmas, but it didn’t, as I was waiting for Middle Earth world to be released. So I at least opened the sideblog officially on January 1st.

[dansnaturepictures]

25th May 2021: Lovely spring walk at Lakeside and birds from home 

As well as lovey Swifts gliding out the back again as I worked I loved finally catching sight of my first young House Sparrow of the year getting fed on the forecourt out the back today. This time last year I had seen a lot of them in the garden and I hadn’t yet this year, a possible example of something that was discussed on BBC Springwatch on its brilliant first show of the year tonight which I had been looking forward to that this spring is a bit slower than last year with its unraveling with key things happening later. Although I did also notice today the sparrows including the young one seemed to be going into a neighbouring garden so its possible I have just not noticed any for definitely as they weren’t immediately around me, with the young Starlings two of which I saw and photographed and I tweeted a picture of tonight also on Dans_Pictures coming into the garden about the same time as last year. I took the first picture in this photoset of a Goldfinch in the garden today I also finally managed one with my DSLR camera of one of two feeding on the balcony out the front I had been trying for many days but whenever I approached the window to take the photo through the window they flew I did manage one with my bridge camera which you can zoom in with more from my chair last week. I tweeted this Goldfinch picture tonight, like the one last week not perfect but it was nice to do it to continue to mark the great long run of them visiting the balcony feeding area with House Sparrow, Blue Tit, the Starlings including young which started the run and Woodpigeon which I have really enjoyed as I’ve said before you can get intimate views of them as the feeders are right outside the window after not seeing many birds here for a while. I also took the second picture in this photoset of a view on the way to Lakeside and third of some crane’s-bill flower also on the way which was near a delightful distinct green ball and other areas of spurge. 

I did a different route today going down along the tarmac path north of the site and around the vegetation on a built up path leading into the rough field running alongside Monks Brook west of the site. I hadn’t visited for so long as they’d built a bridge and done a little bit of urbanization as part of a development so I sort of thought there may not be much around in the field anymore. But my Mum had walked this area yesterday and said it had potential as a great insect and flowers area she did see some herself. So with things unexpectedly aligning to make it convenient today during my work lunch break to do this walk I headed that way. And I was glad I did as I was proved wrong about this area maybe not being a wild area anyway. As the thick vegetation with young birds squwarking was still about and it still had its rich insect support base which I had observed here on walks years before the work took place. They have a left a lovely little path along the brook more official than anything that was there before but still just a grassy path once you get over the bridge instead of just going along to the road.  

In the thickly vegetated area going into this bit I was in my element walking between the flower adorned edges of full of colour, I noticed flowers such as broad-leaved clover, buttercups, mouse here and masses of winter-cress a bright yellow flower I enjoyed noticing at Lakeside the other side of the park last week. On and around these it was full of life I saw a bright Orange Tip butterfly and really savoured it, late on into their season I realised it could be my last view of one this year I have had a brilliant season for seeing them and they’ve really made me happy at so many places locally and further afield. The heavier and darker flight of my first Peacock seen for weeks flew around too. The winter-cress was brimming with bees and a hoverfly, I managed to identify the latter as Helophilus pendulus thanks to a great site I’ve found which was very beautiful to take in a very bright, intricately marked and magnificent insect hanging so loosely onto the flowers and added nicely to hoverflies I have already got photos of from last year onwards. This was a very happy moment seeing these. I was also over the moon to spot on a buttercup a Swollen-thighed Beetle, my first of the year. This was an insect I really hoped to see this year soon as they became such a key species for my time working from home to begin with last spring when I started to learn flowers, moths and beetles more areas I didn’t know much about before. So the striking Swollen-thighed beetle provided warm and uplifting feelings of that time of connection last year for me. I just couldn’t wait to continue my relationship with this deliciously emerald insect and it sparkled and brought such brightness and hopeful feelings for me today and I felt very connected to and passionate about nature in this moment. I took the fourth and fifth picture in this photoset of the view of part of this field area and the winter-cress also known as yellow rocket with some also brightly yellow buttercups. 

Down by the brook and the red campion and cow parsley were in bloom and it was such a gentle and beautiful scene. I took the sixth picture in this photoset of the campion and seventh of the walk alongside the brook with the path I mean. I don’t recall seeing or really noticing the stunning red campion before so this was a nice one to learn and the cow parsley are ones I’ve certainly seen before and whilst interested in flowers thought I had but I might not have so it was good to be sure today as they seem to be very popular this spring to help symbolise it and its great to be a part of that. There were insects on these flowers too in places as flowers were just teeming with insects on this bit today. This area I’d perhaps forgotton how valuable it was a little gave me some of my best and most packed flower and insect days this year.

I then walked through the woods, seeing a nice pink bluebell within, and made my way to the northern path in Lakeside on the way back. I took the eighth and ninth pictures in this photoset of views from the woods and northern path with water in the background. Fitting that I saw the little pond in the northern fenced off nature reserve area with two Coots on today as Facebook memories today reminded me of a really nice family time we had by that twelve years ago before there was a fence around it and it was interesting looking at photos reminding me how Lakeside used to look back then. I took the tenth and final picture in this photoset of a Collared Dove when home this afternoon as after a fairly sunny day beforehand the showers came again. I did see another fantastic sunset tonight, probably my best of the year so far looking glorious and red/orange which I tweeted some pictures of. Another special day of wildlife watching and photos during my working day. 

Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first ever Helophilus pendulus hoverfly, my first Swollen-thighed Beetle of the year, one of my favourite butterflies the Orange Tip, Peacock, Swift, Starling, House Sparrow, Goldfinch, Woodpigeon, Greylag Goose briefly with goslings again, Coot, Black-headed Gull, buttercup, daisy, dandelion, red campion, cow parsley, crane’s-bill, spurge, winter-cress, mouse-ear, bluebell, broad-leaved clover and other insects. 

[dansnaturepictures]

13/05/2021-Lakeside and home: Great sky scenes, birds and flowers 

I took the first three pictures in this photoset of views at Lakeside on my lunch time walk today. On the way down to walk around the westernmost lake I got a brilliant view of a great fresh looking male Blackcap. Its interesting that with working from home beginning in March last year there were certain species I saw at Lakeside during those days but not for the first time in a year, Blackcap one of those with a female I saw on one of my in office working lunch time haunts by the River Itchen in Winchester a female in January they are very much a resident bird these days but saw more in the spring including at Lakeside. So I had a list of species coming into this year and this spring I wouldn’t always see at Lakeside for the first time in the year but knew I could do. And some things I did see here for the first time in 2020 last spring I have seen elsewhere for the first time this year so its showed that brilliant variety of nature watching year on year and a reason its so exciting. Blackcap is the prime example of this in that I haven’t only seen my first Blackcap of 2021 here coming at March’s sizzling end just after a set of lockdown restrictions easing on a day I also went to a key area for them beside the River Itchen at Bishopstoke, but I’ve barely seen them anywhere else with an extremely pleasurable string of sightings of this distinctive warbler here this spring both male and chocolate-headed female. And I’ve enjoyed seeing them so close to home so much. 

By contrast the Chiffchaff that provided the sound track of my lockdown here last year and a couple of months or so into it I named it my species of the lockdown has been much quieter on my patch so far this year. I can only actually recall one sighting of one here this year so far but there may have been more, I have heard them on more than one occasion though. Whereas last year when I covered the same ground and for the same walk lengths really they featured on most. That’s another gift working from home has given me which I have learnt this spring its heightened my sense to the difference in years. Whereas in a normal year of not walking somewhere every day everything would probably happen in about the same place such as migrant birds emerging and butterflies coming out as much as I can never get enough of nature. Across birds, butterflies and other insects there have been things happen earlier or later than last year which has been fascinating to notice. 

Then I took the fourth of some more lovely flowers I noticed they appear from the plant net app to be Greater Spearwort which was a great flower I don’t recall seeing before a nice big and prominent bright yellow one to see. I took the fifth picture in this photoset of a nice view of Concorde lake. 

I took the sixth picture in this photoset of the Great Crested Grebe family on beach lake which was fantastic to see again. It was great hearing them very noisy and I had a special moment as I looked at them and a train not so far away roared past. Another reminder of my more usual but now seemingly so surreal working life. And I just thought at that moment how urban the train going by made this all feel but how incredible Lakeside is as an urban refuge for wildlife wildlife something I’ve celebrated so much over the past year or so. And something I’ve always cherished and been so lucky to have. The Great Crested Grebe really the principal bird in that as a species that I found so extraordinary and captivated me so much in my early birdwatching days when Lakeside was already a place I loved and one of my favourite birds. 

I managed the seventh picture in this photoset as I walked back between the fenced off nature reserve areas of Cuckooflower and buttercups together. I tweeted some photos too of lots of Cuckooflower together either side of the fence by beach lake it really has so nicely and happily taken over the landscape making me feel really happy at what a wild area this is. I took the eighth picture in this photoset of a view here and ninth and tenth of sky scenes when I was at home as the day went on. In a year that has certainly had them, it was one of my most memorable days for sky scenes and sky pictures with so many taken in and looking beautiful right until the end as well with interesting sky scenes as it got dark. I took lots of pictures today and felt that I took some I was really happy with so a great Thursday again. I hope you had a good one. 

Wildlife Sightings Summary: One of my favourite birds the Great Crested Grebe, Mallard, Moorhen well, Mute Swan, Greylag Goose nicely with all the goslings, I saw the two regular Lesser Black-backed Gulls around here well on a roof at the end of my lunch break too, Black-headed Gull, Starling, House Sparrow, I got some clear and smashing views of Goldfinch as well as in the back garden feeding from the balcony this evening allowing a maybe more intimate view of their varied, rich and striking colours being able to get closer to them from indoors, Blackcap, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Jackdaw a great week for crows and I head another of my favourite birds the Green Woodpecker. 

[dansnaturepictures]

My 10 blogs to celebrate highlights of my wildlife/photography 2020: Post 7-The early autumnal signs in the summer and the rest of my autumn

This post of mine each year always seems to begin with me noticing some signs of autumn over the summer. This year just like the butterflies this seemed to happen earlier than ever, or perhaps it was I noticed it more due to having so many wildlife and photography walks whilst working from home. My walks at Lakeside at lunch and that were especially the place I noticed most early autumnal leaves, I first noticed one tree with what appeared to be autumn leaves on 1st June! And by mid-July when I wrote this first paragraph I was seeing a fair bit of autumnal colour in the views of Lakeside, on some greyer days and wetter ones really brightening things up, after I’d also seen things like blackberries, other types of berries, apples and the odd mushroom so this was an interesting feeling enjoying my summer and all it brings as my other highlights blogs show but having reminders of autumn to come around a bit and the hope it would bring once the year more naturally started to take a wind down and move away from the height of the year temperature and sunshine wise. The curtain raiser to autumn continued as we went to Millyford Bridge on a Monday I had off work in the New Forest in July and saw loads of mushrooms I photographed some too a key sight and sign of autumns for me which I saw increasingly those few weeks when out a bit like the autumn leaves more so in the very immediate places at home but also elsewhere it all happening that little bit early. I continued to notice berries and autumnal leaves on my Lakeside lunch time walks that following week continuing the autumnal feelings.

On 11th August I took the first picture in this photoset of trees looking autumnal leave wise on a day more autumn leaves I photographed were looking quite stunning against a bright blue sky. In the overall all-encompassing heat and bright sun during the heatwave that day some trees I saw around the estate didn’t just look slightly autumnal as I had noted in proceeding weeks a lot but looked very autumnal with lots of coloured leaves yellow especially. So this was an interesting fusion of two seasons summer and autumn in a notable way. And I loved looking at it. I had noticed a lot during that time and did that day at Lakeside how the Black-headed Gulls were really loosing their notable summer plumage - those chocolate coloured heads. When seeing a House Martin that day at Lakeside I reflected how all the Swifts had seemed to have left our shores now or in this area anyway their time in the UK was brilliant but went in a blink of an eye this year. A sure sign at that stage like the leaves that the year was for turning whilst that patch of weather was unforgettable very evident through everyone outside at Lakeside enjoying the sunshine and heat in and by the lakes which I noticed a lot on those days. The next day I photographed very bright red berries and leaves in yet more scorching weather at Lakeside, a day I ate blackberries too with autumnal early signs all around and I felt very at one with nature. I also took my first DSLR camera picture of some painted stones in honour of the NHS and key workers under a tree I loved seeing this year around the estate day so a memorable day. Alongside berries and leaves of the red varieties yet again that week and more white-headed Black-headed Gulls on my Lakeside walk the next day I enjoyed some fidgety Mallards on the lake there having a good splash in the water and I noticed the males had started to go through their eclipse with their green heads gradually going. Working from home this year meant I was observing some different things to the usual showing me the season was changing or about to change which I enjoyed. I took the second picture in this photoset of these Mallards with the young Great Crested Grebes at the park this year in it too. The next day at Lakeside I remarked how with it cloudier and grey the landscape didn’t look so tired as it normally might in late summer with colour perhaps disappearing but the autumnal colour of berries and leaves especially on trees brightened it up a bit. I felt very much like I was in autumn then. The next day at Matley in the New Forest I saw and for some photographed autumn leaves, chestnuts and mushrooms (a beefsteak fungus we felt shown in the third picture in this photoset on a tree) a bit further from home. The late summer characteristic of the very purple heather looked glorious in the rain that day too. The heather at its purple I expect of late summer but the autumn really was seeming to have come early in this strange year that day.

The next day at Hayling Island’s Earnley Triangle and oyterbeds I saw more nice berries and autumnal leaves scenes, noticing all the various berries out at the start of autumn was something I’d never appreciated and noticed so much as I did last this year so it was a nice real unique theme of my year which I enjoyed. The next day autumn was so apparent all around outside and my photos reflected that that I felt it was time start my Facebook autumn album early a collection of my autumnal subjects I enjoy doing each year for months such as autumn leaves, mushrooms, berries especially this year and more which was telling.

When we got back from our Devon and Cornwall weekend away in August which I talk about in my next of these posts on my first Lakeside walk at lunch time when back a decidedly more muddy scene than the glorious summer conditions I had before we left for the trip away on the walk after some storms signalled for me that the dizzy days of summer were numbered. The next day I was delighted to see some lovely sloes and take pictures of them at Lakeside alongside other berries, the red berries on the trees in a particular spot beside the bowl area had overcome the landscape to create a scarlet glow amongst the sea of green something so delicious to see which I took the fourth picture in this photoset of. The next day I had an amazing moment watching and photographing the Starling’s descend on our garden on mass what a sight to behold they are so noisy and lively I enjoyed this so much through the summer. But of autumnal relevance was that as I did for those few weeks a few times when they flew off I noticed they flew off in a large group just like they were doing a murmuration an iconic sight of British autumn and winter with the local population bolstered by the young ones at this time of year I often see the mini murmurations at home ahead of the bigger ones usually at different and more wild locations so this was nice. That night though summer clung on a bit in a sunny patch after a day that had thunder and lightning I took a wonderful walk at Lakeside and enjoyed once again this year seeing the group of House Martins I got very familiar with this year gliding over with a Swallow too against a lovely sky which was a great moment.

On that Friday I got a great autumnal migrating bird moment when I enjoyed one adult and two juvenile Common Terns at Lakeside, as I said in my favourite birds highlight blog as an add on this is not always a common sight here when I saw one pass through this spring my first of this year this urban, modestly sized and well used lake dominated country park so its brilliant to observe them here I was so excited again. Two of the three of them fished and dived to the backdrop of a sun glowing through a thickly clouded quite dark sky with it raining a fair bit, which was just spectacular and magical to see with music starting to play from the nearby Concorde club a restaurant and concert venue nearby which I had heard when here in the dark looking at bats two weeks earlier as darkness seemed to hint upon its arrival that Friday night. It was a day where at times it felt so autumnal in the summer months still, a subtle autumnal chill in the air and just feelings of the season and I could not believe how far the year was coming on. The slight autumnal chill was present a little as I had another key moment in the late summer/early autumn outbound bird migration in Hampshire the next day at Workman’s Lane, Hook-with-Warsash seeing a group of my first Yellow Wagtails of the year seeing these charming and key for this time of year birds for me scuttling around by ponies and cattle’s feet and faces it was a very thrilling and satisfying experience for me. We moved onto Farlington Marshes that day when the small bird migration fest continued with Wheatear, my first Whinchats of the year and memorably a second group of Yellow Wagtails in a day during a big influx of them in Hampshire. Farlington Marshes was looking redder and redder with those same berries as Lakeside growing and growing too. A packed and generally amazing Saturday that day as I referenced in other highlights blogs too. The migration fest continued on Bank Holiday Monday at the gorgeous Old Winchester Hill in the South Downs seeing Spotted Flycatchers and with them my first ever Pied Flycatcher a female and an amazing moment which I mentioned in my first of these posts about my birdwatching year. The next week the Tuesday after bank holiday back at Lakeside on one of a few social distant catch-up walks with my Dad I did once restrictions allowed I live with my Mum and her husband who share the photography and birdwatching etc. interest in case you didn’t know I usually stay with my Dad two nights a week though which was suspended in its usual form when I started working from home in March. On this walk I saw two of the Common Terns again from the Friday before with one fishing and spectacularly diving and one sitting down on a buoy on the lake. Amazing to see and lovely that their stop over was longer than the first of my year I’d seen in spring. That day I took in some nice autumnal colour sights and I also noted that dragonflies I wrote about one I saw in my last blog about my butterflies/other insects part 2 in my year for them were rather replacing butterflies as the key insect to see in my walks at Lakeside which is a sign of autumn I perhaps overlooked in years gone by as the dragonflies start later than the quintessential spring and summer butterflies and even damselflies and their season goes on longer into autumn months with a good few around so this was interesting.

The next day alongside autumnal sights I loved seeing two Common Terns again an adult hunting and a juvenile on a buoy which I got really close to and photographed. So nice to see them here again as their stopover continued. That walk, an overcast lunch time at the beginning of autumn, was eerily quiet. No constant warbles of Whitethroat, Blackcap and most commonly Chiffchaff that uplifted me at the beginning of lockdown here. Or the same unceasing buzz of insects mostly butterflies and bees in the meadow areas or chirps of the full circus of young birds on lakes that came to define the months that followed. I have remarked many times how my walks at lunch times whilst working from home, my hour of freedom locally to do what I love watching wildlife and more than when commuting in working in the office of the photography I love, have meant so much to me. I still remember the sadness as it became apparent lockdown was what we needed due to this virus coming here for everyone’s safety and the strong restrictions on our lives but everywhere spring was in abundance my favourite time of year from butterflies flying to migratory birds. But in the moment that day I realised that the most horrific thing I have seen the human race face in my lifetime came at actually the best time of year. It at that stage had pretty much always been spring or summer when we’ve faced these strange times and more often than not been very nice weather. It was in this moment that day I’ve really thought about how much being outside has meant to me in these times. And there is a sense of sadness again that the spring and summer was coming to an end. And I think this was adding to an underlying feeling I’d had at that time that this feels like the end of the year or the end of the summer holidays when I was a kid a bit as the season changes and all the feelings it brings. But it’s the way of the seasons, how they immerse you to be able to give you these familiar feelings of what one month should look, feel, taste and smell like to the next, which makes nature a powerful force which it has been amazing to be so close to every day.

That Thursday alongside seeing the Common Terns pretty close and making the most of the House Martins yet again, on the theme of bird migration I loved this year’s late summer/early autumn one I got one of my birding moments of the year and working from home when I was astounded to within a flock including a Chiffchaff and tit species Blue and Long-tailed see two Spotted Flycatchers and get pictures including the fifth in this photoset. It’s a bird I still see as a little scarce when I see them in the New Forest or wherever and I certainly did not expect to see them at the urban country park right next to where we live. This like a few other bird, butterfly, dragon/damselfly and flower moments I’ve had on my working from home Lakeside walks really opened my eyes to just what my local patch can host when you just look and listen and hope I guess and it made me so happy I was over the moon. Coming the week I saw the Pied Flycatcher with Spotted Flycatchers at Old Winchester Hill my first ever and the latest in a longer list than ever of Spotted Flycatcher sightings for me in a year it allowed me to really celebrate my connection to and relationship with this bird, they are a bird that always seem to turn up at sites often unexpected local ones generally in a year in Hampshire in numbers at the end of summer/beginning of autumn I have very delicious feelings towards that time for year for them and for that to come to my doorstep was amazing! They did get added to my B list of favourite birds in September too. What a moment.

The next day I liked seeing mushrooms on the green out the front that Friday evening, something I love photographing and taking in every autumn and always excites me for this naturally rich season. I saw yet more Yellow Wagtails by cow’s feet as it showed its always worth looking at this time of year at Pennington in the Lymington-Keyhaven nature reserve a week after the first this year getting cracking views of three birds. It was the first time I had ever actually seen them at three locations in a year/a late summer/autumn. Everyone was seeing these birds at that stage too it was amazing to be a part of it. I enjoyed seeing bright red berries and fungi on that walk by the sea too. I did a spot of mushroom hunting at Ashley Walk in the New Forest the next day finding some nice ones including some big white ones wrapped in bright purple heather which made for a good photo opportunity I took the sixth in this photoset of it and was great to see. At Lakeside the Monday that followed as I walked behind the steam railway station and visitor centre on a path at Lakeside I remarked at how the bright green leaves synonymous with seeing a White-letter Hairstreak butterfly I find that I looked for there most of the summer had turned to yellow as I’d photographed. But autumn did a vanishing act in that part of the country park as I couldn’t see the yellow leaves on trees that day. Most likely as August’s storms had displaced them leaving the yet-to-turn green leaves to give the impression they were never there but I did see some further down the path. And further on in my walk I spotted some delightful bright red mushrooms on the woodland floor. That Wednesday I photographed two more lovely red autumnal signs at Lakeside a fallen bright and nice red leaf on the grass and an apple too which I loved photographing. Red berries were something I enjoyed so much that day too and as I sat on a bench for once and took in the world that lunch time I was immersed in noisy Starlings gathering in the nearby allotments a highlight of this time of year. The next day at Lakeside as I noted an interesting transition period in hot and sunny weather with lots of summer scenes out in the landscape as well as autumnal ones I saw a cracking purply/brown mushroom a big one too as well as leaves visible from the house turning yellow on a tree as bright green as a lot of the rest of the landscape.

I had a fungi fest on the green out the front on a Friday the next day as I was so happy to see a usual one here which I love and one of the few I know shaggy ink cap pop up on the green at the front of the house. I photographed that morning and evening on walks as well as some stunning and big brown ones on the evening walk which looked lovely in the sun. The pictures made them look like plastic. I remarked on how I was loving the fungi season ramping up and pleased once more with my new macro lens for quality and detail it can produce just like with butterflies, flowers and other insects and really excited for the fuller season ahead. Of autumnal note the next day at Farlington Marshes were lots of nice red berry scenes, a great view of some blackberries which I photographed alongside much more, Starlings beginning to murmurate in a hot and sunny patch against a bright blue sky which was great, for a third Saturday running yet more Yellow Wagtails and another bird I got my best ever views of that day quite a big bird for Farlington in late summer/early autumn and one its known you can see very well in autumn the spectacularly looking wader the Curlew Sandpiper with two seen by us that day with a Dunlin. Martin Down the next day where we so often go in spring and summer felt different for us to see with a pinch of autumnal colour mostly from berries but some leaves too than when we normally go. I enjoyed yet more mushrooms on the green out the front the next day and enjoyed some berries at Lakeside. The next day alongside colourful slight autumnal sights at Lakeside in a heatwave on my walk I was sad to see all the mushrooms mowed over when the green out the front was mowed. I said it in this highlights blog last year when I noticed some shaggy inkcaps deliberately knocked over on the green one of the pitfalls of an urban area I suppose whilst I have loved exploring the world immediately around me this year. The next day at Lakeside I noticed among mushrooms and other autumnal coloured leaves on my walk a very small amount of red leaves on the usual prominent and tall trees I have noticed go really nice and red for years. Looking at Facebook memories the next morning though I saw the first picture I took of one of these trees in full bright red colour was taken five years to that day and the very small bit of red was nothing compared to the full tree of that day in 2015 I started to realise maybe in terms of coloured leaves this autumn wasn’t so early after all or somehow managed to slow down but this is only one type of tree I suppose. The landscape took a much greener look during that September heatwave though so it was like going backwards at home a bit. That next day I did spot more red autumnal leaves and berries in different parts of Lakeside, as well as apple trees and a nice few michaelmas daisies a key part of autumn I always think not something I’d seen at Lakeside before so this was great. I enjoyed lots of autumnal sights when we went to Norfolk in September as my ninth highlights blog this year mentions, and when we returned home from that on the Saturday there was a sprinkling of autumnal colour including at Lakeside and out the front on a little walk more so than when we went away in places which I enjoyed.

The next day that Sunday at Fleet Pond we had a very autumnal walk around. Notable that day compared to before we went on holiday was the autumnal chill in the air that you always seem to suddenly notice at this time of year warranting my jacket on for the whole walk, as well as lots of chestnuts and acorns around in the woods the first time this year I had seen so many. This was added to by signs of autumn I had already taken in a lot this year, red berries, multi-coloured leaves like I had noticed some more of in the woods visible from my bedroom window that morning in the sun it was a nice sunny day mostly that one and mushrooms. Indeed among a few others I noticed my all-important first red fly agaric of the year my favourite and an iconic mushroom in woods up and down the country in autumn. But unfortunately they’d been knocked over, seeing some was nice just a shame they weren’t in tact. I saw so many Black-headed Gulls sharply in winter plumage that day at Fleet Pond too. The next day I enjoyed more autumnal sights at Lakeside like berries and some flowering together which I took a picture of, and in truth the whole place took on an ever so slight crimson glow thanks to some leaves that had turned red, not least the tall trees I look at every year in autumn that go the best scarlet shade that just had some leaves red now which made for some great landscape opportunities on a memorable walk that day for me due to wildlife sightings and photos taken with so many as I posted about in other highlights posts this year the autumnal features made for good landscape and other opportunities. The next day I was very happy to see another shaggy ink cap mushroom on the green out the front of the house that had grown up which I photographed, alongside more autumnal colour in a leaf in the front garden and Lakeside I photographed on a sunny lunch time walk. That week I noticed a lot of little flowering on trees almost like blossom but obviously not in autumn and on the Wednesday I took a picture of the red with white behind flowers in a flower pot at the front of the house which was great. Bramble flowers was something I enjoyed seeing a lot in autumn this year.

The next day on lunch as I walked out also I took a landscape a nice angle looking over trees in autumnal colour I noticed the view from this angle walking down the street during that week but I didn’t have time to take a photo on the day so I wanted to have a go at it again and that day after a sunny start and then clouding over the sun just started to come out so it was quite nicely lit and I was pleased with the photo. What I noticed when looking at this photo on my laptop was that in someone’s window visible in the background you can see a drawn rainbow on paper stuck in the inside of the window. Something many of us did to show our appreciation to our National Health Service for the incredible work they’ve done during the pandemic and always, become a strong symbol in these past few months and one of the defining images of lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic in the UK and 2020. So it was great to photograph this or have it in my photo anyway. And it was fitting to take the picture on a Thursday as Thursdays for 10 weeks during the strictest parts of the first lockdown we all came to our balconies, windows etc. to clap for our care workers and key workers one of the most heartening things about 2020. So it was nice to take this picture this Thursday. It rained a little bit as I walked to Lakeside via the path running to the north of it outside of the park in the estate but the sun was never far away. These conditions giving me great opportunity for raindrop and reflection photos on the lakes something I loved doing in early autumn. Going along it became fittingly to open the autumnal month of October a very autumnal walk with some nice colours in the trees. It was interesting this really told me seeing these we were getting towards peak colour festival for how the leaves on trees look now. It wasn’t just one tree here or there or leaves starting to show colour as it had been for a good few months with an early start to autumn this year now but everything was starting to really go into sweet colour. And I must say I don’t think locally over Lakeside or around the estate I have celebrated autumn leaves here as much as I should have over the years. So seeing it that day made me think of the New Forest and Richmond and Bushy Parks places I have seen glorious autumnal colour over the years and it gave me the same sense of ripeness which excites me as at those places showing the amazing things I can see very locally once again a big theme for me of this year.

The next day I noticed just how red the trees were starting to look my favourite colour, photographing this at home, Lakeside and on a nostalgic visit to a childhood haunt I am proud of and other bits of Eastleigh which I hadn’t seen for a while and found charming to again Grantham Green. That day was a very wet day showing the weather was looking more autumnal then with quite a few minor floods and big puddles at Lakeside and home and wet weather wanderers snail and slug on our door when I left for my lunch time walk. This autumn I noticed a lot when it rained and Lakeside looked wetter and fuller being able to notice differences in water levels as I walked there most days. Specifically posted in other highlights blogs this year it was a marvellous Friday of birdwatching with lots of species I don’t normally see so locally so the rain possibly put things in different places. I also saw decent amounts of House Martin and particularly Swallow after not seeing many there for a while at Lakeside as they were close to migrating. The next day that Saturday at Farlington Marshes I had the all-important autumn moment seeing my first Brent Geese of the season far off in a day I saw waders and other birds in great numbers including Ringed Plover and Little Egrets. We had a really nice walk around, as the sun came out but stormy weather that we were right in the middle of Storm Alex at that time never stayed far away with dark skies in places which were really quite dramatic to see. In fact of the 28 pictures I produced that day 24 were landscapes and I don’t think there’s one of them which doesn’t have a dramatic sky scene within it. So this made this one of my best ever days for taking pictures with nice and dramatic skies in I think and seeing skies generally typical scenes for the start of autumn really which made me feel really good. It was interesting then to have a bit a theme running through my photos that day which helps define the day in my head a bit. Having done so many Saturday visits here over those few months from June onwards there is overlap between the landscapes I take in each one but so many of this set of photos were unique. Such a memorable afternoon because of that. There was also more nice autumnal colour in the landscape a strong theme on our walks at that stage.

I had one of my best moments of the autumn with two more key moments of any autumn on a fairly wet day walking from Blackwater in the New Forest the next day. I saw my first two un-knocked over red fly agaric mushrooms which I loved studying and taking in their fantastic and bright colours a flat and a round one I took pictures to. I enjoyed so many mushrooms that day with some nice brown ones seen too and so many white ones, lots together at many points with some amongst some heather again as well. Then on a packed walk for wildlife sightings we also came across a herd of Red Deers during their rut which was fantastic to see. We spent some amazing minutes watching a stag with big antlers and some females I really was so happy to see them. On a generally great day of deers with a Muntjac seen too as I mentioned in my New Forest highlights post the fourth one I was just so thrilled to see a group of Red Deers in the brilliant New Forest I had not seen them here nearly enough whilst I’ve seen them so well in other locations over the last decade. They are one of the star piece of wildlife in the New Forest so it was just smashing to see them. Some great moments with one of my favourite mammals. I took the seventh picture in this photoset of one of the females.

On the day after I liked seeing some very little mushrooms on the green out the front which I photographed that day and enjoyed all of that week, some autumnal leaves with flowers in the garden and yet more nice autumn leaves and red berries scenes at Lakeside, mostly notably I liked observing that with the red autumn leaves I see every year and enjoy here I was noticing them gradually turn red with one special patch of this which I took a photo of going bright red so I rather enjoyed that. The next day in one of the floods that had formed on the Friday at Lakeside I loved seeing Mallard wallowing in it on a field a lovely natural moment with dragonflies flying over this nice little bit of water too as I mentioned in my second butterflies and other insects highlights post this lived long in the memory. I enjoyed lots more great autumnal colours on that walk and that evening seeing the regular Greylag Geese that I hadn’t as much as over the spring and summer over Lakeside flying past the house to the backdrop of a lowering sun felt like a nice autumnal moment geese flying and flocking a strong autumnal motifs of nature bringing back memories of the Pink-footed Geese I loved seeing flying in at Norfolk as I mention in the ninth of these posts. I enjoyed more autumnal colour scenes the next day at Lakeside as I did all of that week and it was nice to see Pied Wagtails over the house as I did the next day too a winter visitor to the garden alongside a few of those like Robins that had been coming in over that time a key part of autumn seeing signs of natural parts of winter or winters of ours of the past to come. Yet more autumnal colour and some more shaggy ink caps and other mushrooms on the green out the front awaited me on an amazing Friday I had for wildlife and photos that Friday as I took pictures of all of this and reflected on how I liked how much time working from home gave me to really observe mushrooms out the front this year. The shaggy ink caps on the green is something I watched around working in Winchester On a mostly very sunny day I saw some nice sky scenes I did so much that week with night drawing in taking so many memorable sky pictures from the house. I also saw a moon out in the day time something I enjoyed a lot this year that day and got a picture.

The next day before going to Bushy Park on the Saturday I had a dental hygienist appointment in Winchester, I switched dentists after my Eastleigh one stopped doing evening appointments to one in Winchester as I work there before I began working from home in response to the pandemic hence why I went on a Saturday morning. Before getting picked up by my Mum to come home I had a little walk around from the dentist opposite St. Thomas Church to near my office in glorious sunshine taking in some wonderful autumnal coloured leaves especially more red that week scenes which I always say Winchester is so good for I took some phone pictures of this. The next day whilst Swallows still hung on by the coast at Pennington I got some memorable autumn moments when alongside some coloured leaves in the landscape I loved seeing lots of waterfowl notably many Wigeons and Shoveler and some Pintail my first of the season come in a key bit of autumn. As I mentioned in my general birdwatching and New Forest highlights posts we also got the amazing moment of seeing the blown in by autumn storms Grey Phalarope and mega bird the Wilson’s Phalarope a new one for us that day one of the best moments of autumn birdwatching we had this year and ever for sure getting beyond cracking close views of both. I took the eighth picture in this photoset of the Wilson’s. The next day was a key Monday of my autumn as I enjoyed some nice autumnal sky scenes that morning, shaggy ink caps on the green, yellow autumn leaves on our plants and more autumnal colour at Lakeside I did a closeup photo of some of the red leaves I like looking at every year that day which was interesting. Also alongside masses of the usual suspects and a Blue Tit I don’t always see I noticed my first Pied Wagtail in the garden of the season that day after a few days of seeing them in the area. In winters 2018-19 and 2019-20 they had become a winter visitor to our garden and that alongside the sheer numbers of everything else made me feel the days of winter ahead and the natural world getting ready for it in a sense which is what autumn is all about. It fascinates me each year now how the Pied Wagtails and other birds just seem to know it’s time to visit the garden and nearby when they need bird feeders with natural food harder to find and that through winter months, they are such fascinating creatures and it’s nice to rely on birds to tell you the time of year out of habit. I loved seeing the Greylag Geese flying over the house and at Lakeside that day even if they’re not a migrating population species there is something so autumnal about geese flying in flocks.

The next day when I walked at lunch time I loved seeing the shaggy ink cap mushroom colony on the green at the front of the house again. They looked brilliant and had grown up so much since the day before when I first noticed them, some were still white, others had morphed nicely into the familiar bell or lampshade like figure they become which I liked photographing. But then I noticed a few of something I had never seen for these mushrooms before, in between the white column of the mushroom and the final shape they were flat, I found this great to see and really interesting, you can certainly see how they get their name with that sticky ink like substance on them almost dripping from them I did really enjoy seeing this and getting photos. On the walk at Lakeside that day I took in some stunning colourful autumnal leaves scenes once more getting to see some real ripe and vibrant colour. It was probably one of my best days of the autumn for views of autumn leaves and mushrooms and photos I took of them that day which was great I was pleased with what I took of the scenes. The next day I enjoyed more great views of a silvery looking a great colour shaggy ink cap mushroom out the front, as on a sunny day I enjoyed a plethora of autumnal colour particularly red but some yellow in the landscape visible from and right around me at Lakeside I even photographed a red fallen leaf which was fascinating to see. A comforting day of autumnal colour, as that day I also walked around the roads for additional exercise and photographed a line of trees down a road which I had photographed in nice purple blossom from the other end admittedly in late March days before the first strict lockdown which felt so recent still at that stage as discussion of the need for another strict lockdown dominated the nation’s minds there was interesting parallels in sandwiching those dizzy summer days of rich green the two staging posts in the year of these trees and the year of us all. I saw a Pied Wagtail again on this walk around getting a memorable picture of one on a roof.

On 15th October in glorious sunshine and in that crisp and useful for photos sunlight of the time of year, with some nice raw autumnal light too just before getting to Lakeside I liked photographing more shaggy ink cap mushrooms I saw more mushrooms on the green out the front when back too as well as take in yet more red and yellow gorgeous autumnal leaves in the sunshine at home and at Lakeside, where a view of a Jay among others reminded me what an autumn bird they are with their association with acorns. Another peaceful, relaxing and mushroom and red and yellow autumn leaf particularly certain trees some of the tallest at Lakeside gone yellow dominated sunny day awaited at Lakeside the next day. With the night’s drawing in an early evening Friday walk became a walk at sunset as I took in stunning views of the sun coming down and felt nice walking back along the streets to be in the sunset scene I usually see from my room to a degree a great day that one. The next Friday I had a work online social after work the weekend before the clocks went back so this walk became a fitting last second Friday walk of the year something I really enjoyed especially in the summer.

As mentioned in my New Forest highlight post on 17th October we went to Ashley Walk/Leaden Hall in the New Forest getting exciting view of wonderful Ring Ouzels on autumn migration and other birds as well as it being a memorable day for mushrooms. On the walk I heard a Fallow Deer stag barking a lot and we saw it with its quite large hareem of females looking very dark and with big antlers. A great moment during the fallow rut, it was nice to see fallows during those few weeks where I saw so many deer species and loads so well in various parts of the country a real celebration of deers for me and fallows really began my love for deers being the first I really saw up close when really interested in wildlife and my first favourite I now have three deers on my list of favourite mammals. Sticking with mammals and the grazing animals of the New Forest on the way home by Bramshaw I was delighted to see my first pigs out for pannage this autumn so when commoners exercise their right of pannage to turn out pigs and allow them to roam the forest to eat the acorns of which there was a very large crop of this year very notably which meant the time period pannage lasted was extended which are harmful to the ponies. I enjoy seeing pigs freely roaming around the New Forest every year it is a popular sight in the forest and so important for the management of the New Forest with helping out the ponies. We saw a handful of pigs together and I loved taking pictures of them in a very nice looking typical New Forest village and countryside area near to Bramshaw. We got some great views of them as well as sheep and donkeys behind a fence as they walked down the lane. Whilst watching them I was delighted hear the noise they made as they munched through the acorns on the floor which were clearly visible and I was reminded what all this was for. A special and classic autumnal or you could say “only in the New Forest” moment. Ending a fantastic and joyful afternoon out where we saw iconic New Forest wildlife and sights. The next day at Gilkicker Point and Stokes Bay, after seeing another Pied Wagtail on the garages at home, as well as some autumnal colour and views of Michaelmas daisies a large group of them brightening up a grey afternoon alongside a good few other nice flowers seen there as Sunday rather became my flower day this year I was thrilled to see another Grey Phalarope this autumn getting more cracking and close up views of this stunning bird as one was blown into Gilkicker Pond. I very often go onto see more of them in a year once I see one. Such a nice autumn moment to follow it for a fantastic few minutes getting those stunning views and observing it from above and at eye level. One of my best nature moments of the year. It was nice how lots of non-birdwatchers noticed and were impressed and intrigued by this distinctive little bird close by that day really nice how a Grey Phalarope united people and got people talking about nature. Other highlights at Gilkicker as well as Jays seen flying from the car in a field and on the ground on the way you see so many Jays in autumn as I was reminded of nicely this year with them stashing acorns were; Greenfinch, Carrion Crows in some interesting positions like on a car roof and picking seaweed and with other interesting things in their mouths and gathering in a large group with Herring Gulls I got a picture of mine of the group in the Hampshire Chronicle via the camera club a nice bit of urban seaside bird action and Kestrel with prey in its talons. I was also fascinated by Gilkicker Point’s position sticking out into the solent allowing me to see the Spinnakar Tower and other bits of Portsmouth one side, Fawley power station the other and Ryde and the rest of the Isle of Wight ahead over the water. I detected a light brown colour different to green when looking at the island in the landscape and picked out the beautiful former royal residence Osborne House imposing itself on the landscape which was nice. This brought back strong childhood memories of Isle of Wight holidays. That Sunday we came home via Hill Head further down the coast where I loved seeing loads of Brent Geese more than my first autumn sighting of them at Farlington on the sea close in by the shore further down and a beautiful flock of mostly male Eiders out to sea seen very well a cracking view really. Also here and further up the coast a sort of early sunset occurred over the water in a gap between the Isle of Wight and the mainland a red glow in the afternoon, something I had seen elsewhere last winter which made me feel a little wintery as did a bit of gloom that afternoon I must say which again is what autumn is very much about.

The next day and the one after and that whole week I enjoyed taking in many more red and yellow autumnal leaves scenes including the canopy visible from my room and tree visible from it in lovely sunshine I enjoyed taking a unique photo of the former fittingly in a week where “#Autumnwatch” was the photo theme in a Facebook group I am in ahead of the BBC’s series of that this year one of my favourite TV programmes the Springwatch edition particularly inspiring and uplifting for me this year as they took the spirit of optimism and re-connection to nature and touched on Black Lives Matter very well during strict lockdown key themes of this year here. This year I put lots of my pictures into different groups on Facebook as well and that’s been something massive to come out of my time working from home, taking pictures during it and how I post them and use my time that I’m now posting my pictures onto different themed Facebook groups as a ritual. This group, the Hampshire Chronicle camera club which has allowed me among online associations and many moments sharing and seeing other’s pictures has allowed me to get some of my pictures into the Hampshire Chronicle newspaper which I am so thankful for, general wildlife and birding groups, the Self Isolating Bird Club launched by Chris Packham, Megan McCubbin and co. quite on theme, a cloud and sky picture group I’ve been in for ages all big groups so I just like posting the pictures somewhere and interacting with strangers because of them it’s really been a great way for me to stay connected in these times. I love my Twitter friends and I love tweeting my pictures that page and this one for me are everything I have ever wanted as somewhere to post my photos and experiences with lots of lovely people and a fantastic broad community and I always get so much out of sharing with you but it’s just quite nice for the Facebook groups each day thinking right what photo did I take for this theme etc and get me thinking and a nice way to further share my photos on my platforms in more specific themed groups. On both of those days I took pictures of the tree out the back with some red/yellow autumn colour what I first ever noticed this tree for in autumn taking pictures of the coloured leaves and the second day it looked that little bit redder interesting symmetry to spring as I said in my first butterflies highlights post when this tree blossomed and seemed to have more blossom on it every time I looked out the window to it so this was nice. Photographing it that day 20th October my Dad’s birthday meant I photographed it exactly two years on my first or one of my first photos of it on my Dad’s birthday in 2018, but in 2018 the leaves were all really yellow there was a lot of green on them on 20th October this year so maybe the fast autumn wasn’t quite keeping pace with other years. On the Wednesday I saw another nice shaggy inkcap mushroom on the green out the front, it was also nice to notice a Magpie picking amongst fallen leaves on the green the fallen leaves a common sight and theme of that October week on a fairly rainy lunch time walk as well as a Pied Wagtail including it chirping nicely around the garden again. On the very sunny Thursday of that key autumnal week for me as well as mushrooms out the front and shaggy inkcap actually in Lakeside and the usual bright yellow and red colours that week looking so nice in the sun I noticed a tree I’d photographed nice and green the Friday night before with autumnal colour now and that tree out the back was redder and yellower as it seemed to come into autumn leaf quite fast too. On a day I produced loads of pictures on a sunny day with how many were autumnal subjects it did feel a bit like a pinnacle of my autumn. I loved taking some different types of pictures of just some autumn leaves on the ground red and yellow like the ones in the ninth picture in this photoset that Friday at Lakeside a day at lunch time I saw some interesting looking mushrooms which seemed to resemble nipples which was quite funny.

There was more entertainment and much more fungi the next day as we went to Pig Bush in the New Forest for our usual October visit as that’s when we first went to this place we love so much one of my favourite New Forest spots as it looks as it did that first visit that month and this October marked a decade since we first went there, and for the first time in that decade we saw some pigs there at Pig Bush! Or on the walk from Pig Bush. As we walked down towards woods by a railway bridge we saw three and then a massive group of about 20 of them, young and adult, completely pink, black spotty or half black and half pink so a true variety and we loved watching them for a good few minutes our second pigs out for pannage seen this year. The most pigs I have ever seen together before, one of my best days ever for pigs. That wet New Forest walk was also perhaps my best ever day for fungi as in the autumn wonderland of the woods beyond the ford nearer to the car park there were many fallen leaves so perfect for the nutrient loving fruiting bodies of the fungi, the mushrooms of which we saw a huge variety of for shapes, size and colour. There really was a mushroom everywhere we looked on that forest floor it was a real feast for the eyes, I took so many pictures of them that day one of my best ever autumn moments. This really captivated me which is what its all about. This completed perhaps my best ever week of autumn photos. The next day was another New Forest classic in which I produced over 40 pictures in my first visit to Rockford Common since 2018 a very nostalgic visit for me coming here in autumn when we so often came here between 2014 and 2017 I would say so many memories, another very beautiful spot. It was that usual first post-clocks going back walk, with a jacket needed on for the whole walk and a certain feel to it when the sun shone but a gloomy shadow across the landscape when it did not. That day became another brilliant day for autumn leaves and mushrooms as I saw so many more of the latter of a great variety and especially it was brilliant to see lots of red fly agarics my favourite mushrooms I’d maybe never seen so many at once before in a great autumn for me for them I took so many pictures with my macro lens of them that day the first of those with my macro this year as I had taken some at Blackwater before with my big lens. One of those Blackwater ones actually I made my Twitter display picture for a monthly rotation that day the first mushroom picture ever to be this for me. It was a fantastic fix of fly agaric that day at Rockford Common I was honoured to see so many taking one of my best ever pictures of one too and I have photographed so many over the years. That photo also appeared in the Hampshire Chronicle as part of a lucky and amazing run where I was so fortunate to have one of my photos published in it for six consecutive weeks. That day I was also thrilled to see my all-important first Fieldfare and first Redwings of the autumn with Starlings in good numbers on the heath too. Before that I took pictures of the tree visible in someone’s garden from my room really looking bright and yellow hitting its peak for colour and some colour in the landscape visible from my room. The next day more autumn leaves at home and Lakeside where I enjoyed so many more lovely colourful scenes again that week, nice brown mushrooms out the front and at Lakeside and a Pied Wagtail by the garden again all greeted me, a day that a rainbow shone in the mostly sunny day in the morning it was surreal the sun setting before I finished work in my room.

That Wednesday at Lakeside I noticed whilst some autumn leaves were still on trees, after wet and windy weather a lot were on the floor and it was as though someone had flicked the switch from autumn to winter with swathes of bare patches on trees in the landscape. That day I also loved noticing a large charm of finches over Lakeside, containing Goldfinch or Siskin or likely both big flocks of these do come here in the winter which threw me forward to those days. I also saw that day maybe my biggest mushrooms of the season as helped by the inspiring BBC Autumnwatch I realised what an amazing autumn for mushrooms as well as so much else in a rich one it was. The next day it was nice to speak to some fellow admirers of the lonely tree that goes bright red by the visitor centre at Lakeside at a safe social distance to comment on how lovely it looked as I photographed it looking very rich in colour which was lovely. I also saw my first winter thrush at Lakeside of the season seeing a noteworthy Fieldfare on a tree north of the steam railway station. A Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tit flock of decent numbers and a great variety of garden birds again at home before the walk were pleasing moments that day too. The amount of birds seen especially little ones seems so synonymous with this time of year. That continued the next day a gloomy and blustery affair for sure with the tits again, Starlings and Black-headed Gulls on my walk around the green out the front and Lakeside. That week with it being the kid’s half term the steam railway train at Lakeside was running and seeing it shoot along the track out of trees emerging quite a lot in rainy and misty conditions was so atmospheric and beautiful. A variety of coastal birds including lots of lovely Brent Geese flying over, Spotted Redshank, other waders and lots and lots of Wigeons, as well as nice interesting and atmospheric light for the time of year amongst it the novelty still of being out when the sun set when out on weeks was waiting for me the next day. I took the tenth and final picture in this photoset of autumn leaves on a bush in our garden in a bit of sun before we went out that day. I wrote about the end of my autumn in my 11th bonus highlights blog the last one about my November and December.

[dansnaturepictures]

14th Match 2021-Crossbill and more on walk

We had another great and quite athletic walk this weekend today taking in a marvelous open space, with more nice sky scenes largely cloud compared to yesterday with the sun just trying to peep through throughout the walk. I took the third, fifth and sixth pictures in this photoset of scenes like these, the fourth of water, seventh of more great buds it was nice to see and the eighth picture in this photoset of something I won’t see much of soon that I have rather appreciated in a way this winter with me noticing everything around me thanks to working from home bare trees. I also managed the first two pictures in this photoset of the flowers on the balcony looking very well grown and nice and colourful this morning.

We had some top wildlife moments in quick succession at the start of the walk, firstly as I looked in the binoculars towards a big black bird a possible Raven flying I poised my binoculars perfectly to be able to catch sight of some Fallow Deers fairly hidden in the vegetation between us and the bird. A delightful herd to see, I do love these mammals they are beautiful looking. Next we got a quick view of a Dartford Warbler one of my key birds this year so far.

Later on in the walk as we went through trees I heard a chirp I didn’t really recognise, a sharp call. A bird we had wondered when we might see lately was the Crossbill. It was more or less the right habitat for them, I didn’t know their call off by heart. I then repeated something I did last spring on an exercise walk at Lakeside Country Park where I didn’t know a Whitethroat call off by heart but had it on my mind as a bird I might see very locally, so heard a bird I didn’t particularly recognise and thought I bet that’s a Whitethroat and then I saw the bird making the noise and it was. I thought this bird calling today could be a Crossbill. We walked on further along the path and two birds flew over, one settled in a tree and it was making the noise I had heard further down. My Mum said it’s a Crossbill she had first spotted the two birds, and when I got the binoculars and camera with big lens on it I saw it was! We watched it for a little bit before it flew on to another top of a tree and I was over the moon to make out the ruby red plumage and distinctive, quirky and surreal beak of the male of this finch. What an honour to see it. I took the final two photos in this set of this bird. 

This was my first of the year, and as I said on Twitter earlier I saw my first of 2020 a year ago today. This was really quite something a fun little quirk that I get in wildlife watching now and again. I remember before seeing the Crossbills a year ago with the pandemic just starting to hit I had wondered whether March 2020 would be the first month since November 2015 that I wouldn’t get at least one bird year tick in. Crossbill saved me from that fate a year ago and it did again today. When I was younger and just getting into birdwatching I would pick a date and name days after a bird mostly my favourites but others too, so I’d have Guillemot Day, House Sparrow Day, Oystercatcher Day etc. completely made up obviously. I shall have to call 14th March Crossbill Day. I believe a year ago was the last time before today I saw them too which was interesting. Seeing this bird was one of my wildlife moments of the year so far one of my best birds of 2021 so far. On a walk where I saw a variety of birds it was beautiful to hear the exciting trill of a Greenfinch one of the Crossbills relatives and then see it high on a tree. A beautiful view.

Also today I got a great view of a male Mandarin Duck, my first of the year as well and one I had wondered when I might next see. It was a great view of a colourful, exotic and special bird I really enjoyed seeing it. It marked the first time I had got more than one year tick in a day since my birthday on 7th January so this felt great and almost surreal. It was great to reminded of the real buzz and satisfaction I get at ticking off a species this year twice at once. It takes my year list to a relative milestone of 110, making it the joint fourth highest a bird year list of mine had ever been on 14th March level with how many I had seen in 2014 but I did get a year tick in 2014 on 15th March. I am very pleased with this and how I am doing in these times for my year list. It is great to have got through these last 10 species as it seemed to take a whole getting from 100 to 110 but I am so thrilled to get here and have seen some fantastic birds for quality of species recently.  A great Sunday for me today. Now I look forward to relaxing the next two days as I am off work. I hope you all had a nice weekend and have a great week.

Wildlife Sightings Summary for today: My first Crossbill and Mandarin Duck of the year, one of my favourite birds the Dartford Warbler, one of my favourite mammals the Fallow Deer , handsome Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, possible Raven, Carrion Crow and a good few Mallards it was nice to see.

[dansnaturepictures]

10/02/19-Scaup and more on a lovely afternoon at Lymington 

I went to the Lymington end of Lymington-Keyhaven nature reserve on the New Forest coast today. I was at Keyhaven last Sunday, and both Lymington and Pennington three weeks ago on a long weekend. I remarked yesterday to my Mum how with me working we often go to the same places on weekends to cover seeing certain species. You can tell it’s early on in a year and I’m building up my bird year list as we come to one of the places here and Blashford Lakes most weekends, whereas as the butterfly and spring bird season sets in its Martin Down we practically live at. I feel I am still visiting a good variety of places as well as these on weekends of late though so I was very comfortable coming here. 

I took the first picture in this photoset of a Robin from inside the car before we got going today. The thing about coming to places so much in quick succession like this is I tend to set myself up with particular cameras and lenses used to take wildlife pictures rather than landscapes. As maybe I took a landscape of a particular spot I was happy with recently so don’t feel the need to really repeat it. But today after showers earlier it was a very sunny afternoon here and it looked so beautiful. 

Walking beside Normandy Lagoon the sea and lagoon water looked so blue and it looked really stunning and refreshing, as shown in the second picture I took today in this photoset. I was so full of lust for it and desperate to transfer what I was seeing to my camera. With me looking back at 10 years of me getting into photography over the coming months this reminded me why I first started taking landscapes, to take a beautiful scene so I could keep a record of it so I could remember it forever and how and what I felt when I took it. This was a sharp reminder of why I need to always make room for landscapes.

Also as we walked beside the lagoon we noticed some Goldeneyes on it, including my first males this year. They looked great and you don’t always see them here so it was lovely. 

When walking round a little bit further we had a chance conversation with a really nice man. He asked if we’d got the Scaup. It transpired one had been reported on this lagoon but none of us had picked it up somehow! Who knows if we’d have noticed it anyway but thanks to this man we got to see this Scaup in the binoculars. We got great views of it in the sun, what a beautiful bird, and it was a good moment getting to clearly see the difference between it and a Tufted Duck. I took the record shot the third picture in this photoset of it.

This is my 122nd bird of the year and such a special species. This is only my second ever Scaup after seeing one 10 years ago at Titchfield Haven. It’s my third precious sighting of a bird only for my second time so far in 2019 with its relative the Ring-necked Duck at Radipole Lake and a Yellow-browed Warbler at Blashford Lakes last month. This is a bird that had been reported a lot in this area over the last year or so so I was wondering when I might see it again and it’s a pleasure to end my decade wait to see it again today. 

Going round afterwards the highlight was seeing a flock of Grey Plover and possibly Dunlin too in numbers flying around. I also took the fourth picture in this photoset of a Goldfinch. 

Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first Scaup of the year, four of my favourite birds the Little Egret, Great Crested Grebe, Brent Goose and Shelduck, Mallard, Shoveler, Wigeon, Pintail, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Black-headed Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Little Grebe, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Cormorant, Curlew, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Lapwing, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Carrion Crow, Pheasant, Goldfinch, Robin, Rock Pipit, Pied Wagtail and I heard a Song Thrush and another of my favourite birds the Green Woodpecker

[dansnaturepictures]

22/01/2021-Friday at home and Lakeside: 10 different pictures in this photoset to those I tweeted tonight 

On a totally sunny day I predictably produced nearly 40 pictures, with lots on my Lakeside lunch time walk as well as a notably high amount from my room/about our gardens and balcony, including the first four in this photoset of a Collared Doves and some plants and artificial hanging flowers around. Today was a day where everything came together for photos with all of my lenses on my DSLR and my bridge camera too producing photos it was great to see everything coming together to tick over a bit really. I have particularly enjoyed seeing birds on this neighbouring roof opposite us this week as sat at my desk working I’m in a good eye line to be able to see this bit. There were appearances from rather a lot of birds today as some other photos I tweeted show. 

I got to Lakeside at lunch time and took the fifth, sixth and seventh pictures in this photoset of stunning views as the sun really brought out all sorts of life and brilliant shades in the landscape I loved seeing this sun whilst taking my exercise today I got brilliant Pied Wagtail views on the green at the front of the house on the walk as I have done so much lately which is nice. I also loved when walking in the field north of the railway station getting a stunning view of another Redwing in a tree as a Robin sang the other side a key theme of this week. I’ve had one of my best ever autumn/winters for Redwings and thrushes in general now I think with so many seen as well as some great Fieldfare action. For a second Friday running a sunny day on an exercise walk whilst I had a face covering meant I sought out what I thought would be the quietest of routes with many people around and that meant cutting across the nature reserve area the southern fenced off bit that you can walk through again. There I got some nice views with a nice pool of water deep in the grass and under trees as a photo I tweeted tonight from further back in the walk east of the railway line shows, and as others I tweeted also shows I found some nice gems of quite hidden pretty bits of grass and remnants of flowers which reminded me how rich this habitat is. I then took the eighth picture in this photoset looking into the other field. I liked getting quite a close view of a Siskin where I hadn’t seen them before here in trees in this fenced off area getting a great quick view of this emerald delight.  

Next I walked out of the gate to this area to south of beach lake the main one and I was thrilled to see among other birds the Greylag Geese in the ninth picture in this photoset. It was really nice to see these familiar birds here which only seem to drop in during winter nowadays rather than through spring when they and their Canadian relatives breed and nest here and around all the time in large numbers and I love gosling time every year. Prior to today I had only got two sightings of Greylag Geese anywhere this year, both flying past my room last week and comically it is becoming for such a common bird but a quite site specific one at times that we do luckily have a great local scene for my Mum still hasn’t seen this species yet this year. So this made it one of my birds of the day. 

And on the theme of spring I saw different Great Crested Grebes to the ones on the westernmost lake I noticed the last couple of days showing breeding behaviour on this lake when I saw two together with one taking a stick so as to build a nest at the back of the lake. I have read that Great Crested Grebes can have long breeding seasons so this is quite spectacularly perhaps the beginning this year of for what one pair in particular turned into an amazing and year defining journey for me following the Great Crested Grebe chicks last year. There is something quite inspiring and hopeful about that at this time showing nature’s power to uplift. 

When home this afternoon I was treated to a great sky show with such beautiful scenes out the back including alongside some I tweeted tonight the tenth and final picture in this photoset. I hope you all have a great weekend or as good as it can be and stay safe. 

Wildlife Sightings and Sounds Summary: I saw some of one of my favourite birds the Great Crested Grebe and heard another the Buzzard, I also saw; Mallard, Coot, Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Jackdaw, Redwing, House Sparrow, Goldfinch, Siskin, Starling, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove and I also heard Robin.

[dansnaturepictures]

22/08/2020-Part 1: Walks around where we stayed and Dipper and more at Fingle Bridge: These photos different the ones I tweeted last night

On a walk up the lane from where we’re staying this morning, it started rainy and then got sunny, we enjoyed some stunning Devonshire views of lovely countryside which was a great start to the day alongside being very relaxed at being away and excited. On this walk like I did throughout today I saw more rosebay willowherb and some more foxgloves after seeing and photographing them the other side of the cottage by the lakes last night. As the sun really came out I was delighted to see beautiful Swallows flying very close overhead and landing on the wire, a special moment with a bird we have to make the most of as they will be migrating away from the UK soon. A young Robin outside the cottage was very lovely to see and I saw and photographed one at Fingle Bridge later on today which was memorable. I took the first two pictures in this photoset on this walk.

We then went to Fingle Bridge, my second visit here after 2015 which is Dipper country and as I have mentioned I think after thinking my chance was gone to see one this year it was our main target coming to the West Country to come here and see it today. So we searched. But it’s been said before by Martin Hughes-Games on one of the BBC Spring/Autumn/Winterwatches in the past if you see a Dipper you are somewhere beautiful and it did look absolutely sensational out there throughout the walk today. The habitat of water babbling its way over rocks and through the valley in woodland the River Teign which passes through there. Seeing the waterfall and gushing water scenes was so magical again and the weather really held we didn’t know what would happen it was so sunny and bright today and was so much here. I took third, seventh, eighth and ninth pictures in this photoset of such views and tenth and final of another looking up to a higher area above the pub here where some heather was looking very nice in the sun. Wildlife wise it was nice as we walked along to see a couple of Grey Wagtails you find them where you’ll find Dippers so it was encouraging to see them when we needed to see Dipper but I’d seen less of them this year myself in home areas as it’s something I see so often when working out of the office in Winchester. I was also delighted to see three Silver-washed Fritillaries alongside a good few other butterflies including the one in the fifth picture in this photoset.

This is a butterfly at home in Hampshire that is long gone really this year and this one was battered so possibly coming towards its end. But what I found striking today, and what my rosebay willowherb and foxglove sightings whilst away support too with those flowers long gone at home really too was how behind Hampshire Devon is in the season’s progression. At home you’ll have noticed if you look at my posts and photos regularly that I have already seen so many trees with autumn leaves. Today I only saw one in autumn colour, which I took the fourth picture in this photoset of, I have seen pictures online to show that Fingle Bridge and surrounding Fingle Wood look amazing in the autumn with the full colour. But today it still looked so green and almost as August should look actually, so whilst I am still enjoying summer and early autumn sights at home this showed the season is not only behind here it’s been like stepping back in time but its perhaps in line with what I expect from a normal year.

Our quest to see a Dipper was beginning to look a bit fruitless, but I kept saying we must never give up and all we needed was a moment of magic to see one. Luck changes in seconds with these birds. We came across an angler who we spoke to at a safe social distance as we were eating one or two wild raspberries and he had some too and I had some blackberries further on. We asked if he’d seen a Dipper and he had as well as Kingfisher too the Dipper recently and he told us roughly how far along. It was a very pleasant chat. We walked on checking the river at all times and we saw a Dipper! Very likely the same one. That one moment had happened and I felt so happy. We got brilliant views of it on the rocks in the water and it was very interesting to see it flying as I had done before and see it swimming a bit which I never had before really in the flesh. I got my first photo of an adult Dipper since 2014 which I tweeted, we had seen the bird we had come for which meant it was mission accomplished and we could feel anything that happened on the trip now was a bonus and it was a relief to see this my 12th ever occasion of seeing a Dipper.

It was quite an emotional moment really. 2020 looked like a year we could possibly see a Dipper when we went to North Wales in June we had the right habitat and had locations where we looked for them there in 2016 but that was rightly postponed due to the virus at that stage. I then thought and even said I would not see a Dipper this year. But then the Bird Fair was also cancelled and we managed to sneak a staying away trip in to this area we love so much and Dipper was the bird we’d come for and we’d managed it which I loved. It was very thrilling to see this bird today. 10 years on in very similar habitat (My first ever Dipper was at Exmoor’s Watersmeet which Fingle Bridge is like a Dartmoor version of) from seeing my first Dipper I was reminded why they are one of my favourite birds and how much I love it. Interestingly during my last time off work for more than one day my hot week off of day trips in Hampshire and most notably surrounding counties to it in June, on the Friday I watched Julia Bradbury’s ‘Walks with a View’ programme I think repeated where she walked Lynmouth to Watersmeet as part of her walk that episode and saw Dippers which made me very nostalgic this before I knew we’d get to go to Devon so it just made me feel very nice that. Year list wise it was a very important milestone being my 170th bird of 2020. A worthy bird to be the milestone which made me very happy. Equally I didn’t know if I’d reach 170 birds this year it’s been a crazy and restrictive (for the best for us all of course) year a figure it always feels smashing and I am proud to reach I’ve only achieved it six times now so I felt happy.

I took the sixth picture in this photoset of a lovely tall tree here which looked beautiful. I came away once again with a very good impression of Fingle Bridge today what a fantastic place it is, the woods and river habitat I just love so much. There’s also lots of nice picnic areas it’s a typical National Trust place so it was nice to see lots of people safely enjoying time outside this August it gave me great holiday vibes. I produced over 60 photos today a record for me so to help take the burden off the ones I had to tweet when home by having exclusive photos making up my post I did a separate blog about what we did next in our day which shall post next.

Wildlife Sightings Summary: (Around the cottage) Swallow, Robin, Carrion Crow, Speckled Wood and Large White. (Fingle Bridge) My first of one of my favourite birds the Dipper this year, two of my favourite butterflies the Silver-washed Fritillary and Red Admiral, one of my favourite dragonflies the Southern Hawker, Grey Wagtail, Robin, Carrion Crow, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood and Large White.