Diary keeping

Another quiet week, though on the heritage front, two shocking things, well at least for those that care, the first story we covered was a stone circle on Penwith Moors in Cornwall, the moors had been enclosed by fencing within the last couple of years, and under an agricultural scheme they were to be grazed by a local farmer's cattle (for which he gets paid).  The moors are very popular, walkers, tourists and horseriders enjoy walking across it, but new 'furniture' in the shape of gates, stiles and gridded cattleways has made quite a few people unhappy.  Then came the cows, no ordinary creatures but rather beautiful long horned cows who amble along rather menacingly but are probably harmless to humans.  But not to the stones, and they have been using the rather small stones  of the circle to rub against, something natural to cattle.

English Heritage has said that they will look into it, lets hope they do it soon, Scheduled Ancient Monuments are protected under the law.....

Not a very good photo but it was 'fastcaptured' from a video.

The second thing to happen was the revelation that part of one of the circles of the Priddy Henges had been bulldozed, this was more serious as there is no going back on bulldozing earthworks.  The Priddy Circles/henges are of course unique, especially in North Somerset, aerial photography captures them best, three circles across the landscape followed by a fourth at an oblique angle.  The reason why is still unclear, the field belonged to a house that is now on the market, the damage done is irreplaceable though. Again English Heritage seems to know about it but in this instance the case is still to be dealt with.

So apart from above, life is quiet, the cottage (hurrah) is in the process of being plastered, two rooms down and a third to go an email tells me this morning, plus of course some slight repair to the chimney.

Photographs in the garden show my inability to capture the bumblebees and hoverflies that feed on nectar. 

Snapdragons planted for bumble bees

I planted a lot of lobelia this year just for its pretty tumbling affect, but tiny bees and hoverfly manage to land on its flowers.

The bees land on the lip of the bottom petal of the flowers, travelling further in the bee gets pollen rubbed onto its back by the stamens, when the bee comes out they 'groom' the pollen off their 'furry' backs into the little sacs by their back legs.

The two linear bronze age barrow cemeteries near to Priddy circles.....   

 http://northstoke.blogspot.com/2009/04/impressive-bronze-age-barrows.html

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