Big bugger bird poo thing on branch!....

Striding through the Bracken I suddenly came face to face with this! At first I thought it was a bird dropping, but then it turned and looked at me AAaahhhhh!!

It was feeding on some Rosebay Willowherb.

This is one big bugger of a caterpillar.

It will eventually mature into a beautiful Elephant Hawkmoth.

A scary bottom point makes you believe that it more dangerous than it is, but it has no sting and is quite harmless.

The 'elephant' part of its name comes from the trunk like protuberance when it is feeding, but it wasn't playing ball so I never got a clear photo. It pulls its nose in like this to emulate a snake, and it works too, scared the willies out of me.

I didn't take this last photo. It becomes a moth that Walt Disney would be proud of, all pink and fluffy. These hover to feed from Honeysuckle of an evening.



This was a lovely snippet of video. Super clear, well lit, I was quite proud, but upload it to blogger and it's suddenly blurry and crap looking. Never mind, it's still exciting, all this 'moving pictures' business....it'll probably never catch on.

Car Crash Corner....

The day was sunny. Filtered beams of light penetrated the canopy illuminating the verdant undergrowth. Happy bird song drowned the hum of the nearby road. A tranquil scene... but something wasn't right...

70 is the speed limit, but 80 is the norm. It is dual carriageway, the opposing traffic is separated by a safety barrier and a cushion of greenery. You've been this way a hundred times before, the loud pedal sinks further to the floor as that satisfying sideways g- force builds up as you pull through the bend. A smile on your face as sail merrily on your way. Driving is fun.

The path through the woods crunches underfoot. Dry leaves , twigs, CDs, glass, a makeup bag, spectacles....no this isn't your normal undergrowth.

Worrying clues point as evidence as to the true nature of this stretch of woods.

The whole area is peppered with discarded paramedics gloves.

Trees are laid flat, their bases shattered and splintered. They all point the same way; in the direction of the traffic.

Then you start to notice, here, there, dotted everywhere, some new, some faded, bouquets tied to scarred trees, each marking their own tragedy.

Cherished toys, once soft and fluffy, lay alone, no one to love them anymore.

You got to ask, how fast do you have to go for your car to break up and your treasured CD collection to embed itself ninja style in solid wood.

I like to drive fast, sometimes I drive too fast. A trip to 'car crash corner' probably won't stop me pushing it a bit, but the consequences of getting it wrong will be in the forefront of my mind....I might relax my foot, enjoy the scenery, I'm not in that much of a rush, after all I wouldn't want to revisit 'car crash corner' before my time....

Welsh trip...the final day....

The final day...hoicking kayaks on and off cars and along coastlines had taken its toll. I took not being able to lift my hand up to comb my hair as a bad sign and decided to give kayaking a break. Instead we went off exploring the island.... This is just an old copper mine, but it's beautiful!

When I say old, I mean very old. Surface debris has been dated to nearly 4000 years ago (early Bronze Age). Ingots of copper have been found with Roman empire insignia. In more recent times (1700's) copper was mined here to sheath the bottoms of ships of war. The copper bottomed ships didn't collect barnacles or weed and this made them fast and maneuverable.

It was found that purer copper could be produced if the very acidic water from the bottom of the mine was pumped into surface ponds, laced with scrap iron and then allowed to seep back through the rock. The resulting ore was of superior quality. This also led to by-products such as ochre pigments, sulphur, vitriol and alum. It is this cocktail of chemicals that has led to the extraordinary array of colours.

An inviting tunnel in the distance, it appeared easy enough to get to but as we got closer it became obvious that you couldn't get up to it without bringing a ton of loose rock down on top of yourself. I was disappointed.

The Heather was out and this added yet another colour to the overfull pallet.

Artists travel to this area in order to be inspired by the colours. It is supposed to be spectacular at sunset but the day was overcast. It is a magical place. I was sorry that photography was unable to do it justice. It looks nothing special on film. This is just one of those places you have to see first hand.

The tunnels are inhabited by bats. I found a doorway to one of them but it was locked...foiled again!

We circled the island seeing what there was to see. Stunning coastline, dunes, airbase (we saw the Red Arrows), butterfly farm, famous equestrian center, racetrack (from 'Top Gear'), Sea World, ancient monuments, Newborough Warren, bridges, churches...too much to see, too little time.

Soon we left the island, exiting by the Britannia bridge. Our plan was to spend some time in the mountains of Snowdonia. As we arrive we realised our plans were scuppered as the mountains were clothed in cloud.

As if they weren't dangerous enough, this isn't somewhere you want to find yourself lost!

Out little friend was still haunting the layby. So we shared the last of the sandwiches and said our goodbyes....

Coast trip...Day two.(kayaking)....

From the campsite the sea looked perfect for kayaking. After a big mug of tea and the last of the bacon, we set off.... There was too much surf at the local beach so we headed up the coast to an old fishing harbour. After a lot of lugging of heavy stuff it was quite a relief to be out on the water relaxing.

At first I found the conditions a little unsettling as a wind picked up. I use a long paddle with a large blade and this meant that it would get caught by gusts, threatening to tip me over. Gradually, after a few wobbles I got used to it and started to really enjoy myself.

It is so tranquil out at sea, sometimes you feel like paddling out to the horizon and not coming back...

...but eventually your arms tire and your tummy rumbles, so I made my way to shore.

The campsite we stayed at is popular with fishermen who like to cast from the rocks beneath the cliff. Mackerel or Sea Bass are the normal catch, and the waters were teaming with them. More than they could eat or take home, kindly they gave some to us. It was left to me to do the messy beheading and gutting, the Seagulls appreciated the leftovers.

They were fresh enough to eat Sushi style, but there's nothing to beat a good fire. Driftwood and a couple of sharpened sticks were all that was needed to get dinner on the go.

The smell was fantastic, I think it was the best fish I've ever had. If only I didn't live so far from the coast I'd eat like this every day!

The wind really picked up on the evening tide and we had some great fun kayaking in the surf. The nose of your boat would point skyward as you rode the waves and once out in open water the swell was so great that it would leave you in the air as the wave passed and then the kayak would drop into the trough with a slap. Coming into shore you could sit forward (not too far or you go arse over tip) and surf in...so much fun.

Tired and happy, I crawled into my sleeping bag.

Coast trip..(day one)...

As you probably know, the summer has been a complete washout. So, when I saw this sunny patch of weather, I knew it was time to escape to my favourite UK island...Anglesey.

The route follows the old stage coaching road which cuts through the Welsh mountains, across the Menai Straits and up to Holyhead where the boats leave to go to Ireland.

The straight fast road soon begins to narrow and deviate as you approach the Welsh foothills. The twists and turns made all the more challenging by having 40 odd kilos of kayaks strapped high up on the roof. There were several tyre squealing moments and I had to crane my neck to look up and check if they were still there!

Beyond the picturesque village of Betsy-coed is the 'stop off point'. This is where we meet up if we are travelling in convoy and have become separated. It's also a good place to allow some blood back into your white knuckles after gripping the wheel so tightly around those perilous zig zags.

We climbed a short way up the mountain to have a bite to eat. I love it here, it's peaceful and the road invites you further.

As the miles rolled on, we decided to stop for....well, we needed to stop.

Beyond a dry stone wall was this little chap.

He was running free out on the hills but was quite tame. It turned out he had a penchant for sandwiches, which was why he was staking out this layby popular with picnickers.

We said 'auf wiedersen' to the mountains as we headed down to the coast.

All the signs direct you to the new modern Britannia road bridge, but I always go out of my way and struggle through Bangor to get to the original bridge. The Menai Suspension bridge was built in 1826 by Thomas Telford and used to be the only dry route across the Straits to the island of Anglesey. It's really narrow and the waters below gush quickly when the tides are high. The Strait is dotted with lots of little islands, some with houses. The closer being connected to the land with their own personal bridges.

On the 12th November 1918 Air Marshal Sir Thomas Elmhirst flew an airship (SSZ73) under the bridge to celebrate the armistice at the end of World War One!

I was glad to arrive at the campsite, I've been here many times before. It's a bit cheap and cheerful, but that's how I like it. Most people stay at the top end of the site near the facilities, but down the quiet bottom end you are next to the cliffs. The slope is steep and sometimes, especially when it's wet it can be difficult to get enough traction to get a fully loaded car back up...fun, fun, fun!

The sun was setting as the camp was completed, just enough time to scramble down the rocks behind the hedge to the sea below.

With darkness enveloping the camp all that was left was to cook some food and lay and watch the shooting stars by the gently shushing petrol lamp....

ATTENTION, Human Scum!....

Some of you may have noticed that previous posts have included footage of UFOs. This has all been a ploy to gauge your reaction to alien entities! Those of you that have been observant would have noticed something not quite 'right'.
Yes, I am an alien....Sent to infiltrate the blogging world!

At first I struggled to take on a suitable form. You humans are so fickle as to what you persieve as acceptable. Early attempts as the female of the species failed...the beard and stockings sidelining me to the 'dark' side of blogging.

Several attempts as the male species also failed....the stockings turned out to be a result of 'misinformation' from a rogue planet in my home solar system.

Slowly I honed my human form. Convincing my host family I was truly one of them.

My host brother couldn't believe his eyes when I revealed my true form.

He was understandably horrified. It all made sense....the meteor shower...little bruv being born 8 months premature...the sudden growth spurts coinciding with the pets going missing....the stockings!

Big bruv has come to accept the situation and is sympathetic to his alien brothers need to exist in his true form.

So now my friends, as I have come to regard you. After gaining your trust, it is time to remove this rubbery mask.....

Please accept me for what I am, and don't judge me on looks alone. In return, your measly planet is spared human scum...Sorry, old habits die hard!