Shimmer and sparkle...

Yes, I'm back with the dragonfly series!

After a grey old start, the day turned warm and summery. I spent the morning at the computer, sorting some photographs to be sent to Orkney District Council, and entering yet more data for a report that has to be completed by the end of the month.

Just before noon I took Alex over to his friend's house where he was meeting with the other people going to the Leeds festival. I hadn't realised that one of the Dads was taking four youngsters and all their belongings. He had a farly large car, but I'm guessing that not everything fitted in. I left quickly before I could find out - I had asked about the size of the boot on the shopping trip but was told it would be plenty big enough! Later in the afternoon I got a text from Alex saying that they'd arrived safely and found a camping place, but that the whole experience had been pretty traumatic. I just hope it gets better and they avoid the torrential rain which has been forecast!

Today's photograph is a male emerald damselfly taken while on a dog walk at Castor Hanglands. It was so warm that there were plenty of dragonflies around, mostly ruddy darters and emerald damselflies, but with the occasional common darter and migrant hawker. It wasn't an easy choice, but I felt this image summed up the sparkliness of the afternoon. I also got an image of a darter in flight which I nearly posted, but the head's not quite in focus.

When I arrived home, Pete went up onto the single-storey annex roof to cut back the overgrown wisteria which was threatening to invade the main roof. It had formed a mat of vegetation over the annex roof, and when it was cleared, a large hole was revealed, caused by a ridge tile falling from the main roof many years ago. This had smashed through both the tile and the roofing felt. It's presumably been like that for about six years, but we've never had any leaks! Now we've got to go and find a matching tile to mend it before the next heavy rain (although it has been patched with heavy duty plastic in the meantime)...