The summer race against the rising sun. Every summer it's the same, out with the dogs before the sun gets up and making it home before the sun hits! We won by a long way today! Photo shows two dogs looking over a low white wall, one is stood next to a large wooden cross. To the right of the cross in the background is a Spanish village, to the left of the cross in the background are dry mountains with the sun halfway down.
Video showing a large yellow and black fluffy bumblebee on the centre of a sunflower. The flower has many yellow petals. You can hear the running water from a garden fountain.
Yesterday I took a trip down memory lane going for a ride in my Dad's neighbours 1938 Riley Lynx. He brought it for half a crown. Only 60 remain in the world! As kids we used to wait for him to return from work and ask to go for a ride in the car. Nine years ago I visited the Riley as the neighbour was restoring it after a long time off the road. We spoke about the fun times and how it would be wonderful to go for a ride again. Today we did just that.
A black cat with brown splodges laying stretched out on her back on a black cushion which is on a green swing chair. Her head is hanging over the edge of the cushion and her front legs are stretched way in front!
A small family of wild horses seen at first light in the high mountains, two adults, one foal and one youngster. Three are looking at the photographer. Hills and mountains blurred out behind.
Our beautiful ball of light setting for another night, seen from 2800m up in the mountains. The sun went through mucky part of the sky while setting, it made the sun look like a reflection on water, before and after this section the sun was round as we'd expect. #Nature#Spain#Sunset#Photography#Mountains#Andalucia
A picture of the sun setting. the sun is about to disappear below the silhouette of the mountains. The sky is various shades of orange.
We spent a wonderful cool night up in the Sierra Nevada mountains last night. We were lucky to see a handful of this endemic butterfly 🦋 Parnassius apollo subsp nevadensis. It is only on the wing from late June to early August and has just one generation! Although it is endangered it is considered stable #Nature#Spain#Wildlife#Photography#Naturephotography#Andalucia#Insects#Butterfly
A large white butterfly with black splodges on the wings. A circle can be seen on each back wing, outlined in black with orange and white in the middle. The body is large and hairy.
Cypripedium calceolus is a Lady's slipper orchid which happened to be flowering while we were on a recent trip to the Pyrenees and we had the privilege of seeing this rare orchid. What an absolute beauty ❤️ In Spain it is only found in Aragon and Catalonia. It is a protected orchid and guarded while in flower. #Flora#Spain#Nature#Photography#Botany#BloomScrolling#Andalucia#WildFlowers#Orchids#Rare
A picture showing Lady's slipper orchid flowers. The flower has a yellow base, shape of a shoe, 3 dark reddish leaves, one standing up straight and one on either side. One flower is in focus and the others in the background are not in focus. The flowers stand out of a green background.
There is nothing better than home grown. Some of the veggies for tonight's meal. Peas, curly kale, sprouting broccoli, asparagus and the last of the normal broccoli. We are going green 💚
Out on the dog walk this morning this beautiful Short-toed Snake Eagle flew over. It's a large eagle, has a brown head and chest, a big bright yellow eye. The rest of the body is white with brown spots on body and wings. This is an underside shot and the eagle is flying through a blue sky with some white clouds around.
A picture of a large bird. Long pink legs, white/pink body, long neck with big pink and black beak. The neck is bent backwards with the head resting on the body! The bird is stood in water, blurred green vegetation behind.
I've spent years trying to get a decent photograph of a Eurasian Golden Oriole. This morning I think I have achieved it. These shy birds come back every year to our place and torment me. Anyone who has tried to photograph this bird knows what I mean 😂 She was distracted, chatting to the male, allowing me to sneak a picture. A nice start to the day.
A picture showing a female Golden Oriole. It's thrush size bird. She is mostly a dull yellow colour, with light black wings. She has a red beak. She is perched on the branch of a tree side on to the photographer. The scene behind the bird is blurred out
Don't you hate it when you spot the one and only large grass blowing in the breeze after you took the shot and after the dogs said on we go with our walk please 😂 Sorry Rita for the addition to your coat! #Photography#Dogs#DogsOfMastodon#Pets#Husky#RescueDog
Two dogs stood end to end. Foreground daisy type flowers. Centre left black and white husky. Centre right white shepherd husky looking dog. Either side of the dog are green mountains and behind a blue sky.
A side view of a Short-toed Snake eagle standing on a dead tree branch. The top of half of the eagle is brown, the lower part is white with brown stripes. The eye is orange. Behind the eagle is mostly out of focus sky and trees below.
A hairy bee type washing an antenna after taking lunch on a lavender flower. It's a side view with they eye in focus and showing the leg cleaning the antenna. The purple lavender flower is mostly of out focus. There is a green blurred out background.
A picture of a curled up Water Viperine submerged in shallow water in an acequia. Small pebbles are below the water and snake. Some light is reflecting in the moving water. The snake is beige coloured with dark splodges running down it's back with some lighter bits in between. The head is near the top of the picture and you can just make out the left eye.
Photo of a black cat having a yawn showing her teeth and tongue. She is facing the camera, eyes closed, laying on a black cushion. Behind her are olive trees with the setting sun.
A bee type insect taking lunch on a lavender flower. The insect appears to be looking directly at the camera, it's face and right antenna are in focus. The purple lavender flower is mostly of out focus. The is a green background.
A stormy scene. Wind turbines silhouetted on a dark ridge line by a sun lit shower behind them on the left of the picture. On the right suns rays come through the clouds. Dark clouds are above.
A tri coloured cat yawning with front paws reaching towards the camera. The mouth is wide open showing her tongue and canine teeth. She is laying in a beige coloured fluffy bed.
A bird stood on a round wooden fence rail, the back ground is blurred out. The bird is side on to the camera, it is looking towards the photographer. The bird is mostly black, with shades of grey, some white in his wings and orange tail feathers. Both of his legs have rings on.
Living with a husky is often like having a constant toddler around 😅 Always have to answer back. Good to see this boy getting back to himself after a few health issues. Antibiotics and painkillers doing the job! #Dogs#DogsOfMastodon#Husky#RescueDog#Spain#Video
This video shows a black and white husky with pale blue eyes talking to his owner.
A shot looking out over the tops of trees, village on the right, towards hills in the distance. The incoming weather is coming from behind the hills. The clouds are heading towards the photographer.
A continuation from yesterdays video. This is what it looks like after it rains during a thick Saharan dust storm! Mud, the slippiest kind, it was like potters clay. Anything that was outside was covered in it, white houses were now mud colour. The traditional white villages you see here in Andalucia still have not returned to their full whiteness. It was a crazy thing to experience. Mud rain!
Showing a blue dog pool with muddy brown water in it. The floor around the pool is also covered in mud.Showing part of a terrace, the white walls and seating area, table and floor are covered in mud.Showing a roof terrace, the once white walls are now mud colour and the red roof is covered in mudAnother pool covered by a blue cover which has picked up the terracotta colour of the mud.
3 years ago today we experienced what it was like to live on Mars 👽 We had a rather thick Sahara dust storm episode 😷 Then it rained and turned it all the slippiest mud you can imagine. Cleaned up, then one week later the same thing happened again, but worse! Spain sold out of power washers! #Nature#Spain#Weather#Photography#Calima#Andalucia#SaharaDust
A short video showing an orange sky this is what happened to the sky because of the thick Saharan dust storm that we experienced. Usually you can see the village of Lanjaron and beyond from this view.
A picture showing rain falling from the sky in the distance, it looks to be falling over the Mediterranean sea or is it on the land? The sky is various shades of grey. There is an almond tree in flower in the bottom right of the picture. Various heights of hills around and a reservoir in the middle.
I wonder if we will get enough snow this season to get the dogs easily to it? The dogs are getting older and need easier access to snow than in years gone by. At the moment the snowline is quite high up. This photo was from a wonderful day we had snowshoeing back in 2021. All the rain in Spain seems to be mostly missing us here 🙄
A black and white husky with pale blue eyes mid step through snow. There is a large rock just to the side of him which is snow covered and few icicles hanging from it. Behind him you see the sun reflecting off the Mediterranean Sea and a blue sky.
A Scarce Swallowtail butterfly resting on a twig. The butterfly is being viewed from above looking down onto it. It is pale yellow and black striped with blue semi circles towards the back ending in two points on the bottom wings. In the centre at the bottom of the wings are two orange semi circles around two blue dots. The body is hairy, you can see one eye and the antenna of the butterfly.
Face to face with a wasp. Not sure what the wasp was upto other than hanging out. It was happy to have a camera lens pointed at it but I can't say it smiled 🤔
Face on picture of a wasp. Black and yellow mean looking insect resting on a grey rock. Blurred out background the orange colour is actually an orange!
Picture of a northern bald ibis leaning forward on a rock face. Black plumage with green purple iridescent sheen. A black ruff collar. The head is bald and pink with some black on the top of the head. The eye is red. It's bill is long and pink as are it's legs. This bird has a yellow tag on one leg.The same bird as in the first photo but it's preening it's beautiful feathers. You can see the ruff around the back of the head and the feathers on the neck are fluffed up too. You can also see the black markings on the top of the bald pink head more clearly.
I set a camera trap up on our land opposite a hole in the ground under one of our olive trees. I was curious to know who, if anything, was living in the hole. I haven't discovered that yet, but it did capture a really nice short video of a Genet passing by.
Visiting the UK again this past week, we didn't see the sun or blue sky for 8 days. It's amazing when it's the norm how much you miss it. When we took off on our way home we popped out the cloud pretty quickly and found where the sun had been hiding all that time 😎 #Weather#Clouds#AboveTheUK
A picture from the window of a plane looking out at a sea of cloud below and the late afternoon sun on the horizon.
A small bird perched on a twig. A male Stonechat. A branch comes lower left to right with a couple of twigs lower centre to right. The bird has a reddish chest, a white collar and a black head.
We visited the little ermita Tajos de la Cruz this morning on the dog walk. Rita has always jumped upon the wall since she was a pup, she's now 11. I don't think she does it to admire the view like us, I'm pretty sure she does it to get a good view point of any Ibex that might be below 😅
A white dog stood sideways on to the camera stood on a small wall, next to her is wooden cross with some red flowers at the base. The sky is a light blue with white clouds. To the lower right of the picture there is a Spanish village and lower left and centre behind the dog are mountains.
