Highland fling

Any regular readers to my blog will get the gist of the places I regularly visit. From the Garlic Farm it is possible to follow alternative trails and the one I went on yesterday led me up to the Highland Cattle, seemingly contended to graze on some winter hay. I was taken with the regular blobs of wool on this scratching post. The feel of the wool was a reminder of the felting I did at the end of last year. Not being ideally suited to textiles I haven’t ventured any further in these pursuits but was quite happy to admire wool on barbed wire for its aesthetic quality!

Couldn’t resist Mr & Mrs Snowman. Very tasteful I think! Yes, it’s snowing quite heavily as I write and the Island is transformed to white on Wight. Wonder how the Highland cattle are faring (glad of a winter coat I expect). This picture was taken near the Garlic farm on the weekend when the ground was frozen but the air crisp and bright.

Well, not the best photos to do justice to this charmer but have to credit hubby with being able to get something identifiable whilst I peered through binoculars to get a better view. We were on one of our regular jaunts, a local walk across scrubby farmland and down to the River Medina. This is actually the Greater Spotted Woodpecker and we were treated to two separate sightings along the walk. I’m generally keeping the bird theme alive in my artwork alongside birdwatching as an enthusiast. I like to think I can look with both an artist’s eye as well as that of an Ecologist. One informs the other as when any science meets the arts.

Today included a little foray to the Garlic Farm where we were treated to a Red Squirrel doing its thing at the feeding station, where it sat posing for the camera and nibbling on nuts. I was able to do a quick sketch and also one of the Highland Cattle across the road. We had come via the RSPCA Centre. A pair of lively Chinchillas were on display and  prone to diving from one level to another in their cage. I took advantage of these antics and did a quick sketch of the albino whilst trying to make reassuring noises in a bid to get it to stay in one place.