Grrrr!

On By geoffspagesIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

There’s a really annoying bug in WordPress, which they (WordPress) seem unable or unwilling to fix! I have tried!
If I forget to insert a ‘Read More tag’ (which happened with my previous post), the email that subscribers receive shows large and very blurred versions of my photos (instead of thumbnails) in some, but not all email clients. Most subscribers will know to click the page title, but some will wonder why I’m posting such appalling photos!
If anyone knows a good way around this, please let me know! If you’ve had the same problem with your own blog, please tell WordPress!

Happy accident

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

I’d intended to drive down through Harley and beyond – but the Kenley road was flooded (a not uncommon occurence – I should have guessed). So, back to Wenlock, for a walk on the Edge – where I found some yellow brain fungus (aka witches’ butter). Not something I’ve ever seen before. Then (after persevering through sticky mud), what’s that in front? A fox, and he hasn’t seen me (he looked in my direction once or twice, but the sun was bright, low and directly behind me). As I watched, he pounced on some small creature – lunchtime for fox! If I’d been able to follow my plan, my walk might have been much less exciting…

View on Google Earth https://maps.app.goo.gl/HVpGDYJ3MTCp4LwNA

Will I get wet?

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There was a lot of rain during the night, rattling at the windows, and the wind was whistling. This afternoon, there’s a good (is that the right word?) chance  of a shower, but it’s bright – and there are patches of blue sky. Let’s go for it! I’ll stay on surfaced ways – there’s no shortage of water running down them, but the fields are sodden. Well worth avoiding!

View on Google Earth https://maps.app.goo.gl/XMrbQLGfnUTXmfPN7

Fungus and ferns

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

…moss and lichen too. We’re walking downstream from Bedlam, on the old Severn Valley trackbed to Coalport, then back past the china works and over the Jackfield footbridge. It’s a grey day, there’s rain on the way, but it should stay dry for an afternoon leg stretch. The interest is in the detail – jelly ear fungus on elder, some well-hidden elf cups, lovely lichen (needs a really close look), gorgeous green moss and all kind of other vegetation. And though there’s plenty of interest, it’s too cold to stand around for long. Keep moving to keep warm!

View on Google Earth https://maps.app.goo.gl/owhMfW1Wor5Ut7Mn7

Wyke and a walk in the woods

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January is moving along steadily, but it’s still cold. A calm and bright afternoon is to be welcomed! So – I’m out for a leg stretch, this time from Benthall Hall, to walk along the quiet lane to Wyke, then down to the Vineyards and up into the Benthall Edge woods. There’s a maze of tracks here, but the one I want to follow is still blocked by trees, which fell in the storm just over a year ago. I can get past the first (sit on the trunk and swing the legs over!) but the second would demand serious limbo dancing skill, so I’ll pick my way through the woodland undergrowth instead. Returning to the Hall, the path is less muddy than I expected – or perhaps it’s just that the sun is in my eyes. It’s low by now – but not as low as it was in mid-December.