Sunday, June 18, 2006

Wigglers, vertical take-off and samba.


1. I'm very fond of frogs, so it's always a pleasure to see tadpoles. These were dividing their time between battling the current in a woodland stream and basking at the bottom of a deep pool. They looked pretty hefty, so legs should be appearing any day.

2. Dragon flies that change colour -- one moment they looked black, the next electric blue, the next bottle green. I like their manoeuvering as well -- they are like helicopters ought to be. Picture by Michael Grant

3. I hear a racket outside and come to the window just in time to see a samba band marching down the high street. They were dressed in red tunics and yellow trousers and were very much more visible than the fluorescent tabarded marshalls that flanked them. At the head of the parade was the town crier, who had been marching round all day advertising a concert in the Pantiles. He was trying very hard not to put an un-towncrierly shake in his step; but his wife, plainly not bound by such conventions, clapped and danced as the mood took her.

Book treasure, worn and speaker.

1. Finding treasure in the Oxfam bookshop. I only popped in to look for a card. 2. Bettany doesn't wear makeup out and about, but noneth...