A Tiny Brown Argus

 With my back in somewhat better shape, I've been able to be a bit more mobile again, and get a bit closer to the generally rather low down action. 

The hot weather has gone and the weather is changeable, but still pretty pleasant when the sun decides to make an apperance. Therefore butterflies and bees have been on the wing, although on our campus there's not much in bloom for them to nectar off - ragwort, coralberry, and the remaining creeping cingquefoil. 

So lets see what's been out there, that I've managed to successfully stalk without my Tourettes ticcing scaring them off! 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 29.08.25

A Butterfly in the Garden

 Finally I have some new content for you!

I've had a rotten few days. I've had time at work, but gave myself a back spasm - thanks again, cricket - and it left me immobile for a few days. I've only been able to go for walks again the last couple of days, and so sad as always that the time of colour is coming to an end. 

This week has felt distinctly autumnal. But these last couple of days, a hew buzzers and flutterers have been out notwithstanding. 

As I left my flat this morning, a comma butterfly was feeding off the "communal" buddleia. I rushed back inside to get my phone, and got one shot before it headed for the rather grey heavens. A beautiful specimen, fresh out of the packet. 

I've found bees in the park and library gardens, scabious, rudbeckia and cornflower are still out for them to feed off. 

And I've been bending down very gingerly to photograph them. 

Si 

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 21.08.25

Latest Critters from our Campus

 Welcome back!

What have I been up to? Well, struggling with food is where I have been. I'm now wheat intolerant as well as lactose intolerant, and have to avoid foods high in FODMAPs like the plague. 

No more normal bread - I'm on gluten free stuff that is only free if toasted. No more cheese or milk. No more fried food. A lot of fruit and veg is now out. No more caffeine. 

Worst of all, no more rum. Jack Sparrow would be weeping. 

No more joy lol. 

So, rice and chicken anyone? 

There have been some improvements, but working out what is best for me as an IBS-M sufferer is proving to be really really tricky. This is a long term slog. 

I'm still keeping my eyes out on nature. Today's big prize was the sinister bee-wolf, a solitary parasitic wasp that likes to paralyse honey bees before feeding them alive to its offspring. 

A charming creature, to be sure. 

Hope you are all well. 

Si 

All text and images CreamCrackeredNature 08.08.25 

An Old School Cricket Story

 Last Sunday we entertained our friends from Cropwell, a very nice bunch of lads who are big fans of bashing the ball hard and playing nice short 30 over games before retiring to the bar for a well earned couple of beers. 

Things were looking awkward for us as we only had nine players as we assembled at Kelham Road on a fine afternoon. However, a young lad, a major superfan and under 15s wicket keeper, was at the ground. He is desperate to play, but he is still "officially" too young to play senior hard ball cricket. 

However, things are slightly different on a Sunday, and on asking him if he fancied a game, and a quick call to get his kit driven over and for me to assure his family that Cropwell were a gentle team who had no bowlers who could kill him, he was in. 

I promptly lost the toss, and as feared, Cropwell decided to bat, where their big gun opening bat who has never failed to score 50 against us took to the middle, and with his partner, proceeded to wallop our bowling all over the park, with particular attention to the straight boundaries. 

I think they raised the 100 after about 11 overs. The chairman had a bowl, and finding no luck with his usual seam up stuff, decided to have a crack with his "sunday off spin" - actually googlies - but this resulted in more boundary peppering, although admittedly our fielding wasn't the best at times and we were a player down. The chief basher had got to his 50, but he was then replaced by another one.

Luckily, we had an old hand whose controlled medium pace I had decided was the right tactical move - that's one thing I've got right this year then - and he took three wickets with considerable skill. 

He knows exactly how quickly he is going to bowl, and exactly where the ball will land, which is entirely beyond my pay grade in this game. Our young guest, meanwhile, had taken over wicket keeping duties and was doing a stellar job, which augurs well for the third team next year, 

I had come on to bowl at this point, and was doing ok if not spectacularly, wickets, once again, evaded me, That was all happening at the other end, where the young second team opening bat was now proving highly effective with his rarely bowled off spin. 

Damn, they all make it look so easy.

So they closed on 199. 

Our innings did not start well, and we found ourselves in a very unwell looking position of about 40 for 5. However, the chairman, in conjunction with our young guest, proceeded to batter a fine 50 before the enforced retirement, a sort of "Sleep" in "Logan's Run" for batters in friendly games. 

The wicket by now was being rather tricky, so well done to them for scoring runs. It was very heartening for the young player's grandfather arrive in time to see him hook a head high beamer for four. 

I did get to have a little bat, I say little, I batted for 10 overs to score 13 not out. Lluckily for the watchers, the entertainment was coming from the other end. 

We lost, but it been all good fun.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 23.08.24

More Photo Diving - Bumbles and Butterflies

 Well, as the amount of wildflowers out there diminishes as autumn prepares to drape its rust and gold wings over the land, there has nonetheless been some hot days that have brought pollinators out to coralberry, marigold and coreopsis at work and at the park. 

Butterflies have been in desperately short supply this summer, and now that the meadow browns, ringlet and gatekeepers there is very little out there. My own buddleia has had the odd peacock dropping in, but small tortoiseshell and comma have been virtually non-existent where I have been pounding the tracks or having a gentle walk. 

I hope my readers have had better luck. Certainly some local folk here have found silver washed fritillaries in town, which is unheard of before. 

Of course, I haven't seen them. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 21.08.24

A Kinoulton Visit

 A drizzly Sunday saw us head out for Kinoulton, eleven intrepid players looking forward to the first Sunday game we'd managed to get on for a few weeks. 

Kinoulton is a well appointed ground with good facilities at the north edge of the village, and a car park that shrewder players realised was well within range of bigger hitters out in the middle. Cars were moved to more shielded spots. 

We batted first, with what looked a decent side on paper, in a thirty over game. After one ball, the leg stump fell over, and there long followed an amusingly farcical Spinal Tap moment, as first of all the hole was dug out with a teaspoon to try and remove a riotous bit of rock, before very large sticks were employed to pile drive the leg stump back into the ground with such force it was now a half inch shorter than the others. 

It's a friendly, no-one cares. 

Events started very positively for us, hardly surprising as we had the first and second team opening bats first up. It became evident very quickly that the outfield was as fast as treacle, and so our first team opening bat realised quickly that the key to fast scoring was going aerial. 

Which is how he hit his own car, although fortunately without damaging it. 

He retired on 50, no doubt setting his form up for the 131 he scored in the next first team game - who says Sunday cricket isn't important eh? 

When his partner got out for about 28, we were well set, but alas, things got a bit sticky from there on in and run prediction dried up as we ran out of power hitting, not helped by Kinoulton putting their most experienced bowlers on last. 

We closed on 120 for 7, defendable if we bowled well. Me, of course I hadn't batted, choosing instead to umpire and watch yet another cricket ground be visited by a red kite, and poking around the flowers at the edge of the ground. 

I won't ever change. 

The idea that our total was a good one was sadly dispelled in about 10 minutes, as one of Kinoulton's openers went absolutely mad and smashed 50 in about 25 balls, with the pavilion taking a fairly serious battering in the process. Even after he retired, we couldn't stem the runs, although I did take a wicket thanks to a great catch from my co-captain. 

However, we had an exciting mini finale when our youngest players, and the first team opening bat turned off spinner, made them work for eight overs for the last few runs. We were desperate for the young lad to get a wicket, sadly it was not to be. 

Yes a loss, but it was a really enjoyable game with a really nice bunch of Kinoulton lads, who were well worth a drink with after the game. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 13.08.24

Random Photo Dive

 Let's see what I've found the last few days in various places; on dull days, bright days, hot and humid and sticky days. 

Bright, buzzy and fluttery, I hope.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 06.08.24

There was Quality in there Somewhere

 On Sunday, it was time for our return visit by our friends from Cropwell. For once, through no fault of my own, I was late for the game, and batting first we were already 88 for 1, with our opening bat just cracking a four to bring up his 50 and his enforced retirement as I arrived. 

We carried on batting rather serenely at about five runs an over, until with about 8 overs to go our other bat, now on over 200 runs in three games, also reached 50 and had to retire. 

This led to a passage of cricket that was, shall we say, a challenging watch. As ever, the problems of scoring runs against slow lob bowling on a slow wicket on our deck became very apparently, and there wasn't a lot of quality on view, with some ferocious swinging of the bat resulting in minimal ball movement. 

Hey, it's Sunday, it doesn't matter! All good. We still had 152 for 4 on the board.

However, we know Cropwell. Every time we have played them, their opening bat has always come in and slammed 50 very quickly before retiring for a beer, and ensuring Cropwell got the runs they needed. This time, however, our young opening bowler got him quite early on, and it was in fact his partner who started slamming the ball around, hitting one bowler over the pavilion twice. 

Their run rate was climbing rapidly. The skipper, desperate not to lose again, decided to deploy some first team bowling, including the division's leading wicket taker. This is generally regarded as being a bit "Un-Sunday-Like" and the Cropwell captain, himself a good bat as well, thought we were being a bit naughty, especially as the quick bowler seemed to be about twenty miles per hour for the Cropwell bats to even see. 

I did apologise, as they took four wickets between them in eight overs and killed the game stone dead, as Cropwell's remaining batters were clearly not up to much. Thankfully, friendlier bowlers were brought on for the the last 12 overs as we chipped away at the remaining wickets. 

I bowled some gentle filth myself, claiming another wicket with my speared in quicker ball, even if it was a full toss. 

There was time for a bit of peak village at the end, where our umpire allowed my last over, the final one of the game, to go on for about ten balls so the playing wife of one of the Cropwell players could score a run. 

She got one, from a ball I bowled at her left handed. Yes, it got to that level. We won by about 50 runs. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 25.08.23

Rudbeckia and Echinacea Time

 Late summer and these two flower species are getting all the love from the pollinators, who pay a visit and end up thickly dusted in yellow pollen!

The last swifts have left my skies a couple of days ago, but we still have swallows and house martins. It is the time of the year when they find the cricket grounds I play on particularly attractive as an insect hunting ground. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 18.08.23