Finally! Some butterflies! I took Olga on our West Heath/Sandy Heath/Hampstead Heath Extension walk yesterday, and we were out for several hours. We saw lots of insect life, including ladybirds, bees and yes, butterflies. I saw a red admiral, an orange one that flitted past too quickly for me to identify it, and this peacock (above).
You may remember that just last weekend I mentioned the dearth of insects at Wormwood Scrubs. Perhaps during the past week more of them took wing!
The dog had a great time. She's in bed now, still recovering. Dave is a bit concerned about her because sometimes after our long walks she goes through a period of very mild limping -- just a little hitch in her step, like she's sore from overexertion. Creeping middle age, I suppose. You'd never know it while we're on the walk, though -- she runs and runs like there's no tomorrow.
On Sandy Heath, I bent down to photograph some lichens just off the path. The pictures didn't really turn out, but while there I spotted this bottle lying amid the dead leaves on the forest floor. At first I thought it was just modern trash, but it's an unusual design and something about it seemed old-fashioned, so I brought it home. It says "Jaycon" and "Jaycon Regd" on one side, and "London" on the other. The unusual screw stopper says "Jaycon Table Waters."
So I did some research and it seems this bottle is, in fact, fairly old. The only Jaycon Table Waters I can find mention of online was "voluntarily wound up" as a company in 1973, but seems to have existed for a few decades before that. So who knows how long this bottle has been lying there?
Another addition to the kitchen windowsill...
That bottle is beautiful, a work of art compared with today's throw away PET plastic rubbish. It is surprising what you find when you're out and about. Like you, we have a windowsill boasting old bottles and an earthenware Manchester Creamery jar that we found in a stream.
ReplyDeleteI have about thirty old bottles. I like the green tinged ones. I blogged about some of them here:- http://beefgravy.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/bottled.html
ReplyDeleteI love the bottle! and the wildlife, of course. I hope Olga's limp goes away. Poor thing.
ReplyDeleteHow old is Olga? I forget.
ReplyDeleteThat bottle is lovely! As is the butterfly, the lady bug in the flower. Nice shots, Steve. Nice find as well.
you find the coolest stuff. Olga may be developing a bit of arthritis.
ReplyDeleteAwesome butterfly photo. I can never get lucky enough to find a butterfly that will sit still long enough for me to get a photo.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful butterfly you found and what a great find with that bottle. It is very interesting. It seems unbelievable that it could have been lying around the Heath for 50 years.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Thanks for the link to your photos of that cat building. Next time I visit, I'll have to put that near the top of my list.
ReplyDeleteAnother great find in that bottle. You have the eye.
ReplyDeleteOlga probably IS feeling the exercise, just as people do. I should think it would be impossible to hold her back, though. People can pace themselves, but dogs go all out.
ReplyDeleteNice bottle! And I saw an orange butterfly yesterday. We don't see too many of them these days, so I was happy it came to our yard. That peacock butterfly is fancy!