Marsh Lane (Sunday 14th April 2019)

Yesterday I couldn't log in to Facebook, today Flickr is down due to maintenance. My keyboard won't pair with my iPad anymore and the battery on the iPad keeps crashing when it gets a bit cold. It's all falling apart.

I called in at the foot of the Caen Hill staircase again yesterday teatime and made my way towards the second swan pair I'd recently discovered, but they didn't seem to be around. On the way, though, I'd seen a grey heron (see Extra) busy fishing and noticed a lot of flora including dead nettle beginning to reappear beside the canal and side pounds.

My blip, however, was taken at the roadside of Marsh Lane as I returned to Archie. I think it is great horsetail (Equisetum telmateia), also known as scouring rush because its stems were used in the past for cleaning tin. Apparently it predates dinosaurs and has a number of alleged medicinal uses, although these have yet to be fully researched as it has only been around for a hundred million years.

I'm entering it as a second entry this week for Miranda's Wild Flower challenge with her kind permission.

L.
15.4.2019 (1240 hr)

Blip #2896 (#2646 + 250 archived blips taken 27.8.1960-18.3.2010)
Consecutive Blip #017
Blips/Extras In 2019 #73/265 + #034/100 Extras
Day #3306 (670 gaps from 26.3.2010)
LOTD #2038 (#1879 + 159 in archived blips)

Flora series
Caen Hill series
Wildflowers series
Devizes series

Caen Hill, 14 April 2019 (Flickr album of 13 photos)

Taken with Pentax K-50 (Yellow) and HD P-DA 55-300 mm F4-5.8 ED WR lens

Lozarhythm Of The Day:
Pärson Sound - Blåslåten (1967)
This Stockholm-based ensemble were unreleased in their lifetime but have subsequently been collected on compilations released in 2010. This track was played on Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone on 6 Music on this evening. Their drone-based experimental rock sound was inspired by sources such as The Velvet Underground and Terry Riley.

One year ago:
The Old Forge (Clematis)