Quarr Abbey

Yesterday my Mum, Nan and I took a little lunchtime trip to the Isle of Wight's Quarr Abbey. In it's ideallic setting away from the main roads, the Abbey is home to a group of Benedictine Monks and the site dates back to 1132 though the impressive modern chapel was built in 1907. We made good use of the Abbey Tea Gardens during our visit, I advise the brie panini and chocolate brownie!

 

 Images by KLV

The Mother's Day Post

Happy Mother's Day to you! We celebrated in our usual style of pub food and plenty of alcohol which was enjoyed by everyone, though both Mum and I definitely struggled with the dog walking the next morning.

When we got back to Sandown, continued drinking resulted in an impromptu throw anthing close by on my family and take photos thing. I've been dying to do a photoshoot recently but this will have to tide my over..

I do quite like turning the everyday into headwear..

Images by KLV

Island Creatures Part 3

Instead of dog walking I've taken to running with the dog (second week in) and this means I leave the camera at home. However that doesn't mean I've stopped seeing the local wildlife, the variation of which has come to surprise me recently! I still see the usual magpies, herons, buzzards etc but most of the following I'd never knowingly seen in the wild before (as stated before no photos below belong to me):

Eurasian Jay

1 sighted

Grey Wagtail

2 sighted

Either Snipe or Woodcock

4+ sighted

Either Short Eared or Tawny Owl

2 sighted

Our dog Izzy with her friend Dotty (Images by KLV)

Island Creatures - Part 2

Since the last post I've been out walking the same areas once again. This time I stumbled across the charismatic red squirrels (5 of them!), a kestrel and a couple of buzzards.

Images by KLV

Island Creatures

Since I now live on the Isle of Wight with a dog that needs plenty of walking, I've spent significantly more time outside and particularly along what I think is the Eastern Yar River (or a tributary of). I've always liked the woods, fields, rivers and marshes behind my house so it's been great coming across the local wildlife on an almost daily basis. Normally I'd take mallards and pheasants for granted as they're common enough but really they're pretty interesting birds with beautiful feathers! Them, along with various other species that inhabit the Sandown/Alverstone area, make dog walking a lot more interesting. 

Speaking of interesting, on a walk last week I came across an unfamiliar bird which turned out to be a 'Grey Peacock Pheasant'. This creature is also known as the 'Burmese Peacock' and it's the national bird of Burma/Myanmar, making it even more surprising to find it near my house on the Isle of Wight!

 

Images by KLV