Winged Hourglasses

I knew exactly what I wanted to photograph for this very last day of 2011. Few things can be as suitable for showing the passage of time as winged hourglasses and I knew I would find many in Penicuik graveyard. The hourglass is a sign of fleeting time and a symbol of (wo)man's mortality.So Penicuik Graveyard is where I spend my Artist's Date today, hunting them out. The above one was a beautifully synchronistic find for the day. What could be a better wish for the year to come than to Carpe Diem (or pluck the day). I sometimes have real difficulty dealing with the sheer spookiness of these coincidences. I had seen the hourglass before on previous visits but had never realized that there was text underneath.

This is the back of the gravestone with the skeleton that I showed you in an earlier post (it also was my 365th blip). This hourglass has lavish wings, clearly the mason was a very talented individual. It dates back to 1709.

A beautiful winged hourglass that fills the top of the gravestone completely. There is text above which says: Fugit Hora (or very loosely translated: the hours are flying past). In other words, beware of the fact that your time is running out fast.

Quite a dainty hourglass with the usual Memento Mori underneath. It's hard to read the text above but I think it again says: Fugit Hora

And lastly a very simply hourglass with quite modest wings. But how it looks does not really matter as far as the symbolism is concerned. All of them remind us that our time on this earth is limited and the end might come at any time. The sand is slowly falling down till it will all gone.

A whole year has passed once again and who knows what 2012 will bring. I wish all the readers of this blog all the best for next year and make the most of it, every single day. Just in case!

Time Flies

And there are days when I feel the wings of time more than on others. Today is such a day as it is the day now exactly 32 years ago that I first came to the U.K. Some years have gone very slowly and you wish them gone but other years such as this last one fly by so fast that you want to say: "Hang on a minute, can we rewind and do that again".

This is a spread done in my 2012 Sketchbook Project and as the title is so appropriate for this particular day I saved uploading it till today. The above picture is a scan but I also photographed this page for today's blip. The 2012 project is now closed for sign-ups but a new Sketchbook Project has already started, the Limited Edition, open to only 5000 artists. You can find out all the necessary information here and I made a start on this new sketchbook today. My theme for the 2012 one was monochromatic and every spread in the sketchbook is dedicated to a different colour.

The tree, as well as being brown, is also a great symbol for the passing of time with its rings. It is a photo I took in the Dawyck Botanical Garden back in autumn and on the right hand side of the page are the watercoloured squares you're probably familiar with at this stage.

Sometimes I spend a lot of time reminiscing on this day, more than on New Year's Eve or my birthday. Maybe because in many ways it was the start of my life as I now know and love it. I can remember some events on the day so well, such as how windy it was on the ferry. In fact, the weather was a lot like it is today here in Scotland. I also remember getting lost on the North Circular in London on our way to Slough. Some friends drove me across (sadly I no longer remember their names) and my first sight of London was at night. I was only planning to be here for 6 months or a year at the most, but life had other ideas! And I have no complaints about that nor any regrets!

Tibetan Bangle Bracelet

Despite all the festivities I did manage to finish my latest jewellery project. It's amazing how much you can get done in just half an hour of beading every day. For once, I made this Tibetan Bangle bracelet from a kit produced by someone other than Laura McCabe (although I remain a committed groupie!). This bracelet is designed by Cynthia Rutledge and I had been putting off starting it as the many pages of instructions held me back. But the end result beckoned and so I began. And once I did I discovered that although there were indeed a lot of instructions they were very clear and by simply following them each step of the way the bracelet came together beautifully. It's picture on the arm of my mannequin above

and here laying flat in warmer light which gives a better idea of the true colours. Now I just have to find a suitable occasion to wear it as it's much too cumbersome to stitch with. In fact I hardly wear anything around my arms or around my nect when I'm working, it's simply too much hassle. But when I'm out and about I do try and remember to display some of these wonderful pieces of jewellery.

Old Cockpen Graveyard

Today I finally managed to locate Old Cockpen Graveyard after 3 previous, failed attempts. I had to bring John along so that he could drive while I used the Ordnance Survey coordinates in combination with a map to guide us along. Even then we almost missed it. But I'm so pleased we persevered. It proved to be a very atmospheric place with a now almost completely ruined church which was first used in 1242. It was probably build on a site used previously for human settlement so it is truely ancient and who knows what human history is contained here. The church was in use till the early 19th Century. It contains (and this shows signs of recent building work) the Earl of Dalhousie's burial aisle, which is now bricked off and inaccessible. As Dalhousie Castle (now a hotel) is nearby, this is easily explained.

Above the remains of what must have been a lovely round window in the East wall (perhaps a rose window?) and in it's day this must have been a lovely church building. Even in it's ruined state it has great beauty.

The above gravestone (also my blip for today) dates to 1699 (and by the way this information comes from Isla Donaldson's book Midlothian Gravestones, published in 1994 and still available from Midlothian Library Service), and has a very worn winged soul at the top, surrounded by fronds and very thick scroll work. It has the initials WC and MB which no doubt refer to the husband and spouse buried there. As you can see dead leaves, lichen and moss are fast gaining the upper hand over this gravestone.

This is another neigbouring stone (dating back to 1790) with a lovely winged soul at the top spreading out its extravagant wings. The stone is further decorated with twisted swags and acanthus leaves all the way down each side.

Here is a skull that I only discovered by looking down. It's on the bottom end of a now fallen stone which is gradually being swallowed up by moss and leaves. Next to it you can just discern an hourglass.

I'll definitely be returning to this graveyard, as I have left out a very interesting tablestone grave which I shall regale you with at some time in the future. The light was not that great for photography so I decided to save that. I did want to share the above stone though. The set squares clearly indicate it belongs to a wright, named Robert Rough although there is no date to be seen on this stone anymore.

My Christmas present

Can you ever have too many cameras? No, not in my opinion. And I was completely over the moon to discover that John had bought me the new digital Polaroid camera (Z340), which not only has the capacity to instantly print out 3 x 4" pictures of whatever you shoot but can also save these images digitally so that you can import them into your computer and do whatever you want to them. That means I can use them as my blip, as I did with the above picture, a very close-up macro shot (yes, the Polaroid has a great zoom facility) of a Saintpaulia plant. But I have also printed it out so that I can start using it immediately in my art journalling. Oh the joy of it! So now I have my compact Lumix, my Canon DSLR and the digital Polaroid. Only thing that remains on the wishlist is a rugsack to carry them all around with me.

And I almost forgot, I also received a bendable tripoid to with the Polaroid! You can bend it around tree branches, fences and the like. I just need to think how I can attach it to gravestones.

Happy Christmas

Have a very peaceful time and May all your wishes be fulfilled!

Tweedmuir Graveyard

Time for my Artist's Date this week! The snow has melted and the Scottish Borders are mainly brown and grey striped with green rather than gloriously white. I went to the most southerly graveyard in Peeblesshire and was lucky enough to be able to ask for directions from a Mobile Library van as I very much doubt I would have found it without that assistance. Tweedsmuir Graveyard is tucked away at the end of a dead-end road. It's right by the river Tweed which is probably why the church is high up on a hill so as to avoid flooding.

Most of the oldest stones are near the church and the graves then are positioned on the slope down to the river with the modern ones at the very bottom. The graveyard is still in use as is the church. I've never come across a graveyard so overcome with moss and lichen. Most stones are completely unreadable due to the growth covering them.

But by crouching on the ground and having a close-up look I did find some treasure such as the side of the above table grave adorned with a very strange skull, crossbones and hourglass.

A very strange winged soul which seems to be smirking out at the world with underneath an impressive set of wings

and a much more cheerful one, smiling out. She's probably very pleased with her hairdo! A real one off.

The biggest claim to fame for this graveyard is this grave of a Covenanter. If you want to know about the Covenanters have a read here. It's one of the many religious conflicts in Scottish history (and one of the bloodiest!) and was also part of the wars between England and Scotland, Another case of many lives lost in the name of religion and a very far from uplifting tale.

The inscription reads: J H 1660-1685. Here lyes IOHN Hunter martyr who was cruely murdered at Core Head by Col. Iames Douglas & his party for his adherance to the word of God & Scotlands covenanted work of reformation 1685, erected in the year 1726. Later on the following was added in 1910,on the other side of the stone facing us above which says: John Hunter , a Tweedsmuir lad, was accidentaly visiting a sick friend at Corehead when timely in the morning he was surprised with Douglas and his Dragoons. He fled to the hill a great way, but one named Scott, being well horsed, compassed him and came before him. he was most barbarouslie shot through the body, felled on the head with the neck of a gun, and casten headlong over a high steep craig.

On the other side of the originally gravestone you can see the above inscription. It is very hard to read due not only to the lichen but also to the use of strange (Scottish?) spelling and words. It's reputed to be by the mason Robert Paterson of "Old Mortality" fame.

Here's what I make of it :

When Zion's King was robbed

of his right, his witnesses in Scotland

joined to flight

when Papist Prelates

and indulgency

combin'd gainst Christ

to ruin presbytery

all who would not unto

the Prelate bow,

They sought them out &

whom they found they slew

for owning of Christ's cause

I here do lie

My blood for vengeance

on his enemies doth cry

Perfect Pinks

I'm not as pleased with all my pages as I am with some of them. Only natural, I suppose, as I love some colours a lot more than others. And although I was never a very pink sort of girl, I have to admit to becoming converted to the perfection of pink.

This spread is for the 2012 Sketchbook Project, now closed, and as you'll probably have gathered by now my theme is Monochromatic, but using a different colour to be monochromatic with on every spread. On the right my usual (for this sketchbook) arrangement of the watercoloured squares and for the rest I've used my own photographs taken this summer in a variety of sizes as well as some of my flower stamps, coloured in with my ever-increasing collection of markers. The text on the left-hand page reads: I am the very pink of courtesy and on the right the text refers to the pink of perfection. I used individual stamps for the letters and coloured them in with a sparkly marker (sadly the effect is mostly lost on the scan!). This page brings back memories of the summer, during these dark, cold and icy winter days.

Presbyterian true blue

Another blue spread in my monochromatic themed 2012 Sketchbook. This particular project is now closed for sign-ups but there is a new Limited Edition sketchbook project. You can read all about it and sign up here.

On the right hand side of this spread the by now familiar watercoloured squares used on all my spreads in this sketchbook, adorned with paint sample card and a photograph I took way back in the early spring of this year of a lonely ship out at sea.

And on the left a painted page I did earlier cut up into strips and re-arranged on the page. It's a shame that the scans don't permit you to see just how much sparkle there is on these pages. I really went to town with that. I guess you will just have to try and catch one of the venues these sketchbooks will travel to next year, which will include London (for those books originating in the U.K. like mine)

Old Pentland Cemetary

It was very strange to leave the winter whiteness of Macbiehill today to venture forth to Edinburgh. All would have been well had I not met the snowplough in our already very narrow one-track lane but the snow shovelled the previous day made it even narrower. There was nothing for it but for me to reverse, around several bends , till I could manoeuvre the car into a farm entrance. This made me regret we only have winter tyres on our front wheels. But heyho, I did it (no choice!) and was given the thumbs up for my reversing by the driver. Not something I want to repeat anytime soon though. And then you drive to Edinburgh and discover there is no sign of snow whatsoever, nothing!! After the Christmas party of the Thistle Quilters I gave myself another treat and made a small diversion to visit Old Pentland Cemetary. This too hadn't suffered any snowfall and was in prime condition for such an old graveyard. It appears to be in the hands of a conservation society.

There used to be a church here dating back to the 13th Century, now long gone as the church fell into disrepair and then vanished alltogether when Rosslyn Chapel was built nearby. There are some very ancient stones here, as well as a watchhouse where the family of the diseased watched over the remains to stop the so-called body snatchers digging the bodies up again and taking them to Edinburgh to sell to the medical students. A gruesome affair which was wide-spread in the 18th Century. In fact a sign in the graveyard (sponsored by IKEA!) told me that a child was actually stolen from this very cemetary. To stop such things from happening again the family kept watch till the corpse was no longer fresh enough to be used for dissections.

The above stone is a real beauty and at the top there is a quite unusual feature for gravestones, a green man. The gravestone dates from 1762 and is also adorned with the letters TSIH (perhaps initials of the buried?), a skull and crossbones and an hour-glass laying on it's side as well as a spade and shovel (tools of the gravedigger). It's worth remembering that Rosslyn Chapel is nearby and there is a true wealth of Green Men sculptures there so perhaps one of the masons who worked on the chapel, also produced this stone. This was my blip for today.

Above one of the oldest gravestones I've come across, dating back to 1624. The text is disappearing fast but from the top I could just see: Here lys Robert Umpherston, tenant in Pentland who died March 2nd, 1624, aged ???

A very elaborate gravestone (you might have glimpsed it already on the previous picture. It's carving is delicious, a wealth of flowers, a flower basket, leaves and buds as well as S-scrolls. Such fine work I have never seen before. The gravestone dates back to 1765 and belongs to George Brown, farmer at Westerbalprow, who died in that year, his son John, a wright, who died in 1736 and his son Charles a druggist (now there's a word long disappeared from use) who died in 1767. There is also a verse and it reads:

This Modest stone (some fine false modesty there)

What few gay marbles can

may truly say

here lye three honest men

Such a shame to discover a beautiful stone which has fallen over and fallen to bits. Does the snake symbol on either side mean this grave belonged to a doctor, or is it simply a symbol for the snake that caused men to leave paradise? I have no idea but on the edge you can just discern the word virtue. This gravestone dates from 1750.

Just before you go out you come past this beautifully engraved gravestone from where you
view the rest of the graveyard as well as in the far distance the Pentland hills. It was erected by James Barrowman smith Rad Combes to the memory of Isabell Fowler, his spouse, who died Dec. 15th 1788, aged 43 years. Also Margaret Carens, his second spouse, who died March 18th, 1806, aged 47 years. Also four of his children who died young. Also two of his grandchildren... and after that it becomes almost impossible to read anymore.

A concise family history to remember after I left the graveyard (I will return!) and went back to the snowy hills of Macbiehill. Coming back proved a lot less problematic than going out.

Winter Wonderland

After yesterday's sunny day it came as a complete shock (no weather warnings had been issued!) to open the curtains this morning and be greeted by around 6 or 7 inches of snow! Secretly I was so pleased! Grabbed the camera and took off along the lane immediately. I worried a bit about the fact that many of the pictures I was about to take would be the same as last year but then thought about the book I'm reading (The Practice of Contemplative Photography, as recommended by a fellow blipper) and remembered that each moment is unique. It has never been before and never will again. That makes each photograph unique in just the same way. Above is my favourite of the day (also my blip), the enormous beech tree in the adjoining field.

I also loved photographing upwards although I was quite careful as this is how I lost my previous camera now almost exactly a year ago. Some snow fell down when I did this last year, hit the camera, which slipped from my grasp and landed in the snow. The damp must have penetrated it and it gave up the ghost. Snow was coming down this year too but I managed to find a position to shoot from but where I was outwith the reach of falling snow.

This tree in the field opposite is leaning over at an almost impossible angle but somehow it's clinging on still and provided me with a good picture and unlike any I took last year as at that time it was still standing proudly upright.

Above a picture of the fence that shows just how much snow came down overnight. It looks likely that I will have to miss tomorrow Christmas Party with the Thistle Quilters so that's a bit disappointing specially as last year's one was cancelled due to the snow then but I must be honest and admit that I'm over the moon to see so much of the white stuff again and with a bit of luck we will once again have a White Christmas! That's party enough as far as I'm concerned.

Think Red

Another spread for the 2012 Sketchbook Project and these red pages are very simple. I used pieces of sample paint colour strips and on the right hand side the usual watercolour squares. I love reading the names of the various paint colours. Do they hire people in, specially to devise them? Scooter Red, English Fire, Fireside, Flame red, they could almost be part of a poem.

On the left hand side I added a cotton fabric printed with one of the many photographs I took over the summer of my roses. The right hand page was covered with a transparency of the word red in a wide variety of languages (from Altered Pages).

A walk around West Linton

We were informed by Scottish Power that yet again the maintenance work on our electricity pylons would be postponed due to "bad weather". No idea where they got that idea from, it was in fact one of the best days we've had in a long while. I had arranged to meet a friend to have lunch together and then go for a walk and the conditions were ideal for that plan, as you can see on the picture above (also my blip for today).

We met up in the Old Tollhouse teashop in West Linton village.

After we had enjoyed a warming bowl of soup we set out across the stream and up to the hills across the main road. The sun was shining, we enjoyed each other's company and chatted when we weren't out of breath with the climbing. It was less muddy than I had expected (the forest is a real quackmire at the moment!) and the views were amazing.

As you can see there is a definite dusting of snow on the higher hills and when I came home I was quite surprised to discover that the lovely sunshine we had been enjoying hadn't reached Macbiehill at all. So I was even more pleased we had chosen today to meet up and go for a walk. Officially this wasn't an Artist Date (as you're meant to be alone for them) but it certainly felt like one.

In the morning it is green

I have finished all pages in my sketchbook now so you will be seeing a lot of the remaining pages that are now done, in quick succession over the coming days. The sign-up for the 2012 sketchbook project is now closed but if you are interested in doing another sketchbook project you can sign up for the Limited Edition. Only 5000 participants (as compared to the over 20.000 people who joined in the 2012 one) and a book will be published in which at least one page from every participant will be shown. In due course my pages will be digitilized for the 2012 sketchbook but you can see my previous sketchbook (2011) here.

Anyway without further ado another green page (to my surprise I discovered that I had dedicated 3 spreads to various greens. Never knew I was so into green, it's definitely not my favourite colour! There are the usual squares on the righthand side together with postage stamps and rubber stamping. On the left hand page is a piece of hand-painted paper as well as a photograph of another paper I painted during the summer.

The electricity maintenance that was cancelled last Thursday due to the storm is now due to take place tomorrow so that will mean a day without the leckie! Hopefully it will be back around 5pm but last time it didn't return till after 8 in the evening. So if I'm not here, you'll know why!

No Spirit can walk abroad

Another spread in my 2012 Sketchbook (see the previous post for all the info about this project) are these monochromatic brown pages. On the right the watercoloured squares, and on the opposite page one of my photos. This is a previous blip of fungi in Dawyck Botanical Gardens taken earlier this autumn. I love the abstract quality of it although it wasn't to everyone taste!

I also included 2 postage stamps. I used these a lot in my 2012 Sketchbook and wanted to continue that thread in this sketchbook too. They are not on every single page but they are definitely present on most. It was the text: No spirit can walk abroad which inspired these pages. Mostly I find the text after I've finished the page but in this case it was the other way around.

I have it here in black and white

I have already signed up (and received my sketchbook) for the latest project organized by the Brooklyn Art Library i.e. Sketchbook The Limited Edition. You can too! There is a maximum of 5000 participants for this one and a book will be published including at least one page from every participant. I have chosen the Threads and Surface theme (I'm sure you won't be surprised by that choice!)

But the arrival of the next sketchbook reminded me to get on with the previous one i.e the 2012 Sketchbook. I had already partly finished most of the spreads in this one but I like to let them sit for awhile to stew and then look at the pages again just in case I want to add more. But it's now time to make up my mind, call them finished and get on with shipping it back to New York. So you will be seeing quite a few of the spreads (all those I haven't yet shown you) here in short succession. Don't think I made them all at once, I'm just not that organized!

This is the first spread in the sketchbook and incorporated the back of the front cover on the left. The small text in the top right hand corner is also the title (of this post too!) and I used a variety of stamps (both rubber and postage). All my spreads have that arrangement of the coloured squares, made with watercolour pencils. My theme for this entire sketchbook is Monochromatic but that hasn't stopped me from using different monochromatic colour schemes on each page so that the sketchbook as a whole ended up looking very colourful.

Vive Memor Lethi and an anniversary

Sometimes there is so much synchronicity in my life that I'm beginning to find it quite spooky. I was hoping for a good theme for the very last month of this year on the Sketchbook Challenge site but could hardly believe my eyes when they came up with: Trashed, Ruined and Decay. Despite it's grammatical shortcomings I knew in a flash of inspiration just exactly what I was going to do with it: mixing it up with my love of gravestones and graveyards!

I'm also combining this challenge with making my Journal Quilts this year for the Contemporary Quilt group and for them the Journal Quilts have to be 10" square and have to include buttons.

I grabbed my fabrics and produced an imaginary graveyard set in the open air. As it's December a snowy atmosphere also seemed appropriate. I added a selection of interesting gravestones photographed by me in various locations. From the top to the bottom and from left to right these are located in Newlands, Penicuik, Innerleithen and Temple, West Linton and West Linton. The photographs were printed onto cotton fabric sheets and machine appliqued to the background. The piece was handstitched extensively and the necessary buttons were added to some of the gravestones to correspond with the ornamention on them. I added ivy leaves (a mixture of felt and paper) to the edges as ivy is very often the plant that grows all over stones. To represent snow small glass balls were glued on (from Alpha Stamps).

The Journal Quilt came by it's title from the Penicuik gravestone (shown on an earlier post and also my 365th blip) i.e. Vive Memor Lethi. I've done a bit more research about this saying and here it is for those of you who are as fascinated by this kind of thing as I am!

Also transliterated as "leti", this phrase is attributed to 1st Century AD Roman poet Persius (Aulus Persius Flaccus) and is taken from Satires V 151-3:

indulge genio, carpamus dulcia ! nostrum est
quod vivis; cinis et manes et fabula fies.
vive memor leti ! fugit hora ; hoc quod loquor inde est

This, part of a speech by Luxury, may be translated as:
"Indulge your genius. Let us seize things that are sweet.
It's thanks to me that you're alive. You'll become ashes, a ghost, a fable. Live mindful of death. The hour is fleeing. Every word I speak is [stolen] from it."
The 'th' in lethi is the result of Romans attempting etymology, and getting it wrong! They had the Greek word Lethe, for a place in Greek mythology. .They spelt that with 'th' in an attempt to render the Greek word into Latin. Lethe was a river in the infernal regions, from which the Shades [deceased] drank and obtained forgetfulness of the past.The Latin word letum (whence leti), a poetic word meaning death, isn't related to Lethe, but , some Romans made a connection, thinking one derived from the other, so they spelt 'letum' and 'leti' 'lethum' and 'lethi'.


And finally, as they say, this is also my 5th anniversary of blogging. I started on this day, the 11th December 2006. How long ago this seems and yet contradictory the time has also flown. Had I know that I would still be wrestling with a dial-up connection I might have given up before I ever got going but here we are, still waiting for technology to catch up with the many rural locations here in Scotland. The fact that I persevered despite all that must mean that I simply love doing it.
For those of you with me from the start: THANK YOU!! And to those of you coming to me at a later date: THANK YOU! And if you're reading my blog for the very first time today: THANK YOU and WELCOME!!

The peace after the storm

Yesterday was the wildest day we've had in quite some time. Fortunately the electricity company decided that doing maintenance work in 90M/hour winds was maybe not the brightest idea they'd ever had. So instead we kept our electricity, even during the worst of the weather although it flickered alarmingly from time to time. They will have to give us a week's notice for the work to start up again and at the moment are no doubt way too busy restoring power to the over 60.000 homes without it. We'll wait and see.

Peace and quiet have now returned (although very icy and ferociously cold) and I made my way to the library where talk was all about the weather. It's fun to hear that everyone of whatever nationality joins in with this oh so typical British pastime. On the way there you could see the signs of the storm all along the main roads in the shape of branches in the verges and several entirely uprooted trees.

After the library I went on my Artist Date for this week which was once again spend in Penicuik graveyard. The above detail is from a fallen and now partially covered ornament laying randomly in the grass. I was looking down in order not to stumble over all the rubble in the graveyard and suddenly saw a face peering back at me! It became my blip for today.

When I first came to Penicuik graveyard I thought this was one of the very few graveyards I've visited so far not located in a beautiful and scenic place. But I was wrong. It might now be surrounded by a traffic roundabout, encroached upon by a huge Lidl and facing a car park but when you peer over the wall at the other side of all that, you see what would once have been a lovely view over the valley of the North Esk river. But alas, that valley is now filled with housing estates and even the river itself can barely be discerned anymore. But my premise that the dead enjoyed the best views still holds.

Returning to the same graveyard on more than one occasion (and this definitely hasn't been my last visit!) offers an opportunity to have a much closer look at everything to see there. This skull is located on the side of a gravestone (in fact there is another skull, almost identical, on the other side). I do occasionally photograph the same stone over and over again which tells me that
something about it speaks to me and I keep trying to get good pictures of whatever it is for future reference and eventual inclusion into my art. A collage of skulls is definitely on the cards.

The riches in Penicuik graveyard are mainly to be found in the details as several of these picture show. This gravestone is well on it's way to disappearing completely into the ground but you can still just about see the top of the skull and the Memento Mori banner displayed about it's head. Who knows what riches are now lost to us?

And finally a picture that was my blip yesterday. This bird sought sanctuary in our garden during the height of the gale. He (or she) crouched down in the corner, out of the wind and looked thoroughly wet and sorry for itself. John alerted me to its presence and I sneeked as close as possible to the window in our living room to take this picture. John thought it was a sparrowhawk and who am I to question him (he's much better with bird names than I) but some of my fellow blippers put me right and told me it was a peregrine falcon. Much rarer than sparrowhawks and I was so excited to think I had managed to capture a picture of it even though it was through a window and during a ferocious rain storm.