Well August is here with us once again and guess what? so is the rain! isn't that a surprise?

This first photograph shows us a view of flooded bushes and trees as the river dane once again breaches its banks.

The constant flooding of the lower meadows has made it difficult for Phil to carry out land management tasks and opportunistic plants such has these thistles have flourished.

I think that these must be a marine variety :-)

Of course the fish have not been complaining.

If you are a regular reader of these pages you may recall that back in September 2005 there was an incident involving a pollutant being released it the river which killed a lot of the local fish stock.

As the photograph on the right shows the fish are recovering nicely. I think the fish is a young Barbel but don't quote me on that, fishing is not one of my better subjects.

Just a litter further along the river and I spotted this pigeon looking interested in what was going on in the water.

Maybe it has ideas of making a mid-life job change and become a King Fisher.

A little later in the month, and my son James and I were walking along what are known as the heifer banks when we spotted this hole dug into the bank.

As it was a little large to have been made by a rabbit we went closer to investigate what may have dug it.

As we approached we saw what looked like the remains of some honeycomb laying on the ground.

Our initial thought was that a badger had dug out a bees nest to get to the honey.

Honey there may have been but bees, no.

It was a wasp's nest and worse still its occupants were still around and a little less than happy about the situation (they are not the friendlest of insects at the best of times).

Needless to say a prompt and some rapid retreat was made from the immeadiate vicinity of the nests remains.

Wasps are not listed as being amongst my favorite insects.

A short while later, as we were having a moments rest this chap came to rest on James's hand.

As the picture was taken it began to "sing" by rubbing its back legs

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