Blogtoberfest Day 25, The Little Visitor

Mike has been away over the weekend leaving me without a camera. Shame really.

Missed Photo Opportunities

• Yesterday morning as I walked the Hounds, I could hear voices coming from over the river. I knew that they would be the voices of the workers in the vineyards but it was difficult to see them. The river and the hillside were shrouded in mist. The workers would appear and disappear as the mist swirled around them.
• In the afternoon I drove along the river to buy some food for the Hounds. And some chocolate for me! I noticed a market in a village over the river. So on my return I detoured through the village stopping to look round the market. It was the type of market that called itself a Flea Market, but sold all types of things such as new clothes, kitchen tools, second hand books, china, glass and various bits and pieces. But the thing I loved the most and don't expect to see again were two fully grown swans swimming round the water feature, which was quite small. It's a permanent feature and there were stalls spread out around it. Quite incongruous!
• Last night about 6pm as the light was begining to fade, I drove with the Hounds up through the vineyards overlooking our neighbouring village. I noticed one or two candles lit in the churchyard. As we were finishing our walk it began to rain, not that the Hounds were bothered about it. Once back at the car, I drove down towards the church and stopped for a short while. By now the light had just about gone. I walked into the churchyard. Each grave had a lantern on it, most of them were lit. It not only looked lovely, but it felt serene. One of those moments that I will remember.
• This morning the light was just lovely with the sun shining on the trees. It's amazing. Although we walk past the trees every day, and I do take notice of what I see, the trees have suddenly changed colour overnight! Or so it seems.

All those missed photo opportunities!

Never mind, Mike arrived back earlier today, with the camera. He had been away camping Friday and Saturday at an international adventure bikers meeting. I stayed to look after the Hounds. It rained last night and the tent got wet, so it was a case of hanging it up to dry in the loft when he got home. But he discovered he had brought something back with him. It must have fallen out of the tent as he hung it over the line. He put it into a tin to move it as the colouring suggested it might be poisonous. It was a Fire Salamander.




A lovely little chap. But from the accounts that we read, yes they are poisonous. He was just a baby as they can grow to 11 inches (about 27 cms), ours was about two and a half inches. Mike was keen to get it out of the tin so it didn't get stressed. Come to think about it, I think it would have been more stressed travelling wrapped up in a tent on a fast motor bike for 2 hours, than having it's photo taken. But never mind, Mike took it outside where it seemed to find a nice place to hide underneath a step.
So now we have a Fire Salamander living under our step.
Check the link to see how it got it's name.