On the patio

As I came out of the studio this evening, I saw a newt on the pavers just outside the studio door.  The motion sensitive light showed it up very well, but the light didn't stay on very long, and when I managed to make it come on again, the newt had disappeared into the adjoining flower bed.  I continued on my way to the house, and came across another one on the patio.

It showed no inclination to move.  I fetched W, and then fetched a camera, and then had to return to the study to fetch the camera card that was still in the computer after blipping this morning!  It posed for a number of photos, and once I was happy I had a good selection, we discussed what we should do - it was rather vulnerable sitting in the middle of the patio.  So I picked it up, and deposited it into the flower bed where I'd seen the other one disappearing.  

W and L (who comes weekly to help with gardening jobs) had been working in the meadow this afternoon - mowing, then raking up the moss, and we wondered if they had disturbed the newts (which spend the winter hibernating in the undergrowth).  But it seems quite a trek from the meadow all the way up to the patio, passing through many parts of the garden that should have provided more attractive places to spend the winter.

In other news, I cycled my static bike around Love Valley in Cappadocia, Turkey this morning.  If you wonder why it has this name, a quick Google search soon reveals all.