Volunteers At Work

Through nadinepierce we discovered the farmers market at Newhailes House and naturally went to take a look.

We started with coffee from the NT café then perused the stalls - all high-quality produce but, to save our waistlines, didn't purchase any of the tempting bakery, neither craft work, nor gifts for the granddog (interesting selection of lamb horn, deer ears, roe deer foreleg complete with hoof...) but did have very nice conversation with a seller of interesting preserves and, of course, Nadine herself.

A walk round the estate revealed this crew of volunteers clearing a mass of brambles (I do hope they picked any ripe fruit first) suitable protected by thick gloves. 

At home, in the garden, I picked up a large white-tailed bumblebee from a dead leaf on the ground, as it was not moving. It creaked slowly into life and, as I happened to have the camera, by bracing it against my left hand, I took a few close-up shots before encouraging it onto a flower head. It didn't like that one and took off, did a figure-of-eight in the air to get its bearings and flew off. Full face pic in the extra.