IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Blenheim Park, MELKSHAM, SN12 6TA

Most of the roads in Bowerhill were named after aircraft or those connected with them. An R.A.F. training base was opened here in 1940 and remained open until 1964. http://www.wellho.net/share/bowerhill.html

A cold wet spring has followed a cold wet winter which followed a cold wet summer. The ground is sodden and prone to easy flooding with any additional rain. Above ground this daffodil leaf, like many of the few plants which have made any attempt at coming into leaf, has been bashed beyond horizontal by yet another night of torrential rain.

This is a female false widow spider (Steatoda grossa). It is mildly poisonous and occasionally found in gardens in the area but unlikely to cause any great damage to most people. This one was far more interested in hiding from the photographer than in any form of attack.

The gardens of Bowerhill are reflecting the generally late spring seen throughout the country in 2013. In late March the daffodils are only just coming into flower having been delayed by the cold and wet weather.

In September and early October just about every likely area - and several unlikely ones - are covered in cobwebs at the centre of which, as here, are female cross or garden spiders (Araneus diadematus). Whilst the centre of the webs are mostly between 30cm and 50cm in size, I've come across single stand anchors more than two metres long. Spiders of various sorts do seem to be unusually prolific in this area with Image indicative of an earlier stage in the lifecycle.

The image shows a female cross spider (Araneus diadematus) performing some web maintenance. After a few tens of minutes the result of this effort will look like Image At this time of year a web can be found at just about every possible place in which a web could be strung without being damaged by the wind or passing bird or animal.

The raised bank of ground here is the remains of the old Trowbridge to Devizes branch line. Although it the old railway line is quite hard to spot in places on the ground it is obviously reasonably distinct from the air as it's not uncommon for military aircraft to use it for navigation.

Looking east along the line of an embankment which once served a railway between Melksham and Devizes.

The line of raised ground marks the route of the abandoned Devizes to Holt rail line. It also marks the southern edge of the Bowerhill Estate. This housing estate is partially built on the site of RAF Melksham. As a result most of the road names on the estate follow an aeronautical theme. Someone with a sense of humour named the rather pointless road shown in the left of the image Brabazon Way.

These collared doves are one of a number of pairs which live in and near Bowerhill. During the summer they can easily replace alarm clocks for the other residents - as long as you want to be woken up at 5am by relentless cooing. As a result it's hard to have any sympathy when watching them quietly and somewhat morosely snoozing whilst the rain bounces off them.