Red in the Month of May

 I have been busy during the month of May looking out for subjects for my camera to join in the photo challenge set by Eileen at A bracelet of days of anything red. It made me think about how although red is essentially a primary colour it has many shades.

May has been a month of rain interjected with occasional sun. It meant that out came the red raincoats. 

As a bonus mum is sheltering from the rain sat on her red walker!

Then for the sunshine.

Who remembers Diggory Venn? He was the fictional reddleman in Thomas Hardy’s novel The Return of the Native. He travelled around supplying red dye for marking sheep but as a consequence was red himself. The reddle was traditionally made from reddding which is an iron derivative and was obtained from quarries such as the one adjoining our farm. Our soil is red, it makes everything red including the puddles.

Which makes for red animals too.

Another item coloured with redding is bricks, tiles and flowerpots.

Red is often used to bring attention to emergency equipment. Hopefully this one isn’t needed to often.

Turning to nature next. There are an abundance of red leaves.

And flowers.

Then last but not least. The stonechat is reputed to have a red breast. Not sure I would classify it as red but here is Mrs Stonechat and then her brighter Mr!