A Carter in Gloucestershire

Snow again.

2010-01-25T16:53:00.003Z

During our latest "snow event" I was able to get out and about to take some photographic evidence. As before I link here to my "Facebook" album for the sake of brevity in blog creation
Please leave a comment below if you find this approach unsatisfactory in any way

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1454649011#/photo.php?pid=30833680&id=1454649011

A visit to Westonbirt

2009-10-18T20:33:00.002+01:00

The year turns ever onwards and the leaves have turned to glorious flame:
Once again a time to soak up the slendour of autumnal hues in Westonbirt Arboretum

I am here taking the opportunity to make a shortcut, with this link to my facebook photo aibumn, which, on balance you may find more "user-friendly" for viewing than scrolling up and down here on blogger.com!

Give it a try and click this link
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036326&id=1454649011&l=ea50736092

Highnam Court Gardens

2009-06-18T16:42:00.001+01:00

A retrospectively posted blog....

Visiting Highnam Court Gardens on the day of an Open Gardens event yielded the following collection of images

http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=1454649011#/photo.php?pid=30862632&id=1454649011

It was a nice afternoon out despite ending with a thunderous storm on my drive back homewards.

Fields of Gold

2009-05-30T11:00:00.000+01:00

A walk through fields of Gold.....

Easter among the anemones

2009-04-19T12:34:00.006+01:00

A patch of woodland near Whitfield (Kent) glistens with anemones, and the sunshine on Easter day made a visit to it a must:

At the furthest edge of the woodland a fallen tree was an ideal place to stop and appreciate spring glory of an english woodland

Next we look forward to the beautiful bluebells, now just begining to open out

We had snow

2009-02-10T19:26:00.003Z

We had snow......
and I finally got to walk out in it on Coaley Peak

A Snowman murder scene..

Last FM

2008-10-27T12:45:00.003Z

In my surfing and twiddling on-line I discovered the delights of "Last fm" and created a library of music for myself

Visit it Through Here!!

Malvern Country Show

2008-09-28T21:08:00.006+01:00

The Malvern Country show made for another diverting day out in which to admire
giant vegetables..

admire the efforts of people who "know their onions".....
or indeed, fruit...

and who delight in their prize blooms...

Other attractions including dog shows, llamas, horses..... tarantulas...
and plenty of opportunities for sampling cheeses, pickles, apples, ginger wine etc etc etc. Another fun day out, and good weather too!!

A Working holiday in South Devon

2008-09-12T21:47:00.002+01:00

This year's working holiday took us to a secluded holiday home in the South Hams of Devon, to be found after a twisting, turning and somewhat narrow and hedge-constrained drive down several lanes, such that ideas of just "popping out to fetch fish and chips for tea" were abandoned!

It was a homely home, though.
and pleasingly not too far away from accessing the coast from Dartmouth and around to Slapton

As well as beach visits, our day trips took us to the Buckfast Otter Sanctuary and Butterfly Farm

and we also paid a visit to Paignton zoo

Chameleon tail

A caiman

A stone curlew

By the end of the week, however, I sympathised with these sentiments...

I also realised that I had been bitten by bed bugs......ouch, they itch!!!!

More Kites!!!! (the other ones......)

2008-08-30T17:23:00.002+01:00

I took the chance of a sunny day off to go to the International Kite Festival at Bristol

It was fun!

Bristol International Kite festival 2008
Uploaded by agracarter2

Sunday 27th July Womad: Final day.....and out with a bang!

2008-07-28T23:37:00.002+01:00

The closing highlights of WOMAD, for me at least, were, firstly the amazing GOCOO (Japanese Taiko drummers) + GoRo (didgeridoo). The "lead" drummer with her wild hair and the whole exhuberance of the performance was enthralling!!!

Here's an extended clip of them performing on another occasion!

The second, equally superb highlight...the final act leading up to midnight, were "Son de La Frontera" - a flamenco group who played and danced with all the usual passion and rhythmic patterns of this style....Here they are, for example, performing in Montreal 2007

Then after a wonderful evening, and a last wander around the stalls to find a bed-time cocoa I returned to my tent, intending to sleep, but there was little chance for that with the excitement of Gocoo and flamenco rhythms running through my head - and the sounds of the Vogon destructor fleet (ie the start of stage and tent dismantling processes!!) rumbling in the near distance. So I got up again, took down my tent and went in search of my black car in a pitch black field......

So farewell to Womad 2008, roll on Womad 2009. I cann't wait!

Sunday: Sunshine, sights, sounds and Sa Dingding

2008-07-28T18:08:00.001+01:00

Dance workshops were entertaining to observe....just observe, mind you. The energy levels were flagging by now, after the late night and the chilly pre-dawn.
I particularly enjoyed the tounge-in-cheek Bollywood workshop!!

Later came Sa Dingding- described as a "Chinese Kate Bush" or an "Asian Bjork"(ie quirky and theatrical.....and from China)- who was a winner of Radio 3 World Music awards for the "Asia/Pacific" category: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/worldmusic/a4wm2008/2008_sa_ding_ding.shtml and her performance lived up expectation.

A Youtube video of one of her performances....

The children's area part of the festival Samba-ed its way around the main area later in the afternoon, adding an extra touch of the Carnivalesque!

and the flags fluttered merrily

Womad: Saturday - Sufi Night

2008-07-27T21:00:00.008+01:00

After a hot, hot day in the sunshine the late night focus for me became the cool, mesmerizing experience of the Sufi night, beginning with Egyptian Sheikh Taha

Here's a Youtube clip of his performance from another event....

The second series of Sufi devotions came from Uzbekistan singer Munadjat Yulchieva apparently a former opera soprano
Here she is, from a DailyMotion posting, singing in 2005.....

Monajat Yulchieva
Uploaded by ZamanArts

And thirdly, replacing a Pakistani singer (Asif Ali Khan) who couldn't get a visa to travel to the UK came the group "Sufi Women of the Islands"....although it wasn't clear quite which Islands these were (which would have been good to know)! I was intrigued to notice red spots decorating the palms of their hands........must be symbolic, I guess.

It was a fascinating evening's programme, finishing well past midnight but worth staying up for.....and I enjoyed some friendly chats with neighbours in the crowd between the acts. it was unfortunate though that their was quite alot of "noise pollution" from other events happening nearby, and people chattering through some of the songs was rather rude, I felt...

With the performances over I returned to find my tent, and attempt some sleep. The hot day, however, lead into a chilly night (well...dawn especially) and I got up at an unearthly hour to see if I could warm up with a walk...or a cuppa from some late night stall. Hence the following early morning images.....

And with some hope of temperatures rising again, with the rising sun, I went back to sleep a little more!!

Womad: Saturday 26th July.....Kenyan, Balkan, Cambodian....what a mix!!

2008-07-26T18:15:00.004+01:00

I arrived back on site late morning, pitched my little tent and then made my way to the center of the site just in time to catch the African liveliness of Kenge Kenge Orutu Systems (from Kenya) performing on the BBC stage....a slightly more restricted platform than they had had when I saw (and much enjoyed) them yesterday. But they were still lots of fun to listen to and watch, complete with some enthusiastic dancing!!

And this song tribute for their Luo relative Barak Obama....

....after a pint of Somerset Cider, and a Greek style lunch, I endulged in a little shopping before returning to the BBC stage for a musical taste of the Balkans ("Paprika Balkanicus" to be precise!!) Womad had a flypast from the Red Arrows during this part of the day!!! (YouTube link here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uH0G0R5Xtas )
I looked the band up on YouTube and found this....

and this...

Later in the day, temperatures rising in the glare of wonderful sunshine, came "Denge Fever", a group from California with aims to revive Cambodian rock music traditions after its suppression by the Khmer Rouge.....interesting. (I loved the beard too!!) The Children of the Khmer joined the performance for a time adding to the Cambodian aspect with some traditional folk dance arrangements and ever graceful hand gestures...

One more visit to the BBC stage today, and an attempt to see Punk veteran "Jah Wobble" with a "Chinese Dub" performance with elements of traditional Chinese music and Western modern rock styles. I tried to penetrate the depths of the crowd to get a clear view, but managed barely a squint through the trees....

So sadly I missed seeing some apparently rather spectacular mask changing dances...

Friday 25th July. Womad: Cambodian folk dancers and Altai Throat-singers

2008-07-25T21:25:00.002+01:00

The Children of the Khmer dance group from Cambodia gave a fascinating performance.
After an initial blessing/prayer

they ranged through a variety of dance styles. Some where clearly very traditional and from a royal court setting....

Another, dance-drama was of a Hindu religious epic of Hunaman, Rama and Sita..... or something of the kind (!) .....fascinating to watch anyway!....

The performance also included such fun pieces as the "Coconnut Dance"....as performed by another group here:

and a dance-drama telling a romantic tale of hardworking rice farming girls meeting returning fishing trip guys

Later in the day I was enthralled by the throat-singing of the group "AltaiKAI" from the Republic of Altai, ( near the Chinese/ Mongolian/Russian border region)

Two examples of the style:

Friday 25th July. Womad 2008: Tibetan Monks...Cuban Rumba...

2008-07-25T13:39:00.004+01:00

I have wanted to go to a WOMAD festival for some time: discovering that it had moved from Reading to Charlton Park in Wiltshire made it a MUST to visit this year.....and I am everso glad that I did!

Here's a summarizing clip that shows just why I loved it!

Of my Friday favourites:

The presentation by the monks of http://www.tashi-lhunpo.org.uk/Tashi Lhumpo monastary was mysterious in its chants, (here in a pre-performance sound check!)

fascinating in the symbolic actions and gestures they used
and colourfully spectacular in the folk dancing sequences such as this, for the (buddhist) new year's eve:

The Rumberos de Cuba were contrastingly unrestrained! Lots of fun!

Here they are on a YouTube clip (not mine!)

Nice Day for a Niece's Day (Christening!)

2008-07-13T21:38:00.002+01:00

My pics from Charlotte's christening/baptism and the party that followed!

The new curate at the church had the pleasure (and the nerves!) at doing the deed:
And then, relaxed and happy we left the church....

For a lovely party out in Jeremy and Helen's garden...

...where we "wetted her head" again (!!)

A chat with her Grandma Carter......

...Great Aunty Val.... a moment to herself.....

Early guitar lessons from dad...

And Uncle Ian introduced Charlotte to some friends

All together...........
.....a lovely day!!

Day trip to Martin Down

2008-05-25T22:49:00.007+01:00

The weather focast for today was awful....rain, rain, rain....maybe sun if we're lucky.
But, undaunted, a group of us from the Dursley Birdwatching club set off on a LONG minibus trip to visit Martin Down, ten miles southwest of Salisbury. The Down is one of the largest areas of chalk grassland in the country. We hoped to see some interesting butterflys as well as birds Our trip leader, Vic, has a particular interest in butterflys....so we were off to a good start....if the rain stopped!!

And it did! Pretty much just as we arrived at the site the rain eased up, then stopped. After organising ourselves we set off....... greeted with a sighting of a cuckoo flying nearby.

And butterflies appeared, basking in the warming sunshine

A common Blue...

An Adonis Blue (one we had been hoping to see as its quite uncommon, and has a lovely blue colouring! And another uncommon butterfly.....a heath fritillary (seen in the more wooded area)

Florally we were pleased to see a Burnt Tip Orchid.....

....A Butterfly Orchid (Lesser or Greater......probabley the latter, apparently!)

And this is Eyebright....
Bird-wise, we found corn buntings, gloried in the skylarks singing, saw yellowhammers, Whitethroats (common and lesser) and stonechats.......and failed to see stone curlew

But we did stumble across a fairly well fed looking viper!!

Whilst we kept our distance and looked unthreatening, it did the same.....and we were pleasedto take time enjoying its lovely coppery colouring

...then we parted, on friendly terms.

So, it was a nice trip, with some good company and interesting sights and sounds to enjoy, not least of which was a purring turtle dove we heard just as we settled down for our picnic lunch

Here's a turtle dove as recorded by someone in Morrocco

It was also a good ending to my early summer holiday.

Red Kite feeding frenzy at Gigrin's Farm

2008-05-21T23:03:00.002+01:00

Whilst I was in the area, and having abandoned more walks for the present, I had a browse around the Hay bookshops in the morning and then drove up the valley to Gigrins Farm in good time to watch the spectacle of the Red Kites feeding. It was certainly fast and furious!!

Here's my video:

Red Kite Feed
Uploaded by agracarter2

Wye Valley walking: upriver from Hay

2008-05-20T11:02:00.000+01:00

Before finally returning to England I stopped for a few days near Glasbury to continue
on my way up the Wye Valley walk. Very lovely it was too.
The Black mountains, and my memories of the walk along the Offa's Dyke section upon the ridge
fromed a backdrop to this view....

On the following days section the river valley turned northwards, leaving the Black Mountains behind, and the river seemed to gain mysterious rocky depths.
The suspension bridge at Llanstephan forms the entry point to a roadside nature reserve (Llandeilo Graban ) rich in wildflowers. I was treated to a view of a kingfisher flying below me as I crossed over!
Once back on the western side of the river the path climbs out away from the river (and road)

and over high open commonland (home for sheep, bracken and solitude)

before dropping down to Builth Wells, where I ended my walking for this holiday....
enforced by a creaking, sore knee.

Holiday in Pembrokeshire: Boat trip out to Grassholm

2008-05-19T21:03:00.000+01:00

My last island "target" in Pembrokeshire was rocky, relatively remote,
Grassholm- so named for the seasonal grassy pastureage it once offered
for sheep from the mainland. The soil long has since blown away, and now it is home to the British Isle's third largest gannet colony. The RSPB say "Grassholm is of both national and international importance. It is an outstanding seabird spectacle, unrivalled anywhere in Wales for this species." So, definately worth the effort to go out and see for myself!

This is Grassholm as seen from Skomer.

The top of the island is whitened with the mass of nesting gannets, and their guano!
The RSPB gives an estimate of 32,000 pairs of birds nesting here

Gannets were visible almost throughout the hour long boat journey, either singley out hunting for fish or seaweed to add to their nest,

Ramsey Island is on the horizon here...

(An arty enhanced version of a less dramatic original shot!)

or in greater masses as we neared the island.

The noise of the nesting birds added to the total experience. I was spared the odourous effects...as indeed are you!

So ended my holday in lovely Pembrokeshire!

Holiday in Pembrokeshire: Visit to Skomer Island

2008-05-18T21:11:00.004+01:00

I'm glad I visited Skomer, a wonderful place for communing with the wilds. It is Wales' second largest island, but still small enough to take in on a days visit.

That is, if have time once you can tear yourself away from the close up views of Puffins!

Because they are so photogenic, unphased by human proximity, and so close at hand, the Puffin
colony becomes the most humanly crowded place on the island....

Skomer Moments
Uploaded by agracarter

Holiday in Pembrokeshire: A Visit to Picton Castle

2008-05-17T18:33:00.001+01:00

On a wet Saturday afternoon I visited Picton Castle. I got in on my "Historic Houses Association" ticket and the tour of the castle was quite interesting, particularly the way that the first room visited, in one of the corner "towers" had curved everything....windows, doors, the lot!

Once the tour ended, however (and the rain appeared to have stopped) I made a circuit of the surrounding gardens, abloom with various Rhodedendrons, and aglistening with raindrops...which was a nice combination!

Fallen trees are incorporated into the garden, not tidied away. I liked that too!

Walled garden and fernery also included:

Holiday in Pembrokeshire: floral fiesta

2008-05-16T18:34:00.000+01:00

May is certainly a month not to miss in Pembrokeshire, with the coastal wildflowers at their most lovely and prolific. Here's a little gallery of some I encountered:

Holiday in Pembrokeshire: Coastal walks 13th- 19th May

2008-05-15T13:45:00.000+01:00

After a beautiful holiday in Pembrokeshire, herewith some images from
my walks around St. Bride's Bay:

St. Bride's Bay
Video sent by agracarter2

And here are a few I particularly like again:

Holiday in Pembrokeshire: To Ramsey Island and beyond

2008-05-12T21:50:00.003+01:00

Today I went to Ramsey Island, an RSPB reserve. It was bought (not that long ago)
through public donations with the aim of managing the island for choughs, approximately jackdaw sized crow family members with thin red beaks and red legs (a smart little bird!)

take a look at someone else's video of a chough here

They need grassland that is near the coast but very cropped very short, so that they can find their food items. This is why sheep are grazed here, and it was whilst awaiting a chough to photograph (I failed with this) that I snapped these relaxed looking lambs .... via my telescope!

Progressing on my way around the island, weighed down with an exess of baggage
and under a hot sun (there was NO SHADE!!!) I enjoyed views of sea birds on the cliffs, seals
in the water and wild flowers such as spring squill and blue bells around about me
....as well as scenic cliffs and rocky outcrops.From the top of the highest of the two island hills I had a grand view over the whole island, spotting the herd of red deer that also grace the island as they enjoyed a paddle in a distant (freshwater) pool. I also had a fine view across Ramsey Sound to the St. David's Pensinsula, with a further sweep around St. Bride's Bay towards the Marloes peninular and Skomer. Thus the following video, made at this point, gave an (almost complete) overview for the locations of my Pembrokeshire holiday!!

I was also able to see and photograph St. David's cathedral from an unaccustomed angle...

After returning to the mainland and a quick visit to my holiday accomodation I returned to St. Justinians for an evening boat expedition. This took us out across Ramsey Sound once again, spotting a pod of porpoises fishing in the strong tidal stream:

..then around the southern end of Ramsey, enjoying even better views of the guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes on the cliffs, of 100 or so grey seals relaxing on a beach, and some interesting sea caves and other geological features

before heading further out to sea towards the Bishop Islands, where we hoped to see some puffins. We saw two, at a distance....

The final objective of this excursion, however, was to watch out for manx shearwaters (latin name, ironically being "puffinus puffinus"!!) returning to their nests on Skomer and Skokholm after a day out feeding in the Irish sea. Later in the season we could hope to see thousands passing the boat in the course of an hour. Today we saw only a couple of dozen. But we DID see them, flying gracefully and low over the sea like little black and white albatrosses, and that was quite a treat!!

This most enjoyable boat trip ended with beautiful backward views to the Bishop Islands

and an interestingly abrupt increase in air temperature as we neared the mainland!

Windrush: Naunton to Bourton

2008-04-26T21:20:00.002+01:00

After a long gap I resumed my walk down the course of the Windrush, from the quiet village of Naunton. From here the Windrush winds a gentle course, through gentle countryside..
passing gentle Cotswold "Lions"

and into the midst of genteel Bourton on the Water...

This "Venice of the Costwolds" is a real tourist honeypot, today buzzing with visitors enjoying the sunshine

and smiling at the cute ducklings, fighting the "mighty torrent" of the Windrush

Since the Windrush flows through the grounds of Birdland (http://www.birdland.co.uk/) AND i'm a birdlover it would have been crazy not to have called in and taken a wander around before leaving Bourton.

Here's looking at ya!

The Military Macaw family on parade

When I had thus enjoyed my tour of the park I made my walking return to Naunton,

following the Warden's Way path, once again, as it passed up the course of the Eye stream
through Lower and Upper Slaughter, two pretty little villages that seem modelled on the bigger busier neighbour somewhat, and then over the ridge and back to my starting point.

This was not one of my walking epics as such....but a gentle afternoon strole, and very pleasant too!

Have bike, will cycle.

2008-04-09T19:11:00.003+01:00

Last autumn I got around to getting my old bicycle refurbished. Today I spent the morning
out enjoying the bright blue dayness and reminding myself how tricky cycling up hills can be when you are out of practice!!

Anyway, the practical result was that I had a great morning out, stopping off at Coaley Peak
to enjoy the view and catch my breath.

Following this break I proceeded on to visit "Thistledown" (website: http://www.thistledown.org.uk/ ) a project in development outside
Nympsfield with big ideas for an innovative eco-friendly visitor centre and a family friendly
Cotswold edge "green space" on a farm, with pleasant woodland trails, quirky sculture, bits of Roman stonework at a spring.....all sorts. I even had a coffee sitting by a tipi whilst children painted eggs nearby. :-D

I shall visit again and watch it develop.

Watch the hummers!!

2008-02-29T18:16:00.003Z

Reading my BBC wildlife magazine I came across a reference to a webcam in Ecuador
through which I can go birdwatching in Ecuador anytime I like!! Hooray!
Link via title.

I also browsed from that website to http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/ The Internet Bird Collection,
where lots of video clips of various birds may be found! I shall add a link on the side panel for that one!!

To Stodmarsh

2008-02-15T18:23:00.011Z

Whilst in Kent for my February break I took a trip northwards to Stodmarsh,
a little spot of wildness that I first visited many moons ago with Charlie Benson,
Jonathan Wright and others in my youth. It made a definate contribution to my
love for occasional birdwatching expeditions.

When I first visited it was alive with wintering ducks, and had recently become
a place for Cetti's warblers to inhabit in their colonisation of the UK from northern France.
Here I heard and saw snipe "drumming" for the first time, there were reed buntings,
and bearded tits, sedge and reed warblers......and marsh harriers!!!
All very exciting.

Today it was very much quieter than times I recalled, but no less wonderful as a Kentish wild place.

There were a few ducks....teal, widgeon, tufted duck, mallard, shoveler.
There was a big flurrying flock of lapwing that flew up from a field and swirled about
for a time......I wondered were the predator was but saw nothing obvious.
On the lake, as the sun set, I watched great crested grebe and a cormorant fishing.

And did I espie the lesser spotted Nature Writer of Note Simon Barnes,
he of recently read and much enjoyed "How to be Wild"??

As the daylight faded, mist began to spread up the Stour valley from seawards....and drifting

across the reed beds, in search of a roost for the night came two marsh harriers, as of yore!

But time for me to leave Stodmarsh again to the mists of time and memory....

all very refreshing!!

A Wild time I had of it.

Renewing

2008-02-06T11:55:00.000Z

Before I forget how to do this, I thought I'd better create a new post!!
As this was a gloriously sunny day, albeit still chilly,

I decided to visit Wesonbirt Arboretum once again.

Winter is coming to an end, life is in renewal....

In the sunshine, the midges were dancing, and with my "fireworks" setting

on my camera little golden ribbons appeared.......

Remembering

2007-11-11T11:02:00.000Z

Harry Patch 109, survived Paschendale

Alfred William Carter died of Wounds 14 April 1917

Stourhead

2007-10-31T21:02:00.000Z

I made a very enjoyable visit to Stourhead, despite the fact that the sky was clouded and the house was closed for the winter,

It was for the grounds, and the autumn colours within, afteral, that I planned the trip.

I was in no way disappointed!

Sculpture trail

2007-10-22T21:10:00.000+01:00

During the school half term week I ventured, as did crowds of family groups, into the Forest of Dean, to walk the "Sculpture Trail" and enjoy the autumn colour (although it was a rather cloudy day)

I enjoyed the sculptures: these in particular...

Corsham and Corsham Court

2007-10-06T23:00:00.000+01:00

The "Tour" continues...
Corsham Court is a grand looking building built up around a smaller Elizabethan manor house
by Paul Methuen in the 1700's and displaying his collection of Old Masters' paintings, and Chippendale furnishings within.
After visiting said collections on display in the ground floor rooms withing I took a look around behind the house, to quickly admire the gardens before the house closed for the day.
It has an interesting little Bath House

of which some decor details.....

Leaving the garden I took a look at the surrounding streets of Corsham, with a pleasantly olde worlde feel to them.

Bowood House

2007-10-06T21:53:00.000+01:00

Bowood House in Wiltshire made another interesting stop on my whirlwind tour of "local" historic houses. The house itself is in fact only the remaining part of what was once a larger property but reduced to the "Little House" after wartime and subsequent delapidation. It is the home of the Earls of Lansdowne the first of whom negotiated peace terms after the American War of Independence. (I had lunch at the "Lansdowne Monument" on my Ridgeway walk back in the Spring) Interior scenes....Grounds are extensive, designed by "Capabililty" Brown

Sudeley Castle

2007-10-02T21:08:00.000+01:00

As I had promised to myself: I visited Sudeley Castle which is a "member property" of the Historid Houses Association for which I have just become a "property visiting member" (!) but which (ironically) I had to pay full entry for in order to benefit from the guided tour. Hey ho...

Anyway, a smashing place to wander about and lots of history attatched (see title link).

The gardens are very enjoyable....

and parts of the original castle's banqueting hall are now garden features..

There is a rather nice Knot Garden designed on inspiration from a detail in the dress of Elizabeth 1 as shown in a portrait of her that hangs inside the casle.

Inside this room Elizabeth's (final) step-mother Katherine Parr gave birth shortly before her subsequent (resulting) death in 1548.

Katherine was buried in the church alongside the castle.

A view out of Lady Ashcombe's sitting room...

Lady Ashcombe's daughter, also a resident at the castle, is keen on exhibiting artworks and some of her choice of sculptures add a certain je ne c'est quois to the garden....

Meanwhile inside the exhibition the Tudors had a family reunion, courtesy David Starkey's BBC history series about them.... (ie these costumes were made for that series (!!!))

Katherine Parr's prayer book (and handwriting!)

Elizabeth 1's christening robe

Charles 1's waistcoat (his "dashing" son Prince Rupert used Sudeley as a base during the attack on Cirencester, and the King based himself her after the siege of Gloucester)Speaking of sieges.....Henry Dent-Brocklehurst, nephew to Emma Dent who then owned the castle was involved in attempting to take news, in the form of photographically shrunken letters, into Khartoum which was under seige and General Gordon was making a doomed stand.

So lots of interesting links with history at Sudeley.

Oh for a camera...

2007-10-02T12:17:00.000+01:00

Following parental visitation and the related visits I decided the time had come to visit Chavenage House, on almost its last opening date for the year, Regretably I took no cameral with me so I missed out on the opportunity to photograph some splendid Vintage cars parked on the lawns of the house, as part of a Vintage car fans meeting. I regretted my cameralessness all the more as the club members, and their children, were all dressed in a "Jazz Age" theme!!!

Silly, silly me!

Manors, Parks and castles....

2007-10-01T09:55:00.000+01:00

In an action packed few days I whisked mum and dad around some local historic homes...
Berkley castle, Newark Park, and Owlpen Manor

Of course taking photos inside these properties is not allowed. Thank goodness, then that the internet lets us link to their websites.....links provided here.

A nice few days, which set me on a bit of a quest to do more of this kind of thing!

Dancer from Sarawak

2007-09-23T11:32:00.000+01:00

I found this video on Youtube. I like it!

Straight on to Streatley (and going to Goring too!)

2007-08-27T23:00:00.000+01:00

I am feeling bereft. A whole day's walk on the Ridgeway path and not a hill fort to be seen!!!
Quite shocking!! (heehee). But here's what did occur......

Standard issue Bank Holiday weather: Order Cancelled. Replace usual items with lovely sun shine, mix in with a bit of cloud and gentle breeze for cooling effects.... in other words, lets make it a perfect day for a walk. Nice!!!
Setting out early from home I arrived at Scatchamer Knob carpark area and was walking by 9.15am

Some lovely flowers lined my way....

To my left: wheatfields being harvested, powerstation keeping the wheels of home and industry aturning, and wide views over the upper Thames valley inc. Wittenham clumps near Dorchester

In passing under the A34 on Ashdown one learns of its historic connection: hereabouts Alfred the Great and his brother Ethelred led the West Saxons against the Danes and won (just about).

Alfred became King Alfred soon after the battle (8th January 871AD). Shame its only commemorated with a mural on an underpass though!!

After a long downhill slope, and for the first time on the Ridgeway since Avesbury, civilisation!!

Steatley!!

and then the Thames.....

and so to Goring!! Hurray! This feels like the half way point on the Ridgeway. It certainly was half way for today....as now I had to walk back to my car again!!
But, to vary things a little I follwed the Thames path up river for a time, stopping for lunch at a point on the river bank where I lunched 5 years ago when doing the Thames path, and had enjoyed watching my second and third ever views of Red Kites. None around today however.

Lunch over, I walked on passed some interesting riverside properties, like this Egyptian themed one....

or this with a WW2 pill-box worked in as a garden feature...

From Mouslford I followed a bye-way through a quiet valley full of pheasants...

and rejoined the Ridgeway, whence back to my car and home.

Sore muscles,

sore ankles,

but happy soul!

Sparsholt Firs to Scutchamer Knob

2007-08-11T21:37:00.000+01:00

At last I was able to return to my Ridgeway walking. Today's starting point was the car park at Sparsholt Firs. Maybe it was the malign influence of the Devil's Punchbowl nearby but I was very disorientated at first. I nearly started heading off westwards for goodness sake!
The best bit about today's walk came early on. If you look VERY carefully in this shot
you may spot one of the four red kites that graced the air hereabouts. Wonderful birds!

Further onwards I reached yet another Iron Age hillfort, Segesbury Camp which seemed
bigger than earlier ones, although less generally evocative in its location (not on a significant hilly out look for example). Probably jolly nice folk who lived in it and all that, its just abit "run of the mill" as a feature. Nice wildflowers fill it now,

The other feature of todays walk that gave me some small pleasure was being able to figure out

some of the features in the distant views. Didcot power station was quite easy (!) but I also recognised the Wittenham clumps near Dorchester-on-Thames and spotted Brize Norton

over in the blue haze. Hurrah.

What's in the blue haze here, however I cannot say. I like the green stripes don't you?

I ended my walk today with a lateish lunch atop Scutchamer Knob (with a convenient car park nearby for starting the next section from!!) about which I knew nothing but you can, like me read all about it HERE
Walking thence, back to the car gave me a total of 14 miles for the day, a respectable achievement.

The Pines Garden

2007-07-30T18:37:00.000+01:00

Leaving poor flooded Gloucestershire behind for a while (and counting my blessings for living where I do, untouched by floodwater, loss of electricty or tap water supply) I enjoyed our first decent summer week down in Kent.

Herewith a few photos from our visit to the Pines Garden in St. Margaret's. (webpage link in the title) We'd always wondered what the Pines was like.
Now we know: very pleasant.

This building was particularly interesting. It is "the Pines Calyx" and very eco-friendly made from compacted chalk dug out on-site. The roof is very "green" too! Solar panel at the back. Marvellous.

The Calyx is used for meetings and conferences.

This statue of Sir Winston (not life size!) we assume graces the gardens in respect of his Lord Warden of the Cinque Port days, as well as his links with Kent via Chartwell. Perhaps if I read the website properly there maybe an explanation. Or you could look yourself....there are more photos from around the whole garden than I took anyway, so I'd recommend a look at the webpages, or go and the place itself even!!

Leaving St. Margarets once more, back onto the familiar path to Langdon.

And for those of you who ever held the slightest doubt in your mind as to whether France is really visible from Dover, here is a photo to prove it!!! A particularly clear view today, admittedly.

I'd like to call this photo "See France, sea, France, Sea France" although I cannot tell a lie, the ferry is in fact P&O.......haaaahaaaaahaaaa!!!!!!!!

p.s. Next photo, different day, in Thanet. More lovely blue sky above scenic little Joss Bay outside Broadstairs: and a rather splendid wave cut platform etc. Don't you think??

To Berkley Castle at last.

2007-07-06T21:07:00.000+01:00

Between doorways ancient...
and less than ancient.... lie the fascinating interior of Berkley Castle, packed with history. I'm just amazed I left it
so long before I made a visit!

Nice garden too!

And a butterfly house!

Lydford Gorge

2007-06-26T21:07:00.000+01:00

After a dreadfully wet day in Falmouth (and down a tin mine to escape the rain!!) I headed homewards from my Eden trip, stopping en route to visit another botanists paradise: Lydford Gorge near Okehampton, on the northern edge of Dartmoor (the blog title links to National Trust page about it).

Not surprisingly, after all the rain there was a lot of water around.......

Great news for the mosses, liverworts and ferns....

and bringing some little streamlets a lease of life they might not have had in a summer like last year (remember the heatwave....? http://carter-in-gloucester.blogspot.com/2006_07_01_archive.html)

But the gorge wasn't gouged by little trickles....

At the southern end of the gorge is this spectacle....

A truly lovely spot.

But note: not even this torrent made the gorge, that was the combined effort of the Lyd and Burn, carving through rock like a knife through butter creating precipitous slopes where oak woodlands cling beautifully....

and thundering through the narrow confines of the descent from the Devil's Cauldron.

Its truly a dark, damp, noisy hell-hole. Truly Wicked!!( in both senses!)........but above: oh so green!!!

After the noise of the Cauldron a short walk further up the valley brings you to Tucker's Pool, where brown trout swim, and (though it might have tempted me on a hotter day, were that allowed!) I did not. Afteral, I had just seen what was down stream. This was the water's calm-before-the-storm moment and I left the waters, and trout, in peace.

I went and had a cream tea instead!!!!!!

Eden Project: Tropical Biome

2007-06-26T11:54:00.000+01:00

The Tropical Biome is great!!! Not quite like walking in a real tropical rain-forest but a wonderfully good showcase of some of the wonderful richness of plants from those parts.

I loved the way natural shapes and the man-made structure of the Biome roof blend together.

Another appealling feature.....natural space and echoes of traditional cultures responses to it....

here some African wood-spirits

and here some wall painted images by Peruvian vegetalistas (shamanic herbalists)
Then there are is an exploration of the way we use plants......sugar cane....

cocoa (mmm). Interesting to see the cocoa pods growing from the stem....

(and fun to read the story of how cocoa conquered the world from the "mayeux tapestry" painted onto the retaining walls around the cocoa bushes!)
coconuts!

The tropical scene would be incomplete without water, but natural springs in the old clay pit

provide a plentiful supply for that........

So there we have it. That's (most of) my photos from the Eden Project. One more area also kept me interested: "the Core" where all kinds of installations and imaginative displays are aimed at

conveying issues of environmental importance regarding climate change, poverty, excessive wastefulness etc etc. And in case you know feel you've vicariously seen it all here and now need not go yourself:

A) Don't be daft....GO!!!!!!!!

B) There are plans for another indoor Biome for showcasing desert envronments, so its an on-going project, changing all the time, not least with the changing flowering seasons etc.

Eden Project: Warm Mediterranean Biome

2007-06-25T11:49:00.000+01:00

Eden Project: Outdoor Biome

2007-06-24T21:00:00.000+01:00

I first had the opportunity to visit the Eden Project several years ago with a work holiday.
This year I decided it was time to revisit on my own, and spent a good day touring the three
Biomes with my camera in hand. Well worthwhile!!!

Just outside the entrance hall is this splendid horse sculpure.

Through the ticket hall, and out into the ex-china clay pit, with all spreadout below

Firstly a wander through the "Wild Cornwall Zone"

This stone dome reminded me very much of the beehive stone hut

structures which were once home to Celtic monks on the Skellig Islands off Co. Kerry

and (perhaps) to some Cornish saint-hermits as well....

(I am unsure if this was the intended connection....the stone hut and space-age green houses below make an interesting contrast though!!!)

Its a huge bee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Danger industrial Plant" haha!

A giant indian tends his maize crops....

the WEE Man sculpture made with discarded domestic

appliances
In the spiral garden, sheltering from the onset of rain..
Rain. Good for plants especially in the bog-garden

Just Popped in to see King Alfred....

2007-06-18T20:22:00.000+01:00

Wantage, birthplace to King Alfred the " cakeburner" Great.

A nice place to spend some time on a grotty wet summer's day

when you'd rather not get soaked and blasted on the Ridgeway.

It has a splendid little "Downland and Vale" Museum. There I got

educated about Lord and Lady Wantage and what good Victorian eggs

they were. Maybe not as Great as, well......Alfred.......though.

It also has a splendid second-hand book shop where I bought lots of books

to educate myself about other subjects that fascinate...."as you do".

And on the literary theme......the area was also home to John Betjamin (Uffington, Wantage) Pam Ayres (Standford in the Vale), and the author of "Tom Brown's School Days" Thomas Hughes (also Uffington).

On my drive homewards I stopped by to have another look at the White Horse, from afar.

(Oh and by the way, speaking of things equestrine Lester Piggot....he was from Wantage!)

( random information gathered courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wantage !!!)

Windrush walking: the feeder streams.

2007-06-08T11:43:00.000+01:00

A new project is hereby launched from the back of my mind (where it has sat since finishing the
Thames path) into the real world: I have begun a series of walks to explore the course of the rivers flowing from the Cotswolds, into the Thames. The rivers in question will be:
the Coln, the Leach, the Evenlode, maybe the Cherwell, and the Windrush.
And the Windrush gets the treatment first.

In fact I began today's walk in Winchcombe, a place with which I became more familiar
when following the Cotswold way in Spring 2003. Today I left the town from the grounds of Sudeley castle and via the Warden's Way. This path brought me over a ridge and into Guiting wood, whose pinewood gloom lies on the side of in one of several quiet little valleys whose
streams link together as the Windrush
The valley side featured in the photo above, however, far from being planted
with conifer woodland contains a precious jewel, some remants of old Cotswold
meadow.....with the potential lure of flowering bee orchids (not seen this time...)
amongst other commoner species.

In days of yore these meadows, with countless others across the "Cotes Wolds" were
quietly grazed by prides of "Cotswold Lions", the sheep breed whose wool made these hills
rich. Now you can see a few remnants of their kind, with the fringe that one of their defining features, at the Cotwold Park Farm (of which the flower meadow is part, though now grazed by cattle) or read more about them HERE: http://www.charitynet.org/~cotswoldsheep/

I'm not great on naming flowers, however this is a plantain in flower....

This I thought was a hellibore, but I'm told its a butterfly orchid....

And here is a common spotted orchid ....

A rock-rose..
and this I know is a dog-rose!!
In the valley below, the waters flow onwards......

By the time it reaches the quiet village of Naunton the Windrush is a confident toddler....
and here I left it for this trip....
...but not without first popping in to view the interesting old dovecote.

I took a look within, and the best view was gained NOT by looking at the floor

(bat caves are still worse though! heehee!!) but into the wooden struts of the roofspace,

and at the wall peppered with its pigeon-holes (no mail for me today.....)

Thence back to Winchcombe, and homewards for some pigeon pie .... or something. I forget.

Fox, Horse, Hare.....its all here!

2007-05-21T21:51:00.000+01:00

A new day, a new section of the Ridgeway path. My car having been left
in a handy pub car park I climbed, in a slight drizzle at first,
up the slope onto Fox Hill (with the radio mast.
This is a "whence I have come" shot with the Marlborough Downs and the
various clumps of trees on the furthest ridge and Liddington castle just near
to the little tuft of trees in the middle!) .

Once again the pathway was pleasingly edged with thick hedgerow
and this good days walk was one to have plenty of wildlife, and flora.

Campion

Viper's buglose

a plethora of species.

Of bird life, their were lots of whitethroats (above)with their scratchy songs, yellowhammers,

a bullfinch (which is the first one I have seen for some time!), goldfinches, corn buntings, sky larks (of course), meadow pipits, blue and great tits, lapwings and red-legged partridges. There were also buzzards, a kestrel and (rather surprisingly I thought)

herring gulls (I couldn't help thinking of Keehar in "Watership Down" with his German "Yah!Yah!" in the animated version....heehee!) . As for mammals...well one dear, one (very quick glimpse ) bank vole, and rabbits. Domestically, of course, there were also sheep a-grazing, pigs a-squealing...And then, of course, there was an occasional curious heifer.

This one stopped by to help me located myself on the map. (I was interested in the abrupt occurance of the little dry valley in the background.)

Todays big features, however, were further ancient ones. First of all
I reached Wayland's Smithy, a large long barrow burial site dating back

to ahout 3000bc.

Wayland (oe Weland) the Smith was an Anglo-Saxon god/elf who (they supposed)

would re-shoe your horse for you here overnight, if your left the horse and a coin

here. More information here:

http://www.stonepages.com/england/waylandssmithy.html

Well, there were no horses to be seen here, So Weland was having a quiet

rest no doubt. I, however, had to be on my way once more.

the next site of interest was approached soon after a throng of school children

and accompanying adults passed me by, on their way to the Smithy, no doubt.

"I timed that well" I thought to myself!

So "Where to next?" you ask

Yes. Another hill fort on the horizon....

White horse??

Yes!!

White horse indeed!

The White horse of Uffington
Oldest and biggest of the lot.

The horse is gracefully sprawling on a (relatively) gentle slope of the scarp face, and tantilisingly impossible to view fully at close range, except from the air.

see this LINK for clearer views and more detail!!

http://www.hows.org.uk/personal/hillfigs/uff/uffing.htm

At the foot of the slope is the odd little lump of Dragon Hill

and to the west of it some weird little chalky crinkles, apparently known as

"the manger"

So Fox Hill

White Horse Hill.

so next "Hare Hill"?
No. A live one!

Hare here....

Go on! From Og....

2007-05-20T21:51:00.000+01:00

Ogbourne St. George formed the starting point for today's

walk. I was much relieved to find, on reaching the Ridgeway path,

that today's section had the propect of being much less spartan

in nature.

Green hedges bedecked with may blossom were

much in evidence. The weather too was kinder on me.

Gone was the forceful wind, and the bright sunshine
was moderated by cloud. Gone too was the bright yellow

of oilseed rape flowers. Whew!

From my Ogbourne start point the pathway

heads northwards back along towards the

head of the Og valley, where, lo and behold...

another hill fort, Liddington Castle

"stands guard", again affording

a place for a lunchtime stop. It also allows

for a wide panoramic veiw, whether towards

Marborough, across towards Barbury castle,

beyond the sprall of Swindon to the Cotswold hills,
or even over towards Oxford.

Another feature (like Swindon, worth trying to ignore

for aesthetic reasons, even if its jolly handy

for getting places....!) nearby is the M4 whose

traffic forms a little aural backdrop to the scene

as it clambers over a little lip onto the chalklands

before dashing onwards to the east.

On the plus side, at least the mtorway

is not TOO glaringly obvious, its embedded into

the downs that roll around it....

you may have clouds to spot above.....

and there are always things near at hand, like

poppies splashing red, or corn buntings jangling

their keys in the hedges alongside.

On the far side of the motorway stands Fox Hill, awaiting me tomorrow.

Cloud spotting

2007-05-18T19:22:00.000+01:00

I am loving "The Cloudspotters Guide" book by Gavin Pretor-Pinney
and a link to the "Cloud Appreciation Society" website from my blog
is thus a must.

So, done (just click on the title here
....or on the side panel!).

Berwick Bassett figure of 8

2007-05-02T21:55:00.000+01:00

Today was a bright but breezy day, and time to be
getting on with my Ridgeway project!
So a bit of a drive (....frustratingly finding myself
touching on bits of Swindon on the way, which I had
no desire to do! Grrrrr!) brought me eventually
to the village of Berwick Bassett, where I left my car.
From here I more or less followed the course of a stream
towards Winterbourne Bassett
(not a hound in sight by the way!)
and then out towards Windmill Hill,
the last of the prehistoric features in the vicinity
of Avebury.
This site is a "classic Neolithic 'causewayed enclosure'"
apparently. More about it here: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba67/feat3.shtml

I must admit to not being very excited about
this spot, but anyhow at least now
I know what it's like....
Whilst enjoying a skylark singing I enjoyed a view
towards "yonder hills" onto which I then progressed
via Avebury....

and onto the.....

As I mentioned, it was a windy day and I walked
for the most part with the wind buffeting me from
off to my right. The bright blue sky, with the bright
yellow of flowering oil-seed rape, the bright chalky
whiteness of the path ahead and the grassy pastures
gave me something of a feeling between sensory overload
and sensory deprivation (if that makes any sense).
Anyway, here is an artst's impression (without the wind!)!!!

The spartan landscape at this point is relieved by
the three clumps of beach trees (as seen afar off in tyhe
topmost photo). I also passed close to another white houre
at Hackpen Hill, but I failed to spot it. It is not a tremendously
old one anyway (1830's)

Then with lunchtime approaching, I ascended a small slope
to Badbury castle (hill fort) which stands as if guarding
the westward entrance to a small valley running down towards
Marlborough. As another welcome role its "ramparts" gave me
temporary relief from the wind, to unwind listening to skylarks
once more, eat some lunch....

and admire the wildflowers that also sheltered here,
away from the ravages of high intensity agriculture.

A speedwell

Another attractive little blue flower.....
any suggestions????

Ah! These I know...cowslips!

Kidney vetch?

Time to move on.....

Leaving Barbury Castle behind I headed out

along Smeathe's Ridge where a stretch of open

access land is being grazed in ways to return it

to old-style chalk-land - with a reasonably full assembly

of wildflowers and wildlife one hopes. Not much in

that way evident at the moment, however.

The ridge took me down eventually, and to my relief,

out of the wind and into some blessed shade from trees

and hedges in the small valley I refered to earlier.

This valley was formed, it seems by the gentle

erosion of the river Og, a tributary stream to the Kennet,

and thence to the Thames

the valley has a cluster of villages named by it...

Ogbourne St. George, Ogbourne St. Andrew,

and Ogbourne Maizey. They are olde style villages

of the thatch cottage ilk.

I had had thoughts of walking through each of these

(leaving the Ridgeway path for today)

downstream into Marlborough and along the canal

for some scenic contrast. But time and wearines
now constrained me and I took a more direct path

which took me passed Barton Down Gallops and

across Fyfield Down.

This latter spot is a a National Nature Reserve

and is, in essence the quarry site for Avebury

and (most of) Stonehenge. Before doing a little

research on this stone formation I thought

the rocks strewn across the landscape

had been dragged there by labourers on the

stone circle from some other far off place.

This notion arose partly from memories of

visiting the Presselli mountains where the rest

of Stone Henge was quarried, and partly from

geological ignorance of any solid rocks which could

have overlain chalk (which I think is an excusable error!)

Apparently greywether stone is formed from sandstone

glued together ("indurated") with silica in the Tertiary period.

The overlying softer sandstone has largely gone but these more

solid chunks remained and have been shuffled about on the surface

during glacial episodes. In places they form a "river of rocks"

as they slither down into chalky valleys.

Like shown here:
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=a312&file=index&do=showpic&pid=3671

The grey wethers are also significant, apparently,

for the communities of lichens that grow on them.

Like these, I guess! (shrugs shoulders)

In another part of the reserve the grey wethers

create a natural rock garden amidst the trees.

Leaving Fyfield Down I followed a path back onto

the ridgeway path briefly before descending the

slope near Berwick Bassett clump, then along a

slighty uncomfortable bit of busy road finally to bring me

back to my car. 8 well figured!

North Meadow, Cricklade

2007-04-12T16:42:00.000+01:00

This is North Meadow, at Cricklade, to which I made a visit en route to Guildford. It is "an old, flower-rich hay meadow on the northern edge of Cricklade. It lies on the glacial flood plain of the River Thames and the River Churn"
There is more information about it to be had in a leaflet dowloadable here.

Why is North Meadow important?

It has a great variety of wildflowers
It is internationally import as one of the finest examples of a lowland hay meadow in Europe.
Most meadows like this along the upper Thames have been destroyed by agricultural ‘improvement’ or gravel extraction.
It is protected as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
It supports Britain’s largest population of the snake’s head fritillary, a beautiful and nationally scarce flower.

Gardeners may say "Oh yes, I have seen fritillarys in the garden Centre" or "Yes, I've got some in my garden, so what's the big deal?"

To which I reply......"Which is more thrilling? An otter in a sanctuary or zoo, or an otter in the wild? Surely, in the wild, albeit a nature reserve!".The same applies here."

Snake’s head fritillarys are the spring's star act, but other flower species thrive there too..... such as these marsh marigolds.

Bath time 3: street scenes

2007-04-10T12:02:00.000+01:00

When I first arrived in Bath I had only a vague idea of plans to photograph and blog my visit. Coming across this Bath soft cheese stall sparked off inspiration for the whole subsequent series

Danger! Man at Work????

Cheese.......with olives perhaps??

or perhaps a little bit of hog roast takes your fancy?

For the healthy options, there is always a little fruit and veg.

Then refreshed by the food, be amused by the street entertainers...

and enjoy the sights and colours of Bath's streets, shops and stalls

Bath time 2: water features

2007-04-08T13:30:00.000+01:00

Way down the Kennet and Avon canal from my last look at it
(Calne locks) is the Poultney Bridge and the beautiful curved
waterfalls, where seagulls fish and bathe....

Whilst I did not visit (this time) the famous Roman bath complex, nor the Thermae Bath Spa complex (its modern re-invention) I did at least take a little peek in the (Georgain) foyer of the Roman parts, and take a look at the ceiling........

Bath time 1: Easter

2007-04-07T22:23:00.000+01:00

Happy Easter to all my readers/viewers!

For Easter Saturday I decided that a trip to Bath was in order, camera in hand! So with thoughts of the season in mind here are a few ecclesistical moments of tranquility in Bath Abbey

Altar frontal in the "Gethsemane Chapel"

A lily festooned cross at the High Altar

Then a trip to inhale aromas of chocolate ("heaven!!!") in the House of Minerva

and an enjoyable chat with Chocolate Master Philippe who willingly

acquiesced to my photographic attention

mmmmmm-mmm

Ridgeway walking back to Avesbury

2007-03-29T14:30:00.000+01:00

After another foggy start the day turned to
a glorious blue, and I was out to walk a little further along
the Ridgeway path. From the downs above Devizes I had
walked (unblogged on) along the ridge as far as two radio
masts on Morgan's Hill. For todays expedition I aimed to walk
from that point onwards to Avebury.

On this walk I feel am well and truly back to native soil...
chalkland, with its white fields

...gorse blooms, sky larks

and white horses.
http://wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk/cherhill.html

Following a Roman road from Morgan's Hill with

sporadic clusters of trees amid otherwise decidedly

spartan fields I reached the monument on Cherhill

Down for a lunch break.

Views around about of the crinkled hills

and dry valleys were echoed (unintentionally)

by the ditches and ramparts of Oldbury

"castle" (hill fort)

Lunch over I continued onwards and (through some

bad map-reading) became quite disorientated as the Morgan's

Hill masts came back in sight. Once Iworked out what had happened

I made my way onwards to Avesbury. After 12 miles I was in need

of refreshment.....and an escaped route back to the car.

Firstly I tucked into a welcome meal at the Red Lion pub

before taking time to enjoy taking a few photos

of the standing stones now bathed in an early

evening sunlight.

By 6pm I was awaiting my saviour....the Wigglybus,

which took me back to Cherhill where I walked the

last half mile or so of the day on a sometimes

VERY muddy bridlepath, passing nervous deer

(muntjac)....

Another walk, another day,over.

Searching for another Otter moment...!

2007-03-27T18:00:00.000+01:00

Another early exit from home on a frosty, foggy
morning down onto the Somerset Levels as the
sun rose.....

I went again to Shapwick Heath, searching once more
for a meeting with an otter or two. Maybe this
time I could get a photo ?? Or maybe not.....
the uncertainty is half the fun!

Finding dew tipped daffodils and spiders webs
is a more certain small pleasure for this time of year....

I returned to the location of my first otter encounter.

I was hopeful but not overly confident that I would

come up trumps here again. Afteral why should they

stay in such a small area of water when they had so

much scope to roam elsewhere?

Well imagine my thrill that very soon after reaching the spot

I was almost having an action replay of the first meeting.

Two otters once again swam in towards the bank, the one further

out seems to have spotted me first and squeaked an alarm before diving

out of sight. Tho other, however (perhaps a dog otter??)

was more bold (or curious) and seeing me stopped

swimming and craned up out of the water for a better

look. For a few wonderful moments we were face

to face, then it too disappeared from view back underwater.

So why were they in this spot again?

Well it seems that the water sheltered shoals of

fish, which in the following half hour or so that

I stayed there were repeatedly disturbing the

surface, sometimes but not always being chased by otters

I believe.

So another short meeting with the otters, but

spending time at this spot helped me become familiar

with what to look for as signs of otter activity...

the signs in the trampling at the waterside, signs of a regular pathway

between two areas of water, a hole in the bankside, a little bit of

hair, and most tellingly of all, fish scales from an otter meal.

I have yet to see otter footprints, or know what

otter droppings look and smell like (I gather they are quiet

pleasant smelling!!).

After this I spent more time walking around

the reserve, always hoping for more sightings of otters

but happy to enjoy the bird life, catkins on branches

and beautifully blue sky that revealed itself

as morning mist/fog was chased away by the sun

Goat Willow..

Not sure...

Alder..

As for an otter photo. Well, maybe next time!

Lunar eclipse !!

2007-03-03T23:49:00.000Z

Shock news! The moon is bleeding!!

Maybe it was that dragon I saw biting
at it a little earlier?

Ah. No, it's ok. normal service is being resumed!

Well, now I can go to sleep, and rest easy
in my bed then...

A super view of the lunar eclipse from here in
Gloucestershire. Clear skies right through the highpoint
of the show when the moon glowed bronze, then just as
the show came towards its end the cloud started to appear.
Perfect timing!

Broccolli v. Bananas. Which would YOU choose?

2007-02-15T16:51:00.000Z

2007-02-03T14:06:00.000Z

I just found this news item on the bbc site.....nothing to do with Gloucestershire, but a wonderful little moment!! Enjoy!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6580000/newsid_6586100/6586109.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm

For some detail on the significance of this just click on the related link, which is the same
clip with a reporters commentary and so on.

Deer Cave bats, December 2003

2007-02-02T10:36:00.000Z

Last week's wonderful moments
with the starling clouds reminded me
everso much (if in a colder version)
of the experiences we had back in
the mists of time (pre-blogging, pre-digital
camera-owner) in Sarawak, Borneo.
Whilst staying at the Royal Mulu Resort we
naturally had to include a visit to Deer cave
on the itinerary....

It is a truly huge cavern........and truly very smelly,
thick with the smell of ammonia rising from the
droppings of 3-4 (?) million wrinkle-lipped bats
who spend the day hanging on its roof.....
one more over-powering experience to add to
the overall "wow" effect!

Emerging towards sunset into the ammonia free
fresh air we then awaited the spectacular exit
of the bats, first visible swirling in a dough-nut
loop just inside the cave mouth, then woooshing out
in larger and larger streams

....cork-screwing away through the sky, dodging
bat falcons, for a night of insect hunting.

A great memory!
Here is a link to someone else's account
of a trip to Mulu though whom those of us
who have been to Mulu can (as he put's it)
"vicariously relive" the whole experience:
(p.s. it even has a short movie-clip of the bats
flying out on it!!)

http://www.geographia.com/malaysia/caves.htm

Gotta see an Otter!!

2007-01-24T21:00:00.000Z

In Glastonbury yesterday a friendly store keeper (after telling about how
to get to Westhay Moor for the roosting starlings)
told me about Shapwick Heath and how otters can be regularly
seen here in daylight. That sounded too good to miss.
So having watched the amazing morning commute of Westhay Moor's
starlings I on headed a short drive along the Shapwick-Westhay Road

http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/nnr/nnr_details.asp?NNR_ID=141

Just by the reserve entrance is a large mound of peat that
had been dug out when the area was commercially exploited
for peat (n.b. alternatives ARE NOW AVAILABLE !!!) for
gardening. On this I noticed some animal tracks.
I took a photo as a record, just incase they were
the closest I was to an otter today
(actually I'm not sure they are otter tracks, but
if not I cannot think what they could be, can you?)

So, into the reserve I went. The first track
off to the right took me along a board walk
towards the site of an archeologically important
board walk, known as the "Sweet Track"
(any relation I wonder?)

Answers.com have an article about it....
http://www.answers.com/topic/sweet-track

and this site has photos of a reconstructed section too....
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/aburnham/eng/sweet.htm

Anyway, back to my search for otters. Coming to
a quiet stretch of lake side I noticed there were some
unusual movement at the waters edge: could it really
be.......

Dailymotion blogged video
Otters
Video sent by agracarter2

I cann't believe how lucky I was!!
Less than an hour on the Reserve and
I was watching otters fishing, and I was
only feet away! Never mind that it was all over
quite quickly, those moments were golden!
Such a privelige!
Now I shall have to try and see some more...
even clearer views.....
maybe even get some good photos...
Or I am just getting greedy now??

So then i continued happily on my way around the reserve,
enjoying its marshy ambience and happy in the knowledge
that I can come and visit again any time I like.
You can be sure that i will!

Starling Awakening

2007-01-24T08:37:00.000Z

After the awesome sight of the starlings gathering
to roost in Westhay Moor reedbeds I just had to see the sequel:
the start of the new day, and the exit of the starling flocks on
their daily search for food.

What more can I say....Just WOW!!!!

Dailymotion blogged video
Westhay Moor Starling's Awakening
Video sent by agracarter2

Westhay Moor v. Slimbridge....5000 Starlings? Pah! Try counting this lot!

2007-01-23T21:00:00.001Z

Well it seems I have the Starling-bug.
After last weeks nibble at the dish
of watching starlings gathering to roost
at Slimbridge I was keen to feast my eyes
and senses at THE major banqueting event in the
region: the Somerset Level's starling roost at Westhay Moor
NNR
http://www.somersetwildlife.org/reserve_4.php

Dailymotion blogged video
Westhay Moor Starling Roost
Video sent by agracarter2

Well, if you watched that you'll understand me if I am
a little at a loss for words on the subject. The experience was utterly
overwhelming, and it does not surprise me in the least that people
come to see this over and over again.

I think I may be joining them....

Here's a link to another Starling fan, with regular news updates
on their comings and goings.

http://www.foxybiddy.com/page/starlingspectacular/3

Lots of questions remain for me....
Where did all these birds spend the day? How far do
they fly back from? Where do they go in the summer months?
.....but most of all "HOW MANY ARE THERE????"

If you have time to spare, count the dots in this picture.
Then multiply by a factor of..........oh, I don't know.
I give up. Estimates I hear range from 2 to 10 million.......
so, quite a few more than at Slimbrige then!!!

Slimbridge Starlings

2007-01-16T13:40:00.000Z

A gentle stroll, on a chilly January afternoon...

enjoying the ambience of Slimbridge....

...as the day draws to an end.

Then, to an exciting Ballet performance at
Swan's Lake....

Dailymotion blogged video
Starling Ballet
Video sent by agracarter2

Coooeeee!!!

Autumnal beech wood delights

2006-11-14T11:38:00.000Z

Well, enough of fireworks.
How about some natural spectacle......
in an autumnal beechwood.

where the paths are paved with gold....

and fungi bear fruit...

....and here's just a little colour contrast....

Oh, and should you require reminding...a hint
of the next season's events.....
Holly and Ivy for decking the halls....

....and(leaves on the left of this shot)
sweet chestnuts, for .........

Ok, OK. You got the picture...
Hope you enjoyed the show too!

Another weekend, more fireworks!

2006-11-14T11:02:00.000Z

This weekend I was away again, this time in
Milton Keynes. This weeks firework display
was a more homely, back garden affair....

Roman candles.....

Katherine wheels....

....and sparklers!

...that sort of thing.

Well, there were
also some bigger showy ones but
they were near impossible to photograph.

Lesson learnt: if you want to take photos
of fireworks that go "whoooosh..............
..................bang! (ie high flying ones)
stand well back, like half a mile or so.
Its no use standing underneath them unless
you are very quick on the draw and have perfect
timing!

Remember, remember........now, what was it I had to remember?

2006-11-05T22:30:00.000Z

Oh yes! Fireworks....................

A big finale........

...to the display at Loughborough University

(actually on the 4th Nov.) which I enjoyed from an upstairs

window of my weekend hosts....John, Helen, Grace and Rhiann!

Autumn Watch gets Local: The Bewick Swans are back!

2006-10-26T18:52:00.000+01:00

Do birds suffer jet lag??
Well, if not, then they are entitled to, in my view.
Here, in the peaceful haven of Slimbridge
the first Bewick swans have now returned from
something like 3000 miles away in the Russian tundra

Beautifully white plumage, and elegant yellow and black
markings on their bills (the later feature which
enables individulas to be recognised by Slimbridge staff
from one year to the next!)

Home, at Slimbidge. A chance to rest, preen,

...to sleep even....

sharing this special place with multicultural neighbours..
local mallards, coots and black-headed gulls...

..and tufted duck....

or (red headed, red eyed) Pochards, also refugees from the
north and east.....

clouds of green plovers swoop or strut about..

amongst elegant Pintailed ducks....more foreign exiles.

and Widgeon too, whose 4000 mile trek to
humble Gloucestershire maybe overflew
Ulambatur, Mongolia

The world, on my doorstep.

There now follows a short film, introducing Slimbridge's new guest
"Dumbles" (hee hee)...... watch out for his first night nervey stage
exit towards the end of the film (Ah! Bless!)

Slimbridge Wild Swans
Uploaded by agracarter2

The Severn Bore

2006-10-11T18:35:00.000+01:00

I went to watch the Severn Bore on Sunday. The following is a link to
the video that I created of the event.
I'm not sure what's wrong with Dailymotion at the moment but I couldn't get
the normal way of linking my videos and blogs to work
I trust this link works instead!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhm3o_the-severn-bore

Locks on up, Looks on Downs

2006-09-19T12:40:00.000+01:00

Today I began a new walking project.
I took up the walk on a point along
the Kennet and Avon canal near Trowbridge
that I had reached on another project:
walking down the Avon from Tetbury to Bristol.

This time I was heading away from the Avon, towards
the Kennet.

But a particular feature was part of the objective
for today. Approaching Devizes the canal climbs
upwards and the frequency of locks increases

..until a quite dramatic "staircase" of..... well...
I don't know how many locks one after another.

Quite a sight.

Once passed this interesting spot I headed away
from the canal. Hedgerows were ladden
with autumn fruits......
Blackberry..

Blackthorn (Sloes)

Hawthorn.....and more.

..as I approached my days target endpoint, the chalky hilltops
of the Marlborough Downs.
So here beginneth my walk along the Ridgeway Path
to Ivinghoe Beacon in Bedfordshire
(well, perhaps I'll go a little further too!)

I shall revisit Avebury and pass some other ancient
landmarks I have not yet seen, cross the Thames once
again at Goring (as I did in 2002 walking the Thames path)
and then touch on bits of Chiltern slopes that I explored
when living in Hertfordshire.
I look forward to all that! (Time scale: uncertain!)

Avebury Ave!

2006-08-25T21:14:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I made a daytrip to Avebury, to admire
and investigate its ancient features.
Here's a good link about it all:
http://www.stonehenge-avebury.net/aburybuilding.html

Primarily at Avebury one thinks of its stone circle...
best appreciated by walking around it, or failing that
from arial photos such as this from Google Earth..

On the ground the stones grab the attention...

But the ditch around the outside of the circle
is just as impressive in its way...

I liked the textures of the stones, this one with
accompanying lichen growth...

and this without.

Stretching away from the Avebury ring
is the West Kennet Avenue, believed
to be a ritual walkway of some kind.

and running out into the chalky downland,

towards what would once have been another impressive
circular structure now marked out with modern stone markers:
interesting to see, but not easily illustrated with
a photo (sorry about that).

Around about in nearby fields Round Barrows
abound....

some of which can be spotted for miles around
due to the clump of beech trees growing on them!

Such spots seemed a particular draw to those
of a pagan persuasion and this one at least
had a little makeshift shrine on its "summit".
Was the draw here worship of the trees? or worship
of the ancestors entombed here? (if the later it seems
a little arbitary. What about those in the tombs not
so lucky to have trees on, or those in barrows long
ploughed over?) I thought the plastic sunflower "planted"
at another location was pushing the whimsy just
a tad far....

Fortunately no-one got around to ploughing
over this other major feature hereabouts....the West Kennet
Long Barrow. You may think Hetty Pegglars Tump
is impressive, but that's peanuts compared to this one!!

Big, impressive "doorway"

into cavenous interior with plenty of
headroom

and even substantial side chambers. Splendidly evocative.

One last site to behold as I walked back towards
Avebury (and my car) was the massive artifical
Silbury hill. To get a sense of scale, note the white
van/lorry passing by. Big! Lets hope the fears
of it collapsing are unfounded!

Completing a Loop

2006-07-30T12:11:00.000+01:00

I left home at 5.30am and was in
Hay-on-Wye by 7.30am. Then after walking
5 miles and ascending 2000ft I felt
it was a good moment to stop, admire
the view from Hay Bluff....and have some
breakfast!

The aim thereafter was to walk from there
along the long Hatteral ridge and down to Pandy Inn.
This image, from Google Earth conveys something
of the experience, although one should picture the
far end swathed in grey cloud, dampening the later
stages of my days walk!

So I continued on my way across the winding path
on windy moor....birds, sheep, ponies and the
only very occasional other walker for company.

There may have been few walkers today
but over the years there have been thousands,
each of us wearing away at the peaty soil, as
testified to by heather-topped stumps such as this..

Finally descending to Pandy Inn after
61/2 hours (four of them on the hilltop!)
I achieved an end to a major phase in my current
walking project. The circle joining Monmouth
and Hay, via Wye Valley walk and Offas Dyke path
is now complete. Hurrah!

Random lines

2006-07-24T10:45:00.000+01:00

Here's a little collection of pictures from my
last set of day's off....with a bit of a linear
theme!

Avoiding the heat of the heatwave days
with an early walk gave me the opportunity
of catching this shade of sunlight colouring
on a stubbly field....

In Westonbirt Arboretum, more lines.....

...and a bit of attractive pattern on the trunk
of a Tingiringi gum tree (I like that name!) .

In the grass, occasional spiders webs retained
pearl drops of dew (lines and globules!)

Speaking of spiders, and lines.....a spider on
a sedge leaf in my garden pond...

Also found in my pond, a feather...

Two final photos that are just nicely
colourful (forget the linear theme now!)

Meadow campion

...and a gatekeeper butterfly, enjoying the sun.
(I hope you have been too!)

Holiday in Norfolk: well, visiting Ely in fact.

2006-07-13T12:26:00.000+01:00

Before leaving East Anglia entirely
I tool the opportunity of dropping in
on Ely to revisit the cathedral

whose two highlights (for me at least)
are the cental tower and its internal
"Octogon", and the remaining pieces of
stone carving (having survived the Reformation)
in the Lady Chapel

Unusually I was able to get a view up
to the Octogon from a directly central position.
Normally this is occupied by an altar but this
had been moved for a "Rave in the Nave"
youth service.

This next shot I took on a "fireworks" setting.
I like the effect, don't you?

What's going on in this shot? Answers on
a postcard please....

A "Green Man"

and another one...

Finally, I could not resist this amusing
composition (no disrespect to the bishop!)

Holiday in Norfolk: Across the Brecks

2006-07-13T10:30:00.000+01:00

I drove homeward via the Brecklands.
Around Thetford are large plantations
of conifers, but away from there are
striking long avenues of scots pines

These started out life as managed hedges,
planted as windbreaks in the 19th century
to cut down on sandstorms as the topsoil
blew away from the brecks (temporarily
cultivated fields)

I stopped off to visit Grimes Graves.
(Link: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/ConProperty.24/chosenImageId/2)
Having visited the small display at the reception
office I had a look down in the cool depths
of the flint mine pit open for viewing.
Then I wandered over the "minefield" interested
not only by the pock marking of the surface from
1000 years worth of flint mining....

..but, as you might expect, by the fauna and flora
around me.
This is an essex skipper (butterfly)

and unless I am mistaken, this is a silver-spotted
skipper (its quite rare, but increasing, I believe)

This is rock rose...

this is some sort of vetch

..and this is a speedwell (apparently
the breckland heaths have several
varieties of speedwell, to the great
delight of the more knowledgeable)

.... as for birdlife, well I managed to add
another "first" moment to my holiday.
I visited Weeting Heath and was able
to watch some stone curlews (big yellow eyes
"knobbly knees". Quite rare) ...and here's
a photo to prove it!

Holiday in Norfolk: Blakeney and Cley

2006-07-12T20:54:00.000+01:00

On the north Norfolk coast a
visit to the Grey and Common Seals
on Blakeney Point is a must.
(More detail about the area at:
http://www.norfolkbroads.com/guides/area/blakeney )

So having walked the coastal path
from Blakeney to Morston
I boarded one of the boats taking groups
down the muddy creek and out to
the Point

The seals behaved impeccably for the cameras!

I could have then returned to Blakeney, trip over.
But I decided to be "marooned" on the point
and the boat returned home without me.

Now, thought, I was alone with the "lonely sea
and the sky"........

Dailymotion blogged video
Solititude
Video sent by agracarter2

Well, so maybe not entirely alone. But it was
wonderfully remote out there on the shingle
spit..... a haunt for a few holidaying (?) anglers
(and somewhere to stay too!)

..with floral splashes of colour.

Here's a horned poppy..

...or here some sea lavender on the salt marsh

(Are you thinking "Magwitch" yet?)

Golden mud....a goldmine for hungry wading birds..

A long, rewarding trudge and I approach "the mainland"
once again....and the windmill at Cley. (Does anyone
visting Cley come away without a photo of it? I wonder)

I was struck by the flint walls on my visit to North
Norfolk...very attractive, and such a contrast to
Cotswold stone!

I like to call this photo "Cley-with-flints"
(a rather obscure geological pun)

Holiday in Norfolk: Amid the Broads

2006-07-12T11:10:00.000+01:00

A visit to the Broads would not have seemed
complete without calling in on Ranworth church.
It is described as "the Cathedral of the Broads"
and it offers a chance to get a great view of nearby
Ranworth Broad....

Dailymotion blogged video
Ranworth View
Video sent by agracarter2

Inside the church, however, is also interesting for
its 15th Century rood screen complete with original
medieval paintwork

Beyond, however lie the Broads themselves,
historic haunt of Norfolk wherries

and now all kinds of boating tourists

As well as Ranworth I visited Hickling Broad,
where beautiful tawny coloured Konick ponies
(orginally from Poland)
graze areas of pasture as part of the
(Norfolk Wildlife Trust) reserve management strategy,
and Strumpshaw Fen (managed by the RSPB)

A Marsh Orchid

Not sure what this is yet...

Purple loosestrife?

...this I do know! It's a comma butterfly.
Not as rare as the Swallowtail I saw at Hickling
(A great view of a spledid beast!) but attractive
nonetheless..

A yellow flag

As for bird life, well, amongst others,
marsh harriers drifted over the marshes,
a hobby chased dragonflies and (a first for me)
a bittern (secretive brown type of heron)
flew up, over a stretch of open water, and
then dropped down into reeds at the far side.
I enjoyed that!
Whilst waiting in vain to see some cranes
I just gazed out over the peaceful scenery,
soaking up the calm swish of the wind in the reeds.
Lovely.

Holiday in Norfolk: Norwich (A Fine City)

2006-07-11T13:39:00.000+01:00

I really enjoyed being in Norwich again. It is,
as the saying goes "A fine City". A fine old city
mixed in with fine modern bits! Hope you enjoy
this whistlestop tour!......

Firstly admire the wonderful Forum building,
added for the Millenium, beyond is City Hall.

Viewing the Forum from alongside St. Peter Mancroft church
you can appreciate the internal horseshoe shape
of the Forum.

The old market square with its stalls...

The Royal Arcade, bedecked in Art Nouveau
style ......

Up to the Norman castle, with its eye on the market
below.....best keep an eye on those Angles....

And then there is the fine Norman
cathedral too!

Pull's Ferry, whence the stone for the Cathedral
arrived from Caen

and in the shadow of the cathedral

...fine old streets and buildings....

...of a FINE CITY!!!!
For a longer photo tour around Norwich
(not of my making!) take a look at
http://www.oldcity.org.uk/norwich/

Holiday in Norfolk: UEA

2006-07-11T11:32:00.000+01:00

It was great to revisit some old haunts earlier
this month. A trip onto the University Campus
held some surprises and disorientating features
(loads of shiny new accomodation blocks, an old
familiar one on the brink of final demolition....
and a Coptic Orthodox service as the main
Sunday morning event at the Chapaincy!!)

But the basics were still there:
The delightful Broad....

...the limpid waters of the river Yare flowing
by (invitingly cool looking on a scorching day!)

And the starkly impressive concrete architecture
of the main teaching blocks....

and famous "Ziggurat" accomodation terraces

But the main attraction at UEA, beyond the
splendid new sports complex (and the Olympic
sized Bernard Matthew's swimming pool....
what a bonus!) still has to be the Sainsbury Centre
for the Visual Arts. http://www.scva.org.uk/

Within its cool interior I passed a pleasant morning
admiring both a splendid temporary exhibition
of 18th and 19th century Polynesian craftwork
and, amid other great "World Art" pieces, some
old favourites....such as Degas "Little Dancer"
http://www.scva.org.uk/collections/mustseeobjects/index.php?collection=1&collection_object=43
Well worth a visit.

In Search of a Kingfisher Photo (part two)

2006-06-07T11:02:00.000+01:00

The kingfishers at Slimbridge have now
hatched their eggs and got hungry mouths to feed.
Thus, their visits to the nest hole area are
much more frequent. So I tried again to get a
half decent photo of one of them.
After a number of abortive attempts and
missed opportunities (they seemed to turn up
just as I decided I needed to shift my position
a bit on my bench or move the tripod legs to
a better floor arrangement!) I obtained these
following photos.

As you will see the bird liked this branch hanging low
to the water. It would arrive back in a bush near the nest
settling there quite briefly before disappearing into the hole.
A few moments later when its delivery had been made
it would re-emerge and fly across to this favoured spot.
Here it would take a quick dip in the water (to wash?)
and rest a while before heading off again to fish.
If my patience had lasted I would have tried for photos of
it entering the hole.....or a video clip. But enough is enough
and I shall count that photo-project as finished.

2006-06-05T12:46:00.000+01:00

A fun day out with the Bartlett's in
Milton Keynes to see some jousting...
Firstly some barbarians did their stuff..

(A Roman army officer showed what
he could do!)

...before a two horse race.....with one rider!

and a two rider race with FOUR horses!

A bit of combat!

Barbarian trickery.......hanging off the side..

lying across the saddle....

Then some "Medieval" jousting.....

The Black Knight (Boooo!)

Some fighting with staves......

Hurrah the Black Knight is vanquished!

Reaching for the moon

2006-05-30T21:24:00.000+01:00

The moon..... a thing of wonder.....able even to
distract me from Bill Oddie, Kate Humble and Simon
King's thinking person's "Big Brother"
("Springwatch" has returned....hurrah!)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/springwatch/prog_summary.shtml

Aided by a tripod, telescope and camera I reach
for the moon.....

....its one small click of the finger.....

one giant leap for imagining......

....beep.....beep.......beep.......

.....Tranquility Base here......the Eagle has landed!!

Popping in on the Hay festival

2006-05-29T12:27:00.000+01:00

I've been following the route of the Wye Valley Walk
over the past year or so. My last stopping off point
was at Bredwardine. With a dry day
at last forecast yesterday I took a trip over
to Herefordshire to continue on the walk.
I thought it would be fun to arrive in Hay
whilst the Literary Festival
http://www.hayfestival.com/
was in progress.
The rain of previous weeks made the going
rather muddy....a challenge to the knees
when descending Merbach Hill after gaining
the following views from its top...

Dailymotion blogged video
merbach hill
Video sent by agracarter2

Another shot of Hay Bluff...

After slipping my way down off the hill and through
lots more lovely countryside I finally reached Hay..
with the first signs of the Festival in evidence!

The Castle grounds were particularly festive, I thought,
although perhaps walking past all those Bbq stalls was
illadvised self torture.....I had no money with me!

Having no money meant I could not linger with
a view to catching the bus back to Bredwardine,
so after the briefest of visits to Hay and its festival
I set off along quiet coutry lanes on way way back.
The yellow flowers in the roadside verges
caught my attention....

Each seemed to have a little green beetle
guarding it!!

Any way after a walking tour of 7 hours
with aching, out of practice, legs
I finally came in view of Bredwardine church
where the Rev. Francis Kilvert (Victorian diarist)
http://www3.shropshire-cc.gov.uk/kilvert.htm
spent the last years of his short life...and where I
I had left my car.