Bath time 3: street scenes

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

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

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

Searching for another Otter moment...!

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!

Gotta see an Otter!!

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.......

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!