Books

Diddums is tagging everyone who visits her site so

1. One book that changed your life.

Easy peasy The RSPB Handbook of Birds by Holden and Cleeves. As mentioned in a post earlier.

if we're talking fiction... The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov

2. One book that you've read more than once.

Quite a few but shall we say Magician by Raymond E Feist?

3. One book that you'd want on a desert island.

The complete Isaac Asimov? Uh I know the field guide to the Island? Handbook of Birds the World ?

4. One book that made you laugh.

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

5. One book that made you cry.

nothing really but we'll say Lincoln's Dreams by Connie Willis

6. One book you wish you had written.

uhm we'll say Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. I ended up at work without a book for lunch so picked it up and expected very little.... brilliant.

7. One book you wish had never been written.

L Ron Hubbard - Battlefield Earth - garbage

8. One book you're currently reading.

Steven Saylor - Catilina's Riddle. A mystery set in BC Rome

9. One book you have been meaning to read.

uhm uhm actually like Diddum's Tracy Canavan is an author I'm surprised I've yet to read.

The Return of Dangermouse

He's The Best
He's The Greatest
He's The Greatest Secret Agent In The World!
He's The Ace - He's Amazing...
He's the Strongest... He's The Quickest.... He's The Best!

Dangermouse

The BBC have bought the right to show repeats. No dates have yet been announced.

Happy Birthday Mum

Well its my Mum's birthday today.

Regular readers will know she is suffering from Breast Cancer. She is currently "celebrating" by having her dose of Herceptin.

Dratted Beta Blogger

I think that if you are on blogger but not on Beta Blogger you may no longer be able to leave comments.

If I am right then to do so please select other!!

I am sorry, I switched ages ago. It stopped working today.

New by-law in St John Newfoundland

Leehane at the Chamber Door has a great post amount a new by-law in St John Newfoundland. Apparently if you want to put out litter in black plastic bags and the like you have to put a blanket (or netting) over it to stop Gulls ripping them to shred.

Its a cracking post. Really made me laugh!

History Matters Pass it On

The National Trust, English Heritage, Historic Houses Association and the Civic Trust in supporting the biggest free access event to major heritage sites that has ever been held in the UK.

The event runs from Sept 7th to 10th, properties are usually open over one of those days. There are some superb properties which you can get into free.

And the country went mad.

Nine years ago last week the country changed. I was on holiday at the time. I awoke turned on the radio to get radio 4. Now this was surprising since I was tuned to Radio 5! It quickly became apparent that a member of the Royal Family had died, and of course the natural assumption was that it was the Queen Mother, but it soon dawned that Diana Princess of Wales had died in an accident.

Now I was not a fan of the late Princess, but it was of course sad that someone so young had died, I felt sympathy for her sons but I can't say I felt grief. It became apparent though that we were expected to grieve. Every radio program seemed to be a phone in with people in mourning. TV schedules were thrown out of the window.

Workers demanded that shops and factories be closed so they could watch the funeral. Footballers and others demanded that the games were postponed.

Of course being on holiday I was bereft of people to talk to. Its a bit much when Richard Littlejohn seems the voice of reason but he commented that when Churchill died everyone mourned and then got on with it.

I picked up Private Eye which was brilliant. It never once stepped out of line. It took merciless aim at the public and the media but never once at the Princess (who in the past was a prime target), it perfectly summed my feelings. The best bit was a piece with quotes about Diana in Sunday editions before and after she died. Brilliant.

I drove home on the day of the funeral (roads were empty), I avoided the funeral (cut my grass). The only piece of the day I remember clearly is this idiot saying "I never met her she had no impact on my life but I cried more than when my Father died". What a prize buffoon.

What got me in this topic was that the public were outraged the Queen didn't rush back from Balmoral to share there grief.

I was watching Richard & Judy (I was round Mum's at the time) this week and they were discussing a new film called The Queen. It stars Helen Mirren as the Queen and that chap who played Bair in The Deal.

I believe it deals with the week after Diana's death and I think the conversations of the Queen and Blair. The clip I saw went like this (paraphrased) (oh and I believe that it may have come from private conversation Blair had with people at the time that were leaked).

Blair - Ma'am the people expect you to come back and share their Grief!
Queen - Their Grief !! Mr Blair if you think I am going to desert my grandchildren at this moment... I think I know the British People better than that. They will mourn quitely and with dignity as they've always done.................
Blair - As you wish Ma'am

The thing was Blair was right, people did expect her to do just that. My own view was stuff Brenda from Milton Keynes worry about the children. The Queen may of misjudged the mood but she was still right.

To me Britain changed that day. It just happened to change for the worse.

Patch Birding pays off

It's Sunday afternoon so it must be Rye Meads.

It has become a Sunday afternoon ritual really. I never seen anything exciting but I have a pleasant stroll.....

However on the board in big letters is Garganey - yes a patch lifer!! and then the dreaded sign for female. SIGH. Still I ask where it was seen.

At Draper the Goose flock is down slighty. Lots of Lapwings and Litle Grebe. No other waders though which is a bit disappointing.

A few Hawker dragonflies on the trails and a fly over Sparrowhawk.

I reach Tern hide which is where my target was. There are usually lots of ducks but they are outnumbered by Coots and a fair few Little Grebe. Mallard, Shoveller, Tufty - nope, and then sitting next to a moorhen away from the others....

Ok its small, grey bill (comparatively long), stripey head pattern and it seems to have a bit of white on the wing. Looks good but still..... I watch her for ages swimming here there and everywhere and then FLAP !! Yes! No doubts now.

Wander off a happy Pete and at Moorhen see 3 Green Sandpiper.

Just before I reach the visitors centre I spy a Water Vole in one of the ditches. Cute little chap. Not seen one ever and now two in two visits!!

Nice day.

The Smarter Birding Experience

I texted Dave my proposed itinerary for today and asked if he fancied joining me....... so at about 6:55 he arrived. There had been a smash on the M25, but it was in the other direction and that way there were big queues. Some debris must have been on our side since we saw 4 cars with double punctures but we sailed serenely on.

At about quarter past eight we parked at Weir Wood Reservoir near East Grinstead. The target bird was sitting in a tree, he was a bit obscured and refused to show well but clearly a Night Heron. There were also at least 3 Snipe, a Green Sandpiper, numerous Grey Herons, a Little Egret, loads of ducks, Great Crested and Little Grebe, a Great Spot and a Common Tern. Oh and a Roe Deer.

Well that was easy! East Grinstead Sainsbury's cafe was a Starbucks. So rather than pay £3.50 for a sandwich we bought from Sainsbury's and ate in the car and planned the next step.

Dave - that was easy, where now ?
Me - we aren't far from Bough Beech Reservoir. We could go see the presumed escape White Pelican.
Dave - looking at map, yeah on way back why not.

With a minor detour (we missed our turn somehow), we arrived at Bough Beech. A few birders were looking at the scrape but we turned to observe how big the Pelican was before giving the scrape our full attention (oh its VERY big, dwarfed the Cormorants).

There were 3 Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank (I have a black spot with iding Greenshanks, I keep forgetting about them). It started hammering down so with no cover we were off.

The M25 was clear and we soon arrived at Waltham Abbey and crossed on to Cornhill Dragonfly sanctuary. A few birders happily told us it was "showing well". We arrived at Wake's hide and it was. Two minutes after arriving there it was right in front of the hide a nice Spotted Crake. Very showy. We also had at least 7 Snipe, 4 Green Sandpiper, some baby Moorhens, 2 Greenshank and by way of contrast a Water Rail.

It was now 12 O'clock.

Dave - ok know any good pubs?
Pete - well no not really (I only live here :D ), we could try the Rainbow & Dove near me. Never been but its in the AA good pub guide.

And very nice it was. A very nice Bacon and Brie Baggy with salad and chunky chips. Good pint according to Dave (I was on shandy!). Quaint place and friendly. Another on Dave and my recommended pubs list.

We were unlikely to see anything else so at 1:30 Dave headed home for the Tesco shop. We got the targets easily and had lots of other nice birds a good pub lunch. Scratches head, its not always this easy honest.

Pressure works!!

You know how it easy you are given a petition to sign and cynical old you knows nothing will happen.

Well sometimes it does work!

The Hedgehog Preservation Society has been campaigning for over 5 years to get McDonalds to redesign its McFlurry ice cream containers and finally they have.

From September 1st McDonalds have reduced the size of the lid opening to stop Hedgehogs getting inside the Flurry.