I haven't done much birding lately, combinations of work, weather and a cold/cough (dad getting better, really zonked him ). You'll appreciate that I intend to be out this weekend!
Anyway my putative year list is barely moving so it was rather nice to spot a Swallow sitting on a wire this morning. Given there was ice on the cars I bet he wishes he was back in Africa.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
TV creature survey
The new Cbeebies Animal magazine has conducted a poll to determine the favourite children's TV animal of all-time.
The order was
1. Bagpuss
2. Tom & Jerry
3. Winnie the Pooh
4. The Magic Roundabout Team
5. Dangermouse
6. Shaun the Sheep
7. Paddington Bear
8. Top Cat
9. Scooby Doo
10. Basil Brush
A few surprises for me. I know Bagpuss is popular despite there only bring 13 episodes but I was surprised by not one disney character nor classics like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
I like Shaun the Sheep (a modern classic) and Dangermouse was a favourite. I'm really surprised to see Top Cat there, I presume its being repeated on digital? I did like it though. I ought to stress that Scooby Doo only deserves to be included for the early episodes and not those with that annoying puppy.
The order was
1. Bagpuss
2. Tom & Jerry
3. Winnie the Pooh
4. The Magic Roundabout Team
5. Dangermouse
6. Shaun the Sheep
7. Paddington Bear
8. Top Cat
9. Scooby Doo
10. Basil Brush
A few surprises for me. I know Bagpuss is popular despite there only bring 13 episodes but I was surprised by not one disney character nor classics like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
I like Shaun the Sheep (a modern classic) and Dangermouse was a favourite. I'm really surprised to see Top Cat there, I presume its being repeated on digital? I did like it though. I ought to stress that Scooby Doo only deserves to be included for the early episodes and not those with that annoying puppy.
Monday, April 07, 2008
"Horseracing" in the thames
Apparently there is a colony of sea horses alive and well in the River Thames. The Zoological Society of London discovered the colony in 2006 but decided to keep quiet until legislation could be put in place to protect the seahorses. They live in the river’s estuary, between Essex and Kent.
This is seen by scientists as an indication that the thames is much cleaner than it was. Fifty years ago the Thames was declared biologically dead.
There are two types of sea-horse found off british water the short snouted and the long snouted. Those in the thames are short snouted.
This is seen by scientists as an indication that the thames is much cleaner than it was. Fifty years ago the Thames was declared biologically dead.
There are two types of sea-horse found off british water the short snouted and the long snouted. Those in the thames are short snouted.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Is it spring?
I had intended to pop down to Amwell this morning but at 7am when I looked out of the window I saw this...
Its mostly gone but is damp and grey. Just looked out and its started again! was 60 a few days ago!
Stop laughing OC.
I still have a cough. Dad has caught the thing from me, poor old chap.
UPDATE - For the benefit of the anonymous poster. These undoubtedly would have been brighter with a d300 but they would have been better with the d80. as it was I stuck the little canon a620 out of the bathroom and snapped.
Its mostly gone but is damp and grey. Just looked out and its started again! was 60 a few days ago!
Stop laughing OC.
I still have a cough. Dad has caught the thing from me, poor old chap.
UPDATE - For the benefit of the anonymous poster. These undoubtedly would have been brighter with a d300 but they would have been better with the d80. as it was I stuck the little canon a620 out of the bathroom and snapped.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Work
I presume you are expecting tales of birds churches and photos, yeah? Well alas it is year-end and I was in work at 7:45 this morning and just got back.
Think everything is ok, will know for sure Monday but fingers crossed. If the weather had been brighter I might have wandered out this afternoon but as it is I decided to make a cup of coffee and chill out.
Should have taken the camera to work as the ops manager brought his 11 year old Golden Retriever to work!
Think everything is ok, will know for sure Monday but fingers crossed. If the weather had been brighter I might have wandered out this afternoon but as it is I decided to make a cup of coffee and chill out.
Should have taken the camera to work as the ops manager brought his 11 year old Golden Retriever to work!
Friday, April 04, 2008
Eco-towns
The government wants to build the first new towns in England in 40 years and yesterday it announced the 15 possible locations. It was to build 10 of what it calls ECO Towns.
The locations are:
The name that first jumped out at me was Coltishall in West Norfolk as I stayed there a few years ago. It struck me as a prettyish place and I can't see the locals being best pleased. On closer inspection the name that surprised me was Elsenham in Essex.
Now Elsenham is reasonably close to me and even closer to Bishops Stortford and to....Stansted Airport. I suppose my little corner of the world is forever destined to be a building site.
What is an eco-town? Well they should be environmentally-friendly, low-energy, carbon-neutral and built from recycled materials.
Supposedly the largest will provide between 15,000 and 20,000 new homes, with officials saying the towns should be "zero-carbon" developments and should be exemplary in one area of sustainability, such as energy production or waste disposal.
Apparently officials want 30% to 40% of each eco-town to be allocated as affordable housing.
The 10 sites for the eco-towns will be finalised in the next six months.
Ministers wants five of them built by 2016, with the other half completed by 2020.
The plans have proved controversial in some areas with campaigners saying the idea is a way to evade planning controls.
I am sceptical on such matters and as I get older and more curmudgeonly I wonder if we need to look at our ever growing population. Britiain is getting a little bit crowded.
The locations are:
- Bordon, Hampshire
- Coltishall, Norfolk
- Curborough, Staffordshire
- Elsenham, Essex
- Ford, West Sussex
- Hanley Grange, Cambridgeshire
- Imerys, nr St Austell, Cornwall
- Leeds city region, West Yorkshire
- Manby, Lincolnshire
- Marston Vale and New Marston, Bedfordshire
- Middle Quinton, Warwickshire
- Pennbury, Leicestershire
- Rossington, South Yorkshire
- Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire
- Weston Otmoor, Oxfordshire
The name that first jumped out at me was Coltishall in West Norfolk as I stayed there a few years ago. It struck me as a prettyish place and I can't see the locals being best pleased. On closer inspection the name that surprised me was Elsenham in Essex.
Now Elsenham is reasonably close to me and even closer to Bishops Stortford and to....Stansted Airport. I suppose my little corner of the world is forever destined to be a building site.
What is an eco-town? Well they should be environmentally-friendly, low-energy, carbon-neutral and built from recycled materials.
Supposedly the largest will provide between 15,000 and 20,000 new homes, with officials saying the towns should be "zero-carbon" developments and should be exemplary in one area of sustainability, such as energy production or waste disposal.
Apparently officials want 30% to 40% of each eco-town to be allocated as affordable housing.
The 10 sites for the eco-towns will be finalised in the next six months.
Ministers wants five of them built by 2016, with the other half completed by 2020.
The plans have proved controversial in some areas with campaigners saying the idea is a way to evade planning controls.
I am sceptical on such matters and as I get older and more curmudgeonly I wonder if we need to look at our ever growing population. Britiain is getting a little bit crowded.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Crash?
Unless you've been a sleep for the past 6 months you may have noticed that there has been a bit of "turmoil" in the banking sector regarding mortgages.
I did comment last July that people's obssession with treating houses and especially homes as an investment could come back to bite us. I also said we should take a balanced long term view to investment and that we should not assume interest rates would remain at those incredibly low rates.
As it is people kept mortgaging and remortgaging their properties but now its coming back to roost. One bank is closing itself to new business and others are raising rates and stopping cheap fixed deals.
The impact of that was brought home by a chap on channel 4 news. He had seen his 2 year fix end and his rate go up from 4.95% to 7.95% and his payments go up by £1000 PER MONTH. I did a quick calculation and his mortgage must be close to £400,000 (I wouldn't be able to sleep!!). The thing is, historically, 7.95% is not low. My first mortgage was 11% in 1988.
The same article said that some experts believe that to be on trend property prices need to fall 27%. This would raise the prospect of that dreaded phrase negative equity.
Of course for some of us this is not new I bought my first flat in 1986 for £41,650 and when I came to sell it in 1994 the thing had bearly moved. Of course there were some people who were sitting on some big paper losses.
If you don't need to move negative equity is no problem you just wait it out but some people will need to to move and they will be in a right state.
I think this all goes to show we need to take a balance view on finance like life. If you can't afford it don't buy it. But then we all like to live the dream I guess. And resposbility is boring.
I did comment last July that people's obssession with treating houses and especially homes as an investment could come back to bite us. I also said we should take a balanced long term view to investment and that we should not assume interest rates would remain at those incredibly low rates.
As it is people kept mortgaging and remortgaging their properties but now its coming back to roost. One bank is closing itself to new business and others are raising rates and stopping cheap fixed deals.
The impact of that was brought home by a chap on channel 4 news. He had seen his 2 year fix end and his rate go up from 4.95% to 7.95% and his payments go up by £1000 PER MONTH. I did a quick calculation and his mortgage must be close to £400,000 (I wouldn't be able to sleep!!). The thing is, historically, 7.95% is not low. My first mortgage was 11% in 1988.
The same article said that some experts believe that to be on trend property prices need to fall 27%. This would raise the prospect of that dreaded phrase negative equity.
Of course for some of us this is not new I bought my first flat in 1986 for £41,650 and when I came to sell it in 1994 the thing had bearly moved. Of course there were some people who were sitting on some big paper losses.
If you don't need to move negative equity is no problem you just wait it out but some people will need to to move and they will be in a right state.
I think this all goes to show we need to take a balance view on finance like life. If you can't afford it don't buy it. But then we all like to live the dream I guess. And resposbility is boring.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Unusual Beauty Contest
This story on the BBC website caught my eye.
Apparently there is a camel beauty contest about to take place in the United Arab Emirates featuring 10,000 Camels.
A panel of expert camel appreciators will choose the best animals for each age group.
Entry is open to anyone who can prove ownership of a pedigree camel, and the animals
must be free from contagious diseases, and without any serious defects.
There is a prize fund of $9 million dollars at stake.
Apparently there is a camel beauty contest about to take place in the United Arab Emirates featuring 10,000 Camels.
A panel of expert camel appreciators will choose the best animals for each age group.
Entry is open to anyone who can prove ownership of a pedigree camel, and the animals
must be free from contagious diseases, and without any serious defects.
There is a prize fund of $9 million dollars at stake.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
April Fools
It's April Fools' Day. As ever our TV and printed media have a list of hoax news stories.
One of which was that Gordon Ramsey was going to fine each customer who swore in one of his restaurants £5.
The National Trust announced that with climate change now underway, it was time for them change the oak leaf logo. It went on to say
One of which was that Gordon Ramsey was going to fine each customer who swore in one of his restaurants £5.
The National Trust announced that with climate change now underway, it was time for them change the oak leaf logo. It went on to say
A stranger as little as ten years ago, the Gascony fern (hilaria avrilensis), until recently most common around the region of Carcassonne, is now the fastest seeding plant in the whole of southern England and is set to cover the whole of the UK within the next decade.
To draw attention to the challenges of climate change, the Trust is to adopt the fern as its new logo – a vivid reminder that we live in a rapidly changing world.
When better to announce the change than at the beginning of a spring month, famous for its ability to innovate and pull surprises?
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