Yesterday, 14th August 2014, in the Cambridge area we had a mix of fine dry spells and some heavy showers and I do mean heavy, Ely railway underpass on the A142 was flooded yet again causing lots of joyous scenes and comments!
Anyway with roads wet and slippery the majority of road users had lots to entertain them in the shape of the usual small minority of other road users driving like well what words can you use to describe them, brainless, selfish, ignorant, full of self importance.
But then my view might not be the same that they have which might be along the lines of, slow drivers who abide by the law and drive within the limits of the weather, their vehicles and abilities are obnoxious and should all be taken of the road so I can drive my lovely car (pile of crap, expensive toy, rust bucket, excuse for a small p**** you get my drift) at full speed in a totally controlled manner.
Perceptions eh!
Showing posts with label ely. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ely. Show all posts
Friday, 15 August 2014
Tuesday, 1 July 2014
and it all starts with reading a book or two
If you know me you know I love books especially books on aspects of east anglian history.
One of our local heroines is Etheldreda who has links to Ely cathedral and other villages closeby. Another local this time a hero is Hereward again with links to Ely.
In both books there is talk of standing on the ridge of land that Haddenham Aldreth and Wilburton stand on and looking out over the fens towards the south and cambridge and beyond. In the days pre drainage the near view would have seen the lush green of reeds and willows intersected by ribbons of water of various depths and widths with perhaps the off large pool here and there. Since drainage though the view is very organised with rectangular fields stretching into the distance all separated by ditches sometimes with a remnant strip of reed or a bit of hedge or a tree or two.
I have often wondered what it might have looked like in the days pre-drainage.
A few years ago at the base of the ridge in Wilburton a solar farm was installed which you can see easily enough from the ridge, then last year work started on extending it.
I had a really good look a few days ago as I was driving past, area has been increased a lot and there it sits a grey blue block of colour contained within the network of regular fields. And what does it remind me of water. And I think to myself can we perhaps now start to imagine what the landscape used to look like using this block as a guide.
Will we again see the army of William massing on the far shore, the men the horses the towers on the causeway. Will Hereward again send fire rushing through the reeds sending men and horse and the ladies in the towers tumbling into the water.
And it all starts with reading a book or two and imagining.
One of our local heroines is Etheldreda who has links to Ely cathedral and other villages closeby. Another local this time a hero is Hereward again with links to Ely.
In both books there is talk of standing on the ridge of land that Haddenham Aldreth and Wilburton stand on and looking out over the fens towards the south and cambridge and beyond. In the days pre drainage the near view would have seen the lush green of reeds and willows intersected by ribbons of water of various depths and widths with perhaps the off large pool here and there. Since drainage though the view is very organised with rectangular fields stretching into the distance all separated by ditches sometimes with a remnant strip of reed or a bit of hedge or a tree or two.
I have often wondered what it might have looked like in the days pre-drainage.
A few years ago at the base of the ridge in Wilburton a solar farm was installed which you can see easily enough from the ridge, then last year work started on extending it.
Will we again see the army of William massing on the far shore, the men the horses the towers on the causeway. Will Hereward again send fire rushing through the reeds sending men and horse and the ladies in the towers tumbling into the water.
And it all starts with reading a book or two and imagining.
Friday, 30 May 2014
gasguns, gadwall and eat your greens
A week or so ago in the Cambridge News, this chap had written in a letter which they published having a right go at the use of gasguns in fields to scare of pigeons and other birds that eat the crops close to/in the same filed as the guns. There was this comment about farmers being behind the times etc etc and on and on he went about new technology.
Saw a bit of the new technology today coming back from a bird survey, a field with a tethered hawk model flying high and jinking about, under neath it taking no notice a nice flock of wood pigeons scoffing away, undoubtedly thinking that pretend hawk will keep real ones away.
I mentioned a bird survey because I still look at some land on a farm near Ely, and yes they have gasguns in some fields to try and keep birds away and you cannot blame them really after all farmers need to make money as well as grow food. They have flooded some more fields this year to control soil pests, I imagine growing three or four crops a year of salad on a field leads to a buildup of pests. The flooded fields are a magnet for waterbirds with a lovely range of ducks on them at the moment, with Great Crested and Little Grebes diving away, the Little Grebes in particular calling almost non stop.
What were the crops the gas guns were protecting you want to know, Lettuce, in the shops soon fresh for you, habdpicked from lord knows o'clock this morning by gangs of fold who I bet are not paid that much and who are picked on by Nigel Barrage Balloon which takes me back to gasguns.
Saw a bit of the new technology today coming back from a bird survey, a field with a tethered hawk model flying high and jinking about, under neath it taking no notice a nice flock of wood pigeons scoffing away, undoubtedly thinking that pretend hawk will keep real ones away.
I mentioned a bird survey because I still look at some land on a farm near Ely, and yes they have gasguns in some fields to try and keep birds away and you cannot blame them really after all farmers need to make money as well as grow food. They have flooded some more fields this year to control soil pests, I imagine growing three or four crops a year of salad on a field leads to a buildup of pests. The flooded fields are a magnet for waterbirds with a lovely range of ducks on them at the moment, with Great Crested and Little Grebes diving away, the Little Grebes in particular calling almost non stop.
What were the crops the gas guns were protecting you want to know, Lettuce, in the shops soon fresh for you, habdpicked from lord knows o'clock this morning by gangs of fold who I bet are not paid that much and who are picked on by Nigel Barrage Balloon which takes me back to gasguns.
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