lovely day for a walk or two

Lovely sunday with glorious autumn weather so went for a walk or two, well strolls some folk would say as neither was that long but I have been working too hard lately so thought take it easy today.

Had a bit of a stroll beside the River Cam in the morning Clayhithe way. Surprised by the number of people about but all friendly. Saw some nice wildlife as well such as these two.

Not a brilliant picture I know but I was even more surprised when another Roe Deer joined them. A mother and two young who calmly grazed just the other side of the river about 200 yards away.

On the way back to my car I heard a squeaking and thought cygnets, sure enough a male Mute Swan appeared closely followed by five cygnets, nothing special there you might say well two were what are called Polish cygnets, and I was transported back to Milton Country Park where for years we always had Polish cygnets from the only pair of swans we had on the site. The Polish ones are the white ones, the grey colour is switched off in there genes. They are not too common either so there I was wondering if they were descended from that pair all those years ago.

Then this afternoon it was onto the Coton Countryside Reserve where if you go to the top of the hil you get the best view over Cambridge from anywhere I think. The sun was shining and the Buzzards were squabbling overhead when I got there, 3 of them for a while. A lovely relaxing day.

when is a primula not a primula

Now this will sound a bit like a rant but theres a point.

I popped into a local garden centre Saturday to buy some bedding plants for a client, got home and then noticed that I had been charged too much for one pack, it had a reduced label on and they had not chraged the reduced price.

Anything else, well yes. I bought a pack of Primulas and looking at the the till receipt it said Bellis perenis, faffed about Daisies in other words.

Now hang on says I and looks at the pack which says by the bar code, general bedding, which was more understandable and true.

So I calls the centre and yes if I call in they will reimburse the overcharge so I did. I then asked about the wrong name on the till receipt and got the answer, we will look into it.

Does it matter, it would if you had to take them back me thinks. And then again surely it should be right under consumer law. But then what do I know.

It said to let just Friday

So there I was driving down Histon Road in Cambridge just last Friday and I see this sign on some railings and had to laugh.

I mean who puts a up a To Let sign on the railings of a cemetary. Have the council evicted someone for causing trouble I wondered, anti social behaviour perhaps or not paying there rent.

It tickled my terrible sense of humour, so I thought go back and take a picture, its funny, so back today Sunday and what do I see its now Let.

So what can we draw from this, wait for it.....



They are dying to get into this place.

beware the devil squirrel

Can you see the evil glint in its eye. It pounced on some poor unsuspecting creature and was devouring it. I made sure I had some garlic with me while I crept close to it.

Wait a minute thats three I's. Yet more inbreeding !

oh dear

Had a walk at Calke Abbey the other day, and nice it was, the trees are fantastic. There are old oaks that are at least 900 years old there still alive and still looking great like the one below at least a thousand years old.

 

 But there was more some great closeups of birds on feeders so close you could almost touch them and then, some Red and Fallow Deer hence the title of this post. Really close up as well some of them and a not a Bambi in site.

rights and responsibilities

Whats this you might say if you are still reading. More ranting from the geezer.

Lets start with a picture.

So there I was last wednesday morning after a bit of ecology work having a walk along part of the Trent and Mersey Canal in the Fradley area near Lichfield. Lovely it was, quiet relaxed walking some nice birds, Hobby for starters. Then beside the towpath the clothes drier in the picture above. I am hundreds of yards from any house or road and there it lies, so it must have been thrown out as broken, which it was, by a boat owner/hirer/user.

The question is WHY. And now we go to the title Rights and Responsibilities.What was wrong with taking this broken item to the nearest litter bin, it just wasnt close enough I suppose or they didnt give a ............

Then we have the infamous pictures of a certain blokes wife, and no I dont subscribe to the view that they are fair game. Everyone deserves some privacy especially if they were in a private place. Then we have a certain film that is causing upset all over the world.

Rights and responsibilities. Yes people have rights, won over many years often through much death and suffering. We also have responsibilities, and that includes the people who take pictures and make films. Is it too much to ask that people think about what the implications of what they are doing. We dont live in little bubbles where no one sees what we do, we live in a very connected world.

primate smugglers

I was driving today with radio 2 on for the traffic reports, did you hear the story about two animals smugglers caught in India I think it was with strange bulges in their trousers, yep thats right.

It gets better,they were searched and found to each have a slender loris, a small primate, in a specially made pouch inside their pants, you would need it as they have sharp claws.

What can I say, nothing really but I have been sniggering away for hours at the many and various twists and inuendos encapsulated within it.