to smile at the least appropriate moment.
HHmmnn, well it happened to me today. I was storytelling for a group of over 60's. All was going well as I moved onto the three green ladies a fantasic story about brothers beech trees and tree spirits.
I was just getting to the demise of the eldest brother when I noticed two black lumps flump into a very small holly bush outside. Intrigued I watched as well as I could while still telling the story .
Then a magpie landed near the bush and out struts a sparrowhawk with a blackbird in one of his claws.
It was not happy with the magpie which was quickly joined by another one, had they been watching the sparrowhawk or following it??? The sparrowhawk had its wings and tail spread and its beak open and was looking very threatening.
I was fascinated but managed to carry on with the story despite wanting to stop and watch the standoff to see how it ended, so I cant tell you what happened next but it was a fantastic moment.
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
twas the coldest night before christmas
So the news the other day was the coldest month since records began. Trying to see a joke in there I have to say was it the coldest before wax cylinders then. Too off the wall well perhaps.
But it has been cold and not for a couple of days for weeks or seemed anyway. Hopefully it will have done some good somewhere. My only concern is what effect has it had on wildlife.
Certainly gardeners were still coming to terms with the damage the cold winter of 2009/2010 caused with trees shrubs and perrenials killed of or severely damaged. In some cases plants that were perhaps on the edge of being able to grow in this country, but even some plants normally quite hardy were hit hard. I suspect even more will have suffered this winter which of course is not over yet.
My biggest concern is for birds and animals though. Its not easy to see any effect unless you think about it, did you notice the number of birds in your garden increase and decrease or just decrease. Have the hedges near you been stripped of berries very quickly. I went to a few local nature reserves in late December and have been to more this last weekend. To me they all seemed quieter than usual. My own personal observation I know with no factual basis but you have to wonder.
I know that with the snow and ice about you could see the little dead bodies for once, only a few here and there some like the dead swans more obvious and those quickly plucked clean of any flesh by other hungry mouths.
I think the grisliest thing I saw was a Carrion Crow on the frozen river Great Ouse near an open spot where ducks gulls and grebes were trying to find food or stay safe. I saw the Crow pecking at something and looked with my binoculars, what was it? It turned out to be a Little Grebe on its back not quite dead but already with a bloody gaping hole in its chest and a foot still moving. I felt sick to be honest by what I saw and looked away, when I looked back the Crow and Little Grebe were not there. You might not approve of it but the Crow was trying to survive in the harsh weather.
It made me think and I have kept on feeding the birds in my garden I upped the feed as the cold weather began and have kept the higher amount going, they need it and I can help those that come to me.
I hope you are feeding the birds and encouraging others to do the same, they are going to need the food and whatever help we can give them this year for certain.
But it has been cold and not for a couple of days for weeks or seemed anyway. Hopefully it will have done some good somewhere. My only concern is what effect has it had on wildlife.
Certainly gardeners were still coming to terms with the damage the cold winter of 2009/2010 caused with trees shrubs and perrenials killed of or severely damaged. In some cases plants that were perhaps on the edge of being able to grow in this country, but even some plants normally quite hardy were hit hard. I suspect even more will have suffered this winter which of course is not over yet.
My biggest concern is for birds and animals though. Its not easy to see any effect unless you think about it, did you notice the number of birds in your garden increase and decrease or just decrease. Have the hedges near you been stripped of berries very quickly. I went to a few local nature reserves in late December and have been to more this last weekend. To me they all seemed quieter than usual. My own personal observation I know with no factual basis but you have to wonder.
I know that with the snow and ice about you could see the little dead bodies for once, only a few here and there some like the dead swans more obvious and those quickly plucked clean of any flesh by other hungry mouths.
I think the grisliest thing I saw was a Carrion Crow on the frozen river Great Ouse near an open spot where ducks gulls and grebes were trying to find food or stay safe. I saw the Crow pecking at something and looked with my binoculars, what was it? It turned out to be a Little Grebe on its back not quite dead but already with a bloody gaping hole in its chest and a foot still moving. I felt sick to be honest by what I saw and looked away, when I looked back the Crow and Little Grebe were not there. You might not approve of it but the Crow was trying to survive in the harsh weather.
It made me think and I have kept on feeding the birds in my garden I upped the feed as the cold weather began and have kept the higher amount going, they need it and I can help those that come to me.
I hope you are feeding the birds and encouraging others to do the same, they are going to need the food and whatever help we can give them this year for certain.
just got back from a herculean story
Cant remember the next line from the song I am thinking of, must be getting forgetful, twas by ELO though.
Greek Myths at a school in Cambridge this morning, me and two others. My input concerned some of the labours of Hercules, this to 8 and 9 year olds.
One of the best moments was when I was telling the 5th labour, the Stables of Augeias, and I asked the children what they thought the stables would be full of.
Up in the air goes a girls arm so I asked her what she thought the stables would be full of, "Dung" she says. Well it was Cambridge I have to say I was wondering what I would hear.
Greek Myths at a school in Cambridge this morning, me and two others. My input concerned some of the labours of Hercules, this to 8 and 9 year olds.
One of the best moments was when I was telling the 5th labour, the Stables of Augeias, and I asked the children what they thought the stables would be full of.
Up in the air goes a girls arm so I asked her what she thought the stables would be full of, "Dung" she says. Well it was Cambridge I have to say I was wondering what I would hear.
Friday, 7 January 2011
family
Families, they are what Christmas is about. Been thinking about family a lot this one, mine is special to me and I hope yours is to you.
We lost Dad in mid 2009 but he is still with us in our memories, I still ask him about things and wonder what he would say about situations. I popped into see him on Boxing Day before going to meet up with my brothers there families and of course Mum.
Poor old Mum, four sons and what a bunch they are. But there is strength in family and I am grateful for that. I have helped out and been helped by my brothers and my parents all my life, long may it continue.
Thats not to say that friends are not important because we all know that in there own way good friends become almost like family.
I had a reminder today about another family I have, that of Rangers something I did for 20 years and which is a definate family where you can ask for help and it is given. Not just in this country though there are rangers around the world who manage and protect habitats and wildlife for us. Some of them lose there lives every year to protect wildlife over the past few years there have been a number killed protecting mountain gorillas in the DRC. What happens to them if they survive but cannot work, what happens to there families in a country where war is tearing it apart or so it seems. Is it important to protect wildlife, I would say yes it is another family albeit a large one to which we all belong and which needs our help.
Have a good day, think of your family where ever they are and be happy.
We lost Dad in mid 2009 but he is still with us in our memories, I still ask him about things and wonder what he would say about situations. I popped into see him on Boxing Day before going to meet up with my brothers there families and of course Mum.
Poor old Mum, four sons and what a bunch they are. But there is strength in family and I am grateful for that. I have helped out and been helped by my brothers and my parents all my life, long may it continue.
Thats not to say that friends are not important because we all know that in there own way good friends become almost like family.
I had a reminder today about another family I have, that of Rangers something I did for 20 years and which is a definate family where you can ask for help and it is given. Not just in this country though there are rangers around the world who manage and protect habitats and wildlife for us. Some of them lose there lives every year to protect wildlife over the past few years there have been a number killed protecting mountain gorillas in the DRC. What happens to them if they survive but cannot work, what happens to there families in a country where war is tearing it apart or so it seems. Is it important to protect wildlife, I would say yes it is another family albeit a large one to which we all belong and which needs our help.
Have a good day, think of your family where ever they are and be happy.
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
missing a trick
There was an article in the Cambridge News on the 3rd Jan about what they called Sci Fi funerals.
Bit of a morbid subject this but well how do we deal with people who die, we all will one day so at Cambridge Crematorium they are looking at the future to a more commercial approach to hadling death. Yes thats right given these straightened times they are looking at making more money out of death.
Currently we have burial and cremation both long established methods but are they green enough! Hmmnn, well apparently those folks in the good old USA have been looking at this says the paper and have come up with another couple of greener methods that they have begun using there.
Hold onto your stomachs now, method one involves freezing to remove moisture then crushing to a fine powder which can be composted, method two involves dissolving in an alkali to get a green brown liquid didnt say what happens to that. Do you still get the body back as it were as with ashes or will we end up saying our final goodbyes when the curtain closes.
Now I have to admit I am a bit old fashioned here, making money out of death is another case of "we are all in this together" even when you are dead or grieving for the loss of a loved one. As for the two methods that are being looked at, are we getting to a stage where once the coffin has gone the body becomes the property of the crematorium to do with as they will in whatever manner that might raise a few more pounds. Are we there already.
Got me wondering though, sci fi films are so often closer than you think in the end, anyone else remember that film Soylent Green from the 1960's. And yes they are thinking about a cafe at the crematorium.
Bit of a morbid subject this but well how do we deal with people who die, we all will one day so at Cambridge Crematorium they are looking at the future to a more commercial approach to hadling death. Yes thats right given these straightened times they are looking at making more money out of death.
Currently we have burial and cremation both long established methods but are they green enough! Hmmnn, well apparently those folks in the good old USA have been looking at this says the paper and have come up with another couple of greener methods that they have begun using there.
Hold onto your stomachs now, method one involves freezing to remove moisture then crushing to a fine powder which can be composted, method two involves dissolving in an alkali to get a green brown liquid didnt say what happens to that. Do you still get the body back as it were as with ashes or will we end up saying our final goodbyes when the curtain closes.
Now I have to admit I am a bit old fashioned here, making money out of death is another case of "we are all in this together" even when you are dead or grieving for the loss of a loved one. As for the two methods that are being looked at, are we getting to a stage where once the coffin has gone the body becomes the property of the crematorium to do with as they will in whatever manner that might raise a few more pounds. Are we there already.
Got me wondering though, sci fi films are so often closer than you think in the end, anyone else remember that film Soylent Green from the 1960's. And yes they are thinking about a cafe at the crematorium.
Friday, 24 December 2010
If I dont who will
Had a letter through yesterday, after eight months of study I have been awarded a qualification from Birmingham University, closest I will ever get to a university edumacation.
Part time study and I managed to get about half the funding paid from a european fund for those of us more mature folk about to be made redundant, that was back in March. Paid the rest from my redundancy. It was enjoyable to do and hopefully will help me get some work.
I ended up in some lovely places all Field Studies Council like Flatford Mill above and seeing some nice wildlife like Birds Nest Orchid below while at Kindrogan in Scotland.
That letter got me thinking. Been one heck of a year for me redundant from a place I loved and still do so its a shame to hear some of the stories I hear about it now. But thats someone elses problem now.
I have moved on, might not be much to some folk but after years of being employed by others I have gone self employed and built up a gardening round, I have got some paid storytelling work and I have done some ecological work. Still managing to fit in some voluntary work as well. If I have to go back to be employed at some stage in the future well so be it I am going to give this lot a go for now.
I might not be earning much but I am happier in myself and that means a lot. Yes its been slow these last few weeks but I have heard about some odd days work here and there I might go for next year. So the only way is up now as far as I can see, light at the end of tunnels comes to mind.
Part time study and I managed to get about half the funding paid from a european fund for those of us more mature folk about to be made redundant, that was back in March. Paid the rest from my redundancy. It was enjoyable to do and hopefully will help me get some work.
I ended up in some lovely places all Field Studies Council like Flatford Mill above and seeing some nice wildlife like Birds Nest Orchid below while at Kindrogan in Scotland.
That letter got me thinking. Been one heck of a year for me redundant from a place I loved and still do so its a shame to hear some of the stories I hear about it now. But thats someone elses problem now.
I have moved on, might not be much to some folk but after years of being employed by others I have gone self employed and built up a gardening round, I have got some paid storytelling work and I have done some ecological work. Still managing to fit in some voluntary work as well. If I have to go back to be employed at some stage in the future well so be it I am going to give this lot a go for now.
I might not be earning much but I am happier in myself and that means a lot. Yes its been slow these last few weeks but I have heard about some odd days work here and there I might go for next year. So the only way is up now as far as I can see, light at the end of tunnels comes to mind.
Sunday, 19 December 2010
Its all in your life as the man said
The man was Dennis of Grunty Fen of course and if you have never heard of this famous! chap you have missed out on some of the best descriptions of lifes ups and downs imaginable.
Anyway its funny how your life changes and things happen as it were. There I was thinking of doing a bit of work in some gardens where I knew I would not damage the soil given the easing of the cole conditions. When out of the blue, well it was the phone actually, comes the words do you fancy a days work at *****, well naturally I said yes and to cut a short story long I took it and got three days work in the end. It was environmental work and involved a bit of fencing, and some surveying work with a bit of standing around for good measure. Got a bit muddy mind you but it has washed of.
Did get some gardening done on Thursday for a couple of my regulars, I say gardening as there were a few odd jobs thrown in for good measure such as cutting up firewood.
Thursday evening stands out though in my mind, it was the Cambridgeshire Mammal Group Christmas Social an event not to be missed I can assure you. Always good food and chat about mammals as well as a catch up with folk, but most importantly the Quiz of all quiz's. A spectacle of seriousness well some of the time, often though tis just banter and winding up the other team and the poor devil who put the quiz together, but lets not forget the plasticene. Thats right plasticine for making models with of course and in this case it was Otters at one fifth life size no less. There was a problem there was no brown or white for that matter but loads of yellow red and green with a smattering of orange. Still our designated modellers did sterling work and produced what can only be described as incredible replicas of Otters, ours was the best of course very lifelike in yellow! As for the other team well it looked more like a corrugated squirrel something we told them of course.
Whats this to do with anything , well Otters are spreading all over the fens is the thing, the Middle Level is now filling up with artificial otter holts with more to go in and they are being visited by Otters and there are some pictures to prove it some great closeups. Really good work and a credit to the middle level commissioners.
Then Friday and some more christmas shopping almost done I think? and almost ready.
Anyway its funny how your life changes and things happen as it were. There I was thinking of doing a bit of work in some gardens where I knew I would not damage the soil given the easing of the cole conditions. When out of the blue, well it was the phone actually, comes the words do you fancy a days work at *****, well naturally I said yes and to cut a short story long I took it and got three days work in the end. It was environmental work and involved a bit of fencing, and some surveying work with a bit of standing around for good measure. Got a bit muddy mind you but it has washed of.
Did get some gardening done on Thursday for a couple of my regulars, I say gardening as there were a few odd jobs thrown in for good measure such as cutting up firewood.
Thursday evening stands out though in my mind, it was the Cambridgeshire Mammal Group Christmas Social an event not to be missed I can assure you. Always good food and chat about mammals as well as a catch up with folk, but most importantly the Quiz of all quiz's. A spectacle of seriousness well some of the time, often though tis just banter and winding up the other team and the poor devil who put the quiz together, but lets not forget the plasticene. Thats right plasticine for making models with of course and in this case it was Otters at one fifth life size no less. There was a problem there was no brown or white for that matter but loads of yellow red and green with a smattering of orange. Still our designated modellers did sterling work and produced what can only be described as incredible replicas of Otters, ours was the best of course very lifelike in yellow! As for the other team well it looked more like a corrugated squirrel something we told them of course.
Whats this to do with anything , well Otters are spreading all over the fens is the thing, the Middle Level is now filling up with artificial otter holts with more to go in and they are being visited by Otters and there are some pictures to prove it some great closeups. Really good work and a credit to the middle level commissioners.
Then Friday and some more christmas shopping almost done I think? and almost ready.
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