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John & Vic get married

The venue – The Ettington Park Hotel.  I liked this place.  Mostly because it was covered in snow.  But also because no one had a go at us when we were still in the downstairs bar at 4am playing the piano, talking crap and dancing sporadically.

I gave Dave, the best man a lift there (hence the opportune photo of him keeping me awake on the way back), crashed on the floor of the room we shared with the groom the night before, and added chocolate coins to the tables.

One more thing – Manoj lost his camera.  It’s an Olympus u1050, or something equally as waterproof.  If you find it it’s got the best wedding photos on it, please give it back…

Posted by  |  10 January, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Snow in Exmouth! And a new camera.

Two things I really wanted for Christmas, but knew were a bit beyond Santa’s budget, have turned up in the last couple of days.  Yesterday a new camera, with zoom, and today, more importantly, some snow finally fell on Exmouth, after hearing about lots of it falling elsewhere in the country.  The camera is a budget digital compact, but should still do better than my phone.  The snow was just a thin covering, but was much better than nothing.  Here are some pics.  The camera’s instruction manual is fairly lengthy so some of them may still fall short of it’s full potential…

Posted by  |  6 January, 2010 | Categories: Family | Leave a comment

John the stag

Saturday
Venue – Britannia Hotel on New Street, various pubs, Slobs and some other altogether “Bit casual that mate”, posher club.
Activities – Karting, drinking, eating, drinking, dancing and walking around in the cold looking for food and the hotel
Attendees – John, Dave, Dave, Darren, Manoj, Tom, Mark, James, Doug, Dave, Jungle Boy, Ben and myself.

Sunday
Venue – Some Wetherspoons pub where we could all eat some cheap fried breakfast
Activities – buying and eating the fried food
Attendees – John, Dave, Dave, Darren, Manoj, Tom, Jungle Boy, Ben and myself. I think.

Following the food we made our way home (hopefully I’ll be able to get hold of some pictures from Saturday night at some point):

Job done, let's go home...

Posted by  |  3 January, 2010 | Categories: Travels | Leave a comment

Some Christmas pics

Posted by  |  28 December, 2009 | Categories: Family | Leave a comment

Driving home for Christmas…

Even though I had to be up for 5 the next morning, when I went to bed late on my last night on the Gruinart reserve I was feeling good, and not a little excited.  This was after spending most of the day cleaning.  After just 4 hours sleep I was up for 5.15am (Sat 19th), eating a quick breakfast and putting the last few items into the trusty wagon.  A last walk for Ghilean and I was on my way.

Road conditions were tricky.  There was no wind and the sky was completely devoid of clouds, the stars twinkling brightly with no light pollution to dull them in this part of the world.  So, I couldn’t feel the cold, but I could sense it through the steering wheel.  On the road to the ferry terminal a tanker was driving at a snail’s pace down the hill to Port Askaig.  At the terminal itself extra grit was being laid following some arse/pavement action.  I carefully made my way in to claim my tickets for the 7am ferry.

The crossing was glassy smooth, but I was asleep on a sofa/chair arrangement in one of the lounges.  With few people on board I wasn’t disturbed until an hour into the journey, when I woke to the sound of a small boy’s laughter.  I sat up and he smiled at me, a big beaming smile, so I said hello to him and his Mum and decided it was a good time to go and see what was going on.

Approaching Kennacraig

Outside the first light of day was beginning to wash over West Loch Tarbet as the ferry glided up the loch towards Kennacraig.  Every now and again we passed some ducks, or swans, and I could see rings appearing in the water with no obvious culprits.

Soon after, I was on the road, the only other traffic being that which had accompanied me on the ferry.  We gingerly made our way along the wonderfully scenic A83, through Tarbet, Lochgilphead, “Rest and be Thankful”, and eventually on to Arrochar.  By this time I had been joined by a new set of unknown travelling companions, and made a brief stop to refuel.  Edith Bowman and James King were providing the company inside the van.

Three hours after alighting the ferry I was on the A74 South of Glasgow, and finally felt I could trust the road to not slide out from underneath me, mostly because everyone else on the road seemed to be travelling at 80mph plus.  If their cars were gripping the road ok then my heavyweight wagon should be fine.

Cold but bright in the Scottish Lowlands

There were tales of snow on the radio and the ratio of Christmas songs was high.  I can’t say that his is my favourite Christmas song (Greg Lake takes that prize), but when Chris Rea’s “Driving home for Christmas” came on the radio it summed up my mood nicely.

Looking bleak in the Lake District

First stop, Barton-under-Needlewood.  So began my attempt to fit in some much anticipated cross country socialising on my way South.  After a night out in Lichfield with John, Vic and friends, watching The Villians, their soon to be wedding band, we made our way in to Nottingham on Sunday (20th), where Breige had very kindly organised a Christmas meal for the Mona Street posse and friends.

After a few beers and a night on some sofa cushions I set off for Manoj’s on Monday (21st) morning.  Thankfully, a bit more snow was evident, but still not the many feet that had reportedly fallen in the South East.  My journey was rewarded with a trip to the British Car Auctions with Manoj and Harmesh.

Snow on the streets of Nottingham

It seemed to be snowing across most of the country, which made for good looking news.  No new snow in Wolves though and after an eventless trip to the auction and a few films I continued on my way, yesterday (22nd).

Snow on the streets of Penn

This time I got as far as Portishead, where it’s very icy, for a few alcohol free Becks with ex-work colleagues, Mike and Dean, in the Poachers’.

I made it back to Exmouth at half past midnight, last night.  The house was warm and Christmassy.  It’s great to be back.  I feel excited.  Oh, and Carol, my conveyancer, called to say that the house sale had finally completed.

Today has been spent catching up with family and unpacking the wagon.  Round at Han and Ian’s Flynn and Willow both have colds.  But I still managed a bit of reading time with Flynn.  I’m now “Phwo”, and he seems to know lots of words, rather than just the “Shoeshoe” that he knew when I left.

Posted by  |  23 December, 2009 | Categories: Travels | Leave a comment

Last day on the reserve

David caught the 7am ferry this morning so it’s just me, on my own today.  And there is a big RSPB get together of some sort, in Glasgow, today, so it’s just Neil and James about on the farm and in the office.  As a result I’ve been enlisted to help clean up the cows this morning.  It’s physical stuff, which is great, having not done too much of this kind of thing over the last couple of weeks.

Most of the rest of the day is dedicated to cleaning up the bothy.  This process is interrupted by James, at 3 in the afternoon, who calls by to tell me that a Sea Eagle is down by the Loch.  We head down to the viewing platform, just above the hide, and spot the Eagle on the Salt Marsh.  It has a yellow tag, on it’s wing, with a black spot.  It’s, apparently, a juvenile, and so does not have a fully developed white to its tail.

After watching the Eagle for some time, myself and James move around Gruinart for a Hen Harrier roost count.  The rest of the day is spent cleaning, eating and taking Ghilean (we’re looking after Catherine’s dog while she is away) for walks.

Posted by  |  18 December, 2009 | Categories: RSPB | Leave a comment

Bird of Prey species no 7!

After working on some dry stone wall on Smaull Farm, myself and David take a little time to walk the nearby cliffs. As we approach we notice a white bird perched on the seaward side of the top of one of the nearby high points. Our first glance is a casual one, but it looks like a bird of prey. Is it really that white, or is it somehow shining in the sun?

It seems to be facing us and it looks like a Falcon of some sort, but neither of us has seen anything quite like it before. We take it in turns to watch it whilst the other one moves into a closer position, with a better view.

Eventually David has climbed the hill between us and the bird. It still hasn’t moved, but from my position I can see that it isn’t just the front that’s white. It’s turned to the side, and it has pale wings, with dark flecks down them and it’s front. At the bottom of each wing is a darker tip.

David is in place so I make my dash for the hill. As I get to the top he’s standing up. Apparently, in the small amount of time it took him to shift position, the bird has flown, and we don’t know where.

We head over to the house of Ian & Margeret Brooke, local RSPB volunteers, and author of an Islay bird blog. Ian has some photos that he shows us from the last time such a visitor was seen nearby, and it confirms David’s suspicions that we have been watching a Gyr Falcon, the white form, probably a visitor from Greenland.

On the way back to the farm we see two Hen Harriers and numerous Buzzard and a decent sized group of Geese (although the groups about now are small in comparison to the numbers that arrive together, in Autumn).

Posted by  |  17 December, 2009 | Categories: RSPB | Leave a comment

I’ve been counting geese…and an otter

For two days now, all I’ve been doing is counting geese.  Geese, geese and more geese.  25 White Fronts here, 3040 Barnies there.  I turn around and more geese are flying over.  Some land, some don’t, they’ve all got to be counted as being somewhere.  Every goose counts, for the International Goose Count.

It’s great!  On the first day we count over 10,000 barnies, and hundreds of White Fronts, and on day two we count more.  On day two my co-counter, Fiona, is some kind of counting master.  My “Oooh, look, there’s some there, hiding in the rushes!”s are invariably met with a “yeh, I’ve already done them”.

And when we hit a big flock I give it a scan and say, “maybe a thousand or so, do you think?”, but she’s not listening.  She’s setting her scope up on the wound down window and grabbing her “clicker”.
Fair enough, I think to myself, these counts have got to be accurate in order for them to be effective.  I imagine she will click every 10 or 20 geese, and give me a number to the nearest 10/20.  After just 14 clicks I’m told, “1419”.  I scribble the number down in silent awe.  Although, of course, she could just be making numbers up for all I know.

Yesterday, which was a beautiful weather day, with almost no haze, I was able to watch a male Hen Harrier fly fairly close by for some time.  Hen Harriers have a distinctive white bar across the top of their tail, and this fella was a striking pale grey with dark wing tips.  He was also extraordinarily agile in the air, twisting and turning a few feet above the heather with barely a wing flap.

Then, whilst down by the other side of the Loch (from the farm), Louise points out an otter.  It’s swimming about in the water less than 50m away.  It comes up and then climbs out onto a rock to eat something.  Even though the dogs are running about nearby, and we’re not exactly quiet, it seems unperterbed, and I get a chance to watch, rather than see, an otter.  Fantastic.

Today, Fiona and I spotted three Golden Eagles together, up in the fields behind the farm.  Two adults and a youngster, the same youngster that myself and David saw last week, I assume.  Later a pair fly right over us while we are driving around Ardnave looking for geese.

And then I get a chance to watch a female Hen Harrier down by the sea while Fiona nails a gaggle of around 3000 geese.  Unfortunately, this log does not do these sightings justice.  My time in Islay has made me realise that I can’t keep using my phone as my only camera.  Unless they’ve created a (decent) camera that can act as a phone?  Have they?  Anybody?

Posted by  |  16 December, 2009 | Categories: RSPB, Work | Leave a comment