Transforming cars and left foot braking....

With the days so short and the winters blues taking their toll, it's nice to spend some time with your friends. Sunday evenings we often meet up at Russells house. In summer it's a BBQ, in winter we just hang out, have a beer, and stuff ourselves with snacks. It's amazing at how much fun we have joking around and poking fun at the world. The twins (http://russandmax.blogspot.com/) were in bed so there was no competition while playing with their toys and once worn out we settled down to watch 'Transformers on DVD on Russells 'home cinema'.
"Down in front!"

On leaving we discovered.....SNOW! I love snow, there wasn't much, but there was some. Did I mention?...I love snow.

We don't get snow very often anymore, but as soon as we get some you can't stop me. I'm off in the car practising my handbrake turns, left foot braking into corners and J-turns.

By the time I'd got to the church at the end of my road it had already begun to melt, and that nasty man with his gritting lorry had ruined it!

I'll never understand it, if the roads are so bad we need to cover them with salt, then how come the gritting lorries never get stuck?!

When I eventually arrived home, (I had to go the long way, I was having too much fun) the road was almost clear. The steep driveway to my house however was not. It took me three attempts and in the end I had to reverse across the road and take an almighty run up at it. I arrived at the top of the drive going a little too fast...a quick tug of the handbrake and I made it around the corner and into the yard. I missed next doors car, Jennys bike but the bucket and the tomato plant really shouldn't have been there and I can't be held responsible for them failing to get out of the way in time!

Doesn't look like we're going to get snowed in anytime soon.....just enough left to build a quick snowman before bed...

Born free, taxed to death.....

Just a quick post to vent my anger.... I've just been charged £1.10 a litre for petrol! Not in an expensive motorway fuel station, or out in the sticks, but a local ordinary station. That's £5.01 a gallon! ($10.33 usa, $9.96 can)

This is the cheapest I could find it anywhere, and they'd run out, as had two other stations I visited. Even this 'cheap' petrol works out at £4.55 a gallon! ($9.38 usa, $9.05 can)

I should point out, this is the budget petrol, if you want premium add another 12p a litre.

We pay 52.35p in tax on a litre of fuel. Then, on top of that they have the cheek to charge another 17.5% 'value added tax' (VAT) on the combined price of the fuel and the tax. That's a tax on the tax! So in all 69.85% of what you pay at the pump is tax...WHAT THE F&*£K!!!!

I've heard rumblings of another fuel protest, so I'm stocking up on fuel. I may as well because in April the duty on fuel is going up again, and this will bring the percentage you pay in tax to 73.55%!!!!!!!!!! "Stop the world, I want to get off!"

Tagged!....

I've been tagged by Jlee http://jleesplace.blogspot.com/

There's a lot of questions in this one!



1.) Name one person that made you laugh last night?
Paul Merton.

2.) What were you doing at 0800?
That's 8am! Sleeping. Early morning is an awful time of day. It's cold, everyone's grumpy and the roads are busy. I will not be attending any appointments until after 10am.....OK?

3.) What happened to you in 2006?
No idea! I've a memory like a sieve. I was definitely there....

4.) How many beverages did you have today?
5 teas, 1 coffee and a hot chocolate.

5.) What colour is your hairbrush?
Hairbrush?! I put my head under the tap and stick it out of the car window on the way to work.

6.) Where were you last night?
Bikers night at the Bassetts Pole meet.

7.) What colour is your front door?
Red.

8.) Where do you keep your change?
Not telling.

9.)What's the weather like today?
Rainy. No wait, sunny! No, it's raining again....

10.) What's the best ice cream flavour?
Raspberry Ripple. Although there's never enough ripple.....

11.) What excites you?
Driving fast. Seeing a wild animal. Kayaking in the surf. Setting fire to things. Cute women. Falling off, over or out of things.

12.) Do you want to cut your hair?
I hate having to cut my hair but I'm glad it's still there.

13.) Are you over the age of 25?
Only on the outside.

14.) Do you talk a lot?
No, I'm quiet. Except when I'm with my friends, then I yabber on incessantly.

15.) Do you watch the OC?
I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a spoon.

16.) Do you make up your own words?
Absolutastically.

17.) Are you a jealous person?
Used to be, but I've mellowed in my old age.

18.) Name a friend that starts with an 'A'.
Andy.

19.) Name a friend that starts with a 'K'.
'K'? I haven't got a friend with a 'k'.....now I feel all lonely.

20.) Who's the first person on your received call list?
West Midlands Police.

21.) What does the last text message received say?
"Hi, I'm Melanie. From: Manchester. Best feature: My face and eyes. Likes: Staying out all night partying and, threesomes.... Who the h*$l is Melanie? Why is she sending me this rather nice picture? How much!!!?? Sorry Melanie whoever you are...DELETE.

22.) Do you chew on a straw?
Yes. I like to bend them in half, put it in my mouth with the ends sticking out and use them like tweezers.

23.) Where's the next place you are going?
Crows castle (a hill) to film Buzzards.

24.) Who's the rudest person in your life?
That farmer down Shirral lane, by the vineyards. Day after day I gave him a smile and a cheery wave every time I passed and never once got a response. How was I supposed to know it was a scarecrow?......It looked real enough.

25.) What was the last thing you ate?
Stilton and broccoli soup and a salad.

26.) Will you get married in the future?
No idea.

27.) What's the best film you've seen in the last two weeks?
'The Italian Job'. The original one with proper Austin Minis.

28.) When was the last time you did the dishes?
The butlers day off is a Wednesday.

29.) Are you currently depressed?
Yes. I always am in the winter, it gets more and more difficult each year, but I'm alright once the days start getting longer. Driving or getting out into the wilds are the only things that snap me out of it.

30.) Did you cry today?
No, I've got something in my eye.

31.) What was the last thing you said aloud?
"No! Off the keyboarddddddd.....Now look what you've done. Don't lick my face when you've been licking your bum. Well yes, I know you're cute. Come on then, lets see if we can find anything in the fridge for you".....Max the cat.

32.) What car do you drive and what bumper stickers do you have on it?
Luckily I get to borrow/drive lots of fantastic cars. In contrast my own car is an old Nissan Micra with a rack for carrying kayaks. No stickers, I have to keep a low profile.

33.) Why did you answer this and post it?
This cute lady asked and who was I to disappoint?


So now I have to tag some victims and, tell you why.

Trine http://flodertenstrik.blogspot.com/

Secret Agent http://www.somethingsecretive.blogspot.com/

Somewhere Joe http://somewherejoe.blogspot.com/

Stephanie http://stephie5741.blogspot.com/

Angela http://angelasaspirations.blogspot.com/


Now you know all about me I want to know about you.....Don't ever feel obliged, it's purely optional.

Far from the madding crowd....

They say in Britain "If you don't like the weather, then wait 5 minutes!" Today there was glorious sunshine. I rushed work in order to escape to the water before the weather reverted to its usual English autumn gloom.

I love my kayak, it's my way of keeping sane. A little bit of exercise far from the madding crowd.

The days are getting so short now, you feel the need to cram everything in before nightfall.

Weekdays out on the canals are gloriously quiet. This time of year most of the recreational longboats are moored up until warmer days and the residential barges are huddled together for company, so I have long stretches of waterway to myself.

It's been a good year for rose hips and I collected loads ready to made into rose hip syrup later on.

After three or more miles of paddling it was time for a break. I can't get over how good this tiny titanium meths stove is. It packs away inside my mug and on a still day like today will bring water to boil in no time at all. A nice warming hot chocolate.

Refreshed, I was on my way. The water was like glass, the only ripples extended from the bow of the boat. It was lovely to be able to paddle looking downwards watching the reflection of the clouds and the illuminated traces of overhead jets.

Soon the light began to yellow. The sun sank low, silhouetting the trees. I turned for home. The curious horses in the canal side fields paced me to the extent of their enclosures offering pleasant companionship.

It was such a peaceful day, I didn't want to leave as I paddled through my own personal oil painting....

A beacon light, and fireworks bright....

It's not actually Bonfire night yet, not until the 5th, but as it was the weekend Pype Hayes Park had their fire and fireworks early. The queues and the traffic chaos is tiresome, so I park some distance away and walk up along a small stream. You can't actually get in this way, the huge fire looks small on the horizon, but you are really, really close to the firework launching area....perhaps too close.

Trying to get a good photo offered a dilemma, a long exposure and get streaks of colour, or a fast shutter speed and capture the action.

I locked the focus, compromised on the shutter and set up the white balance as best I could. In the end I was happy to get anything, (quite fast things fireworks!)

This years display concentrated on variety and shape rather than the usual shock and awe.

Pretty, but where's the big bangs?!

There were some really unusual ones...

These reminded me of palm trees.

The display got more raucous. They had just been building up to the bigger stuff.

I wasn't where I should have been, and as the sparks showered ever closer this became more apparent. I made a mental note of the direction to take towards the stream should it be needed.

Some of the bangs shook your innards. One particularly big explosion sent a visible shock wave out across the grass towards me and my camera shut itself down. The 'shock protection' on the hard drive had decided enough was enough and had saved itself by switching itself off. It came back on with little fuss but I had missed the opportunity of photographing the best of the display.

In a flurry of sparks and bangs it was over. I switched the camera off and prepared for home. It was then that, through the gloom of firework smoke a low flying passenger jet banked sharply, its underbelly illuminated golden in the glow of the fire. Why is it the best shots turn up after you switch the camera off?!.....

What the papers say....

The papers picked up on my story and published a couple of my photos along with a quote from my blog. Pity they didn't mention the blog name, that would have generated a few more hits. You'll have to click on the picture to enlarge it if you want to read the text....

The Battle of the Bulge....

A policeman stood in the road, his fluorescent jacket glowing in my headlights. He waved me to stop. I awaited the usual sarcastic remark, ("Any faster sonny and you'll travel back in time") but no. "You can't go any further, the roads bulging". That was a new one... I nipped through the car parks eager to film the 'bulging' road. The police were there on mass as well as a fire engine. The bulge was creaking and groaning. Then water began to fill the street.

It was time to back off. There was a distant rumble like an underground train, accompanied with the sound of rocks clonking together as you would hear on a rough beach.

It erupted through the surface scattering tarmac asunder.

The water board turned up. Professional as ever, a stop cock handle was eventually found....under a pile of sand in the back of the lorry!

Turning the metal pole was hard work and even the traffic police had a go at playing 'merry-go-round'.

It was a little unclear which way it should be turned. The fountain got bigger and bigger.



They tried it the other way, just in case. More and more water spurted out and the guy from the water board looked as if he wanted to go home.

Convinced that 'clockwise' was the direction to go, he put his back into it.

Things started to get alarming as boulders began to fly out of the hole, crashing to the ground with a thud.

To his credit the workman stood his ground, sure that he was turning the tap in the right direction, in spite of the ever towering geyser.




The geyser began to subside, to the relief of the emergency crews. It had been a tough old night standing watching, playing 'merry-go-round' and filming it all on their mobile phones. We can only hope all the bad criminal people were having a night off too.

The waters flooded several shops, the cellars of the local fish restaurant (the stock will probably survive flood damage), and the local car parks. By 4am all the excitement was over and it was time for bed, so I went too.....

The successive states of the universe, regarded as a whole, in which, each state occurrs either before or after every other. + Mr. Spider.

Now that the clocks have gone back, it's dark at five. Stop messing about with the time...If it was up to me we'd be on 'British Summer Time' all year round. No, actually 'Double British Summer Time' like in World War Two. Who wants that extra hour of light in the morning when it's all cold, you need it in the evening when the sun has warmed things up and you can enjoy it? Anyway, that's not my real subject. Why is it when it starts to get dark early and there's that nip in the night air, do you open the back door and find this chap waiting to get in; again?!

I've put him out so many times, but he keeps on coming back. It's not that I don't like him or anything (we don't have any poisonous spiders, some of the little ones will bite, but you won't get much more than a small lump at worst), it's just that he will get under your feet. I'm so worried I'm going to step on him.

I tried to convince him to get onto my hand for a lift outside, but he wasn't having any of it.

This is a'Giant House Spider' (Tegenaria gigantea) and they are the quickest running spider in the world....so trying to corrale him and guide him back out ended in both of us being out of breath!

I tried reasoning with him. I pointed the direction I wanted him to go, but no, he turned his back to me and sulked.

It turns out he wasn't coming in to escape the cold. In spring and autumn they are on the lookout for a Mrs. Gigantea! The males have these 'palps' , while the females don't and are even bigger!

I decided to let him stay. He's been no trouble. He's been behind the fridge most of the time. He'll come out for a bit of a sprint across the kitchen floor at night and wait at the door to be let into the hall. There's no girlfriend spider yet. I think we're going to have to tidy him up a little, maybe have a word about those hairy palps....

Deer and mice, somewhere nice......

Not far from home, where the suburbs meet the countryside, is an area of old farmland. Once a mixture of pheasant woods, arable and grazing for horses, it is now abandoned. I don't know why this valuable land has been left unattended for so long, it's in the green belt so can't be built on, so maybe it's simply a small part of a wealthy portfolio, neither needed or noticed. Still, I don't mind as it's become a haven for nature and for me alike.

Here in the new woods lies a derelict plant nursery. A good size plot with rows of greenhouse, boiler houses and offices. It seems strange, as if one day without warning everyone got up and left, never to return. Natures taken over, but in the greenery, exotic escapees lurk in the undergrowth.

Out in the open grassland of what was horse pasture, lies the remnants of a trotting track laid out with old police cones.

There must be at least twenty of these, each one has a resident mouse.

The yellow hue is caused by the colour of the cone and gives the dry, sheltered interior a cosy feel.

A screech from the buzzard up in the nearby oak sends the little chap to huddle in the corner. Too small for a buzzard to be bothered with, the kestrel hovering in the distance is probably more of a threat, along with the obvious presence of owls, from the amount of pellets around.

Inside the cone it is safe, dry, warmed by the sunshine. A little nest of fine grass occupies the corner, a secreted larder of seed in another....life is good in the police cone.

My main reason for being here is to track a Muntjac. Small pockets of land such as this are perfect territory for these small deer. They are loners (or occasionally in small groups) and so can survive where larger deer and herds can't. About the size of an Alsatian dog, they love this mix of woodland with its undergrowth and tall grassland.

They are both secretive and elusive. Tracking them involves finding the extent of their territory and establishing their feeding routine, (they are creatures of habit, following the same route daily).

This track is recent, it was still today, but windy yesterday, so the small twig across the print would indicate that it is probably a day old.

Muntjac are active day and night. They feed mainly at dawn and dusk, but can be found out and about at anytime. In the grassland there are many trails, ending in a circle of flattened foliage. These are lying up spots where they settle to ruminate.

This track is a little older, the sides have fallen in and is partly filled with bits from the overhead trees.

Reeves's Muntjac/ Chinese Muntjac aren't indigenous. They were first brought into the country in 1840 at Woburn Abbey. Many escaped later from Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire and they have slowly established themselves across the country. The Midlands seems to particularly suit them, with it's mix of habitat.

This is a track from today, clean and crisp, I'm slowly figuring out the route this chap takes.

As you can see these hoof prints are quite small.

Muntjacs are one of the oldest known deer, appearing nearly 30 million years ago. They are unusual as they have no rutting period and will breed at any time of year, this must lend to their success at spreading across the country as it allows them to be flexible in their territories.

It looks as if this individual has taken peoples back gardens into its territory, (they'll often browse bird feeders).

I'd just switched my camcorder off and then there it was. I had to wait for the camera to fire back up which seemed to take an age. The wind was in my favour, luckily. This is a doe, you can tell by the lack of antlers, just little tufts instead. Bucks lose their small antlers in May/June but by now they would have been replaced. They spend a lot of time in scrubby woodland with a lot of undergrowth, large antlers would be a hindrance. Rather than using them to fight, they are used to overbalance the opposition and then the tusk like canines are used aggressively.

Keep your eyes open these little chaps are all around us. They can be mistaken for a dog or a fox crossing a field in the distance. If you suspect that they are coming into your garden, put some finely raked soil around where they might feed and look for tracks.