We Gotta Get Out of The Place - The Animals

but not before we catch up!

It would seem we are falling victim to our own exuberance as we are currently off on an Away Day (in fact an away 4 days) and along with each we are falling further and further behind with our notes, photograph editing and Blog Post alike! All of this will be presented to our Valued Readers in time, but that's just what it will take, TIME as the success rate has been high! However, to catch up with late last week we had another fairly full day before leaving Parley Court Farm.

A promise of a little more Sun to come

and with it an increase in temperature attracting this

ACLERIS KOCHIELLA

We are very used to large lorries coming and going here but this is the 'first

EDDIE STOBART
with all of his vehicles being blessed with a Lady's name, welcome Morgan.
Question is will it be
NORBERT DENTRESSANGLE
next, but now back to basics.

Without a doubt this is the best marked and most colourful
TEAL

we have had here all Winter

a better cameraman might have shown it in its

FULL GLORY
That was at the Irrigation Pond when on the same day

these 2

MUTE SWAN

also showed up on the Gravel Pit.

They were not alone there

as an all too long absent

GREEN SANDPIPER

was there along with this

GREY WAGTAIL
However, all of this paled by comparison to an estimated 200 - 250 strong

Mixed Flock

of FINCHES that were found on the Heath.

Most numerous were Goldfinch with also a couple of Siskin seen

but about 50 of them were

LESSER REDPOLL

which are not at all regular or common

visitors to our neck of the woods!

It would be welcome if they decided to stay.
Another stranger in the camp as we

 don't think we have seen this one hereabouts before, a

ROBINSON R44 RAVEN

The walk down to the SNIPE field,
both Common and Jack are found here but not on the day.

Anybody got a tin of Cherry Blossom Boot Polish?

The Snipe Field.

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Welcome to the Machine - Pink Floyd

It was as far back as the 'C word' when I met Andy Hopper at the Dampney Trust 'C' Party and was issued an invitation, by this most pleasant and convivial young man, to visit at my leisure his business premises. This workshop, studio, call it what you will, is no more than a stone throw away in the Farm Yard yet it has taken me all this time to get round to it, but got round to it I did and thank heavens for that!

 The very best of starts to another new day, watching the sun rise above the

Harbins Farm House Garden Pond,

before what was to be completely outside of my comfort zone and the

greatest pleasure had for a very long time.

 It had been established at the party that Andy is a Blacksmith but in that

respect it was quickly found that he is also a past-master at underselling himself.

 TOOLMAKER

by trade, everything you will see via these images has either been 

designed, forged or installed by his own hand or any combination of each!

The Furnace was his own design and crafted to fit a purpose rather than be of a general nature, 

while every tool in the place had been made by himself.

 Save that is for the spheres for punching out 'bowl shapes' which he told 

me would have been a too long a labour of love.

But then came the almost unimaginable good bit as he deftly switched

from the skill of the craftsman to his artistic bent!

This is a sculpture recently commissioned by Mrs Dampney (senior)

and now stands in her garden and made from stainless steel.

If that was not enough, what followed was most certainly the

Knockout Blow!

This, Andy's latest Work of Art, is to be submitted as a contender

for the up coming Annual Summer Exhibition at the

Royal Academy of Arts London.

As some readers will know I was a member at the RA for over 20 years

and during that time only ever missed an exhibition if on my world travels.

Not at all a part of the Ya-Ya Pimms Set or even for that matter very 

knowledgeable about the Arts, but on a massive learning curve and always

an exponent of 'knowing what I liked'.

 To now have met someone so close to the RASE is mind blowing!!

 Another Sculpture in the Making.

 An Award presented to Andy by Lord Tonypandy

 

The Master Himself 
hard at work as a member of the

 WORSHIPFUL COMPANY of BLACKSMITHS

you cannot argue the motto

'By Hammer and Hand All Arts do Stand'

This experience had left me choked up and close to tears of joy and

under such circumstances it is usually the lyrics of a song (so important to me)

that spring to mind. On this occasion it was

'Undertow' from the album 'And Then There Were Three' by Genesis.

Better think awhile
or I may never think again.
If this were the last day of your life, my friend,
Tell me, what do you think you would do then?

Stand up to the blow that fate has struck upon you,
Make the most of all you still have coming to you, [or]
Lay down on the ground and let the tears run from you,
Crying to the grass and trees and heaven finally on your knees

Let me live again, let life come find me wanting.
Spring must strike again against the shield of winter.
Let me feel once more the arms of love surround me,
Telling me the danger's past, I need not fear the icy blast again.

UNDERTOW - LINK

We did get to the Great Outdoors eventually, but today not a lot to be seen.

FROST COVERED SOLAR PANELS

MAMMAL EXCAVATIONS

and

ANT CASTS

under our Herps Covers.

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Terminal Frost - Pink Floyd

 The intended 'headline' for today's Post was always
going to be 'Learning to Fly' until opening my
'BIG MOUTH'!
regarding the 'mild' winter weather we have been enjoying thus far but,
Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings, I thought, I thought of everything
No navigator to find my way home
Unladen, empty and turned to stone
A soul in tension that's learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try

 #

  Above the planet on a wing and a prayer,

My grubby halo

a vapour trail in the empty air,
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly
Out of the corner of my watering eye
A dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night

Learning to Fly - Pink Floyd

Terminal Frost - A Momentary Lapse of Reason - Link

but the title and lyrics of this instrumental, from the same album, are far more meaningful as the
temperature plummeted to an icy -6°C the following morning.

 A HARD EARLY MORNING FROST
 and is that X marks the spot or just an advert for The Halifax?
Yes of course there are no lyrics to an instrumental, but emphasising that the
Mouth is Shut and Firmly Locked!
(until the next time)
With surface ice covering  both the

 Irrigation Pond

and

Gravel Pit

precluding any Wildfowl activity

we turned to the teachings of Confucius who would likely say

"If the mountain won't come to Mohamed,

we'd better cut along to Longham Lake"!

A quick scan across the

Southern Section of the Lakes

we were soon in business with

COOT

making up our first Year Tick of the day.

For the uninitiated, we use BLUE to denote a new Creature for the Year,

and RED for a Lifer (the first ever seen in ones life).

That was immediately followed by a group of feeding 

 POCHARD

and on further quick succession

LITTLE GREBE

 male

and

 female

TUFTED DUCK

 GREAT CRESTED GREBE

 GADWALL

and

from the fringe of Common Reed at the southern tip of the lake came the 

familiar, piglet-like squealing of a

WATER RAIL

We wuz doin' good.

Incidentals, already seen this year were represented by an overflying

 CORMORANT

and a more than obliging 

 CARRION CROW

shimmering in the now bright sunshine.

Just to indicate how unpredictable Bird Watching can be, on the lead-up

to the New Year there was one species seen on every day of December without exception.

Come the Bird Race and not one was seen on New Year's Day, and none since, although

they are thought to be lurking somewhere in our Recording Area. Take the short drive to

Longham and Robert is your Father's Bother a

'bold as brass'

STONECHAT

 At the furthest extremity there were a number of

REED BUNTING

buzzing about, but the BEST seemed to have been saved until last.
There had been no reports, either way, from the local
Birding Websites

of c3 of the RAREST Birds to have been gracing Dorset throughout
the month of December,

 so it was with great delight and surprise

 that one of the

GREAT WHITE EGRET

 broke cover and flew across the lake,

settling from time to time, and

allowing decent approach.
It did help greatly to be alone in this!

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