Going to the Chapel - The Crystals

With only an hour or two at my disposal today it was an early start in the cemetery where the news was a good deal better than yesterday. After the demise of that all important Apple Tree, it was refreshing to find that the recently vandalised

Chapel of Rest is in fact going to be restored and not demolished or simply made safe. Further along I found Peter ? who feeds the part Feral Cats here on a daily basis, perhaps not to the advantage of local bird-life, but nonetheless where there is food in this town then surely there are

 HERRING GULLs awaiting an opportune moment.

Plenty on the menu for the now increased population of BLACKBIRDs, and it was good to make contact with c2 Jays again after either their absence or more likely low profile! In addition Long-tailed, Blue and Great Tits continue to forage while a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a 'second only' Treecreeper at this site was recorded today.

Over at Radipole, only common birds were on offer, but the flood waters have now subsided making all paths passable. Plenty of ROBINs still,

a few more GADWALL seem to be turning up and additionally there was a rather fearless

BROWN RAT on the main path totally unperturbed at my presence.

A number of COMMON SNIPE were also buzzing about overhead, but with the margins still flooded seemed restricted for a landing space.

Finally there, and as usual, a number of CORMORANTs were occupying the marker poles, a species that never fails to intrigue me as being perfectly formed for what they do best - naffing off anglers!

After reference to the Alternative Rock sounds of Suede on yesterday's post, I reached firstly for Dog Man Star, which I played in its entirety (take a listen to "We Are The Pigs"), before opting for something far more subtle. A DVD from a 1995 'Later' with Jools Holland saw Suede lead guitarist Bernard Butler's former lover David McAlmont performed probably the best rendition ever (no disrespect to Dorothy Moore) of the Bob Montgomery penned classic Misty Blue.

Here's

David McAlmont - Misty Blue
to share with you!