Wreck - Gentle Giant

With only a couple of items of much interest in the traps again this morning, I busied myself with another wander around the farm including a revisit to the Pools in the North. Both species and numbers were well down on last time but not surprising as the old Irrigation Pond is still subject to gravel extraction. No Waders, few Hirundines and just c2 Grey Wagtails made up the totals but there was still other stuff to see and record.

JUMBO JET
mentioned a number of of times in previous Posts and resident at
Bournemouth International Airport
is seldom 'on the wing' but on arrival this morning it was just caught taking off.

Firmly sticking to the ground this

juvenile

BLACK-HEADED GULL
was foraging the tennis court but I had already beaten there!

On the subject of juveniles c2

MOORHEN
seem to be progressing well and the c8 Cygnets are still growing apace.

and so to the traps and while the
RAINBOW
looked 'pretty' enough it was the harbinger of yet another heavy shower.

PINE HAWK-MOTH

DARK SPINACH

and
COMMON WAINSCOT
were probably the best of the Macros while

COMMON CARDER BEE

this nicely marked
HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD

and an as yet unidentified Micro (I think I've got as far as Tortrix Sp)
added to the more unusual.
Anyway, must run for my

BUS
Wedding Guests arriving at the increasingly busy
Parley Manor Venue.

Back to the BEES, and for some years Hugh has been talking about placing
NESTS (colloquially known as Bee Hotels) for Solitary Bees.

Without going to any great expense, Gramps (Janet's Dad) had built
4 of these 'hotels' which will be put in place next season.
We'll keep you posted.

Talking of being 'put in place', after a long stay in the entrance porch to
Harbins Farm House
Janet's Christmas present the
WICKER HORSE
has now taken 'Pride of Place' at the property entrance.

With an important appointment taken care of late afternoon in Weymouth there was just time to take a cup of coffee with the Secret Lemonade Drinker where the subject turned to

TREASURE SEEKING

mainly because I had happened upon a TV programme on the subject the previous night.

Having been Divers and Spearfishers in out time, we have both been involved in various 'salvage' operations but never for Sunken Treasure. This and the documentary, which started in the Scilly Islands and focused on the loss of Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's Fleet and particularly HMS Association, on which he and all of his crew were lost, brought to mind the loss of the Hollandia some years later. A Dutch East Indiaman, she too had foundered on rocks close by in 1743 and was reported to have been carrying a whole years wealth stolen from Mexico. The position of the wreck was uncharted but discovered in 1971 by Rex Cowan, a London attorney who I met only briefly in later years. This was by introduction of fellow ex-Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer Shipwright, close friend and neighbour Nowell (Chippy) Pearce, a Diver of vast experience.

CHIPPY (top left) along with Rex (centre blue jumper) and the other Divers

set about recovering TREASURE, Canons and other artifacts from the
wreck soon after discovery.

Said quickly all of this sounds very simple, but talking to Nowell between
visits to the Islands over a 3 to 4 years period, the dives were treacherous,
conditions not always suitable and finances were quickly running out.
On completion of operations Chippy gave me this catalogue and some of the coins
were made available to me.
UNCIRCULATED

'PILLAR DOLLAR'

1740

'DUCATION'
or

'RIDER DOLLAR'
Collectively known as Spanish
PIECES of EIGHT.
 Wreck -Gentle Giant
(from the album Acquiring the Taste)

 See the World in the palm of his hand,
Giant steps that will cover the land.
 
Oh look Mummy another Gentle Giant!
Later, in a very busy day, I finally completed making and arranging
the collection of FLAGS of Countries, Protectorates and Island Groups
I have visited over the years.

164 in total with 149 that I consider in the 'Countries' category, including the likes of French Guiana (a department of France in reality) which should you pay a visit it is doubted you'd tell your friends you had just spent 2 weeks in France. Likewise with Hawaii, Galapagos, Falklands etc, it is unlikely the story would be of visiting the United States, Ecuador or Great Britain (Argentina)??

and finally from a fellow Moth'er this rather 'rare' Micro caught in Dorset
SITACHROA PALEALIS

Entry	Pageviews
United Kingdom	688
United States	369
Germany	191
Russia	135
France	22
Estonia	20
Ukraine	19
Poland	11
Saudi Arabia	11
Canada	10