Fox On The Run - The Sweet

There has been something rather special lurking in the English Channel for the last few days, and not a million miles from Portland Bill. Fortunately, since announcing there may be need to resort  to a Ted Heath style '3 Day Week' on the Blog, happenings have gone off the scale necessitating leaving this matter in abeyance for a couple of days. We will return to it in due course, but this was part of the reason for another early attendance on Portland today. Maybe helpfully the weather continued to be blustery but with some patchy sunshine so good for looking out to sea and for the festivities in Weymouth later in the day.

Stepping from the 06:30 bus at Sweethill, not surprisingly there were a few COLLARED DOVEs on show, while further on in the Top Fields

a healthy looking RED FOX was found resting alongside a number of RABBITs

Although at some distance it didn't seem to be phased by my presence

nor were the Bunnies with it's. As the 70's Glam-Rock Band The Sweet would say "here are the photos for Fox Sake", over to the Dampney's for comment! 

An OAK EGGAR MOTH CATERPILLAR was found a little further along the track, but seemed reluctant to uncoil, while at the Bird Observatory

the 'third' of the 4 BEDSTRAW HAWK-MOTHs had emerged from the cocoon. All else amounted to about a dozen Manx Shearwaters but there was the promise of some excitement when I returned to Weymouth at noon. It makes me smile and angry in equal proportions when day after day I sit on the bus, and elsewhere, listening to the 'moaners' berating Weymouth as a town of nothing to do and always getting things wrong - maybe the English way I guess?? Good reason then to switch off the 'Idiot's Lantern' and get down to the sea-front to witness an excellent exhibition of how our Military Men serves us all over the world and keep us out of harms way.

As I arrived, the ENEMY were already scouting the area

and getting dug-in

 

and armed to the teeth with general purpose machine guns, semi-automatic weapons and hand grenades.

A mixed mob of Weymouth residents and holiday makers had gathered but they were going to be no obstruction to this motley crew,

so good job then that amid rapid gunfire and the sound of high power boat engines the 'Cavelry' arrived!

This had the desired effect of sending the insurgents scampering for their bunkers

 

and commenced returning fire.

 

In what seemed like a matter of seconds,

 

'OUR' LADs hit the beach

under cover of a volume of orange smoke

and engaged the enemy

 allowing a 'second wave' to land reinforcements

 

 

By this time I was getting a little concerned as it looked every bit as if most had forgotten the bathing trunks and towels????

 

Never mind, they seemed to be doing quite well without my help, so for the time being at least I was prepared to stay in the background.

By now, the 'enemy' were laying down a carpet of lead but they hadn't seen what we had!

 This Marine was getting the fireworks out

and if he starts doing that someone could get hurt.

 

After the grenades the remainder of the regiment swarmed over the 2 'foxholes'

proving my point, this fella looked to be a little bit dead?

 

Taking up strategic positions and establishing communication there was a chasm to cross so time

 

to call in the Royal Engineer Bridge Builders.

They had the Bailey Bridge constructed in minutes 10

while the perimeter remained closely guarded, the whole exercises ending just as 'Open Season' on Holiday Makers began.

Just like the end of the Lord Mayor's Show there was the clearing up to do, but again the Engineer Brigade took short time to fill all holes, level all mounds and return Weymouth's Golden Sands to their usual glory. From here, I became one of the 'first' to 'fly' the town's latest attraction, The Sealife Tower Experience, but that will have to wait until tomorrow save to say IT IS ABSOLUTELY 

'FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC'! GET DOWN THERE

Elizium - Fields of the Nephilim

Apart from the extremely blustery but dry weather things today have been fairly quiet, leaving me to spend a little more time that usual poking my nose in around Weymouth.

What had previously been a couple of car parks for the disabled and a natural collection area for much of the town's litter, is now shaping up into a fine end of terrace dwelling. Only the foundations were laid before I left so was pleasantly surprised to see the architects had done a grand job making it 'bow fronted'. 

A little more action on the beach as yesterdays Punch and Judy had been replaced by a detachment of Royal Marine Commandos, which at first I thought to be practising for the upcoming Olympic Games. 

Later in the day I couldn't have bumped into a better person than Janet Read, who some readers will know as one of our fonts of local knowledge. She informs me that tomorrow on Weymouth Beach there is to be a re-enactment of a beach landing along with other military hardware which I will endeavour to visit.

The Outer Harbour looked particularly good bathed in bright sunshine and almost cloudless blue sky, and you can always find something of interest to see there!

Today's highlight was the Training Vessel 'Royalist'

 

which pays regular visits to the town with ever changing crews of young people.

Resident fishing vessels include the yellow hulled 'Crabber' Amanda Jane and 'Scalloper' WY37, Nicola I.

Doing my regular circuit in the opposite direction today, I headed for the Portland bus via Westham Bridge where the HOODED MERGANSER, now in full eclipse plumage

was in company with a male TUFTED DUCK, both

along with this COOT allowing for close photographs.

An hour at the Obelisk produced just c7 Manx Shearwater, lots of Gannets and Guilimots, along with a few each Fulmar and Kittiwake, while at the Observatory I missed a SOOTY SHEARWATER on arrival, which kindly put in another brief appearance before I left for home. Half way up Bill Road the Secret Lemonade Drink arrived to take me home and help me sort out a couple of snags on my I-Pod. It took a while but now we are in full working mode and if you listen very hard you may well hear Fields of the Nephilim pumping out their seminal album Elizium??