Pigs On THe Wing (Parts 1 & 2) - Pink Floyd

A few more things to sort out today but not before a visit to the cemetery which bore no fruit at all. Lucky then that early afternoon the Secret Lemonade Drinker turned up an announced a 'Magical Mystery Tour', which boiled down to an impromptu drive through some spectacular and interesting Dorset countryside. I would say from the off, that the light was poor, during the whole trip, and coupled with an even poorer photographer the images are not of the best - excuses, excuses!

Having cleared Weymouth, we headed north on the new, and totally successful, relief road then onto the Dorchester bye-pass and to our first stop close to the tiny hamlet of Stinsford.

Close by stands KINGSTON MAURWARD HOUSE a Georgian Manor built between 1717 and 1720 standing in about 3 square Kms of parkland.

 Much of this is now taken up by the nationally recognised KM Agricultural Collage where we watched 'would-be' shepherds rounding up their flocks.

Also in the area are a number of quaint cottages, but to be honest we were more interested in what was held

 in the Pig Pens opposite - don't you just love PIGS!!

However, that was put on hold as this GREY WAGTAIL landed close by giving us opportunity for a close look.

That done it was over to the piglets

then what I feel sure were TAMWORTHs. My knowledge of such things is extremely limited

but feel a calculated guess is worth a go, for instance is this a DANISH LANDRACE?

TAMWORTHs again,

 then what might be BLACK SLAVONIAN (isn't that a hybrid of Grebe?),

and finally, some kind of Old Spot? Now, I may not have got many of these right, but I'd bet anyone 50 quid that all will be correctly identified within 30 minutes (or even seconds) of going to press. Over to Mr John Gifford for a qualified report!

 

A COMMON BUZZARD stood sentinel during our short stay, but it was now time to continue to the west and pay a visit to Monkey's Jump just outside of the county town.

 Here you are afforded great views of MAIDEN_CASTLE, the largest Earth Works in Europe, with a 'link' for those who would like further reading.

SHEEP abound here, as do Golden Plover during the winter months but we only 'heard' one today. As an aside, there were 200 reported there during the day so perhaps the binoculars need a polish? Other birds we looked for were Corn Bunting, Yellow Hammer, Grey and Red-legged Partridge, Redwing plus Fieldfare but saw not one! Consolation? We did hear a Fieldfare - ever onward!

Continuing west we arrived at LITTLE BREDY a tiny village sited at the head of the (River) Bride valley and nestling among the wooded slopes of the Dorset Downs.

The quaint little church

and rolling downlands so loved by my daughters when they were children.

 

Next came the Manor House which stands by an ornamental lake complete with waterfall but inaccessible today.

The CRICKET PAVILION

crowned with a fitting Weather Vane, but the pitch looked as though it had been 'grubbed up' by hogs, but maybe this is just part of the maintenance program?

Just outside of the village we stopped to check what sounded every bit like more than one RAVEN, only to count 11 with suspicion of there being even more around a nearby farm yard. Don't know what was attracting them to this area, maybe dead livestock, but that's as many of these birds either of us have seen together in Dorset. There was another short stop as I caught the sound of a

 YELLOWHAMMER, much to the delight of 'Secret' for whom it was a 'Lifer', a first sighting!

Reaching the cross-roads it was unanimous that we turned left to just take a short peek at a village we have both enjoyed so much over the years. There was however another reason, that being the e-mail I had received just a couple of days ago from our friend in Tokyo, Chris Cook.

Chris hails from PUNCKNOWLE and feel sure he will love to see these shots of the CROWN PUBLIC HOUSE,

what I believe to have been his previous home THORNLEIGH COTTAGE 

and wonder if he remembers Geoff Fry, brother of Allan, who still does good works for the 

LOCAL CHURCH St Mark's.To quote from The Dorset Walk - Puncknowle and West Bexington by Matt Wilkinson and Mark Bauer:- Its two best-known features are, perhaps, the pronunciation of its name (to rhyme with ‘funnel’) and the fact that members of the 1950s Portland spy ring (Harry Houghton and Ethel Gee) would rendezvous in the village pub.

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!

According To You - Orianthi

A crisp, clear, cold, frosty, sunny and almost windless day was simply too much of a temptation as I ventured out yet again, this being 2 days in a row. Visits to the cemetery and Radipole were combined with changing currency, flu jab and collecting anti-Malarials for the upcoming trip, all of which is now coming together quite nicely.

Unfortunately, all did not start well at the first venue as it was quickly noticed that the householder had chopped down the Apple Tree, and all its understory, favoured by so many birds this time of year! However, that was not deterring the numerous

GREY SQUIRRELs from continuing to bury food for the onset of winter.

MAGPIE

On the ground, most numerous today were BLACKBIRDs adorning every tree and bush,

while overhead many 'hundreds' of WOOD PIGEONs seemed undecided as to which direction they were going.

The odd DUNNOCK showed itself

along with good numbers of CHAFFINCH

while c18 FIELDFARE and

uncountable numbers of REDWING also put in an appearance.

Above the western entrance to Radipole Nature Reserve and Sculpture Park a BLACK-HEADED GULL was tussling with a SPARROWHAWK as were a number of Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit too small to be seen on this distant shot.

Only a few paces on, a flock of maybe 10 or so BEARDED TITs were doing what might be called dispersal flights, gaining height well above the tree tops before dropping back into the reed bed further afield.

It is always a great delight to watch these beauties and listen to their distinctive 'pinging' as they forage

so a couple of 'in the hand' shots are added here for you further delight.

LONG-TAILED TIT were seen for the first time this year in the cemetery, but they were also at Radipole now gathering into winter flocks.

This excellent little wander ended on Weymouth Promenade, where the sea was like a mill pond, and the Sea Cadet Training Ship 'Royalist' stuck out like a sore thumb on the horizon before heading off for my first appointment.
Further to all of that, I received a most welcome e-mail from my friend Chris Cook (Fashion Editor for the Tokyo News) in Japan wishing me good luck and bon voyage and sending these 2 incredible shots of

PTARMIGAN taken

in the Mountains west of the capital. I have spent many an hour perched on the slopes of Cairn Gorm and Glen Shee trying for such shots, thus far having been unsuccessful. Thanks so much Chris - and hope I've got this right?

and finally, having projected talented guitarist Ana  Popovic as the female Bonamassa in a previous post, I am now introduced to another contender by my friend Andy Lindsay. He and lady friend Dawn Partridge attended an Alice Cooper gig last week and came back raving of the 'sensation' that

Orianthi Panagaris (born 22 January 1985), better known simply as Orianthi is. A Greek Australian musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist, she is perhaps best known for being Michael Jackson's lead guitarist for his ill-fated 'This Is It' concert series, and as the lead guitarist in Alice Cooper's live band. Her debut single "According To You" has peaked at No. 3 in Japan, No. 8 in Australia and No. 17 in the US; her second album, "Believe" received a worldwide release in late 2009. In 2009, Orianthi was named one of 12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists by Elle Magazine and also won the award as "Breakthrough Guitarist of the Year" 2010 by Guitar International Magazine.

Take A Listen to Orianthi

then take a LOOK (just 'one eye' gents)

ORIANTHE PHOTOGRAPHS LINK

It would now seem that great favourites of mine, 'alternative' rockers SUEDE, got the lyric completely wrong on the track Hollywood Life from the Dog Man Star album! 
"She-Rocker you're wasting your time,
Cos you're only a girl.
She-Rocker sacked the factory line for a chance of a dance in a surreal world.
She said, "come rescue, rescue me from this Hollywood Life,
come rescue, rescue me from this Hollywood Life".

Hollywood Life Link

This album comes highly recommended if only for the seminal guitar playing by Bernard Butler and one of the greatest voices in Rock 'n' Roll, Brett Anderson.