The Glorious Twelfth, Friday Thirteenth..

..Saturday Fourteenth, perhaps each in their own right is just another day for most, but another day nonetheless. We’re all more keenly aware of time flying by as we approach our three score years and ten, and even more so when we pass it.

Whether you're missing a sense of occasion, that, 'The Glorious Twelfth' brings shooting folks high-up on heather moors, gun at the ready, seeking the first opportunity of the season to miss these notoriously difficult game birds, nostalgically recalling better days, or the anti-bloodsport type; groaning in sympathy for these peer wee beasties flying for their lives, from that day and the next 15 weeks - I offer you Red Grouse on a plate, well an electronic platter at least.

These were taken during the breeding season, my own personal highlight discovered during a cycling tour along the Coast to Coast route (C2C). Crossing England at the narrowest point, approximately 140 miles East to West, though some cycle West to East and even both ways - ouch! The year before, we completed the Great North Bike Ride (GNBR), a charity event of 54 miles from Seahouses to Tynemouth Priory, along the NE coast. It's an annual event attracting nearly 2,500 participants every August, and proves to be a healthy test for part time cyclists, such as ourselves!



Friday the Thirteenth affects thousands of superstitious individuals across the globe, though it’s actually a lucky day for many French – Bonne Chance! Luck of itself is subjective and disingenuous in my view, as it can't be bought or tangibly passed on, just merely wished for, offering false confidence.

Capturing wildlife, rare or wild moments of nature, often requires something more than a modicum of chance, we can certainly increase our likelihood of being ‘lucky’, with greater patience, endurance, alertness, focus, commitment, sensitivity and belief or positive mental attitude.

Sadly TwitPic isn’t functioning presently, so I'm adding more architectural flicks to the content. Adding culture & contrast, after-all such structures provide framework, backdrop and countless opportunities for nature to inhabit. And I'm sure bats fly out of these belfries.



BTW last of the blackbird juveniles were seen flitting out my garden Sunday morning.



Last weekend I had the honour and pleasure to spend a couple of days with my youngest sister in London. Who took me to my first West End show; 'We will rock you', followed by a fantastic meal in Covent Garden @ Chez Gerard - Chateaubriand; oh lush, mmmm!

Sunday morning we took a tour round Hyde Park after a shared Full English. There we came across this splendid heart warming show, a Great Crested Grebe parent teaching an eagerly adventurous & somewhat ravenous youngster, to catch fish in the Serpentine. "Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak.." it darted its head to & fro waiting for mum to re-emerge; she could hold her breath at least twice, perhaps three or four times longer than this baby 'helldiver' - as they're known in North America. Eventually, mum pops up, often with food, to be greeted by this bee-line looming offspring who's steaming in like a speedboat to receive it. They then dive down together for another lesson, which lasts just as long as growing lungs can take it, before bobbing back to the surface squeaking impatiently again.


Fantastic, delightful, beautiful, entertaining and very fascinating – yes, I’d more superlatives for this than the Queen gig, well what do you expect, seats were exchanging for over £60, this was free and with endless repeat performances. You see, I'm just a poor boy from a poor family.. ah well, back to the day job.


I'm leaving you with two last delightful flicks, taken very recently, after seeing a Black Swan swimming with a Mute Swan PEN and three cygnets, here they're seen racing for the shore to preen; oh I think the grey one reached the shore first.

Might these indeed be Hybrids (Black Swan x Mute Swan)? Very rare, but it does happen, they certainly look rather sooty to me! Another great reason to visit later in the year - TPH