Snowdrops
February 2, 2020
Just thought I’d add this to the social media snowdrop avalanche… Riverside Walk, January 30th. To paraphrase Churchill, it isn’t the beginning of spring, but it may be the beginning of the end of winter.
Category: Yeovil Country Park
Grey Wagtail update
February 1, 2020
Wagtail rings identified by Twitter in hours! … More Grey Wagtail update
Pointless pre-assessment with an unexpected benefit
January 31, 2020
For some reason I had an appointment for an anaesthetic pre-assessment today, even though no operation has yet been scheduled, presumably because they hadn’t had the results of Monday’s MRI. But I went along anyway, hoping they did have the results, and the ‘simple’ bowel op had been scheduled, meaning the liver spot was no … More Pointless pre-assessment with an unexpected benefit
Light and shade
January 28, 2020
I love winter – what a difference a day can make. One day it’s brilliant sunshine, the next the world is engulfed in mist, as you can see from these photos of the Riverside Walk, taken only a few days apart. One day the trees are thrown into knife-edge contrast by the cold blue sunlit … More Light and shade
A new word at Ninesprings
December 17, 2019
A lovely autumn dog walk at Ninesprings Country Park in Yeovil that had a surprise in store. Ninesprings is my other go to dog walking venue in Yeovil, useful when it’s raining because of all the tree cover, and if you stay on the paths it’s not as muddy as the Riverside Walk. Of course, … More A new word at Ninesprings
A few bits and bobs
June 17, 2019
A few new arrivals on the Riverside Walk. … More A few bits and bobs
Pale pink punctuation
June 3, 2019
A solitary Bramble flower emerges from a sea of green along the Riverside Walk, heralding summer, but hinting at the berry-rich autumn to follow.
More small things
June 1, 2019
Macro photography is the new meditation! … More More small things
All the small things
May 20, 2019
Some of the smaller occupants of the Riverside Walk … More All the small things
Swifts at twilight
May 7, 2019
Migrating swifts greeted with an endless feast of gnats. … More Swifts at twilight
Early morning walk
April 24, 2019
An unexpectedly early morning expedition along my favourite riverside walk. … More Early morning walk
A Plethora of Warblers
April 13, 2019
The Yeovil Country Park Riverside Walk is full of Chiffchaffs at the moment, and more seem to be arriving every day if their all-pervading sound is anything to go by. Some of them have been there all winter (a sign of global warming I suppose, although I wouldn’t exactly call it tropical at the moment!), … More A Plethora of Warblers
A commotion in the woods
April 9, 2019
A Sparrowhawk hides his head in embarrassment at missing his prey. … More A commotion in the woods
Small birds far away
April 4, 2019
This is the reality of bird photography for most of us – small birds far away, too far away even for a decent walkabout telephoto. For every great shot you show off on Flickr or Twitter or wherever, there are always countless others of birds determined not to let you get anywhere near them. The … More Small birds far away
No politics, just dogs in the snow
February 4, 2019
Might not be writing too many long polemics for a few days – day job to go back to after a busy weekend off, boiler to get working, house to clean after the weekend influx of friends, relatives and dogs (all of which was fun of course, if exhausting!), aged parents to sort out, again, … More No politics, just dogs in the snow
What’s in your head, zombie…?
January 24, 2019
This one may seem like it’s about photography, but it’s not, it’s about how my head works sometimes. Took the dogs to Ninesprings this morning, as I often do. For those who don’t know Yeovil in Somerset (England), it’s an old Victorian estate bought by the District Council a good while ago, and converted into … More What’s in your head, zombie…?
Nifty Fifty
January 23, 2019
This one is for birdwatchers and photographers only, really. I bought myself a Nikon 50mm 1.8D after Christmas. It has autofocus, but this only works on the later Nikons that have an autofocus motor in the body. If you have, say, a 3200, you need the 1.8G, which is way more expensive. I thought it … More Nifty Fifty
Water Rail, Ninesprings
January 23, 2019
Well, the Water Rail is still at Ninesprings, the jewel in South Somerset District Council’s Yeovil Country Park. He was certainly there last year, so the theory is that he’s overwintering here. He likes the shadows of the scrub at the bottom of the stream, just before it enters the lake. Park by the playground, … More Water Rail, Ninesprings
In search of Yeovil Country Park, Part 2
November 11, 2017
One of the shorter of the five Yeovil Country Park walks, but no less beautiful. … More In search of Yeovil Country Park, Part 2
In search of Yeovil Country Park, Part 1
August 29, 2017
The Riverside Walk. As I may have said before, Yeovil is not renowned as a place of beauty, but it does have some surprisingly beautiful places within it, if you know where to look. One of those is the Riverside Walk, part of Yeovil Country Park. If you want a larger version of this map, … More In search of Yeovil Country Park, Part 1
In search of… Max Tovey
May 11, 2016
A walk through Norton Covert at Ham Hill hill fort, Somerset, following the route taken in ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’. … More In search of… Max Tovey
In search of Dodham Brook
May 4, 2016
An unexpectedly pleasant walk through Yeovil along a river I didn’t know existed. … More In search of Dodham Brook
Joseph of Arimathea – an alternative grave?
April 28, 2016
Was Joseph of Arimathea not in fact buried at Glastonbury, but instead on St Michael’s Hill, Montacute? … More Joseph of Arimathea – an alternative grave?
Joseph of Arimathea – the alternative journey to Glastonbury
April 21, 2016
Most people with an interest in mythology know of the legend that Joseph of Arimathea came to Britain after the crucifixion and built the country’s first church at Glastonbury, but not so many know the alternative beginnings and ends to the story. No-one really knows how the legend started, and Joseph wasn’t mentioned in the … More Joseph of Arimathea – the alternative journey to Glastonbury
The real witch Of Hamdon Hill
March 17, 2016
The story of the witch that supposedly haunts Somerset’s Ham Hill is well known locally, but, as I have now discovered, everyone I’ve heard it from has got it completely wrong. But the real story is actually even more fascinating. Alastair Swinnerton is the author of ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’, a Young Adult novel set among the myths … More The real witch Of Hamdon Hill
The Somerset Tsunami
February 8, 2016
You may think there’s been a lot of flooding in the last few years, but nothing comes close to the devastating Somerset floods in January 1607. Back in 2014, you could look out from Ham Hill, Somerset, the largest hill fort in the country, and see the flooded Somerset Levels in all their ‘glory’, but thankfully that’s been … More The Somerset Tsunami
Getting back out there
February 3, 2016
It’s not been the best month. The death of anyone close to you is always a blow, but that of your oldest and best friend is more like being repeatedly hammered by Mohammed Ali. But life must eventually restart, and my book ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’ needs attention. The sequel needs starting of course, but before … More Getting back out there
