To all of those who have attended my talks, bought calendars etc etc, thank you once again. This year, I have sent £821 to Zarach.org, who provide beds for children in poverty across the city of Leeds, and an unknown donation direct to WaterAid.
Yesterday, a Thai lady told me that she was unaffected by mosquitos. They only bit certain people. I’m not sure whether the words ‘certain people’ were lost in translation or whether they had a particular meaning, for example, ‘tourists’ or maybe even ‘wimps’. But I’m definitely one of them. And…
If you have read my ‘about’ page, you will have seen that I have created a presentation called ‘Inspiration’, specifically for the Embroiderers’ Guild, the purpose being to highlight some of my more interesting and colourful subjects and, thereby, to encourage members to make a place for nature and wildlife…
Banded demoiselle If you’ve looked at the dragonflies and damselflies in the ‘On the pond’ post, you’ll already know that we have this amazing little nature spot close to our house. It’s pretty special just to sit and watch the activity on the ponds, particularly at this time of…
Sail boat in fog, Illulissat, Disko Bay We’ve just returned from Greenland courtesy of CMV’s ship, Marco Polo, out of London, Tilbury dock. This is a company we’ve never used before so, first, a quick comment about our transport. CMV has a good following with plenty of returning clients who,…
Nuthatch in our garden One of my wildlife talks is entitled ‘A Yorkshire Mixture’. It centres on our garden in the village of Kirkheaton, near Huddersfield and you could be a little surprised at how long it takes to run through the wildlife that visits here. Of course, I then…
One day these youngsters were snuggled up in the nest. The next day the nest was empty. I’m thinking magpies but I guess they always get the blame and the culprit could be one of a number of predators. Whatever, they’ve gone and while this is nature, I can’t help…
You’ll be pleased to know that my young tawny owl is still around the garden. I’m fairly sure he roosts in a tree in next door’s garden but the tree is so dense, he’s practically impossible to find. He still gets a day-old chick every night for his supper (when…
Those of you who know me will no doubt know that I use a, fairly expensive, Black Rapid double harness to carry my cameras. Peter, a Yorkshireman and Naturetrek naturalist who I have spent a couple of Naturetrek holidays with, once recognised my harness, and then me, when our paths…
We missed our train at Manchester airport last night and had to catch the next one. In Manchester, we were joined by Leo (5yrs?), his mother and family, who had spent the day in Blackpool. Leo sat at our table and we played computer games with him, some involving identifying…