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[janesnewweblog]

Just getting on to Piccadilly with over 1 million other marchers.

[janesnewweblog]

Marching for the EU cause

WHAT did you do last weekend (March 24-25)? I got up at 03.00 to catch a coach from Falmouth to head for the pro-EU March in London.

There are times when I’ve asked myself how a reasonably normal 60-something became an activist in the movement to stop Brexit. Well, I’d never thought of going on a march, but then David Cameron called his damn-fool referendum, the country voted to Leave . . . and it quickly became apparent that everything that the Leavers had promised - £350m a week for the NHS, ‘taking back control’, getting rid of laws imposed on us by unelected Brussels bureaucrats etc – was a lie, and that we were being sold down the river for the financial benefit of a few multi-millionaires.

Given two-and-a-half years to prepare for the UK’s departure from the EU on March 29 - yes, tomorrow! – the Tories couldn’t come up with a plan that provided one benefit for Britain. Instead we’re facing a dog’s breakfast of a deal that leaves us worse off than before, or simply no deal at all. So instead of the new trade deals and sunlit uplands we were promised, we’re facing economic disaster.

I used to be proud of this country, and to see us reduced to being the laughing stock of the world, and to see our economy ruined, was more than I could take. I simply thought: “This government isn’t going to help us – we’ve got to do it ourselves rather then sit back and hope things will get better while letting them make things worse.” Now seems like the time to make a fuss, to draw attention to the fact that this is not what I want, and to try to get it changed.

The first march I attended (with my back-up activist Terry) was in Exeter, where a couple of thousand of us marched, listened to speeches and provided a visible pro-EU presence in the city. The second was in London in May of last year, when I joined the Glostays group and travelled from Stroud to the national march.

That was a bit of an eye-opener – the atmosphere on the march was great, and the good humour very much in evidence. But at the end we happened to run into a bunch of Brexit supporters who the police had kept kettled up somewhere around the back of Parliament, and were subjected to a tirade of vile abuse.

What they hoped to achieve presumably was to scare us off so that we’d think twice before daring to voice our concerns again. All they did achieve was to make everyone more determined not to let this rabble have their own way, and to show the world that there are still decent people in this country who can argue a case based on facts, without getting aggressive, without bullying and without making physical threats.

The next march was in October last year when over 750,000 gathered in London. Another joyous occasion. I got split up from my group early on but was happy to wander the route through central London,  talking to fellow marchers and soaking up the atmosphere of hope and determination. It was lovely to feel part of such a positive group where people looked out for each other, offered encouragement and help to anyone in need, and were united in a common purpose.

And now, 2019, the month we were supposed to leave the EU, and another march, this one even bigger than before, celebrating a petition that now has the support of over 5.9 million people (plenty, no doubt, inspired by our PM’s appalling speech when she blamed everyone but herself for the mess we’re in) and making the point that leaving the EU is not ‘the will of the people’. May can say it as much as she likes (and, boy, does she keep on about it) but she’s not on our side, she doesn’t speak for us, and we don’t want her dodgy deal or any other.

So, having set off from Falmouth at 04.00, we arrived in London at around 11.00 – no problems on the way (the Quitters’ threats of road blocks came to nothing) and we were dropped off by the Albert Memorial to walk through Hyde Park to the rallying point.

Being a part of the mass of people marching to congregate at the Achilles Statue was incredible. The Park was a mass of colour and noise, with whistles blowing, people singing and chanting, and flags of all nations waving above the throng. And the placards were an inspiration on their own, ranging from bits of cardboard with a few words scrawled across to papier mache boats and hats portraying the present government in less than complimentary light.

From there it was just a case of walking through central London, enjoying the sights and sounds of over a million like-minded souls sharing the experience – from families with babes in arms to military veterans, from school-age youngsters to elderly people in wheelchairs. Along the way there were drummers, musicians, dancers, a Boris Johnson lookalike – he got a great cheer for declaring ‘I’m really sorry!’ - plus a Hari Krishna chap handing out free veggie meals, helping to sustain the marchers en route. The few police in evidence along the route weren’t exactly troubled, and seemed to be enjoying the festive atmosphere.

A personal highlight on Piccadilly was seeing one of the iconic LedByDonkeys billboards that have been a feature of the Remain movement in the last couple of months: and it was interesting to see that the biggest laugh of the day went to the Jeremy Corbyn quote on display . . . a blank screen. That says it all about the Labour party and its leadership.

Trafalgar Square was the place for a breather before the final stretch to the Houses of Parliament: the lions at the foot of Nelson’s Column were covered in younger protesters and made for great photo opportunities as school-age kids put their own message across.

On this last part of the route, the pressure of numbers began to tell and we couldn’t get past Downing Street, although we did make it to the Cabinet Office to add a sticker to the number adorning the door – it would be nice to think that members of the Cabinet had to clean them off but I fear they’ll have got a minion to do so.

Undeterred, we backtracked and then detoured via Horseguards Parade to take a short break in St James’ Park (watching the ring-necked parakeets was a bit of a treat) and then getting into Parliament Square via Great George Street, in time to hear a few of the speeches. Result!

Our final task was to get something to eat ready for the long journey home, and we squeezed into the Morpeth Arms near the Tate Britain for burger and chips and a well-earned drink. A good end to a very long day (we finally got back to Falmouth at 00.30) but one that we were glad to take part in.

What’s next? Well, the petition now stands at 5.9 million, and May is continuing to refuse to engage with everyone who marched and who has signed the petition. She had a gaggle of party faithful round at Chequers to go over the same tired arguments we’ve heard for months, but won’t listen to the million-plus who marched through London to show her what people really want.

Time to say goodbye to this Prime Minister, Revoke Article 50 and Remain in the EU.

[janesnewweblog]

Fabulous fossils in the Chedworth area

OUGS field trip, 2 July 2017

‘The old people are coming!’ A cohort of urchins, busily engaged in childish activities in Stony Furlong Quarry, thus greeted the arrival of the OUGS Severnside branch’s finest as we began a study tour in the Chedworth area.

Dr Paul Olver led this sortie into the Middle Jurassic, taking in two sections of railway cutting of the Midland & South Western Junction Railway to follow the succession of outcrops from the Great Oolite series in the quarry, dating from around 165 million years ago, to the older exposures near the Roman Villa.

First on the agenda was a cup of tea and the chance for breakfast at the Denfurlong Farm Shop – well worth remembering for future visits to the area. Then it was off to the cutting for a spot of hands-on geology, with fossils aplenty to be found in the rocks.

The White Limestone in the quarry proved a rich hunting ground whilst providing evidence of a marine environment, with the lower (softer and browner) rocks showing a more brackish environment with less biodiversity.

The fossil finds ranged from brachiopods and echinoids, plus one beautiful fish vertebra, to gastropods and bivalves. My personal favourite was a tiny but very lovely gastropod revealed in a crumbly piece of limestone I was able to pull apart, showing the creature and the impression on the opposite piece of stone.

From there we abandoned the urchins to their foraging and departed en masse on a picturesque drive to the car park by the Roman Villa. Lunch was a very civilised affair in the café at the National Trust property, before the party headed up into the woods and the second stretch of cutting.

This section of older rock dated from the Inferior Oolite Group (inferior only in the sense of lying beneath the Great Oolite Group), with echinoid fragments being the main attraction at our first stop, the Clypeus Grit.

Over the afternoon the group walked the length of the cutting, stopping at 10 locations to look for fossils and examine features including a tufa waterfall and a normal fault.

For me, as a relative newcomer to geology in the field, this was a great opportunity to see geologists in action and to have a range of people to chat to and question. The leisurely pace gave everyone the chance to have a good go at finding fossils – pick of the bunch were the fish vertebra, a beautiful bivalve like a razor shell, thalassinoides and Trigonia costata, shaped like a tricorn hat and featuring three sides with varying ornamentation – and to ask questions.

Best of all was just being able to chat to other members of the group about OU studies, geological activities around the area and field trips to far-flung areas of the globe.

Thanks to Paul for leading an excellent outing, and to the branch for putting on such a day trip. I’ve now acquired my latest piece of kit, a geological hammer, so I’m all set for the next one.

[janesnewweblog]

Hurrah for Meerkat Movies!

Here’s to the meerkats! Courtesy of a cunning insurance offer, Terry and I are now enjoying weekly visits to the cinema – that means we get two tickets for the price of one and we can go in the daytime when it’s cheapest too.

Our first venture was to see Hidden Figures (PG), starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, and Kevin Costner, and directed by Ted Melfi. The movie’s set in the early ’60s, with America desperate to beat Russia in the space race. While the white-shirted boffins of NASA struggle over their calculations – an IBM computer has arrived but it’s too massive to go through the door into its reserved space – three black ‘computers’, the women hired to work out the maths the traditional way, are quietly going about their work. But then the Russians put Yuri Gagarin into orbit, and NASA is forced to take any help it can get. That turns out to be the mathematical wizardry of Katherine Johnson (Henson) who can calculate rocket trajectories in her sleep, the engineering skills of Mary Jackson (Monáe) who dreams of becoming a NASA engineer, and the pure savvy of Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer), who starts out asking for the role of supervisor and ends up one step ahead of the game by teaching herself to program the new computer. You know where the film is going – after all it’s based on fact – but what makes it compelling are engaging performances from the three leads, plus Kevin Costner as the NASA project lead, and the fact that this is not-so-distant history. Our three heroines have to battle the culture of ’60s America, with segregation, racism and sexism, but their single-minded attack on every barrier put in front of them makes this a movie about empowerment as much as the space race. It’s good to see these inspirational figures getting some long-overdue recognition for their efforts, and setting a great example to women of every age and colour around the planet. Highly enjoyable: make sure you see it.

We’ve also seen Lion (PG-13), starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, David Wenham, and Sunny Pawar, and directed by Garth Davis. Based on a true story, this tells the tale of five-year-old Saroo (Sunny Pawar) who boards a train in rural India, looking for his brother, and finds himself carried thousands of kilometres from home. He can’t speak the language, doesn’t know where he’s from and is lucky to be found and taken to an orphanage. There he’s adopted by an Australian couple (Kidman and Wenham) and taken to their home in Tasmania and a new life. But 20 years on, Saroo (now played by Patel) finds himself haunted by confused memories of life in India, until his discovery of Google Earth leads to an obsessive search for his home town and family. The strength of the film lies in not pulling any punches in painting a grim picture of survival for the street kids in India’s big cities, and a star performance from newcomer Sunny Pawar draws the audience in. Patel is almost as cute as the older Saroo, although the latter part of the film does lose its way as, not surprisingly, it’s pretty hard to make a Google Earth search into compelling cinema. But as our hero homes in on his past, the pace picks up again to make this a tear-jerker with a bitter-sweet ending. The minor characters don’t have much to get their teeth into but the younger and older versions of Saroo make up for that with performances that will have you blubbing all the way home. Take the tissues: you’ll need them.

Contrast those with this week’s offering, La La Land (12A), the multi-award winning movie starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, and directed by Damien Chazelle. Following its haul of Oscars, I had high hopes for this return to the Hollywood musical, a tale of actress Mia (Stone) and jazz musician Sebastian (Gosling) who are both struggling to mark their marks in their chosen fields. Sadly I was distinctly underwhelmed. I found the whole thing self-obsessed and self-indulgent, and while there were moments when you expected (and wanted) the movie to take off . . . it failed to get off the ground. Maybe I was just feeling jaded with Brexit blues, but I’d hoped to be entertained and inspired, and La La Land merely left me feeling dispirited. It was okay, just not the shot in the arm I’d been expecting.

It says a lot that I watched How to Tame Your Dragon 2 on tv the same evening, and enjoyed that much more: yes, the animated feature lost focus at times but ultimately it had all the life and sparkle that the Hollywood movie lacked. Save your money: this is an Oscar winner to avoid.

[janesnewweblog]

Neu-Lindsey Nature Reserve, home to the great green bush-cricket.

A cache with a sting worth investigating

A NEW geocache was published last week, so I raced over to be one of the first to find.

What a little gem! Not only does Electric Sparrow’s latest offering present a unique challenge, it also provides the opportunity to discover a beautiful little nature reserve, one less than two miles from home that I’d never heard of before.

Just off Culver Hill, this cache – named The Sting Operation – is placed next to the Neu-Lindsey Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and part of the Minchinhampton Common SSSI.

Home to the great green bush-cricket, this is one of the few traditional hay meadows left in the area, where the grass is only cut after the wildflowers have bloomed and set seed. The result is habitat that’s perfect for the rufous grasshopper, common blue and small white butterflies, and bee orchids, as well as the bush-cricket that’s immortalised in carvings on the gateposts that adorn the reserve.

I won’t spoil the fun by revealing the nature of the puzzle, but this is a great example of why I love geocaching: it gets you out into some beautiful countryside, provides a bit of mental exercise and unveils yet another wildlife sanctuary of which I wasn’t aware.

This little cracker of a cache comes complete with stunning views, a handy bench from which to admire the scenery, and some welcome shade.  Even if you’re not a fan of the great green bush-cricket, it’s great to think that this bit of meadow is protected to ensure a guaranteed home for insects, orchids and wildflowers.

Whether you’re a geocacher or not, this is a glorious spot and a real summer treat. Go on – get out and discover a glorious space reserved for creatures of all species, humans included.

[janesnewweblog]

Spying out the night-time glowings-on

Saturday, June 25, 2016

SATURDAY night was rainy and overcast, with occasional thunder and lightning to keep everyone on their toes. So what better way to spend the evening than by strolling onto Rodborough Common in search of glow-worms?

Over a dozen members of the Stroud Wildlife Survey Group gathered for the outing, preceded by a talk on glow-worms (Lampyris noctiluca) by county recorder Denise Gibbons. That might not sound riveting but they’re fascinating little critters when you get to know them.

They have a three-year lifespan, hatching from eggs and spending two-and-a-bit years feeding themselves up as larvae (these are dark with rather fetching pink spots along the sides) before pupating and emerging as adults to mate and then die.

 They don’t have a choice about dying – the adults don’t have mouth parts so aren’t able to eat and only live a couple of weeks.

 The larvae eat slugs and snails in rather gruesome fashion. They follow slime trails to the unfortunate slug or snail and bite it, injecting poison so it dies. They then inject a chemical which turns the creature into a soup to be slurped up.

 Each glow-worm larva eats around 70 slugs and snails in its lifetime. There was a scheme to breed them as natural predators for gardeners to try to keep the voracious gastropods at bay, but those behind the plan were unable to keep up with the glow worms’ appetites and ran out of their favourite food!

Glow-worms, we discovered, like damp undisturbed areas such as the more remote and ungrazed parts of the common. The glow is produced by the females, who hide at the base of grasses or climb up the stalks then hang on, slowly waving their abdomens in a seductive ‘come-hither’ signal to the males.

Only the males can fly so the area where they breed is limited to how far a female can travel, which isn’t that great a distance as they’re only about 3cm in length. What they lack in size, however, they make up for in luminescence - the glow is incredibly bright, designed to attract flying males who then home in on the signal.

Having soaked up these and other fascinating facts, we organised a glow-worm convoy and drove to the common where the rain had finally stopped and the evening was brightening up. By about 10.30pm it was dark enough to set off – the glow-worms don’t start glowing until human eyes can’t distinguish colours, only shades of black and grey – in hope of finding a few of the insects.

Over 30 minutes of searching we found four glow worms, all nestling at the bottom of the grass plants, and quite difficult to see.

If you fancy trying for yourself, head out any time from now to early August, find a damp(ish) area of undisturbed long grass, wait for dark and try spotting that tiny but brilliant glow at the base of the plants. Don’t use a torch – it won’t upset the insects but it will ruin your night vision and reduce your chances of seeing a glow – and don’t touch the glow worm: contact makes the female switch off her light, thinking she’s found her mate, and risks her losing her one chance of mating and producing the next generation.

County records are in urgent need of updating, in the hope that, once numbers and sites are known, glow worms can be afforded protection to ensure that numbers can be preserved. I’m waiting to hear where observations should be sent, so if you see any, please get in touch so we can add to the records of these brilliant little creatures.

[janesnewweblog]

OUSA Conference 2016 – hula hoops, cake and a jolly good time

Monday, June 20, 2016

I arrived home yesterday after a packed three days at the Open University Student Association Conference 2016 at Milton Keynes.

What a fabulous weekend! It was great to mingle with like-minded souls, students of all ages, from all over the country and Europe (I think the furthest travelled was from Albania), all intent on having a good time as well as getting down to some serious voting.

The serious bit was Saturday morning’s voting on by-laws, resolutions and the election of officers. Packed around that was everything from Observatory tours, society showcases and tai chi, to solar panel making, debates and guest speakers.

Transport was excellent, although the hotels were close enough to walk in, and there was time to enjoy the network of walkways and cycle paths just outside the campus – it really is set in a beautiful area.

The event gave everyone a chance to have a say in the Association’s work, and to get involved. Talking to fellow delegates, sitting on the Mulberry Lawn in the sun as the event drew to a close, the consensus seemed to be that it was great to feel part of the extended student family, to feel like ‘real’ students, and to make contacts to call on once we’d all returned to the normality of distance learning.

Thank you for the opportunity – and if you’re an OU student reading this who never knew Conference existed, look out for the event in 2018. I’ve got my name down already.

[janesnewweblog]

Fantastic phasmids!

Monday,  June 13, 2016

The family home is the scene of much rejoicing these days as our baby Madagascan blue-winged stick insects (Achrioptera fallax) are thriving.

Terry bought 50 eggs of this species back in January (from Germany on the internet), and they’ve been sitting in a plastic box in a heated tank since then. To tell the truth, I did think we’d been sold a pup or two, but two weeks ago they started to hatch . . . and the biggest have just gone through their first shed and emerged at second instar stage.

They’re supposed to eat bramble and raspberry leaves, although ours turned their noses up at those, but we’ve found that they like oak so are becoming dab hands at spotting a Quercus robur when we’re out and about, leaping out and grabbing a few leaves to bring home.

We now have three at second instar, and eight first – and the size difference is remarkable. Newly-hatched they’re not much longer than a 5p piece but the second stage are already about twice that size, with knobblier knees and bigger heads. Each insect will go through five instar stages before emerging as an adult. And they should be impressive – males are bright blue with tiny yellow wings, growing to about 14cm, while the females grow up to 20cm and are brown and thorny with red wings.

These days, mornings start with seeing if there are any new hatchlings and then making sure they all have leaves and moisture. And while they may not be the cuddliest of pets, they certainly are fascinating.

The photo shows the first and second instars. There are plenty of pictures of the colourful adult form to be found on the internet, but I’ll wait to post a few pics of our own if we can manage to raise them to maturity.

PS: if any publication would like a nature blog, please get in touch. It’s nice to have the time to blog on all manner of topics, but I could really do with some paid work too!

[janesnewweblog]

Shakespeare for a fiver? Bargain of the year!

Friday,  June 10, 2016

THIS week saw young Tel and myself snap up the bargain of the year to date: tickets to see the RSC’s current production of Hamlet at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon for a fiver a time!

This was a special offer coinciding with the filming of the performance, to be shown in cinemas next day. But while there were seven massive cameras in use throughout, including one soaring over us as it swooped in and out of the action, they didn’t intrude, the action flowed smoothly and the whole thing really was a class act.

My first trip to the RSC was back in the ’70s, a school trip to see Twelfth Night (Dame Judi Dench played Viola, which shows you how long ago it was). That really made Shakespeare come alive for me (thank you, Mrs Hawkins!) and I keep vowing to go more often. Last year we got tickets to see David Tennant as Richard II, which was absolutely stunning, and this contemporary version of Hamlet, starring Paapa Essiedu in the title role, was another cracker.

Watching the world’s best at work in the RSC’s home venue was an absolute treat: the sightlines were flawless, and every bit of the building was used to full effect, with players appearing from within the stage, abseiling down from the ceiling, and racing in along the gangways.

If that wasn’t enough, we stayed on afterwards for fish ’n’ chips across the river, then a relaxed stroll around the canal basin and a wander around the theatre, looking at costume exhibits, trying a few on – yes, there’s a dressing up box for visitors to enjoy – and just soaking up the ambience.

For anyone heading to Stratford for a play, it’s worth noting that we found a very handy car park at the Recreation Ground, which cost £6 for nine hours (and after 4pm it’s £2 until 8am next morning, which is great for an evening show).

Our day out proved to be a magical affair, all the better for being an absolute bargain: look out for the special offers on Twitter and head for the Swan to enjoy Shakespeare at its best.

[janesnewweblog]

Maybugs on the menu

Monday, June 6, 2016

Isn't he lovely? This is a May bug, otherwise known as a cockchafer, caught in our moth trap last night. It's been a strange year so far with low temperatures meaning not much insect activity at night, but now things are warming up and last night produced a good haul.

These little chaps were so abundant that they were seen as pests until the middle of the last 20th century when pesticides apparently put paid to many local populations. Numbers have now started to grow again as pesticide use is more strictly regulated.

A member of the family Scarabaeidae, you can tell the males from the females by the number of leaves on the antennae: the one above is a chap as he's got seven leaves visible on his right antenna, rather than the six the female has on each side.

Look out for them - they only live for five to seven weeks in the adult form, long enough for the females to lay her eggs and bury them. The grubs stay in the earth for three to four years before pupating, developing into adults, overwintering (still in the earth) and emerging towards the end of April or in May.

You won't find them on many a menu, but in the past they have been cooked and served up, although the recipes resemble stone soup in that it's the other ingredients that make them edible. A 19th century French recipe for cockchafer soup, for example, requires the insects 'roasted in butter, cooked in chicken soup with veal liver, and served with chives on a toast'.

Whether you want to eat them or admire them, they are beautiful - close up, those feathery antennae are marvellous. Set up a light outside on a warm evening and see if you can attract one of these creatures - they're harmless to humans and fascinating to see.

[janesnewweblog]

CITO success

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Today was gloriously sunny so, after a morning badminton session, I headed for Gloucester and a CITO event at Robinswood Hill.

Having parked at the visitor centre, I donned my hat, grabbed my stick, water bottle and gps, and set off up the hill. My path quickly converged with another walker, also clutching a gps, and having hailed each other as geocachers we joined forces to make the summit and find a cache or two.

First up was Robinswood's Most Wanted, nicely hidden up a steepish slope. Having a companion (Suzanne from Turner Tribe) is good fun and a big help, and we quickly had the cache in hand, left a killer whale (why not?), signed the log and replaced it for the next.

A steep climb but we made it, to be met by Evil Edna, Gordon, Mzebonga, Graham (minus Linda), Philippius, DivaWasp and a couple of others. EE had provided cakes so it was good to take a breather and munch on a cake while contemplating the views.

This being a CITO - Cache In, Trash Out - event, we were supplied with litter pickers and rubbish bags and then dispersed to rendezvous back at the car park in a couple of hours. Turner Tribe and I navigated round six other caches, being joined by Graham along the way. Having two buddies certainly speeded up the finds and added to the enjoyment, and it's a great area to visit if you're passing this way.

I've lived near here for 20 years and this was the first time I'd gone right the Trig point at the top - and that seemed to be the pattern for most of the other locals at the event. It's a bit of a pipe-opener, but well worth the hike, and you get the higher levels of the hill to yourself as it is a bit of an effort.

Great weather, good company and eight caches all together made this a great outing, and helping keep the area clean was an added bonus. Thanks to Evil Edna for another good event. See you at the next one.

[janesnewweblog]

Fly, Eddie, fly!

Went to see the movie Eddie the Eagle this week, and really enjoyed it. Based on the true tale of Britain’s most famous ski jumper, it’s the story of how young Eddie followed his dream of becoming an Olympian and, overcoming all obstacles thrown in his path, actually achieved that goal.

It could have been mawkish in the extreme, but this simple tale of determination overcoming adversity is a little gold mine. Yes, there are plenty of stereotypes in there along with the clichés, but the movie captures our hero’s determination, courage and can-do attitude to make this an inspirational tale.

Taron Egerton is a little star as the hero of the piece, while Hugh Jackman enjoys getting his teeth into the role of Eddie’s coach, tortured by his own demons after failing to live up to his own potential as a jumper.

I came away with no desire ever to stand on top of a 90m ski jump but with an admiration for a sportsman who let nothing stand in his way, whether that was lack of money, the pompous officials of the British Olympic Association, or the professional ski jumpers who looked down on him as an uncouth amateur.

I was lucky enough to interview the real Eddie a few years ago (he lives just down the road) and he was modest, charming and a thoroughly likeable chap. Great to see his Olympic exploits brought to the big screen in a thoroughly engaging movie.

[janesnewweblog]

Geocaching and other things

HAD a few days geocaching lately, with Oakey1 (as we struggled with The Parish Magazine) and with Sly3 on a family jaunt around the back lanes of Gloucestershire.

Oakey actually did all the brainwork in solving Seherezade’s new puzzle cache, and when he emailed to say he’d finally solved it last Sunday evening I thought it was the least I could do to provide the transport to snaffle the First to Find. So we trekked over on Monday afternoon, grabbed the final co-ordinates and proceeded to GZ to inscribe our names on a pristine log book.

Good work, Oakey, and good to chalk up another fiendish puzzle cache.

This weekend I had a solo trip to Sherston where I solved King Cnut’s Conundrum (smashing area to walk around, with lots of historic buildings to admire) and nabbed a couple of caches en route. Made a bit of a meal of the final find, having followed the low road and then negotiating the steep woodland to the higher path, but got there in the end.

Sunday saw us head over to Ashley for the latest Fine Pair, then on to Crudwell for one of Lord Maythorn’s Ford series and another Church Micro. Tel managed to trip in the churchyard with the camera going flying, but the polarising filter nobly sacrificed itself and saved the lens: a new filter will be a tad cheaper to replace. Lovely churchyard crammed full of snowdrops – a real picture at the moment.

On the way back we had a bash at Beech Shot, a new cache out today by Dr Al. I fear the good doctor is making life a bit too difficult as he put out four today which attracted a number of cachers but not too many finds. We couldn’t find this one, although did take the requisite photo, and reported a DNF, only for Dr Al to go check and find it had already been muggled. Will have a go when it’s in place and has been found!

Also enjoyed a ceilidh in Horsley Church where a friend had organised her 50th birthday party. Great way to celebrate with dancing and cake (great cake and lots of it too), in a super venue that really is an asset to the village and the school.

[janesnewweblog]

Blog the second

Appalling news from a friend I made in Australia many years ago. My buddy is Aaron Machado who’s devoted his life to helping wildlife, ever since some ratbag(s) decided it was fun to attack dolphins and shot and stabbed five of them in the Port River in Adelaide. These five all died and a youngster also died as its mum was one of the deceased. Aaron mortgaged his house to buy a boat and start patrolling the river, and he set up the Project Dolphin Safe (PDS) charity to spread the word about helping not hurting wildlife. PDS grew and grew and in 2003 Aaron formed South Australian Seabird Rescue (SASR) to deal specifically with the birdlife that was being referred to him. The two charities eventually combined to form Australian Marine Wildlife Research & Rescue Organisation (AMWRRO)in 2010 to deal with all injured creatures. AMWRRO has made the headlines in recent months as the organisation that looked after Jeremy the koala, one of the poor critters badly burnt in the bush fires at Sampson Flat in the Adelaide Hills. Pictures and videos of Jeremy made the news worldwide, especially when he was re-released back into the wild, with stories in the Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Mail amongst others raising AMWRRO’s profile. So I was really saddened to hear that the charity may have to fold as it lost a court case and was ordered to pay $180,000 in costs and compensation. I don’t know all the details but apparently Aaron made acomplaint about a state government official, the complaint was published (not by Aaron), the guy sued and the judge decided against AMWRRO. Aaron’s now facing having to sell everything he owns to cover the costs, which could mean shutting down the charity. Nobody else does this kind of work, and it would be a huge loss. I can’t do much from GB but I’ve written copy for a fund-raising page to raise the money without Aaron having to bankrupt himself and close the charity. The organisation is appealing against the decision but that costs $2,000 for the paperwork alone, and things aren’t looking great. I’ll keep everyone posted as to how this goes: not only is Aaron a friend he’s also a great guy who’s devoted his life to caring for creatures. This is wrong. Please spread the word and help AMWRRO find the funds to keep going. Their website is http://www.amwrro.org.au/ To donate money please visit https://www.mycause.com.au/page/87760/helpsaveamwrro

[janesnewweblog]

My first blog

1st February 2015

February started with the monthly reading of the gas and electricity meters – I’ve been reading the meters and sending data to Severn Wye Energy Agency since August 2010 as part of an energy research project. January’s always a bad month for energy consumption, but we keep lighting the wood burner and this year’s figures haven’t been quite so high as some.

That’s partly due to the partial double glazing and attic insulation, countered by the fact that Terry and Josh are both home more of the time at the moment so the heating is on more than it might have been. We’ve actually managed to get planning permission for new windows (single-glazed, of course, as double glazing would apparently ruin the aspect of our historic home – pah!) but I hope they’ll have an effect too. The aim is to get them done quickly while we still have a bit of money to pay for them . . .

After that it was off geocaching with Oakey1 to grab The Battle of Nibley Green. This puzzle cache had been frustrating us both for many a month, so we eventually joined forces to solve it and today was the day to grab the cache. A cold day, but beautiful with sun and a blue sky, and we yomped over a couple of fields then managed to track down the little blighter: a great sense of achievement, and it was followed up with six more caches for me (just one of Oakey, who lives a bit closer to this area) so a good excursion. We now have our sights set on the Mariner’s Treasure and the legendary Riddle Street . . .

Josh was working at Westonbirt so it was home to Terry and three whinging cats. Flannel is now renowned for his radar ability to hear whenever we’re trying to feed Tim and Ash quietly, and you never get away with it. Tim is getting more and more needy – of food and attention – as he gets older (estimates of his age vary from 15 to 20) so I’m trying to get hold of a baby sling for Terry to ‘wear’ him in – then the cat will be happy while Terry might actually be able to get at his keyboard.

All caches logged then there was a bit of gardening and a bit of Harry Potter to watch – I’m working through the films after our trip to Warner Bros Studio Tour last month – before starting some OU work. The second TMA (tutor-marked assessment) is due at the end of Feb so I’d better get down to it . . .