RSPB Bempton Cliffs: A Magic Morning

I went to Bempton Cliffs at the weekend and even though it was cold and overcast the visit was not wasted. The North sea blew a cold wind and the mist eventually came inland. However, I managed to get there before the mist appeared. This is a magicsl place for seabirds. Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Gannets co-exist on the edge of the land. 400 ft of shear rocks are home from March to October every year to at least 250,000 seabirds. nesting looks,a nd is, precarious. Competition for space is palpable and each bird fights for its own space for breeding. There were few Puffins there, but the other seabirds made up for that. there was even a Kestral flying along the cliff tops. probably looking for an easy meal!

RSPB Bempton Cliffs, Post Code: YO15 1JF

Art Installation: The Rising Tide

On the south bank of the Thames in central London, Jason deCaires Taylor has created this sculpture. Accessible at low tide, but submersion at high tide is also as spectacular. Here’s some photo I took at the weekend:

Back to My Pics! Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex

I snapped this river dwelling on the river Crouch at Burnham in Essex on the weekend of the local regatta (Burnham Week). The regatta was almost cancelled completely due to high winds and storms. You can see how much more dramatic it makes a monochrome (sepia) print. Taken on Ilford HP5 film due to the overcast skies and fast moving clouds.

Burnham on Crouch, River Crouch, Burnham Week, 1994, River Dwelling. Copyright the author 1994. Ilford HP5

London2012: Doctor gets closure at Olympic Games

Flags outside the Basketball Arena, Olympic Park. Copyright the author 2012

A 7/7 doctor says they now have closure after the 7/7 bombings 7 years earlier. That’s really good to hear.

Dr Hartle, one of 70,000 Games Makers volunteering in London, said: “We had just won the Games and the only thing people were talking about during the first hour of work that day was the Olympics. Most of us were pretty cynical. What was the impact going to be on those who lived and worked in London?”

He added: “Then, as you all know, the day turned out to be about something completely different, with the terrorist attack on London. I was there and I did my job. It wasn’t the job we planned to do that day, but we did it, and we did it well.

This is similar to my own journey, except I never had the trauma of the bombings as a medical expert.

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London2012: Shame on LOCOG Charging for 7/7 Bomb Victims and Families to watch The Games

Attack: This bus was destroyed by a bomber in Tavistock Square, London in 2005

It’s a bad start to the day when the news is of LOCOG charging for the ‘free’ tickets for survivors and the families of the victims of the July 7th bombings in 2005. OK so they are not charging the people themselves, but they are charging the taxpayer £221,000 according to the Mail report.

 

It seems a callous act to HD to even think of getting money back for the free tickets that the London mayor had promised them.

 

‘The GLA offered tickets to the families of the 52 people killed in the attacks and to 91 others who sustained ‘serious injuries’.  This was particularly poignant because the attacks on July 7, 2005, happened the day after the capital won its bid to host the Games…’

As a taxpayer, I am happy to foot this bill. If you have read from the start of HD’s journey you will know that the London bombings were the reason why he is a GAMESMAKER today. If I and 70000 others can do this for nothing (and may I add a lot of additional traveling costs as well) then an organization as big as LOCOG could forget their ticket receipts on this occasion. Shame on LOCOG’s men in suits and their innate greed!!!

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London2012: New Meaning to a Green Olympic Games

Tracked: Traffic controllers watched the convoy of IOC delegates and ensured they did not hit a red light, it is claimed

Looks like the powers that be will have their work cut out to keep those ‘Beamas’ moving across the capital. However, they have had plenty of practice apparently! Transport Gamesmakers you are so lucky! Never happens when HD negotiates the London streets.

 

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Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire

One of the many skylines at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire.Click photo to expand. Copyright the author, Ilford HP5

One of my getaway places is Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire, not far off the A10 north of Ely. So many superlatives cover this area of ancient wetland. One of a few left after much drainage throughout the fens. You will see creatures you only imagined existed! Not mythical of course, but a huge range of bugs and dragonflies await the patient observer. Wear insect repellent!!!

A few More Snaps…

Ruins in one of the quiet Mani villages. Copyright the author 2003. Agfa APX25

A typical tower house in one of the many villages on the Mani coast. Copyright the author, 2003. Agfa APX25

These are from a visit to The Mani peninsula in Greece in 2003. If you ever wondered why Greece was having so many problems right now with their status at the EU you just need to visit the Peloponnese in which the Mani sits at its southern tip. It is a relaxed, uncluttered place, has a wonderful population that responds positively to the English like no other place on earth. Planning authorities seem not to have ever discovered it and the law means the family and not some faceless official.

Village Ruins in the Mani. Copyright the author 2003. Agfa APX25

Based on the west coast at Kyparissos, there are numerous small villages to explore at your leisure as well as the extensive rugged coastline. It is a naturalist’s paradise with many freshwater outlets and miles of deserted sandy beaches to explore. After stopping for a few minutes at one inlet I saw a kingfisher and a swimming grass snake(Natrix natrix). No waiting endless hours for nature here. The swallowtail butterfly, sand lizards and gekkos are all in abundance.

Further along the coast lies Gytheio near which lies a splendid turtle beach. Choose the right time of the year and experience the turtles returning to the sea at night. Look for the rusting shipwreck and you are there! Gytheio itself is a great place to stop off to watch the local fishermen and take the sun on the harbour front amongst the many boats and nets. The nearest airport is at Kalamata. It’s also a military airport so do not expect too much in the way of services. From here the Mani is some 2 to 3 hours drive through the mountains.

 

Here is a great review of the Mani where the late travel writer, Patrick Leigh Fermor, called home.

 

HD