A Walk in the Park

Photo: Jo Goldsworthy – Hampstead Heath
‘My walk back from the Ladies' Pond the other day before breakfast. Frosty and beautiful’


Photo: Russell Savory – Cornwall
Barn Owl perched whilst hunting

Exciting find - Picasso vase discovered in the Tamar Valley - Cornwall

Photo: Paul Keen – Edition Picasso  Madura

The vase has been identified as Chouetton (owl) part of the Plein Fue series produced at the Madura Works Southern France in 1952   The vase is painted and glazed on white earthenware and measures 26cm high.

In 1946 Picasso met the owners of the Madura Works who gave him access to tools and materials he required for ceramic design. Madura then produced and then sold his work in a collaboration lasting 25 years.

A charming little bird–South West of England

Photo: Western Morning News

The cirl bunting, a sparrow-sized bird found in south west England, has seen a remarkable turnaround in its fortunes in the past quarter of a century, with breeding numbers rising from little over 100 pairs 25 years ago to 1,078 pairs in 2016.

The boost to numbers comes after a 25-year project by the RSPB and local farmers in the area where the bird is found to help manage land in a way that supports cirl buntings, ensuring they have year-round food supplies and habitat.

Wildlife experts said the decline in the birds to a low of 118 pairs in 1989 was probably down to changes in farming practices, including a switch to autumn-sown cereals, increased pesticide use and removing hedges to create larger fields. The changes led to a loss of food sources and nesting sites for the birds, which forage in weedy stubble fields in winter and nest in hedges or scrub in the summer, when they rely on natural grassland full of insects such as grasshoppers for food.

The RSPB worked with farmers to help them take advantage of wildlife-friendly farming funding schemes, in which they receive payments for implementing measures to help cirl buntings.
These include growing spring barley, which after the harvest is left as weedy stubble to provide seed the cirl buntings can eat during the winter, and planting margins of grassland along field edges to provide insects and spiders for summer food.

While the bird is still mostly confined to Devon, a reintroduction scheme in Cornwall has established a population in the county which now 65 breeding pairs, according to the most recent survey.
Other species are also likely to see a boost from the measures implemented by farmers, with linnets, skylarks and yellowhammers all benefiting from winter stubble food and brown hares, horseshoe bats and rare plants seen again in fields, the RSPB said.

The unploughed stubble field has become a feature of the farmed landscape in Devon and Cornwall in recent years – thanks to environmental support payments that encourage farmers to leave cereal fields until the spring, to help over-wintering seed eating birds.

The Big Moon - a once in a lifetime event!

Photo: reuters/Rebecca Naden
The moon rises near Glastonbury Tor a day before the "supermoon" spectacle, in Glastonbury, Britain, 13 Nov. 2016
Photo: Andrew Fusek Peters  Moon rising in Shropshire 14 Nov. 2016

Photo: reuters/Yagiz Karahan
The Big Moon is seen over the historical Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkey, 14 Nov. 2016

‘Supermoon’ became a term thanks to an astrologer in the 1970s!  It refers to a full moon that is at perigee, or at its closest position to Earth along its orbit.
The moon is typically about 238,900 miles,away from Earth, but was about 221,524 miles away from Earth this week.

The moon will not look as large as it does on Monday until 2034 and the last time it was this big was in January 1948.

Blue Mountain Union News: When Australia said ‘NO’ to conscription

          Hall Greenland, Mark Gregory, Drew Cottle,  Rowan Cahill, Colleen Burke

Peace activists gathered at Addison Road Community Centre in Marrickville last week to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the defeat of the WWI conscription referendum. Two referendums took place under the Prime Ministership of Billy Hughes, the first one in October 1916 and then again in December 1917—both referendums were successfully defeated by the growing Anti-Conscription Movement.

Hannah Middleton, a lifelong peace activist, said it was important to remember the carnage of WWI in order to understand current worldwide conflicts.
“The loss of life in WWI is an exemplar of just how appalling war is. We should have reached a stage of civilisation in how we resolve matters in other ways. Humanity is precious and we see the destruction of thousands upon thousands of young men, again and again, just for a few yards.     “And as we say it about WWI, about Passchendaele and Ypres, we have to say it about Syria.”

 http://bmuc.blogspot.com.au

The Jamaican 50 - Britain - September 2016

Graphics by Ruth Gregory

Wednesday 28 September 2016 - Morning Star feature column  by Zita Holbourne

Zita Holbourne is the co-founder and national co-chair of Barac UK and elected to the Movement Against Xenophobia national steering group, the PCS union national executive and the TUC race relations committee. She is a poet, visual artist and curator.

.Among the 50 targeted were spouses, parents, grandparents and primary carers of British people. Several had been living in Britain for decades, some had come as small children. They included those going through naturalisation or appeals and those who had not been regularised because of administrative errors.

Simply amazing – Rio Paralympics !

Photo Getty – Hannah Crockford winning gold in the 400m at Rio

   Hannah Lucy Cockroft MBE is a British wheelchair racer specialising in sprint distances in the T34 classification. She held the Paralympic and world records for the 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres in her classification.

    Hannah Cockroft won her third gold medal at Rio 2016 on Friday (16 September) with a fantastic performance in the 800m race at the Olympic Stadium. This was the ninth day of the athletic competition in blistering temperatures yet Cockroft blew away a high-class field in the T34 category to finish in a time of 2:00.62 min.
    Hannah Cockroft is now the reigning world champion and world record holder in this 800m event;  held in the Paralympic Games for the first time.

I am planning a wildflower garden next spring –Torpoint Cornwall

Coastal path walk Polawn Cottages to Cawsand via Rame Head 26-08-2016

A perfect summers day – overlooking Whitsands Bay

Polawn Cottages below
 
Teasels beside the coastal path

Chalet garden overlooking Polawn beach

Rame Head – famous landmark for sailors along this coast.

Closeup - Old chapel and landmark at Rame Head
 
Alan and Scarlett on coastal path.

Coastal path on a perfect summers day.

Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance –Teesside 13th - 20th August 2016

  
Chile - photos by Pete Copeland

Martinique
 
Russia (Bashkortostan)

South Korea
Photos by Chris Luke 
      Billingham International Folklore Festival (BIFF) 2016, including the World Dance sculpture designed and created by Carmen Avalos - a former dancer who performed in Billingham at the festival in 1979/1983 and has since become a world famous Mexican sculpturist with work showcased all over the world. 
      It started one Saturday when an Irish Dance Troupe led by a Sunderland head teacher, Phil Conroy performed on the Town Square and attracted a large and enthusiastic audience. At the end of the show Mr. Conroy happened to mention that his group had just returned from the continent where they had performed at a week long folklore festival. He also remarked that the traffic free town centre would be an ideal setting for such a festival. 
       In 1965 the first Billingham Festival was formed. Billingham then became a founder member of C.I.O.F.F., the International organisation of Folklore Festivals and Phil Conroy became its General Secretary. a post he held until his death.
        From small beginnings - only Austria, Estonia and Hungary were represented at the first festival (now in its 43rd year) over the years the Festival hosted over 15000 performers from more then 90 countries and each year it hosts 8-10 groups with over 400 artists from abroad and presents the best, World of folklore dance and song has to offer, at two local venues - The Forum Theatre, the Festival Outdoor Arena in Billingham Town Centre.
        In 1999 the festival became an independent limited company and registered charity. It has also concluded a partnership agreement with Stockton Borough Council which guarantees its future.

Miners Gala celebrating its 132nd march through Durham City

Historical banners




Former miner Billy Huitson, 90, entertained crowds at the gala

The balcony of the County Hotel - Getty Image

   Organised by the Durham Miners' Association since 1871, It is essentially a trade union rally but also a fun day out for the family and an occasion when former miners, their friends and well-wishers can get together .It features a parade of union banners through the streets of Durham City before crowds gather at the nearby racecourse for a rally and speeches.
‘The Big Meeting’ is a reminder that the miners of County Durham and Northumberland produced a large amount of the coal which was the mainstay of Britain’s industries and provided the heating and lighting for millions of homes. That output, which was fundamental to Britain’s civilisation, was achieved at great cost in terms of life and limb.

   Although Labour leaders had been regular speakers in the past, Ed Miliband was the first Labour Leader to address the gala for 23 years. To-day we have Jeremy Corbyn speaking as Labour Leader.
   Over 160,000 people have attended this year despite the inclement  weather. Corbyn addressed this meeting together with other speakers at this year's event including veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner and TUC leader Frances O'Grady.

Mr Corbyn said he had spoken to some Labour MPs who had been barred from appearing on the main platform, but stressed it was up to the DMA to issue invitations.
DMA general secretary Dave Hopper said: "Contrary to recent press reports, Labour MPs who refused to support Jeremy Corbyn in the recent vote of confidence have not been banned or barred from attending this year's gala. The gala is a public event which anyone can attend.
"However, the invitations to attend the official Durham Miners' Association events and functions, stand on the balcony of the County Hotel and grace the platform on the racecourse have been rescinded."
He said: "Jeremy Corbyn is a guest of the Durham Miners' Association and we will not allow those who have sought to humiliate him and undermine the democratic process in the Labour Party the honour of taking part in the aforementioned gala traditions."

Thousands march through London today, in protest against the Brexit vote

Photo – Reuters

Thousands of demonstrators marched through central London on Saturday in a raucous and colourful protest against last week's referendum vote to leave the European Union.

The marchers were nearly all young adults, and many were draped in EU flags while others waved banners bearing slogans such as "I'm with EU" or simply "Wrexit." They chanted "what do we want to do? Stay in the EU," as they headed towards Parliament Square.

The demonstration ended peacefully with a rally outside parliament. No police estimate of the turnout was immediately available! The organisers put it at 50,000.

Eloy Velasquez exihibition – Santander Spain 29-06-2016

Sculpture – Eloy Velasquez  ‘NO CROSSING’  Santander Port Cantabria
Photos – Susan Lammiman

World Giraffe Day–21 June 2016

   Zarafa was one of two diplomatic giraffes that Muhammad Ali (the Ottoman viceroy of Egypt) dispatched to Europe, a gesture he hoped would take the sting out of opposition to his efforts to suppress the Greek uprising against Ottoman rule. He sent one of the animals to George IV of Britain and the other to curry favour with the newly incumbent King Charles X of France.

   Zarafa set foot on the dockside in Marseille on 31 October 1826. She overwintered in the south, before being led by Saint-Hilaire on the long, 885-km march to Paris. As she made her way to the French capital, the people began to refer to her as “le bel animal du roi” - “the beautiful animal of the King”. Once Charles X had received Zarafa, she was put on show in the Jardin des Plantes. In the last three weeks of July 1827, 60,000 people came to see her - Paris adored her.
  This beautiful animal lived on at the Jardin des Plantes until 1845.


  The adoration triggered a giraffe-inspired craze, with Zarafa the subject of songs, instrumental music, poems, music-hall sketches and items of high fashion.

Earthquake near Uluru - Northern Territory - Australia 21-05-2016

Uluru - photo by Purepix/Alamy
A earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9, unusually powerful for Australia, struck the country’s desert centre early on Saturday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the 10km (6 miles) deep quake.
It was centred 460km west-southwest of the outback town of Alice Springs and close to Uluru.

Maker Church walk through old woodland bridle way 13-05-2016

View from Maker Church
   
 
Empacombe 1mile Cremyl Ferry 1 3/4 miles



Old bridle way

Big Mews and Little Mews on the horizon – view from Mt Edgecumbe Park

Young beech leaves in Mt Edgcumbe Park