GeoffandWendy

Some nice finches, sparrows and tits there. Wendy & I had a walk round Middleton Lakes (RSPB Reserve) yesterday, only a few miles from where we live. There is quite a large Heronry at the location. We noticed a bit of activity, as some of them seemed busy repairing their nests. Next time we visit, I will try and get some photos. Only took the binoculars and left the camera behind. This reserve has only be opened for a couple of years and is still under development. The whole area covers an area about three miles long and just over half a mile across. The River Tame & the Birmingham & Fazely Canal run through the area, and the many lakes that have formed are from old gravel pit workings. Further along the Tame Valley about four miles away, is Kingsbury Water Park, another wildlife haven, run by Warwickshire County Council. This again used to be old gravel workings. The park is well established and has been open since the late 1980s. There is a Seven & a Quarter Gauge Miniature Steam Railway that runs through part of the park for about one and a half miles. (£1.50 all classes approx 20 minute ride) Large free children's playground, cafeteria, gift shop and information centre and an education centre. Lots of woodland and lakeside walking on well maintained paths. There are also a few lakes dedicated for yachting, jet ski's (both private clubs) and a model boating lake (again model boat club). A good family day out for just £3.50 all day parking. So if you are ever in the area, a good place to visit. 2 miles from Junct 9 (M42).

Ha, bet that fooled you all! I bet you thought I was going to talk about Aliens and UFO's Looking at the "New Member's Say Hi" page, it seems that Wendy & I are the first new members to join in 2015. No new members have joined since then. Maybe they have joined the other forum instead, like we did, before joining this one, which I must say, we like the best. You are all more chatty on here and you can have a good laugh at some of the comments. Glad we joined! Oh by the way, just to let you all know it is my birthday tomorrow 21 again and this will be my 48th post. Just 2 more to reach the golden 50.

Oh I do feel so much better now, that you are all feeding our feathered friends. I will be able to sleep at night.

Being a resident boat owner, he should have know better and age is no excuse. Speed limits are put there for a reason, to prevent bank erosion and moored boats from crashing against jetties. If he had taken notice of the ranger and slowed down when ordered to, and apologised instead of mouthing off, saying he was trying to make the bridge before the rising tide, he might have just been given a caution. No excuse really. I bet he doesn't speed again.

Sounds quite good fun. There is no mention of when it takes place. I suppose it will be mid summer.

Seems not many of you feed the birds. There have been no posts since I last posted.

Does a free TV licence come with it

I started reading this topic after it was first started, then it started going of track and the the mention of the smoking ban got dragged into it. Then we got the mention of dredging, which led to Robin describing his state of the art dredging craft, which came to him whilst having a cup of coffee, by noticing how the coffee machine, produces nice little cakes of compressed coffee grains. Combining this with Mr Dyson's cyclonic action vacuum cleaner, could be the beginning of a complete new idea, to dredging. Of course, to build a dredger on this scale would cost vast amounts of money and I doubt whether anything like this would ever be built. If I were you Robin, I would stick to your Captains Blog, which everyone really enjoys and leave dredging to the Broads Authority to worry about. To get back to the main subject on this topic, I don't think becoming a National Park will make any difference. It will still remain a haven for wildlife and be a leisure area for boating. Both can live in harmony with each other as long as it is regulated properly. If boating was restricted on the Broads, many jobs would be lost and peoples livelihoods would severely be affected. I doubt that this will happen and boating will play its part as it always has done. It has not affected boating in the Lake District or even the Canal network, where some canals run through areas of SSI's.

I doubt it will happen in our lifetime grendel but it doesn't mean that aliens don't exist. If aliens have visited our Earth, (which I believe they have) then they must be many generations more advanced than we are, and have the technology to be able to build craft that can travel at the speed of light. What form these aliens may take is anybodies guess, but I doubt that they would appear to look like us. For anyone interested in watching this video about the 1980 UFO incident in Rendelsham Forest here it is. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ufo-sighting-alert-strange-flashes-lights-over-rendlesham-forest-sparks-rumours-1485475

I have never seen anything that could be described as a UFO, but I do believe that we are definitely not alone in this vast Universe. There has to be other life forms out there, that may even be different from us. Recently, through ever increasing technology, scientist's have discovered that many distant stars (suns) have planetary systems, and even know that there are possibly similar planets to our own Earth, that could also possibly support some form of life. Just look at it all this way: Why should we, amongst hundreds of trillions of stars, just in our own galaxy (The Milky Way) be the only planet to support life. To add to this, there are thousands of other galaxies in the universe, some far larger than our own galaxy. The chances are that there are probably thousands of stars out there that have orbiting solar systems, very similar to our own and a good majority of these, there will be life. Life as we know it today, was so very different five million years ago. Then only dinosaurs roamed the Earth. We had not even been developed. The Earth is reputed to be four and a half billion years old, since it was formed, so it has taken that length of time, to produce intelligent life. Compare this time span, with how long humans have been on the planet, is the equivalent of one word, out of all the words written in the Bible. Compare that to the average life span of the human species (approx 80 years) is just a drop in the ocean. Okay, so let us now look at things on a similar pattern, of how the Universe has and still is evolving. As I have explained, that we are still in the infancy stage of evolution, it is quite possible that there are other much older star systems than ours. These could be at a much later stage of development than we are, therefore, there could be more advanced life forms than us. Just watching what we are doing, how we are developing. Take the Nascar Lines in the Peruvian Desert, could these have been placed as a marker for visiting Gods (aliens) for what other purpose would all these lines and symbols be for, when they only make sense when viewed from above. Maybe aliens gave the the natives the technology to build these great cities that have been lost over time and recently discovered in the Amazon Jungle. This theory has been ridiculed many times, but I still maintain that these symbols were related to star visitors or aliens, what ever you want to call them, but with great technology, this cannot be completely ruled out. If there are, more advanced intelligent life forms out there than us, then they could well have developed the technology to travel at the speed of light and are able to travel much greater distances in a much shorter time, thus enabling them to have the capability to observe the Earth. Yes, they would know of our existence and have probably been watching us for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Most sightings of UFO's, have been seen, mainly around military establishments, especially those that had facilities for storing nuclear weapons. One prime example was at the USAF base at Bentwaters near Ipswich, where a UFO encounter was observed in the nearby Rendelsham Forrest during the 1980s. This was treated as top classified material and all personnel who came into contact with this incident being sworn to the official secrets act. So much of the actual information about this particular incident is still, and always will remain classified. Government's are well aware that UFO's do exist, but will never come clean and divulge all the known facts and material. I agree, that there are a lot of sightings that can be explained and that many are just made up, but there are a few that, are more than likely, genuine physical sightings. So why don't they make proper contact and make themselves known. Well I believe that, that time has not yet come. We are too much war hungry yet and are not civilised enough to all live in harmony together. The aliens could just be observing our behaviour. As long as we all have these nuclear weapons which are capable of destroying the planet, they may not be prepared to make proper contact. These alien civilisations have left that stage of their development as history and have learned to live in harmony and explore the solar systems that they know, exist. Are they sending us a message of warning, that unless we get rid of all these nuclear weapons, then we have no future. They may even be looking for other worlds to populate, because there own planets are dying, through exploitation, causing a similar form of global warming, like we are. What I have said, will no doubt seem a bit over the top, to some of you, and think I am a bit of a dreamer, but just answer this: What is the purpose of the whole Universe? Why is it here? What was there before the Big Bang? Why should we just be the only populated planet in our own galaxy, never mind the rest of the Universe? I don't think so. We are not alone, believe me. We are amongst other greater civilisations. The problem being, we have not yet gained the technology, to make contact let alone, even visit any civilised worlds. Until we are capable, We will always wonder is there other life out there. But don't ridicule the possibility of UFOs. Other intelligent civilisations will have gained far greater technology than we have. Equally, there are possibly many other worlds that are at the stage of development, like we were during the evolution of man.

Yes I read about this incident and like everyone has said, it makes your blood boil when things like this happen to anyone, let alone to a poor defenceless old man with disabilities. The trouble is, when these lo life thugs that do these things, finally get arrested, all the police can do is leave it to the judges, to decide their punishment. It is about time that the UK took a lesson from the American judicial system, where life means life and for crimes like this, they would serve at least ten years behind bars. If they do catch the person responsible for this horendous attack, he will probably get six moths maximum sentence, which will mean he only spends half of it behind bars. The only real answer, is to make the punishment fit the crime. For crimes of violence give minimum sentences of at least ten years, with no option of parole. Let them spend the whole sentence behind bars. Maybe it will sink in to these lo life people, that society will not tolerate behaviour like this. I remember reading in the papers, quite a while ago now, about a Liverpool lad getting birched in the Isle of Man, because he violently attacked someone. (This was sometime during the seventies) The Birch was administered by the Isle of Man Police Force, as it was part of the Manx Law. Anyway to cut a long story short, this lad complained on his return to the mainland and he got compensation for being treated the way he was. Since then, Birching was done away with in the Isle of Man. Apparently, before that incident, the birch had not been used on the island since 1952, and the crime rate on the island for these sort of crimes were very rare. The Birch obviously served as a good deterrent against young hooligans, committing these sort of offences. Maybe it ought to be reintroduced again, in this country, it might knock some sense into these kind of people.

This would be better! Hoseasons Boating Holidays

Wendy sees to the birds in our garden. It seems that the starlings always get there first when she throws any bread out. We have a pair of regular Magpies, a resident Robin and quite a number of Bluetits, Chaffinches and a Large Heron, keeping watch over our pond. Just a decoy really, but it works, as long as you move him around each day. Plenty of grey squirrels always there to pick up any left overs. This morning, Wendy mixed some lard and some old Quaker oats together to form some fat balls and the birds were going mad, until Millie our cat, showed up, after a visit next door. But the birds aren't put off by her.

The night sky has always held a fascination for me, ever since I was a small boy. There is so much to see up there, even with the naked eye, but you will be amazed what a decent pair of binoculars will reveal. The winter sky is always my favourite, as it has so much more to offer, although the summer constellations can provide some very nice views. The advantage of winter viewing, is longer and crisper nights, the disadvantage is the colder weather, so you need to wrap up warm. The summer skies at night are much shorter, allowing only a short viewing period between sunset and sunrise. The air is more turbulent as the earth looses its daytime heat, thus making viewing some times more hazy caused by our atmosphere. The only real advantage is that it is more comfortable, without the need to keep warm. But there is still lots to see I was just wondering if there is anyone interested in Astronomy. Anyone living in the Norfolk Broads area, are fortunate enough, to have reasonable dark skies. I live approx 15 miles NE of Birmingham, 3 miles S of Tamworth, so the area has quite a lot of light pollution. Observing the night sky through a pair of decent binoculars, can bring out much larger star fields than the naked eye and. There is a lot to see if you know where to look. Take the constellation of Orion for instance. Easy to pick out during the winter months right through to the end of April. Orion the Hunter cannot be missed, as it dominates high above the Southern horizon. Look at the three stars in the middle of Orion, (Orion's belt) these form a diagonal line pointing upwards from left to right. Just below this belt there are a few stars pointing downwards, these form Orion's sword. Look at these through a pair of binoculars 10 x 50 and you should see a white fuzzy patch of light. This is the well known Horses Head Nebula. To see it much better, you need a decent sized telescope. You can buy a decent 4.5 inch reflecting telescope for about £130 which will enable you to view many distant galaxies, and star clusters, as well as good views of Mars, Jupiter and its four major moons, Saturn and its rings. The Moon can be explored in great detail by viewing at different magnifications. One of my favourite star clusters, are the Pleiades or The Seven Sisters. The main seven stars of the Pleiades can be seen with the naked eye and resemble a miniature version of the Plough but much closer together. It can be seen almost overhead during the winter months. View these through a pair of binoculars and you will be amazed how many stars there are in this cluster. A Telescope will reveal hundreds of tiny stars all grouped closly together, it is a beautiful site. Yet most of the larger stars of this group are actually light years distant from each other, its just that they are in the same line of sight, which make them appear very close to each other. If you want to study the night sky in more detail, you will need to buy a star atlas, which will direct you month by month, as to what stars are visible throughout the year and how to find your way around. There are many good books available for the amateur astronomer, which will help you to get started. Here are a couple of views of my 4.5" Reflector Telescope on Dobsonian Mount.

Have a nice evening Grace but don't get your handbag strap caught in your white high heels.

Alan, Thank you for sharing those photos of your Scottish holiday. The Falkirk Wheel is a magnificent piece of engineering. Slightly different to the Anderton Boat Lift at Northwich, which is quite an experience. Although your time spent there seemed a bit regimental regarding times and movement, along the canal, I'm sure it was quite a memorable experience.

We booked our first Broads Holiday, early this month for a week in April 2015, through Hoseason's because we happened to have been sent their brochure. We were not aware of any individual boat operators and thought booking through Hoseason's was the way to go. We chose Star Gem from Richardson's, being a one level boat, we thought that would suit us being pensioners. However, since we joined the NBN Forum, we are a little bit wiser and now realise that there are a good choice of Hirer's to choose from, where you can book direct. Not sure whether by booking through Hoseason's is any cheaper than booking with Richardson's direct, but we were happy with the price, so went ahead anyway, and booked. Since then we have now booked a second holiday for 1 week starting late September, but this time we have booked direct with Brinkcraft at Wroxham. For this holiday, we chose one of their three Topliner boats, again being a one level boat with a nice after sun deck area. It seems that Hoseason's don't do bookings for any other operator on the Broads, other than Richardson's, hence, us booking a Richardson's boat.. I am in no way saying that we won't consider Richardson's in the future, its just the fact that at the time, we didn't know of any other way of booking a Broads holiday. but if we do, I will book it direct and not book through Hoseasons. At least we now have all the information about all the boat hirer's. We didn't realise there were so many, until we joined the NBN Forum

My version Clive is just the same, but without the 3 veg, mash and gravy. Just something a bit different for a quick meal.

This quick cook recipe will warm the cockles of your heart, for a quiet night at a secluded mooring. Serves two 2 large Baking Potatoes Six sausages sliced lengthways in halves 1 large mushroom chopped 2 large tomatoes sliced 2 eggs egg cup full of milk approx 4 oz of extra mature grated cheddar Method: Bake the potatoes in oven or microwave (best done in hot oven) Beat the eggs, milk in a small jug, season with salt & pepper Lightly fry the sliced sausages and mushrooms in a small frying pan, then place them in an oblong or oval casserole dish arrange the uncooked sliced tomatoes around the dish pour in the beaten egg mix. Pop in microwave just to set the egg mix. Remove and then sprinkle the grated cheese over the whole of the dish and bake in a hot oven for half an hour. Serve portions on a plate and garnish with a side salad and Jacket potatoes.

A Special Recipe For Grace Breakfast Eggy Bread Fry Up 4 Slices of Thick (Toastie) Bread 2 Eggs Milk about 2 Tablespoons full. Salt & Black Pepper Tin of Tomatoes (Whole or Chopped - your preference) Beat the eggs and milk in a bowl, add salt and ground black pepper to taste. Next open tin of tomatoes using suitable tin opener (NOT a Screwdriver) and heat in a pan or Microwave oven Pour a little cooking oil into your frying pan and warm until it is quite hot. Place a full slice of bread in the pan and lightly fry on both sides until it is light brown. Then pour some beaten egg mix over the fried bread, just enough to cover the slice. Fry further until egg is cooked, turning to do both sides. Will have to be repeated, depending how much a glutton you are, or how many you are cooking for. Place your cooked slice of eggy bread on a plate and spoon over with tomatoes to taste. You can garnish this with some rashers of hot crispy bacon, sausages, black pudding, mushrooms or whatever you like. Or just have it on its own. Wash down with a nice cup of Tea or Coffee!

I had the honour of actually being selected to form part of the gun carriage crew, that bore Churchill's coffin and we spent hours and hours going through the rehearsals at the Royal Naval Barracks in Portsmouth. Unfortunately, I fell and broke my arm, several days before the funeral, so I was unable to carry out the duty. I was so disappointed, as it would have been such an honour to have been part of the funeral procession. I had to be content with watching it on television. I was 21 years old at the time and had reached the rank of, Leading Hand. (the equivalent of a Corporal in the Army) I eventually reached the rank of Chief Petty Officer before I was demobbed. Just one of those unfortunate incidents that do happen I suppose,, but that's life.

Yes it is, also like keak and stidney pudding.

Never laughed so much for a long time Ian! We managed to buy the last three from Aldi Store,s a few days ago. They are now in the freezer. You only seem to be able to get them here in January. Wendy & I just love the wee creatures. Long live the Haggis!

Like it Grendel

Not as early as the one we had in March quite a few years ago now, (not exactly sure of the year, about 2003 I think) and it was severely cold with snow blizzards. It was recorded the coldest Easter on record. It doesn't happen very often, but Easter can sometime fall in early March. The more norm is for Easter to fall in April.