The 1999 Solar Eclipse over Stapleton

Solar Eclipse over Stapleton on Wednesday, 1999 August 11 around midday.
I took this photograph, during my lunchbreak, with an Olympus OM1.
The light was quite unusual , very different from moonlight. Before the eclipse there had been considerable chatter from the birds then, as it grew darker,all conversation quickly dropped off until an eery silence was added to the alien light. After a short while,just a few minutes I think, the light began to return to normal and with it the birdsong and normal life returned. A very interesting experience.
More info on this eclipse can be found here

In the garden today

Sunset over Eastville Park, Bristol

Slough election won on roll of a dice

BBC NEWS reports that: "Two candidates in Slough were forced to roll a dice to decide the outcome of the election after two recounts failed to split them. The Tory beat the independent." I've never heard of such a way to decide a democratic election!
This, for my sins, was my town of birth and, fittingly, the setting for Ricky Gervais' "The Office". A village originally known as Upton-cum-Chalvey as it first grew organically from a a muddy puddle (a slough) with a coaching inn, then faster with the advent of rail and the telegraph (the high tech of the day which enabled a criminal escaping from London to be nabbed by the rozzers at Slough railway station). Growth then artificially accelerated between the world wars by an influx of migrants from Wales , Ireland and the north of England together with a massive building program of council housing. While Slough was very successful in terms of employment, housing, social welfare etc, my memories are of a rather bleak and characterless place. When I first ventured away in my teens and discovered historic and wealthy places nearby like Datchet, Eton & Windsor on one side and Ivor Heath (when Pinewood Studios was still in full swing) on the other side, I could not help but see my home town in a poorer light. Mind you, that was in the '70's and I was drawn to the bohemian tribal lifestyle of collective living and pretty well anti-everything-that-was-straight. God, I was so immature! Now I understand why parents worry so much about their children.

R&B music legend Ray Charles dies

The legendary R&B musician, nicknamed 'The Genius' Ray Charles died last night aged 73, in Los Angeles. He died of acute liver disease, which was diagnosed after he underwent hip replacement surgery.
Apart from his musical legacy, he actively supported Martin Luthor King in the 60's by raising money for legals costs incurred when Martin was jailed after deliberately breaking the law.


R.I.P. Ray

War Diaries of Stapleton Tench Eachus

While searching for any references to Stapleton I came across the War Diaries of Stapleton Tench Eachus
The entry for the 9th June reads:
"Another cold night. Poured with rain all night, which has made the ground quite sodden. We have only one blanket and ground sheet per man and no wooden floors, which in such weather is both uncomfortable and dangerous for the men to lie down. Went on route march after the 2nd parade through the most beautiful country imaginable. The fair fields of France are fair indeed to look upon and are justly entitled to such distinction, for an hour I passed through waving corn-fields and rich pasture lands, all ablaze in brilliant colours, vivid red poppies, blue corn-flowers and flowers of countless hues, intermingled with the growing corn and spread out in all directions in picturesque patches on the cultivated slopes and in the valleys, Abbeville with its elegant spires and pinnacles could be plainly seen in the distance. It was indeed a truly glorious spectacle of peace and prosperity. Our path suddenly dipped sharply down into the valley of the Somme towards the village of Epagnette and upon gaining the main road, halted and adjourned into a cafe, where we indulged in some selections of light French wine. Arrived back in camp about 12 noon. Dinner 1 pm, parade at 2 pm, when we were tested in telegraphy which lasted until tea time, afterwards had shave and clean up and went down to the cafe where I called yesterday and conversed in French with Monsieur et Madame and their daughter. I remained with them until 10 pm partaking supper at their table, which consisted of steak, sausages and beans together with beer followed by a couple of eggs especially fried for myself and two cups of tea. The whole only costing me 1f 50c."

This paints an idyllic view of the war in France , with a very poignant remark about the flowers in the fields, but it was only his 3rd day in this country. Things will soon take a turn for the worse.

The diaries had been kept in a box and used as payment for a car repair inthe 70's. The new owner had held on to them until 1998 when he sold them to Jon Wickett. Jon has since transcribed the 15 diaries in their entirety , believing that they stand as a remarkable record of the times. The 1st diary is available online , the rest are for sale. Canny fellow!

Pepys' Diary

I have discovered that Pepys' Diary has been (or should I say 'is being') admirably translated to the blog format. Each day a new entry from the famous diary is added to the blog, which adds a dynamic interest.
Another advantage of this format is that both the creator of the blog and those reading it have added a considerable no. of annotations.
For example, in the entry for the 8th June 1661 which starts

'To Whitehall to my Lord, who did tell me that he would have me go to Mr. Townsend, whom he had ordered to discover to me the whole mystery of the Wardrobe',

we can see that Whitehall referred to the Palace, 'my Lord' was Sir Edward Mountagu (Earl of Sandwich and Master of the Wardrobe , was a distant relation of Pepys and they attended the same school at Huntingdon) and that Thomas Townsend was Clerk of the King's Great Wardrobe.

Cottage Gardens

ACS Education - Landscape Design has an interesting list of plants ssuitable for the cottage garden plus advice on planning.

Brachyscome multifida

Mystery Fly

Today in my Garden

The Transit of Venus

Hope I can get down to Castle Green to watch the Transit through the Bristol Astronomical Society and Bristol University telescopes.

The Dalai Lama on China, hatred, and optimism

I came across this conversation with the Dalai Lama. Fascinating.

Gardening for wildlife

Planting non-native species can sometimes introduce diseases that seriously affect native ones eg Dutch Elm disease. Dutch Elm Disease is the fungus, Ophiostoma ulmi, which is spread by the bark beetles Scolytus scolytus and Scolytus multistriatus. These beetles feed in the upper branches of the tree and introduce the fungal spores to exposed tissue. Once infected the disease spreads rapidly and unless treated at the early stages the tree will not survive. Although the disease was first recorded in the UK in 1927 it was a non-aggressive strain and had a very limited impact. However in the 1960's a more aggressive strain, originating from North America, was imported into this country via diseased timber. Within 10 years 50% of all English elms in the south of Britain had been destroyed. Further north the effects were less devastating due to climate and relative isolation.
Japanese Knotweed is a prime example of introducing a foreign species that then thrives due to having no natural enemies, much to the detriment of local flora and fauna.
With the destruction of local species comes the reduction and eventual loss of all those that depend on them ; butterflies and birds being particularly sensitive.

Visit The Natural History Museum's Postcode Plants Database. It has provided us with an extensive database of native flora searchable by postcode based on the Atlas of the British Flora, 3rd Edition (published by the Botanical Society of the British Isles, 1982).
Using the Postcode Plants Database to identify suitable plants, gardeners and householders can contribute directly to native species conservation in Britain.

In my postcode area, I found that there are over 600 native species , including

• 142 annuals, e.g. Anthemis cotula (Stinking Chamomile!)


• 38 biennials, e.g. Campanula glomerata (Clustered Bellflower)


• 6 climbers, e.g. Clematis vitalba (Traveller's-joy)


• 43 geophytes, e.g. Iris pseudacorus (Yellow Iris)


• 59 herbaceous perennials


• 17 large shrubs or small trees


• 19 large trees


• 36 marsh plants


• 202 perennials


• 2 parasites ie Cuscuta europaea (Greater Dodder) and Viscum album (Mistletoe)