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Short Hike Through Glorious Chess Valley in England.

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 Introduction   This evening, I am reporting on a very rewarding two hour hike in Buckinghamshire, England.  Video Clip of Chess Valley    Information on the Hike The route was circular, starting and finishing in the village of Latimer (pop 1000).Latimer is about four miles from the town of Amersham which, in turn, is about 33 miles NW of London . The hike was undertaken in temperatures in high 20s centigrade (low 80s fahrenheit). As will be evident from the images herein, I benefited from lush, green landscapes around a valley through which flows the River Chess. Here, there is about 2000 years of history from the Romans and medieval, through to WW2. As regards nature, I passed through ancient woodland, witnessed many butterflies, wildflowers, swans on the river, and cattle. Here is an  interesting group of colourful wildflowers whjch have been allowed to grow on the edge of a cricket field.  Ancient Woodland   Landscape View  De...
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Eastwood Park

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 Dumped Chair One of a few mountain bike jumps. Dumped wooden bench Wheelbarrow in nearby burn
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Broadway, England

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 Introduction This afternoon, I am posting information on the popular visitor site of Broadway in the  English Cotswolds. Landscape view of Broadway and Vale of Evesham   Information on Broadway This is an upscale residential and shopping location with population of about 2,500. Well positioned, being within reach of Chipping Campden ( 5 miles to east), town of Evesham ( 8 miles to N.W.) and Cheltenham ( 20 miles to S.W.).  At heart of the village sits the well regarded (4 star rated) Lygon Arms hotel. Facilities include pool, sauna, steam room and gym. Positioned to the south, above the village, is the 66 feet high Broadway Tower which affords superb views over the local landscapes. Broadway is home to a wide range of independent, high- end shops. View of Broadway   Jeweller  Elaborate Wisteria growth over shop front.  View of village   Broadway Hotel   Shop fronts  Lygon Arms    Here is a record of a one-da...
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UFO OVER GLASGOW?

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Consequent on the U.S.Department of War's declassification of 162 files on unidentified anomalous phenomena I am posting a couple of unexplained images recently taken by my wife after dark from Glasgow , Scotland a couple of weeks ago.    Glasgow's latitude and longitude coordinates are: 55.860916, -4.251433.
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Mortlach Church, Scotland

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  Introduction This evening, I am focusing on historic Mortlach Church, Mortlach near Dufftown on Speyside .  Information on Mortlach Church Mortlach translates as ‘big hillock’. The church is believed to be built on a very ancient and early Christian site dating back to AD 566 . This was when Moluag of Bangor established a place of worship here. The earliest church dates from 1010 AD. This is contemporary with a battle in the area when the Scots secured a victory against a Danish force. The building is aisleless and rectangular. Restoration occurred in 1870 and 1931.The adjacent burial ground has tombstones from the 17th-20th centuries. There are also two Pictish carved stones, one inside the church and other in the burial ground. Class II Pictish symbol stone, located standing in the graveyard down the hill to the southeast of the kirk.      Traditionally the above stone is thought to commemorate a victory in battle of Malcolm II over the Danes in...
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This Morning's Bird Images

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Here is a small, portfolio of images taken this morning at Rouken Glen Country Park i n Glasgow Southside, Scotland. Grey Wagtail  Above image has been affected by a combination of a long lens and low light conditions. This bird is more colourful than it's name suggests. It has slate grey upper parts and distinctive lemon-yellow under-tail.Likes fast flowing rivers and woodland.    Group of Coot chicks on lily pads. Here is the day' s   pièce de résistance. A Canada Geese family with ten goslings have relocated to a discreet pond which is-conveniently-at eye level.   More information for the visitor. The publication, Visitors’ Guide to Scotland includes sections on Glasgow and bird watching .. This book is heavily illustrated and contains a wealth of information. The ISBN is 978-1-9161332-0-4. Also available via Kindle.
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Waterbird New Life-2

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 Further to my recent post covering synchronised hatching of ducks, geese and swans on a local pond, this morning I happened to chance upon a brood of recently hatched Coot chicks. For a week or so I have been monitoring a Coot nest but observations were hampered by distance-about 50 yards from water's edge. Here is a recent image of the nest (with parent bird in situ) taken with a long lens camera.   This morning I was stunned to find a brood of four chicks near the water's edge with two parent birds keeping a watchful eye on the youngsters.Images are shown below. Here are three of the four youngsters.   Feed time for two lucky chicks.  Coots are cousins of Moorhens. Refer this web page for more information on bird watching in Scotland. M ore information For information on Scotland’s extensive history , wildlife , geology , sightseeing and much more please refer to the publication Visitors’ Guide to Scotland, ISBN 978-1-9161332-0-4. This book is als...
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