With Covid-19 restrictions, my entomological fieldwork was restricted to a few days mostly in June when the restrictions were eased. Overall a very frustrating year so far - UK experienced the longest, warmest spring in living memory but C-19 restrictions prevented me getting out into the government forest areas I have been studying, even ( Read more... )

Having survived the "Great Plague" in 1665, from Sunday 2nd until Thursday 6th September, 1666 "The Great Fire of London" destroyed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, St.Paul's Cathedral and many official city buildings. It is not known how many people were killed - at this time in England deaths of poor and lower social classes were not recorded ( Read more... )

The small Herefordshire village of Moccas is home to an important UK National Nature Reserve - Moccas Deer Park. The Park is ancient in orgin and was landscaped during 1778 by Lancelot 'Capabilty' Brown. It is not known how long the fallow deer have been kept by the Moccas estate; they were almost certainly introduced to Britain by the Normans in ( Read more... )

Since 2013 Herefordshire council has organised a county-wide "Herefordshire Art Week - abbreviation = "h.Art" " during September. This year's event took place from September 7th until 15th . . . but with English logic, it is still called a "Week" (a few venues continue to exhibit for even longer. Please just accept this as fact, I would be ( Read more... )

Visitors to Britain will see various signs and notices, some will be hand painted set at the road side in rural areas, many will be meaningless to a visitor. These might include "B&B" and "PYO" (or more specifically "PYO Strawbs" "PYO rasps" or even "PYO rhubarb" ). B&B = a house offering over night accommodation, but no main meal, just ( Read more... )

Saturday 4th May, a steam hauled rail excursion from Crewe in the north, south to Cardiff in Wales, stopped at Hereford to replenish its water supply. In the morning this was carried out from a road tanker parked in a supermarket car park adjacent to the railway. In the evening, the locomotive received water, again by road tanker, parked in ( Read more... )

The main north-south railway line passing through Hereford is one where "steam specials" are allowed. These trains are organised by preservation societies, railway enthusiasts etc and are in reality "private trains" but members of the public can buy tickets to travel on them. Usually such a train is scheduled to travel interesting railway routes ( Read more... )

Yesterday I visited the small town of Ross-on-Wye about 35km from my home. It was hot and sunny and lots of people were out and about and, being Easter weekend, many tourists were visiting the scenic Wye Valley area where I live.

I noticed this tree near the car park I used.


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Yesterday, locally, we had our first winter snow - a whole 0.5cm deep; by midday it had melted. Today temperature was +4C but the hills on the border between England and Wales, about 25km to the west and visible from nearby streets, had white tops, probably a light coat of snow rather than simply frost.


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I saved this beer until last, the remaining bottle of the several different beers I bought before Christmas. It is Bewdley Brewery's 10th Anniversary Ale. The brewery has been established 10 years, so they made a special 10% alcohol by volume beer to celebrate ( Read more... )