Today I have been mostly titivating my evidence to the House of Commons Petitions Committee inquiry into grouse shooting. And commenting on what others plan to send in.
But it has been a lovely sunny day so that ‘work’ has been punctuated with other things.
For example I cut the grass…
And I looked at the buddleia to see whether there were any butterflies on it…
…there weren’t. But as I stood there a frog started croaking by the fence. Amazing for our garden! We occasionally see frogs, not very often, although my impression is that autumn is the best time for them. but I have never before been sung at by a frog in my garden.
I then got on with some work but could hear the chimes of the ice-cream van in the distance. So I went downstairs and outside to make sure I didn’t miss him.
As I stood outside I could feel the heat of the sun on my left cheek. A Red Kite was circling at twice-house height half way down the road and the redness of its tail was obvious once, for a second or so, on each circle.
As I looked down the road over the roofs of a a couple of parked cars I noticed a thin heat haze rising from each of them. Bring me that ice cream cornet!
It’s not often that a cornet seems very sensible in October…
…but it did today.
Then a bit more titivating, and another outing to the back garden where there were Pied Wagtails calling from the chimney pot next door.
Still no butterflies on the buddleia but that is probably because they had been captured by the ivy on the shed.
The ivy was buzzing with bees – maybe ivy bees – but there were also a couple of perfect Red Admirals on it too and some wasps.
The forecast looks like tomorrow will be similar. I’d be happy with a day that turned out similarly too.
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This summer I’ve had loads of frogs on the front garden, driveway and unbelievably one in our gutter. Not sure how it got there but I’m suspicious of the magpies. Being on the roof I was hoping for a Nightjar lol
Dear Mark – re the driven grouse shooting issue. I live in an area where there is a lot of grouse shooting
Can I mention two things re this topic – 1) Today, with it being so sunny and still, I saw two large heather burns taking place on the moors. The smoke from these was incredible and drifted way across over the northern moors escarpment causing a real haze for miles. This in itself is unpleasant but what about all the CO2 being ’emitted’. Has this been raised as an anti grouse shooting issue?
2) I met a chap today also and the grouse shooting issue was discussed. I assumed that all the grouse shot would be eaten by people , or maybe some fed to dogs. He related to me that he had had a conversation with a keeper, as he passed the aftermath of a shoot with a lot of dead grouse on the ground. The keeper had told him that all the dead birds would be incinerated!! I find this an abhorrent waste and if it is common practice then it surely could be used in the anti debate.
All the best, and good luck on the 18th,
William Shaw
Thanks for the reminder – done!