JPJ's Weblog

There is a stunning moon outside my office/library window, I think it is full, it has a haze round it, and wisps of cloud crossing its ivory splendour. My computer still thinks is it an American computer so it tells me that splendour should be without a U, apparently it does not understand UK English. Although having said that apparently most English people do not understand English either, which is a bit of a bugger as it is a wonderful language. The wisps have gone, the moon is vivid and luminous, just how lucky are we really to live on this wonderful planet, that so very few really appreciate.

I watched the next episode of Earth flight, the more I see the crosser I get, I am sorry but I don’t think it is acceptable to have what are very obviously long shots of helicams or some other sort of airborne camera upsetting and chasing birds, no wonder they are tired and weak, I would be being chased by an irresponsible cameraman. It’s not ethically sound in my book. I am also finding the shots taken from a birds back are misleading, it is some sort of a fisheye lens, and that misshapes the wings, when a stork or vulture is soaring, the wings are not in front of the head, they are out straight either side, behind its head, they only come forward on some of the wing beats and mainly when the bird is landing or taking off, I kept wondering why it looks so odd and why the wing beats look all wrong, and I think it is lens, very disappointing, and not giving people the correct information. I think I will not watch the rest or I will only get crosser. However the programme on the Barrier Reef is excellent and well worth seeing. Also watched Endeavour – the programme on the young Morse –I hope there are more because it was great!

I won on my lottery ticket yesterday, you will notice I am not getting majorly excited, £2.60 is not going to go that far sadly, ah well, maybe next time!!

We are getting birds ready slowly for opening on February 1^st, they are slowly coming down to their flying weight. However to add to the difficulties, I am going on Holiday – yup, holiday, the fifth holiday in my life. My sister has invited me skiing, so all three sisters are going. Needless to say, that I thought it was a great idea six months ago and the closer the date gets, the more I am thinking, is this a good idea. But that is because I am so appreciative of where I am right now, that I actually don’t even like to leave the premises. Well only on Mollie.

Today (Tuesday) we rescued the shrub by the Aplomado’s, the fence had blown down and we are putting up a new one, but the shrub had grown through the pot and into the ground. Simon et al had dug it up, but not done anything with it. So hopefully today having found it looking a little dry, we planted it in one of the flower beds. That led to taking out a dead plant, and that led to cutting down the dying Yew tree and a Mahonia in the flying ground – which was a task and a half, however after much effort by John, Holly, me, Mike and Sally, out they came, and we leveled the ground. Then having dug stuff up, we planted a beautiful Liquid Amber tree which David Kay had given us. It should look super.