Category Archives: Buckinghamshire

Sandringham

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The weather was said to be good, so it was time to get Morrison out for a little outing. The Camping and Caravan Clubsite at Sandringham had just open for the year, so why not see what Queenie was up to? The club site is on the estate and is in easy walking distance of the visitor centre and restaurant.

Before we arrived at the campsite, we paid a visit to Sandringham visitor centre for some lunch. Of course, we had chosen half term, and the place was heaving with offspring. The restaurant good, Rosemary ate veggie (which she said was the best risotto she’d had), while I dined on Sandringham pheasant. Had mine been shot by Prince Phillip?

After lunch, we headed off to do some bird spotting at RSPB Snettisham. Here we parked in the free car park and then walked alongside several fishing ponds, and eventually made it to The Wash. There were several hides to view from. Nothing spectacular bird wise to see, other than a few Mallards and Shags. On the evening walk back to the car the tide was coming in and there were some large flocks of waders taking off, flying around and landing on fresh mudflats that had yet to be inundated with the rising tide. Good to see.

We now drove to the campsite, checked in and set up home for the next couple of nights. Huge site, not all visible from one place, and took quite a while to walk around. Good to find that the wifi was free, and it worked pretty well for web browsing.

In the morning we walked into Sandringham through the woods. Here we had a coffee and then viewed the chainsaw sculptures and discovered Norfolk Rocks. All the kids were searching for Norfolk Rocks, we had never heard of them before. After this excitement, we went to the Sandringham restaurant for lunch. Again I ate pheasant, and R ate the vegetarian dish. We washed the meal down with a very nice bottle of New Zealand wine. Oh yes we had puddings as well.

After lunch we walked back to the Campsite on another route and arrived home in time for tea.

The next day we packed up and headed home. We tried a couple of tourist spots on the way home, first was Castle Rising. This has one of the deepest dry moats I have seen, and incredibly steep slopes into it from the castle side and the surrounding countryside.

The next spot was the sluice gates on the Great River Ouse Relief Channel. Google found a route to the gates, unfortunatley Google maps had not factored in the locked gate to the power station.

Now it was off home after our brief stay away. The rain held off, the promised sun was not as much as it should have been, and it definitely was not as warm as it had been predicted. A week later and it would have been warmer.

Back at home, we were welcomed by a huge display of starlings. They congregated in our poplar trees. Some landed and fed on our field, and did that bit where birds on one side fly over the other birds and land on the other side. Eventually, the birds moved off to the trees on the other side of the road, and I assume then flew off to Otmoor.

Stowe Gardens for the Snowdrops

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On a sunny day, we visited Stowe Gardens to view the Snowdrops. We were told the displays were fabulous. On arrival, the car park was brimming with people. Why weren’t people at work, or were we all retired? We headed for the Snowdrops, assured by the NT ticket inspector that the displays were fabulous. We found the Snowdrops, though pretty and of various varieties, we were somewhat underwhelmed by the density of them. There were some nice winter aconites, cyclamens and crocuses planted through the snowdrops.

A walk through some more of the gardens on this bright, cool day, to view the lakes, the Rotunda, the Gothic Temple, Palladian Bridge and the Pebble Alcove with its beautiful crest and motifs outlined in pebbles. R hinted that she fancied one in our garden.

Back at the visitor centre we ate lunch, bought postcards and checked out the secondhand bookshop for some Science Fiction.

Gallows Bridge

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Visited our local nature reserve in the hope of seeing some exciting birds. A new hide had recently been opened overlooking some scrapes. This hide is several hundred meters from the existing two hides. The walk is along the edge of the field on a raised bank. The final part is fenced off to hide the birders from the birds. The new hide is open at the back, and once you open the viewing windows the cold wind starts to drive through. Not a conducive place to sit in the winter. Maybe the summer will be better, but wait it will be closed because those little feathered creatures will be raising their broods! Anyway, there was not much to be seen, maybe a blue tit in the hedgerow.

Back now to the old hides, where there are some feeders. Here at least were some garden birds, a robin, coal tit, blue tit and a reed bunting. Out on the island in the pond, a single wagtail appeared. Not a good day birding.

Christmas at Home

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Christmas was at home with Selina, Phil and Julian. Usual fare of turkey, roast potatoes, parsnips & carrots, plus a stalk & a half of sprouts, bread & cranberry sauces, stuffing balls and rather a lot of pigs in blankets. Various Christmas puddings and lakes of wine, including a dessert one we’d brought with us from New Zealand. Not a white Christmas, but a warm one.

The Table Centrepiece

The Dentist Yet Again

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I have not mentioned this before. I have been to the dentist after nearly 30 years of absence. A few months ago I had to go to the dentist because I had a hurting tooth. Well, actually it had been hurting a little bit for several years. It was discovered a lower molar had cracked. Must have been biting those aniseed balls. After a failed filling, root canal treatment was suggested, This was not proceeded with when it was discovered the crack was serious and had split the whole tooth in two. So I went for the implant and had a titanium metal fixing implant placed in my jaw. Today was a checkup after 4 months to see that the fixing was firmly in place and the bone had healed. All was well and I have been booked in for the implant false tooth to be sized.  Alas, the surgery was busy for the next few weeks, so have to wait until the end of the month. So hopefully all will be fixed by Christmas.

David Bowie Earthly Messanger

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The Friars Club of Aylesbury brought many famous bands to the town. It was about to end when I moved to Aylesbury back in 1982. I didn’t know of it, and shortly after I moved here, the club closed.  In the early 70’s David Bowie debuted two albums in Aylesbury.  The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust on the 21st September 1971 and Spiders from Mars on the 29th January 1992.

On the 16th January 2016, David Bowie died. After a special event in Aylesbury, a week after his untimely death a petition was started to create a David Bowie statue. The council agreed, but would give no money. A Kickstarter project was started to raise the money. The money was raised and the statue built. It was installed while I was travelling in New Zealand. It has taken me until the 17th October to actually go into Aylesbury and see the statue which I contributed to. It well worth spending the time to see it, and be there at the top of the hour. A random track from David’s music is played every hour.

For those who live far away, there is a live David Bowie webcam.

 

Bike Night at Ludgershall

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Bike Night

It was bike night at Ludgershall again. Lovely warm, dry, sunny evening for the event. As is usual, a thousand or so bikes turned up for the event. Various bars, fish and chip stands and hog roasts materialised to keep us fed. As well as motorbikes, new and vintage, there were quite a few other vintage vehicles and some Steam Punk.