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Search Results for: mayfield
After three and a half years fighting this proposal, TW312 are delighted to announce that the Reporter appointed by the Scottish Government has refused the appeal.
Landscape visual impact and the overbearing impact on 2 properties are citied
Scroll down to 5th June – Appeal decision document
Some quotes from the report:-
I agree with the conclusions of the council's landscape capacity study (DGWLCS) that there would be significant adverse effects from large turbines occurring across a wide range of sensitivities within the drumlin pastures and coastal granite uplands. From the evidence of my site inspection, I also agree with the advice of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) that the drumlin pastures and coastal uplands have a higher sensitivity than 'medium' to large (typology) turbines as suggested in the appellant's Environmental Statement.
I find the whole landscape envelope, running north-east to south-west from Castle Douglas to Kirkcudbright and incorporating small settlements and their agricultural hinterlands, would be unable to accommodate 6 wind turbines of the size and scale proposed by the appellant. I consider the proposed turbines, 130 metres in height to blade tip, would the area's small scale land use pattern and gentle rounded topography.
I find that the turbines would be visually dominant when viewed from the north against the rising backdrop of the granite uplands (Screel, Bengairn, Barcloy) and the jagged hill tops beyond. The peaks and hills are also important recreational assets and I consider their attractiveness would be diminished by the presence of a cluster of large turbines in such close proximity.
In summary, for the reasons set out in paragraphs 9 to 15 above, I consider that the proposal does not accord with the requirements of structure plan policies S21 and E3 and interim planning policy (IPP) WEP3 because it would result in a significant adverse impact on the character, appearance and visual amenity of the local landscape and area. The turbines would also have a significant adverse visual impact on occupiers of the two closest residential properties.
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us over this time and/or has submitted objections
Community Windpower Ltd has submitted an appeal to the Scottish Government against the refusal of their Mayfield application by the council.
An advert appeared in the Galloway News on Thursday 4th April notifying objectors that they have 14 days from this date to submit further comments on this application if they so wish.
Normally the council have to send individual letters to everyone who commented but due to the numbers involved it was agreed by the Scottish Government that Dumfries and Galloway council could instead place an advert in the local paper. If you know someone who did comment and may like to add further comments please let them know they have until the 18th April 2013 to send their email to :-
Or write to:-
The Scottish Government
Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals
4 The Courtyard
Callendar Business Park
Callendar Road
Documents can be viewed on the council's eplanning website or at
(use simple search facility and enter case number for Mayfield which is PPA-170-2062)
Community Windpower's main arguments against refusal
The Mayfield application conforms to guidance in the Wind Energy Diagram Technical Paper No5 (1999) and (they try to argue!) the Interim Planning Policy (IPP).
The current Supplementary Guidance on Wind Energy Development (the IPP) is not a material consideration as it has been incorporated into the draft Local Development Plan which has just been out for public consultation.
Scottish Natural Heritage has not objected to the application and the implication is therefore they support it! Anyone who has read
The proposed wind farm would make a 'small but valuable' contribution towards the Scottish and UK renewable energy targets
IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE FURTHER EVIDENCE TO SUBMIT PLEASE EMAIL email@example.com FOR MORE INFORMATION
Barcloy Hill Wind Farm
Chapman's Howe
Gelston Village Hall 1 – 7.30 pm Friday 26th April
KBT Town Hall 10 – 3 pm Saturday 27th April
Community Windpower Ltd have submitted an appeal to the council's refusal of the Mayfield wind farm.
The application will be allocated to a Reporter from the Scottish Government who will decide how the appeal will be heard. This could be through an oral hearing or via written evidence.
Anyone who commented on the application should be contacted and will be able to submit further comment.
Community Windpower's decision to appeal this application demonstrates complete disdain for our local policies and communities. This application is CLEARLY against the Interim Planning Policy and the Landscape Capacity Study.
Sadly their attitude is not unique as RES UK showed at the Kirkcudbright Community Council meeting last week. When asked by a community councillor how they expected the Barcloy hill wind farm to be approved as it was against local policy, the new project manager replied that they were aware it was against local policies but they hoped to push it through anyway.
So much for community consultation and local democracy!
Mayfield was unanimously refused
Well done to everyone who spoke at the meeting and our thanks to those who came to support us!
Mayfield open for comments until the 9th August 2012 on the following sections only
Volume 1 Section 6 of the Environmental Statement (Socio-Economic Impacts)
Ornithology Addendum (Bird Survey submitted 31st May 2012)
The documents can be read here http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=11366
All other documents can be read at Kirkbank House Dumfries during office hours
Previous objections to Mayfield do NOT stand – you will need to object again to be counted.
Reasons for objection and information to help you can be found by clicking 'Projects in the Region' then 'Mayfield'
Community Windpower Ltd (CWL) have submitted a 'Notification of Application' which means they intend to re-submit their plans for the Mayfield wind farm, possibly around the end of October/beginning of November.
New documentation shows the amended site is slightly larger than the original but the number of turbines is reduced from 7 to 6, although there is no height stated!
Community Windpower will give a presentation to Kelton CC on Monday 19th September and plan to hold two public exhibitions in September at Rhonehouse and Castle Douglas. No dates are stated as yet.
CWL were asked by the RSPB for more information on Red Kites and Whooper Swan activity. The survey for Whooper Swans needs to be completed from September to April to gather additional data, which suggests the application will be submitted without the required information!
Our suspicion is that CWL are trying to submit their plans before the new Interim Planning Policy is adopted and RES UK present their proposals for the Barcloy Hill wind farm approximately 2 miles away.
The Barcloy hill development will comprise of 5 x 115m turbines strung in front of the Barcloy Hill to Suie Hill ridgeline.
Please let as many people know as possible about these developments and ask them to register their email address with us so we can send newsletters to keep them up to date. At the appropriate time we will also let people know when and how to object.
They can register by emailing us at firstname.lastname@example.com or clicking the 'Contact Us' button on our website
16th May 2011 Article written by TW312 member
Mayfield Community Windfarm 7 x 130m wind turbines Planning Application Ref: 11/P/2/0001
Community Windpower has been advised by the Dumfries and Galloway Council to withdraw their application until they have secured additional data to satisfy a number of consultees, notably:
Scottish Natural Heritage who wish to see further watches carried out to fully assess the impact on two bird species, whooper swan and red kite. They suggest the period September 2011 to April 2012 for additional watches in relation to whooper swan and May to August watches for red kite. In addition, they suggest that VP3 should be relocated to a more appropriate position.
Galloway Fisheries Trust wish to see a survey conducted of the salmonids in the water courses in and around the proposed development and wish to see addressed other shortcomings in the information submitted in the Environmental Statement.
Historic Scotland confirmed that the assessment of potential impacts on cultural heritage assets is inadequate and they detail a number of inadequacies.
The implication of the recommendation to withdraw the application and the additional requirements of the consultees would suggest that this application is now in limbo. We shall keep an eye out for further developments.
The closing date for comments on Mayfield Wind farm has now passed.
Thank you to everyone who objected. There are over 150 objections lodged though we cannot be sure of the exact number yet.
Today is the last chance to submit an objection to the proposed Mayfield Wind farm. You have until 4.30 pm, so if you haven't sent yours in yet, please do so now.
TW312 has been working hard over the past couple of months. To raise awareness of turbine proliferation around Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas and Gatehouse areas, we have printed and delivered over 1,500 leaflets. Thank you to everyone who helped with distribution.
We will update the blog more regularly now so please check back soon to see what's happening.
The Mayfield Community Wind Farm application is now live.
You have until the 24th March to submit your objections.
Why should you object?
The development is located in a tranquil area just over 3 km from Rhonehouse, in landscape types which have been identified as only being suitable for 'small scale' wind developments. This, when turines were only half the proposed height.
Local residents are going to suffer increased noise and at certain times of the year, shadow flicker.
TW 312 has concerns that the number of proposed developments around the area are going to negatively impact on tourism and businesses in Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas and Gatehouse.
We need your help to stop the inappropriate siting of wind farms around our main tourist towns.
If you would like help on submitting an objection, including valid grounds for objecting and where to send it, just click here
How else can you help?
We also ask that you contact your community council and request them to lodge an objection on behalf of your community. This is very important.
Make sure your friends and neighbours know about the application, ask if they will send an objection to the planning department and contact the community council to make their views known
Thank you from TW 312
Update 14th December 2012
REFUSED by D & G PAC committee 12/12/12 due to impacts on landscape and being completely out of scale!
We await to see whether Community Windpower Ltd will appeal this decision to the Scottish Government
Update 19th July 2012
Mayfield open for comments until the 9th August 2012 on the following sections only
Section 6 of the Environmental Statement (Socio-Economic Impacts)
Bird Survey submitted 31st May 2012
The documents can be read here http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=11366
All other documents can be read at Kirkbank House Dumfries during office hours
Update 25th Feb 2012 MAYFIELD OPEN FOR COMMENT until 15th MARCH
The Mayfield application (11/P/2/0478) was re-advertised in the Galloway News on Thursday 16th February due to the omission by the planning department of Section 6 of the Environmental Statement. This enables the public to comment further on the Social and Economic impacts of the proposed wind farm.
Unfortunately, there appears to be an error with the software used by the council and none of the documents have been available to view since that date. The council are working to correct the error.
There will be an opportunity for further representations on the bird surveys once completed and submitted by Community Windpower, which will have to be advertise in the press to enable further public comment.
Update – Friday 20th January 2012
Mayfield Wind Farm is now open for comment: 19th Jan – 16th Feb 2012
Previous objections will not stand , you will need to object again to be counted
There appear to be two main differences between the original application and this resubmission:-
A reduction from 7 turbines down to 6 but still 130m high!
A new, additional, construction traffic route has been introduced through Gelston village, out towards Kirkcudbright before turning right onto the Slagnaw road. Improvements to a farm track by Lochdougan House will be required for access to the site.
Why should people object to Mayfield Wind Farm?
There are many reasons why people could object to Mayfield but there are two very important reasons why you should:–
1) If turbines of this height are approved in our lowland areas it will set a precedent and open the door to further developments which will be extremely difficult to oppose.
2) The council recently paid professional Landscape Architects to assess all the landscape character types across Dumfries and Galloway and their capacity to site wind farm developments. The Landscape Capacity Study clearly identifies drumlin pastures and coastal granite uplands, which are the landscape types that will host the Mayfield turbines, as being unsuitable for large scale turbines i.e. over 80m to tip. At 130m to tip these turbines would be clearly out of scale in the landscape. If this proposal was approved, the money spent producing the Landscape Capacity Study, which forms the backbone of the Interim Planning Policy (IPP), would be wasted. It would also render a major component of the IPP, which was produced to prevent inappropriately sited wind developments, totally redundant.
If you would like to submit an objection to the development of the Mayfield wind farm we have provided a list of valid grounds within a specimen letter for your use. You can modify this letter to fit with your views and circumstances.
Please include any of the specimen reasons you want but the two most important points are setting a precedent in this area and the landscape impact. This will ensure your comments will be valid and then you might wish to add any other comments you would like to make.
Important points
For those of you who submitted an objection to Mayfield last year your objection will not stand. You need to submit another objection – you could use the same basic letter as last time, with just a few alterations:
Change the date and year
Change the planning application number to 11/P/2/0478
Change from 7 to 6 turbines throughout your letter if necessary
Change the address for where to send to:-
Head of Planning and Building Standards,
Dumfries and Galloway Council,
English Street,
Email address is firstname.lastname@example.com
Please send your objection to the above addresses before the deadline of 16th February 2012
Your objection will carry more 'weight' if you can write your own letter – use our reasons if you want to as a basis and just reword. If you don't have time to do that you can copy and paste some of our points into your own letter/email.
If one objection is signed by more than one person (i.e. 2 people) it still only counts as one objection. It is better to send a letter (by conventional post or email) for each adult and sign each individually.
Please be aware that your name, address, date, relevant planning application number and your signature must be on your objection. Your signature is not required for emails.
All objections received by the planning office will be in the public domain. Your name and address will be available for the public to see. Personal information (email address, telephone number and signature will be blacked out for security reasons).
Head of Planning and Building Standards,
Dumfries and Galloway Council,
English Street,
Dear Sir,
Planning application 11/P/2/0478
I object to the proposed wind farm development at Mayfield, Rhonehouse for the reasons listed below.
Approval of large turbines (over 80m) in the lowlands will set a precedent and open the door for further developments.
The size and scale of the proposed development is unsuitable for this location and will have a widespread visual impact. Turbines of this height will overwhelm and dominate the surrounding area, changing the local character.
The size and scale of the turbines is incompatible with the landscape character type – Drumlin Pastures and Coastal Granite Uplands – as described in Dumfries and Galloway Landscape Assessment 1998 and the draft Interim Planning Policy.
This development will neither conserve nor enhance the landscape character as specified in the Landscape Assessment 1998.
The size and scale of the development will have a significantly adverse impact on tourism due to its proximity to Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas and important tourist routes along the A75, the A711 (the main tourist road into Kirkcudbright) and the National Cycle Route 7 along the B727.
The turbines will have an adverse impact over a large area including on local tourist attractions such as Threave Castle, Moat Brae in Kirkcudbright and Neilson's Monument.
Whilst this development is outwith Regional and National Scenic Areas, it is still close enough to have significant adverse impacts on them, particularly Screel, Bengairn and popular tourist spots such as The Doon (Nun Mill Bay).
The predicted noise level of 38dB documented in the Environmental Statement does not conform to council standards (listed in Technical Paper No 5 as 35dB), so fail to comply with Policy S22 and GP 12.
The amenity of nearby residents will be negatively affected by increased noise levels and potential shadow flicker.
The environmental assessments carried out do not provide any firm evidence that the impact on wildlife will be minimal and previously requested bird surveys have not been completed.
Increase in traffic and abnormal loads on minor roads during construction, will have safety implications, particularly around Gelston school.
Yours faithfully,
After nearly 9 years of fighting inappropriately sited wind farm developments the Turbine Watch 312 team are 'retiring' and we will be closing our website soon.
Our Facebook page will continue for the time being with information of general interest and news of any new turbine planning applications.
Visit our FACEBOOK PAGE
Over the years we have fought several developments across the region with numerous successes including Mayfield, Chapman's Howe, Barcloy Hill, California and Knockendurrick.
Local policies have proved to be a strong barrier to wind farms in the Stewartry area but communities in the north of the county face a tough battle not only with more new wind farms but also 'repowering' in the future.
Scoping applications (Torrs Hill) are now being submitted for turbines up to 250m in height and one developer has been quoted as saying that 'off-shore' turbines are now set to come on-shore!!
👏 Thank you to everyone who has helped over the years – from those who have submitted objections, to those people working on the team.
😀 All the hard work has been worthwhile in helping to protect our local landscapes.
Banks Renewables have submitted Further Environmental Information on their proposed changes to the Knockendurrick development near Twynholm. Documents can now be viewed on the council website and comments submitted until 5pm on Thursday 29th June 2017.
Although Banks have reduced the height of the turbines from 7 x 132m turbines to 6 x 115m and 1 x 100m to tip, the development would still have significant landscape and visual impacts.
The Dumfries and Galloway Wind Farm Landscape Capacity Study, which states that "There is no scope for siting the large (>80m) typology (turbines) within this landscape due to the scale of these foothills and their likely prominence from adjacent sensitive landscapes", is quite clear that this development is in the wrong location.
Below is an approximation of how the proposal could look…..
A new website has been set up called Say No to Knockendurrick – please Click here for more information
The refusal of the California, Mayfield, Barcloy Hill and Chapman's Howe developments in recent years strongly supports local policies. If Knockendurrick were approved it would be particularly visible across large areas to the south, west and east which is the heart of D & G's main tourist area and it would significantly weaken local policies.
We need as many people as possible to object individually to this scheme as Banks have been very active collecting support and many people have no idea exactly what they are supporting or how the proposal is contrary to local planning policies.
Please help us to protect our landscapes and tourism industry, by objecting before 5pm on Thursday 29th June and passing the message on to as many people as you can and asking them to object too.
Click HERE for a specimen objection letter created for Knockendurrick. You can add or delete text as you like! Just insert your address, the date and then your name at the end. Remember if two or more people sign the same objection it will only count as one so please sign and send in individually.
MAYFIELD A Reporter visited the site on Tuesday 7th May. A decision is expected by 7th June which is next Friday!
BARCLOY HILL RES and D & G council have agreed an extension to the decision date which is now the 2nd September 2013.
RES are trying to change the noise conditions and are in discussion with the Environmental Health Officer. RES also applied recently to change the noise conditions for the Glenchamber wind farm but as these had been set by a Reporter at the appeal stage the D & G councillors decided not to allow RES's requested alterations.
CHAPMAN'S HOWE is expected to be submitted sometime this month if REG Windpower are on course!
KNOCKENDURRICK (IRELANDTON) The council's scoping response indicates that the proposed scale of this development is not suitable for the site
LITTLE SYPLAND (1 x 74m) has been refused by the Planning Application Committee due to the adverse impact on the landscape and the objection by the National Air Traffic Services.
Ingleston Lodge, Gelston – who already have permission for a 21m turbine, have submitted a scoping request for a 32m to tip turbine. (13/E/2/0017)
Other scoping applications recently submitted include:-
Merkland Farm 1 x 67m (13/E/2/0013)
Holehouse Farm Kirkpatrick Durham 1 x 42m (13/E/2/0016)
Braidenoch Farm, CD 1 x 21.5m (13/E/2/0019)
OPEN FOR OBJECTION until Thursday 6th June
13/P/2/0129 PLASCOW FARM DALBEATTIE 3 x 74m
This application is very similar to a previous proposal for 3 x 84m turbines which was refused due to the proximity of nearby houses. The new application has moved the turbines 150m further away but the people nearby are extremely worried about this development.
You can email an objection to firstname.lastname@example.com by 5pm on 6th June.
RES announced a new project manager for the Barcloy Hill Wind Farm at the Kirkcudbright Community Council meeting last week. When asked how the scheme conformed to local policy they admitted it didin't but said they hoped it would be pushed through anyway!
RES stated that the decision date for Barcloy was the 24th April (unless RES and the council agree an extension) and there is a Planning Application Committee meeting due that day. We will let you know as soon as we hear if Barcloy is on the agenda.
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) are not able to object to wind farms anymore but have submitted clear guidance that the Barcloy turbines are too big for the landscape and will have significant adverse impacts on the area.
Community Windpower Ltd have until the 18th March to appeal against the councils refusal of the Mayfield application. It could take a few days for the appeal to appear on the Scottish Government website but we should know by the end of next week.
Banks Renewables will be holding 3 public exhibitions on the Knockendurrick proposal for 10 x 132m turbines
Twynholm Village Hall 18th March 3 -7pm
Kirkcudbright Town Hall 19th March 3 – 7pm
Gatehouse Community Centre 21st March 3 – 7pm
The application for an 80m mast has been appealed to the Scottish government due to non-determination within the time frame allowed. There is a scoping application in for the same site for 18 x 141.4m turbines.
OPEN FOR COMMENT (until 28/03/13)
13/P/2/0044 High Barcaple 1 x 62m
13/P/2/0050 Larg Farm Creetown 1 X 45.5m
13/P/2/0055 Marnhoul Wood ( E271234, N576145) 1 X 80m Met Mast (Infiergy)
13/P/2/0056 Smittons E262318, N593717) 1 X 80m Met Mast (Infiergy)
13/P/1/0042 Kirwaugh Farm Wigtown 2 X 28.673m turbines
13/P/1/0105 North Park Farm Kirkcolm 1 X 46.5m turbines
13/E/1/0021 Awkirk Farm Ardwell 1 X 27m turbine
13/E/1/0022 Baltersan Farm Newton Stewart 1 X 45m
13/E/1/0023 Reiffer Park Sorbie Newton Stewart 1 X 67m
13/N/1/0002 Shennanton Wind Farm, Kirkcowan 11 X 100m turbines dated 07/03/2013 (submitted by PNE Wind)
13/N/1/0003 Larbrax Wind Farm Nr Stranraer 8 X 125m turbines dated 07/03/2013 (Submitted by PNE Wind)
A scoping application for a possible 15 x 137m turbines on Mochrum Fell has been submitted to D & G council by Coriolis on behalf of Falck Renewables.
The site lies adjacent and northeast of the Benshinnie site which may have up to 24 turbines if developed. Both of these proposals will be close to the consented Blackcraig and with Knockman Hill, Loch Hill and Margree still awaiting a decision it looks like the Glenkens could be completely changed for the next 25 years!
Click here for the Galloway News article
Planning News
Planning applications
12/P/2/0341 Knockendurrick (IRELANDTON) 1 x 80m met mast
12/P/2/0340 Culdoach, Tongland 1 x 77m + 40m mast
12/P/2/0317 Guffogland, Dalbeattie 1 x 55m
12/P/1/0361 Airyhemming Farm, Glenluce 3 x 38m
Scoping Applications
12/E/2/0047 Mochrum fell 15 x 137m
12/E/2/0046 Upper Porterbelly Farm, Kirkgunzeon 1 x 44.9m
11/P/2/0478 Mayfield, Rhonehouse 6 x 130m REFUSED
12/P/2/0241 Rattra, Borgue 1 x 27m APPROVED
12/P/2/0293 Torrories Farm, Kirkbean 2 x 20m WITHDRAWN
Residents close to the intended Barcloy Hill development were given a kick in the teeth on Monday when representatives from REG Windpower called to give them the devastating news that a scoping application has been submitted for 4 x 107m turbines nearby.
The proposal is sited on land belonging to Hartburn Farm and Realforests Group and some of the turbines appear to be located approx 500-600m from nearby houses. Four house will have all 4 turbines within approx 1km.
There appears to be a problem with the name of the wind farm at present as the leaflets call it Sypland Wind Farm but the development will not be on Sypland land which is owned by someone else. Once REG decide on its proper name we'll let you know!
With plans for 5 x 115m turbines at Barcloy Hill, 4 x 107m at Hartburn, 1 x 84m Little Sypland and 6 x 130m at Mayfield there will be a string of 16 turbines across 5km of beautiful countryside in landscape character types identified in the Interim Planning Policy (IPP) as unsuitable for large typologies (over 80m).
No account is taken of the impact all this is having on people's health and the communities which are divided by these proposals. The uncertainty of what will happen with all of these developments also means anyone in the area wanting to move faces an almost impossible task in selling their home or having to reduce the price drastically and lose money that they have worked hard for over the years.
Distressed and angry? Damn right we are!
A sad day for D & G with news yesterday that RES's appeal to the Scottish Government against the council's original refusal of the Glenchamber application was successful.
Credit: Christopher Booker, The Telegraph, (03/03/12)
Developers of wind farms offer 'sweeteners' to local communities, but they may be tiny compared to the revenues.
Please note for D & G, a framework has been agreed for developers to pay £5,000 per MW not £1,000 as in the article. To put it into context though let's look at the Mayfield development:-
20.4 MW at 30% capacity (as claimed in their Environmental Statement – though they also claim it could be 35% capacity!)
6.12MW x £800,000 pa from ROC's and electricity sales = £4.896 million pa x 25 years
TOTAL income of £122.4 million
Community benefit at £5,000 per MW is £102,000 pa
Over 25 years is equal to £2.55 million – approximately 2% of the total income at today's prices!
TW312 have been asked by several people what happened with the Interim Planning Policy (IPP).
The IPP was ratified by the Planning, Housing and Environmental Services Committee (PHES) on February 14th 2012.
Unfortunately for the people of Dumfries and Galloway, our suspicions proved correct and the final policy was indeed 'watered' down.
Our main concern was the alteration of 2 maps within the document headed 'Areas of Search' (maps 4 & 5 for those interested).
Huge areas marked in yellow have now been added including the sites of Mayfield, Barcloy Hill, Irelandton, etc.
Consultation with the team finalising the IPP revealed that they hoped the wording of the map headings could be 'tightened up' and strengthened before ratification. It was explained to us that the yellow areas on the map AREN'T actually 'Areas of Search' but areas that will be of limitted potential and any development must taken into account the advice given in the Landscape Capacity Study which underpins the IPP. The Landscape Capacity Study was produced by an independent professional landscape architect in conjunction with SNH (Scottish Natural Heritage) and assesses the landscape characters within Dumfries and Galloway and their ability to absorb the size and scale of wind turbines for each type.
We suspected from attending Planning Application Committee meetings and comments made by some councillors, that (some) councillors thought these yellow areas were just new 'areas of search'. We requested that councillors were clearly informed at the ratification meeting, that this was not the case as the maps and headings were unclear and this point needed clarifying.
Keith emailed all 19 councillors on the PHES committee before the meeting and requested that they ask about these new additional 'Areas of Search'.
TW312 are currently thinking about how best to proceed but we are extremely disappointed that members of the public who raise valid concerns about such important and far reaching issues are being ignored by our elected representatives.


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Eating My Feelings: Week 2, Bears/49ers
Welcome back to Eating My Feelings: 16 Weeks of Tailgating the Chicago Bears. It's ManBQue's coverage of the 2014 Bears season, in which I attempt to use food and beer to counter rage and depression.
(I take football too seriously)
Last Week – L, 23-20 (vs. Buffalo)
0-1 Overall (3rd, NFC North)
17th in Team Offense
18th in Team Defense
I've hit existential dread in Week 2. That has to be a new record. Thanks to last week's performance, I'm having 1990s Bears flashbacks and wrecking my bedroom like Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now.
The Bears defense, led by sentient ham sandwich Mel Tucker, played like a unit that had collectively eaten some spoiled rib tips at Old Country Buffet and was just now feeling the results. I spent most of the first half angry-eating pizza and chasing that with pitchers of Miller Lite from taps that had last been cleaned during the President Gerald Ford years. OT came, Chris Conte got double-punked by AARP member Fred Jackson, and everyone left depressed.
Fun fact: After Conte's gimme interception in the second half, someone at the bar where I was watching started a "CON-TE (clapclapclap) CON-TE" chant. Unironically, mind you. If you see this man, throw a cinder block at him. How is literally anyone on any team's practice squad not capable of blowing coverage and getting trucked by fifth-tier running backs at a slightly lesser rate?
This Week – vs. San Francisco (1-0, T/1st, NFC West)
I have no particularly fond memories of the 49ers, but they're not super-high on my hate list. I'd say the most vivid memory was watching walking concussion Steve Young and his Fabrege skull lay the wood to the Stan Humphries-led (wha?) Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. And I remember that mostly because they got there by scoring 37 unanswered points on the Bears in the divisionals that year. I checked, by the way, and Chris Conte was only 5 years old at the time and thus probably not to blame. I suppose the bright spot is that the Niners had some terrible years and things eventually got better. Though I suspect they didn't do so by bringing on a defensive coordinator who ranked in the top 20 in the league exactly once in his career.
The Niners have personnel problems, losing Aldon Smith (suspended), Novarro Bowman (ACL/MCL), and broadcaster Ted Robinson (raging asshole). But they looked real damn good embarrassing Tony Romo last week. Oh, the Bears might be down Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffrey, Robert Garza, and Matt Slauson.
Hey, hockey season starts soon, right?
Embarrassing Childhood Photo of the Week
Evidence that watching the Bears didn't always do this to me.
The Recipe
You know what San Francisco has? A lot of pretentious urban foragers, some really cool Chinese food, and sourdough bread. I'm simplifying, but this completes most of what you need to know about their cuisine for football-related purposes. In recognition of this, I present the 49ers-inspired dish from the Windy City Live segment I appeared on prior to Super Bowl XLVII (Conspiracy Blackout Bowl!). It's a delicious open-faced collection of various California stereotypes. It also started a trend of picking the losing team to create a Super Bowl dish for – the most egregious example being the Broncos last year and my Colorado Pot Pie (I'm hilarious).
The recipe's right here, courtesy of our fine friends at Windy City Live and ABC-7 WLS. It looks long, but it's actually just "marinate steak, grill, and serve on a sandwich with mayo and chopped up stuff. Easy as running for 100 yards on a Mel Tucker defense.
Prediction (Season record 0-1)
Much as I hate being THAT cynical jag in Week 2, I fear this is going to get ugly. You, know, again. 49ers, 34-13.
2CommentsAdd yours
Fact: Stan Humphries had a fat head and needed specially designed helmets.

subset: commoncrawl


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Having started their 2015-16 season in midweek all Beds County League Premier Division supported by Sportsform clubs face another two games over September 5th/9th period.
On Saturday it's local derby action on the Green for Ickwell & Old Warden against local rivals Sandy who completed a league double over them last season before in midweek the boys from the Green travel to face Pavenham at their Playing Field headquarters for a 6.15pm kick off.
This being Pavenham's opening home game of the campaign having on the Saturday prior travelled to face newly promoted Elstow Abbey at their Warren headquarters. Abbey then again being at home on the Wednesday when they play hosts to Sharnbrook. Kick off 6.15pm.
On the same day the 9th Sandy will open their 2015-16 season home campaign at Bedford Road Recreation with a visit from Wilstead for a 6.15pm kick off. With both games last season ending in draws another close encounter looks on the cards. Wilstead having opened their own home campaign at the weekend at Jubilee Playing Fields against AFC Kempston Town & Bedford College.
The Town following this encounter hitting the road again on Wednesday for a 6.15pm kick off at Church Lane against the hosting AFC Oakley M&DH. Who on the Saturday can be found in away action at Weston Park against Eastcotts AFC. The boys from Weston Park then having their third consecutive home game of the season on Wednesday when Renhold United come calling for a 7.30pm kick off.
United last seasons champions having at the weekend played hosts to last season Division One supported by Wests Citroen Bedford champions Cranfield United at their Playing Field headquarters. Whilst on the 9th Cranfield at their Crawley Road base receive a visit from Shefford Town & Campton kick off 7.30pm. The Town at the weekend having opened their own home account for the season at Hitchin Road against Caldecote.
The boys from Harvey Close then enjoying home action on Wednesday night against the visiting Marston Shelton Rovers Kick off 6.15pm, the Rovers at the weekend having entertained near neighbours Ampthill Town Reserves at their Playing Field headquarters. Town Reserves then enduring their second local derby inside a week when at Woburn Road on Wednesday night they play hosts to Flitwick Town in a 7.30pm Kick Off. Flitwick at the weekend having journey to Lodge Road to be hosted by Sharnbrook.
The 2015-16 season for Division One supported by Wests Citroen teams commences with a programme of five games. The stand out fixture coming at Greenfield Road, the venue at which last seasons division two silver medalists Westoning play hosts to last seasons division two champions Stevington.
Over at Gold Street, Riseley Sports play hosts to Henlow who are expected to again be amongst the title contenders. Whilst on the 3G surface at Hillgrounds the visitors to face hosts AFC Kempston Town & Bedford College Reserves are Queens Park Crescents who could well surprise people this season and be title contenders.
Other action comes at Miller Road, the venue at which Meltis Albion play hosts to Ickleford ( formerly Marabese Ceramics) and at Mill Lane, Potton Town will be in home action against newly promoted Houghton Athletic ( formerly FC Houghton)
The Division Two action is likewise a programme of six games. The stand out fixture coming at Jubilee Park, the venue at which Atletico Europa play hosts to perhaps title favorites Clapham Sports. Whilst across Town at the Hockey Centre, Bedford United receive a visit from Flitwick Town Reserves.
For Lea Sports PSG its home action at Pirton Recreation Ground against Marston Shelton Rovers Reserves and at Cutler Hammer its home action for Kempston Hammers against Cople & Bedford SA who will fancy their chances this season of getting into the title mix.
That comment also applying to Wootton Village who at their Recreation Ground headquarters play hosts to Kempston Athletic. The final game coming at Crawley Road where last seasons division four champions Cranfield United Reserves play hosts to Elstow Abbey Reserves.
Division Three action is just a programme of five games. However, there will be a local derby flavor to the games at Horseshoes Close where AFC Dunton ( last seasons Moggerhanger United ) take on the visiting Clifton and at Bedford Road Recreation Ground where Sandy Reserves host Caldecote Reserves.
For two of the league newcomers its home action to start life in the Bedfordshire County Football League. In Leagrave Park, Sundon Park Rovers entertain Wilstead Reserves and on the 3G surface at Wixams, hosts Wixams take on Renhold United Reserves.
The final game coming at Hillgrounds where White Eagles play hosts to the visiting Dinamo Flitwick.
Division Four action is one of just four games. In Allen Park, its a clash between two of the league newcomers when Polonia Bedford play hosts to Bedford Albion. Whilst its a welcome back to the Bedfordshire County League to Lidlington United Sports who at their Hurst Grove base entertain Caldecote A.
Having finished bottom of the pile last season Mid Beds Tigers are expected to do much better this term and they start their campaign at The Sandy Academy with a visit from Henlow Reserves. Whilst for league newcomers Staughton its home Playing Field action against Flitwick Town A.


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Bodysgallen Hall & Spa
Llandudno, Gwynedd, Wales
At a Glance
Magnificent country retreat set in stunning gardens on the North Wales coast
Spellbinding views of Conwy Castle and the peaks of Snowdonia
Voted one of Britain's top ten spa retreats
Great option for families as well as couples
Superb base for exploring the rich history of North Wales
Best time to Visit
Good time to visit
Average time to visit
It is very difficult to predict the weather in the United Kingdom - in the summer from May to late September is generally seen as the most pleasant time to visit. Rainfall is difficult to predict - but the UK does not receive as much as many are led to believe! In the winters, temperatures do fall, but there is nothing better than finding a remote pub with a roaring fire to sit beside after a long walk in the country.
Insider's View
Call us on 858 345 1764 to start planning your vacation to Bodysgallen Hall & Spa or take a look at our itineraries to Wales
Bodysgallen Hall & Spa is a charming country house retreat near Llandudno on the historic North Wales coast. Offering spectacular views of castles and the Snowdonia peaks, glorious gardens, fine dining and rare peace, Bodysgallen is a tonic for the soul.
Bodysgallen Hall & Spa, set amongst magnificent gardens and wooded parkland above the Victorian resort of Llandudno in North Wales, is an absolutely delightful country house hotel and spa that offers peace and quiet, understated luxury and spellbinding views. Run by the National Trust, Bodysgallen dates predominantly to the seventeenth-century, but climb the winding staircase up the lookout tower and at the top you'll find its thirteenth-century core and quite stunning views that take in Conwy Castle, the peaks of Snowdonia, Anglesey and the Victorian promenade of Llandudno.
Bodysgallen's fifteen spacious en-suite bedrooms and suites are extremely comfortable, and while the style is not exactly what you might call modern (think floral curtains, pleated lampshades and four-poster beds) there are flat-screen TVs and complimentary WiFi as a nod to the twenty-first century. If you wish to have more privacy you can also opt for one of the cottages, clustered either round the secluded cottage garden or located in converted stone farmhouses a short walk from the Main Hall. Some of these make excellent options if you are traveling with your family.
The Dining Room at Bodysgallen is located in the Main Hall and here you can enjoy imaginative contemporary dishes that feature wonderful Welsh produce such as wild sea bass and mountain lamb while overlooking the magnificent gardens. Lighter dishes can also be enjoyed in the 1620 Bistro. Service is charming and authentic.
Bodysgallen's Health and Fitness Spa, voted by Condé Nast Traveler as one of Britain's top ten spa retreats, contains five treatment rooms, a large swimming pool, spa bath, steam room, sauna, relaxation areas and a club room where meals and drinks are served. An excellent gymnasium has all the latest equipment and fully qualified fitness instructors to help and advise. Further relaxation can be enjoyed in the wonderful gardens and wooded parkland, where you can glimpse the mountains of Snowdonia as you stroll through, passing the unusual seventeenth-century parterre, rockery, walled garden and several follies.
Bodysgallen lies at the heart of so much history that you would need to stay a few times to see it all. Conwy and Caernarfon Castles date back to the times of Edward I, and are spectacular examples of medieval fortifications, and if you are not castled out, then Harlech, Beaumaris and Penrhyn Castles are also worth visiting. The world-famous Bodnant Gardens are just a short drive from Bodysgallen and offer a stunning collection of plants from all over the world, while steam train buffs can take a ride on the scenic Welsh highland heritage railway. Only a little further away down the coast is the fairytale miniature Italianate town of Portmeirion where, on a sunny day among the palm trees and scented rosemary, you might just imagine yourself to be somewhere in the Cinque Terre.
The 15 rooms and suites at Bodysgallen are spacious and comfortable, each kitted out with antique furniture with art adorning the walls. Rooms are split into four categories and every one is unique.
The 11 Main Hall Bedrooms all come with either a queen or king bed, the latter of which can be made into twin beds, and a sofa or pair of armchairs can also be found in each. Complimentary WiFi and flatscreen TVs are available in all rooms.
The four Principal Suites all boast a separate living area, two TVs and a dressing table. Spectacular views of the Snowdonia mountains, Conwy Castle or the Bodysgallen parkland can be enjoyed from the mullioned windows, depending on your preference.
Hall cottages can be found throughout the enchanting gardens and some boast two or three bedrooms making them perfect for families or small groups traveling together. Spa cottages look out over the surrounding parkland and meadows and are the perfect option for a romantic retreat being in close proximity to the spa.
Children over the age of six are welcome at Bodysgallen, and children between the age of 8 and 16 may use the spa facilities at specific times as long as they are accompanied by an adult. Children over the age of eight are also free to use the pool when accompanied by an adult.
Welsh lamb, fresh scallops, duck egg and a wholesome range of other local produce feature on the delicious menu at the Bodysgallen restaurant. Tasty dishes are served up alongside fine wines and gorgeous views over the surrounding countryside. The feel is predominantly formal but jackets and ties are not required by gentlemen.
Guests at Bodysgallen can also benefit from full use of the spa facilities which include an indoor pool, whirlpool spa bath, steam room, sauna and a gym. A range of treatments are also on offer and children are invited to use the facilities during selected times and providing they are accompanied by an adult.
Within easy reach of Snowdonia National Park, Bodysgallen is a great jumping off point for anyone who wishes to embark on the pleasant hike to the top, or alternatively the more relaxing train ride! Adventure enthusiasts will find plenty of attractions in the area including some thrilling zip lines, underground caverns and even surfing.
Visit the Victorian seaside resort of Llandudno and sail around the bay in a pleasure boat. Children will also love the Alice in Wonderland Center, Conwy Butterfly Jungle and the traditional Harlequin Puppet Theatre. Nearby there are a number of National Trust sites and old castles ready for exploration, and for anyone with an interest in golf there are several courses within easy reach.
Location & directions
Llandudno, Gwynedd, Wales
Bodysgallen Hall & Spa is located just outside the North Wales coastal resort of Llandudno.
How to get there
If coming by road, Bodysgallen is around 5 hours' drive from London and 1.5 hours from Manchester.


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Adultery dating website AshleyMadison.com is just not convinced that Tim Tebow is a virgin, and they are ready to uncover the truth.
The website is offering $1 million to the lady who comes forward and can prove she has had sex with Tebow, according to Darren Rovell at CNBC.
Noel Biderman, founder of Ashley Madison said in a statement:
"Sports and sex (and of course, infidelity) go hand in hand. If Mr. Tebow is indeed abstaining from adult relationships, I would encourage him to find a nice lady or two and enjoy his youth and fame as much as possible."
Biderman seems skeptical on Tebow's ability to resist and stay truthful to his faith as well, he said:
"I guarantee that no man of Tebow's stature could survive a season in New York without succumbing to the temptations of the city."
Well then it's a good thing Tebow is moving to Hoboken.


text: "You must have a nice camera." II Eric Cheng February 27, 2007 posted with permission from What the Duck I love it. Part I of this conversation featured some interesting comments. There's also an interesting thread running at Wetpixel about the importance of a photographic eye. (thanks, George, for the link to the comic)


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Bogus collector alert
The public have been asked to be on the alert after reports of a man dressed as Santa Claus falsely claiming to be collecting for the RNLI in Bundoran at the weekend.
A spokeperson for the RNLI said: "Gardaí were alerted in Bundoran on Sunday to a man wearing a Santa suit claiming to be collecting money for the local RNLI. He called to a premises in the West End of the town on Sunday evening around 6.30. We understand that he was out and about in the town over the weekend.
"There are currently no collections operations in the area and, if you suspect anyone of collecting money fraudulently on behalf of the organisation, please report them to the Gardaí.
"If anyone is approached by anyone in any type of costume claiming they are collecting for us, please be assured that they are not. While we will soon be selling tickets for our dinner dance in February, the only people selling them will be our crew members and volunteers, who are generallly well known in the community."


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In a recent hangout, John Mueller confirmed that Google ignores the HTML lang attribute to determine the page's language. They do not use it to determine the region and language of page.
He also said that you should use hreflang markup. The hreflang attribute tells the language of the document in the link. For Example.
W3Schools
Here is the question.
So how important is it to display in the HTML code, the language of the site, if you already declared it in Google Search Console, for example.
Here is the response from John Mueller.
We don't use that at all.
So, we use the hreflang links if you have that if you have different language versions. But the language attribute within the HTML markup is something we don't use at all. We've found that this language markup is something that is almost always wrong. So, we tend to ignore that.
You can check the response in the video below.
You can find the Google + discussion here.


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Product Portfolio
Besides OEM project, Kaiyan has a long history of developing successful brands and products of her own. We've delivered solutions across the consumer- and medical market. We are very proud of our portfolio, which is shown down below:
A reinvention: the traditional concept of skin care (such as a facial led-mask) modernized with up-to-date light therapy and manufacturing technologies.
In an ever-growing semi-permanent make-up market, Perfect Contour holds its position as leading brand, innovator and trendsetter of permanent make-up products.
Originating from our manufacturing roots, we boost a portfolio of professional and at-home teeth whitening products.
We have a range of products designed for hair regrowth, ranging from home use models to professional use models.
A perfecter of light; shadowless LED operation lights, utilizing a dedicated project team and number of patents.
Disruption in healthcare: We are keen to explore something disruptive, especially with something with so many benefits.


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Everyone has been making peplum tops. I feel I'm a little late at jumping on the bandwagon. So I decided to make it about a month ago and ran into some problems. This top almost gave me a run for the money. Most recently I had a fitting issue that halted my progress with this top but I'm glad that I resolved it and was able to complete it. Thanks for all of your comments on my earlier post on this. You helped me realize it just wasn't me. I rarely say this but it was definitely worth the trouble. This top turned out super CUTE! I love peplum tops and look forward to making more. I'll definitely have a Fall/Winter version!!!
Anywho.....here's my review.......
Time to Sew:
This should've been a 4-5 hour top but I had to stop sewing to figure out some pattern alteration issues. It took me a while to realize the back of the pattern was drafted a little weird.
Sewing Ease (scale 1 easy to 10 difficult):
It's super easy to sew. I'd give it a 2.
Pattern Description:
Top with peplum. I mixed view b and c to obtain the look I wanted.
Pattern Sizing:
I cut the size 12 for the bodice and graded to a 14 at the waist.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Were the instructions easy to follow?
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I loved the design of the pattern!!!! It's a peplum top and is SO stylish this season.
Fabric Used:
A black cotton stretch twill. I wanted to make this top in a fabric that wasn't too fancy --like a satin---so I could get a lot of wear out of it. Plus it's alot heavier so it gives the top the slight stiffness I wanted and makes the peplum flare a bit more.
1. I added 1" to the front bodice length.
2. I'm shortwaisted in the back so I removed 1" from the back length.
3. I added 1" to the peplum.
4. Again, I discovered the upper back of the pattern was drafted a little wide. I heard some other bloggers had a similar problem. This was very strange. So I ended up taking a wedge out the top back edge and tapering about 6" down. So it's like I remove a dart from each back edge. That's an uncoventional, non-textbook fix but it worked. It's odd that that was the only spot where I had a problem. I rarely have a narrow back adjustment to make but it's usually done the entire length of the pattern, not just the upper center back.
What would you do differently next time?:
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes! This is a super cute top and I want MORE!!!
-Paired with a bright pair of pants, capris or shorts.
-Worn with a cute pencil skirt.
Enjoy your Sunday and happy sewing to ya!!!!


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Little Common Football Club is aiming to complete a notable double over title-chasing opposition.
Having been fixtureless last weekend, Common will resume their Macron Store Sussex County Football League Division Two campaign with a trip to second-placed Wick & Barnham United tomorrow (Saturday).
Although four places and 13 points below their opponents, Common were 4-0 winners in November's reverse fixture - one of just two league defeats Wick have suffered all season.
"It was definitely our best result of the season and it was a complete performance," said Common player-manager Russell Eldridge. "The way we played that day was outstanding. Unfortunately we've not been able to produce similar performances on a more consistent basis.
"It could work one of two ways. They could be out to prove a point as such, but on the other hand, they might be wary of us knowing how we can play.
"We won't be looking to play defensively. We'll be looking to be positive and bring back the three points, but we know it's going to be a tough game."
Common go into the game buoyed by come-from-behind 2-1 victories in their last two matches against Storrington and Mile Oak.
"We're off the back of two good results recently and two good performances as well, even though the scorelines suggest they were close," continued Eldridge.
"To a degree we've got nothing to lose. The pressure's more on them to get the points they need to secure a promotion place. Maybe they'll be just a little bit nervy in terms of crossing the line, and we'll be going there nice and positive, full of confidence and trying to cause them problems."
Common will be without Sam Brown, who is on a stag weekend, against a Wick side which trails leaders Worthing United by five points with a game in hand.
Westfield are due to visit Steyning Town in the same division tomorrow, while Bexhill United are without a fixture.


text: Located in the heart of scenic Kittery Point tucked away from the tourist hustle & bustle yet only minutes by land or sea to Portsmouth, NH, this distinctive waterfront property is perched overlooking more than an acre of lush, gently rolling coastal landscape with 140 ft of direct water frontage in Portsmouth Harbor. Bold, panoramic views can be enjoyed from nearly every inch of its' luxurious 7, 000 SF design brimming with state-of-the-art amenities and custom architectural detail. Two expansive waterside decks offer splendid unobstructed harbor vistas and provide additional outdoor space for entertaining - complete with exterior fireplace and ample seating areas. Boating & fishing enthusiasts will covet the private dock and shared mooring that offer easy deep-water access to the open sea.


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Top Five Fine Dining Restaurants in TahoeFood — By christinanellemann on November 21, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Now is the time of year to throw off the casual clothes of Summer and dress up a bit for dinner. It's also a time to do some end-of-year celebrating. The Lake Tahoe area has some wonderful restaurants for fine dining with award-winning chefs, menus and excellent drinks and wines. All of these restaurants are located just a few steps from the lake and most of them have a view.
Intimate, cozy and oh-so-cute with candles. Cafe Fiore in South Lake Tahoe serves Italian food that you write home about. Reservations are required at this tiny place that only has about seven tables. The cafe, voted one of the best places to kiss in Northern California, serves up entrees like Linguine alla Toscana, Aragosta Melodia and Pollo al Pomodoro. Their wine list is extensive and the cafe has their own wine cellar.
The Edgewood has been a popular stop for a fine dining experience for years and the view of the lake and the Edgewood beach might be one of the reasons. The restaurant is impressive, with large pine logs as decor and a great fireplace. Most of the seating has a view out the large windows and the menu includes local steak and seafood as well as local produce. Try the fresh Cypress Island Salmon with Dungeness Crab or fresh Ahi Tuna with wasabi créme.
Christy Hill in Tahoe City has one of the best views of the lake. No matter what the weather, you will be able to see the lake lapping (or crashing) at the deck of this stylish, but low-key restaurant. For over 25 years, Christy Hill has been serving a nice mixture of seasonal, sustainable California cuisine with a French twist. Their wine selection is superb and the bar is a popular place to hang out during happy hour.
Dinner items include Hamachi Tartare, Organic Field Greens, Moroccon Spiced Lamb Loin and Braised Short Ribs of Bison. The desserts are heavenly and include Vanilla Bean Creme Brûlée and a Flourless Chocolate Torte with fresh berries.
If you want a spectacular view of all of Lake Tahoe, head to this restaurant just up Kingsbury Grade. The Chart House has been in the Tahoe area for decades and is a choice for many visitors for engagement and wedding parties as well as a place to pop the question. This is a great spot for birthday dinners too.
The Chart House serves primarily seafood with items like Lobster Bisque and Tempura Lobster Lollipops as well as Crab Stuffed Mushrooms, Surf and Turf and Macadamia Encrusted Mahi Mahi. The desserts include Mud Pie and Lava Cake. Their happy hour is from 4:30-6:30 Monday through Friday.
Wolfdales in Tahoe City is a great place for a romantic dinner that is part Asian inspired and part California hip. Come for happy hour from 5:30-6:30 Sunday through Friday and stay for a great dinner that includes small plates like Seared Bay Scallops or Chile Relleno Tempura, entrees like Thai Seafood Stew, Tagine Braised Lamb Shank or the Portabella Cheeseburger. Dessert is a must with items like Warm Chocolate Molten Cake and the Berry-Port and Coconut Sorbet. Their specialty drinks are fun too with cocktails like the Lemon Grass Cocktail costing $9.
Photo courtesy of Wolfdales's


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In Performance: Angela Hewitt's Goldberg Variations
In today's Washington Post: Hewitt brings showy but hollow Goldberg Variations to Strathmore, by Cecelia Porter.
(A personal aside: I announced earlier this fall that I was looking forward to hearing Hewitt's Goldbergs after Christopher Taylor's performance of them in October. Unfortunately Jennifer Higdon's piano concerto had its world premiere with the NSO on the same night.)
Anne Midgette
December 5, 2009; 9:58 AM ET
Categories: local reviews
Save & Share: Previous: Every valley, and sing-along, shall be exalted
Next: In performance: Trio Solisti
I would commend everyone to read the excellent comments posted with regards to Cecelia Porter's unfavorable review of Angela Hewitt's performance of the Goldberg Variations. As Anne Midgette's noted in the Fall Arts preview, a "critic has to try to clear at least a portion of his mind and ear of preconception and expectation" but Ms. Porter shows scant evidence of having done so. Ms. Porter bemoans how Bach's signature pulse, momentum and counterpoint were "burried" instead of exploring more fully why Hewitt's varied tempi, beautiful phrasing, dynamic range and technique ultimately proved unsatisfying for Ms. Porter. I can agree to disagree with a reviewer -- in this instance, what amased and pleased me most about Hewitt's performance was how she retained those "signature" Bach qualities while adding so much more to the music - but deserve more from a reviewer than essentially remarking that it wasn't "Bach-y" enough for the reviewer's liking. Finally, I think the characterization of Hewitt's balletic hand movements - strikingly fluid during even the most technically difficult passages -- as "theatrical showmanship . . . clearly intended to impress a large concert hall audience" justified other commenter's remarks about Ms. Porter's review being "churlish." A performers stage appearance/presence is a valid part of any review. However, assuming the performers intent and implying that such gestures are evidence that the performer did not engage the material in an "intimate, ruminative and personal" manner amounts to not much more than ad hominem attack. Hewitt's extensive Bach scholarship is not above criticism but the terse review offered little insight on much else other than Ms. Porter's personal predilections.
Posted by: mason50 | December 8, 2009 9:14 AM | Report abuse
The comments to this entry are closed.


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Monday, January 16, 2017
Football Handicapping 101: Football Betting Trends
While sports handicapping is an ever-evolving concept, there are some basic fundamental approaches to handicapping football, and we will review the different methods used here. One of the more popular methods to handicapping football games is by using football trends.
Many amateur sports bettors think that football betting trends and football betting systems are one in the same. While they are very similar, there is one major difference. Football betting trends are specific to a team, while football betting systems are not team specific.
An example of a football betting trend would be "The New Orleans Saints are 9-0 ATS against non-conference opponents." ATS stands for "against the spread", and refers to a team's record against the pointspread. Notice this football betting trend is only relevant to the New Orleans Saints.
An example of a football betting system would be "NFL Teams are 41-17 ATS in the regular season after four or more Overs against an opponent off an Under." Note that this football betting system is not team specific, and instead is relevant to any NFL team in this situation.
Some football handicappers rely heavily on football betting trends, while others do not put much emphasis on them. NFL Handicappers that tend to use football betting trends believe that history for specific teams in specific situations is a good indication of how that team performs in similar situations.
NFL Handicappers that do not put much stock into football betting trends believe that there are more factors involved in a particular outcome or that with roster and coaching changes being made every year, the past records accumulated by a team that isn't necessarily the same as the current year's team.
Regardless of how NFL handicappers use football betting trends, they are widely regarded as one of the main handicapping tools used to handicap NFL Football games.
Want to know where to bet on football at a reliable and safe sportsbook, try BetPhoenix.ag where you get the best bonus and peace of mind!
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There are many things we can learn from an eagle about life. The eagle is the most majestic bird ever created.
First, let's observe a few facts about eagles:
- The eagle is a bird of prey
- The eagle has a very large hooked beak for ripping flesh
- The eagle has strong muscular legs and powerful talons
- The eagle's eyes are 3.6 times the acuity of the humans. A human can see three basic colors where an eagle can see 5 basic colors
- The eagle makes its nest in high trees or at the tops of cliffs and near water
- The eagle mates for life
We'll be making reference to these facts throughout this article, so stick with me while I lay some groundwork, then we'll get to the meat!
The eagle symbolizes power, freedom and transcendence.
Power: the possession of control or command over others; authority; ascendancy
1. The state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint
2. Exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
3. The power to determine action without restraint.
4. Exempt from external authority, interference, restriction, etc., as a person or one's will thought, choice, action, etc.; independent; unrestricted
5. Able to do something at will; at liberty
6. Clear of obstructions or obstacles
7. Personal liberty as opposed to bondage or slavery
Transcendence: Going beyond ordinary limits; surpassing; exceeding
There are some important characteristics of an eagle that we should know about. First of all, an eagle is towards the top of the food chain. Things in the past that should be dead and buried, we should never dig up and revisit.
Secondly, eagles only flock with other eagles when they do socialize. Where do you find other eagles? Very high up, even up to heights of 10,000 feet. You won't find other birds at that elevation.
You won't find eagles socializing with chickens, who do nothing but scratch at the dirt all day, complaining and flapping around stirring up dust. You won't find eagles socializing with pigeons who deliver the latest gossip and poop all over everything. You won't find an eagle socializing with an ostrich who sticks his head in the sand and refuses to confront the world around him. And, you won't find an eagle talking with the parrots who mimic others, so they look and sound good, but there is no substance to them.
An Eagle Defeats the Enemy
The eagle will sit in high places observing every little detail in life. He can spot the enemy from very long distances, even up to two miles away. His keen eyes give him this impressive talent. Once he spots the enemy or prey, he will swoop in with confidence, never looking over his shoulder and snatch his prey by his powerful talons from the ground or water without ever landing, then he will take his prey up to the high places and use his beak to tear away it's flesh and have him for dinner.
She Knows What She Wants
The male will put on spectacular aerial displays to attract a good woman. He is showing her his skills and beauty. The female eagle will then test the male to find out if he is right for her and will find out if she can trust him. She takes him high up in the air and she drops a twig. The male will then chase the twig and catch it and bring it back to her. She will then go higher and repeat the process. Each time the male catches the twig she has dropped and brings it back to her. Once the trust and love and affection are proven, the pair will mate for life.
They've got Mad Parenting Skills
The male will build a nest, usually on the top of a very high cliff or tree where the eaglets will be out of reach of the enemy. The outer layer of the nest consists of thorns that have been laid on the cliff as an outer shell and serves as protection. The middle layer of consists of soft grass and the inner layer consists of feathers for comfort.
Once the eggs are hatched and the eaglets mature, the mother will teach them to fly. She gathers them on her back and spreads her wings and flies high into the sky. Suddenly she swoops out from underneath her eaglet and allows it to fall and learn the function of its wings. She then catches the eaglet and repeats the process until he is able to fly on his own.
If the eaglet is slow to learn, she will take him back to the nest and begin to tear the nest apart, feather by feather, stick by stick, until all that is left is the thorns. As you can imagine, this makes the eaglet very uncomfortable. She continues to tear the nest apart until there is nothing left for the eaglet to cling too. She then nudges him off the cliff. This may seem mean, but it is really the only way to teach the young bird to survive on its own.
As human parents, we do everything we can to teach our babies while they are young. When they reach the teenage years, we give them more independence and teach them the important things in life and basic survival skills. When they reach a certain age, after graduating from high-school or college, we push them out of the nest. The eagle in it's natural habitat, can really teach us a thing or two about parenting.
Rise Above the Storms of Life
When a storm is raging on the horizon, the eagle will use the updrafts to rise above the storm. The eagle is very conservative of its energy. It takes very little flapping of its wings and he glides effortlessly through the air. When there is a storm, the updrafts take him high into the sky until he is above the clouds, where there is only peace. He does not use his own energy.
Many times when the storms of life hit us, we become fearful and our natural fight or flight instinct kicks in so that we either fight the storm or run and hide from it. We can take a lesson from the eagle. The storms of life are going to come. It's not a matter of if, but when. When the storm comes, accept it and have peace in the knowledge that you are going to get over it. Just don't fight. Don't try to fix it. Let nature take its course and rise above the storm.
Rest, Reflect, Renewal
As the eagle ages, around the age of 40, it's body deteriorates. His feathers wear out and become old, thick and heavy, making it difficult to fly. It's long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey. Its beak becomes bent. The eagle is left with two choices: either give up and die or make go through a process of change. He chooses to live, so he flies to the mountaintop and finds shelter in the rocks and then goes through a metamorphosis stage.
First, he beats his beak against the rock until he knocks it off. He then waits for it to grow back. Next, he plucks out his own talons and wait for them to grow back. Finally, he plucks out his old worn out feathers and waits for his new feathers to come back in. He never leaves the safety of the rocks the entire time. The process takes about five months. With his renewed body, the eagle can then live another 30-40 years.
There are times when we become worn out from life. We need a time of rest, reflection and renew. This process begins by noticing that life has taken it's toll on you, and then making the choice to change. It's not an easy decision. In fact, it's often the most difficult decision you will ever make. But you know that you cannot go on anymore without taking the time to rest in the Lord. Beat your beak against the rock, pluck your talons and feathers. Take time to reflect on areas in your life that need to change so that you can not only live but soar. Wait. Once you are renewed, you will emerge from the mountain like a brand new person. You will be ready to take flight once again. Soar through the air with little effort and rise above the storm.
Psalm 103:5
Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all His benefits: who forgive all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.


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LEAKEY, JOEL (1795?–1840?). Joel Leakey (Lakey, Laky), one of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred colonists, was born around 1795. He married Nancy Calloway, with whom he had at least seven children. He came to Texas about 1826, possibly from Louisiana, and claimed a headright of three leagues near Caney Creek. Four of his children came to Texas, and three remained in Louisiana. On May 28, 1827, he received title to a sitio of land in an area that later became part of Washington and Austin counties. Between 1827 and 1832 he was awarded 2½ leagues in the same area. According to the census of 1826 he was a farmer and stock raiser, aged between forty and fifty, and had a wife, four daughters, and one servant. He died around 1840. On September 15, 1844, a J. T. Lakey was enlisted as a private in Capt. Leonard A. Mabbitt's company of three-month volunteers.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:Lester G. Bugbee, "The Old Three Hundred: A List of Settlers in Austin's First Colony," Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association 1 (October 1897). Frank W. Johnson, A History of Texas and Texans (5 vols., ed. E. C. Barker and E. W. Winkler [Chicago and New York: American Historical Society, 1914; rpt. 1916]). Virginia H. Taylor, The Spanish Archives of the General Land Office of Texas (Austin: Lone Star, 1955). Villamae Williams, Stephen F. Austin's Register of Families (Nacogdoches, Texas: Ericson, 1984).
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.Handbook of Texas Online, "LEAKEY, JOEL," accessed May 25, 2019, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fle06.
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The first shipments of U.S. stone fruit including peaches and nectarines from Idaho, Oregon and Washington arrived in Australia this year. An article in the Fruit Growers News tells the details: http://fruitgrowersnews.com/index.php/efgn/entry/australia-opens-borders-to-u.s.-stone-fruit-efgn-october-2013.
This is great news for our growers focused on early production and working with western U.S. fruit marketing entities. With an estimate of $50 million over the next 5 years, this news is a great boon to growers here in the U.S. The article doesn't specify if the peaches being sent are melting or non-melting flesh, but it would be great to do an export test to see which ones hold up better during transit and at the consumer end for quality.
In my opinion – "a rising tide lifts all boats".


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Saturday, December 04, 2010
Morro Rock Sunset
Compared to a lot of other landscape photography I do, this was taken with very modest equipment and relatively poor technique. I was scouting the Morro Strand Beach area around sunset for possible locations for a morning sunrise shoot the next day. It had been raining so I didn't go out for sunset shoot, but my mistake, the rain cleared up just for sunset and just as I pulled up to park. Having only a few moments, I grabbed my Sony NEX-5 with the 18-55 kit lens attached, framed the shot quickly, took just the one image. No tripod, no filters.
And this is what the image looked like when first imported into Lightroom and after some basic tone curve adjustments. To create the final image, it was imported into Photoshop as a Camera Raw Smart Object. Morro Rock was masked and a graduated ND was applied in Camera Raw on the background layer. Some very basic color corrections and thats it.
The quality of the NEX-5 sensor appears to be quite good and I'm pleased with it. The 18-55 is sometimes maligned for its image quality but in this case the resulting image has plenty of resolution to make a decent large sized print.
Posted by Aravind Krishnaswamy at 8:18 AM
1 comment:
- Brian Christopher said...
The processing looks great!
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Esmeralda always had trouble with her hair. When she was two, her mother cut her hair for the first time. It was so short her ears froze when she went outside. It was so short it stuck straight up on her head. It was so short people sometimes thought she was a boy. Her mother tried to put bows in her hair with gel which looked very silly. One day she walked up to her mother, put her hands on her hips and announced, "No more haircuts, never, never never"!
Her hair grew. Soon it covered her ears.
A few weeks later Esmeralda was able to put bows in her hair without looking silly.
It reached her shoulders. Esmeralda put barrettes in her hair, but they got lost, and she never removed them. Her mother said, "You have to brush your hair and keep it neat if you want it long." Esmeralda just nodded and went back to playing.
As it grew, she liked to put her hair on top of her head, so Esmerelda pinned it up with chopsticks but never bothered to take them out. They drooped and clacked as she moved.
Her hair grew so long her mother tried to braid it, but tangles got in the way. Esmeralda never combed it, and it fell down her back in snarls and tangles. Esmeralda's teacher, Mrs. Cleanwick, spoke to the class about the importance of brushing their hair, pointing at the messy heap on top of Esmeralda's head.
It grew so long it reached her waist. Esmeralda liked to separate it in two and tie it into a bow at her neck. One day Esmeralda and her friend had a fight. They were so angry that they grabbed burdocks growing nearby and smashed them into each other's hair. Her friend took the burdocks out, Esmeralda didn't. Esmeralda's mother just shook her head when she saw her. The burdocks scratched her cheeks as she slept.
Soon she could sit on her hair. She tried to brush her hair one day but the brush got stuck in the tangles, and she left just it there.
One night when she was sleeping, Teensy the mouse saw her hair dusting the floor and skittered up. He made a home and each night brought back treasures he found during the day, jittering about his adventures in her ear as she dreamed.
When she was swinging at the playground, Esmeralda's hair swept the ground, leaving the earth neat and her hair littered with twigs and clumps of dirt.
Her hair grew down to her knees. One day Mama Bird flew by and decided her hair would be an excellent place to build a nest. Pretty soon three chicks hatched.
Esmeralda sometimes liked having the birds but Mama Bird was always squawking, the chicks were always chirping and the worms Mama Bird brought back to her chicks that sometimes fell in her hair and squiggled down her neck. Paying attention to school with all the noise was hard.
Jasper a little, brown chipmunk looking down from a tree thought her hair would make a wonderfully soft home to come to each day, jumped down and burrowed deep with his paws.
Esmeralda's hair grew down on her toes. She kept tripping as she walked. Mama Bird squawked angrily at her because she scared the chicks. Jasper, the chipmunk, jittered at her to be careful.
One day her cat, Nubs, noticed the mouse, birds, and squirrel jumped on top of Esmeralda's hair and stared at the smaller creatures. It was a difficult load to carry.
The next door neighbor's dog, Buster, saw Nubs in her hair and started jumping against Esmeralda. She had to run inside to hide.
Esmeralda went to school the next day to find her teacher, Mrs. Cleanwick had called Officer Brown from the Animal Control department. Officer Brown gave a talk about the importance of not bringing animals to school unless the teacher was asked first.
The animals were making so much noise that Esmeralda had to sit in the school hall because the other kids in the class were so distracted.
When she and her friends climbed up a pine tree, Esmeralda's hair got trapped in the branches leaving her hanging stuck in the air. Sap from the tree clung to her hair. Little pine needles were everywhere, tickling and itching her. She looked and felt like a fly trapped in a spider's web. It took a whole day and two of her best friend's help to get her free.
In fits of frustration the animals skittered and chittered and slid down the tree, running off to find new homes.
That was it! She ran home to her mother and cried "Cut my hair. PLEASE!!!" Her mother started cutting . . . Out came a branch from a tree, twigs from the playground, the mouse's treasures, the bird's nest, the squirrels home, and clumps of dirt from the swings. Next came the chopsticks, burdocks, barrettes and bows that had gotten lost, sap and pine needles from the tree she was stuck in, the brush that got stuck and hundreds and hundreds of snarls and tangles.
Esmeralda's new haircut fell to her shoulders fell in soft waves. Her mother brushed until it gleamed and put a bright bow in it. She looked in the mirror and liked who she saw. She promised herself she would always keep her hair neat and clean . . . And she did.


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Bums on the outside, libraries on the inside.
That about sums it up. The phrase is from Ray Bradbury's futuristic novel Fahrenheit 451, in which an enlightened fireman turned fugitive flees a dystopic urban community and finds shelter and community in a hobo camp of bibliophiles and outlaw intellectuals where literature is preserved in people's memories rather than actual books, which have been declared illegal, and are routinely burned by firemen whose task is to start rather than stop fires.
Like Jules Verne's equally prophetic Paris In The Twentieth Century, Fahrenheit 451 describes an urban community that is devoted to technology and war and utterly disparages anything to do with art and literature. Critical thinking is vilified. Original thought is tantamount to blasphemy. Consumerism is broadly and vigorously encouraged. Distractions are plentiful. Conformity is mandatory. Ignorance is a social asset. Knowledge is an endangering liability. Utility and pragmatism are primary virtues. Idleness and reverie are anathematized.
Sound familiar? If the above sounds like the world in which we are now living, then you are more apt to be among the mocked and disenfranchised than the socially well-adjusted and affluent. A bum on the outside, a library on the inside.
Fahrenheit 451 was written in the late 40s and published in 1953, 58 years ago. More than half a century. I was 6 years old. How did Bradbury come to write this book? What put the seed of it in his mind? How did he, as did Jules Verne 90 years before Bradbury's book was published, envision a future that proved to be so uncannily accurate?
Clearly, the values aggressively espoused from the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the early 1800s had a great deal to do with it. Industrialization led to the creation of the factory, which mandated a robotic, routinized behavior and a reverence for technology. The factory system gave rise to the modern city and all of its noise and pollution. The arts continued to be taught in the universities and housed in museums and book publication was even more robust than it had been. But there was a tacit assumption that while artistic and intellectual values had some importance to a healthy society, they were inferior to the work of the scientist and engineer. This pattern grew increasingly lopsided until, 200 years later, technically savvy and highly aggressive entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs became celebrated as visionaries. Jobs, upon his recent passing, was virtually deified. Had he been Catholic, rather than a self-professed Buddhist, it would not have surprised me to see him nominated for sainthood.
I reached adulthood in the 60s. I remember them vividly. I grew up in an upper middle class household. My father worked at Boeing as an aerospace engineer. All the households I visited had books. Television had replaced books and radio to become the chief medium of communication, but people still respected books and lauded writers such as Thoreau and Dickinson and Whitman and Emerson. Even the households that scraped by on modest incomes had books. It was inauspicious, but possible, to make a living as a writer. One could announce this as one's life ambition without embarrassment. It had credibility. Writers commanded a respect equal to doctors and lawyers. It was a viable and praiseworthy profession. The Beatles even had a song about it, "Paperback Writer." This pattern continued, albeit with gradual diminishment, until the 80s.
The zeitgeist changed radically circa 1980. Reagan became president. Greed was good. And here in Seattle, a little company called Microsoft began making the headlines.
Three decades later we have a world disquietingly similar to Fahrenheit 451. I try not to mention books at social gatherings because it would be tantamount to suddenly breaking into Chinese, or undoing my belt and letting my pants fall to the ground. An allusion to the written word to the unsuspecting at a wedding, birthday celebration or gathering of coworkers at the local bar is answered, unfailingly, with the deer caught in the headlights look. Glazed eyes, faces pale and numb with perplexity.
One would think that the computer would be the antidote. It looks like a TV and has a lot more fun stuff to look at than the stark little letters on the page of a book. But it's not. In fact, the opposite seems to be happening. While the print media is now in its final death throes, newspapers thin as grocery flyers, book publishers wary of publishing anyone not a celebrity or whose prose is even a trifle oblique, independent bookstores eaten by merciless titans such as Barnes and Noble where the writerly, intellectually challenging author has the chances of a proverbial snowball in hell of selling enough copies to prevent all their books from being sent back to the publisher, the e-books and blogs and journals available online are not cultivating a new audience of readers. The medium does not encourage reading. It encourages a fickle, superficial, dilletantish skimming. "Who wants to reread Faulknerian sentences on a Kindle," writes Chad Harbach, "or scroll back to pick up a missed plot point? Nobody, says the publisher. And the NYC novelist understands—she'd better understand, or else she'll have to move to Cleveland."
Ah yes, MFA programs. Life is weird. Perplexing and contradictory. Why, when books are dying, when literature is dying, are MFA programs doing such a good, profitable business? Damn good question. Which I can't answer. I don't get it.
I do know this, that the only audience any writer is going to have is going to be the graduate of an MFA program, or an inhabitant of Brooklyn riding the subway to Manhattan every other night to attend parties and meet literary agents and editors and publishers. The few publishers, that is, who actually read books. The bulk of the mainstream publishers have far more in common with the brokers at Goldman Sachs than a sophisticated man-about-town like Bennett Cerf.
An author's dream audience is made up of people who love books and have the education and tastes and intelligence of a discerning aficionado but who are not themselves writers. Trust me. That ain't gonna happen. The literary world is a hyper-competitive arena more vicious and treacherous than the court of Versailles in the 16th century. The audience is invariably made up of fellow writers and close family relatives who have been bribed, blackmailed, coerced and pleaded with to attend.
When I was in my 20s, my every other thought was how to get laid. Now that I'm 64, my every other thought is a question: why, oh why, did I ever want to become a writer? Why not, say, a lawyer? Lawyers operate with language. Had I become a trial lawyer, I would have been guaranteed an audience for my oratories. Oratories gleaned from Emerson and Montaigne and Shakespeare.
Or, at the very least, a journalist. That's as pragmatic as writing gets. Just the facts, m'am. No embellishment. No literary flourish. Just hard-hitting prose à la Hemingway. But even that profession is dying. If a professed progressive like Ariana Huffington doesn't pay her writers, nobody is. The precedent has been set. However prestigious it may be to get your article published at the Huffington Post, you cannot support yourself if you are not paid. No support, no journalism. Unless you can somehow support yourself as a hairdresser or court stenographer while moonlighting as a journalist. My advice there is: Dexedrine. Take lots of it. Wash it down with a few espressos. And try not to get too psychotic.
Here is another helpful tip: forget the MFA. Write cute, hip little tales about turds that don't flush, or long, self-absorbed monologues about your exasperation with drug rehab. I guarantee you will get published. You will do more than that. You will ride to the top of the best seller list. You will be interviewed on NPR.
Why? Because when people read, when they do read, are most apt to read through the words to the content. The words are just there to convey information. Pictures. Do not, under any circumstances, frolic among the words or draw attention to the miracle that is language. Do not wander from your topic, meander into delicate, verbal brocade, or try your hand at sculpting solid lines of literary granite. That is the quickest way to literary doom. To joining the hobos in Bradbury's sad refugee camps.
As Bradbury himself wrote in the Afterword to my copy of Fahrenheit 451, "There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches… For let's face it, digression is the soul of wit. Take philosophic asides away from Dante, Milton or Hamlet's father's ghost and what stays is dry bones. Laurence Sterne said it once: Digressions, incontestably, are the sunshine, the life, the soul of reading! Take them out and once cold eternal winter would reign in every page. Restore them to the writer - he steps forth like a bridegroom, bids them all-hail, brings in variety and forbids the appetite to fail."
The Tranquilizer
1 day ago


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Archive for December, 2009
New Year's Eve at Hastings Harbour
In the cold wind not many birds in the air save those which seemed to enjoy it. The sky rather empty but then a single crow flying north proved to be a Raven, elegant and powerful as it headed north. Some while later another single Raven but quite high powering slowly in the same direction.
In the gardens three wary Redwings watching from Lime branches were joined by two of the wintering Blackcaps.
At the harbour one of the RX boats rolling on the swell and coming ashore fish laden. 80 or more Great Black-backed gulls seemed well fed and rested, those on the harbour wall facing east. An uneaten spotted dogfish lying on the shingle and a general air of indifference amongst the Herring gulls suggested that lunch had been early today and there was no sudden rush to inspect the catch – perhaps they knew that the gutting had been carried out at sea.
A male Peregrine cutting over the shore and followed at lower level by his larger mate who flew not too high above the traffic. Then a pair of Ravens heading towards the cliffs as Gannets wheeled and dived over the bright horizon.
RSPB Dungeness recent sightings
Red-throated diver – one on the ARC pit on 28th. Slavonian grebe – one on Denge Marsh on 28th. Black-necked grebe – one on Denge Marsh on 28th. Bittern – at least one daily at the ARC site, Denge Marsh or Hooker's pits. One from Christmas Dell hide on 28th. Smew – present since 1st. Up to six females around the site from 17th. Goosander – three on the ARC pit on 27th and one on New Diggings on 28th. Curlew – one near Boulderwall Farm on 28th. Woodcock – one at Christmas Dell on 24th. Great spotted woodpecker – one near Boulderwall Farm on 22nd and 23rd. Siberian chiffchaff – one in bushes to left of track near ARC viewing screen on 28th. Firecrest – one near Hooker's pits on 28th. Raven – two over Denge Marsh on 28th.
Past few days
Highlights over the past few days 400 Wigeon, 350 Teal, 6 Pintail, drake Smew, 34 Snipe, Woodcock and 3 Marsh Harrier at Castle Water. Roosting waders on the Beach Reserve have included 370 Curlew split between Harbour Farm pools and Flat Beach, 160 Dunlin along shore Ridges, 245 Golden Plover and 300 Lapwing on Flat Beach. A Merlin showed well at Ternery Pool were small groups of Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall and a lone Scaup have been present. Several Red-throated Diver were lingering offshore out from the Old Lifeboat House.
Odd record of the year?
Wildlife sometimes turns up in the strangest of places. The most peculiar record I have heard about this year was the common seal that was feeding on goldfish in a garden pond, 18 miles inland at Benenden, having presumable navigated up the River Rother. Had it been my pond I would have been putting it down to too much Christmas alcohol.
Pett Sea Wall
Maybe for the last time this year, l was on the sea wall again, where there was quite a bit to see, on the marsh pools but not much again on the sea. Again large flocks of dabbling ducks with upto 300 Wigeon, 80 Teal with smaller numbers of Mallard, Shoveler, Gadwall with the number being around 4/500 ducks in all. There was also 6 Tufted, 4 Pochard and 2 Goldeneye ( red heads) on the pools, but again only 1Common Scoter west over the sea. There was four species of Geese on the marsh with 86 G.L.Geese, 8 W.F.Geese, 4 Brents and 30/40 Canada Geese grazing on the marsh. Waders were in good numbers with 1500/2000 Lapwing, 300 Curlew, 60 Golden Plover, 4 Ruff, 20 Redshank, 30 Turnsone, 150 Dunlin, on the marsh, 10/15 Grey Plover on the beach. So imagine what it looked like when a scare happened, the whole marsh took to the air at least twice, the reasons being 2 Peregrines ( which spent alot of the time resting on the field just north of eastern most pool) 1 Marsh Harrier ( showing signs of being one of this years birds), and a male Kestrel.In the bay there was a few G.C.Grebe and R.T.Divers flying up and down but not much else. It was nice seeing a Fieldfare at the pools, l cannot remember the last time that l saw one of them at the pools. I hope you all had a good Xmas and that you all have a Happy New Year. Pete.
Rye Harbour Sightings
Numbers of Bewick's swan building up
Christmas Quiz
If you are looking for a good wildlife Christmas quiz, then the RSPB have the best I could find… click here.