This, courtesy of O.S., is the area around where I live... I've marked on there in red all the public footpaths and rights of way which I frequent. The one which starts off by the station and runs almost parallel with the railway is the Liss Railway Riverside Walk, maintained by a local charity, and following the route of the old military railway between Liss and Longmoor Camp. The yellow cross in the pink circle shows, near enough, where I live - one of the paths runs alongside the side of my flat... Oh and the big pink road is the A3.
And below are my two locals,
the Blue Bell and the Spread Eagle - the Eagle is within view of my front door :-)
I met a representative from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust yesterday, outside Tesco in Petersfield, of all places! They've had a stand up in the entrance for a couple of days to try and encourage people to join, and to raise awareness of their work. I had a lovely long chat with him and got some good advice and recommendations of reserves within easy reach of me (one only 5 miles away, if that!) and he gave me one of their members magazines for free :-) - got a great article in it on Peregrines. When I have money I will definitely be joining. They've got far more reserves than I ever realised, and many are SSSI's. - Lots of locations to visit when the man brings the car down methinks! :-)
Talking of the man, I'm off up to his tomorrow :-). We're having a meal tomorrow evening with an old housemate of mine and her fiance - haven't seen either of them for ages, so it should be a fun evening. Got many other things planned for the weekend, including, as previously mentioned, the Sealife Centre! *grins* Will be seeing these people whilst I'm there too :-)
Oh, I need to get a rain cover and new strap for my binoculars... Must remember!
Got my choir rehearsal tonight, so it'll be more Benjamin Britten, Vaughan Williams and Elgar... Also some Percy Grainger folk songs which we have to sing in a Lincolnshire accent...! - you can imagine. There's all the old boys in the tenor and bass sections singing lustily about overtaking a fair young maid in the woods; most of them are well past their prime, and would probably have great difficulty in overtaking anyone! - it causes amusement...
I have finally succumbed to the phenomenon which is 'blogging' it seems...
I woke up with a headache this morning, so have been consuming copious amounts of water and tea to try and kill it. Not had much success so far, so I may be reaching for the paracetamol soon...
Spent the weekend with the man and went to RSPB Rainham Marshes to see some birdies and go walking. Went there on the Saturday and the Sunday, though twas a little birdless for our liking. However, some good views of Reed Buntings and Herons. I'm getting a bit too into this whole birding thing, all the fault of the man I might add, and it looks like I'll be investing in a spotting scope (smaller than the man's) whenever I have money...
Stupid BT have sent me a bill for a service I'm not supposed to be receiving from them anymore! I'm registered with Virgin Media for it, and their records confirm that; so God knows what BT are up to. They're as bad as British Gas sending me bills for a property I hadn't lived in for 3 months!
An amusing joke from 'Auf Wiedersehen Pet': "You know the difference between a hedgehog and a Range Rover? - The hedgehog's got pricks on the outside."
Looking forward to seeing the man again on Friday (wait, that's tomorrow!), yay! He'll be arriving under his own steam for the first time, so fingers crossed for a stress-free drive and minimal traffic. Will be heading down to see my Grandma on the Saturday to take her out for lunch; she lives in Somerset. Hoping there will be some good birds to see from her garden as it overlooks rolling fields and hills further away - good spot for sparrowhawks.
We're going on 'ho-li-day' soon :-) Off to what will hopefully be a sunny North Coast of Norfolk, with a couple of friends for a long weekend's birdwatching, walking and exploring. It's a part of the country I've never been to, so I'm looking forward to the change of scene. The man and I will be trying out his new 5 man-sized tent, as we'll be going by car, so we'll be enjoying the extra space it affords I'm sure.
Got choir practice tonight, back to the Church choir, as The Waverley Singers (semi-professional choir I've just joined) have got two weeks off over Easter. Just as well really as Sunday's services will be extra important due to it being a) Easter Sunday (one of the biggest events in the Christian calendar) and b) the last service of our Rector before he retires and moves to Cambridge.
Had something exciting through the post this morning - a freebie! :-) How I love freebies. On this occasion the item is a mini cookery book on Bramley apples... Lots of tasty-looking things inside to try I'm sure. I'll bet the man agrees with me too...
