Cornwall.......

Icelandic volcanoes and glaciers....land of fire and ice

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-28870969
Volcanic eruptions are notoriously difficult to predict, despite all the indicators that can be measured and might suggest an imminent event. I took these photos on a trip to Iceland with geography students in February 2012 and was staggered by the sheer beauty of the place.

Jon And Vangelis - I'll Find My Way Home (1981)

Obviously far better known for the theme music from Chariots of Fire, I always loved this song. It is a very early eighties sound.....I am no musician but in this performance the sounds seem to have no relation to the instruments being played on stage and I am amused by the random policeman in what looks like a Top of the Pops audience.....look closely...

Wonderful Chill Out Ambient Trance Music - Emotional Dreams [Part I] [HD]

Vangelis - Beautiful Planet Earth [HD]

Really enjoyed this one and may well use clips from it to try to inspire the students about the world around them.

Baby Timor zebra finches

The three fledgling Timor zebra finches are spending more time out of the nest and it has been fascinating to watch their behaviour. Unlike Australian zebra finches, the young seem far more independent and are already proficient flyers and are feeding themselves. They are incredibly inquisitive. Interestingly this young parson finch, itself less than six months old, has been showing a non-aggressive interest in the youngsters as demonstrated by this bout of allopreening, which is where one bird preens another, often around the head area which is difficult for any bird to reach itself. It is also clear just how small the timors and their parents are as the parson finch is not a big bird and yet it dwarfs the diminutive zebra inches.

Come on Tim......

 http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/aug/19/tim-vine-wins-dave-award-funniest-joke-edinburgh-festival
I saw Tim Vine at the Bloomsbury Theatre back in 2010 .....not only were the jokes very clever, they were delivered almost in a torrent.....I laughed solidly for about two hours. And the best thing was that he didn't swear at all....not that I object particularly to a bit of well-placed profanity but he did not rely on it to get laughs.

RIP James Alexander Gordon.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28844131

Red Admiral......

This has been a very good year for butterflies with especially large numbers of small tortoiseshells so it was nice to see this red admiral basking on a sunny wall......

Baby Timor zebra finch leaves nest for the first time.......

Well it has been a little over two weeks but this afternoon the first baby Timor zebra finch decided to explore outside the nest for the first time. Perhaps it was the warmth of the afternoon sun which caused it to venture into the aviary ....it had been peering out of the nest entrance for quite some time. I have no idea how many siblings are still in the nest but I hope at least two more are inside. As can be seen from the clip it is very inquisitive. nibbling bark with its beak. It can be distinguished from the adults by its black beak. Both parents were very attentive and the male seemed to be on the look out for predators......sparrowhawks do occasionally make a pass at the aviary. Not long after this both adults ushered the fledgling back to the nest.

Wildcat Kitten

wildwood lynx 2011

I saw these being fed and their leap is indeed incredible. They would certainly be an interesting addition to the British countryside although I'm certain they would take more sheep than roe deer.

A Vision of Wild Things To Come.....

This is a great place that I have visited many times. It certainly is amazing to enter a badger sett or watch otters at close range. It is particularly interesting in terms of the rewilding idea proposed mainly by George Monbiot and which I think is a really interesting concept for the future of conservation.

Baby Timor Zebra finches....

Small tortoiseshell butterfly.....

Red valerian has been a real attraction to the butterflies, for whom 2014 seems to have been a good year. There have been at least five or six small tortoiseshell butterflies frequenting the flowers during sunny spells over the last couple of days and I believe they are locally bred.....there were hundreds of caterpillars on a nettle patch in a neighbour's garden.

Late summer in the garden......

First tantalising view of Timor Zebra Finch chicks........

The parents, particularly the female, have been very attentive, feeding the chicks a mixture of sponge cake fortified with calcium and dried mealworms and panicum millet. It does feel as though the chicks have been in the nest a long time so this first glimpse of them, including a clear gape, is very pleasing. The Timors have been more of a challenge to breed than normal Australian Zebra finches. They completely ignored all nesting receptacles offered and made their own domed affair.

"Seize the Day"

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) Trailer (Robin Williams, Sally Field and Pierce Br...

Mork Meets The Fonz

'Nanu nanu' and 'shuzbutt' were very much part of our vocabulary at school.

Good Morning Vietnam AC first broadcast

What will your verse be?

Flying foxes......?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/children-evacuated-from-london-hospital-ward-after-fox-falls-through-ceiling-9660729.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12573364

I have seen foxes jumping up and eating plums from a tree, playing with toys stolen from gardens and once saw one go in to McDonalds on Wealdstone High Street. Whether you love them or loathe them, there is no doubting their ability to survive in an urban world, as these two stories suggest. One regularly runs along the top humanities corridor at the school where I teach.

Male Timor Zebra Finch feeding on cuttle fish.....

These diminutive zebra finches are on their first brood of the year and it has been interesting to see the adults supplementing the diet they feed the chicks with cuttlefish bone.

Standing In This Fire - Anika Moa

I first heard Anika's album 'In swings the tide' on a flight to New Zealand a few years ago and have loved her music ever since. Very excited that she is coming to London in October 2014 and I have a ticket!

Anika Moa - Dreams In My Head

Koroni's first hatchling! ARCHELON 2014

ELISA (ARABESQUE).

The Communards - So cold the night (HD 16:9)

New Tunisian Lake.......fascinating

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/01/mysterious-lake-tunisian-desert-turquoise-green-sludge

Nina Simone - Take Care of Business

Ain't Got No, I Got Life - Nina Simone