neilh's Posts

You might like to check the Telegraph's Christopher Booker's dubious record of inaccurate reprting on a number of subjects: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2011/oct/13/christopher-booker

Yes dragons would be interesting!

The rock they refer to as the Clerk is actually Shag rock.  The Parosn & Clerk rock stack formation is further round the headland

Watch out for Free Art Fridays

@Clive .  yes, agree.  it's obviously an issue with roof-mounted panels but solar arrays in fields could be arranged in a semi-circle to pick up more power evenly throughout the day.

You could try "Walk This Way" - they meet regularly every week in Dawlish & Teignmouth for walking and coffee.  Details on Teignbridge site.

Is this different from the Barrel jellyfish which have been drifting ashore?  The Barrel does have stinging cells but they are designed to kill plankton.  They are not supposed to be strong enough to pierce human skin.

If you didn't already know it's National "Get Walking Week". http://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/get-walking/why-walk/get-walking-week-2014?utm_source=Walking+for+Health+e-newsletter&utm_campaign=c7653221fb-Get_Walking_Week_news_alert_vol&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_64ec73a11b-c7653221fb-417219697 Walking doesn't have to be 10 mile hikes across Dartmoor.  Regular short walks have physical and ...

Great day out!

Late notice.  If you're interested in trees watch the Great British Garden Revival this evening at 7pm.  It's featuring Stone Lane Gardens which is a national arboretum for birch and alder near Chagford - fantastic place.

Great idea Don.  And for those who are more interested in compassion for others, have a look at this short video-clip which explores the concept of "emotional correctness": http://www.ted.com/talks/sally_kohn_let_s_try_emotional_correctness.html

@Oniscus University College London recently published a report on the contribution of immigrants to this country since 2000.  In summary: "Migrants coming to the UK since the year 2000 have been less likely to receive benefits or use social housing than people already living in the country, according to a study that argues the new arrivals have made a net contribution of £25bn to public ...

@Mrs C This is funding that had been available through government grants. "After 2014 there will be no new grants available, for at least 2 years. There is no clarity as yet on what might happen after 2016. The Woodland Trust is demanding that Defra unlock funds to provide interim funding measures as a solution to this serious problem. The good news is that the Government already recognises ...

This seems like an excellent idea but why can't they team up with the Woodland Trust.  Then maybe there could be an option of free fruit trees being delivered to schools, or even encouraging the setting up of community orchards.

@Don Yes naughty but couldn't resist.  There's always Tor of course if you're prepared to risk the dark internet although it looks like NSA may even have hacked that when the Silkroad web-site was brought down.

Absolutely right b.o.liking. Churchill was stockpiling chemical weapons and considering their use in WW2 - see http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/like-assad-churchill-liked-to-stockpile-poison-gas-8876357.html US deployed agent orange during the Vietnam War - " Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth defects as a result of the use ...

Well done Octopushers!!

This week is 'Get Walking Week' so if you don't do it already GO FOR A WALK!!  If you're in Newton Abbot any time try the brand new cycle/walking route which has opened today from the Town Quay to Kingsteignton, with an absolutely fantastically designed footbridge across the river.  Join a walking group like 'Walk This Way' in Dawlish which meets every week for walks of varying lengths depending ...

Ah, McGonagall, an unsurpassed poet of his time!  Is he your favourite?

Advance notice of the 100th anniversary of the pilgrimage for women's suffrage, which will be coming through Dawlish and Teignmouth in July.  For more info - http://dreadnoughtsouthwest.org.uk/

@HuwMatthews - which bit was "illinformed"- her homophobia or her implicit racism?

Another Thatcher legacy - the wonder of free market philosophy.

The US National Climate Data Centre is obviously feeling threatened by groundhog Phil because it has apparently published a formal rebuttal saying that groundhog forecasts have not been as accurate as claimed!!  What they haven't done is compare Phil's six week forecast with their own.

Yes, saw one train early this morning so I assume that Exeter line is now open but haven't seen anything on tele about it

Good turnout for the Boxing Day dash in Teignmouth.  RNLI ran out of registration forms so more people than normal/expected must have turned up to brave the sea which actually wasn't as cold as I thought it would be - a pleasant 11 deg or thereabouts, apparently warmer than the air temperature.  A few tots of sloe vodka afterwards worked a treat.

The clay mock-ups for foundry processing look fantastic.

@Carer oops, you're right of course.  lol. Temporal disturbance in the space-time continuum, obvioulsy a sign of getting old.

Is this any use to anyone?  Opportunity to save costs if you use oil for heating. http://devonrcc.org.uk/c/63/the-devon-oil-collective?utm_source=Community+Council+of+Devon+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=bb5d1fb141-Events_Publicity10_11_2012&utm_medium=email

Yes great walk but not that easy if you're not a regular walker.  The climb out of Shaldon is notoriously steep and if the weather is as wet as it has been in recent months the back lanes from Beacon Hill down to the estuary can get muddy/slippery/deep!  The last stretch back along the estuary needs a lowish tide otherwise it's just road walking.

Look out for the Harvest Moon next weekend - it's the period of full moon closest to the equinox, so called because ....... The shorter-than-usual time between moonrises around the full Harvest Moon means no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise for days in succession. In the days before tractor lights, the lamp of the Harvest Moon helped farmers to gather their crops, despite the ...

@chef  - glad to give you a chuckle.  I used to test by poking the jelly on a cold saucer but found it very variable.  So with scientific background I moved to thermometer for more precision!!  Batch of crabapple schnapps now made - leaving for a couple of months to mature ready for Xmas festivities.  First batch of crabapple juice ready for jellying tomorrow.  Smells delicious but we didn't get ...

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Hedge foraging.  last week I found a hedgerow full of marjoram.  I don't know if it has seeded naturally or if someone just scattered some packets of seed on a whim.  It struck me that that would be a good idea - if everyone bought a packet of herb seeds and scattered liberally in a local hedge we'd gradually get a local herb store.  Go forth and scatter.

Heard an interesting itme on the radio this morning.  A young couple who couldn't afford a house bought a double-decker bus and converted it into a one-bedroomed home. Cost? £3000 for the bus, don't know about the conversion but couldn't have been much more than £10k since they did the work themselves.  Effectively they ended up with a modrn apartment at minimal cost - apparently better than the ...

Hasn't this been done before?  I seem to remember a dredger a few years ago dumping sand off the Warren to compensate for tidal erosion ..... or maybe it's just a false memory (!).

"Dreckly" might mean 2-3 weeks.  If I remember correctly our local councillor said that the old bridge was due to come down now, there would then be a gap of a week prior to the new bridge being delivered and fitted.  This would cause a problem of access after hours because network rail staff would not be available to assist those who needed help up and down the steps (or across the railway ...

The Devon HACK (Hike Against Cruelty to Kids) was on again today.  A 25 mile challenge walk from Dawlish Warren via Exminster, Kenn, Haldon, Dawlsih Water, Holcombe, Dawlish and back to the Warren.  You may have seen a number of us walking back along the sea-front this afternoon in our HACK tee-shirts. Well done to NSPCC for all the organisation that has gone into this year's event.  ...

@ Phillip.  A bit late I know but here's the climax of the duck race.  Steward and duck-catcher looking on dutifully as ducks jostle for position at the line! !

Don't forget that it's a blue moon tomorrow night.  And for Lon Chaney Jr fans of a werewolf inclination don't forget also that ....... "Even a man who's pure at heart, And says his prayers by night, Becomes a wolf when the wolfbane blooms, And the moon is shining bright" (Wolfbane is out on Haldon Moor now!!)