chrisjpainter

I'd like it to go on, but I can't see it happening if BBBBBBC won't sanction it. My guess is they'll fast-track the B-sample and hope it's clear. If it's not, that's the end of it and we'll all have to wait a little bit longer for the circus to deliver its pantomime Utterly absurd. And so typical of boxing.

Yup. stuffing fish with lead weights...and fillets of fish. They didn't even need to do it either! their catch minus the stuffing would have easily been good enough to win!

Good to see the apple's been correctly cut too. Sliced is the way, none of the block chunks business! It's been a really good crop down here, too. It looked like the drought was gonna stuff it, but one shower of rain and they bushes just went mad. Not many picking, which is sad, but it meant all the more for us! Jam and crumble galore

It's funny, despite ever milder autumns and longer lasting summers, if anything, our migrating winter birds seem to be arriving earlier! We've had a fair few redwing already through and the odd fieldfare

It's hard to say how many of ours are hangers on and how many are northerners already on their migration routes. There's some evidence to suggest that more and more swallows in particular will be ditching this long distance migration business and doing micro-migrations to the coastal regions, banking on it being easier to tough out a UK winter than face the Sahara twice on journeys to Africa. So watch this space on that.

neoprene's absolutely fine. as long as it fits snuggly but not overtight, they last

I had to return a jacket that was, alas, too big. I posted it Thursday afternoon, second class. arrived and the refund's already been confirmed, so that's not too bad at all

Royal Mail can do that. Their 24 hour service has always been reliable for me - certainly compared to their other services!

The waters off Cape Verde are where many of the US's hurricanes develop. They're not usually severe enough to be a major concern down there and the season should end in October...Should. If the rainy season's delayed though, November can be extremely wet there! Edit: huh. Just checked NOAA and there's a high chance of a cyclonic storm brewing in between Cape Verde and the mainland as we speak. All fun and games in the hurricane predictor industry

That fits in well with the Lanner distribution in Egypt. Nice spot!

Peregrines aren't that common across Egypt - even if you include the 'barbary' falcon, which is sometimes claimed as a subspecies of peregrines. To my eye, the best fit would be a juvenile Lanner, as they're more abundant over Egypt. The creamy beige colouring fading into a pale vent works for this, as does the vertical stripes. Over time, these will develop into the classic horizontal barring. They mainly feed on small to medium sized birds. Peregrines are significantly more powerful and tend to go for larger prey items, so the fact that this one was chasing small passerines makes me think more Lanner, too. Where in Egypt was this taken?

Down here we have a Citrine Wagtail. Or perhaps we don't. Its ID is being hotly contested by the self professed great and the more wholesome good as to whether it's Citrine Wag or either an eastern race yellow Wag or a hybrid. I've seen the bird, but only with binoculars and not my scope, so I'm in no real place to judge. The original finder was initially convinced, but now not so sure. Others are still believers. It's a case of ask three birders and you'll get 4 different ID's right now! Photo not my own. Currently I'm more in favour of a Citrine, then eastern Yellow Wag, then Hybrid. The colours look too uniform and precise for a hybrid to my eye, and the head and vent look better for Citrine than yellow, but who knows? Lee GR Evans is tweeting about it

It's basically a case of needing to be in the right place at the right time to be checked. They're pretty hot on it in the bass spawning areas around the Fal in Cornwall. Anyone fishing at certain times of the year is liable to be checked. You're not allowed to fish with sandeels either, even if you're not actually targeting bass. But that's protection for one species in very small areas. A lot of it is as you say, pretty unpoliced

Yes and no. Anything that involves the commercial market is enforced too late - i.e. when/if the boats register beyond their quotas or for species outside their quota - in fines, usually. So, it doesn't particularly help stock levels or bi-catch as trawlers just dump what they can't sell. But things like Atlantic Bluefin Tuna fishing is fiercely policed. Britain has only just got a quota for ABT, so until very recently, it's been off the agenda for anyone, pleasure anglers, trawlers and charters alike and they will check. Again big fines and confiscation of kit. But far too much...er...slips through the net. Policing it effectively is a colossal undertaking. Mostly the fisheries agencies just police the small time stuff - protecting bass spawning areas and the like - without focusing on the big, habitat/stock annihilating stuff. Humph.

Best day of your life: the day you buy your boat. Also best day of your life: the day you sell your boat.

Indeed. A tricky needle well threaded

Interesting. The clean up has done it no end of good, so that might be all it needs? Still fi anyone has any suggestions...

Any suggestions? They used to do their own, but can't see it for sale anymore. It got into a bit of a state. It's been taken apart and cleaned, so now I am thinking what to keep the joints in good nick. Any ideas welcome.

It's darned hard to get hold of. Happily I know a few haunts down here. One of which is the Best fish and chip shop in Weymouth, Bennetts. They'll do you a battered one. It's cooked properly first, then given a batter coating. I can hear my arteries crying out for mercy, but it's so worth it.

Twitter is of course mostly dross. but this little anecdote is worth clicking on! David Mack on Twitter: "this remains an all-time story about the queen https://t.co/hI2yNUac0H" / Twitter

It's the frustrating part of Boris. When he gets it right, he's extraordinary.

Fully defined what it means to serve one's country. An extraordinary level of dedication.

This. I use this in my chainsaw boots and walking boots. it works perfectly. For ages

Shooting a blue jay in this country would be tricky. You'd first have to get past every single twitcher across the country who'd flocked to see it!

😄 Precisely so.