Tag Archives: Winchester

The Wheat Is Getting Ripe

There is a field near our house that I often walk by. When I first moved here, the field had been ploughed, and I wondered what the crop might be. Now it is clearly a field of wheat. As I recently strolled along the edge of the field, it was interesting to see how the middle of the crop was turning golden while sections along the edge or near some of the vehicle tracks were still green. I imagine that they will soon be turning golden too but something about their location had delayed them compared to everything else.

Cygnets at the Pub on Friday Evening

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Friday evening and we headed to The Willow Tree, a pub in Winchester. The river runs either side of the pub and the garden narrows to a point as the river comes back together. While there are plenty of birds around, it isn’t often that you see anything swimming in the river. The occasional duck perhaps. We were quite surprised, therefore, to see a family of swans come swimming up towards us. The adults had four cygnets with them. They would go off exploring but then, one of the adults would make a few low noises and you’d see the cygnets head straight back to their parents. I figured video was more fun for this so that is what you have below.

Cobwebs With Morning Dew

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If you look at an empty field, you might be forgiven for thinking that there was not much alive out there. However, the ground is teeming with life. What more of an indication of how much is passing through do you need than the huge number of spider webs that are on the grass. That many spiders must have a lot of food to catch and that means even more that doesn’t get caught. Anyway, early in the morning, the dew does a great job of showing the cobwebs up. This was a local field near our house as I took an early stroll before work.

Time for Some Local Cricket

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The onset of summer in the UK got me thinking of cricket. It is true that the Pacific Northwest has quite a cricket scene that has developed – principally as a result of the many people that have moved there from countries where cricket is a big deal. However, I never really spent any time checking it out while we were there. However, village cricket is a quintessential element of the UK and I thought I should go and see one of the local clubs in Winchester.

I went to see St Cross Symondians First XI play. Even the name seems suitable for an English country game. I didn’t time it very well as I wandered up just as they were breaking for tea. Fortunately, there was a second game on the adjoining pitch, so I watched that for a bit from the other side of the hedge. Those players were in traditional whites, which fitted the traditional image I had in mind. When the main game resumed, they were playing in dark colours with a white ball. I have no idea how the decision gets made. With a lot of trees around the ground, maybe the visibility is an issue. If anyone knows, please let me know.

I walked around the pitch to watch the play from various angles for a while. I ended up experimenting with some different photo techniques while I was there because it was a sunny weekend afternoon and I was in no hurry. I will post separately about some of what I tried. For today, I just wanted to share some shots of the larger scene. Maybe next time I’ll take a chair, get a pint from the clubhouse and sit watching the game for longer. It has also got me thinking about going to watch some professional games, but we shall see.

The Local Deer Stay Out of the Way It Seems

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My regular walk near our new house provides a bunch of wildlife but it is pretty much the same stuff each time. That includes some deer. They seem to hand out on the same area each day but are always a bit far away. They seem to be pretty relaxed but not keen to get too close to the people walking along the paths around their area. Usually, they are a long way off. Early morning or late afternoon, they will be off in the distance. Only on one occasion have I found one of them relatively close to me. I thought it was going to scoot quickly but it stayed still for a while. I got a call while it was there and I thought I had lost the chance to get a shot but, no, it was quite patient!

A Hot Air Balloon Near My Evening Stroll

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One evening while wandering through the fields near our house, I saw a hot air balloon in the distance. When we lived in Woodinville, the balloons were a regular feature of the summer months. Morning and evening flights were common. I didn’t know that flights around Winchester were a thing and, given the proximity to Southampton Airport, I thought it might not be practical but apparently, I was wrong. I was hoping that they would continue to drift in my direction, and I would get a closer look. Then I noticed that they were dropping out of sight quite quickly, so I headed through a tree line to see them drop behind some trees off in the distance. The vent on the top of the balloon briefly opened as they touched down but then closed up almost as quickly. I guess they weren’t in a rush to rapidly deflate. I wonder whether I shall catch any more flights in the future.

Being Stalked by a Big(ish) Cat

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Early one morning, before work, I took a walk in the fields near the house. As I walked through an area surrounded by long grass, I saw an orange shape moving nearby. At first, I thought it was a fox. I put the camera up to my own and focused on the subject. It wasn’t a fox. Instead, it was a ginger cat that was on patrol from one of the local houses. It was watching me as I watched it. I went on my way and it went on its way too.

A Bit of a Royal Flypast

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I was walking in the fields near our house once evening when I heard the sound of a helicopter above me. I searched the skies for it and picked up what appeared to be a dark AW139. I didn’t think it would be a military unit since the UK doesn’t have military 139s. I grabbed a bunch of shots from a distance. Lighting wasn’t ideal but, you don’t always get to chose the conditions you get. I think pulled up FR24 to see if it showed up and, sure enough, it did. It belongs to the King’s Flight and was heading to London from Culdrose in Cornwall. I guess the dark colours I was seeing were the maroon colours used by the royal helicopters. No idea if he was onboard or not.

What’s Next for Breakfast?

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Back to Winnall’s Moor again and more bird life. I had seen a kestrel hunting on a previous visit, and, on this morning, there was one sitting on a branch surveying the scene. The early light was very nice, and I was optimistic that I would get some more hunting shots. Sadly, the kestrel must have had plenty to eat, or there was nothing to catch. It sat on the branch for ages, and I was so cold, I lost patience standing around. I left it to it. I have no idea when it finally took off.

Small Birds for the Spam Filters

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Lots of bird posts since some of my early time in Winchester involved wandering around the countryside and seeing a lot of wildlife. On one of my walks, I got to see both some great tits and a single blue tit that was sitting on a tree near the river. I do wonder whether a post about these birds will cause some sort of problem with the filters on internet services that will not be able to tell the difference between slang and a bird.