Butterflies and ... otters?!

Yes, a strange combination one might think! At the Dartmoor Otter & Buckfast Butterfly Sanctuary in Devon they do indeed reside together - or not actually together, first you sweat your way through the butterfly enclosure, then step with relief into the cool fresh air to see ... otters! We took Hannah there when she came to see us last year, and had fun capturing butterflies on camera (not the easiest thing to do, as it is so hot and humid in the enclosure, ones glasses tend to steam up, as does the camera lens of course!). The butterflies come from all over the world ... apparently the one below is a Blue Morpho from Costa Rica, but the blue inside part of the wings is hidden, so it's hard to see (I think you can see a tiny bit of blue at the top) ...

Some of the butterflies had more visible beautiful colours as well as markings ... this is a Papilio Rumanzovia (yes really!). It is also known as a Scarlet Mormon and is primarily found in Indonesia.

And here is a black and white version below! This one is called an Idea Leucanoe (wonder where they get the names from?!) or a Rice Paper Butterfly, and comes from South East Asia.

After that, it was time to see the otters, so we made our way outside. The ones below are Asian short-clawed otters, the smallest and most playful species - don't they look almost cute! Apparently they are often deployed by fishermen in Southeast Asia to drive shoals of fish into their nets - and of course eating as many as they catch themselves, so everyone benefits!

They also have Canadian otters, who apparently like to show off at feeding time ... for example, the ones below are doing a good meercat impression ...

The sanctuary also have facilities to treat any sick or injured otters who may be brought into them (as indeed some are). Otter numbers are now on the increase, due to successful conservation efforts. However, sadly they are also often the victims of our roads. Although efforts are being made to build underpasses, otters are not always happy to enter dark holes where they can't see any exit (who can blame them!). In addition, they are now less nocturnal than they used to be.

As well as butterflies and otters, there are also resident terrapins, namely the one below which is known as the "Red Ear" variety.

These are the most popular reptiles in the world - however, a lot of them are now living wild in this country due to them being released by people who no longer wish to care for them or find a suitable home elsewhere, so often end up in sanctuaries such as this. Like tortoises, they can sometimes live up to 50 years. However, unlike tortoises, they can move very fast!!

Red Arrows in the South West

There have been several displays by the Red Arrows around the South West during 2008-2009, so I thought I would share some of them with you.

The first one was the Farnborough Air Show in 2008 (OK, not Devon/Cornwall, but near enough to the South West!).

Here is another one below:-

Afterwards, they came to Dawlish - a popular venue, so very crowded. We took Nina & Alastair with us, this time it was a beautiful sunny day, not a cloud in sight.
.

As usual, their showmanship and professionalism took ones breath away. Next they visited Torquay ....

This year, they came to Plymouth. Needless to say, it was ... cloudy and wet!! Still, we managed to capture them flying over Drakes Island before a downpour ...

And finally (as they say!) - a good way to say goodbye ..

Buckfastleigh Steam Train

The Standard Gauge Railway, which runs between Buckfastleigh and Totnes has been open for 40 years, it is a beautiful stretch of line along the Dart river. Ironically, it was opened by Dr Richard Beeching, who was responsible for the axing of many branch lines in the 1960's. The small group of staff, aided by several hundred volunteers work together to recreate the age of the Golden Age of Steam, keeping memories of GWR and historic transport alive and running. Certainly, when you first arrive there, it is like stepping back in time ...

This feeling of time travel backwards is increased when you cross over the bridge, and get your first glimpse of the train standing in the station ...

We took Corinna and David there for a trip when they came to stay with us. Of course, we had to check out the controls ...

It was a beautiful day, and a memorable trip along the Dart River - we even had our tickets "punched" by the guard, as in the old days! The train certainly attracts a lot of attention from walkers by the river. When we reached Totnes, Bob and I were staying on there, whilst Corinna & David returned to Buckfastleigh, so I was able to take a video of their train as it went past us, steaming out of Totnes station (press the forward arrow to play). I have to confess that I found it quite exciting, must be the child in me!!

Helicopters on the Hoe ...

I have to confess that sometimes there is quite a lot of competition between Bob and myself when taking photos (reminiscent of my parents, who were both keen photographers!) - along the lines of who is going to capture the best shot?? So, when it came to these pictures, the first round goes to Bob getting a Chinuk ....

What is more, landing IN the Citadel ... !!

However, a few weeks later, a bright yellow helicopter appeared (and Bob was too slow, so I beat him to it!!) ....

Which also landed in the Citadel ...

Now OK, I have to concede that you don't see a Chinuk every day so he won that round (but speaking entirely from a girly point of view, I think my little yellow helicopter is much more photogenic ..!!).
Still, I did manage to get a picture of a helicopter which had landed on a warship - now THAT is something which is quite a rare sight ...

"Sub"-Text ....

Since being here, we have seen a lot of submarines coming in and out of Devonport, which is Plymouth's Naval base, founded in 1691. Devonport is home to 7 Trafalgar class nuclear-powered submarines, and it is also responsible for refitting and refueling both nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarines (though the latter are disarmed on the Clyde before coming to Plymouth which is something of a relief!). These days, all the Navy's submarines are nuclear powered, as they can remain submerged for longer periods (unlike conventionally powered ones), which makes detection by the enemy harder. Submarines returning to base are almost always escorted by at least two, if not three tugs, as this one below was, plus a police launch as well, and often a couple of RIB's to ward off any other boats nearby.

HMS Turbulent below had just returned after being away for 10 months, which apparently is one of the longest deployments for a submarine. HMS Turbulent is a T class hunter killer nuclear powered submarine (sounds alarming!) ... perhaps that is why so much security is in evidence, though luckily I have a good zoom on my camera, so we were not too close - security is a prime consideration. Apparently it is the 5th "Turbulent", the first one was commissioned in 1805, but was captured by the Danes (who were probably trying to save their bacon ... sorry!) - and bore the brunt of the attack. The Navy waited 108 years before the next Turbulent was launched in 1916 (as they have subsequently been through 4 since them, perhaps there is something in the name??)

The huge crane below, which has since been dismantled, was situated at the Plymouth Naval base of Devonport and was one of the largest cranes in Europe. It was used to refuel nuclear submarines, and with a total weight of 1,450 tonnes, and a lifting job of 120m, it had a lifting capacity of 80 tonnes. Apparently there is to be a new "world class" defueling facility, which is due for completion within the next 5 years, but there are also nasty rumours that the MoD will be moving the submarine fleet from Plymouth to Faslane (Scotland) and the frigates will go to Portsmouth ... thus leaving Devonport with a substantially reduced role. This could be a disaster for Plymouth as a whole, in terms of economy and business investment, and may result in up to 10,000 potential job losses .

The crew of a submarine are known as the "elite" within the Navy, because it is incredibly claustrophobic on a sub (as we saw when we went around one at a Devonport Open Day recently), so to be able to withstand long periods of time at sea must take a lot of internal strength. Often when the subs have surfaced and are coming into port, there are a lot of crew members working outside (see below ... probably sampling the first proper fresh air they have had for a long time)! However, apparently the air within a submarine is actually cleaner than the air outside, and many crew notice the strong smell of the ocean whenever the hatches are opened after a long time at sea.

A tribute to Francis ...

Our friend Francis House sadly and unexpectedly died in his sleep on 15th February - he was only 59. He had been to stay with us 2 weeks previously, and we had had a great weekend. Whilst he was here, he found his own Plymouth pub ... in Francis Street!

We visited Lydford Grove, which is mentioned on his blog which he started recently ... looks as if he is about to throw Bob in (but unfortunately didn't)!

We took him up to Dartmoor, which despite the rather dismal weather still looked spectacular. Whilst there he met some ponies ...

He also took many photographs of Dartmoor, which are shown below, he certainly captures the bleak beauty of the moor - by chance, he had exactly the same camera as mine, and put it to good use!

Francis had a dry and slightly acerbic sense of humour with a keen intelligence which hid a kind heart. There have been many tributes paid to him, but I think the most apt one referred to him as "one of nature's gentlemen". He was a good friend, and will be sadly missed by us all.

Hogmanay at the other end of the country ...

We spent New Year up in Scotland, with our friends Neil & Elspeth, and had a wonderful time! They had hired a cottage in Callender, which is in the Trossachs area, the beginning of the Highlands .... Rob Roy country och aye!! Most of the group were serious hill walkers/hikers, and on the first day we struggled (at least Bob and I did!) to the top of a small (apparently!) mountain - there was quite a lot of ice around - but the view from the top made it worthwhile!

The scenery in Scotland is breathtaking, mostly due to the quality of light on water, as well as the purple/gold colours of the mountains and countryside, and we made the most of our time there. This is a view across Loch Achray to the magnificent Tigh Mor hotel, with Ben A'an looming behind.

... and a peaceful scene of a boat on Loch Chon.

After spending a very enjoyable week at Callender, and celebrating NY eve with a full Scottish feast (haggis, neeps & tatties followed by cranachan and of course copious "wee drams"!) we returned to Edinburgh for a while, and went to see the royal yacht Britannia, which is now berthed there. The tour was very good, it was fascinating to look around and see the beautifully furnished State rooms (in comparision with the rather cramped berths of the Royal Navy officers/staff who looked after them!) - the dining room where the Queen entertained the rich and famous was particularly impressive, decorated with some of the gifts received from around the world ....

We also went up to the Castle to look around, it dominates the city, sitting on top of Edinburgh rock - this volcanic rock itself was formed 70 million years ago and has survived that long - thus the castle has certainly got a safe defensive position!

The view from within the grounds is spectular - this is looking out across Edinburgh towards Arthurs Seat

All in all, it was a great New Year, Edinburgh is a beautiful city with wide streets and Georgian buildings ... my grandparents used to live there, so it was good to revist the city again.