My knee ... and Plymouth Aquarium!

As you may or may not know, I fractured my knee a few weeks ago, so have been rather hampered between being on crutches & painkillers, and consequently remiss with catching up on my blog. Hopefully after x-rays and physio it is starting to mend - I am certainly looking forward to being able to get out and about with my camera again ...

The Aquarium in Plymouth was the first in the UK to be set up for research, conservation and education. It has 50 live exhibits which include three huge tanks, the largest of which is Britains deepest tank, and holds 2.5 million litres of water. The exhibits are set in realistic settings, from local shorelines to coral reefs, ranging from huge sharks to tiny seahorses!

They even have a single Loggerhead turtle called Snorkle, who has been with them since 1990 (she was washed ashore on a beach in Cornwall). Looks a bit lonely to me ...

The Aquarium also has several octopuses, ranging in size from very tiny to huge. They tend to be shy creatures, so it is hard to capture a photograph, but with some persistance, I did manage! They have 3 x hearts, two of which pump blood through the gills, the other one through the body - their blood is light blue. Octupuses (not octupi!) also have the ability to change colour, for camouflage purposes, they have soft bodies, except for the "beak" part. Using jet propulsion, they travel for many kilometers, and are highly intelligent (but haven't yet taken the Mensa test!).

I was also lucky and managed to photograph a pregnant sea horse (not sure if he would have agreed though!) Yes, "he" for as we all know, it is the male who carries the eggs in his pouch. Apparently seahorses do not have a stomach or teeth, consequently their digestive system is so quick that that have to eat constantly to live. Did you know that when mating they make musical sounds, and it is always under the full moon? At Plymouth they have successfully bred 8 x species of seahorses.

There are also several types of jellyfish drifting around gently in round tanks to protect their bodies which are very delicate. They do not have heart or brains, but can survive very well. There are various types of jellyfish at the Aquarium, ranging from the Moon jellyfish, Crystal jellyfish and upside-down jellyfish, to name but a few. They are beautiful when they are moving around and catching the light, and fascinating to watch as well, as this short video below shows.

Burgh Island

Burgh Island is situated just off the South Devon coast, near the village of Bigbury and to Agatha Christie fans it may seem familiar. It is in fact the setting for her bestseller "And Then There Were None", and it was also used as the filming location for the 2002 TV adaptation of "Evil Under The Sun". Agatha Christie stayed at the Burgh Island Hotel several times, as did such greats as Noel Coward, Mountbatton and also the Beatles (but presumably not all at the same time!). It is certainly an example of 1930's modernism, very art deco and it has been frequented by Bright Young Things since it first opened in 1928. Apparently Edward also visited it several times with Mrs Simpson ...

The setting is fabulous for this elegant hotel, depending upon the tide the island is either cut off completely from the mainland, or linked to it by a shimmering sandy causeway.

At high tide, the Sea Tractor transports hotel guests and visitors back and forth from the island -it drives across the sand with the wheels underwater and the passengers sitting on a high platform above (the original vehicle was constructed in 1930, the current one is the 3rd version). Unfortunately, although I was able to get a photograph of the tractor "in action", by the time we were ready to leave the island, the tide had turned and it had just stopped running, so we didn't get a ride after all (I knew we shouldn't have stopped for that extra glass of wine) .... !!

There are only five buildings on the island, being the hotel, 3 x private houses and a pub (run by the hotel) and called by the somewhat unsalubrious name "The Pilchard Inn". However, it does do very well in the summer, and serves excellent beer (when you can get to the bar!). The island itself has an extensive network of footpaths, until 2003 the owner welcomed all hikers/walkers. However, the new owners tried to obtain an exemption from the public "right to roam" - thankfully this was overturned in 2006! Walking around the island is well worthwhile, with spectacular views and dramatic cliffs.

Apparently the cliff below could be the one where Dr Armstrong was pushed off in "And Then There Were None" ....

A long time ago the island was known as "St Michael Island", which was later changed to Borough Island, eventually becoming Burgh. It is also believed that a monastery was once established on the island, the remains of which now lie below the hotel. After the dissolution of the monastery, a small band of fishermen occupied the island who specialised in pilchard fishing. Also at this time there was a lot of smuggling, wrecking and piracy going on due to the fact that the island was cut off from the mainland for half the day, very useful obviously!!

Bell ringing at Exeter Cathedral

A trip to Exeter Cathedral was organised recently to see the bell ringers in action. We were met at the West Door of the cathedral by Dr Ian Campbell, a member of the Exeter Cathedral bellringers. He gave us a tour of the roof space, and on the way showed us the beautiful nave, which boasts the longest unbroke Gothic ceiling in the world, and the famous sculpture of a lady who, if you look closely, actually has two left feet! We were warned about the number of steps up to the ringing chamber, but we all managed with no casualties. There are 14 ringing bells, the largest one (the Tenor) weighs in at 72cwt!

We were advised in advance to bring ear plugs, which turned out to be a timely warning ... Ian explained that the bells are all mounted to the belfry framework so that the bells may rotate - this is known as "full circle" ringing.

Before the bells are rung, they are "rung up" to lie just past the balance point and rest upside down against the stay, ready to be rung.

As we were walking around the chamber taking photographs and inspecting the bells, we were warned it was about to start. As it happened, there was a competition of local bell-ringing groups, so we were definitely there at the right time. The bells were "rung up", we duly inserted our ear plugs ... and it started! Ian was certainly right about the noise, by the end of the first session our ears were definitely ringing as well! After a while, we went downstairs to the ringing chamber to see the ringers in action and learn the ropes (!) of bell-ringing. The ringers stand in a circle, each one managing one rope. The sequence is usually clockwise, timing of striking is obviously importance. We were told that although a certain amount of physical force is necessary, precision and practised skill is more important - though even the smallest bell in the tower is usually heavier than the person ringing it. Most of the team used "call change ringing" which involved changing the sequence of the ropes being pulled to vary the pattern/sound produced, called out by a conductor. When you play the movie below, make sure it is not up too loud.

We watched several sessions, which certainly brought home the art of bell-ringing. All in all, it was a fascinating evening.

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.
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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 ...