I ferried Kara to a Halloween party on Friday and got quite a shock when I popped round to pick her up. Dressed as a ‘scary doll’ complete with ‘made in China’ written on her neck, she was hardly recognisable.
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On Saturday Arne RSPB reserve hosted the Arne Forage Festival, a collection of countryside exhibitors demonstrating ancient skills like flint napping and bronze smelting along with stands selling local produce, homemade pottery, basket weaving, jewelry, wrought iron etc.
The exhibitors set up in the field, but the event was marred by wet and windy weather.
We had been asked to give a public ringing demonstration and planned, along with our friends from the Sound Approach, to set up alongside the other exhibitors. However we realised that the only place we could possibly trap birds was in the relative shelter of the reserve visitor centre and so had to change our plans and move our stand at the last minute.
Unfortunately the net was closed more often than not due to rain. Partly due to having few birds to show and partly due to and our stand being tucked away in a corner of the car park, we got few visitors.
The best bird of the day, this beautiful Firecrest was ringed before the public arrived.
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On the Saturday evening we met up with Carl and Ingrid Von Hunis, fellow South Africans who live near Christchurch and whom we haven’t seen for several years
Margaret and I met seven years ago this weekend in the New Forest and we planned to go for a walk on the 27th and end up at the cafe at Beaulieu where we had our ‘blind date’ back in 2006, but with the ongoing gales and torrential showers we abandoned the idea for a comfortable afternoon at home.
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