signs of spring

The European Robin is the English national bird. Although we've seen them all winter the robins are beginning to get especially sprightly and a much more predominant in the parks then earlier. The european robin is smaller than the north american robin, about the size of a sparrow. They are much rounder as well and often puff out their wings so that they look like little balls with a beak. The robins are quite charming and help to add character to the parks as they begin to flower.

White horse adventure

Saturday, February 9th - another trip to see some English White horses. This time we took the archeaology department rover. The crew consisted of me, Ian, Emily, Justin, Cody and Grace. We visited four horses and a long Barrow. The first horse we saw was the Devizes white horse, created in celebration of the millennium. Sadly, this horse has not been well tended and the lime is now over grown with moss. From a distance the horse is a beige color and almost blends in with the surrounding field. However, I thought it was lovely and it was interesting to see it in this unusual state. The next horse was the Alton Barnes white horse which we were only able to see from a distance as there was no road access directly to the horse. This was also a beautiful horse with very long slender legs (pictured above). The third horse was in Pewsey this one we were really only able to photograph close up. This was the smallest of the horses and similar in shape to the Alton Barnes horse. On our way to the Uffington White horse we stopped in Marlborough to have lunch, Marlborough is a quaint medieval style town with a large central shopping street. We visited the street market and I bought a tea set at a charity shop. On to Uffingtion. We stopped first and Weyland Smithy which is a neolithic long barrow, it was quite lovely in the rich afternoon sun. Near by was the Uffington white horse. This is the most accuratlet neolithic of the horse, the others being carved over or originally carved in the late 1700s. The Uffington white horse is composed of brush like lines of exposed chalk. However, it is on a very curvy hill so there is no one good angle to see all of the horse, the best way to see it is from the air. It was a long day but well worth it.

Westbury White Horse

Saturday 2 February - Ian needed to film a "place" or a "space" for his production class. So he decided to film the white horse in Westbury. A classmate, Emily agreed to drive and Ian's project partner, Justin also came along. Getting to the Horse was a bit complicated but it was well worth the journey. The horse is quite beautiful from the distance and once you reach the site there is a small park. The Westbury White horse is the oldest of the Wiltshire White horses. The horse there today however, is not the original. In 1778 the original horse was reshaped and enlarged and was changed again in the 1800s. The horse now is made of cement painted white. The horse is located on a steep cliff, at the edge of an iron age fort. When we were at the top the winds were tremendous. I walked down the very steep slope to the bottom of the horse but it was quite frightening so whoever made the horse must not have been afraid of heights. On the way home we stopped in a Pub where I had a glass of cherry wine to warm me up. A very nice outing.

Bristol Zoo Penguins

One of my favorite attractions at the zoo is the penguin and seal exhibit. The exhibit is divided into two halves an above water section where you can see the penguins, turns and ducks on the rocks, in their cave like homes or on the surface of the water. The other section is below water. A series of portholes and underwater tunnels allow you to see the penguins as they swim and dive. The best time to see the penguins is when they are being fed, usually at 3:00. Around that time the penguins all congregate on the rocks by the water and afterwards they tend to do a lot of swimming. In the evenings around twilight it is quite fun to visit the penguins as that is when they are the nosiest. Most of the penguins are South African penguins but there is one Blue fairy penguin as well. The chap in the photo is stretching his neck to try and catch the attention of the zookeeper and get some fish.