Remember, Remember

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...

Not one of my favourite times of the year. Hmm, the smell of sulphur from sparklers and fireworks. The whizzs, whooshes, whistles and bangs erupting from nowhere and everywhere. I sound like a damp squib, don’t I??? Unfortunately the weather tonight could turn bonfire night into a damp squib :-)

It’s going to be a wet and windy night. This meant damp wood on the bonfires and muddy conditions in gardens, parks and fields. Ugh…all those smoke in your eyes and muddy boots to contend with plus the cold, damp weather. I think I’ll stay in tonight.

For the past few years, I’ve watched the display from our casa. But not tonight. The Longford Park free fireworks show was cancelled because of funding cuts. This spectacle had vowed crowds for the last seven years. But tonight it will not go ahead because of cuts to the council’s budget. But there are bonfires and firework displays all over Coventry and Warwickshire coming alight tonight and tomorrow. Just be safe and wrapped up warm.

Tonight’s celebration could be 2 for the price of one. Because it was Diwali, the Festival of Lights which was also celebrated with huge firework displays. Hindu and Sikh families around the world welcomed the start of the new year with lights and candles in their homes, to mark the triumph of good over evil by lighting up darkness. The nearby Foleshill Road was ablazed with colours once again with the switch on of the street lights. I wanted to take a few photographs but the traffic congestion here was always abysmal.

So what shall I have for dinner tonight? Will it be a Bonfire menu of jacket potatoes with sticky sausages, coleslaw and marshmallows on a stick over tea-lights (as suggested by HH) or Mardhur Jaffrey’s Indian menu of vegetable pulao with creamy chicken khorma and kheer???Yum…yum…Choices, choices…

Yesterday, I took another day off work. Why? Just because…It had been a weirdly mild week. Temperatures were well above what you’d expected for November. There was no frost, no fog and no central heating. Hurrah! The sun and rain bursting in now and then. So we planned our final trip to Bradgate Park during this rutting period. This had been the quietest rut we'd ever seen. As usual, a pit stop at Groby Pool. Look how excited these hybrid ducks when they spotted us.

It was very quiet at Bradgate Park that we saw more deer than people. We knew that they tend to come out in the open when it’s quieter. No dogs yapping about and no cameras pointing at their direction :-). But we just can’t help it when we were greeted with these handsome boys just as we entered the park. They were having a siesta on the fallen leaves, enjoying a bit of peace and quiet.

Then a quick glance on the River Lin to see if our favourite Wigeon was about. We couldn’t hear him but not for long. I knew where his hide-out was and threw in some scraps of bread. The gulls came flying in followed by the mallards and there he was, rushing furiously and whistling noisily. His presence always bring a smile and frankly, was always the highlight of the visit. He was utterly gorgeous.

We were so caught up with him when we heard a rustling behind us. We turned and had the most wonderful but terrifying surprise. This young fellow was nuzzling up quietly to our backs checking us out and wanting to join in the fun. Gulp!!! It was great to have such a very close encounter but potentially very dangerous to both us and him. He was friendly enough, but perhaps a little too friendly for his own good. Slowly, we made a quick escape. When we looked back, he was feeding on the breadcrumbs. That was a lucky escape.

We later spotted another group of deer feeding on the field. We sat down on a bench watching them and enjoying a cup of coffee to ward off the cold. We spotted this Red Deer doe following us around for quite a while.  Babe suspected that she was threat watching. Prey animals such as these will follow what they perceive to be a potential threat in order to "keep an eye on it". So I guess she thought we were the enemies. But when another very large doe also started to follow us we decided it was time to go elsewhere......

It was also starting to rain and so we decided to call it a day. We saw flocks of starlings and crows feeding near the Bradgate House. Flocks of unknown birds were seen flying towards the Charnwood Forest. Just look at the spectacular display of autumnal colours. Far from feeling blue in November, I think these were an encore of the autumn colour show. The mild weather is making trees hold on to their leaves later than usual. The lush green colours of summer have been replaced with vivid reds, golden yellows and browns. Just beautiful.

On Monday, Babe joined me for my usual lunch walk. I had a loaf of bread with me to feed the ducks. I seldom feed them but I made today an exception.  They must have been very hungry. Just look at the commotion they caused. And off course, the gulls joined in the fun. They showed off a remarkable acrobatic aerial display hovering over the mallards and then diving in and snatching the bread.

While I had my cheese and onion pasty for lunch, we spotted a pair of Little Grebes feeding  at the end of the lake. I spotted 3 a week ago but they were too far to be photographed. It was nice to see them back at the lake. I only see them during late autumn and winter. A sure sign that the season are turning.

Babe continued his adventure to Brandon Marsh while I slogged in the office. Boo..hooo, it’s so unfair. And to make things worse, he witnessed the aerial dance of the starlings before they roost on the reed beds behind Carlton Hide. I’m always on the lookout for these roosting displays, often referred to as a 'murmuration'. We were very fortunate to have watched thousands of them perform their aerial displays when we were in Aberystwyth and Dumfries. Couldn’t wait to check them out this weekend.

I read in the local newspaper that the villagers at Baginton were raising funds  to save the forgotten Bagots Castle. The medieval castle dates back to the 14th century but hardly anyone knows it   was there. We visited the ruins during the Heritage Weekend 2009. A lot of work still need to be done. If the money was not found in time the castle will lose out on a £104,000 grant from English Heritage. Good luck and all the best to the fund-raisers.

I also found out that rock fans queued for eight hours yesterday at the Ricoh Arena to get their hands on tickets to see the Kings of Leon performing in Coventry May NEXT year. The first fan arrived at 1am in the freezing cold. More than 1,000 of the higher-priced tickets for the concert was sold out within half an hour raising hopes that it will be another sell-out. The American superstars – who were currently top of the UK album charts – will kick off their first British summer tour in front of up to 40,000 fans in Coventry. I bet it’s going to be a blast.

Fortunately, moi isn’t a fan. The only song I can remember/like was Sex on Fire!!! Perhaps, it’s the catchy title…

Have a lovely weekend. Keep warm and stay safe.