News

A man in Canada went out in his canoe to catch some fish. However, at the same time, a whale had the same idea. Worse still, they were in the same piece of the water.

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After some furious paddling, he apparently survived.

No it's not a rainbow, but where is it?  Walk leader Jeff is a clue, but he's not under the paraglider on this occasion.

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This is not too far away and not as old as it would seem.

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                                               Answers to Quiz No. 15

  That was an easy one - it is of course the wonderful Maddie.

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 This splendid plant is (NOT, SEE BELOW!!) the Arum Lily/Cuckoopint/Lords and Ladies/Parson in the Pulpit.  All parts are poisonous and sadly the early leaves are similar to sorrel and wild garlic. If chewed the stinging sensation may last at least 6 hours. Luckily it is so painful on the lips it is rarely swallowed but can result in swelling in the throat and can cause breathing difficulties.  Just in case you are wondering how to pronounce cuckoopint this might help :- Cuckoopint pronunciation   The reason for this particular pronunciation is that pint is derived from the anglo saxon word pintle. Google that if you dare.

CORRECTION  Hate to say it, but it's probably an American Skunk cabbage- apparently they were an imported plant from 1901.

American skunk cabbage was first recorded in the wild in 1947 in Surrey and was originally introduced to the UK from Western North America as an ornamental plant in 1901. Since then it has spread across Britain, particularly in southern and western areas. Once established the plant can spread quickly. Infestations can dominate large areas and crowd out native species in important habitats such as wet woodlands. Its name is fitting as this plant has a characteristic pungent scent. In 2016, American skunk cabbage was banned from sale in the UK. Now gardeners are being urged to make sure that they Be Plant Wise, dispose of plants correctly and ensure they do not discard this species in the natural environment. - Thanks gov.uk.       Skunk cabbage are also somewhat poisonous, but beloved by bears coming out of hibernation - it apparently gets their plumbing moving, which has been static all winter.....

This is an Arum Lily:-

Guess who was out walking this afternoon?

There may have been more of you but these were the only ones we spotted.  About 5  miles apart, so that's safe enough!

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What a nice surprise!

Who is this young lady, in the valley above Lynmouth?

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A spectacular plant whose early leaves can be mistaken for wild garlic. Two questions, what is the name of the plant and how long is it before the pain goes away if you chew a piece. NB. DON'T TRY IT!!

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  Quiz no 14 answers

The first photo is of the magnificent building which used to be the Chichester Old Blue Coat school in West Street later to became the Army & Navy store, now closed.

The Dragon/sea horse is a familiar sight for walkers in Itchenor. It's on the shore and the battering by wind, sand and sea have moulded this extraordinary shape.

A poem from Pam Ayres 

I'm normally a social girl, I love to meet my mates

But lately with the virus here, we can't go out the gates.

You see, we are the 'oldies' now, we need to stay inside

If they haven't seen us for a while,they'll think we've upped and died.

They'll never know the things we did, before we got this old

There wasn't any Facebook, so not everything was told.

We may seem sweet old ladies, who would never be uncouth

But we grew up in the 60s - if you only knew the truth!

There was sex and drugs and rock 'n roll, the pill and miniskirts

We smoked, we drank, we partied, and were quite outrageous flirts.

Then we settled down, got married, and turned into someone's mum,

Somebody's wife, then nana, who on earth did we become?

We didn't mind the change of pace, because our lives were full

But to bury us before we're dead, is like a red rag to a bull!

So here you find me stuck inside, for 4 weeks, maybe more

I finally found myself again, then I had to close the door!

It didnt really bother me, I'd while away the hour

I'd bake for all the family, but I've got no flaming flour!

Now Netflix is just wonderful, I like a gutsy thriller

I'm swooning over Idris, or some random sexy killer.

At least I've got a stash of booze, for when I'm being idle

There's wine and whiskey, even gin, if I'm feeling suicidal!

So let's all drink to lockdown, to recovery and health

And hope this awful virus, doesn't decimate our wealth.

We'll all get through the crisis, and be back to join our mates

Just hoping I'm not far too wide, to fit through the flaming gates!