A Personal Parish

Large passenger ships are visible cruising along the Solent eastward to port in Southampton and west bound for destinations unknown to me. I did not recognise the ship in the early hours of May 2nd, but Oceania headed past on May 5th at … Continue reading →

Land argues with the risen tide all about its borders. Delicate sea pink threatened by the advances of grey brine on a cold May day.

The Ceremonial Beadle Chain of Office.

Soon after dawn the rising tide crept in and lifted the Egg from its muddy berth. Overhead the sky had a wet greyness that soon began to splash light rain onto the water surface and disturbed the reflected blackthorn, bare on branch. On these changing marshy margins, the birds of both land and … Continue reading →

There are a few great spotted woodpeckers at work in the vicinity of the Egg. They seek out suitable hollowed trees to use as sound posts to mark out their territory. My own efforts are at about half speed and … Continue reading →

The northern edges of the sinewy outer bank I call Snake Island, were rich in strands of unravelled polyester rope of many bright colours, twisted around the branches of tamarisk bushes and out across the river bed; little reminders of … Continue reading →

The moon became full at midnight last night as the Environment Agency issued 24 severe flood warnings across the country. A high tide of 3.5m was predicted for 22.30 (it stays high for about three hours here). However, river levels … Continue reading →

On January 23rd, I glimpsed Orion in the southern sky above the Isle of Wight, maybe hunting with an owl who was calling from somewhere close by. Since then however, he has mostly been hidden from sight above a succession … Continue reading →

I am living on the edge of an eighteenth century salt making landscape. Its many parallel banks and channels are like the teeth of a marshy comb, protected by the curving contours of the Outer Bank which was raised by … Continue reading →

A Guillemot perished on the western edge of my parish during the recent stormy weather. Spending most of its life at sea, it would only have chosen the land as a place to breed.

The sovereignty of the stormy weather released its grip yesterday for a few hours of sunshine when I was free to inspect my watery bounds after a winter lashing which began on December 23rd. Winds and spring tides have returned … Continue reading →

High water is due to top the predicted 3.9m tonight, due to the continuing southwesterly gales and the Environment Agency has issued a flood alert and indicative map. The inundation would be directly across the river as well as east … Continue reading →

My neighbours Nick and Caroline live in the house at the top of the field and between their home and mine, curved lines of earthworks follow the contours of a hill down to the river and reveal the remains of … Continue reading →

A slightly sunken lane parallels Smugglers Copse down to the river. My neighbour Nick tells me a custom house used to stand at the head of this path at its junction with Inchemery Lane, but all trace (except for a … Continue reading →

Beside the eastern bank of the river some 200 yards south of the Egg, a fallen fir provides bathing facilities for some of the many partridge encountered on my walk with local birding expert Juliet. Five or six separate wriggle … Continue reading →

Pre dawn light, Exbury Egg looking south toward the Isle of Wight, 7.50am, Wednesday 11.12.13

This carapace (top bit of the body) of a spider crab could have inspired the creation of an adversary for Doctor Who or a bit part character from a galaxy far away in Star Wars. I found it on an everyday … Continue reading →

Sunrise, Exbury Egg looking South to the Isle of Wight, 7.56am, 7.12.13

A pair of robins are following me all the time around the Bofors Gun emplacement. As I fuss about rearranging bags of charcoal, bottles of paraffin and meths stored there, they pick up the insects and seeds unwittingly disturbed and … Continue reading →