Garden Birds

I had a nice surprise yesterday in the form of a new garden tick ! I was making a cup of tea when I noticed a smart male Brambling on the feeders.

Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)

This brings my garden list to 48 species, not bad for a small rural patch. Other notable visitors have included a Common Pheasant, I don't know who was more surprised when came home to find him in the garden. He took off like a Harrier Jump Jet and flew over the house !
I also chanced upon a Tawney Owl one night sitting on the bird table, he also promptly flew off leaving the table vibrating like a tuning fork !
Birds like Great Spotted Woodpecker and Treecreeper have also graced 'my patch' on occasion and one winter we also had a male Reed Bunting that found our garden to his liking and spent a few days visiting.
Regular visitors include Coal Tit, Bullfinch, Dunnock, Greenfinch and Long Tailed Tit. Whilst Ravens are a common 'fly-over' species, on one occasion numbering six individuals.
Brambling however was a long hoped for addition to my list and many times I've watched from the Kitchen window checking out all the Chaffinches in the hope that the flock would include their Scandinavian cousin.

Last Tango in Crewkerne

Skittles last week was a disappointment in both games. On Monday the Jockey's were beaten again by the Golden Boys in the Nomination League and on Wednesday the Hustler's lost to the Bandit's, only our second defeat of the year.
On Thursday the usual suspects met up for our final Ale Trip of the year. We went first to the Old Barn Owl at Westport. The pub was full with Christmas party goers but we did manage to secure a table. The beer on offer though was a poor selection with only two ales, neither of which was very exciting. The choice was between 'Tribute' or Cottage 'Headly Silverstone'. I tried the Silverstone but it was weak and insipid.
Needless to say we did not stop long and moved onto the Wyndham Arms in Kingsbury Episopi.

 This was much more inviting and we were given a warm welcome by the Landlord. There was a good choice of local ales on offer and I went for Cheddar Ales and Potholer at 4.3%.
We now decided to move onto our last port of call for the evening and the Old Coach House at Crewkerne.
We knew we would get a good selection of ales here as the Landlord knows his trade and how to keep a good pint.We were not disappointed with three good choices.

I started with Bath Ales Festivity at 5.0% which was a lovely dark porter with a caramel after taste and my personal favourite of the night.
I then went onto Hurricane from the Windy Brewery at The Volunteer in Seavington. This was a crisp tasting American style IPA.
Last up was a half of Town Mill's Granny's Teeth (named after the steps on the Cobb at Lyme Regis) at 6.0%, which was OK but not really to my taste.

So now it's onto Christmas and my in house supplies.

Xmas Shopping Tick Two

Skittles this week began on Monday with a home tie against the other team that plays on our alley. We didn't
have a great night however and ran out losers to the Golden Boys by 14 pins. I did manage to hit the top score for our team though.
Ale on tonight was a Brain's seasonal called Fir King Good Ale at 4.0%
On Wednesday it was back to the Hustlers and the Club League. We were playing the Perry Winklers and the first two hands were really tight with us reaching the halfway mark 2 pins to the good and the points shared. The third hand however shaped the game and we were 29 pins up after our opponents could only score 61. We eventually won by 34 pins and took the points 14-2.
On Friday Miriam and I went down to Lyme Regis for some more Xmas shopping. We bought a few things and then as the weather was starting to deteriorate made our way back to the car. I however had one more stop to make, so leaving Miriam in the car I made my way over to the Cobb and walked out on top of the wall. I was looking for Purple Sandpipers but due to the tide being in I had to walk nearly to the end before I spotted two Sandpipers feeding on the low wall and dodging the breakers that threatened to engulf them.

Christmas Shopping (Birding)

Today Miriam and I went Xmas Shopping, but with a twist. We headed over to Otter Nurseries near Ottery St Mary to pick up a few Christmas presents and to also have lunch at Joshua's Harvest Store.
I had a ulterior motive for going in this direction though as Waxwings had been reported in Exmouth and Exeter recently. I had set my phone for Birdguide messages and whilst we were having lunch a message came through to say that there were 7 Waxwings in Exeter on Wonford Road. All good so far.
We finished our shopping and got back to the car. I wanted to pay a quick visit to the Aquatics shop further down the road and parking the car noticed this buzzard over the hedge.

Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

We now headed into Exeter and twenty minutes later had located the Waxwing flock except there were now 14 of these cracking birds giving their trilling calls perched 10-12 feet above our heads.

I fired off around a hundred shots until the light started to go and I reluctantly dragged myself away and back to the car. I later learned that after about twenty minutes the whole flock flew off.

We now decided to call in at Darts Farm at Topsham, one of my favourite places  because of this .....

One of the best stocked bottled ale shops in the west country. I must have been feeling flushed with success because I bought this at £11.00 a bottle, you heard me £11.00

I've been waiting to get my hands on a bottle of this for ages. It's called Fusion and at 8% is a fusion of young and old, grain and fruit. Blended vintage old ale and matured in Somerset Cider Brandy barrels.

Think I might save it for Christmas !

Pointing in the Right Direction

This weeks Skittles matches produced two good wins for the two teams I play for. On Monday the Jockey's were playing at the Poppe Inn, One of only two away games I can walk to, the second being the other alley at the Perry Street Club.
We won the toss and and elected to play second in this our 4th Nomination League match of the season. We started well and and claimed both points. We ended up winning 12 points to 0 and by 80 pins.
The next night the Hustlers played the Cupid Stunts, a new team in the league this year. We were on first and posted a score of 76, Our opponents came back with 75 but lost the points by tying the second leg and losing both on count back.
Our second hand was much better and we hit 88 with the Cupid Stunts only managing 61 giving us a healthy lead and all the points. This proved to be the turning point and we went on to win 16-0 taking both the next two hands and all the points to keep the pressure on the Outlaws whose lead over us is now just 3 points.
So two wins in as many days and no points lost.

Highs and Lows

Skittles last Monday saw the Jockeys take on one of the other teams from the Perry Street Club in the Nomination League. We played the Club Originals and lost in very low scoring match.
We could only manage a total of 165 and our hand was littered with ducks. I managed a creditable 32 with a one in my hand but we eventually lost when our opposing captain hit a spare with his last three balls to win the game.
On Wednesday it was back to the Hustlers and the Club League with a match against the Farmers. After the first two hands it was really close with the points shared at 2 each and us 7 pins down. We turned it around on the third hand hand though to be 5 pins up and four - two ahead on points.
On our last hand however we went crazy and hit a tremendous 110 to win by 42 pins and 14 points to two.
Our rivals the Outlaws were also playing that night and managed to scrape a two pin win against the Skylarks but dropping points in the process so their lead over us in the league is now only 5 points.

Urban Spacemen

Last night Miriam and I made the short journey over to South Petherton and the David Hall. This excellent venue housed in an old church was playing host to those great examples of British eccentricity  The Bonzo Dog DoDah Band now touring as Three Bonzo's and a piano.

This was the penultimate date on their 50th anniversary tour and they pulled out all the stops with their crazy brand of comedy jazz/blues/folk, in fact any genre of music that they can playfully twist.
The three originals from the early sixties band that hit the heights with Urban Spaceman and their residency on the children's TV show 'Do not adjust your set' showed amazing energy for seventy-plus year old's with their renditions of such classics as Canyons of your Mind, My Pink Half of the Drainpipe and Shirt, which included an audience participation section of the real interviews that the late Vivian Stanshall did in Willesdon High Street on unsuspecting members of the public.
The show was enhanced by various props that at times seemed to take over the whole of the small staging area and made the evening delightfully chaotic to the hundred or so fans who braved the dreadful weather to attend.

Bonzo's and Prop's

It was a real treat to finally catch up with some of my childhood hero's from the sixties and their links to the best of British humour like the Goons and Monty Python.

Waxwing Winter

The recent invasion of Waxwings to our shores gives me the perfect and shameless excuse to recall the last time I encountered these exotic and colourful winter migrants.
It was in January 2011 and I had made the short journey along the A30 to Exeter and the Marsh Barton Trading Estate. It never ceases to amaze me that these birds will take up residence on housing and trading estates where a proliferation of Rowen trees attracts them to feed until the branches are stripped bare.
I had driven around the busy estate on a fruitless search for around 30 minutes when I suddenly picked out a group of around a dozen birds in a tree as I drove passed.
I managed to park the car and then walked back to where I had seen them right on the junction of a busy crossroads. I sat on the low wall of a car dealership and was treated to crippling close up views as these confiding birds systematically stripped the bush in front of me of berries.
Hopefully in the next few weeks a few of these wonderful birds will again make their way to the western side of the country.

Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)

Up for the Cup !

Another week of skittles kicked off last Monday with a trip for the Jockey's to the Bell Inn at Winsham. We were never in the game against the Bell Aftershocks and ended up losing by 12 pins and 1-11 on points. A visit to the Bell is always welcome though because Tony the landlord keeps four ales on.
This week there were Lynx Wildcat from Yeovil Ales,Healey Silverstone from the Cottage Brewery and BVB Drayman and Branoc. I wasn't driving so I had no excuse not to try them all !
Thursday saw me back at the Perry Street Club and the Hustlers match against the Marauders. Unfortunately they only had five players so it made for a rather hollow victory as we ran out winners by 14 points to two.
Whilst at the club I picked up the winter edition of the Somerset CAMRA magazine 'Pints of View', the first to be printed in colour and also containing my account of our visit to the Great British Beer Festival back in August.

On Friday it was back to the club for our Knockout Cup Final match against our great rivals the Outlaws. Our opponents won the toss and chose the bottom alley and to go first. They posted a score of 98 which was a challenging target but we responded well with a score of 95. The second hand finished with us taking a 5 pin lead before the Outlaws had a poor third hand of 78 and we extended our lead to 29 pins.
After their last hand we were left with a target of 59 to win the cup and we cruised past out target to win the cup for the third year in a row.

Drink Real Ale

Last night I went on our monthly 'Ale Trail' trip. It was a trip with a difference though as Andy G  had booked a coach and invited around twenty others to join us. We were supposed to be visiting the Glastonbury Ales Brewery but around a week ago they unfortunately had to cancel our tour due to their bottling plant not being installed in time.
So we were left with a coach booked but nowhere to go. I suggested that Andy G contact Andy J and see if  he could organise a trip the the Stocklinch Ales brewery instead. A few phone calls later and we had rearranged the first part of our evening.
We all met up in Wetherspoons in Chard at around 4.30pm, time for a quick one, before the coach arrived at 5pm. The festival was still on so we had chance to try some different ales. I went for the Coach House Brewing Co's Gunpowder Mild at 3.8% which was quite pleasant but without the bitter aftertaste of last weeks Howling Wolf.
At five we were all on the coach and on our way to our first stop and the Stocklinch Ales venue. Kevin Jones was there to meet us when arrived around thirty minutes later and I was delighted to see that he had all four of his ales on for us. I jumped straight in for the Green Hopper at 4.2% as It had not been on last time we visited. It's brewed using green hops and it certainly had a very hoppy and bitter taste, very palatable !
I next went for Black Smock at 5.0% a dark beer that I'd really enjoyed last time.

All too soon it was 6.30pm and we had to get on our bus for the journey to the second half of our evening's entertainment and the Halfway House at Pitney.
We arrived at 7pm and were soon ensconced in the back room which we had booked previously. Checking the ales board I was a little disappointed at the selection but there were a couple that I'd not tried before.
I went first for Vale Pale Ale at 4.5% which was very much to my liking as a sharp tasting IPA.

This is what you call a cellar !

Next up was Topsail from the Bays Brewery, a beer I've tried many times and do quite enjoy. It was around now that the food arrived, I had chosen the three bean chili and as usual it was just right. My sixth beer of the evening was a new one for me with the Cotleigh Brewery's Dark Wing, a very dark/deep red ale at 4.5% with a smooth and silky palate. Number seven was Butcombe Ale at 4.0% , a good session beer which was in tip-top condition. The last of the night before the coach arrived at 11pm was Teignworthy's Reel Ale again a good session beer at 4.0%.

A good time being had by all

This Say's it all !

Sometimes it's all just too much !

The Usual Suspects

Shell-Shocked !

Three skittles matches again this week. On Monday the Jockey's were at home in the Three Counties League against The Magpies from the Kings Head in Chard. It was not a great night as we had a 'scratch' side out and consequently lost by 2 points to 10.
On Wednesday it was back to the Hustlers in the Perry Street League and the second round of the Knockout Cup. We were paired against the Bedrockers who are not having the best of seasons having only won one previous match and that was their first round cup game.
It was a close game however with us just managing to keep in front and finishing by winning by 14 pins.
The cup matches are all played over a two week period and so we were back at the Club on the Thursday night for the Semi-Final. This time our opponents were the Perry Winklers who have been playing well this season. We started the game first and it was just the same as the previous night with us hitting 74. The Perry Winklers responded with a score of 80. We couldn't get going tonight and again scored 74 with our opponents scoring 78 to leave us 10 down.
We again hit 74 on the third hand but for the first time we pulled a pin back when they could only manage 73.
Our last hand was the best for us of the night with 79 to leave the 'Winklers 71 to win. We were resigned to losing as it was a very get-able target but were delighted when they returned to say that we had won by 3 pins as they'd only hit 67. So next week it will be three matches again when we take on our great rivals The Outlaws in the Final on Friday.

World's Biggest Ale Fest ?

No game this week for the Jockey's as we had been knocked out of the Jubilee Cup a few weeks ago. On Thursday though I played for the Hustlers in the Perry Street Club League Knockout Cup first round. We had been drawn against the Bandits on Alley 2 and won the toss, electing to play second.
The Bandits came back with a reasonable score of 70, but a steady hand from the team saw us move ahead by 8 pins. Our opponents had a slight improvement on the second hand with 72 which we fell short of by one pin due to Andy P managing to score an unfortunate 'duck'
The Bandits 'upped the anti' on the third hand with a score of 82 which we cruised passed thanks to a 14 spare from Nick to give us a lead of 14 pins.
The last hand saw us needing 62 to win and we eventually won by 10 pins to set up a second round tie with the Bedrockers.
On Friday night I made my way with some of the usual suspects into The Cerdic in Chard for the Weatherspoons Beer Festival.
I started with a pint of Caledonian's Devil's Advocate  which was a dark cask conditioned lager at 4.2% which turned out to be a pleasant surprise as I usually avoid anything associated with the 'L' word.
Second beer of the night was from the USA and was the Cambridge Brewery's Heather Ale at 4.0%. It was a deep golden ale with a very refreshing taste.
The third beer was a real delight but at 6.0% you wouldn't want too many. It was Ij Ijbok from the Brouwerij't Brewery in Holland. For number four I went back to the Devil's Advocate but number five was a newly tapped barrel of Steenbrugge Dubbel Bruin from Belgium and was another 6.0%'er, not quite as smooth as the 'Bok but very nice all the same.
The last beer of the night was another newly tapped beer and was a Mild, something we don't see enough of in the west. It was Bank's Howling Wolf at 3.8% and my beer of the night with a real first taste wow factor and a lovely smoky aftertaste. I just had to try another so I was just a little worse for wear when we finally headed home.

Mixed Fortunes

On Monday night the Jockeys took on the Partistes at their home alley at The Poppe Inn. This is my closest away fixture and one that I can walk to. We went on second and I started with a spare only to 'bolt' it (not hit anything with the spare ball) but we were 9 up and took both points.
The second hand ended with us increasing our lead to 10 and sharing the points one each.
Our opponents then hit the best hand of the night with 100 to leave us 91 to win which we very efficiently did hitting 95 and taking the game 11-1. I finished on 48 and with the highest score of the evening.
On Thursday it was back to the Perry Street League and the Hustlers for our game against our great rivals the Outlaws. We have been neck and neck for the last three seasons for the league title with the Hustlers winning out each time.
We were on second again but this time found ourselves 2 behind and a point a piece. The second hand was the same but on the third hand our 'wheel' fell off and we found ourselves 15 down and only 2 points secured.
We were left a huge score of 112 to win but despite my hitting a '16 spare' we were unable to get near their score and finished the game 20 pins down and 3-13 points. My good run of form continued though and I was again top score, this time with 68.

Yabba Dabba Doo

On Monday the Jockeys took on the Club Originals on our home alley at the Perry Street Club. We ran out winners by 3 pins which was a good result considering we had been 18 pins behind on the first hand.
I started poorly with a 4 & 5 and the alley was playing very hard with very 'catches' and few spare opportunities.
On the second hand however I had a very fortunate catch off the second pin which left me with the running three at the front which I duly dispatched for a spare. I took another 4 pins with my spare ball to make 13.
This hand proved to be the turning point as we reduced our deficit to just 2 pins.
On our last hand we left our opponents 86 to win but they came up short and we took match 10 points to 2 to maintain our good start to the season.
Ale on tonight was Brains SA at 4.2%
Last night it was back to the Hustlers for our Perry Street Club League match against the Bedrockers (hence the title of the post) . I again started badly with a 4 & 6 but as the rest of the team were on good form we took the hand by 10 pins and both points.
On the second hand we extended our lead by hitting a 93 hand which put us 35 pins in front and all the points. On our third hand we tied one of the scores so it was carried over to the last hand but we fell short and gave away two points.
We finished the match by winning 14 points to 2 to keep up our unbeaten start to the season.
The ale on offer tonight started with the last of the Brains SA but then switched to Shepherd Neame's Spitfire at 4.7%

4th Hampshire Octoberfest

Yesterday myself and a few of the usual suspects made our way to Basingstoke for the 4th Hampshire Octoberfest.
We met up at Matt's at 9.40am to be picked up by our Taxi for the journey to Crewkerne Station about seven miles away. We obtained a very good group saver deal for the train and were soon on our way.
At Andover one of Andy;s Hampshire pals, Bill joined us. We arrived at Basingstoke just before midday and then caught the shuttle bus to the showground at Milestones Museum.
Having purchased our tickets and programs we made straight for the Beer and Music tent to collect our festival glasses. We managed to secure a table although the tent was already quite busy.

We were then off into the throng to get our first beers. I went first for Warbler from Bowman Ales from Droxford at 4.8%. I chose for the name mainly but also as the Bowman Brewery had been recommended to me by Andy. It was a nice full flavoured ale and a good way to start the fest. It also had a donation given to the Hant's and IOW Wildlife.
Next up was Jabberwocky from the Triple fff brewery at Alton. Andy J and I both went for this as our second beers. It was a black IPA at 5%  and very much to my liking with its hoppy and complex malt taste followed by hints of chocolate and licorice.
It was around now that another of Andy's pals from Hampshire joined us. Pat is a very knowledgeable ale drinker and seems to know everybody and also what is going on at all the brewery's. He gave us quite a few pointers on what beers to try and what to avoid.
Third beer of the day was Hole Hearted at 4.7% from the Oakleaf Brewery in Gosport. They also brew I Can't Believe its not Bitter which was speciality beer of Britain in 2011 and had been at the Tatworth Festival back in the summer. Hole Hearted has been Hampshire Beer of the Year for 5 years but it wasn't really to my taste.
Next was King John from the Andwell Brewery in Hook at 4.2% an amber/pale ale and again wasn't much to my palate.
Number six however was much more to my liking and was Eldorado, again from Bowman Ales and at 3.5% was a very light and hoppy ale with hints of elderflower in the aftertaste.
The seventh beer was recommended by Pat and Andy and I both joined him in trying Vibrant Ale from the Vibrant Forest Brewery in Totton. It was a light amber coloured hoppy bitter at 4.0%.
My eighth beer of the day was from Suthwyk Brewery in Fareham and I was drawn to this as I used to live in Fareham back in the seventies. It was Liberation at 4.2% using American liberty hops and was light with overtones of blackcurrant.
It was back to Bowman again for number nine and Wallop's Wood at 4.0% and was quite a malty beer.
Last beer of the day was Herd from the Havant Brewery in Waterlooville and was an old fashioned milk stout at 4.2%.
It was now time to get back to the station so saying our goodbyes to Pat we all went to get the shuttle bus and catch our train at 7pm. Back at the station and Andy and Tony disappeared and I guessed that they had paid a visit to Sainsburys for provisions for the journey. I guessed right so it was cheese and biscuits and a can of Old Speckled Hen on the way back.
Bill left us at Andover and we arrived back at Crewkerne in time for one more at the Old Stagecoach next to the station.
Andy was hoping that the Stocklinch green beer would be on but was out of luck, They did however have Black Smock which we had tried when we visited the brewery a couple of weeks ago. I went however for a Moor Beer and Merlins Magic.
I got back home at 11pm after a very enjoyable day sampling Hampshire's best.
PS. On the way home Andy received a text from Pat to say that the beer had started to run out with still a day to go !!!!

Dipping

On Friday afternoon Miriam and I went down to Black Hole Marsh at Seaton. I was hoping to see the Pectoral Sandpiper that had been around for a couple of days and Miriam was just glad to get out of the house for a bit.
We arrived around 2pm and spent around an hour in the unusually noisy hide, sharing it with one inconsiderate birder who after chomping through his lunch proceeded to burp for the next ten minutes and then loudly telling anyone who came into the hide that they should have been here yesterday !

Green Sandpipers (Tringa ochropus)

Needless to say we should have been there yesterday as the 'Pec Sand' appeared to have moved on. There were three Green Sand's however but not much else to grab our attention.
As Mir cannot get to the Tower hide and we didn't have too long we didn't try for the long staying Spotted Crake on the estuary so we headed into town instead.
On the way back to the car however the heavens opened and we were soaked by a very heavy downpour.

Last night the Hustlers took on the Jibbers in the Perry Street Club Skittles League. We were on first and posted a handy score of 90 which our opponents replied with 83 so we were 7 pins up and had secured both points.
Our next hand was 88 but the Jibbers managed to overtake us by one pin and we shared the points one each. The third hand saw us again hit 88 with very consistent scoring on our part. This time the Jibbers could only manage 85 so our lead was now 9 pins and we had 5 out of the 6 points.
Our last hand was the best of the night so far as we scored 96 to leave our opponents 106 to win. We had totalled 362 without hitting any 'spares' quite a decent effort.
The Jibbers fell quite a bit short by hitting 88 but they did take the last point which left us winners by 14 points to 2 (8 points for the win and 6 for the hands)
The team scores were very close with three of us on 61, two on 60 and me on 59. The Outlaws, our great rivals also played on the other alley and lost their first game of the season, which after the Perry Winklers lost on Tuesday leaves us as the only unbeaten team in the league now.
Ale on at the Club tonight was Ruddles County which I always find rather 'heavy'.

On a birding front, whilst walking from the car park at work to my office I heard my first Redwing's of this autumn calling as they flew overhead. A sure sign that winter is almost upon us !

Ding,Dong

Last night the Jockeys played the second game in four days at the Bell Inn, Winsham. On Friday night we played the Club Originals in the first round of the Jubilee Cup. This is played as a Handicap competition on a neutral alley with each team being awarded pins dependent on their last years league position. We therefore had to give the Club Originals a six pin advantage as we finished above them in the league.
I started spectacularly with a seventeen 'spare' and finished the game with a score of 56 but although we won the game it was only by 3 pins and so we lost overall by 3 owing to the Originals handicap advantage.
So we will have a night off in a few weeks when the second round takes place. Very frustrating !
Ales on at the Bell tonight were the usual Branoc, with St Austell 'Tribute', Bay's 'Hoppy Days' and Cottage 'Battle of Britain'
I started with a Hoppy Days with was a light and golden ale at 4.2% with a refreshing hoppy taste.
I then had a Battle of Britain which was a dark and heavy ale at 4.5% with a fruity aftertaste reminiscent of Christmas cake, before going back to the Hoppy Days and sticking with it for the rest of the evening.
Last night we took on the Bell's home team, The Bell Bandits in our second Nomination League match of the season. We were put on first and posted a score of 75 which our opponents fell short of by 2 pins.
We then hit a score of 89 and by the end of the second hand were 12 pins to the good but with the points shared. We hit 86 on our last hand to leave the Bandits 99 to win.
They made a really good effort though and fell short by only 7 pins and taking the last point to leave the match in our favour at 9-3.
The ales were the same as Friday but as I was the team taxi this evening I only had one pint of the Hoppy Days.

Once,Twice Three Times.

I've played skittles twice this week already and will be out again tonight when the Jockeys visit the Bell Inn Winsham for our first round Jubilee cup match against the Club Originals.
On Monday we were at home to the Chard Nomads in the Nomination League. We started well and were ahead after the first hand by one pin.
By the end of the second hand however we were four pins behind and 2 - 1 down on points with one hand tied. Our last hand saw us leave our opponents 70 to win and they had no trouble in getting past our score and scoring 76 and taking the match 10 points to 2.
I scored a poor 29 but still managed to beat 'my man' by several pins.
Ale on offer was Exmoor Gold.
On Thursday I was playing again, this time for the Hustlers against the Avengers in the Perry Street Club League. We again started very strongly taking a 31 pin lead and both points after the Avengers could only manage 58.
The second hand was a different story though with our opponents scoring 84 and us only 71 which cut our lead to 18 pins with the points shared.
The third hand was a tie with both teams scoring 75 and a point apiece. The Avengers last hand was only 66 so it left us with what should have been an easy target of 49 but we made heavy weather of it and after three men had played were only on 28. The 'tail' wagged though and we recovered to win with a hand of 67 and a margin of 19 pins and a points tally of 13 to 3.
This moved us up to joint 4th in the league but with a game in-hand on most of the teams above us.
The ale at the Club tonight was Brains SA Gold.

Stocklinch Ales

Last night myself and most of the usual suspects went to visit a newly opened micro-brewery in the village of Stocklinch just outside of Ilminster.
It was started earlier this year by Kevin Jones a former builder and property developer after the building trade had declined. He had been brewing on a small scale for years and had refined his craft by working with the Town Mill Brewery in nearby Lyme Regis for the past two years.
When Manor Farm in his home village became available he saw it as an opportunity not to be missed and created the Stocklinch Ales Brewery.

We arrived by taxi around 7.45pm and were shown the brewing equipment before getting stuck into the ales on offer. The brewery has a license to sell beer for one week per month and tonight was the last night it was open until the end of October.
I started with a Black Smock, named after a Sedgemoor Pub that Kevin and his wife used to visit and is a dark 5% porter/stout with a nice malty aroma and a very drinkable quality. This was recently given 3rd place at the Tamworth beer festival.
I then went for a Rusty Boiler at 4.5% which was a mid brown best bitter but not an immediate favorite. The third ale on offer was Ramblers Gold at 3.7% which some of us had sampled at the recent Minehead Beer Festival.. As the name suggests its a golden ale with a light and refreshing taste.
I was disappointed that Jolly Green was off as I was looking forward to trying it but it gives us an excuse to go back again.
I tried another pint of the Black Smock before Kevin tapped a new barrel of the Rusty Boiler for us. This was much better and and tasted really good fresh from the barrel.
We ended up staying until quite late and had a very enjoyable time, Roll on the 31st October and opening time again.

Signs of Autumn

Yesterday afternoon I managed to get down to Seaton Marshes for a couple of hours birding. I went first to the Island hide but it was relatively quiet with very few waders on view, the most interesting being two Green Sandpipers and a Ringed Plover.
Whilst I was there around a hundred Hirrundines,mostly Swallows flew through, skimming over the water as they made their way south and warmer climes. A sure sign that Autumn is on its way.
I then walked up the path past Stratford Marsh to Colyford Common. This was much better with a two Ruff, a Greenshank, two Dunlin and a Wood Sandpiper. They were all too far away for any photo opportunities though.
This brought my pathetic year list total up to 174 and It looks like I'll not make 200 for the second year running.

Seaton Marshes looking towards the town

Duck Season

Last night the Hustlers played our second game of the season against the Skylarks on the Perry Street Club number two alley. The alley played no better than Monday when the Jockeys played there and was again a close fought contest until the final hand.
We were chasing this time and our opponents started with a score of 72 pins which we passed with 79 and both points. The next hand was a closer affair and we lost 2 of our 7 pin lead when we only hit 75 to their 77 and shared the points one each.
The next hand was a disaster for me as I managed to score a 'duck' and a 5 but we still managed to overtake the Skylarks score of 67 by one pin and again shared the points one each.
Their last hand was only 68 so it left us with 63 to win which we breezed past with a score of 95 that included a 'flopper' (all 9 pins down in one ball) for Nick, our stand in captain and meant we won the game by 33 pins and 14-2 on points to maintain our winning start to the season.

Winsham and Lose Some

On Monday night the Jockey's played skittles at home to the Bell Bandits from the Bell Inn in nearby Winsham. The alley was playing very hard and it was a close low scoring game which we ended up losing by 7 pins but winning the points on  5 out of the 6 hands.
We were playing first but didn't quite leave our opponents enough on the last hand with their target of 92 to win so we shared the points 5-7.
I started well with a 7 & 9 but got progressively worse and finished on 37, my lowest score of the season so far.
Ale on offer tonight was a new one for me with Brains SA Gold at 4.3%. It was a full flavoured and slightly hoppy golden ale and was quite refreshing. It was launched in 2006 and was the Champion Beer of Wales Silver award winner in 2008

For Two Pins.......

Last night the Jockey's played skittles over the border at the Squirrel Inn against the Chard Nomads. The Nomads, Last years league champions are currently using the Squirrel Inn whilst their home alley, the Cotley Inn is being refurbished.
We were put on second and the Nomads came in with a score of 108 on their first hand.. We then replied with 101 but were unable to take the points. The Nomads kept up the pressure with another big hand of 102  which we then matched sharing the points.
Their last hand was 99 giving us a slight chance with 107 required to win. We gave it a good go but fell short by two pins finishing on 105 but taking the last two points.
I maintained my good start to the season hitting 48 which included my third 'spare' of the season.
The Pub though had a rather 'down-at-heel' feel to it with many of the beers off as they had run out. There was one ale left though with Branscombe Vale at 4.7%

A Game of Two Halves

Last night the Hustlers skittle team began the defence of last years league title with our first match of the season against the Young Guns.
We started steadily with a hand of 81 but our opponents came back with a score of 83 and both points. We improved on the second hand with 89 but again, thanks to a couple of 'spares' they took the hand with 94 and both points again.
We upped our game again on the third hand with 91 and we still hadn't hit a 'spare'. The Young Guns however had two more spares and hit 99 with both points again. We were now 15 pins down and had no points, not a good start to our campaign.
The last hand saw us hit 100 thanks to a fantastic spare from our 'anchor man' Steve P, hitting the right hand corner and sending it over to the left hand back second and making a 13. This left our opponents 86 to win but surprisingly they could only manage to hit 79 and we won the game by 6 and by 10 points to 6.
I had another good night hitting 67 without a spare to finish top score.

On another subject the result from the Minehead Beer Festival saw the Quantock Brewery scoop the 'Beer of the Festival' with their Rourkes Drift at 4.2%. Sadly the tasting notes say that its a 'Light refreshing lager style beer' which is why I didn't go anywhere near it on the day !

Two in a Row

Last night the Jockey's played the Club Jokers in our second game of the season. We started first and posted a score of 89. The Jokers then could only manage 69 so we were 20 pins up on the first 'hand'
Our second hand was 2 pins better including a 13 'spare' from me.
The Jokers improved their second hand to 84 but were now 27 pins behind. We then hit 89 again to leave them 116 to win but they fell well short and we ran out winners by 40 pins and 11 points to 1.
Our second win in a row and the best start to a season for many years.
Beer on offer tonight was the usual Sharp's Doombar !

Minehead Somerset CAMRA Beer Festival

Yesterday I and a few others went to the Somerset CAMRA's Beer Festival at Minehead. I had organised a minibus to take me and fourteen others from Tatworth and Chard to Bishop's Lydeard and the West Somerset Railway to catch the 10.25am Steam Train.

The train left on time and meandered through the Somerset countryside with us enjoying our first beers of the day. The buffet car was stocked with several bottled ales and Exmoor Ale on cask. I went for Glastonbury Ales and Lady of the Lake an amber ale at 4.2% with hints of vanilla and fruit.
We arrived in Minehead a few minutes late at 11.45am and immediately joined the long queue to get our glasses and tokens.
I had as usual made a list of the beers I wanted to try and headed off to get my first choice, Thornbridge's Sequoia at 4.5%. This was an American amber ale with hints of caramel,roasted hazelnuts and toffee and was very drinkable and a good choice to start the day.
Next up was Marble Ales Lagonda Trial 7 which was not in the program but was on the substitutions board. I suspected that this was the same ale that I had tried at the GBBF in London last month and it was. It was again absolute nectar and I already knew that it would probably be my Beer of the 'Fest.

The Marble Arch, Manchester

Marble Ales are fast becoming one of my favourite brewery's and I was lucky enough to visit the pub that is attached to the brewery back in March. I was under orders from my friend Andy J who couldn't attend this years 'fest due to other commitments to get a photo of our mate 'Dobber' drinking a pint of Marble Ales 'Dobber' so that was the next mission.

Dobber drinking Dobber

Back to the beers and my next choice was going to be Dark Star 'Kiwi' but it had been replaced so I went for the Partridge Best Bitter by the same brewery. It was a traditional best bitter at 4% and was an OK pint.
It was getting quite busy now so we found a quiet corner away from the bustle and a place to put our glasses and lean.

Beer number four was from our local brewery and the Windy at the Volunteer at Seavington, near Ilminster. This was a new beer called Hurricane, another IPA and very similar to the Lagonda but without the zesty citrus flavour but very good all the same. We later saw Colin the landlord and brewer from the 'Volly' and gave him some feedback on this new addition to his ale list.
Next was another new Somerset brewery and Devilfish. I had first tried this brewery's beers back in April at the Tucker's Maltings festival in Newton Abbot and this was another good brew. It was Apachi, another American pale ale at 5% and it was easy to see why it had won Beer of the Festival at Bath recently.

I was back to the Pale ales again with my sixth choice and Fubar from the Tiny Rebel brewery in Wales. It was though my least favourite of the day and the perfect impetus to get me onto some dark beers.
Beer number seven was from another new brewery for me and Angus Ales in Carnoustie in Scotland. As you would expect given their location all their ales have a golfing theme and I went for Driver Dark at 4.4% a full flavoured stout with roasted barley and chocolate malts.
I stayed with the dark side for beer number eight and the Hammerpot Brewery's Bottle Wreck Porter at 4.7%. This is a traditional black porter with chocolate,coffee and roast malt flavors, it was also a particular favourite amongst our crowd.

Trains and beer, what could be better !

My last festival beer was from the Mordue Brewery and their Northumbrian Blonde at 4.0%. It was a sweet and hoppy ale with a grapefruit and lemon aroma, but not very remarkable.
We always have a beer to take with us on the train home and I went back for my favourite and the one I voted for as Beer of the Festival, Lagonda Trial 7. We caught the train at 4.55pm and were back to be picked up by the minibus at 6.15pm.

Its been a long day !

Most of then got dropped off at The Cerdic in Chard for a meal before heading home. Not a great choice of beers here so I ended up with a Directors.
It had been a super day with great company and an excellent choice of ales. Roll on next year !

Friday 7th September

Last Friday was the first chance I had to get down to Lodmoor RSPB Reserve to see the Short-Billed Dowitcher.
I left work at 12.30pm and headed down to Weymouth arriving at the car park around 1.45pm. I started to walk up the reserve path but meeting another guy on the way back learn,t that the only view point to see the bird from was back up the road on the raised bank by the chipping centre.

The bird had apparently been in the centre of the reserve all day and was only showing intermittently.
There was a crowd of around thirty or forty people there already with scopes set up and I was soon set up beside them.
I had a wait of around 30 mins before the bird showed its self again and I was lucky enough to get two brief views when it moved through the vegetation. After that I had a couple more partial views as it stretched and preened.
I waited around for another hour or so but the bird seemed to have found a hiding place out of view and most of the crowd started to disperse.
Whilst I was there I found myself stood next to a guy who seemed vaguely familiar and when I got home I remembered who it was. It was Simon Emmerson the driving force behind the Imagined Village folk group, who is also a keen birder.

New Season

Last night was the first game of the new Three Counties Skittle League season. We played the Rogues at the Poppe Inn in Tatworth.
I got off to a great start with a 16 'spare' and from then on we were never behind in the game and ran out winners by 5 pins and by 10 points to 2.
I finished on 51 pins which is my best score at the Poppe for a long time.
Ales on tonight were (as is to be expected in a Hall & Woodhouse pub) Badger and Tanglefoot. I went for the Badger.

Today I should have been going to Newton Abbot Races with the Hustlers Skittle Team but on Thursday the meeting was called of due to a waterlogged course so I took the only course of action and went birding instead.
I saw on Birdguides last night that the long staying Woodchat Shrike was still at Wyke Regis just outside Weymouth so I sent a text to Andy G and asked if he wanted to try again. We had aborted a trip last week due to the weather.
We set off at 7.30am and had arrived at the Bridging Camp around 8.30am. We set off looking for the paddock with the "Keep out - Bull" sign that was mentioned in the report. On the way we saw a couple of Whinchats ans several Wheatears. We took up position by the sign and waited, and waited and waited.......and waited.
After around 90 minutes I saw a couple walking through one of the fields back towards the camp and saw them looking at something with binoculars. Scanning in the direction they were looking I saw the Shrike perched on the fence post for about a second before it moved off.
We walked back towards the Bridging Camp and soon had the 'Chat in our scopes. It had taken a while but we got the result in the end.
We then decided to try for a Wryneck that had been at Tidworth Rifle Ranges the day before. This was a new site for us but its one we will try again. It was 'alive' with Wheatear's and we also saw a Whitethroat and a female Redstart but no sign of the Wryneck.

Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Wheatear

 

 

We were then going to try for a Little Stint that had been reported at Lodmoor RSBP Reserve but a message came through on the phone that a Black Tern was at Abbotsbury and a Wryneck at West Bexington so we decided to go there instead.
We struck lucky with the Black Tern and saw it straight away as it flew over the meadow pool,we then pushed on for West Bexington and the Wryneck.
We again struck lucky and saw it within about 10 minutes of arrival on the main coast path.

Wryneck (Jynx torquilla)

We watched it for around 20 minutes as it moved between the reedbed and the beach.

After a while it was was joined by a Wheatear.

We eventually had to tear ourselves away and leave for home after what had been an excellent mornings birding.

Diamond Geezers

On Sunday Miriam and I went to Birmingham to the Aviva Diamond League Athletics meeting. I'd tried for tickets a few times since the Olympics had finished and the website always said sold out. I had though registered my interest in other events which paid dividends when I recieved an E-Mail saying that returned tickets had gone back for resale and was I interested. Five minutes later and I was talking to Ticketmaster and booking our places.

We set off at 8.30am to beat the traffic but as it was very quiet on the M5 we arrived at the Alexander Stadium in plenty of time. At 11.45am the gates were opened and we found our seats right in the front row.

The action got underway at 1pm and we were treated to an afternoon of high class Athletics with many of the London 2012 medal winners on show including four of the five track and field winners from Team GB.

Shelly Ann Fraser-Price Winner of the 100m Gold in London

There were 43 medalists from London including Mo Farrah the double Olympic Champion in the 5,000 and 10,000 mtrs who was running a 2 mile race.

Christine Ohuruogu who won silver in London and who came second again at this meeting.

Robbie Grabarz who won Bronze in Mens High Jump in London but today won the competition beating the Olympic Champion Ivan Ukhov of Russia,

Greg Rutherford who became the first English Olympic Long Jump Champion in London and the first GB holder of the title for 38 years.