The swift saga continues

I left the story with the microphone pack Velcro’d to the swift box precariously leaning over. Did it fall? Was it rescued?

It was rescued! I got an email from one of the swift researcher that she had come and retrieved the box. It had been just in time, she said. And the problem had been that the box was sliding out of its Velcro. The Velcro itself was holding up well! But if it is not glued to whatever it is holding up properly, that's not much solace. So they were going to use some better glue in the future.

Something that was less positive that that same day, I had spotted a chick that had fallen out of the nest. Or being pushed out. No idea! But either way; it had given up the ghost. That was sad.

Rest in peace little swift

A week or two later the researchers were back, again with their long bamboo poles. They said they this time had a smaller battery pack, and better glue. So they had again the difficult task of somehow sticking it to the Velcro on a different nest box. They managed! So the research will now continue.

They also told me that it is not unusual for swift chicks to end up out of the nest. If the parents are a bit optimistic and have three chicks, but there aren't enough bugs around to feed all of them, the runt of the litter just gets sacrificed. This summer hadn't felt particularly low on bugs to me, but it might have been different for the swifts. 

Spot the tiny battery pack

With the new battery pack in position, I am back on monitoring duties. I do think I can keep reporting back that everything is okay a bit longer this time. I'm sure they have good glue this time, and that pack looked very light. Let's hope they get some good research data in!

Llyn Alwen with Kate & Bryn

I was hoping that I could catch up with Kate again before things would get hectic again in the new year. And she was available on a Tuesday. That was still a working day! But it was also my only chance. And I could just work on one of the days the university was closed. So I went for it. Luckily, the weather was good as well!

She was still slightly recovering from an illness, so she didn't want to do anything too strenuous. She suggested two relatively flat walks, and I picked the one I had never done before: around Llyn Alwen, a reservoir quite far east. I wouldn't normally end up there, but Kate already lives over half an hour east anyway, so this was my chance.

When I got out of the car I could already hear Bryn, her dog, barking. He tends to get quite excited when I show up! And this occasion was no exception. Kate suggested we first have a cup of coffee before we leave, and I never turn down things like that. And I had brought the last remnants of the last cake I had baked. So we did that first!

Bryn is always interested in food. And he was again this time! And he got so persistent I was scared I would be throwing coffee all over Kate’s living room. He is big and strong and can make you do that sort of things. And while I was being protective over my coffee, he saw his chance and ripped my cake out of my hand. It was gone instantly. The sneak!

Kate made him lay down on his bed, and gave me half her cake. He seemed to have been quite good until I showed up!

After the coffee we left. We parked up by the dam, and started to walk clockwise around the reservoir. It was very beautiful! I was glad I had chosen this. And Bryn did his usual Bryn thing: jump into any body of water, looking for stones on the bottom. He absolutely loves carrying a stone around. And he likes getting wet.

The dam

Scenic path

Bryn looking for a stone

After a while we got hungry, so we sat down by a picnic bench. Kate made a very concerted effort to keep Bryn away from me, so I could eat my lunch in peace. And then we kept walking.

We were quite close to the furthest point of the walk when finally we met other people. Two chaps thought it was quite sweet that Bryn barked at them. On the other side of the water, we bumped into a few more people. The response was generally the same.

It was a really varied walk, with woodland and open hills and all sorts. And when we got back to where we had started, we decided to drive to Adjacent Llyn Brenig as that has a café, where we could go for a hot chocolate. That went down well! And then we went back home.

Open landscape closer to the far end of the reservoir

Double selfie

The bridge over the narrow bit of the reservoir

Dreamy woods

Dramatic skies

Deciduous woods

There we established we had actually run a race together in 2012. We had both done the Plymouth Half Marathon then! But it would be years before we would become aware of each other's existence. I hope one day we can run a race together and do it on purpose!

Bodnant Garden with Kate

Since the last time I had seen Kate, she had been everywhere and done everything. So I was glad I could pin her down again for a Sunday. She was still recovering from quite an impressive physical feat, so she didn't want to do anything particularly strenuous. And she suggested Bodnant Garden. That was fine with me; I had never been!

I drove up to her place where I was greeted enthusiastically by Bryn the dog. And a few minutes later we were on our way north.

The bloke who sold us our tickets was very enamoured of Bryn. He wouldn't be the last! And as soon as we came through the entrance we were enamoured with the garden. We were immediately impressed by the stunning autumn colours!

First view of the garden

We had a good walk around. Quite soon we sat on one of the benches to eat some cake, as we were both peckish. Then we walked all the way to the far end (which is actually called the Far End), and then back, taking in most of the particular sights, such as the skating pond, the mausoleum, and the terraces. It is amazing the amount of effort that has gone into this. In a way that shows you how beautiful are garden can be; it also shows you how crazily stupidly rich some Victorian industrialists were. The gardens were bought by one of them in 1874, and his wealth must have been obscene. But at least something good came out of it. Now it entertains lots of people, and undoubtedly provides a fair amount of employment for regional gardeners, and also a variety of other people who sort out the ticket sales, or the website, or things like that.

The skating pond seen from downstream

As stunning as autumn colours get

The mausoleum

The Pin Mill

Triple selfie (pic by Kate)

We had lunch on the bench within amazing view. It was sunny and calm! It was really a perfect day for this. 

There is also a small garden centre associated with it, so although this one is considerably more expensive than the one in Bangor, I figured it would be a good idea to buy a plant I had wanted to buy for a few months, and some plant food, given that I had run out months ago. Supermarkets don't seem to sell that! I don't know why. And the lady who sold it to me immediately fell in love with Bryn. Typical.

On the way back we each bought a pumpkin. On the way out we had seen a little stall by the road selling them. And both of us were interested in the thought of pumpkin soup.

My weekend wasn't very diehard! But it was good. I got two picnics with lovely friends. And a bonus dog! And great views. I am very content with that!

Dog issues on the cycle path

I was biking to work like on any other day. I saw a lady on the path, and rung my bell so she would know I was approaching. I then saw she had a dog as well; a bit further away from me, and quietly standing to the side. The woman headed for the dog with a slight jog. She tried to put it on a lead before I would get to her. I appreciated that; most dogs will behave sensibly enough, but you never know. 

I thought I would just bike past and that would be it. But when I got to the dog, it charged. The lady had not managed to put the lead on the dog. I braked hard. I hit the dog anyway, but luckily at low speed. This seemed to puzzle the dog a bit, and the lady managed to put a lead on it after all.

She said she hadn't heard me coming. I said that us cyclists tend to not be very noisy. She also said she thought it would be quiet. Not sure what to make of that! It was prime commuting time. And she explained the dog had been once kicked by a cyclist. That explained why he charged at me. But it did make me wonder the wisdom of her decision to walk it, off the lead, on the cycle path. And especially if she wasn't keeping a very keen eye out for anything approaching. I am Dutch; I think cycle lanes are for cyclists. If I walk on them, which can be totally legal and societally accepted, I really look around me like the criminal on the run. I really don't want to end up right in front of the wheels of an enraged cyclist! 

I was okay and the dog was okay, so it had all ended well. Therefore, in spite of me thinking she hadn't made the best possible decision, I figured that she had realised that now as well, any didn't need pointing out any further. It must be quite unpleasant to see your beloved dog being run over by a cyclist, even if it is totally unhurt. No point in me hammering the point home. So I said I appreciated her apology, and wished her a good day. Then I was on my way again.

It happened at the entrance of that tunnel in the distance

Only a few hundred meters further I bumped into a lady in running kit I recognised from the Bethesda wokerati scene. She flagged me down, and asked if I had seen a person with a German Shepherd. I hadn't! She was supposed to go running with that person, but had been a bit late. Now she didn't know if she had missed them, or whether they were even later than she was. What to do?

We solved it by me biking up the bicycle path, and her driving over the road, as that way, if the person with the German Shepherd would be on their way, they couldn't escape both of us. And I caught them! Unfortunately, they had already been on the run. But it was funny to have two dog-related encounters within a kilometre.

I find that commuting over a bicycle paths gives me very strong opinions about dog walkers. And they go both ways! I really appreciate the dog walkers who keep an eye out, and they have their dogs under control. I recognise a lot of them already. And I really don't like the dog walkers that use the whole width of the path, don't look around them, possibly wear headphones so don't hear you ring your bell, and either are slow to bring the dog(s) to the side, or fail to do so because the dog does whatever the dog wants. 

I think it is fine to share infrastructure like that. But you shouldn't share it in such a way that you hinder other people, as that is more claiming than sharing. And especially if it is a recognised bicycle route, you need to use the path in such a way cyclists can just get past without issues. We cyclists don’t block the way of dog walkers. And I'm sure these dog walkers would be quite grumpy if arbitrary pedestrians, with dogs or otherwise, would block their commutes.

I think this is one of those situations where conflicts will never be weeded out. Which is a bit of a pity, as it is such an avoidable kind of conflict. But there we are! And today was a day where things didn't go as they should have. I think that actual accidents in which a cyclist or dog gets hurt are rare. But far from unthinkable! But I will still try to get my commute over in a reasonably short time. Dog walkers or not…

Frogs getting frisky

When Storm Dennis had pretty much left, I went for a run. I saw a lot of water around! And on a stretch with a ditch next to the path, the water in it moved. I had a closer look. And saw lots of frogs! And lots of frogspawn. I was intruding in a frog orgy! And I realised I may have had a rather unrealistic view of how frogs procreate. I had always imagined something rather calm. A frog leaving  spawn in peace. And then some time later another frog doing that too. And I hadn’t really pondered when the eggs get fertilised. It looks like that happens there and then! It could happen a fair time beforehand. Or, fish style, afterwards. But no! This was everything happening at the same time and the same place. Well I hope their spawn will grow up to be healthy frogs!

I suppose the frogs only show up in full page view

Lots of frogs! 

Caught in the act