Steve1962 Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Went for a stroll around Burford tonight , in particular the church and grounds .......... The church has a chequered history ........... Some of the flowers in the churchyard .... and some of the wildlife ......... This bird [ dunno what it is ] is absolutely beautiful ........ Off he went , into the water ......... along with one or two others ........ This grave stone caught my eye ....... Just outside the house is this row of Almshouses ........ A courtyard off the main street ......... Looking up the Main street ......... you can see the skies look ominous .......... Side street .......... Took one last photo of this field full of Rape .... and made it home , just before the heavens opened . Steve Link to comment
Boffin Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 The bird is a Mandarin Duck, apparently rare in the wild. I must read up on the Levellers. Great pictures as usual Steve. edit - Just read up on the Levellers - it seems that the three unfortunates mentioned there were the only scapegoats of what could have led to a British republic based on the premie of the equality of all men. now where have I heard that before? Andy Link to comment
Steve1962 Posted May 7, 2006 Author Share Posted May 7, 2006 The bird is a Mandarin Duck, apparently rare in the wild. I must read up on the Levellers. Andy Andy, Thanks for the info on the bird ........ I have never seen one before ..... Steve Link to comment
Kitsap Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Good stuff Steve, thanks. I like the courtyard the best, I nice place to sit and chat. Link to comment
Firefight911 Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Steve, Nice essay! The wildlife and flowers are spectacular. Loved the history lesson. Thanks and keep them coming. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 I thought it was a circus duck.. but then again, I am renowned for NOT knowing anything about birds ! Link to comment
Steve1962 Posted May 8, 2006 Author Share Posted May 8, 2006 Andy, I did some research . The Mandarin duck ...Aix Galericulata , originally from China . A few were brought over and some escaped into the wild , and have since become established in areas of Southern England ........ as you say rare to see because they are very shy . Steve Link to comment
hophead Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Great photos and interesting thread. Exactly how much rain do you get annually in "old blighty?" Link to comment
Boffin Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Great photos and interesting thread. Exactly how much rain do you get annually in "old blighty?" For the Midlands area - where Steve and I both live - the annual average rainfall is 31 inches, spread fairly evenly, though with fewer days of heavier rain in the summer months. See the UK Meterological Office web site for more details, and the fact that we do get sunshine as well Andy Link to comment
smkymtntaco Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Steve, Great photos, as always! Those dirty Levellers! They were almost 150 years before the French, and the American Revolutions. And there were only a few of them...good thing the King nipped that in-the-bud! Keep the English photo-journal coming! Link to comment
Boffin Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Steve, Great photos, as always! Those dirty Levellers! They were almost 150 years before the French, and the American Revolutions. And there were only a few of them...good thing the King nipped that in-the-bud! Keep the English photo-journal coming! The levellers at one time were a large movement, all part of the Army. This was during the period of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. The army was independant of government back then, raised by various nobelmen. Parliament was very nervous of the levellers movement but needed the support of the army, so could do little about it. Then came the second English civil war, Cromwell dispatched the armies to Ireland and started that bloody conflict which is still ongoing. The levellers lost some of thier powerbase and parliament moved in, rounding up ringleaders. The three ordinary soldiers on the plaque were executed at Burford church after a battle in the area. One officer (sorry I forget the name - a titled gentleman) was court martialled and won his case and set free. Some time later however, he was arrested by Parliament and tried again by them and was sentenced to death. Thus ended the putative 'Republic of equals' where society would have been levelled. A few years after that, Charles II was invited to re-take the throne ending the short period of English republicanism. We wait to see what will happen with Charles III..... Andy Link to comment
George Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Great pictures there Steve, can't wait for the sun to get up and going and giving us a real fine summer. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.