Taexalia

wild.life

Mistle Thrush and Dominance

Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) - Amber Status

Yesterday I ramped up the bird feeding opportunities in my garden. This "cold snap", which has brought us our first real winter for as long as I can remember, has brought birds in about who would not normally come so close. At first I thought it was luck, being on the very edge of town, but I have since seen some of these species (Redwing and Fieldfare) near the High Street. The search for food is intense ... read more

Spoilers

I was reading this article on the BBC site this morning and Russell T Davies words resonated with me:

"There are some people who like spoilers, and they spoil it for themselves and they like spoiling it for themselves," he said.

"It's when they then promote it on to a bigger scale and they push those spoilers into the tabloids so the general public get to hear.

"I think it's a real shame and I think it undermines all ... read more

Mine is bigger than yours

Have you ever noticed that when you tell a story there is always someone in the room who wants to "trump" you? It doesn't matter what the topic might be, the chance of someone feeling the need to *seem bigger* is always there.Phrases like:"...you think that's bad wait til you hear what happened to me...""...that's nothing compared to my story...""...I can beat that story..."I'm talking in the realms of personal stories, life events and whatnot and it bemuses me that people still feel the need ... read more

Donald Trump just opens his mouth and lets his belly rumble

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7431276.stmJust like George Sorial, Donald Trump cannot resist spouting Doublethink. Today's gem:"I am confident I will be able to demonstrate my passion for this site on which we want to create a world-class development that works in harmony with the natural environment."Half a brain cell is all that's needed to realise that plans to stabilise a mobile sand dune system will mean the sand dune system is no longer mobile. If the SSSI mobile sand ... read more

A Public Enquiry – Donald Trump – Menie Links

The Scottish Government has finally announced its next move regarding the Trump plans to annihilate a SSSI sand dune system at Menie Links in Aberdeenshire - a public enquiry is to be held.This is good news because I for one want to know why any Aberdeenshire councillor thinks they have the right to approve plans that will mean the destruction of a rare sand dune system that is supposed to be protected by law. I'd like to see the full facts published, rather than the propaganda of a corporate ... read more

Little White Balls

Yes the landscape of the North East of Scotland is yet again being recognised, and who can blame anyone for falling in love with that area of the world? I'm biased because I was born there and, despite accidentally moving to Edinburgh and settling here five years ago, I'm still a local quine, ken? "Ury Estate is a fantastic landscape that commands great views across the surrounding countryside and out to the North Sea, offering us a wonderful opportunity." Sounds good that quote, doesn't ... read more

Power and Powerlessness – Conflict and Peace

In her speech, Come September, Arundhati Roy, says "The theme of much of what I write, fiction as well as non-fiction, ... is the relationship between power and powerlessness, and the endless circular conflict they are engaged in.." A little further on she says "I believe that the accumulation of vast unfettered power by a state or a country, a corporation or an institution or even an individual a spouse, a friend, a sibling - regardless of ideology results in excesses..." This is a theme ... read more

Challenging Conversations

Have you ever noticed that sometimes conversations become toxic and you find yourself coming out the other end not quite knowing what happened? Imagine that Petunia and I are talking about Lifesavers. She tells me that she thinks Minty Lifesavers are the best ever and I say I disagree and say that I think Gummy Lifesavers are the best ever… In scenario P, we go on to describe the reasons why we like each one. Petunia might tell me she likes the freshness and she doesn’t like the ... read more