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Link from Twitterrific

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Guthlac

For Apple, Lost iPhone Is a Big Deal – NYTimes.com – http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/technology/companies/20apple.html?src=twt&t…

I’m on line at:

I hope you enjoy

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So now we know the real losers from the debate on Thursday were the conservatives.

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Guthlac

The only thing to guarantee change is a strong conservative government. I may be paraphrasing things but I believe that was the message that the party political broadcast by David Cameron was saying. Suddenly he is starting to look like yesterday’s man. There is a huge amount of things that can and probably will change over the next two weeks but one thing for certain is that the if things don’t change quickly then the conservative party will start to disintegrate amidst their internal contradictions.

The argument that is being put forward by the conservative does seem to reek of desperation. here are three I have picked up over the weekend:

Vote for Nick Clegg – get Gordon Brown. There may be some truth in this – however would Gordon brown be able to hang if he has lead the Labour party to a close draw with the Lib Dems. Even if he does will the Lib Dems want to do business with Gordon Brown – what would he be able to offer. His voting reform is not really PR and in short he is a busted flush. Why get into bed with him.

Deals will be made in secret between the parties. Wasn’t it always thus. Politics is about deals and compromises. If we have a hung parliament then the one thing we will not get is one party ramming through a policy without any real support in the country – Iraq anyone?

We need a strong government to deal with the financial crises. There is some truth about this as well but it is surely the case that what ever form of government that comes out of the hung or balanced parliament they will have a mandate to deal with whatever comes. Is any party likely to put the country’s financial health at risk for their own political advantage. After all should the government fall and a new election be called there would a real chance that they would be swept away at the ballot box.

In short we need a real change and the only way to start to deliver this is to really shake up things. No clear winner will be the start of the process and the only party offering PR is the Lib Dems – otherwise it will be business as usual.

Simon Marchini LRPS

Web: http://WWW.simonmarchini.co.uk

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Naming wild flowers in Swithland Woods

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Guthlac

Perhaps it is the way my brain is wired but I just can’t identify wild flowers without hours scratching my head and poring through reference books. This was the case today when I went to see how the bluebells were developing in Swithland woods. One or two are starting to show but I think the main show is at least a few days away – perhaps a week. Anyway, whilst I was walking around the woods I cam across this lovely little flower. I hadn’t got a clue what it was. So I captured a few shots and then came home – could I identify it. Fortunately my wife is a lot more patient than I am and with 10 minutes she had the name Oxalis Acetosella – the Wood Sorrel.

Apart from this problem I had a really enjoyable morning mooching around the woods. As usual I got one or two strange looks from other visitors as I lay flat on the flow trying to capture the flowers. I wish the flowers were at a more convenient level but they are not so the only thing to do is to get down and dirty with plants. At least it wasn’t muddy – well mostly not.

Simon Marchini LRPS

Web: http://WWW.simonmarchini.co.uk

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Chasing Sedge warblers at Watermead Park

Posted on April 18, 2010 by Guthlac

Another beautiful dawn and I found myself by the water’s edge once more – this time at Watermead country park. Watermead is a strange place. It is a series of old gravel quarries scattered for about 5 miles alongside the River Soar. Up until quite recent times the quarries were still producing gravel – now they produce birds, wildlife and some peace near to the noise of the city.

I wasn’t really looking for anything in particular and so was pleasantly surprised to hear a welcome sound – a sound that meant that spring was really here and summer wouldn’t be too long. Deep in the reeds by the edge of the lake was the familiar song of the sedge warbler. So how to capture the illusive creature?

The sedge warbler, as its name implies, lives deep in the reeds and sedge and so is very difficult to capture. You get a very fleeting glimpse as the bird slowly climbs the stems of the reed and then just as you focus its gone. All the time the call acts as a siren enticing you towards the waters edge. The only other sure sign that a warbler is near by is the frustrating sight of the reeds swaying under the weight of the bird moving up and down – just out of camera’s reach.

I eventually managed to capture one or two shots but they were not up to much. Still it give you something to aim at – although I said that last year and nothing came of it.

Simon Marchini LRPS

Web: http://WWW.simonmarchini.co.uk