A Castle on the hill.

/ Andy Finnegan / 4 Comments

Kidwelly Castle is an imposing Norman castle overlooking the River Gwendraeth and the town of Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales. This ruin is in the care of Cadw (historic Wales). Although it saw much conflict the castle is in fairly good condition Kidwelly began in the early 12th century as a Norman ‘ringwork’ castle made of wood and protected only by an earthen bank and ditch.

Under constant attack by Welsh princes, it was captured by Lord Rhys in 1159. Decades later the Normans were in charge and by the 1280s it had been transformed into the stone castle we see today.

The first scene of Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed on the walls of Kidwelly.

Drunk in charge.

/ Andy Finnegan / 3 Comments
Roadside historical monument.

Over the years I have passed this monument on the A40 it has been slowly deteriorating this week I spotted it had been restored. It is said to be the first memorial in the UK to note drunk driving! The road was quiet so stopped to take a closer look.

“This pillar is called mail coach pillar and erected as a caution to keep from intoxication and in memory of the Gloucester & Carmarthen Mail Coach which was driven by Edward Jenkins on the 19th Day of December in the year 1835, who was intoxicated at the time & drove the mail on the wrong side of the road and going at full speed or gallop met a cart & permitted the leader to turn short round to the right and went down over the precipice 121 feet where at the bottom near the river it came against and ash tree when the coach was dashed into several pieces. Colonel Gwynn of Glan Brian Park, Daniel Jones Esq of Penybont & a person of the name of Edwards were outside & David Lloyd Harris Esq of Llandovery Solicitor and a lad of the name Kernick were inside passengers by the mail at the time and John Compton outside.

Crossing an Ocean.

/ Andy Finnegan / 4 Comments

In May 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman—and the only person since Charles Lindbergh—to fly nonstop and solo across the Atlantic.

In 1928, as a member of a three-person crew, although her only function during the crossing was to keep the plane’s log, the event won her international fame, The trio made their crossing in a Fokker F. VII Tri-Motor seaplane named “Friendship”.

The team departed from Trepassey Harbour, Newfoundland the plan to cross the Atlantic and land on Southampton Water. Pilots Wilmer Stultz and Lou Gordon landed at Pwll near Burry Port, South Wales, precisely 20 hours and 40 minutes later. Earhart received a hero’s welcome on June 19, 1928, when she flew, onto Southampton. She flew the Avro Avian 594 owned by fellow aviator Lady Mary Heath. 

Memorial at Burry Port.

Southampton Police escort Earhart through the crowds after her arrival in the city.

Black & White but colour pictures.

/ Andy Finnegan / 8 Comments

Despite this Butterfly being named after its appearance the Marbled White is more closely related to the subfamily known as the “browns” rather than “whites”. It is unmistakable, its black and white markings distinguishing it from other species found in the UK. It favours unimproved grassland where the grass may grow up to 0.5m tall. It is often found in large colonies. There are large numbers in our local fields which have been uncultivated for many years.

Mediterranean Gulls.

/ Andy Finnegan / 3 Comments

I had posted some distant pictures of Mediterranean gulls taken at Titchfield Haven earlier in the year. Today on the beach at Calshot I spotted 3 of these good looking gulls within a flock of Black-headed gulls. These birds were quite happy to come fairly close so I took the opportunity to grab some pictures. The Mediterranean gull is slightly larger than a black-headed gull, with an all-black head in the breeding season. Their beaks and legs are orange.

A very rare UK bird until the 1950s, Its numbers have increased and today recorded numbers published by the RSPB are UK breeding:600-630 pairs UK wintering:1,800 birds compare this to the Black-headed gull numbers UK breeding:140,000 pairs UK wintering:2.2 million birds.

Comparison shot of Mediterranean gull and Black headed gull.

June Butterflies.

/ Andy Finnegan / 3 Comments

Butterflies I spotted in the South of Hampshire during June. Suddenly we are in Butterfly season the sun has come out and so have the Butterflies.

Ringlet. A Butterfly that is often seen at the edge of fields and along woodland rides.

Marbled White. This is a handsome butterfly which we see in fairly large numbers in selective fields where it has been uncultivated for many years and the grasses have gone to flower and seed.

Below – A Marbled White pair mating (female on right.)

Comma. These dark orange-brown butterflies we spot only in small numbers but they are always worth a closer look.

Small Skipper. Often confused for a moth this is a common butterfly in our local fields.

Meadow Brown. Is a bit of a non-descriptive butterfly which can easily be overlooked.

Peacock. The large eye markings are unmistakable on this large Butterfly.

Speckled wood. Another butterfly that enjoys sunny spots in our local fields especially on brambles at the field edges.

Small Blue. (I believe). A small blue butterfly this one is on a Bramble flower.