Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[Rod Paradise]

Waxwings come over in winter from Scandanavia - I think they're mainly on the east coast & southern scotland, but with the winter we've had so far they could easilly have spread further.

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Radio 5 Live, 3.30pm (now) Big fat Gypsy weddings review. Some polarised views, worth a listen

Bugger! Missed this Rich.

Care to summarise?

Will it be on iplayer?

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Since I started feeding the birds outside we have been drowning in finches and other weird and wonderful little feathery buggers...

Great eh? what and how are you feeding em Mr B?

We have a woman on the market who sells wild bird food and feeders. She does a roaring trade. I bought a sort of bird-feeder tree from her, it has hooks and things for several types of feeder, (Which she also supplies) Not to expensive though, the whole lot only cost about £20.

It doesn't matter how you feed them really though, the top of a gate post works just as well.

I feed fat balls from a cage-type thingy, they last ages if the jackdaws don't come and demolish the lot in 5 minutes, and a finch mixture (to which I add a few sunflower seeds) from one of those clear plastic hoppers. I also feed peanuts from a stainless steel wire tube. (has to be stainless steel or the squirrels bite through it)

Oh, and I feed winnowings that I get from a friendly farmer along with some rape seed in a mesh bowl.

We hang the fat-balls from the tree using string, but one of the jackdaws has learned to wrap the string round the branch until the fatball is tight to the branch & it can eat it at its leisure. We know it's just one jackdaw as it's for some white feathers on its head && neck so is quite easily identifiable. We don't mind it too much because we have a grudging respect for it working out how to rob them.

Tried tying the string to the middle of the branch..... the clever bugger worked out a new method pretty damn quick:

I love the crows. Such clever little bleeders.

Great vid Rod.

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Also, I am not sure but I think I've had 2-3 of these in my garden today

Wawxings. Would I be off the mark here? I am going off the very distinctive hairdo (technical terms), and the colourful wing tips

Them's um Rich.

Very interesting. Worth a google.

[TightEnd]

Radio 5 Live, 3.30pm (now) Big fat Gypsy weddings review. Some polarised views, worth a listen

Bugger! Missed this Rich.

Care to summarise?

Will it be on iplayer?

Richard Bacon has a daily podcast, worth checking BBC radio webstie to see the content of today's


30 minute debate, commentators in studio one pro the programme one anti (a television/documentary maker on both counts) perspective.

 One did raise the distinction between travellers and Gypsies. Also points raised as to cultural differences (women's role in Gypsy society, age of marriages)

One commentator drew the contrast between the mood and attitude of Violet Ann pre-marriage and a presumed unhappiness/frustration after marriage..debate as to whether this was programme editing and thus reflective of Gypsy woman married life or not
 
Interestingly most of the listener calls were "I live down the road from a site, and none of them are like the travellers the programme shows"

Much talk of "how can they afford these grand weddings" and why doesn't the programme even ask that question

that's about all I can recall!

[AndrewT]

Radio 5 Live, 3.30pm (now) Big fat Gypsy weddings review. Some polarised views, worth a listen

Bugger! Missed this Rich.

Care to summarise?

Will it be on iplayer?

It'll be linked on here once it's ready.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/radio/bbc_radio_five_live/20110214

[RED-DOG]

Radio 5 Live, 3.30pm (now) Big fat Gypsy weddings review. Some polarised views, worth a listen

Bugger! Missed this Rich.

Care to summarise?

Will it be on iplayer?

Richard Bacon has a daily podcast, worth checking BBC radio webstie to see the content of today's


30 minute debate, commentators in studio one pro the programme one anti (a television/documentary maker on both counts) perspective.

 One did raise the distinction between travellers and Gypsies. Also points raised as to cultural differences (women's role in Gypsy society, age of marriages)

One commentator drew the contrast between the mood and attitude of Violet Ann pre-marriage and a presumed unhappiness/frustration after marriage..debate as to whether this was programme editing and thus reflective of Gypsy woman married life or not
 
Interestingly most of the listener calls were "I live down the road from a site, and none of them are like the travellers the programme shows"

Much talk of "how can they afford these grand weddings" and why doesn't the programme even ask that question

that's about all I can recall!

Thank you for that lovely succinct summary Rich. You picked out the salient points so expertly too.

Perhaps you should be a Journalist...

[RED-DOG]

Radio 5 Live, 3.30pm (now) Big fat Gypsy weddings review. Some polarised views, worth a listen

Bugger! Missed this Rich.

Care to summarise?

Will it be on iplayer?

It'll be linked on here once it's ready.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/radio/bbc_radio_five_live/20110214

Cheers Andrew. You've bailed me out yet again.

Perhaps you should be a full time clever clogs.  Oh wait......

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[doogan]

this looks like it will be a great program to watch. on weds 16th feb at 2100.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-elephant-life-after-death

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I knew I was due a red day but it still pisses me off.  I've been such a god boy.

[RED-DOG]

this looks like it will be a great program to watch. on weds 16th feb at 2100.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-elephant-life-after-death

Thanks. I saw this advertised too. It does look like it will be good.

So many excellent nature / natural history programmes on lately. I have a backlog.

[TheWhisper]

Unlucky with the red

I was thinking about getting one of these LINK
Do you think it might be too intrusive?

[GreekStein]

I read an article on media guardian about the Gypsy community not being happy about mbfGw and protesting for a programme in which they'd have some form of right to reply. I'll try find the link at lunch.

[boldie]

I read an article on media guardian about the Gypsy community not being happy about mbfGw and protesting for a programme in which they'd have some form of right to reply. I'll try find the link at lunch.

Media Guardian took me to this story from the...*shudder* Express* http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/229314/Outrage-over-Big-Fat-Gypsy-Wedding

Guess they wanted to get the boot into more than the minority this time...makes a nice change for the Express.