WYSI Winter up the Coombes!

Coombes Lane in Barkham (just outside Wokingham in Berkshire) is the way to Wonderland for me!



I love it here!!

Peace, woodland wildlife, gentle walks and, top of the list... cake!!! Yum! What's not to love? It's fabulous!

The Coombes is a deciduous woodland that sits neatly between the golf course at Bearwood and the village of Barkham. It covers quite a few acres (no idea how many, but it is quite a few!), has many veteran trees and is home to deer, foxes and all sorts of birds... and pigs!

The pigs actually belong to the Wysipigs farm (What You See Is Pig), but they are often allowed to wander about, rooting around amongst the bracken and snuffling round the yard by the farm shop.

A walk through the woods is most delightfully broken up by a steaming mug of coffee and a huge slab of cake at Wysipigs, served by the very funny and entertaining Mr Kevin!

In fact, it has to be said, it is so good up at the farm shop and so entertaining, that it is actually pretty difficult to muster up the motivation to leave!! Sitting out on the terrace with the dogs and watching the easy pace of the farm, sipping coffee, munching cake, chatting to my best pal, it's easy to imagine staying there for the rest of my life!!!

The walk back, once recommenced, however, is always a delight though.



I love the woods and the peace that trees always fill me with. I don't know if it's the roots that bind to the soil and hold life so safe and solid, or the fact that the branches seem to reach up to the sky and the air and space and breath beyond, but, whatever it is, trees calm me, restore my energy, strengthen me to carry on and to forget the nonsense, regrets, and disappointments of every day life!



Strange but true! Whenever I am away and feel homesick, I go and find a forest!

I heard only today that the government are looking to sell off 15% of Forestry Commission land to raise revenues. We must not allow that to happen! It'll be the death knell for the woods and the forests and, for me, I truly believe it will be the beginning of the end!

That may sound dramatic, but I live in an area that was once supposedly protected as Green Belt land. It didn't work. As soon as one development was allowed, that was it, the beginning of the end for the green belt. We cannot allow that to happen again!



I can't make anyone do anything, but together we have a voice.

If you believe in the power of the woods and you want to help, have a look at the Woodland Trust website and sign their petition. http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/Pages/default.aspx

In Scotland, there's a website that has links to all kinds of information and resources http://www.reforestingscotland.org/links.php

and in Wales, the Woodland Trust have a great information and resource site that may be very useful http://www.treeforall.org.uk/Wales/Facts/CampaigntoprotectWalestrees.htm

If you are in Northern Ireland, there is a website that not only supports the woodlands and forests, but also talks of protection for archaeological sites within the forests! Fantastic!! http://www.dardni.gov.uk/forestservice/index/environment/archaeological-features-in-the-forest.htm

Let's do what we can, as a nation, to come together and preserve our natural heritage. Our woodlands are so important, let's not lose them for the sake of a momentary monetary gain.

If we look after them properly, our woodlands will not only provide infinite monetary gain, but also spiritual and physical enrichment, for us and for our children and grandchildren and beyond! How can we do anything less?

On a final note, I'd like to applaud Wokingham Borough Council for the work that they do locally to protect and maintain our green spaces... but I must also say how much this sign makes me smile!!



It prohibits motor vehicles and horses and other nuisance from this 'open space' but, I have to say, that is the most densely planted open space I think I've ever seen!!! I heartily agree with the prohibitions, but still chuckle at the positioning! Hee hee!!

Rebecca, X

www.rtphotographics.co.uk
rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk

Bittern by Dinton!

Dinton Pastures Nature Reserve, on the outskirts of Reading in Berkshire, is a wee haven for commuter weary locals, for dog walkers, birdwatchers, anglers and wind surfers.



I fall into the weary, dog-walking, bird-watching local category, and Dinton Pastures never fails to do it for me! It's always a treat and I go along as often as I possibly can... which, unfortunately is actually not that often! Hey ho!!

Any time of year is a good time to go, but it looks especially stunning in the autumn sunshine.



Winter is perhaps a bit drab on the landscape here, but of course a bit of snow can always work wonders when coupled with a blue sky... though I haven't actually seen any blue sky and snow together for quite some time now, not since being back in England anyway!

However, one very big redeeming feature of Dinton Pastures in the winter, is the chance of seeing the Bittern. (If you're lucky. I'm not!!!) There is a lovely reed bed on White Swan Lake (or is it Black Swan Lake? It's one of the two anyway!) that provides shelter for this awkward but magnificent-looking bird. Apparently. I haven't seen it yet, though not for want of trying!!!

I was up there a few weeks ago with a very good friend of mine, who isn't the slightest bit interested in ornithology, but was very excited to see the Bittern flying across the front of the reed bed... while I had my binoculars pointed in the opposite direction!! She very good-naturedly called out to me "there it is... oh, it's gone!" and then laughed... and laughed, and laughed, and laughed a bit more! Thanks Helen!!!

We've been back to Dinton Pastures a few times since then, but no sign of the Bittern!

Unfortunately for my birding, some of the anglers have decided to use the pontoons in the reed beds rather than the ones that are so numerously placed around every part of all the lakes here. Grrr! They have every entitlement to be there, but it is incredibly annoying to those of us who want a glimpse of these shy birds.

Helen says she doesn't mind... 'cos she's already seen it. Ha!

She sent me a couple of texts that night to tell me not to worry or to get too upset, we'd be bound to see one again, though maybe I'd 'bittern off more than you can chew'. Following an appopriate response, she then sent another text bidding me sweet dreams and hopes that I didn't get 'bittern' by the bed bugs!!! Ho ho, so funny!!!!

I shall keep coming back to Dinton Pastures and allow the peace and tranquility to wash over and relax me... well, as peaceful and tranquil as you can get with the M4 traffic thundering along right beside you!!! But, surprisingly, the noise from the motorway seems to disappear within a few minutes of arriving.



I think the visual calm and the inner peace very quickly over-rides the din, so it is easy to forget it's even there! A lovely place for a bimble, give it a go if you get the chance!

Rebecca, X

www.rtphotographics.co.uk
rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk

Splash & Dash

Also back in November was a wet and wild trip up to Nottingham! I had a wonderful week exploring the area, splashing around the National Watersports Centre at Holme Pierrepont and, of course, getting dirty again in Derbyshire!

This was my first trip up to Holme Pierrepont and I have to say that I was really impressed.

Not only does it have facilities for just about any type of boat and canoe sport you can think of, it is also very nicely landscaped, easily accessible and pretty much slap bang in the middle of the country... so why didn't it get the Olympic support for 2012?



It would have been fantastic to bring some much-needed and very well-deserved positive publicity for the lovely folks of Nottingham! It's beyond me why it wasn't chosen; investment in this area is so much needed and would have been such a boost, not only to the local economy but also to the local people. I don't know where the watersport events will be held, but I really am very disappointed that it won't be centred here!



Let's hope they do get something from the Olympics, they certainly deserve to in my (yes, admittedly ignorant) opinion!

Anyway, from watching the fit young folks splashing through the white water at Holme Pierrepont, I ventured into Derbyshire with a slightly older but equally fit companion for a splash around with a difference!

Rich's Land Rover Discovery is 4x4 fun in the extreme...



er, well, actually not really that extreme because Rich is a very considerate and careful driver, not only for his passengers but particularly for the countryside! Now I know there will be plenty of people choking on their brew about that wee statement, but I stand by it.



Where 2 cars have been required, Rich will take everyone in one. Where so-called 'Chelsea Tractors' clog up the urban streets with just mummy and 2.4 children on board, Rich uses his vehicle for getting people out into the countryside, where knowledge and new-found love for all things green actually strengthen the causes of conservation!



In the recent snows, when many people couldn't get to work around Nottinghamshire, Rich was out there picking them up and getting them in for their shifts... all ambulance staff, all essential, and all would have been stuck without the Land Rover!

So, there is, in my opinion, a perfectly valid place in the UK for the 4x4, and I was more than happy and willing to be along for the ride!



I shall also fight the corner of the responsible green laners... they will not drive on the restricted byways or footpaths or bridle paths, they will always drive slowly and carefully, still having fun but not destroying the lanes in the process!!

The irresponsible green laners are a nightmare and should be reported and banned and hounded out of the countryside, I've no issues with that, but please, if you are in any doubts, believe me that not ALL 4x4 drivers are irresponsible or single-handedly responsible for global warming and the melting of the polar ice-caps!!!

No, I don't have a 4x4, but I have nothing against anyone who does and who uses it responsibly!

Rebecca, X

www.rtphotographics.co.uk
rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk

In Leaps & Bounds!

By 'eck, I'm a long way behind in my blogging!!! It's been mayhem over the last few weeks and, I'm sorry to say, the blog has suffered as a result. I'm back on the case though and here's a tale about a fantastic day out photographing Pets in Practice Dog Agility classes way back in November last year!



Agility and RT photographics don't always get mentioned in the same sentence... as I often say, I'm very much built for comfort, certainly not speed!!!



Blimey, if it came to it, I suppose I could run across the road, but that's really about as far as my sporting prowess goes! I can walk up hills and I can walk for many miles if I have the right footwear and whatnot on, but agility? No, it's not really me!



Luckily for me, the classes were all about the dogs running and jumping and leaping and bounding!



All I had to do was try and keep up with my lens pointing in the right direction... trying to capture that moment where ears are up and eyes are wide, and the dogs are caught in that moment of total concentration coupled with complete and utter dappy delight!!!



The dogs loved it. They are so focused on the hurdles and hoops (or is it the rewards for getting over the hurdles and hoops?),



very little fazes them and they love every single heart-racing, fur-flying moment!

The owners also get a great workout as they run alongside the dogs, encouraging them at every point and turn and rewarding them as they complete the course.



Where some agility classes can be quite difficult and a little bit elitist, Helen's classes are pretty much all about fun! All dogs are welcome once fully grown (thereby avoiding damage to developing joints and bones!) and all seemed to be in total doggy heaven! From the sweet, tiny Chihuahua



to the huge, gorgeous black German Shepherd, all were having fun. I don't think I've ever laughed so much on a photo shoot anywhere; it was pure, joyous entertainment!



Thanks to Skippy and the classes, and thanks especially to all my lovely furry models. What a fantastically fun day's work!!!

Rebecca, X

http://www.rtphotographics.co.uk/
rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk

Vizsla Charisma!

Hugo & Mable are a pair of Hungarian Vizslas with amongst the most powerfully charming and attractive natures that I've ever come across, human or canine!

They are truly beautiful in so many ways. The rich, deep warmth of their coppery red coats is as a physical representation of their deeply warm and affectionate natures.



Hungarian Vizslas are reknowned for their gentle sensitivity and are supremely suited to life in a loving household, where they are loyal, doting and fearlessly protective of their family.

Hugo and Mable are so loving and so sensitive it is virtually impossible not to attribute human characteristics and feelings to them. They show love, affection, jealousy, anxiety, guilt, nonchalance, playfulness, excitement, happiness and just about every other trait seen in any partner in any happy and successful domestic relationship! I defy anyone to spend an hour with Hugo and Mable and still say that they are 'just dogs'!!!



Hungarian families have known for centuries that the Vizsla is far more than 'just a dog'.



Bred as working gun dogs, the Vizsla is an expert waterfowler, but unlike most working dogs, the Vizsla is also an excellent pet at home! Domestic pet dogs and working dogs don't usually mix very well, something that is seen in many rescued animals who are reared as working dogs and then taken into people's homes as pets.

Owners can have huge problems trying to turn a dog that's hard-wired to working farm life into a docile family pet who is content to be left at home, indoors, for hours at a time while the owners go to work, or shopping, or wherever, and then given a short walk round the block or round the park!

Vizslas, however, have always been adaptable and are truly happy indoors or out! They are certainly quite lively, needing ample stimulation, but they are also very, very happy to climb up onto your lap and cuddle you with paws & nose draped across your shoulder!! Fantastic with children, fun, affectionate and loyal, Hungarian Vizsla charisma is a winner all round.

Hugo and Mable are truly wonderful dogs. At nearly 9 years old, Hugo is the statesman in the house.



He's regal, calm, funny and affectionate indoors but unfortunately not quite so easy out on his walks any more. He had a nasty accident a few years ago when another, rather boisterous, dog jumped on his back and fractured his spine. He's had to endure difficult and dangerous surgery and it's been a long, painful road to recovery.

He'll never be as strong as he was before, and great care has to be taken with his back, but Hugo is a real stalwart and is so easy with his love and warmth that there's not much sign of previous injury at all indoors! He can't jump onto your lap, but he does work his way up and he has absolutely worked his way into my heart! I love him!!

It's only really when you're out with him that his injuries become apparent. He is, very understandably, pretty nervous of other dogs and will bark warnings and do everything to make sure they stay away. I think we can all relate to that... if you'd had an accident and painful injuries, you'd protect yourself too! Hugo is just the same!! He's easily distracted though, and his owners are always looking out for other dogs and will take him away from them to avoid confrontation. Once the threat has been passed, Hugo goes back to the business of having fun and enjoying his walks as much as Mable!

Mable is younger, at nearly 5 years old. She's more agile than Hugo, for sure, but she's also a lot cheekier!! Out on a walk she darts about looking for ways to press Hugo into play, or any other dog that happens to come by!



She is also very protective of Hugo and seems to understand his difficulties. While she goads him to play, she also makes sure no other dogs will approach him. It certainly makes for interesting walks, and, knowing their history it is really interesting to see how they interact and to observe their body language and habits.

I've met quite a few dogs now as I do more pet portraits, and having spent time with them all to get to know them and observe their behaviours and characteristics, it's easy to fall into the habit of 'humanising' them, attributing human explanation and rationale to their thinking and behaviours. The more time I spend with dogs, the less inclined I am not to humanise them! Hugo and Mable are so expressive in terms of body language and other forms of non-verbal communication, it's practically impossible not to imagine what they would be saying if they could speak our language!!

The other thing that has really struck me as peculiar to the Vizslas is the way they wag their tails! Held straight out horizontally their tails wag at a terrific speed, it's delightful and quite comical to see!! It's also very noticeable that the tails are shortened. Many people now see docking as cruel, but in this case it's really a necessity. The tip of the tail is very thin, whippy and easily damaged. As the dogs have a habit of wagging side-to-side, it is easy for the tip to get torn in undergrowth and on branches. They bleed readily, leave sores that are open to infection, and, understandably it would be extremely painful. Taking the tip off the tail of a newborn pup is harmless and safe, and saves them from a huge amount of danger and discomfort throughout life! I'm not going to argue with that!

There will always be someone who says that their dogs have never injured their tails in their lives, but I probably wouldn't take the risk. That's a personal choice, and I respect all arguments and decisions that are intelligently made; the health and welfare of the dog is the utmost important thing here! I have no interest in show dogs that suffer to be perfect in the eyes of the various Kennel Clubs! Dogs should be strong, healthy and, above all, happy!! Hugo and Mable are just that. They are beautiful dogs in every kind of way... the only trouble is, I couldn't take them home!!!

Rebecca, X.

www.rtphotographics.co.uk
rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk

Burnham's Burnished Beeches!

Although now no longer in Berkshire, Burnham Beeches is still the place to be in autumn if you find yourself anywhere near to the huge sprawl of London.



With just a toe in the Home Counties, and barely a breath in the countryside, Burnham Beeches manages to pack in a great feeling of forested expanse and fresh green air. Even the noise of Heathrow Airport, less than 10 miles away, is lost amongst the ancient boughs of this beautiful wood.



Unfortunately the entire population of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Greater London decided that a Sunday stroll round Burnham Beeches would be just the ticket before rejoining the rat race on Monday. Hey ho.

Thankfully the vast majority of the stockbrokers, pawnbrokers, Henry's and Chelsey's decided that anything further than a mile from the Range Rover would probably require oxygen and a sherpa, and so I found that having passed through the invisible boundary I wandered back into my own world again. Phew!



I don't deal well with crowds, which is why I never go shopping, don't do nightclubs and would never enter a pub with the words 'Satellite TV' or 'Happy Hour Cocktails' or anything else outside! If there's not a whiff of real ale or the sound of ancient and mud-encrusted boots on the tiled floor, I'm not really interested!!

Anyway, having left the crowds behind I found that I had the paths and drives pretty much to myself. A few intrepid dog walkers would venture deep into the woods, but apart from a nod and a "lovely day innit" I was largely left to my own thoughts.

I haven't been to Burnham Beeches since knee-high to a chihuahua, but it's every bit as beautiful and wonderful as I remember. Even better actually, as on this visit I found the old homestead; a moated medieval clearing that had been home to foresters since a very, very, very long time ago!



It tickled me that I was standing where a woman would have stood in the middle ages, looking at the same scene (sort of) and shooing away pigs from the wooden door of her wattle and daub house!

There were several ancient tree stumps across the homestead and I'd love to think that some of these had been saplings when she stood at her door. Maybe her pigs had been responsible for spreading a few acorns about and starting the very trees that I could now see as decaying timber.



The cycle of life was really evident here though, as fungi and new tree shoots jockeyed for space amongst the debris. My reverie was eventually disturbed by a hyperactive Spaniel crashing about the bracken, but the tranquility that I found beneath Burnham's Beeches couldn't be so easily destroyed. A stone's throw from London, but a world away in heart.

Rebecca, x

www.rtphotographics.co.uk
rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk

Windsor's Very Great Park!

It's been many years since I last strolled around Windsor, but now I'm back home in the Home Counties it was only a question of time before I wandered back across some of my old stomping grounds!



I've actually been to Windsor twice now in the last couple of months, and I have to say that I found it almost exactly the same as it was when last I set foot in the Queen's front garden! There are a few changes;



chirpy green parakeets chattering about in the ancient oaks of the Great Park, and a 'new' statue of the Queen on horseback... not new to the Park, indeed it's been there for well over 10 years now, but it's new to me.



There is also a mill stone from the Peak District for some reason that now escapes me... there was a story attached to it and it was a rather nice one too as I remember, but unfortunately I had about 20 minutes to get back to the car before the gates were locked and so I didn't hang around for long... just long enough to take in the fact that there was a story attached to the mill stone!

The car park was a fair old distance from where I'd found myself wandering aimlessly and absent-mindedly about the Park, and it only occurred to me when it started to get dark that the gates were locked at dusk.



Precisely when dusk officially is, who knows?

Did I have 20 minutes, or 30, or only 15? Could I have argued the point with the Park Ranger as to interpretation of dusk, or did he have accurate daily charts from the Meteorological Office with precise timing of dusk?

Not being the confrontational type, I hotfooted it back to the car park, obviously getting lost on the way and adding at least another mile to the walk resulting in it being decidely deeply dusky when I did eventually find it! Thankfully there were no Park Rangers in sight and I managed to escape from the car park before the man or woman with the keys turned up!!

I did have a very pleasant amble round the Great Park, however, and managed to find my way up to Snow Hill and the Copper Horse.



The last time I was there was in 1977 (I think), when the bonfire was lit here that started the chain of beacons across the British Isles to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Not that we went that night, I'm not sure riff-raff were allowed in, but we did go the next day and rummage about in the remains of the great pyre to see if we could find any souvenirs that may have been left by the Royals... perhaps a burned stub of a match or something. But no, we didn't find anything!

I do remember being totally awestruck by the immense size of the statue though, and the beautiful view straight up the Long Drive to the Castle, about two and a half miles away! The view was just as captivating as it was back then. It may be touristy and a bit cheesy, but I love cheese (mmmm, Barkham Blue Cheese, if you see it, try it!!!) and I was being a tourist for the day, so why not enjoy it?!!



The Great Park is fairly manicured, although it's ancient and noble heritage is still very much evident. It may not be wild, but it is still beautiful and I can still spend a huge amount of time just bimbling about here... until dusk!

Rebecca, x

www.rtphotographics.co.uk
rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk