Born at the Right Time & a break in the weather!

I tried all afternoon and most of the evening yesterday to get this song and sound right and think I just about managed a reasonable result, in any case I'm not spending any more time on it! The song is called Born at the Right Time by Lindesfarne ..... a band I have to admit to having a bit of a blind spot to for years, thinking them a bit too middle of the road. That may still be true of course but as soon as I heard the lyrics on this tune I had to cover it, so apt I thought! See what you think .... if you're my age and fearing for the current generation you might agree!??

Depending on your allegiances the past couple of days have been very disappointing for sports fans with England somehow conspiring to loose the 2nd test match against Pakistan ... been following the match via free streaming sites on the net and for the bother that takes I wish I hadn't bothered! Andy Murray got us all hoping he would finally break his grand slam duck only to fail valiantly against that Djorkavic chap and then my team Manchester Utd lost against arch rivals Liverpool this afternoon in the FA Cup.

Better day all round away from the box and the settee that is gradually moulding itself to by resting position ..... its good to have my neighbours Pat & Clive back from Australia, they're both looking well and it'll be good to have someone to have a natter with and share a cuppa every now and again! Weatherwise, the gloomy skies seem to have departed giving rise to some brighter, albeit colder conditions outside and the ever increasing daylight hours are at least providing some hints of the Spring that's waiting to be sprung! This morning I saw a couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers flying around together and what looked very much like courtship behaviour to me and this Nuthatch was singing at the top of a tree in the cold sunshine!

During a walk around some tracks near to the village of Pleasance yesterday(I was hoping to catch up with the Peregrine Falcon that got away a few days before!) and I stumbled on a church I hadn't seen before - such a typical French Church I had to snap it!

Finally, I've taken many pictures of the local Buzzards around here, and this is by no way the best, but there was something about  this one's purposeful and jaunty flight over the top of me that again had the hint of Spring about it ....  and I'll swear he was giving me the eye!

'Only if You're Lucky', sychronicity and a large water tower!

Yo my merry men, women, children and all animals alike!

I'm trying like a good 'un to inoculate myself from the dismal skies that seem to have descended upon rural France and have to admit to watching rather a lot of TV and sport of late .... been good though - thoroughly enjoyed seeing England take a bagful of Pakistani wickets in the 2nd Test in Dubai (about time!), super football match last night and hats off to Cardiff City for reaching the league cup final and of course Masterchef is as good as ever ... I think the young Asian girl (Raki?) will win.

Now before I sing another song for you, this is what it's like stepping out in the countryside at the moment  .... the other day, feeling somewhat dulled by the overcast weather I stealed myself to go out and take one, just one good photograph .. be good if it was a good bird, a stray fox, a nice looking bit of mossy bark even! This is all I could come up with - a water tower, albeit a fairly impressive one though don't you think?

I know, I could do better in terms of subject matter but us photographers need inspiration and LIGHT!


Right, on to some music. Here is a super little tune from Ryan Adams called 'If You're Lucky'. I'm just getting into the Adams after catching him on the Jools Holland show a while back and must say I'm mightily impressed. Bizarrely, whilst I was taking a break from committing this song to file I heard a snatch of the tune on TV ... backing track to a poignant scene on Holby City! Now I think there must be a word for that kind of coincidence .... synchronicity maybe or I think something German that I can't remember, anyway enough .... enjoy the track!

Minor frustrations and missed opportunities!

What a frustrating couple of days I've just had, on a couple of fronts. Now don't get me wrong, I can't complain ... don't have to get up too early in the morning and can go to bed whenever I like, I don't have to go to work every morning and I'm getting married to wonderful woman in the Autumn - so life is good! Maybe that's why minor irritations assume far greater importance than they should but added to the damp, grey and generally depressing weather here minor frustrations I do not need.

First off I discover that this LPG adaptor I ordered off the net doesn't fit my car.





Think I need this one, which I've now ordered!












Petrol is so expensive at the moment and I was hoping using LPG on my duel fuel vehicle would make a trip to the coast far more feasible - not to be, for now anyway.

Then I was out birding yesterday nr Pleasance and found this pretty good lake with plenty of birds on it, the light was good (for a change) and thought 'at last, an opportunity to take some good pics' ... only to be turfed off by this irate Frenchman in a tractor who communicated to be in no uncertain terms that photography was not allowed! No idea why, my command of the language doesn't extend to the vagaries of property and land laws here, but sure it wasn't private land! Then Balloo rolled in fox shit (no pic) ...... then, later to mixed feelings of delight and frustration, I spotted a superb male Peregrine Falcon stood in the middle of a field next to some flood water, got the camera out but couldn't get a shot through the hedge. Knew it would take off if I stuck my head up and sure enough it did .... great bird, my favourite bird of prey, but what a photo that would have made!

So, as with the Wild Boar experience I'm left with great memories but no photographs and having to post what might have been! Neither of these pics are mine of course but the one of the falcon standing is similar to the bird and pose I was looking at. Damn shame! I've added another pic of one of these superb hunters in flight just because it was a great photograph!

















On the plus side I'm enjoying posting some of the songs I cover on here and there will be another couple very soon, if not today and I go back to the UK next week to cover some of my OU responsibilities so I'll be able to see my fiancee Gabrielle, my family and maybe catch up with a few friends.

Grey is the New Blonde ... a song for middle aged lovers!

Much the same outside in the dank, damp countyside out there and as I speak it's drizzling and just not nice to be out in ... so nothing much doing out there! So I've been spending more time indoors recording songs (and watching TV ..... masters snooker and masterchef mainly!)

So here's another song for you. It's called 'Grey is the new blonde' by Henry Priestman (ex of the Christians) ... a great little tune for middle aged lovers! Enjoy!

TimboBaggins sings a couple of songs for you

Ok, as promised and finally uploaded, here are a couple of songs I do live now and again. The first is my version of an old John Sebastian (ex frontman of Lovin Spoonfull) song 'Stories we can tell' and then I do a more energetic tune by Tom Petty called 'Last DJ'.

Overall I'm pretty happy with how both songs have turned out, especially since I was fdeeling much less than 100% when I was recording them. I would have preferred a better recording sound and better quality video but the HD recording I attempted using my Canon 550D played back in slow motion!

See what you think anyway. The experience has certanly honed both songs in readiness for any forthcoming solo gigs and I'll be posting more over the next few weeks.

95% recovered and the frost begins to bite!

Hi folks! It feels like I'm emerging out into the wide world again after a period of hibernation and whilst that is obviously not true (i've not turned into a squirrel just yet!), I have most definitely been house bound for a while. Been poorly with 2 colds in the space of 2 weeks and probably some kind of flu that has confined me to barracks and more often than not either my bed or the settee and the TV .... not very adventurous of me I know but honestly folks I've been wretched so not really had anything to report and didn't think you good people would be too interested in the changing colour of my snot!

Anyway, moving on ..... I'm on the mend and ready to get out and about again and post some pics.

It has finally turned cold here and whilst I couldn't drag myself out into some of the harsh frosts and take some pics here's a reasonable look up the lane to La Macherie one frosty morning earlier in the week and one of the rising river Gartemps.

Have to say that although I've not been doing much birding, my sense is that it's staggeringly quiet around here. Bit disappointing really but since I haven't ventured further than the village and one or two local spots I suppose one can't complain. I had a nice Merlin last month along with a couple of Hen Harriers. There are masses of finches but apart from a couple of Hawfinches, all either Chaffinch, Greenfinch or Goldfinch. Plenty of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits around and some impressive flocks of Reed Buntings with around 200 seen today in meadows and fields around the village.

One interesting aspect is the number of over-wintering Chiff Chaffs and Blackcaps with several of both species around the village, probably benefiting from garden feeders, but also not uncommon to see either in local woods and along hedgerows. Here's a couple of pics of a female Blackcap foraging in a largely frozen elderberry tree.

Whilst it's been quiet on the bird front I've been busy playing my guitar and aim to play a solo gig at a bar in Drux one Friday eve soon, so madly practising and massaging my vocal chords! Just finished rerecording the couple of songs I posted a few weeks ago .... I wasn't happy with the final result and still not but I have to get over that slightly perfectionist streak and just post! Still uploading the clips but will post very soon!

All quiet here but my sister turns 50!

Hi folks, really quiet here in terms of local wildlife and really nothing of note to report. I'm a bit tied to the village because I'm looking out for my neighbour's 3 cats, otherwise I might have headed out to the coast .... maybe in a few weeks when said neighbours get back from Australia I'll take some time out.

Been much more interesting on the music front though. Jane (my sister) was back last week along with her partner and my beloved fiancee Gabrielle. Jane celebrated her 50th birthday with a party at the biggest bar in town - Henri's and a few local musicians turned up and played. We played too and although a bit stage rusty it was good to get back to playing .... here's a few pics of the night