Christine's walking & birds blog

Greger's interested in buying an electric car, so we went down to Silverstone for the "Fully Charged" exhibition. Not having followed the development of the new technology as he has, I was amazed to realise how much it's advanced and how it's catching on; many people are now driving, not just hybrids, but all-electric cars. In the car park at Silverstone, Greger kept pointing out the various electric models, while a fleet of Tesla cars was waiting to ferry us to the venue. On the way south, at Abington services, we'd seen ten Tesla and two ecotricity charging points. It's really happening.

We then drove to Dorset for a week's holiday - hoping to escape the cold winds and rain of the north-west Highlands. Hmmm.

The description of Rose Cottage had stated there was a small car-parking space, but plenty of room for on-road parking. Our hearts sank as we turned into the lane - this is coming back out the following morning.


And the parking space by the cottage? The weedy triangle straight ahead. Okay, we have a large car - but even my Fiesta would not quite fit in there! A note in the cottage (not included in the original description) warned visitors not to block the lane as we could get an obstruction notice.


We arrived in a rain storm, so Greger was determined to at least unpack by the house. (In fact, he actually parked there for the night but after that always left the car up on the road.) He then tried to go into the wrong cottage before I noticed that it had a different name!

The cottage had a rustic charm, although it was a bit depressing on a dark evening of torrential rain (the two downstairs rooms had those god-awful wall lights rather than ceiling lights). It was a bit better in daylight.


Bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom were okay - although Greger, on cooking duty, was heard complaining that he had to wash every utensil before using it.

Sunday was fine and we drove up to the NT car park at Ringstead Bay, with its fine views out to Chesil Beach and the Isle of Portland, and walked the coastal path towards Durdle Door.


A few butterflies were seen, among them several large skippers nectaring on common toadflax, a painted lady, and a wall butterfly. The wheatear is presumably returning to young with the grasshopper.


At lovely Ferrybridge (in the rain) were dunlin, a bar-tailed godwit, and some bathing sanderling.


On the mainland, the lesser whitethroat was rattling and warbling from the under-cliff as we walked along a pebble beach. There were plenty of common whitethroat around as well.


The corn bunting was one of several singing during our first visit to Maiden Castle, a huge iron-age fort near Dorchester.


Our flat purchase on Portland fell through - because the developers refused to issue a building warranty, which makes it almost impossible to get a mortgage. Greger was planning to buy it outright, but this would have been a temporary home while we searched for another house or bungalow, and the lack of a warranty would have made it difficult to sell on for the next 10 years. It's a pity because it was "us"; part of a big square block once owned by the MOD, (so not new-build taking up once-green space), now converted, and a bit sort of industrial in its surroundings. The name also appealed, with Greger's interest in spies - Espionage Place. Oh well.