Flighty’s plot

the following on terrestrial TV during next week.

Wild China is a new series of six programmes starting on BBC2 Sunday at 8.05pm with Heart of the Dragon. It is a wide ranging documentary showing the countries amazing diverse landscapes, wildlife and human cultures.

That is followed by the 2002 film Hero on Channel 4 Sunday at 9.05pm. It is the Radio Times film of the week and is a visually dazzling martial arts fantasy.

Legends:Doris Day is on BBC2 Monday at 7.00pm which features clips from her varied film career to illustrate this biography. This ever popular actress is still the all time top female box office star!

Superfish is the Natural World programme on BBC2 Wednesday at 8.00pm. Billfish is the collective name for marlin, swordfish and sailfish which are magnificently weird, weigh up to half a ton and can swim at speeds up to 70mph!

Have a good weekend!

there are actually a few programmes worth watching, although only one is new, and listening to.

Natural World on BBC2 Tuesday at 8.00pm is Spectacled Bears - Shadows of the Forest. Stephen Fry narrates the film on this secretive, and elusive, creature that was the model for the much loved Paddington Bear!

Cha0tic kindly emailed me a reminder that BBC Radio 4 is currently broadcasting the excellent series World On the Move: Great Animal Migrations, which charts the progress of animal journeys across the world. It’s on Tuesdays at 11.00am, and repeated on Wednesdays at 9.00pm.

Two TV programmes that I mentioned when they were on last year are starting repeat showings next week. Michael Palin’s New Europe is on BBC2 Tuesday at 7.00pm and Mountain with Griff Rhys Jones is on BBC2 Wednesday at 7.00pm. I enjoyed both of these, especially the latter, and may well try to watch them again.

Have a good weekend !

That’s right there are no wildlife programmes at all on terrestrial TV next week!

Since I guess that I can’t get away with Plan C again I’ll have to go to Plan D!

My last Plot 124 entry Rain stopped play! was almost two weeks ago since when I’ve done very little as I’ve either been working or the weather has continued to be unsettled. I had hoped to do something today but the combination of the ground still being too sticky and the weather has put paid to that idea. I hope to do something tomorrow and Sunday, and will then do an entry.

Here’s a poem about a bird that I nearly always see when I go to the plot. On Sunday I saw it go under the patio by the shed, which I’ve seen it do before, and I wonder if there’s a nest there. If there is it’ll be difficult to see probably tucked away in the corner but I’ll have a look and let you know.

My Little Friend by Brian H.Gent

When I take out my rake and hoe,

My little friend just seems to know,

Some tasty morsals I’ll provide

As soon as I start work outside.

He watches me without a sound,

Perched on my spade stuck in the ground,

Small wonder that our spirits soar,

Such is our simple sweet rapport.

With red bib shining in the sun,

A special magic spell is spun,

We work together side by side,

From morning till the eventide.

No truer friendship could be stirred,

Than this between a man and bird.

The next Frog Ponderings entry should be on Saturday morning as usual.

Have a good weekend !

I’m doing a somewhat lazy entry as once again there are no new wildlife programmes on terrestrial TV next week. However have a look at the superb photos on this site.

I didn’t realise that it’s and I work in a bookshop! Anyway the website is a lot of fun as you’ll see.

If you’re looking for something to read then Fantastic Fiction and Lovereading are two good book sites that I often browse through.

I’ve seen similar sites to Goodreads but it does appear to be one of the better ones of its kind. It certainly has a good name and is well laid out.

Happy reading, and have a good weekend !

If like me you like big cats, and especially tigers, then we’ll all be settling down on Sunday evening to watch Tiger - Spy in the Jungle on BBC1 at 8.00pm. This is a new series of three programmes that looks like it is going to be absolutely brilliant viewing. Sir David Attenborough says “The most extraordinary portrait of tigers yet seen.”

Lobo - The wolf that changed America is next Wednesdays Natural World on BBC2 at 8.00pm. It is slightly different as it is more of a history programme than usual.

The RSPB has published the Garden Birdwatch 2008 results earlier this week. This Guardian article about them makes interesting reading.

It’s a shorter entry that I’d planned but as I’ve done a few more than usual recently then I hope that you’ll excuse me. The weekend weather forecast for London is wet and windy so it’s looking likely that I won’t be allotmenteering. If that’s the case then as well as at least one entry I’ll probably redo my Flighty page to include a bit more detail.

Have a good weekend!

Tomorrow, Good Friday, heralds the traditional start of the gardening year, which is early this year. It also sees the welcome return of Gardeners’ World on BBC2 at 8.30pm.

On Sunday, Easter Day, there is a real wildlife TV treat with My Life with Animals:Simon King on BBC2 at 6.10pm. He looks back over thirty years of making wildlife films and relives some of his most astonishing moments.

Wednesday sees the return of the always excellent wildlife TV series Natural World with Elephant Nomads of the Namib Desert on BBC2 at 8.00pm.

The forecast for the holiday weekend is, typically, not looking very good. If you do venture out to the British countryside then the When to Watch Wildlife site is worth looking at before you go.

Happy Easter!

There are no new wildlife programmes on terrestrial TV next week.

That meant I was wondering what to do for this entry. I was at the bookshop yesterday afternoon where, as it was quiet, I got to look through various trade catalogues and found several books that I thought would be of interest.

Panda looks to be a very reasonably priced book full of wonderful pictures of China’s national treasure by award winning photographer Heather Angel. This wonderful image is typical of the many full-colour photos to be seen, all of which are accompanied by engaging and informative text.

Not surprisingly The Allotment Book:Seasonal Planner and Cookbook caught my eye. It’s written by Andi Clevely who wrote the well regarded companion volume The Allotment Book.

Mind you as cooking is not really my forte then I’ll probably buy this paperback, which is subtitled Adventures of an Allotment Novice, when it comes out in early May. I shall read it whilst relaxing on the plot!

If I was rather younger than I am then I’d be more than happy to given a copy of the First Garden Activity Book. I looked at a copy we have in the shop and think that it’s a terrific book for any budding young gardener. It’s a Dorling Kindersley publication who do a wide range of really excellent children’s books.

Celebrating 100 years of pure reading pleasure is Mills & Boon! We don’t sell their books in the bookshop, and they’re not my kind of reading. However don’t scoff at them as they account for a surprisingly large percentage of all paperbacks sold in the UK.

Happy reading , and have a good weekend!

I’ve mentioned this colourful, noisy bird before and was chatting to plot neighbour Trevor on Sunday morning when we saw one fly over the top of us. He reckons that they’ll be settling in the trees just behind his plot as he keeps seeing a few of them. There is a ten minute programme on BBC2 tomorrow at 8.50pm, repeated Saturday on BBC2 at 6.30pm, all about them.

Also on Saturday BBC2 at 6.40pm is Wild Scilly: Britain’s Island Paradise which I’ll be watching. I went on a day trip to Tresco by helicopter a long time ago. It was one of those perfect days that are rarely experienced but remembered forever.

I’ve been watching Life in Cold Blood, which has been compelling viewing, but next Monday’s one Sophisticated Serpents may well be the one that I watch very little of. Instead I’ll probably watch the Time Team Special The Real Knights of the Round Table which is on Channel 4 at the same time.

If you’re an early bird then have a listen to BBC Radio 4’s Living World on Sunday at 6.35am. It’s the first in a new series 1/4. In Search of Dippers. You can of course catch up with it later by listening online.

Have a good weekend!

[This entry is titled Untitled ! as for once I simply could not think of one!]

I’ve just finished reading Grief Encounters by Stuart Pawson, which is the 12th book in the D.I.(Detective Inspector) Charlie Priest series.

I’ve read all the previous books and was really looking forward to this one. I certainly wasn’t disappointed and throughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

On the cover it says Perfect for a long winter afternoon with the rain beating down on the windows - Independent on Sunday. I couldn’t put it any better myself!

I can relate to Charlie Priest as he has a liking for KitKats. He keeps a stash of them in his desk drawer, and even shares them out with his team occasionally. I could work for a boss who does that!

As an aviation buff I have one very minor quibble with the book. In it Pawson writes The private charter Lear 55… There have never been any on the UK civil aircraft register so a Lear 45 would have been more appropriate. Thankfully this tiny hiccup in no way detracts from the story.

This is an excellent crime fiction novel and one that I have no hesitation in recommending to anyone who enjoys reading such books. Needless to say I’m now looking forward to the 13th in the series!

Tomorrow’s Natural World film Saved by Dolphins is on BBC2 at 8.00pm, and repeated Saturday at 6.05pm. It looks at the stories of humans saved at sea by dolphins to try and find out if there’s any truth in them.

I missed Life In Cold Blood 1/5. The Cold Blooded Truth last Monday but will watch the repeat which is being shown on Sunday BBC1 at 6.00pm. The next one 2/5. Land Invaders can be seen on Monday BBC1 at 9.00pm.

The excellent Around the World in 80 Gardens which continues on Sunday BBC2 at 9.00pm, and repeated on Tuesday at 7.00pm, sees Monty Don in India. It includes the Taj Mahal which is perhaps the most famous architectural garden in the world.

A new series is Tropic of Capricorn which starts on Sunday BBC2 at 8.00pm with 1/4. Namibia and Botswana, and repeated next Thursday at the rather late time of 11.20pm. These programmes see Simon Reeve follow the tropic of Capricorn through southern Africa, Australia and South America.

Divastar was a birthday girl yesterday so if you haven’t already done so please stop by and wish her a Happy Birthday!

Have a good weekend!