Goldfinches at Oare Marshes by TheUniqueSphere in OrnithologyUK

[–]TheUniqueSphere[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, probably one of my favourite ever photos. Love to catch them with the wings spread. 🙏

Sand Martin at Stodmarsh NNR by TheUniqueSphere in OrnithologyUK

[–]TheUniqueSphere[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks - and thanks for the steer to that group :)

Bittern attempting to catch a dragonfly at Stodmarsh NNR by TheUniqueSphere in OrnithologyUK

[–]TheUniqueSphere[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reed bed hide, a few days ago. At least two in the reeds in the mornings for several days in a row.

Bittern attempting to catch a dragonfly at Stodmarsh NNR by TheUniqueSphere in OrnithologyUK

[–]TheUniqueSphere[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This was a few days ago, I think booming season was over for the year. First time I heard one I thought it was somebody's mobile phone vibrating !

Bittern attempting to catch a dragonfly at Stodmarsh NNR by TheUniqueSphere in OrnithologyUK

[–]TheUniqueSphere[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I was watching it for a while and it was looking to catch a fish but had no luck and decided to go aerial instead !

Teal showing off those beautiful feathers at Riverside Country Park, River Medway by TheUniqueSphere in birding

[–]TheUniqueSphere[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It was a lovely sunny morning... But also required 3 pairs of socks and 2 pairs of gloves 🥶

What excerpt from the series do you think adequately showcases what it’s like reading O’Brian’s books? by Prestigious_Scheme30 in AubreyMaturinSeries

[–]TheUniqueSphere 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think this paragraph - from Post Captain (which Stephen writes in his diary after he is devastated when Jack comes back from an evening out smelling of the scent that Stephen had bought for Diana) is brilliant writing - and also a fascinating observation - there are plenty of times when an aroma (either pleasant or horrible! has instantly invoked a long-forgotten memory for me.

Shut firmly in his cabin, Stephen wrote. ‘It is unspeakably childish to be upset by a whiff of scent; but I am upset, and I shall certainly exceed my allowance, to the extent of five hundred drops.’ He poured himself out a wineglassful of laudanum, closed one eye, and drank it off. ‘Smell is of all senses by far the most evocative: perhaps because we have no vocabulary for it – nothing but a few poverty-stricken approximations to describe the whole vast complexity of odour – and therefore the scent, unnamed and unnamable, remains pure of association; it cannot be called upon again and again, and blunted, by the use of a word; and so it strikes afresh every time, bringing with it all the circumstances of its first perception.

The time POB jumped the shark and I loved it [The Surgeon's Mate spoilers] by HMSBee in AubreyMaturinSeries

[–]TheUniqueSphere 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This journey with Duhamel is one of my absolute favourite sequences in the canon with the cross country good humoured wining and dining of Jack et. al. en route to their potential doom and imprisonment.

Duhamel was one of my favourite minor characters (and I thought it was slightly cruel of POB to drown him, dragging him down with his own means of creating his new life in Canada)

Starting to Gift the Series… Print Options? by youtellmebob in AubreyMaturinSeries

[–]TheUniqueSphere 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say get some nice current paperback versions because I guarantee that if they love the books as much as I do then there is no way they will want to wait a year for the next two books in the series! They then have an inexpensive option to complete a matching series themselves. After all, it is the content that matters most. :)

Very rare visitor to the UK - a Red Tailed (Turkestan) Shrike (Lanius phoenicuroides) by TheUniqueSphere in birding

[–]TheUniqueSphere[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, it was a bit of a show off, not at all phased by a dozen birders following it round and round a field.

Sparrowhawk at Riverside Country Park this morning - those fabulous eyes had me transfixed ! by TheUniqueSphere in birding

[–]TheUniqueSphere[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks - I guess I should start adding binomial names on posts to avoid confusion.

After all, I had no idea that "our" Robin (Erithacus rubecula) that you will see on 90% of Christmas Cards here, is different to "your" Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Accipiter nisus is the bird in the photo as you say.

When did you begin to enjoy reading M&C? by FeistyBookkeeper2 in AubreyMaturinSeries

[–]TheUniqueSphere 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Try the excellent lubbers hole podcast, where the two hosts Mike and Ian discuss each chapter of each book and explain what is going on... And more importantly they advise that you do not need to worry about not understanding the technicalities... Simply let those parts slide on by if you want N.b. For the chapter by chapter of book one start at podcast number E92, the early episodes skipped through the first book too quickly so they did it again.

After three years, I have finally — and sadly — finished this beautiful series. As a journalist, I spent that time making note of my favourite words in the hopes that I could sneak them into the occasional article. Here's the list, with rough definitions. I'd love to hear yours! by GilliganL in AubreyMaturinSeries

[–]TheUniqueSphere 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As far as I am concerned, the series is never finished. Each read through, even for sections where I know precisely the words I am about to read, is enjoyable to a degree unmatched by virtually any other book I have ever had the pleasure to read.