The Light on the Hill

Holmesfield people have been known to refer to their square-towered parish church as 'the light on the hill'. It's the most prominent of several churches we can see from Blacka.

A cloud and sun effect like this used to be called the 'eye of God' by some in the farming community where I once lived. It was said to presage a period of dry weather. We shall see. This morning Holmesfield was blessed. It should be noted though that the church is dedicated to St Swithen. So in Holmesfield every day is St Swithen's day.

Under Cover of Darkness

Dark deeds are done when people are not looking on. The guilty don't like to be witnessed when they're in the act nor when plans are being hatched.

The furtive graffiti sprayers have been out in the dark in my neighbourhood. The side of next door's garage has suffered most, but it's also to be seen on my wooden fence and elsewhere including two local bus shelters.

There's no artistic merit so the satisfaction gained in perpetrating this comes in the annoyance caused which gives a sneaky sense of power. No declaration of responsibility is made and all is done under the cover of darkness. If you expect it at any time it is when the clocks go back and it's dark before bedtime.

It's possible that the miscreant may have captured the image on her smartphone. It could come in useful if the handiwork is referred  to on a CV. I suggest an application for a job with the conservation industry who value clandestine operations usually conducted in holes and corners.

Another discovery of vandalism, coincidentally made around daybreak just two days later is the destruction of two beautiful trees on Blacka Moor. A large mature Larch and a young Oak. It's pointless using words to comment on people who do this, except to say that on the whole I have even less respect in this case.

On The Move

Morning manouevres over Blacka.

Safeguarded by Transparency

This blog is as open and transparent as I can make it. Anyone can read it and draw their own conclusions. If people see anything here that is unfair or inaccurate they are encouraged to contact me whereupon I’ll review the offending post and decide whether or not to remove it. There’s a comment facility for anyone who wishes to disagree or even agree. This is all made clear in the sidebar under ‘Content’.***

Transparency is a prerequisite for a decent and democratic society. It’s a safeguard against corruption, dishonesty and many other undesirable consequences.

I believe in transparency. Nevertheless I have just made a decision which goes against the spirit of this conviction. SRWT has put their record of the 12^th September walkabout meeting up online on their website and they identify the people who attended with the comments made. I've asked them to remove my name and any comments they report me as saying.

Why? It's important to know why because I believe strongly in transparency in public administration and public forums and consultations. Those who lobby decision makers should be clearly identified, as should those who wave things through uncritically.

The reasons for taking this step are several:

a) The most important is that it is a gesture of protest against the secrecy of SRWT with the supposed support of SCC (Sheffield Council) refusing to disclose any details at all about their new major consultation group for Blacka Moor. People who agree to involve themselves in a consultation about public land while remaining anonymous should think again.
b) A minor reason is that the minutes as published give a misleading impression of what I said.
c) And a third reason is that those attending were not asked whether their names and comments should be published before they could check for accuracy - an assumption being made that the members of the Conservation Group might have sensitivities denied to the Users' Group.

_____________________________

*** When I originally started this blog I didn't make a special point of identifying myself by name. At that point my experience of online behaviour had led me to believe that the common practice was to have an online name such as routinely found on message boards on newspapers comments below the line and in Sheffield Forum for example. I had also seen blogs written by people who did identify themselves that seemed to be an ego-trip and including details of all sorts of trivia in their private lives. I thought that this was all irrelevant and could be a distraction. This blog would be different: not be about me but about the place. I think I've largely kept to that over the years but at one point a few years ago I came to think that my name should be clearly identified and some people might think there was a transparency issue, although that really applies to public bodies. Anyway more people had started to read it and they could have wondered what kind of strange person ( the word 'obsessive' was never far away) was responsible. In any case that does not really have any relevance to the matter of transparency even if one person has tried to suggest it might. On this blog I'm commenting as a private person. When I've attended meetings and consultations I have always accepted that I should be identified and everybody else too.
Why not?

We've Got Numbers To Prove It

Somebody* once remarked on those who  "use statistics like a drunk uses lamp posts - for support rather than illumination"

It came to mind when SWT repeated their ridiculous claim to have counted over 3,000 spikes of bog asphodel on the Cowsick Bog.
Let's imagine the figure is fairly accurate. The question this use of numbers raises is why on earth bother counting? The bog asphodel flower is not rare. Anyone could see that there were numerous examples of the plant if they visited in July. What are they trying to prove by undertaking this inevitably intrusive exercise (trampling all over this kind of terrain does it no good at all). But I'm sure they consider they have made a triumphant point.They may even have calculated that this now shows that nobody can trust their critics who they imply have been claiming the bog flowers have been wiped out: that'll show them!

It is of course a straw man argument and utterly dishonest.

As one of SWT's critics I have not been saying that bog asphodel has been wiped out by SWT's annoying cows. The beasts have trampled over them, defecated over them and left the best display looking utterly miserable but they've not wiped it out or propelled it into local extinction; well, not yet anyway and that's not likely.

Before SWT came along and turned the place into a cattle grazing enclosure there were many spikes of bog asphodel, most not obviously visible, probably at least as many as now. But there was one particular smallish piece of land that was sheer delight in July with a magnificent and inspiring display of the yellow flowers tumbling over each other and beautifully complemented by bell heather. This was the place to bring people visiting the area; it was the most spectacular floral show on Blacka and for some miles around. That is what the cows destroyed and not without it being predicted. This year the trampling has been even worse and we have to accept that, while lots of individual flowers continue, scattered across the bog, the wonderful display is now a thing of the past.

The reason they don't care is because the only criteria they work to is a birdbrained version of a biodiversity priority. Being beautiful and inspiring does not matter. They are managers who care only for the tick box agenda of Biodiversity Action Plans. And I've always believed these are liable to be focused on what suits managers.

As for the numbers they quote, the first time I heard of this counting I was quoted 1,600. Now it's 3,000 plus. But what is the point? Anyone visiting in summer can see there's no shortage so why go any further taking up masses of staff time unnecessarily (when we are told that they've not got time for other important things such as providing minutes of meetings?)

* Now found to be Andrew Lang

Restricted View

Mornings like this one test my story that there's always something worth seeing on Blacka.

Then I was in the middle of a swarm of fluffy blobs. Long tailed tits don't often patronise our Wall Caff. They do come to bird tables but are not usually 'regulars' being more nomadic than their cousins.

The local crow by contrast, and not just in size and solitariness, has become a common sight, usually waiting patiently for the proprietors to move off before coming down and cleaning up after small birds have had the pick of the goodies.

Spotless

The only time that deer look less than immaculate is during the annual spring moult. In this they differ sharply from farm livestock; both cattle and sheep are prone to lie in their own dung which then sticks to their coats. Not so with deer. They seem to have a natural fastidiousness.

The grooming certainly aids their beautiful contribution to the decorative qualities in the landscape. This All Hallows morning was balmy and the autumn colourings were given a soft focus by the slight haze.

Spotless was the young deer calf. When seen last it was covered in spots. The hinds are remarkably efficient in keeping them hidden in some of Blacka's least accessible woodland but this warm weather was hard to resist. From side on deer can look surprisingly long in the body.