JohnP

My local birding club has organised an outing to what is reputed to be the largest ground satellite station in the world, I'm really looking for to it... hope the weather is better by then. The site is huge and I'm sure it will be a very interesting visit.

There are sixty five dishes, with three main dishes having a diameter of 32 metres (approx 100 feet) and weighs 290 tonnes. Madley 1, the first of the dishes, tracks satellites about 25,000 miles (40,000 km) away, positioned over the Equator.

                                                        Cut and pasted from the HOC website.

Join us for a guided 'Early Bird' walk around the MESC Nature Reserve

and full English breakfast with optional tour of the BT Satellite Station. John Pullen and Geoff Davis from Herefordshire Ornithological Club will lead the Bird Walk, helping with identification from bird sightings and calls.

Breakfast will be served from 8am in the BT canteen, followed by a tour of the BT Madley Satellite Station

by ex BT engineer and MESC Reserve Officer Steve Anstey.

If you don't fancy the early start, maybe just join us for breakfast and

the BT Satellite Station tour as seen on BBC2’s The Genius of Invention.

See below for the options: 7am: Bird Walk & Breakfast - £8 (concessions £6) From 8am: Breakfast & Satellite Tour - £8 (concessions £6) Bird Walk, Breakfast & Satellite tour - £12 (concessions £10) Please phone Louise on 01981 512561 or

email contact@mesc.org.uk

to book your place.

I like the last two best.

Ah - in those circumstances I'll agree entirely. I've a Lowe Pro Trekker AW that I use when out on the fells.

A shoulder bag is a street/day trip solution.

I'm gradually becoming more of a country bumpkin than ever these days (always been one to a certain extent), I don't bother much with street stuff. I did do Hereford a few weeks ago, took some shots and then there was Gloucester docks but these trips are only for the odd occasion, I prefer to be in the country with the birds and the bees... 

Lengthen the strap and wear it over your head. Most normal sized bags sit at the back of your hip but can be accessed really quickly.

I've tried that and already having two straps (camera & binoculars) around my neck I just can't tolerate a third as I feel I'm being throttled. It's bad enough having two when climbing over stiles and gates etc. If I didn't spend most of my time on country pursuits I might think differently.

A rucksack just stays put and causes me no problems.

I just can't get on with any type of bag with a shoulder strap, I use a rucksack. I like my hands free for using camera and binoculars and I don't have to continually keep hitching up a strap onto my shoulder.

And that is why I don't drink too much when I'm out in my kilt!

Very wise Lee!  You never know what someone might find there...

Thank you all for the nice feedback, it's much appreciated.

Well deserved and a very well caught image..congrats

It's strange how things work out sometimes, I thought the Bittern shot I posted on Feb 28th was one of my best bird shots I've ever taken when I consider just how much effort I put into taking it. Having said that shots of swans are not as easy to get right as one would imagine, as I've found out on many occasions over the years.

Blimey Heather this was quite a shock to my system when saw it had been chosen as POTW... firstly because I had reservations about posting it as I wasn't sure it was up to the mark and secondly the fact that I had decided to clone out the strange mark on the wing. I've only ever had POTW twice before so I'm chuffed to say the least. Thank you.

Very good...

I remember having a similar problem on my Mac. In the end, I downloaded a free utility that gave me much more slideshow control than I got with iPhoto. There must be something out there for Windows?

I think the program I used on Windows XP was Tweak or something like that, I'll look into it later... maybe someone on here will have some suggestions.

As some of you may recall I purchased a laptop a couple of months ago with Windows 7 installed. When viewing my photos with slide show I find that I can't get the speed at which the images change to my liking. Medium speed is too fast and slow speed is too slow. Is there anything I can do to get the images to change at a speed between medium & slow? I had the same problem with my XP computer, I seem to recall downloading something called Powertoys or some similar name and I then had a lot more control over the speed at which images changed.

Thank you Colin & Kobione... all sorted now.

 you wait until you get Windows 8  - I still can't get email on our other laptop and are seriously considering removing 8 and replacing it with 7.

I've only had my Windows 7 laptop since Christmas, I could have bought one with Windows 8 but I didn't want it because I know others who don't like it. I still prefer XP to be honest but I'm getting used to 7 slowly. 

Thank you both... when the effects of the wine have subsided I'll have a play around with it...

Thank you Colin... that has solved my problem although I much prefer the old Outlook Express. I often think progress is a step back and that is definitely the case with Windows Live Mail. The only thing I like about is I can have both Hotmail & BT Yahoo Mail in one place.

I recently purchased a new laptop with Windows 7 installed, it came with Windows Live Mail which is doing my head in. With Outlook Express on XP... click on inbox and you got all your emails from way back. When I click on inbox with Windows Live Mail I just get one email showing. Can someone please tell me how to set it up so that when I click on inbox all emails show.

Some guys just can't make do with small toys like radio controlled cars, they just have to have really BIG toys...  

http://recombu.com/cars/articles/news/man-builds-f1-car-in-his-shed

Of course it is! This is the procession that is, F1

Phil... It's obvious you are not a fan of F1 and you didn't see Button go from last to win in Canada a couple of years ago.

Fuzzy... I agree with you.

MacLaren may have lost Hamilton but just remember during the three years that Hamilton and Button were team mates it was Button who scored the most points... both constructors points and driver points. As the old sayings go... the race isn't won at the first corner and in order to finish first you first have to finish. Personally I think Button will thrive as he will have a car more to his liking as his driving style and Hamilton's were a mile apart and Perez has a style not too unlike Button's, this must surely help the engineers with design and set up.

Best viewed full screen.

http://www.redbull.co.uk/cs/Satellite/en_UK/Video/Watch-This-F1-Car-Take-on-a-Fighter-Jet-021243306146757?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=obclick&obref=

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2282054/320-gigapixel-interactive-picture-London-lets-20-MILES-zoom-people-street.html

I'm a big 'softie', I love stories like this...

Soldiers in Belarus found a little squirrel and brought it to the Warrant
Officer. The squirrel was very weak and about to die, so the officer took
care of it, fed it like a baby every four hours.

Now he has left the army and works as a taxi driver - and the squirrel is
always in his pocket, no matter where he goes!




"Rescuing one animal may not change the world, but for this animal the
world has changed forever!"