Bisterne is a hamlet on the Christchurch to Ringwood B3347 road in Hampshire running parallel to the eastern bank of the nearby River Avon. It holds an annual 'Bisterne scarecrow festival' which in 2015 runs until 1 September. The annual appearance of these human-like effigies at the side of the road is one of the first signs that the season is moving towards late summer and one of the earliest signs of an encroaching Autumn.   [caption id="attachment_1737" align="alignnone" width="742"] Bisterne scarecrow[/caption]   In Britain, scarecrows have been used as protectors of crops and guardians of the harvest since time immemorial, and have local names such as 'hodmedod', 'murmet', 'hay-man', 'tattie bogal', 'mommet', 'mawkin', and 'bwbach'.     Bisterne is notable in English folklore for being ... Read More

Bisterne is a hamlet on the Christchurch to Ringwood B3347 road in Hampshire running parallel to the eastern bank of the nearby River Avon. It holds an annual 'Bisterne scarecrow festival' which in 2015 runs until 1 September. The annual appearance of these human-like effigies at ... Read More

The above photograph was captured at approximately 7:45am on 22 May 2014 of the morning sun illuminating the Chinese summer house in the grounds of Amesbury Abbey, at the foot of Vespasian's Camp. The variety and sound of bird song as I approached the River Avon at the foot of the heavily wooded and naturally pristine Vespasian's Camp was stunning. The summer house sits over a meander that has been cut off from the main flow of the River Avon, the water still in morning sunlight and crystal clear above a settled muddy riverbed. In a number of areas, bubbles of air arose from a fresh water source below the riverbed, gently feeding fresh water into the river. In numerous areas where the bubbles were arising, the water took on a turquoise/azure ... Read More

The above photograph was captured at approximately 7:45am on 22 May 2014 of the morning sun illuminating the Chinese summer house in the grounds of Amesbury Abbey, at the foot of Vespasian's Camp. The variety and sound of bird song as I approached the River Avon ... Read More

Last Thursday, 13 March 2014, I arose early and, after battling the morning fog that enveloped Salisbury Plain, arrived at the entrance to Stonehenge Visitors Centre after a 37 mile drive from the south coast at 8 35am. My intention was to spend the day exploring the Stonehenge environs, generally and particularly to walk the length of the Cursus and King Barrow Ridge. I was not permitted entry to the main Visitor Centre car park until 9am and was pleasantly surprised that the usual £5 car parking fee for those not visiting the monument itself had been waived for the day. To the east of the new Visitor Centre, a number of Neolithic buildings are under construction, of which the above image is the best of ... Read More

Last Thursday, 13 March 2014, I arose early and, after battling the morning fog that enveloped Salisbury Plain, arrived at the entrance to Stonehenge Visitors Centre after a 37 mile drive from the south coast at 8 35am. My intention was to spend the day exploring ... Read More