A short ride up the hill today. Had to stop and take a photo and video of the poppies up near Lalu Farm.
We went to ring the bells this morning and found this huge tree blocking the road in the High Street...
This is something we don't see often at our pond, especially as we do not have any fish!
This is our latest addition to our conservatory.
On a recent visit by our 12 year old grand daughter from Scotland, who is learning the bagpipes, we decided to treat the residents of Beckford to a bagpipe rendition from the Church Tower.
Recently we have had a pair of Magpies in our garden that seem to be very happy mixing with the other wildlife
A fantastic morning for walk on Bredon Hill. The views were stunning, despite the mist still lingering on the Cotswolds.
Today we witnessed the darker sides of nature in our back garden. A local Sparrow Hawk was instrumental in reducing the Blackbird population.
Because of the current Lockdown, Beckford Open Village will not be taking place this year. As compensation, here is a short video of our garden, just to show what you may be missing!
Although we regularly see kestrels around our garden, they rarely come into the garden. Presumably because of the dry weather we have been having, more birds are thirsty.
Mallard ducks are not really welcome on our pond as they stir up the water, which is normally crystal clear. These visitors stayed for about an hour altogether - this clip is a summary and lasts about 8 minutes.
Same birds, new activities...
This is a typical selection of visitors to our pond over the past weeks.
This is something we have never seen before - a Little Owl bathing in our pond!
Our Nature Camera recently captured some of the more unusual visitor to our pond. Along with the more usual Blackbirds, Thrushes, Goldfinches, Partridges, Pheasants, Pigeons, Jackdaws and Chaffinches we encountered a Little Owl at 5am and also a pair of Grey Wagtails.
If you need any assistance during the Coronavirus outbreak, help is at hand. A Beckford Help group has been set up. If you have ANY problems with self isolation, or are in the vulnerable group, please call one of the following people who will be able to put you in touch with someone who can help - shopping, emergency in the home or just need a chat...
- Martin Buckley - 01386 882215, Mob: 07432 557815
- Caroline Meredith & Trevor Mcgill - 01386 882137, Mob: 077564 17700
If you use Facebook, then click here to go to the Beckford Help Facebook page.
Lucy Griffiths from Forge Cottage in Back Lane is one of the volunteer helpers for this group. She can be contacted on 01386 882339 or 07506190385.
Recently the owners of the old railway embankment opposite our house (Historical Railways Estates) have cleared a section of the bank which contained many diseased and dead trees and shrubs. They have also removed some of the very large ash trees to prevent potential damage to the overhead cables and the underground water pipes and communications cables that run under to bank to service our small group of 6 houses.
Things look a little bare at the moment, so when the weather calms down again we will finish clearing up the loose debris left by the clearance operation and start thinking about what we would like to see in the bank.
We have had a few suggestions from people passing by, some reasonable and some rather ridiculous. We certainly want to avoid any large trees again and would prefer some small shrubs together with suitable ground covering plants and bulbs.
As a new Speaker of the House of Commons has just been appointed, we have done some research into the role of Speaker. It transpires that in the 14th Century a Sir John Cheyne (or Cheney) from Beckford was briefly the Speaker of the House of Commons in 1399.
Extracts from the Geni website gives us some idea of his brief role...
'Sir John Cheyne or Cheney, was a Member of Parliament and briefly the initial Speaker of the House of Commons of England in the Parliament of October 1399, summoned by the newly-acclaimed Henry IV.'
' He took part in a number of diplomatic missions and became MP for Gloucestershire in 1390, 1393, 1394 and 1399. On the last occasion he was elected Speaker, but stood down on the ostensible grounds of ill-health, but may have been persuaded to do so by the influence of Thomas Arundel, archbishop of Canterbury, who was appalled by his election and warned the clergy that Cheyne was an inveterate 'enemy' of the contemporary church. The revolution of 1399 made for strange bedfellows. Although Cheyne is never called a 'Lollard' (heretic) by contemporaries, he was a core member of a connection of knights held (with good cause) to be promoters of, or at least sympathetic to, that emerging sect. His testament (in modern parlance, his will) did reflect some of that sect's attitudes but embedded in a good deal of orthodoxy. In that generation after John Wyclif, many sympathisers with the moral and social ideas of that scholar indeed hoped this would not prove incompatible with continuing devotion to orthodox piety and acceptance within the Catholic Church.'
Just come back from a short walk around the Nature Reserve and found this Scarlet Tiger Moth on the tarmac near Cross House in Court Farm Lane.
During a short ride up Bredon Hill I couldn't resist stopping to enjoy the tranquility. Just the sounds of the birds and sheep added to the great weather.
We had a really hot day today, along with the rest of the country. Our local weather station read 19.5 degrees at 2 o'clock this afternoon - just right for a trip up Bredon Hill on the bike!
The last few days has seen some pretty spectacular sunsets. Here are just a few...
February 11th
February 14th
February 15th
My birthday treat this year was a visit to the Morgan factory in Malvern. It was indeed a treat. The guide was very knowledgeable about not only the history of the Morgan Car Company (over 100 years old and still in the same family), but also about the various manufacturing stages we were privileged to see. To view a small slide show and video of the visit click here and select the Morgan Factory visit clip.
Someone looking for his Sunday lunch - not much luck in our pond as there are no fish in the shallow waters.
After enjoying a walking holiday in Japan three years ago organised by Walk Japan, we decided to return to Japan this year on a new Walk Japan adventure, but this time sampling the wildlife and excellent cuisine on the north island, Hokkaido. We traveled to Tokyo a week before the tour and spent the time exploring on our own, finishing up in Sapporo to wait for the tour to start.
On the morning when we were due to take the train to Kushiro on the east of the island where our tour was to start, the Hokkaido earthquake struck. We were awoken at 3 am by a severe shaking in our seventh floor hotel bedroom. The next few days is summed up very well by a Japanese English newspaper 'The Asahi Shimbun'...
After quake, Sapporo forced to live without daily comforts
SAPPORO—The lives of residents in this city of 2 million were thrown into turmoil by the unfamiliar experience of life without electricity, passable roads and readily available food and supplies.
The earthquake on Sept. 6 not only knocked out power across the northern island, but it also caused soil liquefaction that destroyed many roads in the Hokkaido capital and covered them with mud.
Food and other supplies at convenience stores and supermarkets were quickly hoarded by residents fearing a prolonged shutdown of services in the aftermath of the magnitude-6.7 earthquake that struck at 3:08 a.m. in southwestern Hokkaido.
With the water supply cut off in her neighborhood, a 23-year-old woman holding her 6-month-old baby expressed fears for her family.
“There is no water coming from the tap,” she said. “I am worried that milk and diapers might soon run out.”
A 37-year-old man living in Sapporo’s Kiyota Ward was about to make a run for supplies when he was stunned by the damage caused by the quake.
Several houses were tilted. And the liquefaction had also buckled roads, leaving gaping cracks and extremely uneven surfaces. Some manhole covers jutted up from collapsed roads.
“When I was about to go out to buy something at a convenience store around 4:20 a.m., the area was already devastated like this,” the man said. “I was just so surprised because I’ve never experienced (such a powerful quake).”
Hordes of people lined up at Seven-Eleven Japan Co.’s dimly-lit Maruyama-koen Station outlet in Sapporo’s Chuo Ward before it opened at 8 a.m. on Sept. 7.
A notice at the store said: “Only products in stock inside the store. We have no plans to receive deliveries of water and other liquid items.”
The store received a delivery of 30 pieces of bread at 7:30 a.m. and limited purchases to two per customer. They were gone almost immediately, according to the store.
“Frozen foods will be discarded because they melted in the power outage,” said the 54-year-old manager of the store.
At 1:40 p.m., more than 10 hours after the earthquake struck with an intensity of a maximum 7 on the Japanese seismic scale, a rescue operation was under way in Sapporo’s Kiyota Ward.
Shortly after noon that day, Yasutaka Ichinose, 60, arrived at his company’s parking lot and discovered a man and a woman stuck in mud that had gushed up from the ground as a result of soil liquefaction.
Ichinose said he himself became trapped in the waist-deep mud when he tried to save the couple.
“I got stuck because the mud became heavier,” Ichinose said.
It took about three hours to pull Ichinose from the mud.
Only a few traffic signals in Sapporo were working properly on Sept. 6 because of the power outage.
At one intersection in the city, a police officer directed traffic with his arms and a whistle.
Bus operators said they had suspended operations until all traffic lights were working again.
The power outage also affected medical institutions.
Early on Sept. 6, hospitals without power started asking Sapporo City General Hospital to accept some of their patients.
Sapporo City General, which was running on an emergency power supply, eventually received five patients who were using dialysis machines or artificial ventilators.
Transportation networks were also in shambles.
Hokkaido Railway Co. (JR Hokkaido) suspended all operations on Sept. 6, and passengers packed a muggy JR Sapporo Station in the afternoon, waiting for a resumption of services.
Many people sat on the floor near the ticket gates, collecting information on their smartphones.
A 47-year-old man who came to Sapporo from Obihiro, also in Hokkaido, on business was worried about money because he usually used credit cards and didn’t carry cash.
“Shutting down the ATMs is fatal for me,” he said. “I learned firsthand how difficult it is to live without power.”
SHELTERS FOR FOREIGN TOURISTS
Many foreign visitors, including tourists, had nowhere to go after checking out of their hotels in Sapporo on Sept. 6.
The Sapporo economy and tourism bureau offered them temporary shelter on the first and second floors of the Sapporo Sosei Square complex in Chuo Ward.
About 540 foreigners were seen recharging their smartphones and other gadgets while watching TV for updates on the disaster.
The quake also showed how cellphone-dependent society has become.
Many people were having trouble with their phones because of the power outage.
Mobile phone network operators set up battery-charging facilities and public wireless LAN services free of charge.
Early on Sept. 7, a long line formed at a lobby of a city government office building that was offering a free battery-charging service.
The service started at 7:45 a.m., but by 9:30 a.m., phone users had to wait in line for three hours to get their batteries charged.
They were each given 30 minutes to charge their batteries.
A 21-year-old university student from Okayama Prefecture had lined up at 8 a.m.
“I feel a bit relieved,” she said after receiving her charged mobile phone around 9:40 a.m.
We were unable to leave Sapporo until at least the following Tuesday as there were no trains, buses of planes for several days and all flights were fully booked with people trying the 'escape'. The loss of power meant that no restaurants were open and all the supermarkets quickly ran out of food. We had little to eat for two days!
We decided to stay the week in Sapporo and change our holiday to an extended 'city break' instead of the walking tour - NOT THE HOLIDAY WE PLANNED!
Today a visiting group of six ringers from Worcester visited Beckford Church to ring a peal on the bells. The peal lasted just under three hours when a beautiful sound rang out over Beckford. We hope all the residents enjoyed listening as much as the ringers enjoyed ringing!
Click on the title above for a 3 minute video
While on holiday in Austria, we visited the Grassmayr Bell Foundry in Innsbruck. Together with the associated museum it was a great day out in the rain. They have the ability to cast very large bells. This video (unfortunately it is entirely in German) was broadcast on ZDF in January as a documentary about the Grassmayr family who have been running the foundry since the early 17th century. The video shows the process they went through to cast one of the biggest bells they have ever made at the foundry.
This weekend we visited the Wartime Emergency Event at Toddington Station. A very well organised event and great fun, especially as so many of the visitors dressed up in 1940 gear. Take a look at the video by clicking on the title above.
The Game and Wildlife Trust, in conjunction with other charities including the RSPB are conducting a Farmland Bird Count between 9th and 18th February 2018. Overbury Farms are participating in this activity and invite people to take 30 minutes of their time during this period to count the birds they see on their land. This is very similar to the Garden Bird Watch organised by the RSPB. Details of how you can help can be found on the Game and Wildlife Trust website.
You can also contact Overbury Farms directly from their website.
Winter has finally come to Beckford...
I have recently changed my hosting package for this website and been making a few minor changes to the menu structure. Most of the menu items are still there, but maybe in a different location. You may need to rummage around a little to find what you want.
You will also notice that the whole website is now a secure website (the little padlock shows up in your browser window). There may still be a few bugs in the system as I get used to the new hosting company. Please let me know if you find anything. Thanks.
Just a quick tidy up of various links within the website, to make the site more useful. Some out-of-date links have been updated, especially in the local information section together with the crimewatch section - now you can view the Wychavon and Gloucester police Facebook feeds directly on the same page. Some of the information on the tourist page has also been brought up-to-date.
We woke up this morning to find a visitor in our garden...
For those of you who are interested in choosing a decent new Police Commissioner on May 5th you may like to view a summary of what all the candidates have to say. Just click on the picture, or if you click on the title above you can go to the national site and enter your post code for more information.
Following the great evening of nostalgia and fund raising event at the Village Hall last Saturday, you may find the 'history' page on this website interesting. The title of this news item links to the 'memories' page where you will find Pete White's talk about his memories of living in Beckford for over 70 years. Under the local history top-bar menu you will also find some of the photos that were on show during the evening and also more information about some events in Beckford from days gone by. You can also view the short wartime video that was shown.
After the pre-opening session last Thursday (it seemed like the whole village turned out), we thought we would try out a meal last night at the Beckford Inn. The place was busy, even at 6:00pm, with many villagers taking advantage of the Fish and Chips evening. We tried one of the other al-la-carte items, which proved to be excellent. Why not give it a try!
Today we spend a pleasant afternoon attending a service in St. Peter's Church, Stanway to re-dedicate the bells in the church. Over the past few years the four old bells have been removed and the tower strengthened with new steel girders to support a new frame for the bells. A new bell was cast by Whitechapel's of London and the old bells were re-furbished and re-tuned. The church now has five nice sounding bells. As I had helped with the tower work I and Marion were invited to the service. 
After the service, we had a chance to ring the bells. The service (and ringing) was followed by tea in the Great Hall of Stanway House (used for some scenes from the TV drama Wolf Hall) and the famous Stanway fountain was turned on for the pleasure of those attending the service. We have added a short video of the Stanway Fountain - just go the video clips page on this website.
Although it was partially cloudy in Beckford, the effects of the solar eclipse on electricity generated by our solar panels was very marked. The nice parabolic dip in the power output is clearly visible.
After the opening of the new store at Teddington Hands roundabout just before Christmas, The Teddington Stores will be holding a Producers Day on Saturday 31st January 2014, when customers will be able to meet the producers and sample their products. Why not drop in - and have a cup of coffee at the same time.
Last Thursday evening we spend an enjoyable few hours at Toff Milways Conderton Pottery, enjoying a glass of wine and nibbles - and a try at making our own bowl on his potters wheel! We are looking forward to seeing the results, when they have been fired. The evening was organised to raise funds for equipment to go into the new extension to Overbury First School. Have a quick look at our new video (activities/video clips).
A day of unbroken sunshine yesterday saw the end to our longest spell of days with rain since (our) records began. Up until 15th February we had 49 days of rain - sometime only a little, but nevertheless a very long wet period. However, no flooding in Beckford, thanks to the past efforts of the now extinct flood group.
Last night we recorded the highest gust of wind we have ever had since we have had our weather station. At around midnight on Valentines day we recorded a gust of 53mph. It brought to mind a very appropriate poem by the late Spike Milligan...
Granny
Through every nook and every cranny
The wind blew in on poor old Granny
Around her knees, into each ear
(And up her nose as well, I fear)
All through the night the wind grew worse
It nearly made the vicar curse
The top had fallen off the steeple
Just missing him (and other people)
It blew on man, it blew on beast
It blew on nun, it blew on priest
It blew the wig off Auntie Fanny-
But most of all, it blew on Granny!
Picture of high winds in the lake district courtesy of the Guardian.
After 19 days without rain and very high temperatures we finally had rain - and not just a little! Our weather station reported its raining cats and dogs (see picture). We had about 26mm of rain in less than an hour and a record 230mm per hour rain rate! Things have calmed down now.
Although a little late this year, spring has finally arrived in Bluebell Wood. Why not take some time out and walk up to the wood and enjoy the show.
This morning and yesterday morning we had a visit from a solitary Turtle Dove to the seed feeder in our front garden - a first for us in Beckford Close
With the continued cold weather, our garden bird feeders are emptying at an alarming rate! We are also seeing a few new visitors to the garden. This week we saw a pair of Nuthatches at the same time on the seed feeder and the Buzzard now perches in the tree at the end of the garden. A male Siskin joined the Glodfinches on the Niger seeds.
Having failed to get a replacement rain gauge for our old weather station, we have now purchased a brand new professional Weather Station from Oregon Scientific - a WMR200. Although the station is now up and running at home, we still need to connect it to the computer and website. This may take a few days to get everything up and running correctly - so keep an eye on the news items here to find out when everything is up and running.
At 08:12 this morning we went outside to join in the National Ringing in the 2012 Olympics Games. We were greeted by absolute silence! So we added our contribution to the Cultural Olympics by vigorously ringing our wind chimes and door bell for 3 minutes - we make no apologies for waking sleepy Beckford.
The Parish Council have now launched their new website - click on the title above to view, or use the top menu item under extras. The new site looks very good, with lots of interesting information and links. Well done!
A new website has been launched to serve the Beckford Nature Reserve. Therefore, the Nature Reserve page on this website now links directly to the new website. Why not try it out by clicking on the title of this news item.
What a wonderful sight on Sunday afternoon - a flash of brilliant blue along the Carrant Brook as a Kingfisher flew by. Too fast for any photos.
Incident ref 137-N-020512.
Secondly, between 1455hrs on Weds 2nd May and 1510hrs on Weds 2nd May there was a burglary at an address on Queensmead, Bredon. The resident was in their front garden mowing and noticed that a male was hanging around infront of the property. Upon asking him what he was doing, a second male was seen to come out of the residents property. The males explained they had lost a cat and were looking for it. It was later noticed that cash had been stolen from a handbag.
The description of the two males. Male 1: Fair hair, round face, approx 5ft6 in height between 16 and 18 y ears of age wearing light coloured clothing, had no hat and was not carrying anything. Male 2 - Possibly younger than male one, dark hair possibly black, narrow, pointed face and slender build, thinner and shorter than male 1, wearing bright coloured top colour unknown, possibly navy blue trousers. No car was seen. They left on foot towards Kemerton Road.
Incident ref 129-S-030512.
If you see these men or see anything suspicious please report to the police call centre, via the switchboard, on the non-emergency number, 101 or click on the title link to reply on the Police website.
We now have (on the menu to the left) a weather summary data for Beckford, giving you a host of information about the recent weather in Beckford. This is automatically updated.
With the recent rainfall levels and the forecast for heavy rain on Sunday, Wychavon DC have issued a flood warning for the region - advising residents to take any precautions they may have to protect their property.
Having spent a great day at the International Bird of Prey Centre near Newent, we came home to find a kestrel enjoying his afternoon tea of a small dunnock on our front lawn!
Due to the poor functionality offered by Facebook - they do not want people to automatically update their pages from other websites - I have decided not to post our book reviews directly to our Facebook page. Just follow the link on the notification about this page (on this feed as well) if you wish to see the latest book reviews. This is a backward step by the Facebook organisers as many companies would like this functionality. There are other APPS which profess to offer this feature, but after many days of trying, even these apps fall short of being able to post a decent feed because they do not comply with the RSS standards.
We have now added a book review page under activities. It is designed for those interested in reading either ebooks or hard copy books. All visitors to this website are invited to add their own reviews of books they have read that they feel will be of interest to others. Click on the link above or use the top menu item - activities/book review to learn more and see the latest reviews. The book reviews will be added to our Facebook page automatically (that is, when I get the function working!)
Did you know that although we might think this years March weather has been exceptionally hot, if you look back to last year the maximum and minimum temperatures for March were very similar? Of course we did have a longer period of warm weather this year. Click on the link above to visit our weather page - if you follow the link to Weather Underground you will see all the historical data from the weather station at 3 Beckford Close.
While walking today we spotted the first bluebell in flower in Beckford Copse - Spring is on its way!
Check out a new interesting article on the crimewatch page about PEDLARS
A great new website has emerged that offers a service for all villages around Bredon Hill. Obviously much thought has gone into producing a fantastic focus for promoting the activities and attractions of our local environment. It is good to see that all the material has been collated and suitably presented before going live. Lets hope that this enterprise succeeds and shows the people around the hill what can be achieved with a little forethought and planning - unlike some other websites that have appeared recently. A common website for all the villages is by far the best way to get more recognition for our area.
Today we saw one of the first signs of spring in our garden. The surface of the pond was boiling with very active frogs. As usual, they have laid their spawn in the most vulnerable area of the pond - but I am sure some will survive and our frog population will expand yet again. We are anxiously looking out for newt activity!
Weve just returned from attending the HP Science Lecture in Bristol. A fascinating talk by Jim AL-Khalili entitled Faster than the Speed of Light. After the release of the measurement results last year it was anounced that the apparent speed of neutrinos was faster than the speed of light in a vacuum (by an amount equal to 5 miles per second), Jim promised to eat his boxer shorts in public if the results were to be confirmed! In his lecture he explained some more details about the experiment and also some basic facts about the particles used in the experiment. Until the results are confirmed by several other independent labaoratories Jim said that his boxer shorts are SAFE. He went through a few ideas to explain these bizare observations.
Fernleigh House was broken into yesterday (Monday) between 08:30 and 13:30. If anyone has any information that may help the ploice in their investigation please use the 101 number or just phone the local police - see the crimwatch page for contact information.
Observations required please for a dark blue or black Nissan Terrano, registration number MH05EOB. This vehicle may be involved in rural crime in the Cotswolds. If seen in suspicious circumstances, please contact Gloucestershire Police immediately, using the 101 or 999 numbers.
While out for a walk round the Nature Reserve today we saw two Dabchicks (Little Grebes) in the small area of the lake that was not frozen at the eastern end of the reserve. Our first sighting of these small cute water birds - but not the first in the Nature Reserve.
The new Beckford Village Hall website is now up and running - we will watch it with interest as it develops.
A small band of volunteers spent the morning doing some tidying work in the Nature Reserve. A row of hawthorn hedges were planted on the northern boundary; the steps all round the reserve were repaired; the western bank was cleared ready for sowing grass and wld flower seed and various paths were re-stocked with wood chippings.
A first for us at The Shieling. At 1:50pm today we watched a Red Kite flying over the field behind Beckford Close - being harrassed by the local jackdaws. Although fairly common now around this area, we have never seen one come so close to the house in Beckford.
There are concerns about the water levels in the Nature Reserve affecting the waterfowl during the breeding season. Click on the subject for more information.
Andy and Marion wish all our supporters around the world (and those with a genuine interest in our website) a very happy, healthy and trouble-free 2012
Please be on the look out for cars parked at dusk sitting outside houses with headlights on, it could be someone just waiting whilst a burglary is in progress! Earlier this week between 4pm and 6pm a house in the village was broken into, with silver and jewellery taken. Please make sure you lock back doors, and take keys out of the lock. Report anything suspicious - rogue callers, unusual vehicles directly to the police using the new 101 number.
Please click on the link in the title to see the changes to waste collections over the Christmas period.
Please note that there was a car-key burglary at an address on Cheltenham Rd, Beckford, between 2130hrs on Fri 2nd and 0700hrs Sat 3rd December. A large value of silverware was stolen, as were a set of car keys, which were used to take a black Mercedes SLK convertible, reg VK09ENV. Please make your members aware and report any info/sightings of the car to the police control room, via the switchboard, on the non-emergency number, 101, quoting incident ref 160-S-031211.
Some of the menus on this website are displayed in white. These items require registration to view them. Please register by selecting backchat and filling out the registration form. If you care about what is happening to your village 'behind' closed doors, you may find registering will surprise you.