The facts of predication.

The swans taken in February in the snow.

I visited the Wetlands today with Anne my friend. As this was her first visit I was keen to show her the family of swans that I had been photographing over the winter. They were nowhere to be seen. In the coffee shop on the way back I asked where they were. One of the Reserve wardens told me the whole family, with the exception of the cob, had been wiped out, eaten by foxes.

Swans are elegant creatures. We grow up with them on the pages of books, especially fairy tales. Their pure white feathers compliments the lovely curvature of their neck. However, swans can be aggressive birds, and their beating wings can break a mans arm so we are told. They protect their territories from other swans, and from strangers, but it appears that this family could not defend themselves from the urban foxes that prowl the wetlands area at night. They were all wiped out, the pen and the six cygnets. The cob survived the attack - just. We were told he was miserable for a few days but is now making good ground and back on the water.


Anne and I were sad to hear this, but reasoned that predication is all part of the animal kingdom. However, I was surprised to hear that a fox can kill an adult swan, but then I know very little about these things. The Reserve warden explained that if a fox gets the swan by the neck it disempowers the swan. Whatever the circumstances it's a fact of life I suppose, but a terribly sad one.

Cabage leaf bowl

I was rather disappointed with the way this project turned out. The leaves are super and the colour has come out well, but not the 'whitish' stalk in the middle of the main leaf. Never mind, this is what pottery is all about isn't it - trial and error? At least I got this project fired within a two month period.

Scriffito Dish

This is called scriffito work. A Sudanese design that was not difficult to do, but time consuming and painstaking.

I finally picked up my sciffito dish from pottery class today. It has been hanging about for five months! Three weeks to make it and four months waiting to go in the kiln!


It makes me quite annoyed that a professional tutor so blatantly puts work forward for firing for those more talented, long serving pupils; leaving those of us that are less popular with her, and not as talented as she would like, to wait at the and of the queue.


My friend has already left the class for this reason after writing to the tutor saying why. She was promptly asked back with promises of more attention. She refused as she felt things would not change. If I leave for the same reason, things might change, but I doubt it unless I write to the Education authority. If I do that she could loose her job and I don't know if I can live with that. Why is it some people have to make things difficult for others and ultimately get away with it? This lady knows exactly what she is doing.

Political Reform?

These are exciting times in politics - so I keep hearing on the radio and on the visual news! There is much talk about Political Reform (see yesterday's posting)and that such reform must include the alternative vote.

I think the way this whole post election week has panned out is political reform in itself. Even prior to the election there was reform in the shape of the Television debates. There will never be another election in this country without them.. What Prime minister will say no to fighting for his place on National Television? Political Reform in this country has already began. Politics will never be the same for us after this election, its result and aftermath. So what is Nick Clegg asking for? A change to the AV system to give his party a toe hold that they would never otherwise have?

The winds of change.

I don't know that I approve of the proposed Alternative Vote System (AV). I am unsure about all this. This is how I understand things:

Under AV, candidates are still elected, as at present, from single-member constituencies under the Alternative Vote (AV) system.

Instead of putting a cross next to one person on a ballot paper as at present, voters rank candidates in order of preference. If none gets a majority of first preference votes the candidate who comes last is eliminated. The second preference votes on the loser’s ballot papers are then given to other candidates. This continues until one candidate has more than 50% of votes and is declared the winner.

The main concern regarding the current first-past-the-post system (FPTP) has been the “waste” of votes in those constituencies regarded as being “safe seats”. The “Winner Takes All” system, it is argued, effectively disenfranchises all those people who did not vote for the winner. Most winning Parties will come to power elected only by a minority of the electorate.

I am not a political person, I have no particular knowledge of Politics, but I am worried about these proposals. I can see that with out some kind of reform the Lib Dems will never get anywhere, but perhaps that is just as well the way they are holding the other two parties to ransom this week. A disappointing performance when the country is in crisis. Shabby.