Thoughts in Darrick Wood - Covid 19

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 23 June 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) For me, a social life needs some spontaneity. I like to walk in Darrick Wood whenever I feel like it. Sometimes, my wife and I decide to walk through the woods but then continue to the village of Downe. In Downe, we often used to stop in the “Queen’s Head” pub and drink a pint of the best kept beer in London and have lunch. This was great, but these days it seems so far away. On 4th of July the government is proposing that pubs should be allowed to re-open under social distancing rules. It looks like we will be asked to book our slot in the pub in advance. This means strolling to a timetable; none of the spontaneity, of going for a long walk in the country and stopping off for a drink, will remain. I am in two minds about this. Yes, the economy needs to be protected as should pub life, but does this mean that I must book in for a pint? Booking in is ok to go to a restaurant for a formal meal b...

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 22 June 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) I was thinking about ancient times. How would modern humans survive if they were thrust back into the iron age? I think that they would have severe difficulty, but they would pull through, eventually. However, if they were thrust into modern times, Iron Age children would quickly learn how to play computer games on a play station. Our intellectual abilities have not advanced that much, if at all, but of course we like to think that we are superior. A visit to the reproduction Iron Age village, at Castell Henllys in Pembrokeshire, will give you some idea of what life was like in Britain about 2,000 years ago - before the Romans finally settled. https://www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/castell-henllys/about-castell-henllys/ P ensées dans Darrick Wood par Trevor Morgan 22 juin mai 2020 Je pensais aux temps anciens. Comment les humains modernes survivraient-ils s'ils étaient r...

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 21 June 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) I was in the woods this week doing a bird survey and heard a bird making a high-pitched soft sound. I could not identify the bird, so I used the “BirdNET” app on my ‘phone to record and analyse the sound. The internet database identified the bird as a Goldcrest and it also identified the song of a Robin which I do recognise. Later, I went onto the RSPB website to hear their recording of a Goldcrest and it matched the “BirdNET” app, which is a remarkable product which will greatly assist naturalists. Goldcrests are extremely difficult to see in Darrick Wood but they are resident. Along with the Firecrests they are Europe’s smallest bird. We have not seen Firecrests in Darrick Wood but that does not mean they are not there for I have seen them in the locality. It is incredible that such small birds can survive European winters by feeding on small insects and spiders, they are remarkably hardy an...

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 20 June 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) There are cormorants in Italy too; near Grado. P ensées dans Darrick Wood par Trevor Morgan 20 juin mai 2020 Il y a aussi des cormorans en Italie; près de Grado. http://friendsofdarrickandnewsteadwoods.co.uk/

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 19 June 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) This morning I had prepared myself to photograph the occultation of the planet Venus by the Moon. I woke up early to see cloudy skies. Of course, the Moon and Venus were locked into their paths by the gravity of the Sun and the Earth: but once again I was foiled by the British weather. Of course, it can be seen on the internet, but this is nowhere near as good as seeing it for yourself. https://www.space.com/moon-occults-venus-june-2020.html#:~:text=That%20morning%20the%20moon%20will,to%20as%20an%20%22occultation.%22 P ensées dans Darrick Wood par Trevor Morgan 19 juin mai 2020 Ce matin, je m'étais préparé à photographier l'occultation de la planète Vénus par la Lune. Je me suis réveillé tôt pour voir un ciel nuageux. Bien sûr, la Lune et Vénus étaient bloquées dans leurs trajectoires par la gravité du Soleil et de la Terre: mais encore une fois, j'ai été déjoué p...

Thoughts in Darrick Wood by Trevor Morgan 18 June 2020 (traduction française ci-dessous) Will alien civilisations find us? It is possible that aliens will receive radio and television signals, which have been broadcast within the last century, or so. The aliens would have to be relatively close, nearer than 200 light years. They would have to send a message back and that would take 100 years assuming that the aliens had the ability and desire to talk to us. All this sounds very unlikely. The is another possibility: the 2 Voyager spacecraft launched to observe the outer planets of the solar system, in 1977, are now in interstellar space. Both spacecraft contain “time capsules” with messages and audio-visual images of the way of life on earth. The “time capsules” were in fact phonographic records engraved onto gold plated copper discs which could last for billions of years. Both spacecraft are now in interstellar space, but they are not even 1 light day from the earth. In abou...