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 I have been meaning to do a post about this for some time. Helen and I did a Minsmere guided tour and the guide told us a bout a feature of reeds I have never noticed before. If you put your thumb and forefinger either side and the base of a leaf and then let the leaf slide through your finger you will notice about one third of the way up that there is a bump or ridge across the leaf. All leaves have it.
The guide told us that it is colloquially known as “the devils pinch”, which I think is a great name, somehow fitting and very colloquial. Ever since then I just can’t help running my fingers only the leaf as described above, to feel for the feature. It is just compulsive and impulsive.
I have done some googling on the subject but cannot find any reference to reeds. Some of the things I found are:
- There is a canyon some where in Austalia, on the Wolgan River, in Katoomba with the name. Apparently a bad accident with a team of horses pulling logs happened then in the 1870′s
- A few references to marks on the body similar to liver spots.
- References to a feature in a cave, perhaps where it gets really narrow, again a good name for such a place.
So now we have a reference in the reed’s Devils Pinch. I wonder how long it will take to start appearing in Google searches.
 I have been accused of letting my blog become boring, i quote “too many film reviews and not enough walks”. To try to put things back on track here is a post that you might find interesting.
Today was the annual Horticultural Society Fete in Aston Clinton, it is one of the bigger events on the calendar.
We turned up at 2:30pm and paid the £1 pound entrance fee, which entitled us to a program and I believe the chance to win a prize in a draw. The usual charity stalls were present, surprisingly for a land locked county, and about a far away from the sea you can get in England there was a stall for the Aylesbury branch of the RNLI! We worked our way round buying up all the raffle ticks on offer, and I bought some Victoria Plum jam, for the winter stores. Then it started to rain.
We popped into the produce exhibition in the old school building and checked out the the displays of long runner beans and themed flower displays. Some people go to a lot of effort for the show.
Back at the stalls we came to the main raffle desk and I noticed that Mark Webber (Formula 1 driver) had donated a prize for the raffle, a basketball cap with his logo on it which he had personally signed, how generous I thought.
 Then it was off round the kids and craft exhibits where such delights and a garden on a plate or painted stones are pitted against each other for cash prizes. The garden on a plate would win the Eric Sharp cup.
On to the skill based stands where you could win prizes for putting and throwing balls at coconuts. I scored 225 on the putting golf balls though slots in a plank, which put me 2nd equal with “Mark” and the chance of winning a prize if the person who came first and “Mark” was not around to collect the prize at the end of the after noon.
Then on to the coconut shy I reluctantly agreed to have a go, 5 balls for £1, and managed to knock 2 nuts off of their holders. Not sure what I am going to do with them, as they are high in saturated fats I avoid them. Perhaps the birds will like them?
 On my way to B&Q I noticed that my odometer in the golf was about to go to 5555 luckily when I parked up it was still showing.
I sometimes do a search for my name on the common search engines to see how near the top I am. I have slowly been creeping up as I post more regularly. Today I notice that someone has taken out google advertising that means that you get an add which suggests that I am for sale!
Went for a bike ride today, headed off to the Butterfly reserve on Watery lane then onto the resvervoirs via the tow path, through Tring and onto Berkhamsted. Quick ice cream then up the steep hill out of the town, and in to the chiltern hills past Cholesbury and then down via Wendover woods back into Aston Clinton. Her us a map.
View Berko via canal and then back over the hills in a larger map
 If you want to see live airplane traffic check this out http://www.radarvirtuel.com
It shows the current position and status of planes over Europe. You can also add labels, see the current position of the volcanix ash cloud, and filter out any of the aircraft based on many parameters.
I regularly fly to Northern Ireland so I use it to check what it happening to those flight paths only, useful to see if the incoming plane is on time.
 in a car… We decided to make the most of the very welcome spring weather with a trip to Wimpole Hall. The National Trust were running a free access weekend for many of their properties. Unfortunately the journey was somewhat elongated by major road works on the A14 which seemed to nobble every assoiated road in the vicinity. However we got there at last! and toured the house (refurbished in the 1930′s by Rudyard Kipling’s daughter). Well worth a visit, and the gardens look like they will be impressive once a few more flowers are out. The farm is great for kids – lots of new born lambs, piglets and some huge shire horses. Then back to the ranch for a lovely chinese and a game of whist. A good weekend.
On my Lord, what do they think they are up to? New Labour must feel, with the election looming, that they are doing so well in the polls they should try to ensure they alienate every potential voter from The Chalfonts to Waddesdon & beyond by slinging a high speed rail link through the Chilterns. Obviously the existing rail network has been invested to to a point at which no further improvements can be made so, and as we have £30 billion slooshing around in the public coffers and in need of a home (the homesless/NHS/education/care of the elderly/decent equipment for our troops and MP’s expenses having clearly been overfunded already), they must have pondered long and hard what to spend it on.
On a serious note, the Chilterns are one of the primary reasons why so many of us choose to live or visit this area. They provide a green lung for London and an immediate escape from noise, pollution and urban living that that dogs much of our daily routine. Any infringement into this AONB will weaken its protected status and before we know it we will have Tesco, Aldi & Starbucks setting up franchises in the Lee. Perhaps a multiplex at Ballinger! Sorry, I have gone into rant mode again. We have been spoilt and assumed this Eden as our automatic right for too long. So speak now and smite the developmental serpent, or Paradise will indeed be Lost.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highspeedrail/hs2ltd/route/keyplan.pdf
PS This was a party political broadcast on behalf of no party but the Sharpie one!
PPS Thanks to Steve for letting us know about the route, cheers m’dear
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I have been meaning to do a post about this for some time. Helen and I did a Minsmere guided tour and the guide told us a bout a feature of reeds I have never noticed before. If you put your thumb and forefinger either side and the base of a leaf and then let the leaf slide through your finger you will notice about one third of the way up that there is a bump or ridge across the leaf. All leaves have it.
