Yes, there does seem to be an imbalance with British wildlife. This results in a growth in numbers of prey animals such as Deer and requires culls to keep the numbers down. There have been many suggestions of re-introducing predators including Wolves, but Farmers are very much against this and they seem to have a strong influence.
I believe that the largest predator in the UK currently is the Badger. I was lucky enough to see one about a year ago just about 30 metres from my house. Sadly all of the other Badgers that I've seen have been dead at the side of the road. Everyone loves Badgers - except Farmers again! (No, I don't have anything against Farmers. They work extremely hard for very long hours and we need them).

Kevin
 
The Smell of Rain.

I walked to my village shop, yesterday evening and as soon as I stepped out of my door, I was hit by the distinctive smell of rain after a long dry spell. It wasn't raining hard, but the ground showed that the drops were very large. The Scientist in me, wondered what caused the smell. I have heard that it was Ozone (O3), but I'm familiar with this and knew it wasn't (or at least, not solely).
So, I had a look online. Apparently it is known as 'Petrichor', which is caused by rainwater falling onto dry ground and releasing a variety of chemicals including Ozone (usually, from lightning during thunderstorms), Geosmin and Stearic and Palmitic Acids, which are volatile plant oils.


So now I know! Fascinating!

Kevin
 
Kevin referred to the imbalance in nature, and the lack of predators for our increasing deer population ( #101 April 30th '22).
There has been much talk in recent years of introducing Lynx, and more recently Wolves to certain areas to control numbers of deer.
As Kevin says, it did not go down too well with some farmers.
The interesting thing is that we already have Lynx living wild in the UK, along with Black Leopards and Puma/Mountain Lion, plus smaller exotic breeds e.g. Caracal.
Of course the 'official' Government attitude is that we don't have such animals in Britain, to avoid panic and idiots hunting them with guns!.
There have been just a few brushes of danger over a great many years from these creatures ( at least 60 years now ). They would rather keep out of our way, and are masters of camouflage!.
I was both shocked and intrigued to see a Black Leopard 22 years ago, and surprisingly near houses and a large School. One had been reported nearby a couple of years before. A woman walking her Rottweiler had it attacked, but it escaped largely unhurt.
All these larger cats are capable and indeed do take down deer. Many times remains of a kill are found. Even 20 foot up trees! ( ask the forest rangers at Cannock Chase or Forest of Dean).
Many people take a "see it and believe it " attitude, which is fine, however some people just won't accept we have these creatures in the UK ( Ireland too).
I recommend the podcast " Big Cat Conversations" for anyone interested in this topic.
 
I once saw a Puma crossing the A65 between Burley in Wharfedale and Ilkley. The big cat was heading from the river towards farmland leading to Ilkley Moor.

A car was coming in the opposite direction at the time so it was easy to judge the size. There was no way it could've been a domestic cat.

The driver behind me happened to be a colleague and we simultaneously asked each other if we had seen the big cat.

My impression is there is a mutual respect and these cats like being around humans as much as we'd like to be around them. They stay clear.

I think it is likely they are breeding and it would seem there is an abundance of food with Roe deer and rabbits a plenty with the occasional sheep too.
 
The area you mention is certainly one which has come up with sightings over many years. I could say that about anywhere in the UK however. There have been occasions when they have entered gardens, mainly at night time, and in rural settings. They undoubtedly breed ( cubs have been seen, often with mother nearby), and people are slowly learning to check trees, as they spend a surprising amount of time sleeping in them. It is quite a complex subject with UK cats. Increasing evidence that they are adapting their size, shape and methods of hunting to the British landscape.
For example, in Africa, Leopards are ambush predators. In the UK they have been seen running huge distances at tremendous speed to bring down deer.
 
It's a subject that I find fascinating and I frequently search news listings for sightings of big cats. It's really surprising how often they're seen.
 
The Smell of Rain.

I walked to my village shop, yesterday evening and as soon as I stepped out of my door, I was hit by the distinctive smell of rain after a long dry spell.

Kevin

This ^^ It was raining on the way into work last night and it was the most beautiful smelling thing ever after so long. It's weird however that the smell of rain like that only occurs in the warmer and drier summer months. There is a lack of smell in the winter darker months. Though on a separate topic all together the aftermath of bonfire night is always a lovely smell.

Any other weird smells people like?

I love the smell of petrol.
 
It's a subject that I find fascinating and I frequently search news listings for sightings of big cats. It's really surprising how often they're seen.
I certainly find the idea of wild big cats in the UK plausible. Although I've never had a sighting myself, I have read many articles (mostly in the magazine Fortean Times) and seen many YouTube videos. I did however have an experience that I find difficult to explain. Lying in bed one night, I heard something very heavy climb over the fence. My parents were staying with me that weekend and the next morning, I mentioned it. My Mom said she had also heard it and thought it was someone trying to find a shortcut home from the pub. This gives an indication of how heavy it sounded and much heavier than a domestic cat.
Sadly, as with UFO's, Bigfoot and Nessie, most photos or videos of big cats seem to be blurred.

[EDIT] - I forgot to mention that the local beast around here is called the 'Fen Tiger'.

Kevin

This ^^ It was raining on the way into work last night and it was the most beautiful smelling thing ever after so long. It's weird however that the smell of rain like that only occurs in the warmer and drier summer months. There is a lack of smell in the winter darker months. Though on a separate topic all together the aftermath of bonfire night is always a lovely smell.

Any other weird smells people like?

I love the smell of petrol.
The few spots of rain that I saw are still the only rain we've had here so far, but it was enough to make the smell really intense. The article that I posted above, states that it is the dry conditions that causes the smell when rain falls. Dry conditions are less likely during the winter months.
As for bonfire night, I love the smell of the gunpowder from the fireworks, but the bonfire itself gives me a headache (literally!). The smoke (well any smoke for that matter) seems to effect my sinuses and gives me a bad headache the next day.
I wouldn't say that I'm keen on the smell of petrol, but I do like that smell of freshly laid Tarmac. Also, when I was younger, I loved the smell of Creosote (which was used to preserve wooden fencing), but I believe it has since been banned.

Kevin
 
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This ^^ It was raining on the way into work last night and it was the most beautiful smelling thing ever after so long. It's weird however that the smell of rain like that only occurs in the warmer and drier summer months. There is a lack of smell in the winter darker months. Though on a separate topic all together the aftermath of bonfire night is always a lovely smell.

Any other weird smells people like?

I love the smell of petrol.
Might be stating the obvious on an aviation forum but I love the smell of jet fuel - which I find is best appreciated early in the morning - and diesel from trains
 
Few more

Freshly cooked bread in a supermarket....
As a coffee hater this is slightly weird - but fresh ground coffee. I love the coffee shop smell.
 
A serious problem for me is the smell of pungent aromatics, Garlic,Onions Ginger being the unholy trinity! It is me, not the items of concern. I was born with my brain wired as is, and had to work in Handsworth, Lozells, and Smethwick and Winson Green, the areas around Birmingham that were anathema to me.

Fortunately, My exile to Worcestershire has protected me but there are establishments nearby that peddle such, to me, odours that offend!
 
A serious problem for me is the smell of pungent aromatics, Garlic,Onions Ginger being the unholy trinity! It is me, not the items of concern. I was born with my brain wired as is, and had to work in Handsworth, Lozells, and Smethwick and Winson Green, the areas around Birmingham that were anathema to me.
Each to their own! For me, I love the smell of onions and garlic sweating down in the frying pan or wok. It forms the basis of so, so many dishes that I make. Everything form a stew, to lasagne, curry, cottage/shepherds pie sweet & sour chicken, the list is almost endless.
There are however flavours which I absolutely cannot stand. The two main ones being celery and anything with almond. Marzipan and frangipane are an absolute no-no for me, Both will make me gag.

Kevin
 
Word of warning to anyone who lives in an area where bus fare capping is being talked of.... this is what is happening in Greater Manchester.

The price of a single fare is being capped at £2 (£1 for a child) and £5 for a day's travel (£2.50 for a child) and being promoted as cheap bus travel. As I read on a Stagecoach bus last night, the weekly megarider ticket price is rising from £17.50 to £18.50 as are the 28 day & monthly tickets, and it's services that go outside Greater Manchester will see the fares increase by 10p or 20p if your destination is outside Greater Manchester. I've not checked on other bus companies but I suspect they will be doing the same thing,

And the best thing is they are hoping to get double the amount of people on board buses as apparently this is how they are going to make up the shortfall in revenue for the bus companies.

Funnily enough, London has had bus fare caps for years and pre-pandemic had already seen declining passenger numbers and was losing up to £722 million a year which the general UK population pays for.
 
In London single bus fares are just fixed price rather than capped - you pay £1.65 however far you are going on a TfL bus, you don't pay less if on a short hop.

Tbh I think it works well and the level it is set at seems more than reasonable to the point I don't think you feel ripped off if only going a few stops.
 
Uni-Link Southampton has a flat fare system. When it started c. 2001 it was £1 for adults and 50p for children. They didn't do returns and only offered adult day riders for £2. They also offered a bundle of 12 singles for £10 effectively giving you two free rides. It was far simpler and easier compared to the other bus companies working on fare stages. I remember the uproars when the fares went up to £1.20 and later £1.50. Now it's £2.50 for adults and £1.70 for children with day riders at £4, which is still good value for money if you ask me. It's just a shame they don't cover the whole of the city, but the day riders can be used on their sister bus company BlueStar (they hold the contract to provide the UniLink service for Southampton University), provided you stayed within the prescribed Southampton City Zone Boundary.

Moving to Cornwall the bus prices were a shocker! Thankfully they've come down dramatically as Cornwall Council were awarded a government grant to make bus travel look more attractive. However, with the rising costs, I fear this trial might not last as long as expected. These cheaper prices also don't apply to services that cross the Tamar into Devon, most notably Plymouth, meaning you don't save as much as you'd think you'd save under this pilot scheme...
 
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A few years ago, having spent Christmas with my then girlfriend in Kings Heath, Birmingham, we decided to go a walk to look at a new shop that had opened in Moseley (I think it was an M&S local). It was a good long walk and when we got there, we found that the shop wasn't open. So we decided to get the bus into Birmingham city centre, (this is the same bus that comes from Kings Heath, but Moseley is a good 2 miles closer to the city centre). We were amazed to find it was more expensive to travel on the same bus from Moseley into Birmingham than it was from Kings Heath. I don't know if WM buses still have the same fare structure, but I found it ridiculous. Moseley is a very affluent area, but that's no reason to charge more for a shorter distance.

Kevin
 

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Hi, I was born and lived in B36 for a long time - Lindale Avenue, just around the corner from Hodge Hill Comp.
I just noticed your postcode on a post.

Do you still live in the area?
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