Jack Harrison

[Padfield]

Many happy returns, Jack!

Only another 25 years before you get that e-mail from the King ...

Guy

[Vince Massimo]

Another milestone! Congratulations Jack

Best wishes
Vince

[Neil Hulme]

Happy Birthday from me too. I'll raise a wee dram to you tonight.
BWs, Neil

[Butterflysaurus rex]

A very happy Birthday to you from me as well Jack

Best wishes

B'saurus

[Pete Eeles]

Only another 25 years before you get that e-mail from the King ...

Took me a few seconds to realise you weren't talking about Elvis

And a Happy Birthday from me too Jack!

Cheers,

- Pete

[David M]

Many happy returns, Jack!

Only another 25 years before you get that e-mail from the King ..

I wouldn't necessarily rule out Ol' Liz being around at 112 years of age. UK's current eldest is almost 114 (and she doesn't have half of Harley Street come running every time she sneezes!)

Many happy returns, Jack.

Three-quarters of a century (I only wish several of our cricketers could post likewise)

[dave brown]

Many Happy Returns for this remarkable day, Jack. At this stage of your life you should have completed most of your must do things. So, despite you trying to hide away on a remote, (but absolutely stunning), Island, is there anything left on your list that you have not fulfilled and still plan to do?

[Jack Harrison]

is there anything left on your list that you have not fulfilled and still plan to do?

Well, I wouldn't mind seeing my second ever Large Tortoiseshell.

Off this morning to England and far as the south coast to see my grown up children (all still under 30). It's a long slow journey in stages. Anyway, off the forum for at least ten days.

Jack

[Jack Harrison]

Loved this advert.


Off to Ireland mid week and then in early April, south of England for a few days (6th to 10th Selsey area) so might just see something then. Nothing flies here on Mull in the rain (1200+ millimetres rain since beginning December)

Jack

[Jack Harrison]

Isle of Mull 19th April

Finally some Mull butterflies with my own eyes today (mentioned in April sightings that wife saw Tortoiseshells yesterday).



Well, it's not the best photo you ever saw of a Peacock (it's on that bracken covered bank on the left) but a splendid view from Glengorm across to Ardnamurcan.

Elsewhere on Mull, one GV White.

Jack

[Chris Jackson]

A stunning view Jack. It makes you want to take a deep breath of that pure air, and it is hard to imagine that 1200 mm of rain have fallen since December.
Chris

[Jack Harrison]

In another thread, someone referred to “Hibernating Harrison”. I didn’t take offence at that but maybe I should explain.

I haven’t so much been hibernating as being less active. Sadly age (I am 75) is catching on me. I have arthritis of the knee caps and stiffness in the hips. This means I struggle to walk on uneven ground. Perhaps even more annoying is my failing eyesight. I have Age-related Macular Degneration , AMD (so far, left eye only). As you might imagine, I am driving Specsavers mad with my rudimentary understanding of optics (quoting Prentice's Rule, for example!), but after yet another visit today, hopefully some progress; basically we are trying to sort out prismatic spectacles to minimise the distortion and more significantly, avoid double vision.

So not really hibernating, more a case of slowly wearing out. Still, I have to remind myself that I have lasted longer than many of my contemporaries (newspaper obituaries are mandatory reading for people of my age. “Beat him!” I often muse.

No sympathies needed about these issues. But I thought it appropriate that I put the record straight

Jack

[Susie]

For your arthritis I would recommend you try turmeric capsules. They work wonders. Check with your gp first though because they can affect diabetic treatment and also medication for heart problems by thinning blood.

In another thread, someone referred to “Hibernating Harrison”. I didn’t take offence at that but maybe I should explain.

I haven’t so much been hibernating as being less active. Sadly age (I am 75) is catching on me. I have arthritis of the knee caps and stiffness in the hips. This means I struggle to walk on uneven ground. Perhaps even more annoying is my failing eyesight. I have Age-related Macular Degneration , AMD (so far, left eye only). As you might imagine, I am driving Specsavers mad with my rudimentary understanding of optics (quoting Prentice's Rule, for example!), but after yet another visit today, hopefully some progress; basically we are trying to sort out prismatic spectacles to minimise the distortion and more significantly, avoid double vision.

So not really hibernating, more a case of slowly wearing out. Still, I have to remind myself that I have lasted longer than many of my contemporaries (newspaper obituaries are mandatory reading for people of my age. “Beat him!” I often muse.

No sympathies needed about these issues. But I thought it appropriate that I put the record straight

Jack

[MikeOxon]

For the record, the Met Office did a great job for me yesterday. It was a mainly fine afternoon here, with localised thunderstorms. I looked on the Met O website and it showed a major storm due to pass just South of Oxford, so I crossed my fingers and headed out to a reserve just north of Oxford, to photograph Green-winged Orchids.

I drove through some torrential rain but, when I arrived at the site, the sun shone and I got my pics, while thunder rumbled away to the South!

Having said that, I suspect that the longer range forecasts are suffering from the increased atmospheric instability, caused by atmospheric warming. By its very nature, chaos is not predictable!

Mike

[Jack Harrison]

Thanks people. Long delay in replying as I was five days without internet after router hardware failure.

Yes Susie, turmeric is probably very good. Stella uses it and she is very fit and free from many of the problems of someone of her age (discretion prevents me from disclosing her age but there's a big milestone in August). I have tried tumeric in powder form (might get some capsules after chatting with GP) and no ill effects. Apparently anti-oxidant (whatever that means).

------------------------

Two recent butterfly observations. Last Friday at Grasspoint in the extreme southeast of Mull (nearest point to mainland Scotland some 10 kilometres away), a Tortoiseshell seen flying in off the sea in rather cloudy conditions with a good following wind. Monday, a tantalising possibility of an Orange Tip seen distantly on the outskirts of Tobermory in the north of Mull. It might of course have been an ordinary(and abundant) GV White, but I suspected I saw a glimpse of orange coloration. And I heard a poor report of a "butterfly with orange" over the Tobermory golf course (Tortoiseshell most probably). Orange Tips have apparently colonised the south of Mull (Grasspoint area) in only the past ten years and it is there where I have had my only positive sightings. Still, most of the island has suitable habitat and foodplants so I guess it's only a matter of time befoer they can be confirmed in the north of Mull.

Jack

[Padfield]

Hi Jack. I didn't know about turmeric's anti-arthritic effects but I did know it as one of the few superfoods with a pretty solid evidential backing, over many years of research. Staving off dementia and certain cancers are among its probable benefits. Because I only eat curry, and I cook from fresh ingredients every day, I get through literally kilograms of turmeric a year (I buy it in 400g bags from Indian shops) and there are no evident ill-effects - I haven't been to a doctor since 1985, when I pulled a muscle the day before an important race. Who knows, it may even be the ingredient that stops the mosquitoes biting me ... So if you want this GP's advice, go for it!

I'm glad you're getting some butterfly sightings too! It's some time since I saw one now ...

Guy

[Jack Harrison]

At last some good weather on Mull and significant numbers of butterflies.

Main centre of activity was just to southwest of Lochdon (NM720322) where every second dandelion had a GV White on it. Very dark, well marked form, here.



Much more exciting was that new colonist, Orange Tip. In a 300 metre stretch of roadside, saw perhaps seven or eight individuals - all male. None stopped for the camera.

While chasing an OT came across this:



Earlier I had been to Grasspoint, a favored spot for Sea Eagles. Saw just one. I had seen a Golden Eagle just outside Tobermory on the way to Grasspoint.

This scene reminded me of the Plains of East Africa. Replace the "Hairy Cow" with something more exotic...like a Wildebeest:



Grasspoint and Marsh Fritillary country. Ben Cruachan on the mainland in the background. (The hollow mountain - hydro-electric power station)

Jack

[David M]

Great stuff, Jack. Your island is looking stunning as ever.

[Jack Harrison]

Thursday 15th May, the annual Corncrake "fix" on Iona.

Six or seven different birds calling during a one hour walk. But the best was near the end of the visit just below the St.Columba Hotel (decent lunch there at sensible price). The vegetation in that meadow is much shorter and a Corncrake showed continuously for fully five minutes to the "wows" of the assembled watchers. I had stupidly NOT taken a camera with me in the certain knowledge that you NEVER see Corncrakes

Also seen at very close range - many birds on Iona quite tame - Rock Doves (fairly certain they were genuine wild ones), Linnets, Sedge Warblers, Rooks and Jackdaws (strangely, neither normally occur on "mainland" Mull), Ravens, Hooded Crows and Wren (Wrens are on Mull but elusive).
Also numerous domestic chickens

Not a single butterfly in the overcast mild conditions.

Jack

[Pete Eeles]

Main centre of activity was just to southwest of Lochdon (NM720322) where every second dandelion had a GV White on it. Very dark, well marked form, here.

Classic Pieris napi ssp. thomsoni, Jack - you're very lucky to see 'em

Cheers,

- Pete