Brigadoon or Northam Burrows

Clear sunny morning to start but as we travelled down the Atlantic Highway the sea mist was rolling in, swirling over the countryside like a wave. It has been like this for more than a week. Northam Burrows Country  Park and Westward Ho! were completely shrouded.  A learner rider chose possibly the worse day to try out his  motorbike on the Burrows road. As we walked towards Grey Sands Hill we could hear a helicopter hovering close to shore by the estuary but it was nowhere to be seen nor was Chivenor, the Biosphere or Appledore. We walked to the end of the Spit and a dead porpoise lay prone on the pebbles adding to the eerie scene. The lack of visibility did not deter the golfers who emerged silently from the mist as we made our way back down beside the Dunes and across the links where sheep and horses grazed. Creepily silent, only two gulls and what I think were a pair of busy skylarks. Back at a bustling Westward Ho!, the Carousel Amusements and Slipway Takeaway were open. We didn’t see the sea but heard it and the resident Bingo caller singing "two fat ducks, quackity, quack". The good news is Spring is on the way Hockings Ice Cream Vans are back and I’ve seen my first ladybird.  (Article P Adams 11 March 2012)

The Skern

Beyond Grey Sands Hill

Mists of Time on the Burrows

Journey's End

Where Fore Art Thou!

I still like to be beside the seaside

Explore Northam Burrows Country Park with the North Devon Focus Picture Tour

Explore Westward Ho! with the North Devon Focus Picture Tour
"Brigadoon, a miraculously blessed village that rises out of the mists every hundred years for only a day" (Brigadoon (film) Wikipedia Stub 

‘MARLEY’ TO BE RELEASED BY ISLAND RECORDS ON APRIL 16th 2012

The Third World’s first superstar and arguably the most recognizable human being on the planet, reggae giant BOB MARLEY is celebrated this year in a film by award-winning director Kevin MacDonald (‘One Day In September’, ‘State Of Play’, ‘The Last King Of Scotland’, ‘Touching The Void’ and ‘Life In A Day’). ‘MARLEY’, which received a rapturous reception at its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival on Feb 12th, will be released in the UK on 20th April ’12 through Universal Pictures and features stunning live performances, intimate interviews with friends and family, and rare documentary footage, which tells the definitive story of the superstar who rose from the ghetto to become one of the greats of popular music before dying tragically young at the height of his fame. BOB MARLEY was born February 6, 1945 in rural St. Ann’s Parish, Jamaica, leaving home at 14 to pursue a music career in Kingston. A naturally gifted musician and singer he recorded his first track in 1962. In ’72 finding himself stranded in London with his band the Wailers he signed to Chris Blackwell’s Island Records and went on to enjoy global success and to put reggae on the music map. Many of his songs – which highlighted both Jamaica’s poverty and the spirituality of its people – have since become universal anthems. MARLEY died of cancer on May 11, 1981, aged 36.Says Kevin MacDonald: " MARLEY the film is an intimate, human portrait of the legendary singer . But as with any film about an artist - the main purpose has got to be to send the listener back to the music with a renewed appreciation for its beauty and significance. That's why I am so happy that Island are releasing this special collection of songs from and inspired by the movie." Says Chris Blackwell: “Kevin MacDonald has made a wonderful film about Marley. I think it will touch the hearts of many. It tells Bob’s story properly for the first time and you get a real sense of the man and his incredible talent. His spiritual message is as relevant now as it ever was and his music still resonates around the world.” The soundtrack to ‘MARLEY’ will be released on Island Records on 16th April ’12. It will be released in two formats: 2CD and a 3LP. It includes, for the first time on record, the 1978 One Love Peace concert performance of ‘Jammin’ during which Marley joined the hands of bitter political rivals Michael Manley and Edward Seaga, a gesture which went some way towards restoring peace to a strife-torn Jamaica. The tracklisting of the soundtrack, which follows the chronology of the film, is as follows:

• 1) Corner Stone
• 2) Judge Not
• 3) Simmer Down
• 4) Put It On
• 5) Small Axe
• 6) Mellow Mood
• 7) Stir It Up
• 8) Concrete Jungle
• 9) Crazy Bald Heads (Groucho mix)
• 10) Natty Dread
• 11) Trenchtown Rock (live at The Roxy Theatre)
• 12) Get Up Stand Up
• 13) Work
• 14) Jammin (live at One Love Peace Concert)
• 15) Exodus (Kindred Spirit Dub Mix)
• 16) No Woman No Cry (Live at the Lyceum)
• 17) War (Live at the Rainbow)
• 18) I Shot the Sheriff (Live at the Lyceum)
• 19) Roots Rock Reggae
• 20) Three Little Birds
• 21) Real Situation
• 22) Could you Be Loved
• 23) One Love / People Get Ready
• 24) Redemption Song
• 25) High Tide Or Low Tide

Marley – The Original Soundtrack Release date: 16th April Formats: Double CD - 00602527985985 - Triple Vinyl - 00602527985992
FILM TRAILER: 

‘MARLEY’ – WHAT THE PAPERS SAY
“Kevin MacDonald’s detailed portrait of Bob Marley grapples with the last king of reggae’s philosophical and religious convictions. 4*” The Guardian 13.2.12
“A documentary with scope and soul, this cradle-to-grave portrait of Bob Marley…is bottling what made Asif Kapadia’s ‘Senna’ such a success. 4*” Daily Telegraph 14.2.12
“One of the main treats in Berlin was Kevin MacDonald’s massive feature documentary ‘Marley’…What makes it inspiring is the music, the exhaustive research and the personality of Marley.” The Independent 17.2.12
“…the most enjoyable film so far is ‘Marley’, in which the life and career of the reggae icon is explored through archive footage and enlightening interviews with some of Marley’s most idiosyncratic collaborators…” Time Out 16.2.12

New Otter Spotters for Exmoor & North Devon

New Otter Spotters for Exmoor & North Devon On Saturday 26 February Devon Biodiversity Records Centre (DBRC) found the sun shining and a full turn out at their Otter Spotter training day on Exmoor. For many years 'Operation Otter' has been a county wide monitoring project which has been vital for tracking this elusive mammal's recovery. Volunteers are often keen to be involved but funding to provide training days is not always available. This year South West Water generously supported DBRC and funded a classroom session in the morning, followed by identification skills sessions on the riverbank during the afternoon. Ellie Knott & Caroline Jones from DBRC have both been involved with the project from its earliest days and conducted the day's training. They were both delighted that twenty-one potential 'otter spotters' could attend the day resulting in 19 new sites being assigned to volunteers, 16 or which are in the North Devon area. Caroline said ''we are really pleased to have trained up some new people in the North of the county, as it has been some time since we could offer this support in that area''. During 2011 the Environment Agency issued a positive report on the otter's comeback. As a top predator it can be used as a guide to how a river's eco-system is functioning. Devon now has otters in all of its major rivers and Devon Wildlife Trust's waterside headquarters in Exeter, is often visited by at least one adult. Ian Egerton, Devon Biodiversity Records Centre's Manager, said: "It is important that DBRC continue to run monitoring projects such as this. Hopefully funding will be found to run similar days in other parts of the county as the interest this event generated has left us with a waiting list of other potential volunteers''.

Otter_spotter_training_day_copyright Mark_Haworth-Booth