Wild Singapore

We're just back from a near-six week overseas trip, which started with five nights in Singapore. Shortly before we left a friend, to whom I'd commented that one of my aims was to try to see some birds, said "I'd not have expected there to be any birds there". Well! It wasn't an unreasonable comment actually as Singapore, with some six million people, has an area which is only a third the size of Canberra, so it's very densely populated indeed (in fact only Monaco has a higher population density). However they have put a lot of work and planning into building a 'garden city' so that any walk is likely to take you past or through parkland with lots of trees - and birds. Moreover there are a surprising number of nature reserves, including some original rainforest, and lots of regenerating and restored forest. This post features some of the natural delights we enjoyed.

I very rarely give plugs to commercial enterprises, so when I you do you know I really mean it. We spent a day with Shamla Jeyarajah Subaraj and Yeo Suay Hwee, and through them we enjoyed most of the natural reserves below and learnt a great deal about Singapore and its birds, mammals, plants, butterflies and dragonflies, and had a most memorable day (and excellent lunch) into the bargain. It was the undoubted highlight of our time in Singapore and I would recommend them unreservedly. You can contact Shamla at shamla@subaraj.com.

I guess this is many people's expectation of Singapore; it was mine until I started doing some homework.

However it could as well be represented by this...

Meraga Adina eurhyncha Family Rubiaceae, growing in remnant rainforest in the
fabulous Singapore Botanic Gardens. For us, these gardens were the jewel of Singapore. Covering
82ha they were founded in 1859 and have evolved ever since. In 2015 these gardens were declared
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

...or this...

Rainforest, Bukit Batok NP.

... or this ...

Tidal lagoon, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

...or this.

Mangroves, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

These are substantially natural areas, but there are also areas in the process of restoration.

The Quarry Reserve, which is part of the same reserve system as the Dairy Farm Nature Park
(see three photos down). This reserve is just what is sounds like, a former quarry
which has been turned into a nature reserve by flooding the excavation and
assisting the return of the surrounding forest. We found a couple of other examples too.

 

Fig growing on the wall of a flooded quarry in Bukit Batok NP; I think that much of
the rainforest is original here, but it regrows quickly and it's not always easy to
be sure which is primary and which is secondary forest, though I think that most
of the reserves are dominated by secondary (ie regrowth) forest.

Massive bird's nest ferns growing on the infrastructure in Bukit Batok;
it doesn't take long!

This is a clearing in the rainforest at Dairy Farm NR. The forest was cleared
in the 19th century for plantations of pepper and gambier (whose astringent leaves were
used for tanning, dyeing and herbal medicine). By the 1920s it was a pig farm, then in
the next decade it laid claim to being the world's first tropical dairy farm. The National
Parks Board began the regeneration process in the 1980s and the result is remarkable.

Like most of Singapore's reserves, Dairy Farm is heavily used by walkers on the sealed paths. Many of them were walking (and talking) for exercise and recreation rather than the natural values, but this is surely inevitable in such a densely populated country. The shared system seems to me an excellent compromise in the context, though it takes a little while to get used to; we were in most of these reserves on a Saturday too which exacerbated the situation.

Lily pond at the amazing Gardens by the Bay, an area of just over 100ha (though the
most-visited South Garden is about half this size), of gardens, ponds, pathways
and enormous greenhouses and cooled conservatories, which draws visitor numbers of
tens of millions a year. While not really a nature reserve - perhaps too structured for
that - it really is a must-visit and there is certainly plenty of wildlife present (including
the famous Oriental Small-clawed Otters which sadly didn't make an appearance
to coincide with ours).

And that, I think, is probably enough background - it's time to offer some actual animals of these landscapes before you nod off! There are a few of them to offer you, so I'll keep the information relatively brief. I'll start with one I'd actually wanted to see for some time, and which turned out to be very easy - in fact just about my first Singaporean bird.

Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus, in Fort Canning Park, central Singapore. These are the
ancestors of domestic fowl (ie chooks in Australia). The ones in the city parks are all
partial hybrids with domestic birds, though they look very like the true wild ones,
which do occur in some of the rainforests. A handsome bird indeed, and this one
is (inadvertently) advertising his mixed parentage by not cutting off the end of his
enthusiastic crowing quite abruptly enough.

And they are breeding well in this situation.

Pink-necked Green Pigeon Treron vernans snacking in the botanic gardens on fruit
of a Melastoma species (thanks Duncan!). A common south-east Asian pigeon,
but nonetheless lovely for that.

Common Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica at Dairy Farm NP.
This is a close relation to the Pacific Emerald Dove of eastern Australia
and nearby islands.

Zebra Dove Chalcophaps indica, a common urban bird, again with a close
Australian connection in our Peaceful Dove.

There are plenty of opportunities for waterbirds, including a couple of large ones which are recent arrivals.

Asian Openbills Storks Anastomus oscitans, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve - and
I'm sorry that I couldn't get any closer to them. It's only in the last decade (since 2013)
that these fascinating big storks have started to appear in Singapore from further north,
with a huge influx of some 5000 birds in 2020 and a smaller one currently. In brief summary
they have a gap in the bill, and the lower mandible is also twisted to the side to allow
the extraction of big apple snails from their shells. I wrote a little bit more on this here.

Somewhat more controversial is the status of this Milky Stork Mycteria cinerea (accompanied
here by Little Egrets Egretta garzetta and a Medium Egret Ardea intermedia*). They breed in
Cambodia, Thailand and Sumatra, but the Singapore population is believed to have derived
from escapes from the Singapore Zoo.
*The Medium Egret, found throughout south and south-east Asia, is now separated from
the Australian and New Guinea Plumed Egret A. plumifera, as well as from the African
Yellow-billed Egret.

And while we can see the Little Egret in Australia, especially in the north,
this one was too glorious in flaunting its breeding finery to overlook.

Common Redshanks Tringa totanus, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
These birds may have wintered here (remembering that Singapore is in the Northern
Hemisphere, though only just) or were on their north from Africa. Either way they
would soon have been continuing on their way north to breed on the Arctic tundra.

White-breasted Waterhens Amaurornis phoenicurus foraging by a lake in the
botanic gardens. One of the prettiest rails I've met, though this photo doesn't show
the lovely clear white underside.

White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis, a bird with a huge range from the
western Mediterranean to the Philippines but I'd not seen it and our guides put in
some effort to find it for us. This photo doesn't at all do it justice, but you can just
see the bright blue back, wings and tail. (The photo that does show them is even
worse so I'll keep it to myself.)

And while I'm on bad photos I'm going to slip in an even worse one, in late afternoon gloom, but a spectacular bird that I'd not expected to see. Please squint.

Chestnut-winged Cuckoo Clamator coromandus, Bukit Batok NP. It is regarded
as an 'uncommon migrant' to Singapore from south and south-east Asia.

And rather than calling it a bad photo (though it doubtless is) I prefer to think of this one as arty...

Silhouetted Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus in early morning
non-light at Dairy Farm. A spectacular bird.

Laced Woodpecker Picus vittatus, Bukit Batok NP, feeding at the base of a tree. It's apparently
fairly common, in Singapore and from China to Bali, but I'd not seen it before.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus, Singapore Botanic Gardens. These are
winter visitors to Singapore, so this one was likely to be flying further north to
breed soon after this. Meantime it was feeding up by swooping on insects above the pond.

Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
Bulbuls form a big family of birds, some 170 species across Africa and Asia.
This appears to be the commonest one in Singapore (in fact I've just discovered
that it's the second 'most observed' bird there).

Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus, another winter visitor which would soon be
leaving for the far north to breed.

Ashy Tailorbird Orthotomus ruficeps, Kranji Marshes Reserve. The tailorbirds
literally pierce and sew a large leaf with spider silk or grass to form a cup
in which the nest is made.

Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker Dicaeum cruentatum, closely related to the Australian
Mistletoebird, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. A common little beauty, but
like most flowerpeckers it doesn't sit still very often!

Given that it's the most commonly reported bird in Singapore, I can't really ignore it,
but the Javan Myna Acridotheres javanicus is an introduced species here.

However I won't finish the bird section with the myna; I've left what was probably my favourite Singaporean bird until last.

The White-crested Laughingthrush Garrulax leucolophus, Bukit Batok NP, was another
I was especially hoping to see, and at the end of the day we were rewarded by a bustling little
gang of these rowdies, swaggering up the path to inspect us and comment loudly
and doubtless rudely on our presence. In the past half century this species has expanded
its range south to Singapore, probably with human assistance.

Mammals didn't feature heavily, unsurprisingly, but here are three that we greatly enjoyed.

Lesser Short-nosed (or Dog-faced) Fruit Bats Cynopterus brachyotis, roosting on the
Sungei Buloh Wetland visitor centre ceiling. These are tiny fruit bats, less than 10cm long.
Below is a mother with baby.

Plantain Squirrel Callosciurus notatus, Singapore Botanic Gardens.
This is another common urban Singapore mammal.
While they're mostly arboreal, the one below was helpfully feeding on the
ground at Butik Batok NP.

Again I've left my favourite until last in this category. Since I encountered them in one of my treasured animal books when I was a boy, I've been fascinated by the mysterious colugos, two south-east Asian arboreal species of utterly misnamed 'flying lemurs' (they glide, not fly, and are definitely not lemurs!). We now know that they belong to their own Order of mammals, ie with no close relations at all. I had previously met them in Borneo, but on our late afternoon walk in Butik Batok NP we came upon two different ones (plus a third as you'll see) typically roosting on a tree trunk, but quite close to the ground. Very exciting.

Malayan Colugo Galeopterus variegatus with baby. Part of the marvellous spotted
gliding membrane can be seen below the front leg.

The only reptiles we saw were two species of monitor lizards (what we'd usually call goannas in Australia). One of them, the big Asian Water Monitor Varanus salvator, was surprisingly common in busy areas like the Botanic Gardens and the Gardens by the Bay. They and the people they encountered seemed in the main unperturbed by each other, which seems a satisfactory situation.

Asian Water Monitor nonchalantly crossing the path in the Botanic Gardens.

And yes, they are definitely at home in the water; this one at the Gardens by the Bay.

A less common species is the smaller Clouded Monitor Varanus nebulosus.

This one was basking by the cafe at the Botanic Gardens; I'm pretty confident based on the thin end
of the tail, the shorter nose and the nostrils halfway from the eye to the nose (see below),
but comments always welcomed.

And finally, a few invertebrates - mostly dragonflies actually!

Branded Imperial Eooxylides tharis, The Quarry Reserve. Love the 'tails'!

Blue Dasher Brachydiplax chalybea Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Common Parasol Neurothemis fluctuans, The Quarry Reserve.

Common Scarlet Crocothemis servilia, Kranji Marshes.

Yellow-striped Flutterer Rhyothemis phyllis, Singapore Botanic Garden.
This one comes as far south as northern Australia.

Variegated Green Skimmer Orthetrum sabina, Kranji Marshes.
It too is found in Australia, but in its case down much of the east coast.

And that is definitely enough for today; if you're still reading, thank you! I know that many people visit Singapore, for pleasure or business; if you have an interest in the natural world, don't miss any opportunity to explore Singapore with that in mind next time you're there. You'll be rewarded.

NEXT POSTING THURSDAY 5 JUNE

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Celebrating Botanic Gardens Day#2; some animals of the gardens

In my most recent post, I celebrated Botanic Gardens Day, which this year fell on Sunday 26 May. There I introduced and celebrated a range of 18 mostly regional gardens (though briefly also touching on a couple of big city ones) across five states and territories. Today I'm going to wrap up this mini-series with a celebration of some of the animals we've enjoyed meeting in 14 different Australian botanic gardens. In this case Canberra's own Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG hereafter) features much more heavily, doubtless disproportionately so, but as a reflection of the fact that, over the decades, I've spent a lot more time there than in all the other featured gardens put together. I shall try to do better in other gardens in the future!

Male Satin Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus violaceus snacking on Lilly Pilly berries
(Syzygium or Acmena sp.) in the ANBG.

I don't doubt that there have been bowers in the national gardens before but I've not seen them. Needless to say though these are not the only gardens with bowerbirds, and I have enjoyed the wonders of male bowerbirds displaying in their elaborately constructed and decorated performance stages in other gardens.

Male Satin Bowerbird standing proudly (and hopefully) in his bower, surrounded
by blue ornaments (all artificial in this case) at the entrance to the North Coast BG,
Coffs Harbour, north coast of NSW.

Western Bowerbird Chlamydera guttata in his impressive bower at the lovely
Olive Pink BG in Alice Springs, central Australia. This arid land bowerbird is
using traditional decorations, mostly white bones and stones, with some greenery.

I definitely wanted to show you the bower, but he deserves a better portrait too.

Alright, so he's shy about showing his face, but I especially wanted you
to see this gorgeous lilac crest, only visible when he's displaying.
That lovely soft fawn-spotted chocolate back is very attractive too.

Elsewhere in this garden, which is a particular favourite of ours, this White-plumed Honeyeater was attending the nest, just above the coffee-sippers (ie us on this occasion) at the outdoor cafe.

White-plumed Honeyeater Ptilotula penicillata with nest, Olive Pink BG, Alice Springs.

Like bowerbirds, honeyeaters arose in Australia, though both have extended into New Guinea and nearby islands. Honeyeaters make up something like 10% of Australia's breeding bird species, so it's inevitable that they'll pop up regularly in botanic gardens.

Far to the south of Alice Springs is another arid land gardens, in fact called the
Australian Arid Land Gardens Botanic Gardens, just outside Port Augusta
at the head of Spencer Gulf in South Australia. It features a bird hide facing
this bath/drinking trough, in the extensive natural area of saltbush and shrubs;
Singing Honeyeaters Gavicalis virescens, one of the commonest arid land
birds, are of course one of the major clients of this water supply.
(Here's a photo of the hide, as featured in last week's post.)

Rather more colourful, and a lot less common here than Singers are at Port Augusta,
was this exquisite male Scarlet Honeyeater Myzomela sanguinolenta in the ANBG
in Canberra feeding on an equally richly-coloured bottlebrush Callistemon sp..
The honeyeater is common enough at the coast, but infrequently makes
its way up the escarpment for a visit.

Flowers and berries are, as you might expect, good food sources for native birds in any garden. Here are a couple of different lorikeets getting stuck into nectar from two very different flowers in gardens in two different states.

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus feeding on eucalypt blossom in
Goondiwindi BG, an excellent native garden on the Queensland-NSW border.

Rainbow Lorikeets Trichoglossus moluccanus are familiar urban birds everywhere
in eastern and south-eastern Australia, and are rapidly spreading inland.
This one is feeding on the numerous tiny blossoms of a flowering spike of grass-tree,
Xanthorrhoea sp., in the Wollongong BG south of Sydney.
Both these lorikeets are feeding (destructively) on both pollen and nectar.

        

Far to the north these Metallic Starlings Aplonis metallica are feeding on palm fruits
along the boardwalk between the Flecker Gardens and the Centenary Lakes in
the Cairns Botanic Gardens.

Another cafe bird (like the White-plumed Honeyeater above) is this male Superb Fairywren Malurus cyaneus which literally came to the table at the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens near Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast.

This was in March, and he was just finishing moulting out of his breeding finery
to be less conspicuous - and thus safer - for winter. Like the bowerbirds and honeyeaters,
he belongs to an endemic Australian family, with a couple of outliers in New Guinea.
This bird is one of the most familiar and beloved of south-eastern Australian birds.

Many other birds are, like the fairywren, drawn by the rich biota of invertebrates in a healthy garden.

Black Butcherbird Melloria quoyi, stalking the understorey of the Cairns BG,
for small reptiles as well as invertebrates.

Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis in Eurobodalla BG, looking not only
for insects, but also opportunities to parasitise the nests of smaller birds,
leaving eggs for the involuntary hosts to brood and then ultimately rear the chicks.

Here are two more birds availing themselves of the invertebrate food store of Eurobodalla.

Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus, briefly appearing in the open.

Jacky Winter Microeca fascinans waiting for lunch to fly by.
This is one of the Australian robins.
(I'm pretty sure this isn't its bower...)

Male Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula, nicely catching the sun in the ANBG.

Like the White-plumed Honeyeater above, many birds of course nest in botanic gardens which may provide some security, especially if cat control is undertaken.

White-winged Chough Corcorax melanorhamphos nest in the Australian Inland
Botanic Gardens, Buronga, south-west NSW. These belong in this list of
invertebrate-eating birds of botanic gardens, which continues below.

Papuan Frogmouth Podargus papuensis roosting in mangroves in the
Cairns Botanic Garden, beautifully camouflaged. At night they feed
mostly on large insects, usually on the ground.

More formidable predators, focussing on vertebrate prey, also inhabit gardens.

Powerful Owl Ninox strenua, which took up residence in the ANBG for some
weeks in autumn of 2007. It stayed until the supply of Sugar Gliders in particular
ran low, then moved on, but while there it was quite a celebrity. This top-order
predator elsewhere is known to prey on fruit bats, larger possums and domestic cats.

Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus with an introduced Common Blackbird Turdus merula
in the Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens. As I sat on a bench the bird flew right over my
head, with still-struggling lunch in its claws, then sought a more private spot to eat it.

A few gardens birds are omnivores, like this Australian Brush-turkey Alectura lathami in the
Cairns Botanic Gardens, though I'm surprised to discover how little we know about their diet.
He was tending a mound at the time.

Some eat seeds.

Double-barred Finch Stizoptera bichenovii, Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens.

 

Common Bronzewing (Pigeon) Phaps chalcoptera, ANBG.
A familiar pigeon, found across virtually the entire continent, but always
a pleasure to encounter up close, especially with the sun bringing its iridescent
wing feathers to glittering life.

My last gardens bird for today is a special one for me, being the first Australian 'lifer' that I've come across in a botanic gardens (or at least for a very long time).

Spotted Whistling Duck Dendrocygna guttata, Centenary Lakes, Cairns Botanic Gardens.
They are found from the Philippines to New Guinea, and in the last couple of decades
have established a colony at Weipa up on Cape York Peninsula. However it was a real
surprise to find a small group in 2019 here, another 800k to the south-east.

Mammals are, unsurprisingly, much less frequently encountered in botanic gardens, but mostly because we're only there in the daytime. Additionally, large grazers like kangaroos and wallabies are understandably discouraged by garden managements. However, sometimes we get lucky.

Black-tailed Wallaby (or often Swamp Wallaby, though it's a misleading name) Wallabia bicolor
in the ANBG. They are browsers on shrubs, so could be a problem, but there are very few
in the gardens so unlikely to be very damaging.

Also in the ANBG, this Echidna Tachyglossus aculeata was definitely no threat to
the plants, though the ants and termites are distinctly unsafe.

Grey-headed Fruit Bat (or Flying Fox if you like, but really?) Pteropus poliocephalus,
Sydney Botanic Gardens, part of a large daytime roosting colony. This was in 2009, and
they've since been moved on. I understand the dilemma - in large numbers they can be
quite destructive to the canopy of roost trees - but they are also a nationally listed
threatened species (and were at the time of the removal). Personally they provided
one my strongest motivations to visit the gardens, but I wouldn't want to have
to make decisions on the issue either.

Reptiles live in any botanic gardens, I feel safe in asserting, albeit without actual comprehensive proof! I'm thinking especially of the numerous small skinks...

Rainbow Skink Carlia sp. (I think C. pectoralis, but am happy to be corrected),
Cooktown Botanic Gardens.

Red-throated Rainbow Skink Carlia rubrigularis, Cairns BG.
I'm a little more confident about this one...

Dragons are more conspicuous, especially the larger ones. In fact they are one of the highlights of the ANBG.

Australian Water Dragon Intellagama lesueurii, ANBG. There is a thriving population
throughout the lower part of the gardens where there is permanent water.
They regularly lurk under the restaurant tables.

They're not the only dragons here though.

Eastern Bearded Dragon Pogona barbata absorbing as much of the early spring
sun in the ANBG as it can. It has flattened its body and tilted it towards the sun
to maximise exposure to the sun, and cells containing melanin have turned its
flanks almost black for greater heat absorption.

And here's another (though not closely related) water dragon,
the Northern Water Dragon Tropicagama temporalis in the Darwin BG.

Not all gardens reptiles are lizards though, of course.

Krefft's Turtle Emydura kreftii, Centenary Lakes, Cairns BG.
This turtle is found along almost the full length of the Queensland
Pacific Coast, but not south of there.

Green Tree Snake Dendrelaphis punctulatus, in the big lush conservatory, Cairns BG.
Perhaps not a great name, as it is as much at home on the ground as in trees, and isn't always green!
Common Tree Snake is another name that reflects this aspect of it. I don't know if this
one had just popped in for some reconnaissance, or if it was finding enough frogs and
skinks here to make a permanent living. A lovely encounter anyway.

And this time I'm giving the invertebrates the honour of closing the show. As you might imagine I could have offered many more photos than these, but hopefully these can satisfy. I have just noticed that a disproportionate number of these photos feature butterflies (not really apology-worthy) and were taken either in the ANBG (because that's where I spend most time) or Cairns (because it's Cairns?).

Shining Oak-blue Arhopala micale, Cairns BG. Like other blues, its
caterpillars are attended and protected by ants while they feed. It is found in
Queensland, New Guinea and throughout Melanesia to Fiji.

Red Lacewing Cethosia cydippe, Cairns BG. We can just see the distinctive big red patch
on its upper wing. This tropical butterfly is found from north Queensland to Indonesia.

Male Cruiser Vindula arsinoe, Cairns BG, with a similar distribution to
the Red Lacewing. Both these butterflies were in the steamy green and extensive
conservatory; I suspect that they were introduced there (though maybe not) but
in either case they are local species.

Imperial Jezebel Delias harpalyce, ANBG. I find it interesting that the upperside
(not visible here) is a somewhat dingy black and white. This is a common butterfly throughout
the southeast mainland. (Just noting in passing that people - English blokes? - who gave
butterflies English names seemed somewhat preoccupied with human women,
often with derogatory connotations. Keep your eye out, though now that I think
about it, it's probably not as common in Australia as elsewhere.)

Male Common Brown Heteronympha merope, ANBG. This is always a common
butterfly, but in the summer of 2022-23 (when this was taken) they were
extraordinarily abundant, literally everywhere!

Orchard Swallowtails Papilio aegeus, ANBG. Here two males (left and right) are
attending - harassing?! - a female with intent. These were in the Tasmanian
rainforest gully by the footbridge, before the gully was severely damaged
by the devastating hailstorm of January 2020.

Australian Painted Lady Vanessa kershawi on Xerochrysum sp., ANBG.
Its proboscis, clearly visible, is probing the numerous tiny florets for nectar,
without having to burn energy in moving. See previous comment re butterfly names...

Staying in the ANBG, but moving on from butterflies though staying largely with daisies!

Common Flatwing Austroargiolestes icteromelas, ANBG, a very
common eastern Australian damselfly.

Flower spider Diaea sp., waiting on a daisy for a pollinator to alight in the ANBG.
Isn't it a beautiful camouflage?

Fly, Family Acroceridae, pollinating a daisy.

Native bee (best I can do, sorry!) collecting pollen from a paper daisy, Xerochrysum sp.

And finally, an insect from a different botanic garden, before the rumbles about local bias become too overwhelming!

A spider wasp (ie she hunts large spiders to paralyse and lay eggs on, to feed her babies),
Family Pompilidae, in the Inland Botanic Gardens, Buronga.

And that's the end of this celebration of botanic gardens, though I don't doubt there'll be more in the future. My thanks if you're still reading, I appreciate that.

In a just over a week we're planning to head off for four weeks in south-west Queensland, where we're hoping that the wet seasons of the past year or so will have relented enough for us to get to places, but left them full of flowers and breeding birds! We'll see, but whatever we find will be rewarding, and will doubtless provide material for future blog posts. The point here though is that there will a hiatus in Ian Fraser Talking Naturally, until Thursday 18 July. In the meantime you can always find more to read in past posts that you might have missed. See you then!

NEXT POSTING THURSDAY 18 JULY

I love to receive your comments and in future will be notifying you personally by email when a new posting appears, if you'd like me to. All current subscribers have been added to this mailing list and have already been contacted. This will mean one email every three weeks at the current rate of posting. I promise never to use the list for any other purpose and will never share it.
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