Diary . . . continued (2)

I've been busy with three simultaneous projects for the BBC; ‘Natures Top 40‘, ten half hours for BBC 2 featuring a countdown of the UK’s greatest wildlife spectacles,‘ A Users Guide to the UK’s Wildlife‘, a BBC 4 supplement to the forthcoming ‘Nature of Britain’ in eight half hours and a couple of hour long ‘specials’ for BBC 4 about conservation in the UK, its origins, development, current state and future prospects.

The latter has been very interesting and a bit of a personal rant about some of the frankly outrageous and outdated concepts of conservation currently in operation. Its sure to ruffle a few feathers because as usual  I’ve said what I think, not pulled any punches, and some of the complacent, bureaucratic and misguided will not be too keen to listen to my opinion of the truth. But hey, that’s my job sometimes, to stir things up a bit, stimulate some new ideas and get people thinking about making things better than they think they are. It won't make me any friends but who cares, it’s the result that counts and that’s what counts more than anything to me.

It's time for a bit more pragmatism, a bit more intelligence, a lot more looking forward rather than letting nostalgia, conscience and sentimentalism continue to shape our ideals at this absolutely critical time for conservation. Sam Smith and Richard Taylor-Jones have done a great job producing these programmes and they are looking really good.

Somewhen amongst all this and more I had an exhibition of photographs at the WWT Headquarters at Slimbridge. To be honest it was a bit of a downer for me. Brian Stares had been printing and processing all my work for years and it was always totally top drawer. Nothing was ever too much trouble, he worked tirelessly on every task and always added something to my pictures. Soon after he had begun work on this collection he suffered complications after a previous illness and died. His son Ben insisted on completing the job and despite everything did so with results that honoured his father's wishes and skills. Nevertheless, the whole event was tinged with sadness. On the day the weather was awful (what a surprise), and understandably not very many people came to the opening. Given the trouble, Ben's goodwill, the fact that the WWT staff did a lot of the work I should have done myself, for which I was extremely grateful, and the frantic nature of my schedule, this was disappointing. However, I was given a real lift by the fact that a few friends took the trouble to come, some from bloody miles away, I was really flattered by that. So thanks to Dave, Jane and Lisa, to Pete and Lynn from Lionscape, to Duncan Chard who I hadn’t seen for far too long and to Malcolm who worked so hard to get the pictures delivered on time. To be honest I always struggle with things like this, I’m not too enamoured with my own work, it never seems good enough to me, let alone to pin up on a wall.

What else? Well, I hosted a version of The Generation Game at a Springwatch event on Southampton Common, gave a couple of talks and led a couple of walks for Nikon UK at the brilliant London Wetland Centre, visited the Daphne De Maurier festival and finally read Rebecca as a result, gave an address at the RSPCA’s annual general meeting, showed some bemused folks at the Isle of Wight Zoo some skulls, pellets and pooh, did my patronly duties at the Hampshire Water Festival, tried my best to auction a bevy of excellent donations at The Hawk Conservancy Trust’s Summer Ball (£5000 was raised in total), attended Green Fayres in St Albans and Midhurst, assisted the Mayor of London at the London Schools Environment Awards presentation day and was lucky enough to be asked to give some after dinner speeches on a fabulous P&O cruise. Megan came for moral support and to eat more ice-creams, pizzas and sweets than ever before! I read ‘Five Skies‘ by Ron Carlson which was a well written treat, tried reading ‘Angels of Death‘ and ‘Ugly Americans’ which were un-readable rubbish and now I’m enjoying  Mark Kulansky’s‘ The Big Oyster - a Molluscan History of New York‘, probably not as good as ‘Cod’ but its keeping me awake at night!

What’s next? More filming in the UK to finish off the ‘Users Guides’ and ‘Top 40’, judging the Counrtryfile Photographic Competition with John Craven and Jo Brand, always something I enjoy, a trip to Minsmere with Nikon for walks, talks and hopefully some good birding as well. I’m giving some talks at a family fun environmental day at Aldershot on 30th September and a talk in Hemel Hempstead that night entitled ‘Nevermind the Buzzards’ - lots of blood, pooh and snot - a perfect family show! This is repeated in Andover on Thursday 11th October and on the 12th I’m in Oxford prattling on about something else. I’ve got to get the dogs' hair cut, my own hair cut, I’ve promised to see my accountant and to collect the photos from Slimbridge, I’ve got to pay Malcolm, get a hole in the conservatory roof fixed and install a wood burning stove before winter. Given that this task will be a first for me and that it will be a single handed endeavour, I foresee a leaking roof, a smoke filled room and a lot of swearing.

Id like to end with a request, a sort of prayer  . . . Please, please, please stop raining now!

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