End of. Beginning of.

Even here in the normally sedate south-east of England the weather is kicking off. An unusually blustery west to south-westerly wind is making itself felt and, looking at the weather forecast for the next few days, will continue to be a nuisance. What it must be like to the north and west of us I can only imagine and sympathise with. Roof tiles, fence panels, tree boughs, garden furniture and moth-traps all going on unscheduled journeys into the air... 

Now Christmas is over (in my book that is when Boxing Day finishes) I normally start to tidy up in readiness for the new year and look back at the past 12-months. 2023 has been a bit of a roller-coaster for me, some great highs and some nasty lows. As I'm fond of saying, if you experience the privilege of reaching an 'older' age then you need to accept that things will not always run smoothly - unless you are very lucky indeed. It goes with the territory. Enough said.

I didn't travel far this year. Most of my birding was local - for the first time in an age I did no coastal birding at all. The moth trap got a fair outing, but only in the garden and largely from early-summer onwards. I woefully neglected my botanical studies. but having said all of that I did get a lot of enjoyment from my natural history time, albeit not filled with highlights to look back on with a warm feeling. It would be wrong of me to brush under the carpet the undeniable truth that numbers of birds and invertebrates were down. At times they were abject. 

There were two moth species that turned up in the garden that I was dead chuffed with - a couple of Dark Crimson Underwings (above) and Uresiphita gilvata, the latter a very scarce migrant. My aims for 2024? Well, I do have a few projects in mind, but nothing grand and ones that I will not announce here, mainly because they quite often wither away as the year progresses, but if they stay the course then I might mention them. A few trips down to the coast and South Downs will be in order. My neglect of botany will be rectified. Another burst of enthusiasm with the micro-moths has been ordered. I'm also looking forward to getting my binoculars back from Austria where they are undergoing a service and repair, hopefully by the end of January. I've missed them. 

Whatever your hopes, wishes and aims are for the next 12 months, good luck, and may 2024 be a peaceful one for you and yours. Thanks for visiting ND&B - it is appreciated.

Comments

Gibster said…
Steve, I'm not even sure of the last time I left a comment here, but rest assured I have read every single post you've made for the past few years and have taken something away from each and every last one of them. You strike me as having reached the thoughtful/insightful stage of life, clearly there's plenty of action left in you and your boots yet! But an introspective slowing down and drawing away from the frenetic pace of life is definitely showing. A matureness maybe, something I seem to lack the ability to comprehend yet alone learn. Thankyou for keeping with NDAB. It is, along with a scant few others, my main go-to blog and one where I am always pleased to see a fresh post. Thank you for 2023 buddy, I look forward to how you will bring 2024 to us. Maybe a few more plants please, we outsiders living on the tundra wastes crave your southern delights!
27 December 2023 at 23:23
Stewart said…
Hi Steve, all the best for the New Year, whatever projects you settle on. I hope you keep blogging about your thoughts and findings, I really enjoy reading them all. Love Stewart!
29 December 2023 at 18:34
Gavin Haig said…
A bit belated, but all the best for 2024, Steve. I am glad that Blogland is still home to some of my favourite reading material, including ND&B of course. Despite the evident downward trends in so many things Nat Hist, there is still so much to get excited about, and it is always a pleasure to see you doing so, and writing about it. Long may that continue!
7 January 2024 at 22:14
Steve Gale said…
Thanks for the kind comments chaps, and each and every one of you visitors to ND&B since the very start. And, if I may be so bold, each and every one of you also fine writers, bloggers, artists and naturalists! Happy New Year!
9 January 2024 at 12:30
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