SLADNOR'S LIGHTNING TREE

One of those rare events - a fine Bank Holiday Monday April 21st to be out and about enjoying life in the combe.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A LEGENDARY WHISKY TASTING!

£950 for a litre bottle of Lagavulin 1979 - A 'legendary' bottling.

I bought this Lagavulin 1979 Distillers Edition single malt in the early 90's from a Carrefour outlet near Paris.  I paid the equivalent of £31 for it - after considerable deliberation as most single malts could be purchased for around £10.

A few months ago, I looked for the bottle online and mistakenly thought it was valued at around £240 and was prepared to take it to local resident Ziggy Austin's whisky tasting last December as part of his birthday celebration.

I was (now seen as fortunately rather than the opposite I relayed to Ziggy) unwell at the time and could not attend.  I think that I would have been even more unwell if I had gone ahead ...

GONE FOR A BURTON!

Single deck halfcab outside Brunel Manor

 

I was fortunate to spot this Burtons single decker halfcab parked outside Brunel Manor yesterday lunchtime.  They were a common sight on Devon roads in the fifties and I used to travel on the Totnes to Staverton service as a little tacker.   Now sadly 'Gone for a Burton'  ... boom boom!

AN UNWELCOME SIGHT

I couldn't quite make out what was showing atop the caisson clad waterfall down on Maidencombe Cove.  A zoom up revealed the unwelcome sight of debris washed down the ravine and trapped above the grille.   I'll inform the relevant bodies.
Once renowned as the 'Wonder of Maidencombe',  the original twin cataract was sealed in the late sixties after raw sewage was seen coming over the falls. 

A DOT ON THE HORIZON UNTIL ...

Down on Maidencombe Cove yesterday and could just make out the ever present (arrived September 15th last year) Sanko Mineral as a dot on the horizon.  She is currently at anchor just over six miles offshore.

A much closer look with the staggering 200 X zoom of my Sony HX300 ....

THE FRAGILITY OF THE CIRL BUNTING POPULATION IN MAIDENCOMBE

Cirl bunting - heavily protected 

So often cited as protection from development within Maidencombe, the Cirl bunting population census may surprise quite a few people.
Torbay has an estimated 60 breeding pairs in total with 19 of those pairs residing within the Maidencombe coastal strip.  A further 5 pairs are known to be located within the RSPB reserve at Labrador Bay, though this number is expected to rise considerably when appropriate habitat improvements are undertaken.

MAIDENCOMBE TIMELINE

Village elder Alan Hunt studies the Timeline with Fiona Bruckin

Part 2 of Ziggy Austin's Maidencombe Timeline was held at the Thatched Tavern Wednesday evening.  Intended to chart the complete history of Maidencombe with contributions from residents new and old.  Postcards, cuttings, photos, documents, maps and text have come in and the manuscript is gradually beginning to fill out.

APRIL FIRST JOKE (AGAIN!)

A few residents will probably be looking for an 'April Fool' posting on our gentle site today but will be disappointed.   After our celebrated (by most) 'Wind Farm for Maidencombe'  spoof last year, there was a long-running 'saga'  as a committee member of the Maidencombe Residents Association sought to apportion blame and discredit the author of the light-hearted exercise.

So, reluctantly,  the two authors of this website have decided that the traditional English pastime should not be attempted this year.

Our regret is that some seek to achieve their dubious aims this way.