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Dougal's Pet Corner
The place for your pet stories and pictures, let me have them |
The Bulldog
There are many different breeds of dog, each with their own special characteristics, but
for this issue we have chosen the Bulldog, an appropriate animal to choose don't you
think?
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The Bulldog was among the first breeds to be recognised
when The Kennel Club (England) was organised in 1873. |
The Bulldog is described as being broad, powerful and compact in appearance. Their
characteristics include the impression of determination, strength and activity and they
are tenacious, bold, loyal, dependable, courageous, fierce in appearance, but very
affectionate by nature.
No wonder the British are often referred to as Bulldogs!
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| North
Norfolk Railway - Open Day |
The North Norfolk Railway is holding an Open
Day on Sunday April 13th to enable local residents to see behind the scenes of the
railway. Entrance to the various stations will be, as usual, free and, if you want to take
the opportunity to 'ride the trains', all day tickets are available at reduced rates of
£5 for an adult and £3 for children between four and fourteen. In addition to the normal
steam service the newly restored diesel railbus will be in operation giving an approximate
service interval of 45 minutes. There will also be the opportunity to try your hand at
driving a steam engine!
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The ever popular 'drive for a fiver' will operate at
Sheringham where for £5 adults will be able to take the controls of a steam engine and
make a return trip from the platform out to just by the Golf Course crossing. And if you
can't get enough of steam locomotives, there will also be a steam traction engine on
display. |
There will be regular guided tours of the carriage and engine sheds at Weybourne, which
are not normally accessible to visitors, and you will also be able to visit the
operational signal boxes at Sheringham and Weybourne. In the engine and carriage sheds you
will be able so see volunteers and staff at work in maintaining the engines and coaches
used by the railway, as well as restoring an old wooden pigeon van dating from the 19th
century. Both the carriage and engine sheds are shortly to be enlarged as a result of the
Railway's successful application for European Funds so this will be your last opportunity
to see them prior to this expansion. The railway is run by volunteers and is always
seeking new members to help drive and operate the trains as well as for the many other
jobs involved in making the railway one of the most popular tourist attractions in
Norfolk. If you are considering becoming a volunteer, the 'Open Day' will give you a good
idea of what the railway is all about. The day will start at 10.30 and finish at 4.00
although trains will operate outside these hours.
See you there! |
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| Cold nights
and warm(ish) days |
The spells of cold weather that we have had over recent weeks, with those lazy winds that
can't be bothered to go round you, preferring to go straight through, do provide very
clear skies. On cloudless nights, one of the conspicuous objects in the sky at the moment
is Jupiter. In the evening, it is the brightest 'star', fairly high in the east.
With a good pair of binoculars, of a magnification even as low as 8x and steadied on
something solid, you can make out Jupiter's four biggest moons: lo, Europa Ganymede, and
Callisto. Each night, these four are in a different position as they circle round Jupiter,
like planets round the Sun.
With a telescope, even one designed for birdwatching, if the 'seeing' conditions are good,
it should be possible to make out a couple of the 'cloud belts' that encircle this giant
planet. Back on earth, spring is just around the corner.
If you are lucky enough to have a Song Thrush territory nearby, you may even have been
awakened by this bird's forcefully-delivered song. Song Thrush numbers have declined
seriously in the last couple of decades, and as a result, it is a 'Biodiversity Action
Plan Priority Species'. This status means that it has its own plan dedicated to helping
conserve it, so if you have a Song Thrush in your garden consider yourself lucky.
On the coastal marshes, the waders that breed are already staking out their territories.
Oystercatchers, which are absent from grazing marshes till sunny spells in February, have
probably spent the winter in The Wash. Ringed Plovers also begin to reappear at their
breeding sites, and Avocets, that used to desert East Anglia completely in winter, are
also quick to return from estuaries much closer to home, where they now winter.
Cley-Spy
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READERS
LETTER |
An added comment regarding the letter (Issue 10) on the
dog mess problem. Another "hot spot" regarding fouling, are the pavements
towards the far end of Barford Road, which have been left covered in places several times
already this year!
Please clean up after your dogs, wherever you are, including the Common, I clean up after
my two small dogs (and sometimes after others too!).
Presumably if you have a dog you like dogs, so why risk antagonising those who are not dog
lovers, into becoming dog haters? For any dog haters reading this, please bear in mind
it's the owners actions (or more correctly - non-actions) you should hate and not the
dogs!
There is also another filthy habit around, - spitting - and this is a big way of spreading
disease, including tuberculosis ....
Remember, our feet, our pets feet, pushchairs and walking sticks, all have to go along the
pavements and through all these disgusting substances (if not seen in time to avoid them).
What a nasty selfish streak runs through a minority of people, but hey! Let's have praise
too for the majority of folk in this lovely town, who are not so unsociably minded!
Name Withheld
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Ellies Beachside
RE-OPENING
14 APRIL
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