ABtrees

All I can add is that you've obviously never had the privilege of owning a Countax ride on mower - masterclass in (deliberately???) complicated design !!!!

Morning. This is always difficult but ....... you need to recover your property. In my limited experience, any talk of solicitors and administrators may be premature. It kind of assumes the chap had a valid will - he may not have done. In any event his widow (assuming they were married) may not have had any experience of dealing with death and the estate and there could be other people involved (anywhere from helping sort stuff out to have taken complete charge of it - formally appointed or otherwise). Whether or not there is a valid will might change the route, people involved and type of probate granted (but as Stubby says that could be weeks/ months down the road). You have said he was self employed but was there a Ltd. company because that will change things as well - quick search on his name at companies house ( Find and update company information - GOV.UK (company-information.service.gov.uk ). The problem is you don't know what is going on or how far they have got (imagine 20 or 30 unlabelled 'work in progress' watches on his bench). In order to apply for probate they will have to value the estate and the danger is they confuse your watch as being part of that. Hopefully you have a picture of it ? My next best course of action would be to send (recorded delivery) her a letter (and the picture) and ask her to clearly and positively identify your watch and confirm that she still has it in her possession. Take a copy of this (photograph & everything going in (to) the envelope!). Sorry to trouble her but (covering letter) ..... "maybe YOU have a buyer interested (!!!) and don't want to lose the sale" sketch - so could she get back to (ideally call) you as soon as possible (within a week). As soon as she does so, go and pick it up. If she doesn't at all (maybe 2 weeks) then approach the solicitors. Good luck AB

I'm not sure about that - looks to me like the geese have made themselves invisible ! and the Whooper (?) is about to do the same !!!! Nice pics btw

Thankfully it's supposed to go cold again tonight - may even freeze ! The last week has been bonkers here in central France : Last week I spent half an hour watching a red squirrel bouncing around the treetops building a new drey (I know they don't hibernate as such - but for this guy Spring had definitely arrived )! Then out in the field on New Year's eve, a Brimstone came fluttering past on the breeze and to cap it all the bloody tick season has started early - out in the woods yesterday, came back in, jumped in the shower and there's one of the buggers on the top of my shoulder - 3rd of January - come on ! Keeping an eye out for swallows .............. !

Ok. As we're now allowing sunrises - here's last Saturday on a roundabout, somewhere just north of Le Mans

Definitely Spindle. We have quite a few scattered around the place (in France before you ask). What has really caught my attention this year is the phenomenal amount of seeds some of the trees are carrying. Crappy snaps attached ! Is there a name for a Spindle mast ? !!!!

Again, Stere - thanks for your input. Following arbwork's lead this morning, I had done a couple of hours reading and convinced myself it was P. ramorum and then you come up with that as a really good alternative shout, especially as it specifically mentions hornbeam's susceptibility. What I did read is that apparently chestnuts are susceptible to ramorum and we have v.healthy sweet and horse, so (again) you may be on to something ! Am I right in thinking that the only way to be sure is to have it tested ? And in any event I assume it's bad news and the affected trees should be taken out asap ? Presumably firewood ??? It's in central France btw. And as for the squirrels, we don't have any greys only reds and can't say I've noticed any damage on my young hornbeams - that's not to say it hasn't happened you understand, just that it's not at a level that I've noticed ! That said, our wood is fully naturally regenerating - haven't planted anything in the last 15 years ! Main problem is deer and they seem to generally prefer my apple trees or young walnut ! Oh and I agree on the weather btw. What we need (and used to have) is a properly cold winter (lower than -10 C) - that would slow a lot of this stuff down a bit.

Thanks very much for that heads-up. Rather alarmingly it does indeed look like that could be what it is. I've just spent the last hour reading up on it and none of it is good - it would appear it's all over France, devastating much of their forest and woodland. Looks like I've got a very busy Xmas break coming up - but at least I'll be keeping warm !!! I'll keep you posted.

Haven't posted on this thread for a while so here's (quite) a few of my latest snaps

Help ? My trees are suffering. I have recently lost a whole load of spruce, more than a few Oaks have died off along with some of the Alder and now to cap it all the Hornbeams are dying too. The Hornbeams worry me the most. I have a feeling that this is some sort of canker (first picture)but (as I have said many times on here) most of my opinions are just guesses. Will someone definitively tell me what this is and what (if anything) I can do about it pls.? The trees get to look pretty sick and then when I fell them most of the tree is already dead. Any thoughts greatly appreciated. AB

Hi Stuart Yeah they really get you going the first time you come across them - I was convinced I was about to be very badly stung - again! Do you have any other / clearer pictures ? Whilst the whole group are 'wasp beetles' I am curious as to what you have actually found. Pretty sure that they are Plagionotus (rather than Clytus Arietis ) but I don't think they are P.Arcuatus (wrong yellow/black pattern). They might be P. Detritus or possibly P. Scalaris - or maybe not ?!!!! I know there are people far more knowledgeable than me on here so hopefully one of them will jump in and clarify what you've got. AB.

Early Golf ball ?

Very, very good. That's exactly what it is. AKA : Bearded vulture or Gypaete Barbu locally. Very rare even where we were. They are massive 43" tall and about 8ft wingspan. Staple diet consists of animal bones which they swallow whole or break by dropping them onto rocks from a great height. Interesting birds - there was one in the UK last year only the 2nd in 20 yrs - but they reckon that was a young bird over from the Alps.

OK more from the Alps - first some hoppers and then some butterflies to follow. I think the caption on the last one could be : 'Oh, ..... that sort of Jump' but I'm sure someone on here will come up with a better suggestion ?

Yes - officially apparently the Short-toed Snake Eagle. Clue's in the name on the Chough - Alps - due East of Annecy. You left out the young Black Redstart and do you want to hazard a guess at the big fella with the distinctive silhouette above the mountain. As a clue to its size, it was about 1/2 a mile from me - that picture is heavily cropped and taken on a 400mm. Think barn door !

Hi Doug Not exactly ! But there were plenty of them ..... Not seen them before.

Evening. Been off on my hols - so here's a small selection of (really v. poor quality - sorry) pics. A couple of easy ones and a couple a bit more difficult. The one of the 'crows' I was really pleased with, in fact it's fair to say I was ........... ? I'll put a couple of others up in bugs and beasties -maybe tomorrow

I told you numbers were increasing ! So after 10 years waiting to get the first picture of an Oriole ............ wife's been out with the camera again this morning ! So that'll be a pair of Orioles AND a Middle Spotted Woodpecker thrown in for good measure - I going to get her to pick some lottery numbers for tonight (so we can afford a better camera!). And then the chick (Oriole not the wife) gets in the frame too !!! Like London buses I tell you !

My guess is the smallest of the brood !!!

Have to say I am a bit concerned about the one on the left !!!

So I believe but I'm pleased to report not around here (don't forget I'm in deepest darkest France). We have them back every summer (for us they are a fancy version of returning swallows - "heard my first Oriole today") - and they do seem to be increasing in numbers. Seeing them and trying to get a picture has become something of an obsession for my whole family. We've been on many walks (armed with binoculars and big lens on the camera), got really close and (if we're lucky) just catch a fleeting glimpse of the bird diving deeper into the forest. As Dave says (above), they are oh so secretive. The picture above was heavily cropped (original below) and taken at around 100 m on a 300mm lens (extended to 420mm) and he was sat there for less than 90 seconds albeit shouting (a completely raucous alarm call rather than the usual melodious tune)! I'm just going to have to improve my bushcraft and /or get lucky and find a nest site ! Oh to have the time - eh !

So here's the story ....... This young lady decides to learn to fly by chasing grasshoppers and young great tits around our garden She gets bored and so after a quick rest on the side of our house sets off up the hill into our bit of wood - and that's when it all kicks off ! There's one bird that we often hear but very, very rarely see and for over a decade have never been able to photograph. Anyway turns out he doesn't like Kestrels (can't imagine why !) so he chases her into the wood and then just sits there shouting at her until she gets fed up and leaves - never to be seen again - so far. And that bird is ...... Wife took the pics - well chuffed !

Hi Doug. Not 100% but it looks suspiciously like a Four-banded Longhorn (Leptura quadrifasciata). Nice find if it is.

Bit of an update - today I think we found the daddy ! Biggest 'Capricorn' I've ever seen. Picking up on previous conversation, I reckon I may be losing a few old Oaks shortly !!!! I am actually not 100% sure that this and the one posted previously are the same species - so would be very happy for any real experts to correct me - as usual ! OK I've done a bit more digging - it turns out the picture from last year (in the quote) IS actually a different species. It is the Lesser Capricorn (Cerambyx Scopolii). The one from today is definitely the Great Capricorn (Cerambyx Cerdo). They both eat Oak trees ! Glad we cleared that one up - eh !!!!

OK here you have it then.... yes it's one of those Big Beaks ! Story goes, flew into the bedroom window - knocked out cold - wife picks him up - seriously dazed - sits him on her hand for 10 mins (posing for photos!). Sorts himself out, little shake and flies off into the bamboo. Everybody happy !