Today’s blog was going to be an account of conservation volunteering with my friend Chris at Hartslock Nature Reserve near Goring… But as the saying goes, The best laid schemes o’ mice and men / Gang aft agley. And thanks to the preternaturally cold weather, my well-laid scheme for the morning went about as far agley as possible, when my car died en route.

I’m not a complete mechanical numpty (a former boyfriend drove Hillman Imps, so I have more than a passing acquaintance with the symptoms and repair techniques for a blown head gasket). Inspecting under the engine oil filler cap I discovered a discouraging creamy deposit which all you car buffs will recognise not as a new and exciting way to make mayonnaise but rather as possible signs of either (a) head gasket gone or (b) cracked engine block.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If at this point some of you are shouting “Why didn’t you top up your antifreeze in this very cold weather we’ve been having!”, rest assured I have already been having that very same inner dialogue and indulging in a spot of self-directed kicking. My only excuse was that I had the car serviced before Christmas and have kept everything regularly topped up since… And being a tad under the weather myself this week with a chill, it didn’t occur to me that my car might be suffering likewise. And the poor wee thing was fine on Friday when I last took it for a drive… *sigh*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So rather than enjoying a constructive morning of practical nature conservation I have been scrabbling about under my bonnet, sitting in a snowy field waiting to be towed back home by a rather cheery and nice breakdown recovery chap called Kit, and having a quick look on t’Internet to see how much a new engine block for a Seat Ibiza costs. (More than extra antifreeze. Okay, you can stop shouting at me now.) I have left a message for my friendly mechanics so all being well my car will be fixed in time for starting field teaching after half term… Albeit at a cost.

So the moral of this story is, um, antifreeze, basically. I’m practising all my meditation and positive thinking skills to put a good spin on this: it could’ve been worse (I could’ve been on my way to work, or had an accident); it’s probably repairable (and it’s only money after all); maybe there was a cosmic reason for me not getting to Goring today (trust in the mysterious ways of the universe); and by having to use the breakdown guy and my mechanics I am supporting the local economy (reaching a bit with that one).

It’s been a trying time of year lately, what with having also to replace a broken camera zoom lens the other week. A former colleague used to talk about ‘The Lurker’ entering one’s life, bringing with it a run of bad luck, so I consider myself temporarily Lurked. The sad truth of living in Berkshire and doing the kind of work I do (field teaching at various rural and urban outdoor sites) is that I have to use a car to get to some of my work venues, so despite my preference for bike and train I need a vehicle.

Anyway, hopefully Normal Service Will Be Resumed as soon as possible. In the spirit of temporary broadcasting difficulties, instead of an account of my scrub bashing at Hartslock this morning I offer you some pictures taken there in warmer seasons. It is a beautiful site which I am much attached to (I was the resident BBOWT warden there in 1995), and part of my dismay at failing to get there today is genuine disappointment at not being able to visit the site and catch up with Chris and the other work party volunteers. The reserve has an amazing variety of flora and fauna, including the rare Monkey Orchid Orchis simia, Lady Orchid Orchis purpurea and now also the hybrid of these Orchis simia x purpurea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The world of rare native British orchids is nearly as esoteric as bird twitching: people come from miles around to photograph Hartslock’s colony in mid-spring. I spent a magical spring and summer wardening there 17 years ago, learning a lot about chalk downland wildlife and ecology. My friend Chris ran a regular moth trap there and we spent many a fun hour sorting through our catch and traipsing about on the reserve with other volunteers and BBOWT staff. Generally the site is superb for chalk-loving plants and invertebrates such as butterflies – it also gets visits from the Club-tailed dragonfly Gomphus vulgatissimus, Goring being one of the few areas in the UK that it frequents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, if all this has whetted your appetite then why not pay Hartslock a visit… Or better still, if you live near Reading consider joining the morning work parties (run on the second Sunday of every month) – visit either the Hartslock or BBOWT websites for more info (see links above in this blog entry). I will certainly be getting over there at some point soon, when my car is all better. When the weather gets a little warmer, mapping orchid plants there is always a fun job (with the added bonus of spectacular views over the Goring Gap and River Thames) so that’s something to look forward to.

In the meantime, keep warm… And check your antifreeze.