Falkland Islands 2013: January 31st update Peter Howlett, 31 January 2013 31.01.13It turns out that the car is not due to recover quickly and has been declared ‘unserviceable’ (a word that brought twinges of déjà vu and memories of my flight out). A replacement has been promised.Still, I have a car on loan for now which got me to Crooked Inlet, a large winding creek on the southern side of the same peninsula I sampled yesterday. As with many such sheltered creeks the sediment was soft muddy sand and there were many promising holes and tubes poking out from even high up the shore. The creek is very flat and so the tide retreated quickly, so quickly that at one point I actually watched it move away from me. As the ground was so flat I spaced my sampling out with quite long distances between the locations, each time moving down to where the edge of the tide was at that moment. However the fauna at each location did not seem to change appreciably although I did notice that as I moved down, the animals increased in size, with the juveniles obviously staying higher up the shore and the adults being lower down. The soft muddy sand was home to some very large specimens of several different groups including orbiniids, maldanids, terebellids and lumbrinerids. The most interesting find of the day though was a species of nereid (ragworms) that I had not yet seen during this trip and had only found previously at three sites on East Falkland in 2011. This species is in fact a new, currently undescribed species that I was working on from the previous material before coming out here so it was great to find another site for it.The speed at which the tide had retreated had led me to decide that it would be prudent to return up the shore 20-30 minutes before low tide was due in case it moved back in at the same speed. This marvellous plan however was scuppered by the tide deciding to turn half an hour early just as I had decided to try and sieve some sediment from the last site. As the site disappeared under water I retreated to my previous site with the oystercatchers jeering behind me and stubbornly sieved some there instead, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the line of water creeping its way towards me. Sieving done I retreated fully, albeit slowly, up the inlet back to the car.At this moment I am watching the rain fall, hoping it stops by this afternoon otherwise it will be a wet trip to the beach later. I’m staying local today and sampling the main, large bay in Hill Cove. I saw it last night on my way back in from Crooked Inlet and it looked interesting with different rocky and sandy sections to it so I’m looking forward to investigating the life down there tonight.Teresa
Colliery checks and tokens Ceri Thompson, 30 January 2013 Lamp check number 523 used at Groesfaen Colliery A red plastic disc used by Mines Rescue during incidents. Lamp checks (or 'tokens' or 'tallies') are one of the most popular coal mining objects collected by both museums and the general public. They basically informed colliery management of who was in work but became vital when rescue services needed to know how many men were actually underground during an incident such as a fire or explosion. Colliery check systems apparently became common during the late nineteenth century and became mandatory in 1913 after an amendment to the 1911 Coal Mines Act. Early check systems usually employed a single check for each underground worker, which was usually taken home at the end of the shift. At the start of the shift the check was handed to the lamp man and exchanged for a safety lamp stamped with the same number as on the check. At the end of the shift the miner handed his lamp in and retrieved his check either from the lamp man or from a 'tally board'. Check systems varied between coal fields and altered over time, by the late 1970s a three check system (safety check system) became common. In this system each underground worker was issued with three checks, often of different shapes and sizes, one to be handed in to the lamp room, one to be handed to the banksman before the man descended the shaft and one was kept on the person during the shift. Colliery checks were stamped with a number and, usually, the colliery or company name. After nationalisation checks were stamped 'National Coal Board' and often the individual division as well. They were usually of brass but zinc, aluminium, Bakelite and plastic versions can also be found. They come in a variety of shapes including square, round, oval, hexagonal and octagonal. By the late 1990s the lamp check was being replaced by a plastic swipe card. A similar system was used by Mines Rescue during incidents. This was similar to the three check system but pre dated it. In this system a red plastic disc was handed into the lamp room, a yellow plastic disc to the banksman and a copper disc was worn around the neck during the time the rescue man was underground. Other types of checks were also issued in the mining industry such as those used for shotfiring, canteens, pithead baths and bus and train passes. The mining trade unions also issued checks in various forms to show when a member had paid his contributions. Mining institutes and public houses in mining areas also issued beer checks on various occasions. Lampchecks and tokens Lamp Check, Ammanford Colliery Lamp Check, Risca Collieries Time Check Beer Token Lamp Check, Fernhill Colliery Lamp Check, Albion Colliery Canteen Check, Lewis Merthyr Colliery Canteen Check, Crosshands Colliery Lamp Check, Cambrian Colliery Lamp Check, Llanhilleth Colliery Lamp Check, Wyllie Colliery Lamp Check, Blaenant Colliery Lamp Check, Morlais Colliery Lamp Check, Nantgarw Colliery Lamp Check, Lewis Merthyr Colliery Safety Check, Blaenavon Colliery Lamp Check, Cwmcarn Colliery Pithead Baths Check, Gresford Colliery Lamp Check, Glyncorrwg Colliey Shot Firing Tally Lamp Check, Oakdale Colliery Lamp Check, Lady Windsor Colliery Safety Check, Cwmtillery Colliery Lamp Check, Six Bells Colliery Lamp Check, Britannia Colliery Safety Check, St John's Colliery Lamp Check, Bargoed Colliery Beer Token Lamp Check, Mardy Colliery Lamp Check, Roseheyworth Colliery Mines Rescue Check, red disc Mines Rescue Check, copper disc Mines Rescue Check, yellow disc Envelope for Mines Rescue checks
The launch of 'Wallace 100' Julian Carter, 29 January 2013 On the evening of Thursday 24th January I was fortunate to be invited to the Natural History Museum in London. The event was for the unveiling of a portrait of the intrepid explorer and brilliant naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace by comedian and fellow naturalist Bill Bailey.The painting was donated to the NaturalHistoryMuseum in 1923 to mark the 100th anniversary of Wallace's birth but was moved in 1971. It has now been restored and returned to its original position on the main stairs of the Central Hall, near to the Charles Darwin statue.The unveiling of the painting also marked the official launch of Wallace100 and the Wallace Letters Online website, both of which are part of the celebrations for this year's centenary anniversary of Wallace's death.Some famous names of the natural science world were in attendance at the launch including Sir David Attenborough, whose hand I got to shake!A number of organisations in Wales, including Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, will be joining the Wallace 100 celebrations. The museum is planning a number of activities and events to run alongside our exhibition planned for later this year. Keep an eye on our website for further information.
Plant mewn Amgeuddfeydd Sian Lile-Pastore, 28 January 2013 Ar 31 Rhagfyr, caewyd yr orielau yn Sain Ffagan: Amgueddfa Werin Cymru er mwyn gwneud lle ar gyfer gofodau addysg ac oriel newydd sy’n rhan o waith ailddatblygu yr Amgueddfa a ariennir gan Gronfa Dreftadaeth y Loteri.Yn ystod project ‘Plant mewn Amgueddfeydd' diweddar, gofynnwyd i ddisgyblion o Ysgol Coed y Gof, Caerdydd, pa wrthrychau ddylai gael eu dangos yn yr orielau a pham. oriel-1-un.f4v
Falkland Islands 2013: January 26th update Peter Howlett, 26 January 2013 Thursday: New HavenWindy,cold, rocky gravelly shore. Watcghed by penguins, attacked by a tern!Friday: Fox Bay WestGaleforce winds, driving rain, numb hands! Sandy shore, lots of lugworms, very long Orbiniids (20cm) but not much else. Onshore wind holding tide in.Teresa(Text update rather than email)
