Green Holidays

Have you ever put into words your close encounters or your love of the landscape?

Every year BBC Wildlife Magazine offer you the chance to not only be published in their magazine – but to win a wildlife experience in some far-flung destination desperately in need of volunteers and research.

All you need to do is write a short passionate story about something you love or have experienced that you want to share with others to help them see another side of nature – your version.

Whether you want to describe the fox family living in your garden, that one off encounter with a tiger in India, your hopes for conserving a small patch of endangered wildflowers or even your first-hand description as you witnessed a tornado rip through a field near you!

As long as it was something outside – and could appeal to anyone interested in the ‘great outdoors’ – then get your pen to paper and write out your thoughts!

The Competition:
Don’t worry if you can’t think of anything for this years competition (closing date 30th April 2011) – but you can start thinking about next years entry.

Nature writing normally means that you have captured your thoughts while caught in the middle of things – or that you have a lot of experience in your subject – so know it inside-out. Needless to say, you can’t just pluck such a story out of thin air.

They offer plenty of tips for your writing and you can read past winners tales too – but only be inspired by yourself.

The hardest part will be reducing your passion down to just 800 words – so don’t even worry about all the judging and the other people entering – get your story straight first.

photo credit: whyohwhyohwhyoh

(Click picture to play)

What If I Can’t Write?
Not everyone feels comfortable writing – so BBC Wildlife offer other competitions too – including poetry and photography.

Whatever your passion, experience, age or ability – they offer something that you can sink your teeth into!

Everyone is different – and their version of events or the way they can share their experiences and knowledge will be different too. By all means try your hand at everything, but some people are naturally just better at some things – but it can take a while to figure out what!

Visit their website for ideas and inspiration – and maybe I could be reading your story or admiring your photos on their website soon!

Buying a dog can be one of the best experiences for a family or individual – but take care!

It’s not just about buying from a reputable breeder, or making sure that it is vaccinated and wormed – it’s about what that dog can do for you – or what it can never do.

For example – if your dog is prone to skin problems and needs cream applied, you can’t take it for water-filled days out. If it get out of breath quickly with its short ‘bulldog’ face – you can’t go cycling with it or for long walks with it – or take it anywhere that it might get too hot!

And if it is prone to digestive upsets, takes certain medicines every 6 hours, has sore joints, patches of fur missing or can’t stop scratching – how much fun is he going be when you take him on holiday with you?

Your Dog Breed:
Some dog breeds are just the wrong shape to be outdoor active pets – for example any dog with a very short nose, dogs which are longer than they are tall, dogs with really droopy skin and dogs that have no fur!

photo credit: Jen and a Camera

Most dogs like this will have some sort of problems when you take them out over their lifetime. Now I am not saying that dogs with normal faces and skin won’t suffer from problems – I’m saying that these types probably will.

So if you want to run, swim, cycle, climb and basically spend hours out in the sunshine (and rain) with your dog – then think about getting a hardy average-shaped breed – like a pointer/retriever/terrier type. And avoid Great Danes, Bassett Hounds and Pugs!

Extra Un-Green:
In addition to choosing a dog that suits your lifestyle – you will also be choosing a dog that demands less from the environment.

For example, endless trips to the vets, tablets, treatments, therapies and operations can’t reduce your eco footprint can they? Even if you are insured (which I recommend) that only covers the money for treatment, it doesn’t buy carbon credits for all the fuel and chemicals you will be using!

Dogs which need extra grooming and clipping add to their footprints too – as well as dogs that have to be on special diets.

But, if you want a pet dog that can enjoy the outdoors as much as your – then consider all these things, and plan for the dogs lifespan (10-20 years).

They might not have any problems when they are young, but they will soon catch up with them as they mature.

So, we are moving on to our first batch of very similar looking species!

The remaining 5 tit species common to the UK are here – as we have already looked the more common Great and Blue tits in our previous Bird Hunt article.

And to make it more difficult for you, 4 of these birds all fit the same niche really in terms of their appearance, size, habits and the fact that they all look roughly the same until they sit still!

There are of course slight differences in terms of their specific habits and habitats, but it won’t be easy to master all 5 in a single sitting!

Right, lets get straight on with the 4 that look the same first while your brain is eager to learn!

Coal Tit:
This tiny fella has a face that is very similar to a great tit – and does have a hint of ‘blue/grey’ about him, but the shape and size of him is totally different.

He does however, have 2 white wing bars on his side that none of the other tits on this page have (and blue tits and great tits only have 1 bar on their wings).

So if it’s small with a black and white head with 2 wing bars – it’s a coal tit!

Marsh Tit:
Both the marsh tit and the willow tit (below) were thought to be the same species until quite recently as they look so very similar – which is no help to you!

photo credit: chapmankj75

However, on closer inspection, the marsh tit could be said to have a straight-edged glossy black cap atop his tiny head. They also have a neat square bib under their chin and wings feathers the same colour as their back when perched.

Willow Tit:
In comparison, the willow tit has a more curve-edged black cap and a larger more spreading black bib under his chin. He also has slightly paler band of wing feathers in the centre of his wings – more noticable when perched.

photo credit: Aschaf

Habitat-wise the willow tit is more likely to be seen along river banks – with willow, birch and alder, or in coniferous woodlands -and rarely ever at birdtables in winter. The marsh tit is very likely to be seen feeding at bird tables – most likely close to damp untended deciduous woodlands.

Crested Tit:
When he has his crest lifted – there is no mistaking him, but he is roughly the same size and colour as the 2 tits above so with a normal flat head you might have to look closer! However, these tits are only found in old coniferous woodlands in Scotland so if you aren’t there, you probably haven’t seen one.

photo credit: birdtracker

He doesn’t have the obvious ‘black cap’ of the others but has a distinctive triangular white shape framing it’s head with a beautiful face. However, if you were to look at him from afar or from behind he is the same buff brown colour with brown wings and a black bib! It is asthough someone stuck a different top on a marsh tit!

Long-Tailed Tit:
This one is the easiest of the bunch to identify as it is almost pink in colour when you see it in the bushes – and has an incredibly long tail!

photo credit: centralasian

On closer inspection, they have a white head with a dark eye-band running through to their dark wings and throught to meet the tail. These tiny birds are usually only seen in small flocks that chatter their way from tree to tree along a path or from the front garden to the back garden looking for food.

So – you feel confident with these (or just the last one?).

When you see those cute baby lambs running around the fields – what do you think?

Cute? Fluffy? Adorable little clouds? What about biodiversity lynchpin? Wildflower saviour?

These last 2 might not immediately spring to mind – but this is what sheep do, and have been doing for hundred of years. And these cute lambs are the next generation of grassland guardians. It’s all part of the countryside cycle.

Even if the lambs won’t live long enough to see next Spring – they are an essential part of the lifecycle of the farm and the surrounding grasslands. Without the lambs, there would be no grasslands – and maybe no farm either!

How Come They Are So Important?
Well, it’s important to first realise that grasslands are a man-made environment – or sheep-made as it happens! Without mans intervention there wouldn’t be grassland habitats.

And it is because of the sheep that the grasslands exist today.

photo credit: anemoneprojectors

They mow their way across hillside areas that can’t effectively or economically be farmed by other means – and they eat almost everything low to the ground in their paths. This includes the shoots of trees, scrub plants and bushes – and as a result the grass stays as grass.

If you take sheep off of a meadow for a few years, it will be covered in prickly bramble, spiky gorse and possibly some small trees.

And wildflowers don’t grow underneath brambles.

It’s Not Just About Flowers!
Without the flowers, there wouldn’t be any food for butterflies and other insects – which in turn are food for birds and mammals – which in turn are food for larger birds and mammals. So basically the whole food web of a grassland habitat would be lost. Possibly forever.

As grasslands shrink due to the low cost of meat and the rising costs of running a farm – these habitats are split up and become a fragmented mosaic of restricted areas – useless for breeding wildlife and wind pollinated plants. So one by one the plants and animals start to dissappear from the fields until they are all gone.

Imagine your local open access lands covered in bramble up to your knees? Don’t you want to be welcomed into a picnic-inducing field of pink and yellow wildflowers in rich deep grass? Well there is an easy way to make sure that you can – go see some spring lambs!

By supporting your local farmers – you are supporting your local landscape – and ultimately protecting the habitats that attracted you to the countryside in the first place.

I couldn’t bear to think of the South Downs, Exmoor or the Lake District without its rolling fields of grass and sheep!

All it takes is for you to coo over the cute baby lambs!

photo credit: jpockele

Right then, lets get straight to it so you can enjoy these garden visitors a bit more – knowing what they are and therefore, a lot more about them.

There are plenty of birds that will visit your garden – whether or not you have a nut or seed feeder about the place. Obviously this will help to attract them in the first place, but your garden large or small will always have birds in it.

Here, we will be focusing on those that will probably visit your garden in the course of week to feed on insects, plants and any food you might have left out for them…… and that have a bright colouring or distinctive markings to help you identify them!

Chaffinch:
Let’s start with a bird that is quite common and easy to identify to kick off with – well the male is anyway. The female of the species is not so obvious at first glance – but if you know the markings of the male, then you can see similar markings on the duller females and they start to stand out from the crowd.

Male Chaffinches have a noticably orange body – not as bright red as the male Bullfinch or as neat and tidy as the Robins bib – but it’s a clear give-away as not many UK garden birds have this colouring matched with such clear white markings on the wings and tail (in flight).

photo credit: Keith Laverack

Bullfinch:
As mentioned above, these birds (males only) have an impressively red breast! This breast is so solid and clearly defined that once you see one you can’t deny that you did. The rest of their body appears black and they have a very stubby-looking head and beak and clear black cap.

photo credit: chapmankj75

The female is exactly the same stubby shape as the male and has exactly the same markings and colours as the male – apart from the red breast. Instead she has a greyish body colour, but they are often seen in pairs or small groups so you should be able to see both sexes close together.

Goldfinch
There is no mistaking the red face patches on these birds when they arrive on your seed feeder! This red is either side of the beak and on a simple but striking black and white head. You will also see a strong yellow colouring on the wings both when perched and when in flight.

Both the male and female have this clear colouring and they just love small seeds to feast upon including thistles, niger and burdocks – and make a great picture while they do it!

photo credit: sarniebill1

Greenfinch:
Another finch that will just love your garden for it’s ready supply of food! Although it doesn’t have the bright colours of any of the finches above – it is a solid green colour with clear yellow bands on the wings that you can’t miss – particularly in flight.

Just like other finches, it has the split tail feathers when perched, as well as a strong solid beak to crack open seeds – particularly black sunflowers and pine cones.

photo credit: chapmankj75

Ring-neck Parakeet:
These very noisy birds are a delight to see when you are visiting the London area – however residents might have other words to describe them! This ‘exotic’ species can be found roosting in huge (noisy) numbers and can cause a great deal of damage to feeders, gardens and other suitable feeding areas.

photo credit: Shawn McCready

They have the ability to utilise a large variety of feedstuffs and can be found almost anywhere in the busy city – which is a great attraction for those living elsewhere. You will hear them before you see them, but when you do see them, you won’t be able to tear yourself away!

There are other native birds that appear bright green (including green woodpeckers and the greenfinch above) – but with their long tails, parrot-like faces and a bright red beak – you’ll know a parakeet when you see it.

And once you see one amongst the green leaves – you might find yourself looking at 100 all in the same tree! I mean, there are 2 in the image below – can you spot them?

photo credit: robmcm

So, that’s your brightly coloured garden dwellers – but what about those that look a bit more dull – or a lot alike….

Let’s look at the remaining 5 species of Tit; 3 of which are virtually the same size, shape and black/white and buff colours…..

.
Did you know that it is illegal in the UK for you to take a close-up photo of a baby barn owl?

This little known law is part of the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981) where there is a list of species that receive full protection of the law – and this protection includes reducing the disturbance of the nesting young or recently fledged young of all the species on it – and this includes Barn Owls.

It also includes other seemingly random species such as Brambling, Fieldfare, Firecrest, Kingfisher, Bewick’s Swan and even the little Crested Tit!

All these species are among the 80+ protected wild bird species that frequent the UK, which can be native or just passing through.

There is, of course, already a law to protect all wildbirds from being intentionally injured, killed or taken from the wild – and the same goes for their eggs – but there are some exceptions.

In the case of the Barn Owl and the Kingfisher – they are for greater protection; whereas in the case of the Mallard or Woodcock – it means lesser protection at certain times!

photo credit: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Northeast Region

These schedules also cater for captive-bred ‘wild bird’ species such as birds of prey and other more common species such as Magpies, Blackbirds and Goldfinches. And also the sale of wildbirds that have been killed legally and the rehabilitation of injured birds.

Game birds are not covered by these particualar laws however, but are covered under the separate Game Bird Act, which fully protects them outside of the Open Season.

The Bird Schedules:
There are 4 such catagories (which may have several parts) which cover those endangered birds to be protected as well as those species which can be killed or sold, and they lay out as follows:

Schedule 1: Full protection at all times (or during the close season for a specific 4 species). To get close to young, nesting or breeding birds in this list – you will need a licence (or you can visit them in specific reserves).

Schedule 2: Birds which may be killed or taken outside of the close season only – but not sold – basically to be killed to protect crops or other interests or to be killed for food or for sale as per Schedule 3.

Schedule 3: Birds which may be sold; either dead at specific times, or alive if captive bred and legally ringed. These include certain ducks and wood pidgeons to be sold dead; and siskins, song thrushes and other ‘garden’ birds that can be kept as ‘pets’ and displayed at bird shows.

Schedule 4: Captive Bred birds which must be registered and ringed if in captivity (mainly raptors). These birds need to be registered and you must have genuine proof of breeding and hatching. If you find an injured bird that happens to be listed on Schedule 4 – even if you intend to re-release it shortly – you should inform the appropriate authority as they may need to be registered.

photo credit: luc.viatour

Your Actions:
So next time you see the opportunity to photograph any nesting bird – think about what that means.

If they have made a law that specifically prevents human from getting close enough to a Schedule 1 species – as it would disturb them – think again for all birds and other wildlife!

If they think that getting that close could prevent birds from nesting at all or may make them to abandon existing young – then what harm are you doing being that close to any species?

Even with the fantastic zooms on cameras these days – you still have to be quite close to get a great shot – so what if you got a great shot of a nest, but after you left all the young starved to death after you had scared the parents off!

When trying to film or photograph nesting birds – or any birds really – it is best to set up a hide (or use one at a reserve). Birds get used to them and so aren’t so affected by all the keen photographers snapping away at them. And some reserves set up hides to be really close to the action just for this reason.

So, if you are going to enter a photgraphic competition with your nest shot – make sure it’s not a Schedule 1 species – otherwise they may ask to see your licence………. and I’m sure you don’t want the associated £5000 fine and accompanying prison sentence instead of first prize!

You know the first 5 inside-out do you? Good Stuff!

Let us move on then……

So now you come to some more common birds – but these ones aren’t so obvious at first glance. You may have to look at them for a bit longer than the first 5 – or have some binoculars to hand too!

There are 2 sets of pairs here; 2 sets of birds that look quite similar until you can pick out the obvious differences.

And then of course you need to remember which one is which!

So lets look at the next 5 species and see what you think…..

Blue Tit:
This tiny garden lover is very common on garden feeders, and is not so easy to tell apart from the larger (but also blue-bodied Great Tits) for beginners.

Although they have a solid blue ‘caps’ seperated from their body colour by a black line running through their eye – they move so fast that you can’t alwasy make it out – especially if there are several birds on the feeder.

photo credit: chapmankj75

In fact to begin with it’s easier to learn what a Great Tit looks like – as it has much bolder colours and markings – and then you know it’s not that, so it must be a Blue Tit.

Great Tit:
Easy markers for these larger tits is the fact that they have a very dark head and neck – and a large white cheek patch. They also have a clear solid black chest line from their chins to their underbellies!

Try to find a garden feeder with both Blue and Great Tits feeding to see these differences first hand. And of course the Great Tits are much larger as well when you see them side by side!

photo credit: Chris Isherwood

Moorhen:
If you are out on the water – then you will no doubt have seen a small black bird walking about the waters edge with large feet. It might be on the water trying to get away from you as fast as it can.

Now this is one of 2 birds; if it has a red bill it is a moorhen – remember ‘R’ as in Moorhen. It will also have big yellow feet if you take a look.

photo credit: brian.gratwicke

Coot:
If it has a white bill and face plate – it will be a Coot (just remember ‘Red’ for moo’R'hen – then you will know it is a coot!). These birds are much larger than moorhens, but you might not see them together to compare so just go by the face. They also have grey legs and feet too if you get a chance to look at them walking over weeds.

photo credit: shimgray

Starling:
These noisy little birds tend to hang around in groups and will raid any food source that they come across! They are mainly black in appearance, but it depends on when you are watching them. In winter on closer inspection, you will see that they are a mottled pattern of brownish feathers spotted with creamy-brown patches all over, wheras in the summer they sport a rather metallic appearance of shiny greens, blues and purples with only residual spotting on the upper back and lower underside.

photo credit: marlin harms

They can look like other birds from a distance in your garden, but their extensive vocal range and large numbers usually gives them away as not your normal garden bird.

Now you have the basics, lets move on to some garden specialists in our next installment!

If you took part in the recent RSPB garden count – you may well have started on your way to spotting the 270 birds commonly found in the UK.

So why not keep it up?

I have put together this series of informative posts to help you through all the easy species, first. Then there will be the ones that you need to go on a walk to see and gradually we will get onto the birds that you will have to seek out for yourself – like the elusive White-tailed Eagle or the niche dwelling Capercaillie!

There is nothing better sometimes than knowing what a bird is by just checking off 1 sign, like ‘it has a red stripe so it must be a ????’ or ‘it has yellow legs so will be a ????’ Sometimes once you know the general appearance of a bird ‘type’ like a sparrow, warbler or grebe, you can seperate the individual species by just 1 thing.

And these guides will not focus on all the latin names and scientific groupings etc; there will be no use of fancy ornithological words like ornitholigical, tertial tip or emargination. Just easy to use visual descriptions of the birds that you will see while out walking in the woods, wetlands or your own back garden!

But to start you off before we lose you in geese and gulls; we will list the top 5 birds that you may well have seen this week or have probably already seen at some point in your life!

Robin:
This one is easy to spot with it’s bright red breast – and you can easily pick them out in the snow as they are quite bold little birds and use human garden tools and furniture from which to spy their insect prey! And they will come close to humans too if you feed them…..

photo credit: fwooper

Blackbird:
Another common species that just loves to run around garden edges looking for food under leaves and garden waste. The males are black with orange or yellow bills and feet, where the females are browner in colour. You can spot them from their loud warning call as you scare them off…..

photo credit: Keith Laverack

Magpie:
A larger bird that has such distinctive colouring that you will know when you have seen one. Their black and white plumage and their flap-flap-flap-then glide flight pattern will have you ticking off this species in a flash!

photo credit: goingslo

Pheasant:
If you live near the countryside or walk your dog in the fresh air, then you will no doubt have seen a rather handsome brown bird with a perfect white collar around his neck, large red wattles and nice long tail feathers – this is your male pheasant. Females have the same long tail and also frequent large country gardens, footpaths and cultivated fields but don’t have the fancy head! They both fly off clumsily and noisily when you get too close!

photo credit: gerrybuckel

Mute Swan:
I used to live on a canal and could see these all day long – but if you live elsewhere they aren’t difficult to find on any large body of fresh water, like a river, canal, lake or in a local nature reserve. Out of all the swans in the UK, the Mute Swan is the easiest to identify by its bill alone (handy really as all 3 common swans are totally white); it is the only one that has an orange bill which has a large knob of black on the top where it meets the eyes.

photo credit: TossMyPancake

So, if you have already seen these ones, then join me for the next 5 real soon – and make sure that you have seen these all again outside and that you know them inside out – as many other birds look very similar to them but for one or two small details. So only when you know these well can you learn some of the others coming on the list!

Grab your camera and document your journey if you like – it can make your travels more memorable.

See you soon…..

And if you want to know more about the fancy terms and descriptions used to identify birds, please look for my Bird Identification Guides – Technical Data series.

If you saw tree weighed down with Ivy – would you take action?

Sometimes a mature tree is so overwhelmed with Ivy that it is surely doing it some harm – and haven’t you sometimes found Ivy-covered fallen branches on the ground after bad weather?

And during the winter months a deciduous tree with none of its own leaves looks verdant with a heavy covering of large, dark green Ivy leaves instead!

And because the tree, or trees, are in what appears to be an untended area of woodland – isn’t it best that you take things into your own hands before the tree is damaged or gets pulled down under the shear weight!

Would you resolve to come back next time with some seceteurs or a small hacksaw?

Every Tree Has An Owner:
Many walkers seem to think that areas of land like woodland, grassland, hills and mountains are not owned by anyone – they believe that they can do anything they want on this land as it doesn’t say ‘Private’ on the gate!

However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Every patch of land close to your home has an owner or a guardian – and you may well have rights to walk across that land – but that’s about it.

You can’t – as many people seem to think; cut down Ivy, dig up plants, bury dead pets, abandon cars, take wood for fuel, camp overnight or hold a party there.

Would you appreciate anyone doing that on your land or in your garden? No, I didn’t think so.

You can of course, speak to the land-owner or guardian about doing any of these things, but obviously they may charge you a fee and/or just say ‘No’.

They May Have Plans:
Now we have established that the tree – and the Ivy – is owned by someone, so it is pretty clear that you don’t have the right to cut them down. But what makes you think that they don’t want the Ivy to grow on their trees in the first place?

Had it not occured to you that the Ivy has just as many benefits – if not more – than just the bare tree itself?

photo credit: cdsessums

For example, Ivy is famous for its ability to live through the winter (and that is why it is in many a festive songs) – so it is one of the only plants which has food and leaves in the harshest winter months.

After all the deciduous trees and bushes have dropped their berries and cast off their old leaves by September – the woodlands should be empty of birds, insects and mammals. However, the wildlife in an Ivy-filled woodland can still feed on, and live in, the great swathes of rich green Ivy that remain on trees, even in the frost and snow!

A bare tree in winter is a cold and unwelcoming place in which to hibernate or to hide from the icy weather – whereas the nooks and crannies formed by decades old ivy stems are a perfect safe haven!

How You Can Actually Help:
If you are really interested in learning more about woodlands; plants, trees and wildlife, then you should consider joining a volunteer nature conservation group as well as doing some reading of your own.

Obviously you will find out that cutting down Ivy is actually detrimental to the woods and it’s wildlife – but you will also find out how to manage it for the better, which plants are signs of an ancient woodland, and which creatures you are likely to see there.

You also get to cut down plenty of plants that are not wanted in other areas – for example scrub on grasslands. Nature wants to gradually replace grasslands and heaths with trees and forests – however, these 2 habitats are vitally important for certain wildlife – but will not survive on their own.

By learning about natural succession and habitat management – you will be far more help to the environment than illegally hacking down Ivy plants in your local woods!

I have found a new way to learn a language – and it’s great!

Having used all the ‘standard’ language courses before and having got bored or completely lost less than half way through – a friend lent me her CD only course telling me that it was totally different to any other language course.

So I had to give it a go.

And it was SO different that I feel that I have learnt so much more about the language than from any other course that I have ever set eyes on.

Nouns, Nouns & More Nouns:
Most other language courses focus on a common phrase and then add loads of nouns on to it to make it seem fun. So for example you may learn the phrase ‘I would like….’ then you have to learn a page of words including tea, coffee, sandwich, milk, orange juice, soup and cheese etc. They may even show you a few ‘sizes’ like: a bottle of wine, a tin of tuna, a packet of chips, etc.

However, you are only really learning the 1 important phrase.

They then take you through the following chapters: ‘Where is the…’, ‘Ordering food’, ‘I live in a….’ and ‘In a Supermarket’ all in the same theme of common phrase then loads of nouns.

Verbs Are Great!
However, this course spent more time on the verbs and conjugating them. Now at school the thought of ‘conjugating verbs’ was enough to make almost anyone groan – but not so here.

We were taught how verbs can work for you in a sentance in a way that nouns can’t. You can learn 200 nouns for food – but you can still only say the same sentances (I would like a…/Can I have a…/I don’t want a…) – whereas with this course I don’t really need the noun to be understood.

For example I can say: I don’t want to buy that today, but I would like you to buy it for me tomorrow; or, Why don’t you want to come with me today, but you want to go with him tomorrow.

As you can see I can string together long sentances to express myself without a cup of coffee or some cheese even in the sentence! Yes, learning nouns is very useful in the long run – but to understand the verbs is to actually speak the language.

The Language:
Pronunciation is also a key to learning a new language as the stress on the wrong part of the word can render the word useless. It will either mean nothing to the listener – or worse – mean a totally different thing!

So the fact that this course is totally audio is great. Sitting in my car or at home and just listening to the voices on the CD is so helpful. There is no need to keep stopping and starting the CD in bits here and there – it just flows as though it is a conversation.

And the fact that there are also 2 students with him is really useful as a sort of ‘benchmark’ for yourself. Do you get the answer before they say it – or do they get it totally wrong? I found myself shouting at one of them as he just couldn’t get it right when I found that bit quite easy – but I suppose we all learn different bits faster.

The course was by Michel Thomas, andwas 8-part and is used as an introduction to the language as part of a more exstensive language course – but I feel that I have learned so much already.

I can’t wait to move on to the next level!