Didcot

[Jaded]

The sun is going down on Didcot.

[rogerzilla]

Riding through Didcot today, I observed three interesting phenomena:

1. An old black BMW whose exhaust appeared to consist entirely of patchouli fumes.

2. On the "estate" side of the railway line, numerous large yellow signs which I thought might be notice of an impending closure or event but, no, they were warning that you'd get an ASBO if you drank booze in the vicinity.

3. Cow Lane Tunnel has more glass in it than the cabin boy of The Good Ship Venus.

[Wowbagger]

My daughter phoned me this morning from Didcot.

"I'm looking ata bird n I wondered if you knew what it was."

"Where are you?"

"Didcot".

"It's a red kite".

She then went on to confirm my identification by describing its forked tail, hooked wings and ability to fly frustratingly slowly.

[rogerzilla]

I saw one hovering (OK, soaring) over Didcot station the last time I was on a London-Swindon train.  They're as common as pigeons in some places.

[robbo6]

After my endless trainspotting days on Didcot station

I did see a non stopping express steam train go oddly through platform 3 on the up slow line, heading east to Paddington - it contained the Beatles - I saw Ringo's hand waving.

Just a thought, the start of the film "A Hard Day's Night" was filmed on the lines into and out of Paddington, as well as on the station itself, any connection?

[Bledlow]

My daughter phoned me this morning from Didcot.

"I'm looking ata bird n I wondered if you knew what it was."

"Where are you?"

"Didcot".

"It's a red kite"..

Pretty safe bet.

I sometimes wonder what would happen if I fell asleep in my back garden. Would I be woken by an exploratory peck, checking if I was dead? I often hear whistling overhead, & look up to see broad wings spread to catch the breeze.

[clarion]

Unlikely.  We've watched the kites at Watlington on several occasions.  Even when some bait was put down in the middle of the large rally field by a photographer wanting a shot (all tents around the edge and no one crossing the middle) the kites circled for a long time, and about two dozen had gathered.  After a while, they started circling lower, and this went on for a while, too.  When the first one dived, it missed, but that had precipitated dives by many of the birds, and the second or third got most of the prize.

It took over 15 minutes from bait laid to a bird getting it.  And Watlington is said to be where the kites are most tame.  I am extremely sceptical about reports of meat being snatched from barbecues. 

[TheLurker]

Didcot was where I saw my first Kite sometime in 2001/2002.  Wheeling over the office.

OT. Kites have finally made it to the bottom right hand corner of Glos. in the last twelvemonth.  Saw the 1st one out by Eastleach in early Sept last year.  Three or four on the road down from the Rissingtons to Eastleach back in May and one yesterday (scavenging roadkill) on the road between Quenington and Sunhill.

[rower40]

My GPS tells me that I was in Didcot at 0056 this morning.  Doing 81mph.  I was asleep, so I didn't see any Red Kites.

[Jaded]

Did you have your meat snatched?

[rogerzilla]

It took over 15 minutes from bait laid to a bird getting it.  And Watlington is said to be where the kites are most tame.  I am extremely sceptical about reports of meat being snatched from barbecues. 

I've seen them do it.  Mattc, iddu and PaulR will testify to the fact that they are pretty bold now - they have expanded 130% in the last year.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I've had my hand scratched by a kite's talons as it was diving and seen them snatch food - not always meat, sometimes potatoes or breads - from other people's hands and plates. But that was by black (pariah) kites in India, which may well be tamer/bolder.

[deliquium]

After my endless trainspotting days on Didcot station

I did see a non stopping express steam train go oddly through platform 3 on the up slow line, heading east to Paddington - it contained the Beatles - I saw Ringo's hand waving.

Just a thought, the start of the film "A Hard Day's Night" was filmed on the lines into and out of Paddington, as well as on the station itself, any connection?

Dunno but the whole skool had to go and watch Winston Churchill's dead body in a train pass slowly on the Oxford loop behind the engine sheds

[deliquium]

On my old OS map it's "Dudcot".  Sounds like something a baby might fall through the bottom of.

We wus taught at skool it was originally Dudcote

Lots of us wore RAF greatcoats that were so heavy for our feeble bodies and tangles of long hair, they dragged on the floor and made walking to the Wallingford Arms a very slow process - then we'd get called ponces even though we ordered warm bottles of Special Brew

[rogerzilla]

I've had my hand scratched by a kite's talons as it was diving and seen them snatch food - not always meat, sometimes potatoes or breads - from other people's hands and plates. But that was by black (pariah) kites in India, which may well be tamer/bolder.

The word "shitehawk", these days more often applied to seagulls and Nick Clegg, was originally from "kitehawk", a Victorian name for the red kite.  They were just as bad as the Indian ones back in the olden days.

[Cudzoziemiec]

That's interesting - I assumed it was just a reference to them shitting all over lampposts and statues (or their voters and party).

[Jaded]

On my old OS map it's "Dudcot".  Sounds like something a baby might fall through the bottom of.

We wus taught at skool it was originally Dudcote

Lots of us wore RAF greatcoats that were so heavy for our feeble bodies and tangles of long hair, they dragged on the floor and made walking to the Wallingford Arms a very slow process - then we'd get called ponces even though we ordered warm bottles of Special Brew

We have a 1756 map on our bathroom wall, and it is shown as Dutcott

 

[Jules]

Just found this thread and clicked the camera link.

Looks like the pollution has got to it.


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[Cudzoziemiec]

My train back to Brizzle yesterday stopped at Didcot and quite a lot of people got in and out. Or on and off, as you prefer. I didn't realise that many people lived there! The combination of the 70s-modern Parkway station name and ye olde retroe steame centree is very... up to date.

[rogerzilla]

I'll be there a week on Friday.  People on Didcot station platform always check their watches more often than usual...they can't wait the the nice train to come and take them away from all this.

[Frere]

On the London train. Just stopped at Didcot Parkway station. Don't know if it is me but the grey clouds seemed greyer over the town & chimneys & the Mail print = Mordor Central?

Frere

[Kim]

Nahh, Mordor Central is Birmingham New Street, for reasons that are obvious to anyone who has had the misfortune of spending any time there.

[Panoramix]

My train back to Brizzle yesterday stopped at Didcot and quite a lot of people got in and out. Or on and off, as you prefer. I didn't realise that many people lived there! The combination of the 70s-modern Parkway station name and ye olde retroe steame centree is very... up to date.

Fewer trains from Bristol now stop at Didcot. This is to stop the manoeuvre known as the Didcot doge (splitting the ticket in Didcot to get a cheaper fare).

[mattc]

Train tickets to Oxford (from London) are half the price of those to Didcot. Draw your own conclusion ...

[Panoramix]

Train tickets to Oxford (from London) are half the price of those to Didcot. Draw your own conclusion ...

My first conclusion is that every time I go to the big smoke I get mugged by first late western!

My second conclusion is that I now need to buy a ticket to Oxford and another one from Didcot to Bristol to come back from London 

My third conclusion is that whoever is in charge of pricing train tickets in the UK has a severely twisted mind.