Interesting Update

Following my posting last night about a bloke in the pub that was far to interested about the otters and where to find them, I got an email from one of my local readers. Apparently there is a thriving trade in black market stuffed animals. I think the taxidermy trade call it mounting, and a mounted otter can fetch between three and five thousand pounds. Therefore, I am told that I am wise to be cautions.

Additionally he told me that around here, some people hate incomers. While the word hate may seem an overly strong word to use, they would if they had their way, run people like me out of town. Also there are some that loath the thought that anyone is doing well. Both of the things he says I know from experience could be correct. I have had people say to me “You don't Belong here” and I always took that to mean your not from around here. Well for some they mean that in the literal sense. It goes a long way to explaining the racist attitudes here in the North East.

Further I have seen that many people are jealous of peoples successes. When I first came to the village, there was a real bitchy, verbal running down of people and or of their businesses. Now personally I wish good luck to anyone who works hard and is successful as long as they are fair and not exploiting anyone. Yet it seems I am a victim of a bit of this too. Because folks see me wandering around with a camera, they assume I have money. Now I have worked hard to reach this level of poverty. Also it seems that a joke that I made when I first moved here has come back to bite me.

While I am happy to talk to most anyone, I really dislike being interrogated by people. There are ways of getting to know people that don't entail just firing off a series of questions. In one of these situations, I said something like; “Oh just think of me as an eccentric Lottery winner” then the punch line, “But you cant get far on ten pounds”

Well it seems that the rumour is that I am a lottery millionaire! ROFLMAO Oh I just wish, I could get the camera I really want, I could travel... Maine is lovely at this time of year, I hear.

Anyway, back to the wildlife, my local reader let me know that the otters may be found at another location, as in the last few days someone has lost a couple of goldfish from a garden pond. Also my sighting of the Palmate Newt is the first confirmed one for seventeen years. It means that there are all three British species in the area. Further, as the one I filmed is a female it is likely there is a breeding population close by.