An overnighter in London to catch jazz saxophonist and David Bowie collaborator Donny McCaslin perform with his stunning band at Ronnie Scott’s in Soho, central London.
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17th – 19th October
A visit to Plymouth by train, which included attending a performance of the Black Sabbath Ballet at the TRP (Theatre Royal Plymouth). We’ve now seen Black Sabbath (the band itself), Jazz Sabbath, and now the Black Sabbath Ballet…
19th October
Preparing further website content.
20th October
An enjoyable jam session with my mates Al Summers and Simon Farr.
21st October
A productive website content session with Darren Haines.
26th October
Working on website content.
27th October
A visit to The Lantern in Bristol to catch guitarist Marc Ribot.
28th October
A website session with Darren Haines.
31st October
Our new 2026 “Diving Dreams” and “Driven To Abstraction” Calendars arrived from the printers.
2nd – 4th November
A business trip up North, with a little bit of free time in Newcastle.
4th November
A website content session with Darren Haines.
9th November
A visit to Langford Lakes Nature Reserve and working on a few things including website content.
10th November
A brief morning catch up with Darren Haines to progress the website content further.
13th – 15th November
A couple of nights in Bristol of music, catching Emma-Jean Thackray at The Lantern, and Wet Leg at the Bristol Beacon.
16th November
A session collating more website content.
17th November
An enjoyable jam session with my friends Al Summers and Simon Farr.
18th November
Further website work with Darren Haines.
21st – 22nd November
Overnight at Chatham ahead of Zac’s final Club100 kart races of the year at nearby Buckmore Park. An “OK” day, but not a great day. Roll on 2026.
22nd – 23rd November
An overnighter in London to catch the quirky Chicago-based alternative band Tortoise perform at the Barbican Hall.
25th November
A website session with Darren Haines.
27th – 28th November
A business trip to Versailles. No time to have a look around.
29th – 30th November
An overnighter at Frampton On Severn ahead of a Wiltshire Ornithological Society group visit to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge. It was a good day, with many species seen.
30th November
A little bit of website content work.
2nd December
A website session with Darren Haines. We’re getting there with all the content.
6th – 7th December
An overnighter in Bristol to catch Shaun Ryder’s Black Grape, supported by indie-pop band Dodgy.
10th December
A website session with Darren Haines in Warminster.
1st January
Happy New Year!. An early start watching the sunrise over the Imber Ranges, then a day of sorting and organising.
3rd – 5th January
A visit to Poole and Sandbanks, for a Poole Harbour birding trip with some fellow members of the Wiltshire Ornithological Society. We got 69 species on the trip including rarities such as Spoonbill, Greater Scaup, Black Throated Diver, Great Northern Diver and Black Necked Grebe. Also, we visited Studland and had a good walk through… Continue reading 3rd – 5th January
13th December
A good night at the Cheese & Grain in Frome to catch (in order of appearance) The Gg, The Orb, the Ozric Tentacles and System 7 (featuring Steve Hillage). It felt like the old days.
14th December
A day trip into London by train, to catch a screening of a film about the late avant-garde guitarist Derek Bailey at the Barbican. Bailey was one of the pioneers of free improvisation and free jazz.
16th December
A website session with Darren Haines.
2026 DIVING DREAMS CALENDARS
1st January 2026 By JEREMY & AMANDA CUFF Photographers, photojournalists and BSOUP members Jeremy and Amanda Cuff have published their new 2026 Calendar titled “Diving Dreams”. Jeremy said, “Our Diving Dreams Calendars features a variety of images from our dive travels over recent years, and includes destinations such as the Bahamas, Indonesia, Grenada, the Maldives,… Continue reading 2026 DIVING DREAMS CALENDARS
2026 “DRIVEN TO ABSTRACTION” CALENDAR
1st January 2026 By JEREMY CUFF Photographer and photojournalist Jeremy Cuff have published a new 2026 calendar in the titled “Driven To Abstraction”. Jeremy said, “This calendar, as its’ name suggests, features a collection of abstract images captured here, there and everywhere on various travels and days out. Everywhere you look, abstract images are there… Continue reading 2026 “DRIVEN TO ABSTRACTION” CALENDAR
26th – 30th December
A pleasant stay in Dartmouth on the South Devon coast. We also enjoyed visits to Slapton Sands, Kingsbridge, Salcombe, Totnes and Kingswear just across the water.
6th January
A website session with Darren Haines.
10th – 11th January
A weekend of mostly organising and writing, with a brief visit to the Langford Lakes Nature Reserve on the Sunday.
14th January
Attending an “Evening With Damon Hill” (the 1996 Formula One Champion) at The Forum in Bath.
15th January
A website session with Darren Haines.
16th – 18th January
An excellent weekend trip to North Cornwall, staying at the fabulously located Scarlet Hotel. Amanda was pleased with her Christmas present! On the way home, we visited the Carnewas Viewpoint and Padstow.
19th January
Some evening website prep work.
20th January
Website and other project work with Darren Haines. Later, an enjoyable jam session with Al Summers at Matt’s 5-O rehearsal space. Matt also joined in.
21st January
Working on various website content, plus finalising a Dive Log book.
24th January
Test riding a new BMW R1300 GS Adventure at Bahnstormer near Alton on the edge of the South Downs.
25th January
A morning visit to Langford Lakes, working on a long term writing based project, a bit of website content creating, followed by an late afternoon visit to the RSPB Ham Wall reserve near Glastonbury, to catch the stunning Starling murmuration.
27th January
A meet up with Darren Haines and Kimberley Watts to collaborate on a project.
30th January
Collecting my new machine, hopefully it’ll be the source of some more explorations of here, there and everywhere.
31st January -1st February
An overnighter in Glastonbury, with visits the following day to RSPB Greylake and RSPB West Sedgemoor (both flooded and inaccessible), and a lunch stop in Langport.
1st February
Catching jazz guitarist Bill Frisell perform with his excellent trio at the Wiltshire Music Centre at Bradford-on-Avon. A very warmly received performance from an appreciative audience.
3rd February
A session with Darren Haines, working on website content and print materials.
6th – 8th February
A nice stay in the village of Sidlesham in West Sussex adjoining the salt marshes of Pagham Harbour on the South Coast. We enjoyed a couple of good birding walks on the edge of the marshes in the RSPB Pagham Harbour Reserve. Our accommodation at the Crab & Lobster at Sidlesham was really enjoyable, run… Continue reading 6th – 8th February
10th February
Working with Darren Haines on website content and other project work.
13th – 14th February
A flying visit to Ronnie Scott’s to catch Polish band Bloto, then a dash down to Chatham ahead of Zac’s opening Club 100 race. Good driving all day on his part.
20th – 21st February
An overnighter in London to catch the stunning Nigel Kennedy perform with a trio at Ronnie Scott’s.
21st – 22nd – February
A ride down to Fuzz’s place in Devon to spend a night. Good food at the Holman Clavel Inn in the Blackdown Hills.
23rd February
1st Service on the new machine at Bahnstormer Alton.
24th February
Some project work with Darren Haines.
26th February
Catching Seb Rochford perform at St. Georges in Bristol with his band. Cool gig.
27th February – 1st March
A weekend of birding in the woodlands and heathlands of the New Forest, based at Lyndhurst. On the Saturday, in warm early Spring weather, I embarked on a solo visit to the Clay Hill Heath area in search of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker sighting; though a sighting of this species eluded me, the Merlin app… Continue reading 27th February – 1st March
3rd – 9th March
A visit to Morocco with Amanda and Zac, staying for the first two nights at Lalla Takerkoust (at the excellent Capaldi Hotel) on the edge of the Atlas Mountains, and for the final three days in nearby Marrakech. A great place to visit, shame about the chilly and rainy weather for the first two days,… Continue reading 3rd – 9th March
11th March
Catching up with artist friend Kimberley Watts, working on a project.
13th March
An evening visit to Bristol to catch Echo & The Bunnymen at the Bristol Beacon.
14th – 15th March
An overnight stay in Weymouth with Amanda. Our visit included walk around the RSPB’s Radipole Lake and Lodmoor Reserves, and watching Zac participate in his first half-marathon (the Weymouth Half Marathon) on the Sunday.
17th March
Website and project work with Darren Haines.
18th March
A late afternoon walk to Battlesbury Hill and back in fabulous warm weather. Lot’s of birdsong and Spring butterflies (Peacocks, Brimstones, Commas, Red Admiral and a Small Tortoiseshell.
20th – 21st March
An overnighter in London to catch Emma Jean Thackray perform at Ronnie Scott’s in Soho.
21st – 22nd March
A sleepover in the New Forest at Burley, followed by a Wiltshire Ornithological Society group trip to Blashford Lakes near Ringwood.
24th March
A session with Darren Haines working on website content and other project work.
28th March
Attending Zac’s Club 100 Sprint 40 and Sprint 60 races at the Clay Pigeon Circuit near Yeovil. Some competitive driving on Zac’s part.
29th March
A walk along the lakeside in the Fonthill Estate near Shaftesbury. The Merlin bird identification app picked up a lot of species, though seeing them was difficult due to the poor light and their elusive nature. Of the highlights were Hawfinch, Common Crossbill, Redstart, Willow Warbler, Grey Wagtail and Green Sandpiper – of these, we… Continue reading 29th March
30th March
A evening dash to London and back to catch elite drummer Chad Wackerman perform with his band at Ronnie Scott’s in Soho. Fabulous performance…
31st March
An evening jam session with friends Al Summers and Simon Farr.
2nd – 6th April
An Easter visit to the South Downs, based at Dragons Green in the aptly named George & Dragon pub. During our trip, we visited the RSPB’s Pulborough Brooks reserve on the 3rd, took the train into London on the 4th to see the Madrid Philharmonic Orchestra perform a 100 years film score music centred around… Continue reading 2nd – 6th April
7th April
A website and project work session with Darren Haines.
11th – 12th April
An overnight stay in Lyndhurst preceded by a brief visit to Acres Down on the way down. In the evening, I passed the time working on a writing project. On the Sunday, I joined a Wiltshire Ornithological Society group trip to the Normandy Marshes Nature Reserve near Lymington. A good day, with 63 species seen… Continue reading 11th – 12th April
14th April
Website and project work with Darren Haines.
April 2026 – A Suggested Antidote to the Negativity of the Times
First, a bit of a rant; the world has been gradually been going mad for some time, but in recent years and months, its’ gone to whole new levels of danger and stupidity, as the relative stability in the world that we’ve been lucky to have known (but of course, not everyone has known) has… Continue reading April 2026 – A Suggested Antidote to the Negativity of the Times
17th – 19th April
A weekend in Wales based at Betws-Y-Coed, riding up via the Wye Valley, Monmouth, Hereford, Craven Arms and Welshpool. On the Saturday, I spent a day in the Francon Pass area of Snowdonia in search of the Ring Ouzel (the Mountain Blackbird). After a long day of getting wet and at times chilly, I got… Continue reading 17th – 19th April
22nd – 23rd April
An overnight stay in Wareham, followed by a 4.30am start for an RSPB Dawn Chorus walk at the Arne Reserve in Dorset. A nice visit, lot’s birds heard, not as many seen. I thought I heard a distant Cuckoo…
25th April
A visit to Langford Lakes for a bit of birding and the Wiltshire Ornithological Society AGM. Interesting talk about “Urban Gulls” by guest speaker Peter Rock.
25th – 26th April
A ride out to the area around “The Bustard” on Salisbury Plain (near Larkhill) in search of the Lesser Whitethroat, which I heard but didn’t see. There were plenty of “normal” Whitethroats” though, plus Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers, Stonechats and so on. The Merlin App picked up a couple of Woodlark calls, but I’m not convinced… Continue reading 25th – 26th April
28th April
A website and project update session with Darren Haines.
28th April
Completing a short feature for the Wiltshire Ornithological Society magazine.
30th April
An evening visit to the open woodland area above Shearwater Lake in the Longleat estate in search of the Nightjar. This time it was both heard and seen!
1st May
Great to see two features written about our Bahamas trips being published in consecutive editions of Scuba Diver Magazine’s North America editions. The features describe our trips from 2023 and 2025; the Tiger Sharks of Tiger Beach off Grand Bahamas (“Earning Our Stripes”) and the Great Hammerheads of Bimini (“It’s Hammertime”). Really pleasing was to… Continue reading 1st May
2nd May
A morning visit to “The Bustard” area of Salisbury Plain, still searching in vain for Lesser Whitethroat. Instead of the target species which again eluded me, there were plenty of “normal” Whitethroats, plus Garden Warbler, Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer and Blackcap to name a few. Interestingly, the Merlin app picked up Woodlark and Dartford Warbler, though… Continue reading 2nd May
3rd May
A morning of working on website content, updating a few notes and scribbles, and continuing onwards with some writing project work.
4th May
A morning “birding” walk to the back of Battlesbury Hill, to an area known as the “Battlesbury Bowl” on the edge of Salisbury Plain. I followed my hunch that this area might be somewhere to find the Lesser Whitethroat, which I’ve failed to see on three occasions now; at Knepp in 2025 where I heard… Continue reading 4th May
4th May
An afternoon stint of working on a writing project.
5th May
An evening visit to Bristol to catch LYR (the band fronted by the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage) perform at The Lantern.
8th – 10th May
A weekend in the South Downs, primarily dedicated to hunting down the incredibly rare Turtle Dove. On the Friday, I rode to the Pulborough area to stay in a nice self-catering annex in a secluded spot close to the Pulborough Brooks RSPB Reserve. On that first evening, I walked to the heathland area of the… Continue reading 8th – 10th May
10th May
An evening visit to Bristol to catch Jethro Tull perform at the Beacon Hall. A very long time since I last saw them, and brings back memories of our departed friend Mike Griffiths (Taff) who’s favourite artists were David Bowie, Frank Zappa and Jethro Tull.
11th May
An evening walk in Southleigh Woods to carry out an impromptu Nightjar survey. Though the clearings looked suitable, no Nightjars appeared to be present.
12th May
Evening website and project work with Darren Haines.
15th – 16th May
An overnighter at Silverstone with Zac, ahead of his Cub 100 Karting round at the Whilton Mill circuit. A frustrating day in some respects, but some decent bursts of driving from Zac. A bit of writing on the evening of the 15th.
16th – 17th May
A dash back from Whilton Mill to home, then a quick gathering of things to load on the motorcycle and off to Selsey for an overnight stay ahead of a Wiltshire Ornithological Society group trip to RSPB Pagham. It was a decent day, with the weather being better than the forecast. We had a good… Continue reading 16th – 17th May
19th May
Ongoing project work with Darren Haines.
22nd May
Scuba Diver Magazine (UK Edition) publishes Jeremy’s two Bahamas features in consecutive editions – from Tiger Beach (for the Tiger Sharks) and Bimini (for the Great Hammerheads).
22nd May
Booking the Emperor Harmoni liveaboard for late 2028 for the “Best of Raja Ampat” itinerary. Afterwards, we’ll go to the Misool Eco Dive Resort, which we booked well over a year previously. It’s good to think ahead!
23rd May
A day of working on a scuba diving feature.
26th May
A project work session with Darren Haines.
