Savernake Forest, located in Wiltshire, England, has a rich and fascinating history that dates back over a thousand years. Here's an overview of its historical significance and key events:

1. Ancient Forest: Savernake Forest is one of the oldest forests in England, and its history can be traced back to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It was originally part of the royal hunting grounds of the Kings of England.

2. Royal Forest: During the medieval period, Savernake Forest was designated as a royal forest, which meant it was reserved for hunting and was subject to strict forest laws. It was a popular hunting ground for English monarchs.

3. The Ailesbury Estate: In the 16th century, Henry VIII granted the forest to the Seymour family, and it became part of the Ailesbury Estate. The forest has remained in the ownership of the Seymour family for many generations.

4. Historic Trees: Savernake Forest is famous for its ancient and notable trees, including the Big Belly Oak, which is estimated to be over 1,000 years old. This oak tree is one of the oldest and largest in the country.

5. Landscape Design: In the 18th century, Capability Brown, a renowned landscape architect, was involved in designing the landscape of Savernake Forest. His work included creating avenues of trees and enhancing the natural beauty of the forest.

6. World War II: During World War II, Savernake Forest was used for military purposes, and a number of army camps were established in the area. The forest played a role in supplying timber for the war effort.

7. Modern Preservation: Today, Savernake Forest is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), recognized for its biodiversity and ecological significance. It is also managed for public access and recreational activities such as walking and cycling.

Savernake Forest has a long and storied history, transitioning from a royal hunting ground to a treasured natural asset with historical and ecological significance. It continues to be an important part of the English landscape, offering opportunities for both conservation and outdoor enjoyment.

 Chapter 34 of "Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville is titled "The Cabin-Table." In this chapter, the narrative shifts its focus away from the action involving the hunt for the white whale, Moby Dick, and instead provides a detailed description of the daily life on the whaling ship Pequod, particularly in the ship's cabin.

Captain Ahab is not present in this chapter, and the narrative gives readers a glimpse into the relationships and dynamics among the various crew members. It also explores the role of the ship's cabin as a communal space where the crew gathers to eat, socialize, and unwind. The chapter describes the meals, the conversation, and the general atmosphere among the crew members during their time in the cabin.

This chapter provides a bit of a respite from the intense pursuit of Moby Dick and serves to further develop the characters and their interactions on the ship. It's a moment of relative calm in the midst of the larger narrative's high tension and suspense.

 So, we popped along to an almighty country fair in July - the Welland Steam Rally. It was huge, and quite mad. I've never seen quite so many steam engines in one place. 

 I popped along to the annual Bristol Balloon Fiesta this year and took my camcorder as per usual. A nice chance to try some nightime shots. The image quality delivered by the 6k pro plus the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 is astounding. The camera does seem to generate noise in the image in dimly lit situtions, quite noticeably. I remedied this in post with the de-noise filter in Davinci Resolve. This uses a LOT of processing power but is remarkably good.

What a glorious weekend we had - the Vintage Nostalgia weekend is a festival in rural Wiltshire, revelling in all things retro and vintage. Music from eras such as the 1920's, 1940's, 60's, and all sorts of wonderful vintage vehicles, clothes and food and drinks. Such a relaxed event, with people of all ages getting into the spirit and dressing up.  I've never been to such a lovely, calm and good spirited event. check out their website and social media here. https://www.vintagenostalgiafestival.co.uk/

We spent a glorious week in Cornwall, rather spontaneously booking a little cottage on Monday as the weather looked very promising. It was sunny, cool, and not busy with other tourists! If you're curious about the camera this time, I used a DJI X5 gimbal camera. It's decent gimbal unit and couples to the Oslo handle introduced in 2016, now discontinued. I have a love/hate relationship with it, the 4K resolution is very welcome, and the 4/3 lens is excellent. However, the bitrate is rather low at around 60mb/s at full UHD which is really nowhere near enough, not even for FHD. Also, the dynamic range is questionable, and the mechanics of operating it are a bit of a chore until you get very familiar with it. That's said, if you stick with the highest resolution in post and upload it at the same resolution too, the image holds up pretty well. I ditched the awful D-LOG picture setting as it is simply impossible to get decent results, and I now use 'none' from the list of picture options, and then set contrast, brightness and sharpening all to -3. This provide surprisingly decent starting point for light colouring work. 

 A short Film.

As always, filmed on my C100 plus outboard SSD recorder, while mooching about with my dogs. 

Edited in Davinci Resolve 18.5.

 Chapter 33. - The Specksnyder