In September I took the opportunity of visiting the Dorset Coast, also known as the “Jurassic Coast” because of the abundance of fossils to be found in the rocks. A few years ago a friend of mine spent a holiday in Portland a carved a figure emerging from a huge piece of Portland stone. Evident in the rock were the shapes of little creatures which lived hundreds of millions of years ago. We managed to get the results of the week’s intensive work back to Birmingham. Driving out from Weymouth west wards a spectacular view of Chesil Beach emerges. The lagoon behind the bank contains fresh water and so provides a rich environment for a variety of wild life. Swans are one species which are attracted, which is unusual. They are territorial creatures which do not take kindly to others invading their space. Here the conditions seem to override that tendency as is apparent by the huge number of them living in the ancient sanctuary at Abbotsbury.