Monday, 21 June 2010
Panic on the streets of Timperley
Posted by Nogbad at 21:06:00 View Comments
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Summer
Posted by Nogbad at 20:51:00 View Comments
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Out of the way
Exam done and dusted. It's the first one I've taken in eight years, the courses since then have all had an end of course assessment, an extended piece of work rather than three hours mano a mano with a blank answer book and equally blank mind.
Despite advising others on exam techniques I'm a nightmare for days before and for a short time after the event but I'm generally okay at the time. Today was fine, arrived good and early and got my bearings. Grabbed a coffee and did the nervous chat with others. East Malling is a really good venue and the invigilating team did a great job of making sure people weren't overly stressed by the preamble. By then I was sitting in my seat with my pens and mints and water and ruler and ID and I was keen rather than stressed. Afterwards I also need some headspace so I went for a wander round East Malling church and took some photos of the church and surroundings (it didn't take long, EM isn't the largest place in the world). And here's a photo I'm pleased with. More from the set, including the lovely church, are on Flickr.
Posted by Nogbad at 20:40:00 View Comments Folksonomy: east malling, memorials
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
The Specials
These guys are the stars of an online docu-soap about their lives. They are based in Brighton and the first series runs to eight episodes. Yesterday they wrapped up two awards at The Webby Awards, an international shindig which honours excellence on the web - this year it gave a lifetime achievement award to Vint Cerf. Click on the banner to go to the site and check out what it's all about. I've not watched all of them but the ones I have watched are great.
Posted by Nogbad at 21:48:00 View Comments Folksonomy: specials
Monday, 14 June 2010
Pubs
Posted by Nogbad at 18:53:00 View Comments Folksonomy: pubs
A rose by any other name
I know it's another flower but so what? I think it's nice. It's the rose which grows round the front door (yes, seriously) and I've been hacking it back so that the postie can get to the letterbox. When we were growing up there was a big old house on Dickenson Road. The garden was overgrown and we told lurid tales of the people we imagined might live there. None of the scouts would go in the garden, even for a dare. Now I don't live in a big house but I'm slightly nervous of going in the front garden....
For full details check out my special Google map. Anthony Burgess domiciled a character in "Any Old Iron" (from memory) in a house on Dickenson Road
Posted by Nogbad at 18:02:00 View Comments Folksonomy: flower, rose, shakespeare
It's the World Cup!
Posted by Nogbad at 15:59:00 View Comments Folksonomy: germany, world cup
Sunday, 13 June 2010
Pond
Posted by Nogbad at 18:08:00 View Comments Folksonomy: Kent, loose pond
Saturday, 12 June 2010
Let battle commence
I've processed and uploaded some more shots to the Teston kite festival set on Flickr.
Posted by Nogbad at 23:24:00 View Comments Folksonomy: kites, teston
In letters of gold on a snow white kite
Posted by Nogbad at 19:34:00 View Comments Folksonomy: kites
We few, we happy few
This is to get everyone in the mood for the football.
Posted by Nogbad at 19:12:00 View Comments Folksonomy: henry V, shakespeare
Friday, 11 June 2010
Red mini
Posted by Nogbad at 10:37:00 View Comments Folksonomy: red mini
We made this happen
So the World Cup kicks off today. The first time on the African continent and in, of all places, South Africa.
Just over 100 years ago Britain was engaged in a war in South Africa, just under 100 years ago The Natives' Land Act (1913) started the march towards segregation and apartheid. After Nyerere asked that we didn't buy South African produce politics arrived in the grocer's shop and we didn't buy Outspan oranges. For more than thirty years people in Britain played a small part in showing South African that apartheid was wrong. Sports were boycotted and pitches dug up, we didn't bank with Barclays and we sang about releasing Nelson Mandela and not playing Sun City.
And now, 20 years after Mandela's release, the world is in South Africa to celebrate the biggest sporting tournament and lots of us made a very modest contribution to making this possible. Sometimes things do work out the way they should.
Posted by Nogbad at 09:25:00 View Comments Folksonomy: anti-apartheid, free nelson mandela
Thursday, 10 June 2010
This week were looking at birds
If anyone knows what this is please shout. I tried the RSPB site but that didn't give me anything close enough. It's about the size of a sparrow and has a long, thin tail. I know it's not a flamingo....
Posted by Nogbad at 18:09:00 View Comments Folksonomy: bird
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Honeysuckle
Posted by Nogbad at 14:53:00 View Comments Folksonomy: flower, Photos
Sunday, 6 June 2010
Hatton locks
This is looking up the Hatton flight. The top lock is just about visible and to the left, behind the green umbrellas, is the cafe. It was originally stables but now serves a smashing cup of tea and there was a very tempting smell of bacon wafting about when people passed with trays. I've posted the rest of the set on Flickr.
Hatton locks are about 5 minutes from J15 on M40. Take the A46 Warwick Bypass for a couple of miles to the A4177 (signed Warwick Parkway rail station). Go north, towards Solihull, on the A4177. After a mile and a half Canal Road is on the left, it's signposted. There is a pay and display car park. This link goes to a Google map showing the route.
Smashing place to break a journey and a nice change from a motorway service station.
Posted by Nogbad at 19:17:00 View Comments Folksonomy: canal, coffee, hatton
Friday night
Posted by Nogbad at 10:12:00 View Comments Folksonomy: Manchester, pubs
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Friday, 4 June 2010
Thursday, 3 June 2010
SXR103 and badgers
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Timelessness
So I ended up at Dungeness again. It's almost inevitable, one of my favourite places. While there I visited the RSPB Nature Reserve for the first time. I can't see me becoming a twitcher but I am wondering whether I can justify investing in a DSLR with a good telephoto lens for taking better distance shots of furry or feathery things.
This photo is from the track through the Dungeness Estate and is cropped from a bigger shot showing part of the lifeboat house. In the original the boat is in the centre of the frame but I've cropped to move the boat and also brought the sky down which has brought the flowers in the foreground into play. I've messed about with the edges to see how it looks.
Posted by Nogbad at 22:34:00 View Comments Folksonomy: dungeness, Photos
Dungeness
Posted by Nogbad at 15:43:00 View Comments
Yummy
Grilled artichokes, soft figs, olives, falafels, fruit. This isn't just any picnic - this is a Waitrose picnic!
Posted by Nogbad at 12:54:00 View Comments
Paddling like.............
Posted by Nogbad at 11:09:00 View Comments Folksonomy: Photos, swan
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Iris
This is my favourite photo of the day. It's in a neighbour's garden and I'd walked up - in the rain - to see if there were any colourful flowers. Also took some photos at Twyford Bridge, Yalding. The rest of the set is on Flickr.
Posted by Nogbad at 19:45:00 View Comments Folksonomy: iris, Photos, rain
Mystery solved!
The mystery plant has been identified by Lynne. It's a Pseudofumaria lutea which is known as the Rock Fumewort or Yellow Corydalis. Fumewort, it seems, is a common name which can mean any of a dozen different species. The obsolete Latin name for this plant is Corydalis lutea though I have no idea how a plant name becomes obsolete.
Many thanks to everyone who made a suggestion and to Lynne for finding the little rascal.
Posted by Nogbad at 16:58:00 View Comments Folksonomy: mystery plant
Breaking shells
I like to think that whatever needed this shell for protection was able to grow and face the world without it.
Posted by Nogbad at 15:57:00 View Comments
Gatepost
Here is that yellow flower in situ so that folk have an idea of the scale.
Posted by Nogbad at 15:41:00 View Comments
It's come to this
Posted by Nogbad at 11:10:00 View Comments Folksonomy: DD208, OU