Wednesday, 5 August 2009
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
European peacock
A European peacock butterfly on the Buddleia. Loads of butterflies sunning themselves yesterday but not easy to get close enough for photographs because the approach is across loose gravel. Other photos are in the butterflies set on Flickr
Monday, 3 August 2009
Saturday, 1 August 2009
Blue in the rain
I'll try to summarise today. Firstly it started a great deal earlier than I'd have preferred - I picked up Cal at 07:20. We arrived at the Denbies Vineyard at 08:30 and hit the queue. That filled the time to midday and we were finally given tickets for the 15:00 session, yes we queued for three and a half hours. Apparently the earliest arrivals were at 04:00 and had traveled from Manchester - we were in Dorking.
The restaurant (posh cafe) had posh food but we're blokes so we went with the burger van and then cakes and hot chocolate in the cafe. Back outside to watch the building work. The task today is to make the big bricks which will be used to build the house. They are hollow and use 272 Lego bricks. They are all the same size (12 long by 5 + 2 halves wide) and are each of a single colour. As the clock ticked down towards our session time the light drizzle turned to rain. Our ticket number meant that we'd be working outside and by the time we went into the build area the bricks were floating on the tables. Working with a father and his twin nine year old sons we set about a crate of white bricks and when they were all done we were restocked with blue. All up we made more than ten bricks in our hour and we were slowed down by me building a brick which was too narrow (because I can't count I suppose) and by the filthy weather - it's difficult to manipulate Lego bricks with cold, wet, pruney fingers. They need about 4,000 bricks, they'd taken delivery of 3 million Lego bricks, and had completed about 3,000 when our session started. The house will be built over the next few weeks.
Check out the Flickr stream for more photos. Oh, and James May? Yes - he shouted at us through a megaphone a few times but one can't blame him for not wanting to stray too far into the rain.
Queue
After a week at resi school spending a couple of hours standing in a queue is physically tiring but mentally restful. Nearly fell asleep standing up.
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Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone
Cal
Poetry? Easy!
---- Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone
Friday, 31 July 2009
All that jazz
The finale of "All that jazz" with Roy Sheider and Ben Vereen. Posted this as I've been talking to folks and too few know the film. This is a dream sequence so it's a bit spacy. The film was choreographed by Bob Fosse and the dancing throughout is amazing
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Monday, 27 July 2009
Saturday, 25 July 2009
Dave plays for sympathy with his teddy
Friday, 24 July 2009
The kids want a saviour, don't need a fake
Good evening Mr and Mrs America and all ships at sea, the candidate is taking the country by storm!
Blame Shirley for this - she threw me an Alice lyric and my head is full of him now. Couldn't find Billion Dollar Babies but here's Elected, part of the soundtrack of my youth. We're all gonna rock to the rules that I make!
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
My creation
I've been playing with http://bighugelabs.com/ which I picked up from a tweet last night. Here's my first stab at a motivational poster from one of my images. I'm probably not destined for a life as a motivational poster designer but I think it's a neat tool and I'm sure will be of use to someone at some time.
Monday, 20 July 2009
Apollo 11 - 40
Regular readers will know about my fascination with manned space flight. Today is the day; the anniversary of an event which delivered Kennedy's promise - "We will do these things, not because they are easy, but because they are difficult." When Neil Armstrong stepped down from the LEM step and that little puff of moon dust was blown up my generation knew that if a man could walk on the moon all things were possible. The moon landing is still a powerful symbol of many things, not all of them good, but I still prefer to think of that one idea; if a man can walk on the moon I can achieve anything.Sunday, 19 July 2009
Emma
Late breaking news hot from Facebook; "Emma also got a 2:1 in Linguistics and French and will be graduating soon!"
Thanks Sam and well done Emma
Saturday, 18 July 2009
Some congratulations
Congratulations to Patrick who collected his BA (Hons) Music on Tuesday. He's still useless at recognising AC/DC lyrics or listing winners of the Eurovision Song Contest but I blame Nottingham University - obviously they are dumbing down. I can only hope doing a Masters will fill in these crucial gaps in his musical education.
Congratulations to Sam who collects her BA (Hons) in Linguistics this coming week. Because she has wanderlust she's heading off to yet another university for Masters.
Congratulations to Caz for passing her first year with a First. I'm sure Emma has also done something wonderful but there was no mention - her French is coming along well though.
These folk are members of the residential school team at Sussex so if anyone is in the area make sure you say "well done!". And congratulations to all the people who attended week one - staff and students - it was a jolly week.
Friday, 17 July 2009
End of the week
End of week one at Sussex. Great time had by most - time for home and the real world
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Entertainment
This bloke is currently wowing the crowds near the JMS Building at the University of Sussex. He and his very noisy dust-creating machine are available for weddings and parties - book now for Christmas.Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Lilies
Lilies and fish in the garden behind the Chichester coffee shop. Bit of drama there today - there is a net at the second floor level to keep out larger birds and sparrows flit around feeding their young in the nesting boxes. Today a Sparrowhawk had found a way in but couldn't get out through the net - its presence was keeping the sparrows in hiding and they were sounding alarmed.
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Unchained melody
Piece of work on loan to the University of Sussex. It won a Silver Flora at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2006 and is really picked out by the bright sunlight yesterday. 
Monday, 13 July 2009
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Notes
Some famous Shakespearean bits that aren't famous enough: I hope this helps anyone who might be considering the Humanities.
Note on the last posting. It's well know that there is a relationship between genius and the dark beverage from Dublin. In fact they ran an advertising campaign to that effect - Pure Genius. Less well known is the relationship between Guinness and the work of The Bard. Eagle-eyed readers might question how he managed to get hold of any, having been around a few years before the first natural Guinness springs were discovered on the banks of the Liffy but let not that stand in thy way paltroon!"As you like it?" - The proper stuff not that metric ice cold gear"Is this a dagger I see before me?" No it's a pint of beer, neck it lad"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy" - Guinness and blackcurrant
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Is this a dagger I see before me?
Hark! What light in yonder window breaks? It is the East Slope bar!
Friday, 10 July 2009
For those about to rock.........
Heading off for resi school soon. Students start arriving tomorrow lunchtime by which we'll have had meetings and briefings and wandered the campus putting up signs and checking wheelchair access and all the other things that happen underneath to make the swan swim serenley on.
So in the immortal words of AC/DC; For those about to rock - we salute you!
"You used to be so amused....."
Just has to deal with my first comment spam in ages. It was on a posting from 2005 which dealt with some Dylan-related musings. Now I've got this song going through my head; not a bad way to start the day :-)
So how does it feel? How does it feel? To be on your own, with no direction home, like a complete unknown...........
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
The Ship Inn
I took some photos while wandering round Maidstone today. Most are pubs and the route is mainly the length of Upper and Lower Stone Street, Gabriel's Hill and the High Street. If anyone wishes to see the architectural majesty of the county town of Kent hit the Flickr set (it also includes three older shots).
Monday, 6 July 2009
Branches
Under the yew tree in Loose graveyard. Church House in the background. Took this a few weeks ago and tonight found out that someone famous is in this graveyard; the Reverend Richard Boys was chaplain of St Helena when Napoleon was there.
Sunday, 5 July 2009
Tea
Tea
- Posted using Mobypicture.com
You've got to love digital communications - this one was sent at the time shown on the image!
You've got to love digital communications - this one was sent at the time shown on the image!
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Lovely day
Lovely day
- Posted using Mobypicture.com
I sent this when I took it - 11:50 on 01/07, it seems that some Moby Pictures go through a black hole or a tear in the space-time continuum before being delivered.
- Posted using Mobypicture.com
I sent this when I took it - 11:50 on 01/07, it seems that some Moby Pictures go through a black hole or a tear in the space-time continuum before being delivered.
Leaning into the Light: The Open University 40th Anniversary Lecture
"Lord Puttnam, Chancellor of The Open University, marks the 40th anniversary of the institution in this special birthday lecture, delivered on Monday 20th April 2009 at The Open University, Milton Keynes. He addresses the challenges facing the world of education as we pursue the digital revolution in face of the credit crunch and the threat of ecological disaster."
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