This morning WoW went into Derbyshire to catch a most beautiful hoar frost. Misty and visibility down to around 100yds in places and it is a matter of selecting a snap which captures the feel.Picture 1 isn't a sub-standard monochrome reproduction or at least, no more than usual. This is how the scene looked from The Cliff Inn where we had our chip-cobs.
Firstly we went to a wood known to Roy, where the frost was photo-genic and everyone must have good pictures. Brian, Reg, Roy, Mike, Duggie and me were the WoW-ers for the day. It was a 'tripod day' because of the low light.
Then we went to Wirksworth and they disappered to some other photo-genic place while I decided to stay in the Market Place. It was only a few yards to Crown Yard which was interesting. The Exhibition about the town was closed (apparently it always is) but the adjacent Restaurant was open so I availed myself of the facilities and had a coffee.
In the yard leading up to was an interesting manhole cover. Stanton & Staveley Ironworks is internationally famous and examples of their products can always be found locally.But why the script in Hindi or similar?
The 'Trojan' is one of their standard manhole covers and the link takes you to a picture thereof but without the mysterious script.
I'm sure one of our resident experts will know the answer. If not, it looks like a case for 'nifty googler' when man-flu permits. And Bungus has had far too long a day to bother about 'blogs'.
Our chip-cobs were eaten at The Cliff Inn and very nice they were too. Picture 1 was from the car-park opposite. When we went into the pub, the weather was as shown, but when we came out the sun had melted the frost and water was dripping off the trees.
Comments.....AnonymousReg....Thanks for further info. on 'yonks'. As to its origins, little seems to be known. The Phrase Finder tries a few but none sound convincing. The Glossary of Air Force Slang just tells us what it means. Which we all know already !
Y had a quiet at-home day but obviously found lots to do. And my new Delia book arrived and looks superb. Exquisitely presented and the art work is excellent. A snap may follow.
Quotation time...... This raises a smile...still....
"When I was born I was so surprised I didn't talk for a year and a half"
Gracie Allen
Tomorrow is a normal Burton Joyce day for Y although Hannah and Miles are going to be off School. Millicent is going to Windmill which she loves so much she would go every day if she could. I aim to be busily producing a CD slide show of WoW images for EPS on Thursday week. Tomorrow we have Tony Worbiec lecturing at Greasley Miners' Welfare. He has an international reputation and we are all looking forward.
n.b. for new readers. If you left-click a picture you will get an enlargement in a new window. To return to where you were click the green back-button - top left. If something is underlined and in orange letters it will be a live-link i.e. left-click it and you will be whisked as if by magic.....
n.b. the © copyright for each photo is retained by the author, unless specifically stated.
....The smiley shows what happens to picture-nickers.
n.b. for new readers. If you left-click a picture you will get an enlargement in a new window. To return to where you were click the green back-button - top left. If something is underlined and in orange letters it will be a live-link i.e. left-click it and you will be whisked as if by magic.....
n.b. the © copyright for each photo is retained by the author, unless specifically stated.
....The smiley shows what happens to picture-nickers.
4 comments:
This doesn't answer RG's question but it's fascinating what you can find on t'internet:
“…The beauty of manhole covers–what of that?
Like medals struck by a great savage khan,
Like Mayan calendar stones, unliftable, indecipherable…”
- Karl Shapiro (1913-2000, The Bourgeois Poet)
Pulitzer prize winning poet Karl Shapiro once wrote a beautiful poem about the ‘rustproof’ and ‘dated’ beauty of America’s manhole covers. Little did he know that America’s new manholes would all eventually be medals struck by the great savage khan’s great Indian neighbors.
Few people know that India is now the world leader in the manufacturing of manhole covers. Most of New York city’s manhole covers have been coming from India for the last several years. Though New York probably still has american manholes going back as far as 1840s, all of the new ones come from the low-cost Indian market.
The software giant Microsoft typically asked this question of its prospective candidates: ‘Why are manhole covers round’? It fetched a range of answers from the smartypants ‘because the manholes are round’ to the more technical ‘because the round shape prevents the covers from falling in’. (To prevent falling inside the manhole, the cover needs to be either a simple round shape or a more complicated ‘reuleaux polygon’).
Karl Shapiro spent the last six years of his life in New York city, and definitely must have seen the invasion of Indian manhole covers. And unlike in his poem, the covers did not come from the country of the great savage khan, but from the country of Shahrukh and Salman and Ameer Khan."
Rob
We had no sign of frost whatsoever (and I was up at 7.15).
Lovely atmospheric pictures although the second one would not enlarge!
I misread one line as ‘Firstly we went to a wood known as Roy…’
I think there is much to be said for exhibition s that are permanently closed. Drinking coffe is often much more interesting.
I am curious what the yard was leading up to; obviously something that was a bit secret.
May I make the obvious suggestion that the manhole cover was probably made for export? I am able to translate the ‘foreign’. It says ‘This is a manhole cover. Do not steal.’
I greatly enjoyed Rob's dissertation; great poem and the bit about round covers not falling in was an enlightenment.
I have ordered the book Delia recommends from Amazon. Will let you borrow it.
Love the Gracie quote. And wasn’t she the perfect foil for George. I wish someone (Channel 4?) would repeat their shows. So much more entertaining than most repeats.
MY LONG DAY
7.15 up 2 hours early to be ready at 8.00 for transport to my 12.30 appointment at City Hospital (40 minutes away). Have ceeal breakfast.
11.30: no transport. Phoned hospital to be informed that no-one had booked it but they would send someone. Instructed to phone again in one hour if not arrived. Have cup-a-soup (mouth too sore to chew).
12.30. Phoned hospital again to be told that a car would arrive and that because of the delay I would start drip treatment on arrival.
1.45 car arrives.
2.25 arrive hospital. Tablets already at desk for me to take home. Good (sometimes an hour’s delay waiting for them after treatment). Will start treatment as soon as possible.
4.00 taken in for treatment. First 3 attempts to find back-of-hand vein unsuccessful. Hands pronounced cold so wrapped in electric blanket for 10 min which turns out to be half hour (no complaint; they are busy).
4.30 canula inserted and half hour drip starts. Suck square of 77% Peruvian chocolate.
5.10 drip empty. Take walk with drip (and stand) to find nurse.
4.40 saline drip for 10 min.
5.00 take walk with drip (and stand) to find nurse.
5.30 canula removed, blood bag and tablets on hand. Arrange next visit and ask for transport to be booked (I shall check this time). Have cup of tea and 2 choc digestives (provided) while awaiting transport.
6.00 taxi arrives to take me, a patient to Daybrook and another to Mansfield.
7.15 arrive home exhausted (£52 on taxi clock).
7.25 Fish pie, followed by 2 slices Warburton’s Hot Cross Bun Loaf, followed by rice pudding (homemade) and telly.
INCIDENTALS
We have long term custody of Charlie the Chinchilla. He loves attention and is very affectionate and eats most things that reach the bars of his cage (tea towels, plastic bags, pink chrysanths [not white]) but will barely touch chinchilla food, preferring to be hand fed on seeds, grains, dried fruit and and nuts. Sandra has recently taken to giving him chicken pellets which he seems to like a lot. My suspicion is that Sandra is thinking of the eggs.
My mother always opined that pennyroyal (a member of the mint family) is the essential herb for black pudding. She was very knowledgeable about many things but, if in doubt, was capable of invention. I don’t know who takes after her but I am an only child.
Forgot to say congratulations to Nottingham Panthers on winning the Elite Ice Hockey League's Challenge Cup last night. They beat Sheffield Steelers 9-7 on aggregate despite actually losing last night's game 4-3 or 3-4 if you prefer as the game was played in Nottingham.
Rob
Yes, well done the Panthers. Are there only 2 teams? I only hear of them playing each other.
As apedant I prefer 3-4.
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