Wednesday, April 02, 2008

WoW at Creswell Crags - Bird in Hand pub

Yet another smashing WoW day, there wasn't much light but Creswell Crags was most interesting.

Picture 1 is of the Meden River which flows through the gorge and I was attracted to the white blossom tree on the left bank.

The site is of great archaelogical importance because a recent discovery of cave-paintings of an earlier date than those at Lascaux in France. Although I can't find a current link for the work, it was reported in my ArtDaily newspaper about 6 months ago.

Personally I am always dumb-struck by the sophisticated artistic skill of the artists. So much power and grace (but of course they didn't have NEMPF judges making snide remarks - if they had. I suspect it would have been 'up yours' with the barbed spear).

I'm afraid you will have to open the links to see what I'm talking about because I run short of picture space. Even though there isn't any google-limit I am aware of some readers on dial-up and download time can be an issue.

Picture 2 is just a pleasant modern structure on the way from The Visitors' Centre to The Crags. It isn't an Ice-Age Bandstand so far as I am aware. It was a handy place for me to rest and an excuse to use mi' Sigma wide-angle.

On my limping return to the Visitors' Centre I was told that I could have been given a 'Radar key' to open gates so I could have driven there. A notice at the start would have been more use than at the end. Although the link describes the key in relation to toilets, they also open gates and things. I fully intend to apply for one and I am indebted to Kevin for drawing it to my attention.

The fearsome creature at Picture 3 was, obviously, in the Museum rather than wandering around. Until today I never realised that the Hyena was native to these shores. Just so long as some well intentioned berk doesn't suggest reintroduction; solely on the grounds of their irremediable ugliness.

We chip-cobbed (well chip-baguetted actually) at The Bird in Hand at Blidworth and all agreed on the excellence. A very 'well thought of' pub (we managed to get the window table. in the top picture - ace view) and an additional pull was a proper open-fire, even though we weren't near it. Pleasant landlord with a sense of humour. Poor Roy - he would have loved it. Back soon though Roy ! As soon as you are allowed to raise your knee higher than your hip I will pick you up and you can share my coffee where they put me, in the Car Park.

Comments..... Ray.... Thanks for the Hansen i.d. and also the link, which the Sports Desk will enjoy. Others were also successful but yours was first. Nice to have your comments these days. I tried to explain to Reg about RSS feeds, but failed. The problem was me not fully understanding what I was talking about, rather than his.

Jill.... our first April fools day spoof was the 'flying penguins' in the Telegraph. Like Rob, I'm afraid I can't bring myself to read Y's Daily Mail. She assures me she only has it for the sudoku and we fight over The Telegraph. The Mail has poached some good writers though, Max Hastings, Tom Uttley etc.

Bungus.... thanks for the latest episode of the Hospital saga - it speaks articulately for itself and doesn't really need anything from me.

Thanks also for the additions to the 'sayings list'. It was in boyhood I first encountered the story about the problems of word-of-mouth communication. Where "Send reinforcements, we are going to advance" became "send three and fourpence, we are going to a dance". I fear it wont outlast us though because of the currency change.

Flowers of ManchesterRob...... (we Xword puzzlers would identify the
Mersey, Irwell, Medlock and Irk rivers, as Manchester flowers) - crazy lot that cryptic xword setters are.

The chaps this morning were delighted with your Yorkshire judging experience and just hope that your influence rubs off.

Thanks also for your continued shared manning of The Sports Desk.

I've rabbitted on far too long....(you can say that again...Ed.) so I'll stop right there. No quotation, no animated line.............just good night !

.....................

p.s. to Reg. I have checked out all the links and they seem OK at this end. If one doesn't open though, I need to know.....








6 comments:

Unknown said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8G5dFddz8c
RSS explained (3 mins) will help but I must apologise for the 'Yankee Drawl'
As an aside it is possible to leave a comment using RSS because I am visiting your site within the reader at the moment. I can also log in and edit posts at CoU through the same medium. Loads of readers available and most of them are free. I've tried a few like SharpReader, Feed Demon but I'm stuck on RSS Bandit at the moment.

Unknown said...

http://www.4freeimagehost.com/show.php?i=7aca32e9d258.jpg

Anonymous said...

I acidentally left todays comment on yesteday's blog.

REPEAT

The Creswell Crags flower made a pleasant picture. It is at least ten years since I visited and has obviously been massively updated and improved. When I went, there was little to see apart from the caves.

It is the neo-Japanese simplicity of the cave paintings that attracts me. I believe it was Miro who produced similar line drawings of intense power. I await correction.

I feel sorry for the hyena (a sort of Elephant Man of the animal kingdom) and would welcome his return. If Sandra saw the picture I am sure she would want one to nurture.

I don’t think I have been to The Bird in Hand for many years. The last time was with Sandra perhaps 25 years ago, and before that, some ten years earlier, with my previous wife who worked behind the bar there and got in with some very dubious characters (something she was good at) .
It was nice pub then and doesn’t appear to have changed much, which I regard as a good thing.

Rob:
Mansfield’s defence has suffered for most of the season from the loss through injury of arguably their best player, Alex John-Baptiste, from Ollerton, whose West Indian grandfather is a lovely man whom it is always a pleasure to converse with and buy a pint for. But Hansen in his prime would have been an adequate replacement. Delia could have been useful too; I wish she would buy the club.
I have never reckoned St John as a pundit (remember Saint and Greavesy?) and logic was never his strongest point, but he was not a bad striker.

I don’t even see the Daily Mail but still agree with you. And I feel the same about the Telegraph which I know will create a storm from the man who has rather lost his roots! Yours is just the sort of understatement I like.

In the Mansfield/Sutton area, the popular expression of amazement, "I'll go to the foot of our stairs" is often abbreviated to simply ‘Well ah’ll gutter’.

Crosswords:
Can anyone solve this clue:
‘Energy shown by top lass playing more than one upright’ G * A * P * S * S (I thought it must be ‘girlpower’ but that doesn’t fit the ‘A’ or ‘Ss’ which I am sure are correct. The P depends upon ‘used in japan, gamekeepers knife’ being ‘PANGA’.

Unattributed quote:
“ Those who do not read are no better off than those who cannot.”

Anonymous said...

Agreed, Bungus, St John was a good striker and, after last night's result may be a better pundit than me. Yes, I remember cringing in front of the telly when Saint and Greavsie were on though there was a certain comedy value.

Staying on a football theme I think your crossword answer is Goalposts. Go as in energy and re-arrangement of "top lass"; also more than one upright seems to point towards it.

Can you provide a link to the bit of the Observer website that has the grains of rice donations? I couldn't find it but did find interesting articles about photography at www.arts.guardian.co.uk/art/photography

I'm also with you, Bungus, on the Torygraph "news" paper.

Maybe we should bring back the hyena and have recipes for hyena chops or hyena curry. No doubt Delia could whip something up. We've had wild boar in Sardinia and Calabria and it's beautiful.

Customer to waiter "Was this boar wild?" Waiter to customer "Well, it wasn't too happy when we slaughtered it."

I think the cave paintings at Cresswell were discovered about 4 years ago. I seem to remember they were about the time I moved house.

I'm glad the chaps (no Helen, then?) approved of my judging stance. Maybe we should start a campaign to get me appointed as a N&EMPF exhibition judge. I did do it once many years ago when I entered lots of exhibitions. It seems they only invite people who do well in exhibitions so it's all self-perpetuating. Meanwhile, the rest of the world moves on.

Rob

Anonymous said...

Update on Cresswell Crags cave paintings - according to this link www.comicsuk.co.uk/History/HistoryWhole.asp the paintings were discovered in June 2003.

Rob

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