Saturday, April 26, 2008

Y rambling - RG snapping - messing about

At lunchtime I took Y over to Joan's whereupon they were going Rambling with Chris in the East Bridgford area. Chris is a very keen and experienced rambler and organises and leads walks for, among others, the Broxtowe Borough Council. After the walk they were able to drop Y back home and she had had a great time. They stayed for a cup of tea and a biscuit but I would have been delighted to do a meal. Chris is great to cook for; he is an assiduous clean-plate person and will, if pressed, have seconds.

When I left Arnold I came back via Dorket Head from where there's a lovely view over the Trent Valley looking almost due east towards Lincolnshire. After much messing about there, with my tripod and different lenses and ISO's and RAW my journey took me down Burntstump where I came across this beatifully 'layered' thorn hedge.

Thank goodness someone still knows how to do it properly with real hazel-wattles to support it for the first couple of years.

Hedge Layering is a proper country craft. Although the link takes you to a firm that uses hazel, I seem to remember that willow can also be used. I suspect that originally willow rods and split hazel were used but I didn't get out of the car to examine this specimen closely.

A good hedge makes such sense. Stock-proof and trespasser-proof in a couple of years. And it won't blow down.

The National Trust is very keen on supporting country-crafts and we are supporting an apprentice stone mason at Hardwick Hall. Stone masons 'hurrah!', Free masons 'boo!'......

Which leads me unerringly to this hedgerow Honesty a little further down the road. Joan says the bed is there each year and she has often eyed the white version covetously. She intends to try her luck with a 'seed head' (they look like a translucent penny, 1d - that is) when they are there. She realises that, if she collected one, she would probably be in breach of some EU regulation, Health & Safety, and possible the Terrorism Act. But she doesn't seem bovvered. At least she didn't look bovvered. They are incidentally biennial and I suspect they don't run true to colour either. Guidance from the Horticultural Desk would be helpful.

Comments.....Bungus..... Re your sat upon telly-remote. Just as well you had your trousers on, is all I can say.

The flash-fried kale is, as you say, very much like Chinese seaweed and I shall definitely do it again particularly when serving finger-food. It is easy, quick, cheap, and reliable.

We will let you lay claim to 'conkered', you deserve it.

A house-point and an Radiogandy ....for the EPS and PMT comment. The club is now well into its 40s as I understand it, so perhaps problems with its 'Monthlies' should come to an end quite naturally. But they would probably mess about with HRT (High Resolution Tripods).

Strangely enough the Telegraph carried no obituary today for Humpf. His death must have been announced just too late for the morning edition. I can think of no finer tribute than a little video of him playing Bad Penny Blues. I hope that the boogie-piano won't get AnonymousReg in to trouble with Senior Management again!

Humpf playing 'I love Paris' was what I really wanted but google and youtube failed me. Not a track for the purists I realise, but it was probably my favourite bit of jazz. I'll try one of the other search-engines tomorrow.

As a Radio 4 person I have been an 'I'm sorry I haven't a clue' addict for so many years and Humpf chaired it so brilliantly. His witty Weltschmerz was a joy and, as he once said :-

"Anyone wishing to avoid the crowds when leaving, please wait until the end of the show"

A kindred spirit and I sincerely hope he rests in peace.

Sleep tight and I'll catch you tomorrow.




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have great difficulty obtaining an internet connection at weekends, esp Sunday. Can it be that it is overloaded?

Nice view from Dorket Head.
I am fond of the Notts scenery; it is softer and less dramatic than Derbyshire, but not featureless like Cambs.

Yes, hedges is gud and, provided you don’t choose privet, not too hard to maintain if given regular attention. Some 10 to 15 years ago, we had the one at the top of our garden cut down from some 5 metres to 3 and layered. It is now back to c 5m.

I had a great uncle (one of the building Baggaleys, brother of Herbert) who was a stone mason. He had a hook in place of one hand and was a feared fighter. He fell off a roof he was working on at the age of 83 but recovered. As a teenager in the late 1800s (not that such things existed then) he was fined £5 (a lot of money at the time) for making an ice slide on the pavement outside his home on Belvedere Street.

I have never seen (or noticed) white honesty. I hope Joan is successful in her no doubt dishonest practice (in fact, I think taking seeds is OK; it is taking plants that is criminal).

“Just as well you had your trousers on, is all I can say”. Otherwise, I could have been totally re-programmed.

I like the HRT (High Resolution Tripods).

Humph was renowned for his double entrendres on I'm sorry I haven't a clue'.
I paraphrase “And on the team today we have a lady who has sat on left hand of several of our regular panel members on many occasions,”
I believe that ’Bad Penny Blues', which I think he composed, was his only No 1 hit.

We seem to be rather short of comments lately. I know Joan is on holiday and that makes a big difference.

Stags shot themselves in the foot again and their rivals did rather well. Last chance saloon – they have to beat Dagenham away in the final match to survive.
Chelsea did well to keep things alive at the top of the Premiership. Things at the bottom still have a lot of interest.

On this day, 26 Apr:

Deaths:
John Wilkes Booth (shot and killed), 1865
Gipsy Rose Lee, 1970
Count Basie, 1984
Lucille Ball, 1989

Art critic Louis Leroy lampooned a group of artists as ‘impressionists’, 1874
Guernica bombed, 1937

Births:
Marcus Aurelius, 121 AD
Leonardo da Vinci, 1452
Anita Loos, 1893
Rudolph Hess, 1894

Anonymous said...

RG I must put on my Chairman's Hat and correct you EPS next season is 57 so PMT should be well past.
Sad about Humph.although he was not one of my favourites. We saw him at Wollaton Park a few years ago but a big venue like that is not the bast for jazz.
I wonder what jazz clubs are like now? Only one place for jazz, a smoke filled bar, sawdust on the floor and beer slopping about on the wooden tables, some atmosphere there then. We also saw Chris Barber at the Concert Hall, music was good but it lacked atmosphere. Same applied to Dutch Swing College Band broadcast from the Commadore. Good music but no atmosphere. Different again we went to a recording of Jazz Club, as guests of the band,(Alan Elsdon) at BBC Madia Vale Studios, that was great. But even better as we came out The Royal Marines Band were recording Friday Night is Music Night, every one stopped to listen even the hardened Jazz musicians It was Superb never heard a sound like it.
I wonder if Johnny 'Kite' is peddling his records still. Can you see the dints in a cd cover from falling off the lorry?

Anonymous said...

A sad weekend in a number of ways, most prominently the loss of Humph. At this moment I just cannot see him being replaced on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. This has to be one of the best radio comedy programmes ever and I'm pleased the Beeb didn't try to translate it to TV. For me the golden age of radio comedy was in the 50s and 60s but Humph and the team are up there with the best.

Also saddened by the plight of the Stags. I thought, after last weekend, they were going to make it, but now it looks very doubtful. Saddened, as well, that the FA's(?) Respect Campaign should be so damaged by less than competent officials who cannot tell the differemce between an arm moving towards a football and an arm moving away from a football. Of course, you will all understand that I am not at all biased or prejudiced in any way.

ChairmanReg - you are not going to find smoke filled bars these days (but you know that) but, for a small jazz venue, I recommend the Lion at Basford on Sunday lunchtimes (see blogs passim, or check out their website - www.thelionatbasford.co.uk) if you ever decide to visit let me know, I'll see you there.

Thanks, RG, for the NImmo Brothers on YouTube - wonderful.

Today was World Pinhole Day and I went to Newstead Abbey. Not the best lighting but, after 12 exposures (on film), I may have enough for a small panel.

Last year I took some seed heads from an Honesty plant growing wild locally and I haven't been arrested - yet. Please don't let on that you know me.

I haven't checked but does anyone know what the weather is like in Madeira? Hope Jill is having a good time.

This afternoon, in the Dixies Arms I was told that I sounded 'posh'. Elaine thinks this is because I don't have a Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire accent. I'm convinced the person who said this to me is far wealthier than I am. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Rob