Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Nat Trust about Welbeck

Bit short on snaps this evening; been too busy. So I thought the 'flowering cherry' at night might be of interest.

A quick google failed to locate the actual variety. In the light breeze this afternoon I noticed petals falling so it won't be in flower much longer. It's been pretty though.

This evening's lecture at Mansfield, about Welbeck and the 5th Duke was fascinating. June Ibbotson did an excellent job. What an interesting man the 5th Duke was.

There was a large turnout - I would guess 70/80 and the raffle made £63 - a record !

Comments.....Bungus .... Most of the definitions of 'profiterole' endorse your point that they contain cream. But I guess is our readers realise that my meaning was that we poured additional cream over them.

Thanks for your many interesting points but I'm too tired to react in detail. And we are off out again tomorrow.

AnonymousRob ...... ditto to above. But I must report a eureka moment with blueprint. Known the word for 60+ years without ever thinking of its source.

Catch you tomorrow. Sleep tight.....





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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That tree looks even better at night! Especially against the dark navy blue sky. There is a road near here that is lined with similar trees, we had a walk up and down it yesterday, as did a lot of other people. It is always pictured in local paper, along with the fact that Queen Mary was always driven down it once a year at ths time to see it.

Grand-daughter didn't turn up, (should that word have two 'd's' in the middle? or hyphenated? or just one? I have spotted many variations). If she doesn't come tomorrow I will do as Bungus suggests, and have a go myself.....

Anonymous said...

I thought of you this (Wed)morning, Mr Blog, as I picked chives (about a dozen for a single portion of creamed mushrooms).
I did the toast in the traditional way; ie, until black and then scraped over the sink.

Jessica’s caravan has arrived and is at the top of the drive. I expect complaint from the neighbour that it is up to 6” over the boundary; something which will be strenuously denied by Sandra who has been deputised to deal with this matter.
Jessica was delighted, repeatedly saying “I’ve got a caravan,” with tears rolling down her cheeks.
It is remarkably sound and good (and it only cost Steph's 'boyfriend', Robin, £225).

The 'flowering cherry' does look good at night and the generic name answers my question perfectly adequately.
We have a ‘proper cherry (grown from a plum or apricot stone by my dad) which has white blossom; disappointing this year but the birds have nearly all the fruit anyway!

To say the Fifth Duke was an interesting man sells him a bit short I feel. Undoubtedly a nutter but with many good and generous traits.

‘Additional cream’!!! Makes my chive usage seem positively thrifty, almost mean.

Blueprints are, like Motorway signs, blue with white lines and lettering. I know nothing of the history but will Google it.

Jill: I always spell it ‘granddaughter’ and Word spellcheck accepts (which means it could be American!). But my favourite dictionary confirms it, likewise ‘granddad’.
I have lost track of what the gd was supposed to be doing for you.

"Outside every thin girl is a fat man, trying to get in."
Katherine Whitehorn.

Anonymous said...

From Google:
The blueprint process is essentially the cyanotype process developed by the British astronomer and photographer Sir John Herschel in 1842.[1] The photosensitive compound, a solution of ammonium ferric citrate and potassium ferricyanide, is coated onto paper. Areas of the compound exposed to strong light are converted to insoluble blue ferric ferrocyanide, or Prussian blue. The soluble chemicals are washed off with water leaving a light-stable print.

For almost a century blueprint was the only low cost process available for copying drawings. Once invented no technical development was required, the process was put to widespread use immediately, notably in shipbuilding and manufacture of locomotives and rolling stock for railways.
The coated material ready for use has a shelf life of two days. Every industrial area had one or two small independent suppliers who made blueprint coated materials to order. These suppliers also provided a copying service for small users.
The normal use was to have a wooden frame with a spring loaded back, similar to a picture frame with a glass front. The drawing would be traced in Indian ink on tracing paper or tracing cloth. Indoors, coated paper and tracing would be loaded into the frame which was then brought out to sunlight. Exposure time varied from less than a minute to about an hour under an overcast sky. The operator could see the blue image appear through the tracing, when ready the frame was brought indoors. The material was then washed in running water to remove the unexposed coating, then dried. It gave a clearly legible copy of the drawing with a white line and dark blue background. This copy possessed unlimited resistance to light and resistance to water that was as good as the substrate.
The diazo document copying process progressively took over from blueprint during the period 1935 to 1950.

Anonymous said...

Bungus was right. This is from www.wisegeek.com :-
"The distinction between a ship and a boat varies depending on regional definitions, but as a general rule, a boat can fit onto a ship, but a ship cannot fit onto a boat. A ship, in other words, is a very large ocean-going vessel, while a boat tends to be much smaller. Additionally, a ship usually is defined as having a displacement larger than 500 tons. During the age of sailing, a craft with three or more rigged masts was considered to be a ship, but this definition has been superseded, as different methods of power generation are used on modern ships."
Now I know that I can sleep easier at night.

Interesting information about blueprints and by using photographic negatives instead of tracings we have cyanotypes. In this day and age the trick is to get the digital version to look like a traditionally produced image. Keep practising, RG, you are doing well. The night shot of the flowering cherry, which I like very much, would make a good cyanotype.

Tonight we are going to see the Buena Vista Social Club at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham. Last May we visited Cuba; this time Cuba is visiting us. Tomorrow is Sherman Robertson at Millers Snooker Club in Kirkby-in-Ashfield. What a wonderful cultural time we are having.

Rob

Anonymous said...

It;s nice to be right (about the ships/boats), Rob!

I am sure you will enjoy th Buena Vista Socila Club.
I watched Jools last night and was very impressed by the Fratellis. Alison Kraus and Robert Plant were good together as well, although I think he should consider giving up the dancing moves - a bit 'dad at the wedding'.