Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Karen mowed - Peter & Joan called

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No need for 'what-is-it"? - I'll tell you. It is a disintegrating aircraft vapour trail caught by the rays of the setting sun yesterday evening. If I have time tomorrow I may copy the file, flip one horizontally and merge them in Photoshop. It could look interesting.

My first job must be to clear up a typo from yesterday.

Re Hotels. I meant to say that we wouldn't even consider a multi-hotel holiday. Moving hotels in mid holiday is for young folks.

It was published as precisely the opposite. Sorry folks.

Nice surprise this morning as we returned from Lidl. Peter and Joan called and brought some magazines and chocolates. Unfortunately they had eaten lunch and had coffee so we were unable even to provide a drink. Lovely to see them though. Joan is to see the speclialist re her replacement hip. She needs one very much because her mobility is bad and she suffers so much pain.

They saw me walking as I got out of the car, and I didn't look at all well apparently. My pseudonym for the day is "Bear Lee Staggers". But, after frequent horizontal breaks and pain-killers, I've survived.

Picture 2 is yet more roses. Very old stock which my mother assured us was 'Mountbatten' but don't put money on it because my Mum was a great inventor of facts to suit the story. Bless her!

Picture 3 has a more reliable heritage. A very very old Clematis, name unknown.

My step father's ancestors had farmed near Riddings in Derbyshire since the middle-ages and I believe the farm was called Sleep Moor. A quick google though proved unsuccessful.

And this Clematis came from there. The blue is slightly more purply than shown and I've been unable to get it right. I may have to relent and photograph it in RAW tomorrow and see if I fare better.

I'm reluctant to raid Matt again so soon. But the brilliance of his work makes it difficult not to. His dagger goes straight to the point.

Comments.....

Bungus .......... 'Screwy' was common in my boyhood too. But, rather than 'defying convention' or 'showing off', it was used to mean 'slightly mad'. Also, "he's a 'screwpot'" had the same meaning.

Re birds. I think you are just going through a sparse period and it's nothing to do with early rising. My 'yaffle' snap was 3.20pm which would be a 'lie-in' even for you. From my recollection of your garden though, you can't really see the bottom portion of your rear garden very well, at least not from downstairs. Especially when everything is in leaf.

We agree with you about 'character-blackened' teenagers. In our experience they are polite, helpful and good natured. No doubt David encounters the other sort, at School, but even then he usually has good things to say.

Clever you. The lady in the tableau being Romanian, because of her Book-a-rest origin is good.

Jill ..... Next time Y and I are in town, and looking for a 'posh' tea, I guess it has to be Fortnums then. When we went to The Terracota Warriors and decided on the 'posh' tea on the top floor we were a little disappoointed.

However, we would love to visit The British Museum again starting later this month for the Hadrian Exhibition. We too watched the Timewatch programme and thoroughly enjoyed it. Oh how we enjoy a lecture with pictures. At the end, in the credits, we weren't abit suprised to see the OU logo. I much preferred the presenter to Tony Robinson whose image I can never distance enough from Baldrick.

It seems then that most folks can grow white Japanese Anemones easier than pink ones.

Lilies are not popular in our garden I'm afraid. They remind me of death and Y can't stand the aroma. Mind you 'dark red' sounds interesting. Remind your gardener that even things we propagate as bulbs all start off as seeds anyway and are therefore bird-scatterable. It just takes considerably longer before they flower.

AnonymousRob ..... You are probably right about Bonekickers becoming a cult. Y stuck it for ten minutes and I didn't bother at all.

You are also right about trying to get it right' in the camera rather than Photoshop. Also, and I know that most photographers whose opinions I respect, feel that images which have been photoshopped always 'look' that way whereas soemthing straight out of the camera 'looks' genuine. I accept that there are grey areas and a tweak to recover 'what you perceived' and a judicial crop are perfectly acceptable.

It must be left over indoctrination from film days I suppose. It's amazing how often when I go out with WoW I shoot 36 frames. I don't do it deliberately - it just seems natural. Sometimes it's 37 or even 38 but you always get extra frames at the end of a film don't you?

I'm surprised that any club 'took' against your judging. You always give satisfactory explanations for your markings and offer valuable suggestions for improvement.

So pleased to learn the real history behind Fish & Chip shops. And that it was your Irish forebears who deserve the credit. Am I correct in assuming that they would be the Portadown O'Palmers? There's such a lot in this genialology stuff that we don't know about.

You are right to reprimand the Sports Desk for missing stories. Re The Stags getting a team together for the new season. Is it true that, whenever a chum said he was going on Saturday afternoon, the done thing was to tell him to take his boots because he would probably get a game?

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Quotation time ...... I love this gem......

"Art is science made clear"

Jean Cocteau

It's worth opening the link behind his name, just for the Modigliani portrait. The other day I mentioned Roland Barthes and 'punctuum'- in the portrait above, the white handkerchief in the breast pocket hits you.

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........ Sleep tight. Hope to catch your tomorrow.

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Graham

Re Sleep Moor. Ann originates from Riddings and as you know I know the area quite well. We have never heard of Sleep Moor but there is a Sleetmoor Lane in Somercotes which is the next village. There could very well still be a farm there, although much of it has been redeveloped in recent years. It might be worth while investigating. As matter of interest what was his name?

Incidentally you were very lucky to get the yaffle, it’s usually very shy and often heard rather than seen. Oddly enough the last one I saw was on that triangular green patch at the crossroads coming up from Westwood where you go left to Bagthorpe and right to Brinsley. Perhaps it’s the same one!

If she hasn’t already experienced it tell Joan to get her hip replacement done as soon as possible. I managed a three mile walk (with pub stop of course) whilst on holiday and only fourteen weeks post – op. I still get a little discomfort but it’s nothing like what it was pre – op.

Roy

Anonymous said...

Very interesting photo 1. Not something I have ever observed. You did well to catch it.

Re moving Hotels:
It was called Youth Hostelling. But that has changed dramatically. You can now go by car and there are single rooms, double rooms, family rooms as well as dormitories.
Bunch of softies!
I might try it (worth a google: super sounding one in Derbyshire).

I knew "Bear Lee Staggers" bestest mate “Hard Lee Standing” who eventually fell for a Ghanaian woman called “New Dani Akimbo”. They had a daughter, "Annie Lee Rita N'tive".

MY mother always stuck to the truth but could ‘tell a good tale’.
We inherited a very early yellow rose outside the front door of the Durham Ox. It was always in full bloom at the time of the Chelsea Flower Show.

Could the clematis be Jackmanii? I believe that is a traditional variety and the colour looks about right.

Re Matt cartoon:
If inflation gets much worse are we all likely to burst?

You are right about 'Screwy' but my mother considered anyone 'defying convention' or 'showing off' to BE 'slightly mad'.
I don’t remember ‘screwpot… but ‘barmpot’ (somebody a bit daft) was well understood.

You are right about our hidden garden (one of the several delights of your last Derby Road house) but the bird food is within sight of the kitchen. I suppose the chickens could be inviting friends of other species in for a snack.

I’ve tried the renowned Betty’s in Ilkley for afternoon tea. Very good and elegant but the scones (I use the long ‘O’) not as good as the Ollerton Watermill; and the tea no better.

When I was in my teens, neighbours of my aunt had a son called Adrian Wall (true).

I am with you on Tony Robinson being forever Baldrick.

Our imported pink Japanese Anemones grow only at the base of the apple trees. The white ones spring up everywhere and are very invasive (but easily controlled)

For the first time ever, this year we were infested by beautiful scarlet lily beetles which must be spreading north. They are very easy to detect and remove.
The colourful lilies (eg, Stargazer’) are not funereal but inclined to be very ‘in your face’.

“Tell him to take his boots because he would probably get a game” reminds me of the supporter who rang Notts County to ask what time the game was to start.
“What time can you get here?”

Jill:
Even I haven’t sorted out my family yet.
My only son, Matthew (39), lives in Florida with his American wife Kari, stepdaughter Ashley and 2 daughters, Jordan and Rachel, (all late teens/ very early twenties). Sandra has two sons (Simon, Daniel) split by a daughter, Stephanie (all mid to late thirties). Simon has a daughter Alex (18, who lives with her mother) and a stepson, Daniel. Steph has a 12 year old daughter, Jessica. Dan has looked around and determined not to have children (his partner appears to agree).
Thanks be that I am an only child! Sandra is youngest of 2 sisters and 2 half sisters (the eldest died a few years ago). They all have families and Sandra at 63 is now a great-great aunt several times.
You're confused!

Rob:
I assume Rob’s ancestor, Paddy O’Palmer was a rival of Spud Murphy, the proprietor of the Dublin Codfather chippie chain? (“I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse… haddock and chips, bread & butter and cup of tea, twice.”). He only gave the impression of genialogy; he could be very nasty indeed when he had the drink taken (“My badness, my Guinness").

Haslam’s pal Carlton Palmer destroyed the Stags. After they had just failed to gain promotion, he took over and sold off the best players (presumably so instructed by Haslam).
This left a pool of very good young players but last season injuries and a lack of ‘old heads’ led to their downfall.
Having now lost the cream of the crop to league sides, McEwan is recruiting players in their thirties who have been good in the past. It will be interesting to see how their integration with the remaining raw talent works out.

Anonymous said...

I knew what you meant with the hotels.....

Looking at the photo I immediately thought of 'lava flow' and wondered if Nottingham was somewhat east of Krakatoa...it was the verticalness of it that threw me.

Our Golden Wedding Rose looks the same as your Mountbatten! The kind of lilies I am talking about are not the funereal sort or the Stargazer kind nor yet day lilies.When they are out a bit more I will send a photo.

I think Matt is great - first thing I look for!

Bungus, Thank you for your family tree, not surprised I was confused.....I thought ours was bad enough (R has a brother on wife No.4, and we have two divorces amongst our four children).

Liked the Bear Lee Staggers etc. funnies....