Only three of us WoW-ed in the end - Brian couldn't manage it due to illness in the family.... a shame because a few hours out would have done him good. Perhaps next week. Mike was not available due to medical reasons and Roy was too recently returned from his 'hols' i.e yesterday..... Good to have him back on the blog anyway.
And when we got together outside Reg's we decided to go to Carsington - if you remember I was due to be there anyway, in David's caravan. But today was just for an hour or so and I was accompanied rather than wandering about in the woods alone. We had a good time and went down to the 'hide' and took some photographs. The above snap was from the hide and looking across the reservoir with my long Tamron..... Picture 2 is cropped from a picture on Reg's new Nikkor 70-300 VR, of mainly Canada Geese. But when I was downloading to my laptop I noticed this lapwing lurking on a promontory.
On the left are the basking geese and then, further up on the right, you will see his/her spiky
crest feathers sticking up. The enlargement will be clearer. I didn't know they frequented watering holes because, as boys, we used to see them in fields. We called them 'pee-whits' because of their distinctive cry.This was a very severe crop and the sharpness of Reg's lens, at the range involved is amazing.
On the way back we went to The Cliff Inn at Crich for our chip-cobs. I couldn't find a decent webpage to link you to but Helen reported that the ladies' loos were very strong on witty graffiti.
Picture 3 is her snap of a notice which she felt wouldn't be too offensive. Jill has already said she doesn't object to down-to-earth vulgarity anyway.As a mere man I must admit to recognizing the wit and the cleverness.
Perhaps we might look forward to further editions.
As as happened so frequently of late, this afternoon it began to rain and has more or less continued for the rest of the day.
Tracy is here at the moment. Tomorrow she's working at The Hayes Conference Centre and has presentations and things to do from 9am onwards. She has 120 people working for her now and we are so proud of her having such a high-powered job.
The Centre is just a mile down the road and it makes sense for her to sleep here rather than at home and then cope with rush-hour traffic which on the A610 is so unreliable..
Comments
Incy Wincy ..... We will indeed keep clear of tuffets, as well as 'drain-pipes'. I might still have a pair of 'flares' somewhere though.
Your cyanotype advice to AnonymousRob worked well. The picture looks great now !
See more re my wheeled gizmo later. But there's obviously a case for spoilers at the rear and a Peco exhaust,
We accept your birding-lore and Roy (see later) agrees.
Jill ..... Don't worry too much about the chronological order of 'comments'. Google's blogger.com is remarkably efficient at sorting things out, and providing links to the relevant blog etc.
My heavy-duty wheels are really the 'bizz'. I used them again today and although Reg and Helen no doubt walked more slowly with me than they would have, I enjoyed reaching the hide under my own steam. Reg attracted disapproving glances for operating the webcam. It is obviously considered to be a staff toy!
I suspect I would be among the people declining to try Ostrich. No specific reason. I s'pose I'm just burying my head in the sand.
Bungus ..... Your 'yellow polka dot bikini' lyric is the definitive one.
Re my 'wheels' . I don't actually sit in it whilst in motion. It is designed for pushing with the occasional sit down..... However, no doubt fearsome enough under most circumstances.
I must make a special visit to Kings Mill to contemplate the design.
Your typo of Welbeck instead of Clumber was clearly an accident. But, as you know, because we've been, there's limited catering at Welbeck too at the Harley Gallery.
AnonymousRob....... You certainly move in exalted prisoner circles. The Secretary of an organisation I was involved with (and a friend) did time for embezzlement.
You triggered Loneliness of Long Distance Runner memories. At the moment on Radio 4 at 3.30pm in the Afternoon Readings slot the week is all Alan Sillitoe short stories. Very good they are too ! The lad could certainly turn a decent phrase.
Pleased to see The Sports Desk has fired up its generators and is issuing output !
Roy ..... Welcome back from your holidays. No doubt we shall hear all about it, and perhaps see a few snaps.
Thanks for your bird info. Had you been here you would have soon corrected my buzzard/sparrow-hawk mistake.
And I love Haslet. But the supermarket version always seems far too dry. I also like brawn but seldom see it.
See you Thursday night no doubt.
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No time for a quote tonight. I'm running late. Visitors and stuff.
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No time for a quote tonight. I'm running late. Visitors and stuff.
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3 comments:
I have always thought that the peewit was a plover?
But, as you say, the sharpness of the photo is amazing. Who cropped it?
I thoroughly enjoyed the poster from the Ladies at Crich. But then, I’m a masochist and not so concerned about prowess or image as I once was.
The Look North weather man said the other day that August is usually the wettest month of the year and this is the wettest August ever so, yes, it keeps on raining.
As the songwriter said ‘… and it might as well rain until September’.
I presume your ostrich aversion is because they look so like horses or dogs? Why are people so willing to eat those charming little gambolling lambs. I would have thought the odds would be against it.
I had the steak last night with roast veg and mash. I thought the flavour very good but, as Jill said, it tended towards toughness; something which I currently find difficult to cope with. I did as instructed, marinated it for 1/2 hour in wine, garlic, herbs and olive oil, then gave it just 2½ min each side in the pan so it was done rare verging on blue which was not a problem. I have minced (or very finely chopped) the remaining cooked half of it, mixed it with fried onions & mushroom and mashed potato and intend making it into pasties which should be delicious.
I shall be at King’s Mill at 10.30 next Tuesday, camera cocked.
I have an aversion to Clumber because of the carparking and admission charges. I don’t actually like it very much either; much rather go to Rufford or Sherwood Pines.
I think ‘Saturday Night & Sunday Morning’ is superb, ‘The Loneliness…’ OK. I am afraid that other Sillitoe I have attempted has left me untouched and bored.
I am less a haslet, or haislet, or aislet, or aizlet, fan than you as I think it is so variable. At its best very tasty.
My mother used to make brawn to my paternal grandmother’s recipe which included a rabbit. As with dripping, I enjoyed it a lot at the time but not liking the idea of savoury jelly at all (I remove it from pork pies) I am now put off it (and also by the bright red supermarket colour).
Rob:
So far as I know, the North Notts ostrich scam was the big one and one of the prime movers (the Haslam, if you like) was Brian Ketchell who owned Video Magic in Ollerton and lives in Rufford Park. I think it very likely that he could have been one of that crew who ended up in North Sea Camp which sounds better than he deserved.
I recall talking to an ex-con who had played football for his prison team. The grudge match of the season was always the one against the County Police, renowned for being the dirtiest team in their league.
A class mate who used to vie for the 100m title with my eldest stepson (now a 39 year old fireman who would have represented the British Firefighters athletics team in Liverpool this year had he not been knocked off his bike) was Craig Jackson, a Notts County schoolboy apprentice who eventually played centre half for the First XI when Jimmy Sirrel was manager. He lost his place under Barnwell and joined the Notts police (now a CID Sgt having served several years with the Nationl Crime Squad) whom he represented at football along with another former classmate now with CID at RG’s old station.
I think Nightingale, one of whose ancestors was a friend of Wren, was a member of the Light Brigade in charge of bandages and known as the biggest songbird in the Crimea.
She permanently had a Sandwich in her hand and always wore a Cardigan (with Raglan sleeves) and Wellingtons.
As you were writing your sports comment, Curbishley was getting the push from West Ham while Keegan seems to have been half reinstated at Toon although I suspect it will all end in tears (esp if Fergie comments).
Roy:
Being a corruption of the word Guernsey, I suspect the term ‘gansey’ most likely originated in the Channel Islands.
Grandaughter Jessica had an ostrich burger after finishing her banana and chocolate crepe at Newark Market. She thought they were both yummy.
Haslet is very variable; it can be very good or pretty foul. We have a number of good butchers in North Notts but yours may well have been Pete Mellor from Milton near Tuxford.
Another not dissimilar item was ‘Penny Ducks’ which are known elsewhere as ‘faggots’ (Delia Smith has a good recipe in her basic cookbook).
AnonymousAnonymous:
When they say jail is like a holiday camp I didn’t think they meant it! Sounds well up to 1949 Pontins if not present day Butlins.
I made brawn once, the butcher gave me a pig's head, and we were hard up at the time, and I made brawn out of it. It was horrible - I haven't made it or eaten it since! I don't think I took out the right bits, it was all gristly and slimy. And it took hours.
I should think your minced ostrich will be fine. It's supposed to be very low in ?something or other and good for you....
The photo of the geese - until I enlarged it I thought one of them was a rock - they seem to be all tangled up - just good friends? The lapwing shows up well.....
Watched something last night about Jane Austen, found it irritating, especially Alex Kingston as Mrs. Bennet.
Five o'clock and I'm off to IKnitLondon, sitting on a sofa and knitting with friends and possibly a glass of something, what could be better.....
I forgot to say that the chocolate thing has done the rounds on the internet - a friend seems to be able to find these things and e-mails them! It does sound an excellent ladies, though.
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