Karen day - Y lunches - RG much better

After dropping Y at Phoenix Park en route to the City where she was meeting June C for lunch, I decided to drive round Back Lane at Moorgreen. I think Y is in danger of becoming a 'lady who lunches'. Back Lane is a delightful country lane about 10 feet wide and very few passing points and eye-spied a rape field.

OK, I'll plead guilty to photoshoppery, - I flipped the image and then merged it with the original. Scrutiny will reveal the join. But the result gives you a better idea of the field-full because I only had my little Casio with me. When I saw the yellow I thought surely rape-fields are May - then I realised we are halfway through April anyway.

More importantly, 'Night Surgery' yesterday is an original painting by Bungus. He both draws and paints like an angel and he don't write bad either. A veritable Blake !

Which is a good excuse to publish another, a self-portrait this time, in charcoal. And it is, I can assure you, an excellent likeness. Except that he doesn't usually look as neat and tidy as this !! Sandra must have sorted him out. I know he won't be offended by my weak effort at humour.

We own a 'Bungus' which is of a JCB on the beach on the East Coast near Skegness. An unlikely subject you may think, but it is a great painting and we love it. It graces the wall above our dining table and, like 'The Old Man and The Dog' it cheers me up as soon as I see it in the morning.

Camera Club judges would moan that there aren't any catch-lights in the eyes. Of dear, oh dear, - how out of order can you be? Bungus and Rembrandt can't both be wrong !

Comments..... Jill ..... You may be right about it being the last Delia. And, although I never thought I'd say it, I'm not really sorry. She had the germ of a good idea but mostly it just didn't work out. The dishes were certainly not simple, as claimed, and in many cases, rather than go to all that trouble you might as well go out and buy something ready-made.

Your Portuguese Custard Tarts with hot chocolate sound dreamy.

Bungus..... Pleasure to publish the picture. And I assumed this current one would be OK too. In fact, unless you specifiy, I assume if you send me a picture, it's OK to publish it. You will have noticed in the top left of the blog, words about copyright, but I can always prove date and time, so if anyone knicked one we would be after 'em.

'Codger' is OK. My Roget also suggests 'skinflint' which I would accept. When I saw the word I started to speculate how long the word had been around? Presumably from the days when 'flints' were a current topic of conversation. I spent around 20 minutes reprogramming my new office-phone. Instead of calling itself Malcom, it now identifies itself as Office. The phonebook is now clear and waiting for our stuff to be entered. That would need doing anyway, with a new one, so the costs of my frugality are minimal. And satisfying !

And I agree with you also (am I sickening for something?) about Delia. Your lambs liver dish sounds great - I feel the bacon is essential for it to taste traditional. And Yes! I seem to have some vague recollection of a rather tumultuous private life in the 60s.

Your - "this day in ???" column is good. Well worth a second glance. I actually remember the first cordless phone in 1983. It was enormous as I recall. At around 5"x 5" and almost a foot long. Hardly a shirt-pocket job.

AnonymousRob....... Glad to have another member in the 'shower' brigade. Although when I was playing rugby I got used to communal baths I don't like the idea of soaking in dirty water. Apparently in Russia they don't provide plugs for wash-hand basins in hotels because it is considered unhygienic.

I enjoyed the 'potato' story. Just shows what 'foul' minds people have !

Sorry to have missed you at Maureen and Reg's. You must both come over. Or we could meet you at the Dixies. I think the spoken word via the 'tellingbone' is called for.

When I was driving down Back Lane at Moorgreen (please see above) I saw a large bird on top of this telegraph pole. At first I thought it was a sparrow-hawk but people have mentioned a buzzard in the area. Needless to say, as soon as I stopped and pointed my Casio, it winged it. Reg reports a similar effect that his long telephoto lens has on interesting aircraft.

I realise the picture isn't very good but perhaps some knowledgeable 'birder' could hazard a guess ?


...... Hoping to venture out tomorrow, although my walking range is zilch. They will park me somewhere pretty though, as they always do, and I shall take my thermos, papers and lappy and it will do me good to get out.

Sleep tight and I'll catch you tomorrow.

Blood tests - Y's nails - Joans & lunch

It gives me great pleasure to publish a Bungus painting entitled 'Night Surgery' and, like the 'Old Man and Dog' the back view adds intrigue. The clock, the lights and the cast pool of light are great and were I judging a competition I could waffle on for a good 15 minutes about its strong points. At least 18 out of 20 I think, but of course I didn't see any others.

I feel it has an Edward Hopper feel to it, and the artist agrees.

n.b. - He is always saying it to everybody else, so I'll say it to him. "The customary 50p piece for scale would have been useful". An excellent piece of work nevertheless and congratulations.

The 'cup of tea' at Reg and Maureens was to commemorate Reg's 70th. Many Happy Returns Reg. We had a great time and it was nice to meet everybody. I deliberately hadn't given it prior publicity because Y says I blog too much about our arrangements and I thought it would be inappropriate to start on somebody else's, unless asked to do so of course. Great grub and I had a portion of Maureen's famous trifle, in spite of my non-alcohol stance. It was well worth it too!

Picture 2 is so that you can see and understand better the 'hound drain-spouts' mentioned yesterday. Nothing at all to do with today's events which have been quite normal. Blood tests, both INR and kidney function. Then we went over to Carlton to have Y's nails serviced and I just managed to visit my favourite charity shop. Our office phone has been unsatisfactory for some time; it's really old fashioned and doesn't display the number you have rung etc.,. And...... On a shelf, just inside the door of the charity-shop was a Panasonic cordless for a fiver, exactly the same as our existing household set-up, and as you can see I've charged it up and it works perfectly. Serendipity rules !! However, I must erase all the previous owner's data. I've no idea who 'Malcom' is but he was careless about letting his phone go to a charity-shop without reformatting it.

After that it was over to Joan's to take her out to lunch. The Treetops was our choice and all our meals were v.good. Y and I plumped fr the plaice fillet in bread crumbs and Joan had the poached salmon salad. I make no apology for going for the pensioners' menu because the portions are manageable.

I am keeping a weather-eye on skies now, to find a sky which justifies the 'black over Bill's mothers' description for Jill' benefit. But of course, like policemen, when you need one, there aren't any around. If storm clouds come along with the same frequency as policemen it will be next year before I see one.

Comments..... Bungus..... I have always found Emerson most astute. Your comment about the stars "but I could lie on my back in the desert (no other light) and just look at them for hours" made me think, I wonder if he speculates as to where his tent has gone !

Jill...... Willow trees are a gorgeous green I agree, and I don't know of a major painting which features them. Sounds like Impressionist territory I would guess. Well worth a google tomorrow though ! Watch this space.

You are quite right about my sheltered life and the subject of knickers. There was a local saying the 6% proof Stella lager used to rot knicker elastic, which I thought quite clever.

Quotation time.....

"Never trust a man who speaks well of everybody"

John Churton Collins

We watched Delia but I didn't find it very inspiring. With several things I thought why not just buy them ready made? She has introduced some v. good ideas but this week wasn't a good week.


Sleep tight, catch you tomorrow. A Karen day and Y is meeting June C for lunch. Quiet day for me.

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London Marathon - cup of tea at Reg & Maureen's

This morning we watched The Marathon.

Although the weather was changeable I guess the runners don't mind getting wet but we saw loads of spectators umbrellas. An interesting entry was 6 Masai Warriors in traditional dress who were raising £60,000 to sink bore holes for clean drinking water in their native Tanzanian villages. Their 24yr old chief when interviewed, was a most impressive young man. I wish them well.

The whole event was impressive and one can't help but think that there isn't much wrong with our young people, or our old people come to that. It was nice to see founder Chris Brasher again.

Picture 2 is a hangover from yesterday and shows a charming little pond down Old Mill Lane, at Cuckney. A Casio picture. I didn't even get out of the car; just snapped it through the open driver's side window.

It is around this time of year I start searching for the definitive weeping-willow shot. What I would really like is a 'specimen' tree, not surrounded by others, in a lovely setting bathed in early morning light but not over-sharpened. All contributions would be gratefully published.

This afternoon we went over to AnonymousReg and Maureen for a cup of tea ! and saw Reg's Digital Photo Frame. Y and I have each got small ones but picture quality isn't good. The picture quality in Reg's is phenomenal and I could even be persuaded back to Raw files if the visible detail is to be that good.

Comments.....Jill ...... I know what you mean about the gargoyle and the chinese dragon. My first thoughts, from a distance, was that the gargoyles were griffens, but they had no wings. Pleased about your new Freeview box. We have an NTL / Virgin box which I guess is the same thing. They are a closed book to us both. But we have knowledgeable grandchildren so we reserve our brain's channel-capacity for other matters.

Now Sushi we do understand. Provided one is careful with the Wahhabi.

Bungus ..... Amazing about the tinned stuff and your label-reading research ! I never object to cooking an oxtail because I like the flavour. But I haven't cooked one for years.

What are control-knickers? I have known women with out-of-control knickers! Presumably they are not therefore in danger of anaphylactic shock.

Bungus and Jill. My complete answer to the problems of bath ingress and egress is to have a shower.

David tells the story of when they were made to eat skate-wings I had cooked. They were awful and Ive never cooked them since.

Bungus.... By e-mail you forwarded me a picture entitled 'Night Surgery'. You sort of imply it is a painting rather than a photo. If it is, it's brilliant and it would be an honour to publish it. Overtones of Edward Hopper I thought.

Quotation time.... I must have used this one before, but I just happened tio be thumbing through etc., etc. Excellent advice for budding photographers and authors I think :-

"

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you open the link Bungus please skim read it or I shall feel guilty for wasting your day.

Blood test in the morning, then Y's nails, then lunch with Joan. Don't think I'm walking well enough to enjoy my charity shops. We will see ! Sleep tight, catch you tomorrow......

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Spontaneous outing to Clumber Park.

Spontaneous decision early on, to risk the weather and go out for the day. Y had been up since 6am and I felt up to it, so we decided to visit Clumber. We left shortly after 10am with a large thermos of coffee and went by the pretty route.

Please see left - We broke our journey for coffee opposite Perlethorpe Church.

Smashing website, well worth a browse and from it I was able to discover that the prominent gargoyles, sticking out on the four corners at the top of the tower, and below the spire, are 'hounds'. As you will see from Picture 2, they are fearsome creatures and immediately made Y think of the 'baskervilles'. Or should that be 'basquervilles'?

The website picture is from almost the same spot as mine. I had no prior knowledge but photographers often come to similar decisions as to what looks good from where. Mine was originally in colour but the sepia is a 'thanks' to Jill for her continued incantations re my pain. I had another good night, but turning over is no-no (it is easier to get up, walk round the bed and get in from the other side - not worth it, so I sleep on my back). I'm at my best first thing in the morning for trips or to get anything done.

The weather was competely varied from bright sun and blue sky, through rain, hailstones, black-over-Bill's mothers (a local expression for storm clouds over a particular spot), lovely cloud scenes. No actual snow though.

Picture 2 was with my Tamron at the 300mm end and is surprisingly sharp because I am often disappointed with it.

I was mystified by the tube protruding from the creatures' mouths. They are to drain the roof. The type of limestone used is allegedly subject to moisture/decay and this cunningly devised system obviously keeps the water away from the walls. .A new one to me, but perhaps the Architectural Desk can enlighten us.

He looks as if he is leaping to eat the bit of foliage on the left of the picture.

Back to the knobbly trees for the moment. I think Bungus's criticism about nothing to give him scale and "trees at unspecified distance tell me nothing about the size of the hole" is a little onbscure for me. This crop to the hole in Helen's picture shows, quite clearly, the grasses and plants growing round the base of the tree. And we are not after-all in the Serengeti are we? Grasses and plants in this area and at this time of year have a regular and knowable size? What more is necessary?

All I can say about Picture 4 is 'don't forget the mint sauce'.

Madeline will probably give me a bad time over that but it would be nice to hear from her anyway. Whatever the message ! I read WU forums regularly and mostly see her dispensing valuable computer advice.

At least lambs are free to frolic during the short lives, not like the appalling conditions in which battery chickens are reared. We have now joined the free-range chicken and egg lobby; reading labels very carefully before buying anything. This fuss over food dyes though is abit OTT in my opinion. If Battenburg cake causes your kids to act strangely, don't feed it to them. As simple as that. Certainly not necessary to make it unlawful to produce. I can just guess what the French reaction would be to such legislation !

Comments..... Jill..... I hope you have now found Reg's 'comment'; it is there, twice actually - he must've clicked the button twice, - no safety catch on again.

It is there because AnonymousRob has reacted to information therein about the young girl photographers' names.

Glad you like the painting. Each time I look at it I appreciate it more. And you can't say anything better about great Art.

Sorry you don't fancy a chip-butty. In this area chips and bread have often been linked. I know a Fish & Chip restaurant in Belper where, with your fish and chips and mushy peas, you get a pot of tea, and two slices of bread & butter. Now that is traditional. You and Ro will have to come up for a fortnight and we can introduce you to real sophisticated eating !

Bungus..... Already mentioned above re knobbly trees and scale. Today at Clumber I could have OD'd on knobbly trees but thought perhaps churches would be better.

Strange you mentioned being startled by dangerously driven disability scooters. There's a lot been running in the Telegraph over the last few days.

Re 'proud pied' and alternative definitions. I suspect that, in Poetry, there is no such animal as an 'official' definition. Part of the joy I've always thought. Ambiguity is an essential tool for Poets don't you think?

AnonymousRob....... Pleased to see the Sports Desk in such good fettle. And re the proliferation of Robs, Regs, Roys and Rays. And we must'nt forget Rose. On our Nat Trst committee we now have a Ron - but I'll try not to mention him too often.

My Epson printer is the Rx420 stylus which I bought from Brian and, although only A4, has done sterling service and, as I said yesterday, when on song particularly with letters etc., is great. The photocopier in colour, produces documents indistinguishable from the originals and the scanner is good too.
At this time of year, with so many bunches of daffodils and tulips for sale, I always remember this quote :-

"The flower in the vase still smiles, but no longer laughs"

Malcom de Chazal

Lovely little web-page there folks. I was enchanted while I read it. Well worth a click !

p.s. When I was putting my camera away, after the Perlthorpe Church snaps, I realised that I had had a large raindrop right in the middle of the lens. And when I downloaded my pics onto my laptop it was glaringly obvious. Not easy to deal with in Photoshop either because it was obscuring essential information, like a hound on a church roof. Good job I didn't use that lens exclusively.

....I hope my disability assessor had a good day for her wedding and that it didn't take place anywhere near 'bill's mothers'. She is coming over to see me again on Thursday.

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A Lidl shopping - mostly messing about.

Picture 1 was given to me by the artist, Kathleen (and I can't remember her surname) who used to go to Nottingham Writers Club. We were all asked to take in examples of our 'other hobbies' and she brought this along. I fell in love with it so much she actually gave it me.

And the old boy still gives me pleasure everyday as I pass him in the hall. It breathes life, and the concentration of the dog on the possibility of food, is spot on. She used to paint pub signs, when commissioned to do so, but of course they all seem to have gone now.

This morning we went out for essential supplies and I managed to get round Lidl, with a trolley to lean on, but when we reached Morrisons I had to stay in the car while Y shopped.

Then we relaxed, by 11.30am the xword was done, reading was caught up on and I did some computer jobs and photo-copying.

Apparently the 'themes' evening at EPS was a success, see comments from Rob. And I know the candid from Helen (she was kind enough to e-mail me a copy) of me looking quizzically at my compact camera. That says it all............

Picture 2 is a hangover from my last WoW outing when we had the excellent chip baguettes at Blidworth. As you can see, the chips were so good none were allowed to make an escape.

Although I have the occasional glitch with my Epson printer and I read recently of their limited life expectancy, I am loathe to replace it because when it is on song it's excellent. We did NT letters, and photocopying this afternoon and the results were splendid. Mind you - excellence in, excellence out - what!

Comments..... Jill ...... No more knobbly trees. I don't want to scare our friendly white witch. Thanks for the 'spell' because I had a very good nights sleep. Getting up was painful but things continue to improve by the hour almost.

I would certainly stick with your polymath gardener.

'Pied' certainly is Shakespeare. From my Etymological Dictionary -pied 1382, as if it were the pp. of a verb form of M.E. noun pie "magpie" (see pie (2)), in ref. to the bird's black and white plumage. Earliest use is in reference to the pyed freres, an order of friars who wore black and white. Also in pied piper (1845, in Browning's poem based on the Ger. legend; used allusively from 1942).

My quote was from a sonnet. The word is, in fact, fairly common with the meaning you have. As in Pied Wagtail etc. Do you share our view that the Telegraph xword setters have changed? Several of the 'lead ins' are new and different and interesting.

AnonymousRob ...... See above in main blog re EPS. You are right about the grumpy old men irritant list. We'll just put them in when they occur. Which leads me unerringly to :-

"Testy, querulous and given to praising the way things were when he was a boy"

Ars Poetica Ib 173 ----- Horace 65 - 8 B.C

It's been going on a long time then, this grumpiness. But we are in fine company.

...... Rather tired, so I'm off to kip. If you've got chance to boil up the cauldron Jill, or stick pins in Magwitch or whatever you did, I'd be obliged if you would do it again. Sleep tight folks.

p.s. Just seen a comment zoom in from Reg. I'll respond tomorrow Reg.

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Quiet recovery day - knobbly trees.

Another knobbly tree from WoW, a Helen one this time. She says it is the same tree that Reg photographed (see yesterdays blog) but from the other side.

Whether or not they were both standing at either side of the tree at the same time will have to remain a mystery. And I don't think that this time Bungus will need his customary 50p piece for scale because the trees in the top-right corner of the picture convey the size fairly accurately.

Obviously Helen had this in mind when she pressed the shutter.

As knobbly tree pictures go I think this one is a winner. Nicely exposed to show its essential knobbliness, but, as Helen seems to hint in her e-mail, once you've seen ONE knobbly tree.............

Karen came and mowed both lawns bless her. It was hard going as it was the first cut of the year. She was here an hour and a half, and when Y gave her the £10 note she said "You need some change....." Obviously we didn't take it. I bet you are envious in Chiswick !

Once I got myself, laboriously, into the office, I had a good go at Nat Trst stuff and sorted myself out in general. Then I caught up on reading, did the Crossword but it needed Y to finish it at teatime. Some good clues again today. I suspect we have some new setters who have different and cunning ways of telegraphing (geddit?) the anagrams which is fun.

Comments.....Bungus ...... Ooo-er what a long list of irritants ! And to be irritated by things you are actually strong on - like building construction and The History of Architecture. I shall have to put my mind to producing a similar list.

One springs to mind - elderly women who put all their shopping through the check-out and then search in their handbag for their purse, and then search in their purse for the money.

Contributions to the list will be gratefully received and, subject to the normal rules about not stirring-up racial or religious hatred or pornography, all will be duly 'blogged'. Actually, you can stir up religious hatred if you want to. I don't want to preclude 'Church Noticeboard' or 'Vicar' stories.

I love 'coping' by sitting on top of a wall. Cleverclogs. I wish I'd thought of it. As Jill and her knitting colleagues would say, it had me in 'stitches'.

Quotation time.....From one of the Sonnets.....

"From you I have been absent in the spring,

When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,

Hath put a spirit of youth in every thing"

Shakespeare

A different commentary interprets 'proud-pied' as 'resplendently variegated' you pays yer money and takes yer choice.

Another recuperative day planned for tomorrow. I plan to ease-up on the pain-killers and see how I get on.

Sleep tight. Catch you tomorrow. Please excuse the train again, but I love it so.

Simple things please simple minds !!

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One photo blog - a little better

The tree opposite the front gates is a joy and I thought I'd better 'catch' it before it is in full leaf.

The lighting is from a street-light about 30yds away and the colour is about right. At the risk of irritating Bungus, it was a 20 second exposure at f7.1. Fortunately there wasn't any wind and at 4am there wasn't much traffic either. This was the day before I was struck down with this pain.

Incidentally, it is easing by the hour, so Jill's 'Curse on Magwitch' seems to have worked. Thank you Jill.

A full bulletin would be boring so suffice it to say that the attack, or flare-up as the clinic mysteriously call it, is following its normal path. I can now turn over in bed and pull myself from one position to the other, or ask Y to provide the pull. Heavily dihydrocodeine-ed and fentanyl patched but we are getting there.

I haven't heard from the WoW-ers or received any pictures but I guess they had a good day. The weather was reasonable I think.

Y has gone over to BJ for Millicent's third birthday and Tracy is bringing her back. Sorry to have missed it but it simply wasn't possible. Also sorry to miss EPS tomorrow night because I would love to see everyone's pictures. Rob and Elaine have some in - it was 'Theme out of a hat' night.

Comments.....Jill.... Annie's 'Calamity Jane' sounds as if it had definite overtones of St. Trinians and none the worse for that. I managed to track down some original footage which is fun. My school's musicals were mainly Gilbert & Sullivan and my rise up the thespian ladder stopped at being an anonymous sailor in the crew of H.M.S Pinafore. I can't sing for toffee anyway.

Bungus...... Glad you enjoyed the rainbow. Like you, I love them. In fact I don't think I've ever met anyone who doesn't. I'd love to capture a good one in all its glory but I think luck would play a prominent part.

Talking of walking-aids etc., my lovely assessor rang today, and already she has organised our half-step, an indoor walking frame, and various other bits. As Jill remarked it is good that at least a part of the NHS seems to be working well. Most of these things are down to individual people in the end - although systems, poor leadership, and lack of funding can drag anything down.

anonymousrob BA(Hons) A.R.P.S...... I tend to agree with you about photographic titles. Mainly because most of them are way up high in terms of cringe-factor. Somewhat similar to the epigrams on church notice boards. There's been a piece in the Telegraph recently.

I thought your Magwitch joke quite good actually.

And there was me thinking that basque-separatists were blowsy scrubbers dressed in two piece basques.

My Etymology Dictionary has :-

tad

1877, "young or small child," probably a shortened form of tadpole. The extended meaning "small amount" is first recorded 1915.

but it remains silent on titch, titchy, tadge and tadgy. I am sure though that Jill is right to suggest a common root for all.

Y and I have done quite a lot of Nat.Trust work together over the past few days. Sitting in the office swivel chair is as comfortable as anywhere and we both enjoy a sense of achievement by actually doing things and reaching objectives. For instance, rather than a box containing hard-copy letterheads, I have done a template and copied it a few times in the appropriate Word folder, and there they are ready for use, without storage problems.

I have also taken responsibility for our Mansfield Centre of The National Trust web-page and will in future act as a sort of editor for it. I shall probably be able to find ways of irritating Bungus by going on about The National Trust now. Mind you, he'll understand what I'm talking about in this sphere. I've explained to him that the blog is read by people with varied interests, from photography through to computers, and he will just have to continue being 'irritated' by the bits he doesn't wish to know about.

Hold the stop-press. Picture 2 just in from Reg. WoW went round the lakes at Calke Abbey. The weather was OK, the light reasonable and this hollow-tree was photo-worthy.

The picture appeals because Reg has kept the shadowy interior from being completely blocked. It therefore intrigues. If I wasn't to be offered a cave, I wouldn't mind living in a hollow tree with the customary proviso that there was a plug for my laptop.

Tomorrow's EPS meeting is a competition "Themes out of a Hat" which I shall be sorry to miss but I simply wouldn't be able to get up those stairs. I picked out of the hat "pairs" and although I hadn't had any strokes of genius I did have a couple of bird pictures.

Rob and Elaine have entries in and I bet tens that Reg, Brian, Roy, Douglas, and Helen will have too. and I feel sure that, between them all, somebody will pen a paragraph.

Quotation time.....Sorry about yesterday's somewhat doom-laden effort. This is a little lighter.....

"A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road"

Henry Ward Beecher

..... Catch you tomorrow......

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Brief Blog - due to staff illness

This is from our office window. I would have gone to dig for my crock of gold in the middle of the football pitch, but I couldn't manage the spade.

The disability-needs assessor arrived on time (always a good start) and was a delightful and competent young lady. Lots and lots of useful suggestions and a run through what is possible. Simple things we had never thought of, like the depth of the front step. Too deep apparently, after she had seen my trying to walk, and we are to have a half-step to make things easier. Grab handles, walking aid wheels, loo raisers, things to make getting out of bed easier etc., etc. And as Bungus endorses, it is better she saw me bad rather than good. A lovely girl who is to be married at the weekend, and when she told us about it, she actually blushed. Absolutely delightful - I didn't know that girls could still do that. She assured us that the improvements wouldn't make the house look like a rest-home for the elderly, with its possible effect on potential purchasers.

Y cooked, all meals (and very good they were too) plus frequent tea and coffee. We managed a couple of hours in the office (I find the IKEA swivel office-chair with arms ideal 'cos I can trundle about in it) and did Nat Trst minutes etc., and we've designed a letter-head for Y as Secretary. She was unsure whether or not to use her B.Sc, my advice was 'go for it' so we've added it. If nothing else it will irritate you-know-who.

Comments......Jill..... When you say "most gardens in Chiswick have at least one" I assume you mean a 'camellia' rather than 'a greenhouse designed by Joseph Paxton' ha ha! Hope you enjoy your school play. Freeview boxes seem notoriously fickle but, after 3 years, yours probably has simply expired See Rob's comment). Although we have other problems with Virgin, the actual NTLbox seems OK.

Bungus...... The 'Y carried me' remark referred solely to my mental performance which was distinctly under par. Back to normal today. Telegraph xword, design, minutes (solely in my Secretary's PA role) the actual minutes are down to Y.

Isn't it strange that the Lidl catalogue seemed like a special issue for my benefit? However, I shall await the outcome of this morning's assessment before making purchases.

The title 'springtime' for your cat/dove picture is superb. Trouble is it would probably go over the heads of most camera-club judges. I wonder what AnonymousRob thinks?

For a chicken to reach 6lbs in 7½ weeks is incredible. One must suspect growth hormones and god-only-knows what else and my instincts are repelled.

AnonymousRob....... I agree that I had only previously associated this camouflage behaviour with animals not plants. Perhaps I should submit the picture somewhere where it may be of academic interest.

The blog was only released on bail, until I was sure that it wasn't a generalised blogger.com-glitch that had caused PC problems, and I needed to check on the forums. Pleased to announce that RG is now completely exonerated and won't need to answer bail.

Unfortunately I will have to give Thursday a miss (Magwitch 1 RG 0) because I would really have liked to see your theme pictures. Getting in and out of the car is difficult and those stairs would defeat me. If there aren't too many perhaps you could either send them, or a link to them if you use a file-hosting site. I promise not to blog any without specific clearance.

I posted this in a different place, due to a query. But it is well worth sharing with you all, if you don't like Russ Abbott and Bela Emberg just don't open the link. Personally I love it.

Quotation time..... Quite thought provoking this one:

"Perhaps in time the so called Dark Ages will be thought of as including our own"

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Sleep tight, catch you tomorrow. Y bussing over to BJ for Millicent's third birthday. Me - can't manage WoW so I shall be messing-about, staggering, and resting.

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National Trust at Mansfield - Stir Fry

Picture 1 is Sky and Brooke's Anniversary Cake which they so kindly hand-made for us. And very delicious it is too. Moist, lovely soft icing and gooey filling - just my sort of cake in fact.

The flower in the centre is to demonstrate Jill's collapsible flower-vase. Surprisingly easy to use once you've figured out how to open it. "Squeeze the base" said Jill. Eventually I managed it, and, as she says the water then holds it open. And it doesn't leak. Cunning device!

This morning we had a NT meeting at Mansfield about funding a School-visit to Hardwick Hall, The Workhouse at Southwell, or Clumber Park. Part of the fund-raising activities of our Centre is allocated for projects of which our local properties have a wish list. A useful meeting and some good ideas emerged. Much necessary correspondence for Y, our new Secretary. I was so glad she was there this morning. She carried me. Due to Magwitch I was a shadow of my true self. The community physiotherapist is coming in the morning to assess what I actually need in terms of walking aids etc., - in a way, I suppose it's best that I am currently going through a bad patch. It would be counter productive for her to see me at my best.

Picture 2 is of fungi, near a path in the front garden where the birds break open snail shells on the concrete. What interests me is the similarity of design and colour of the fungi and the snail shells.

I know that some 'animals' particularly the chameleon can mimic their surroundings for camouflage purposes.

But I have never before encountered plants doing it !

Any ideas folks ?

Comments....Bungus.... I am looking forward eagerly to celebrating your and Sandra's 25th Anniversary when you are 90 ! A goal to aim for ! I did actually know about the greenhouse at Chatsworth/ Crystal Palace link but I am not as keen as you. It always looks crammed in as an afterthought. Space round it would make it more impressive.

I think we have gone as far as we need to with spic and span.

AnonymousRob..... As per previous, but thanks for the last word on spick and span. That 'phrases.org' looks a useful site. Yet more for my groaning bookmarks toolbar !

'Tadge' is interesting. Where I grew up it was 'tad' i.e "You are looking a tad peeky this morning'.

It was nice of AnonymousReg to ring to let me know that it was a hard-disc problem that caused his PC to crash and not the blog. He had had the experience of his computer freezing, going haywire, and finally crashing immediately after trying to access the blog. It seemed like a cause and effect job. He tried a 'system restore' etc., to no avail. Eventually a hard-disc problem was diagnosed. Nice man that he is, he rang me at once to let me know. So the blog was promptly released on bail.

Off to catch the midnight radio 4 news. Catch you tomorrow.

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25th Wedding Anniverary - Great time

Tracy, with help in the kitchen (Andy mostly) had done a super job and the food was magnifico. Far too many dishes to talk you through. On the right of this table was a 'hot table' also with cheese and biccies, where eventually puddings appeared. The cream jug looked like a quart (TJ knows her brother's little vices).

Most people had at least seconds, and I suspect thirds, in some cases. And there wasn't much in the way of left-overs, which speaks volumes. People had gone to so much trouble. The centre-piece cake had been organised by Lisa bless her! Hannah had done couscous which was delicious and Sky and Brooke had made us a homemade anniversary cake. Also delicious and, I was assured, didn't have 'real witches blood' this time, like the Halloween cakes. Altogether there were 7 grandchildren between 3 and 10 and Alannah at nearly 18. Plus all the relevant adults.

Lots and lots of games were played from the ever popular hide & seek, lego, and hedbanz a great game for all ages. Rather like 'Whats my Line' and 'Twenty Questions' modernised and much more fun. And the kids are so good at it. Also, 'wrapping people up as snowmen' which, within our family is a sure-time winner, always. Simply, with loads of white toilet rolls, people are wrapped up until they look like convincing snowmen. Very appropriate because it kept actually snowing outside.

As I was physically unable to circulate, people circulated to me instead and I had lots of lovely chats. Alannah has finally decided she wants to read English Literature at Leeds. And John and Yvonne (thats John's Yvonne) assure us that they expect her to get the necessary grades.

She loves literature and it is her best subject. Genes or what? I told her I would have loved to have done Eng.Lit and so did Y - who finished up getting a B.Sc mainly in Economics, - oh to be young again and just starting out. I don't actually mean that - but when she was telling me all about it, I glowed with pride at her achievements.

Picture 2 is Lisa arriving with the cake. Smashing idea - Y and I were each represented by a fizzy sparkler and in between us was a sparkler heart. Ahhh !

Comments..... Bungus.... I didn't mean to start name-dropping. It happened in my defence of The Telegraph.

Chrystal Phallus is actually very clever 'innit? with its resonance of Crystal Palace. which I would have loved to have seen. The pictures I have seen also look magnificent so I guess the actual structure must have been awesome. Just came along too late I suppose.

We need more work on 'spic and span' I think. My Online Etymological Dictionary suggests:- spic-and-span 1665, from spick-and-span-new (1579), lit. "new as a recently made spike and chip of wood," from spick "nail" (see spike (n.1)) + span-new "very new" (c.1300), from O.N. span-nyr, from spann "chip" + nyr "new." Imitation of Du. spiksplinter nieuw "spike-splinter new."

Nifty Googler may fare better tomorrow.

For some reason photo-club judges always mark out of twenty. I knew why once but have forgotten. Whatever the reason - well done. I usually get in about the 12 mark, on a good night !
Sorry about your chicken. At 6lbs 'oven ready' I would have treated it as a 'boiling foul' and wouldn't have roasted it.

Jill....... The weather is seasonal isn't it? Snow in April isn't at all unusual I guess. Anyway I think we all have serious doubts about 'global warming'.

As you will realise from the above I was determined that Magwitch wasn't going to spoil today. Hot pads, lots of pain-killers but, unfortunately moving about in the classic 'gunslingers crouch' and extremely slowly, is all that is possible. Instead of two guns I tote two sticks !!

And we've got National Trust tomorrow. But we shall cope. Nice of you to suggest an estate car in which I could stretch out. I suppose a hearse would serve the same purpose ?

I'm a little done for so I'm going to turn in. Catch you tomorrow. Sleep tight.

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Basil Rooting's annual outing - Surprise meal out

As you can see from Picture 1 Basil Rooting is making an annual guest appearance. The cuttings really are so easy to 'strike' in the garden parlance of this area. Four or five days is all that is needed for the roots to appear and, if I have time, 'I can pot him on' tomorrow.

Bungus had hoped that Basil would keep Magwitch at bay. Unfortunately not so. It has been a painful 48hrs and in and out of the car has been worse than yelp-worthy. I prefer Y to walk away so she doesn't see my face when I transfer my weight from my seat to my legs.

We had a surprise invite to join an old friend Derek at the Bestwood Lodge Hotel for evening meal, and a splendid occasion it was. He has panache, and the menus were without prices. He has done this before and our meals were very good indeed.

The Hotel started life as a Hunting Lodge and the present building was built in 1865. Full blown Victorian Gothic seems to be the style sought, and achieved. If my description is not correct I expect our Architecture Desk to put it right.

Derek has been in the nearby Park Hospital for a urinary-tract operation on Friday. He seemed very chipper considering he has been told not to drive for a fortnight and that he would be sleepy all the time. Not so apparently. So he is making a little holiday of it and has been entertaining friends. Derek used to teach electrical engineering at what was Trent Polytechnic now is Trent University. He feels as we do that the government has let the country down badly in the field of education.

On retirement in 1984 he went to live on the Lincolnshire Coast but now regrets it and is seriously considering a return to Notts.

Bestwood Country Park is a great place to be convalescing. His bedroom is a long way from the pub end of the hotel, and disco etc., and is completely quiet, in the middle of the wooded area and he awakes to birdsong rather than traffic.

A possible WoW morning I think, but they have probably been already.

Big day tomorrow. Over at Tracy's for our Anniversary do, (it will be great to see everybody). Then National Trust on Monday morning and on Tuesday, our actually anniversary and we are going to The Hardwick Inn for lunch.

Comments .... Can't reply to any comments - 'cos there weren't any.

Quotation time ...... I love this one.....

"Never knock on Death's door: ring the bell and run away! Death really hates that!"

Matt Frewer

Catch you tomorrow. Sleept tight.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
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Y returns - Tired but happy

Brian Smith got some excellent Creswell Crags pictures and on Thursday evening he put about 40 on a memory stick and said I could blog a couple.

So here are two pictures of where our ancestors lived from around 35,000 years ago onwards. I wouldn't mind living in a cave provided there was a plug for my laptop.

Earlier today, before I collected Y from the tram I managed a couple of hours trying to consolidate Mike's tutorial. A surprisingly high number of things I managed to actually 'do' and that way things do actually stick.

Particularly useful is the facility in Photoshop to lock a section of the 'curves' curve and operate on a selected spectrum of tones in a picture. Ansel Adams and the Zone System people would adore it. And it certainly follows that we snappers should make more use of the camera's on board histograms.

However, I am still not a convert to using RAW. For the sort of photography I do, and the use I make of the results, JPEGS are fine. RAW files, comparatively speaking, are enormous and such a faff to deal with. In downloading and handling terms they are around 5 times slower than JPEGs. And to what end? Unless you are keen on making big prints and exhibiting.

I'm still in the Ken Rockwell camp on this one because I can never see any difference either. Other folks disagree and they are certainly entitled to and we all get on and plough our own furrows.

Y was understandably tired when she got back, and was quite entitled to be, Ruby had been quite ill for a couple of days and off school and with Elli and little visitor Sadie to look after things are quite demanding for grannies. Anyway in Thomas The Tank Engine terms Y has been a really useful engine.

Comments.....Jill..... Thanks for your tick for the Orchid on Pine. Sounds like an American Sandwich doesn't it. I'll have mine with extra relish please. But the others have a point.

Bungus...... I think you and I met a few months after I had retired and so there is much about my working life that it never seemed necessary to tell you about. Not being reticent or anything, it just never cropped up - and vice versa I'm sure.

I certainly don't know how they date the cave-paintings so accurately either. It isn't my field and if people are academically well qualified in their speciality I tend to accept it. The 'scholarly monograph' which I linked to, from Rob's link, had obviously been subjected to peer review so was no doubt completely sound.

It seemed to me that I had also done a link to the 'grains of rice' thing, but I can't find it, - and in my own blog too !

And well done with your cat picture. 16 out of 20 from 'machiavelli too Rob'. Not being a camera-club person you can't realise that is a very high mark. Not going to be 1st, 2nd or 3rd but very respectable.

Machiavelli too Rob ....... Paul liked a rabble-rousing article of mine in Police Review and contacted me about it. He actually contacted Ben Whitaker (another chum) and a Junior Minister at The Home Office to check me out. We got together and our friendship went on from there. He persuaded me to write some stuff for both Tribune and the SWP.

I've tried to google the 3 letters myself but without immediate success. If it was really important I could ask the custodian of some of the cuttings to get them down from his loft. But it wouldn't be fair even now to identify him in this blog.

My mind is buzzing with the possible content of the suggested article. Lets just hope I get round to it before losing interest - decrepitude has this unfortunate effect ! Do you remember, I was going to do something similar with Eddy Sethna, but it never happened.

" 'tis known by the name of perseverance in a good cause, -
and of obstinacy in a bad one"

Lawrence Sterne - Tristram Shandy

Lovely potted biography thanks to Jesus College - much nicer than Wikipedia. Catch you tomorrow. Sleep well and have a nice weekend.

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EPS - bring a laptop night

Picture 1 is a Bungus photo and I think he should call it "I've got my eye on you" - nicely captured and a pleasure to publish it.

Guest pictures are always welcome and now, with my google PageRanking, you will be reaching a reasonable audience.

Tonight at the camera club people who have them are asked to take in their laptops and there can be a good interchange of ideas and information. I'm also going to take in my Photoshop CS2 Bible and folks can have a thumb through it. Rather than ask me anything - because I am unlikely to know.

Picture 2 is some more orchids and I'm hoping that the pine background is more gentle than the black sheet. The picture was at f3.5 and I wonder if the depth of field should be even shallower - to blur the background. Trouble is that most of the flowers (except the one focussed on) would blurry too. I suppose easiest is to bully it into submission with Photoshop. All suggestions will be gratefully received.

Comments.....Ray.....Thanks for the RSS feed info. Much to think about and I haven't yet decided it I want to go down that path or not. But other readers mght.

And thanks also for the image hosting site.

Bungus and Rob.......My allegiance to the Telegraph comes from the time when I did the official archive for the miners' strike, part of which included press cuttings. I found that the paper was the fairest and most thorough. The only time they were 'scooped' was when Paul Foot published the famous 3 letters in The Mirror. I didn't leak them although it was suspected that I had. (Paul was a personal friend and he stayed at my house when he came to Sutton-in-Ashfield to ginger up the 1977 by-election) This was not popular either with the Chief Constable or The Security Services. And I wonder why I didn't progress further than Inspector.

Anyway, back to the Telegraph. Max Hastings was the editor at the time and no doubt the paper isn't what it once was.

The Bird in Hand is still an excellent pub, as mentioned yesterday. And the licensee has a sense of humour. When I drew his attention to a walking stick someone had left he told us that recently someone had gone home without a pair of crutches. "I thought it was a miracle" he said.

Pleased to see the Sports Desk hard at work. You can't beat this delegation thing can you?

Bored at work Rob...... A star and a house point for getting 'goalposts' - I was nowhere near it. Bungus will be pleased.

I'm not sure about cooking hyenas. I suspect it's been done. I had some soup once etc........... Wild Boar paté is around but my portion seemed somewhat understated I thought.

Thank you also for the Rock Art material. And a great link. I am cutting a link from your link so to speak, so everyone can share the Creswell Stuff. OK, it's an 'academic monograph' but none the less interesting for all that. And when I said chaps yesterday, it was in fact the case that Helen was not with us.

I will most certainly do my best to have you elected a NEMPF judge but as a non-exhibitor I guess I personally won't carry much clout. The main problem, as you suggest, is to break up the self-perpetuating clique. There are a few RPS people I talk to at the regional meetings but your own contacts including our Paul are much better placed. The old dictum about "Pick people off socially beforehand" is as relevant today as it ever was (I speak as the recently elected (contested) Vice-Chairman of The Mansfield Centre for The National Trust with 144 members) Let me ponder it. Perhaps one thing I could do is write a hard-hitting article for AP; not naming you personally of course (that wouldn't be good strategy) but stressing the need for new blood and citing regions that get things right!

Eastwood Photographic Society enjoyed its evening of sharing skills and laptops. The general hubbub was rewarding. My only useful contribution was my laptop ! We were lucky at our table, - we 'coggsed' (another local expression meaning booked) Mike Holland before anybody else did, and we learnt such a lot. I must spend some hours tomorrow consolidating it because while the meaning of my handwritten notes is fresh in my mind I stand a chance.

Brian has put me his Creswell Crags pictures on a memory stick and given me permission to pick one, or more, for the blog. So, watch this space.............


Stopping there. It is getting late. And my e-mail notifier tells me that Jill has already put a comment on the first draft of this post......We shall have to call her "Speeedy from Chiswick"..... Catch you tomorrow.

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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 !

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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.....

National Trust Mansfield - Windy - Rest Day

Going along with Anthony Aloysius St. John Rob I don't decry the virtues of monochrome work but, being a simple man, colour helps me to 'be there' or to unravel the artist's intention.

Picture 1 is a 'now you see it, now you don't' almost monochrome. And we shouldn't forget that one of the greatest and most powerful paintings of the 20th Century - Picasso's 'Guernica' is monochrome. This is a surprise when people see it for the first time. Reproductions of the image imprint on your consciousness so that you believe it is in colour. But it isn't. The link BTW is a YouTube about the painting.

Picture 2 is from Delia's programme last night and she is eating Asian cuisine, out with friends. I think the chap sitting on her right is a football person. Perhaps someone on The Sports Desk could give him a name. She obviously told us, but I have forgotten.

Today has been a Karen day and although I didn't go out shopping, I kept out of her way. And the house was 'spick & span' in no time. Now there's another expression that everybody understands the meaning of but why 'spick' and why 'span' ? - there must be more to it than just sounding good. And 'Yes' Rob, the 'fowlness' of chicken dripping was on purpose. I try not to telegraph my punches - feeble as they are these days.

A worrisomely strong 30mph Westerly wind is making something bang. As a homeowner one always fears - 'It must be the roof!'.

Comments....anthony aloysius st john Rob ..... thanks for the additions to our list of sayings. Re plate-clearing. In our house it was "If you don't clear your plate you are helping Hitler to win the war". A heavy responsibility for a 9yr old, and perhaps something to do with my waist line?. 'Clooty' for left-handed is new to me - where I grew up it was 'cack-handed'.

I think Ken Holm, and Madhur Jaffrey are still writing, but I haven't seen them on the telly for years. Recently on the Radio I heard Prue Leith - I always rated her as a straightforward and sensible cook although I don't own her authoritive book. Apparently she is to head the Schools Food Trust. An excellent appointment.

Bungus...... I'm sure you are right about de trop. My little Websters has it as "too much, unduly, too many" and, probably wrongly I was using it to convey 'over-the-top'. But, I think we have enough on our hands boggering-about with English. Lets not start on French 'eh?

I'm also sure you are right about spices losing their flavour on the bedpost overnight. My pet theory is that flour acts similarly. We always buy the smallest package possible of plain white flour when making yorkshire puddings because, in my experience, to get the super-risen effect fresh flour is necessary. Whenever I've tried old tired flour they haven't risen much.

The 'umbrella on a motorbike' is good. And the Mencken quote is excellent. Was it Mencken (a lifelong atheist) who was asked "What would you say if, the moment after your death, you were faced by Peter and The Apostles?" He replied "I would say - Gentlemen, I was mistaken".

That will do for a quotation I think. I might re-open the blog when I return from National Trust-ing - it all depends on my knackered-ness level. If I don't; sleep well and I'll catch you tomorrow. I just love this train......

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