They say time flies when you're having fun, which I guess is how I come to be writing about my holidays on the fifth day back at work after them... Mind you, "they" also say that cats would by Whiskas so I'm not sure "they" are the most reliable of sources. We were only actually away for three nights in the first week of a fortnight's break, which added to the two nights we spent in Northampton earlier in the summer for a wedding gives me the huge total of five away from home since we got back from Canada in Jan 2010 but they sure were what we both needed.
So after much decision making and thinking of thoughts we plumped for Canterbury as a nice place to visit. Joan had never been before and I'd managed one afternoon about 20 years ago when my Brother was there at university. Funny that I never went down to visit him now I look back on things, but there you have it. It is a beautiful little city with the reconstruction following the World War 2 bombing not too jarring alongside the survivors. My particular highlights:
The Cathedral. Natch. I'm no believer but I can sure appreciate the architecture, artwork and sheer history of the place. And even more than that, I appreciate them allowing photography inside. So many "historic" buildings of whatever stripe are so dead set against it that the exceptions are always a joy to explore through the lens. Click through the shot above to get to flickr if you feel that way inclined.
The Heritage Museum. If only because it houses the original Bagpuss and friemds, as well as some Clangers, Pogles and Ivor The Engine/Noggin The Nog art. Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's Smallfilms productions are the childhood tv memories I treasure most and being in the same space as these was a moment of pure magic for me. The rest of the museum is also pretty interesting as it goes, and is worth getting the combined ticket for the Roman museum too. That one is not worth the single entry fee, but as an add-on is not to be sneezed at.
The big theatrical mask sculpture outside the Marlowe theatre.
The buskers.
And, the Beaney house of knowledge and art. Which has just been refurbished and houses the Library, Tourist Information Centre and a great collection of local and internationally significant art. Without realising it we were there on the second day of the relaunch so got up close and personal with some excellent Henry Moore sculpture as well as, well, loads of other great stuff. And it is free entry too. Worth paying a visit to Canterbury for.
We also paid a visit to the old Dockyards at Chatham and took the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch railway to Dungeness. Both fascinating places in their own ways and all contributing to a really great break. Roll on the next holiday.
Showing posts with label Photos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photos. Show all posts
Friday, September 21, 2012
Friday, July 06, 2012
Torchy (not the battery boy)
And so Felixstowe got to share in the Olympic Dream(tm) last night when the Torch Relay(tm) passed through. Being a keen documenter of such things, I wasn't going to let the photo-opportunity go by, but somewhat to my surprise I found the whole event extremely good fun. Having seen the crowds that turned out elsewhere in the country it was no shock to see people setting their chairs up at the start of the Felixstowe section when I got home, having left work early on purpose. But I will admit to be impressed by the final turnout. From what we saw in the flesh and the photos of others it seems this was probably the best-attended event in town for a number of years. The superb weather was no doubt a contributing factor, stirring people from outside town to make the trip in (especially as the more touristy bits of east Suffolk like Southwold and Aldeburgh had been rain-struck earlier in the day) but there was a genuine buzz of interest from the crowd in the event itself rather than just a rent-a-mob feel from people who will watch anything if it goes past their house.
We had bands playing and church bells ringing along with all the offical hooplah (juggling acrobats and that sort of thing) before the Convoy(tm) arrived. I'd say that BMW(tm) have done very well out of the deal - supplying all the cars and Police bikes - but although the whole thing was heavily sponsored it didn't feel like overkill. Yes we got Samsung(tm), Coke(tm) and Lloyds-TSB(tm) trucks and buses coming through first giving out freebies, but they weren't as blatant about it as I was expecting. Pity only Coke were giving out product samples though - just imagine if Samsung handed out electrical goods or Lloyds-TSB offered pre-filled savings accounts or cheap mortgage deals to people in the crowd rather than just balloons and banners...
Having picked a town-centre spot with no shadows to spoil my pictures, by pure chance we ended up slap bang next to a flame exchange (or "kiss"(tm no doubt) as they are calling it) location. We also ended up with our designated "celebrity" for the day as the reciever at this point - 1988 gold medallist swimmer Adrian Moorhouse. Which was nice, and if you click through to Flickr on the picture above you can see much more of the whole shebang.
OK, after 45 days or so on the road you would expect them to have it all down pat by now, but it was indeed a very slick operation. But what impressd me most was that all the participants seemed to still be enjoying it. After a month and a half you could expect the Police to be a bit fed up of moving people out of the way, or the drivers to have had enough of crawling through town centres but everyone was sporting genuine unforced smiles, waving like loons and generally being caught up in the moment just as much as the crowd who were experiencing this for mostly the first and only time.
Has it stoked me up for the Games(tm) themselves? Not really, I was already planning to watch bits when I get the chance, and I'm not now scouring the interwebs for tickets as the whole getting there, security, etc seems like too much hassle for me. Especially with our weather prospects. But I am looking forward to them just as much as I was before, so at least I've not been disillusioned by the corporate sponsors.
We had bands playing and church bells ringing along with all the offical hooplah (juggling acrobats and that sort of thing) before the Convoy(tm) arrived. I'd say that BMW(tm) have done very well out of the deal - supplying all the cars and Police bikes - but although the whole thing was heavily sponsored it didn't feel like overkill. Yes we got Samsung(tm), Coke(tm) and Lloyds-TSB(tm) trucks and buses coming through first giving out freebies, but they weren't as blatant about it as I was expecting. Pity only Coke were giving out product samples though - just imagine if Samsung handed out electrical goods or Lloyds-TSB offered pre-filled savings accounts or cheap mortgage deals to people in the crowd rather than just balloons and banners...
Having picked a town-centre spot with no shadows to spoil my pictures, by pure chance we ended up slap bang next to a flame exchange (or "kiss"(tm no doubt) as they are calling it) location. We also ended up with our designated "celebrity" for the day as the reciever at this point - 1988 gold medallist swimmer Adrian Moorhouse. Which was nice, and if you click through to Flickr on the picture above you can see much more of the whole shebang.
OK, after 45 days or so on the road you would expect them to have it all down pat by now, but it was indeed a very slick operation. But what impressd me most was that all the participants seemed to still be enjoying it. After a month and a half you could expect the Police to be a bit fed up of moving people out of the way, or the drivers to have had enough of crawling through town centres but everyone was sporting genuine unforced smiles, waving like loons and generally being caught up in the moment just as much as the crowd who were experiencing this for mostly the first and only time.
Has it stoked me up for the Games(tm) themselves? Not really, I was already planning to watch bits when I get the chance, and I'm not now scouring the interwebs for tickets as the whole getting there, security, etc seems like too much hassle for me. Especially with our weather prospects. But I am looking forward to them just as much as I was before, so at least I've not been disillusioned by the corporate sponsors.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Things I Like In Suffolk
Er hello, yes, I'm still alive and just about kicking, only I've not had much to say of late. So, in an attempt to kickstart me again here's the first in what will hopefully be a series of entries on stuff I like in Suffolk. No rhyme or reason for what I've chosen, although it is likely that a few themes will become obvious when several entries are up.
1: Eye Bus Shelter
Eye is one of the pretty little market towns that we have a smattering of here in the east, featuring a massive church, ruined castle (technically a Victorian folly on a Norman mound, but we'll maybe get to that another time), nice pub, Ley Line and more. It also has the bus shelter pictured here.
Unique in design for Suffolk, it looks a lot better since a recent re-paint and suffers only from being in the wrong place. Buses travel along the road to the right of the white dashes at the edge of the picture, so have to swing across the junction to get to the stop. There are other shelters which time and the whims of bus companies have cut off from the nearest route, but nowhere do they come quite so close as this.
1: Eye Bus Shelter
Eye is one of the pretty little market towns that we have a smattering of here in the east, featuring a massive church, ruined castle (technically a Victorian folly on a Norman mound, but we'll maybe get to that another time), nice pub, Ley Line and more. It also has the bus shelter pictured here.
Unique in design for Suffolk, it looks a lot better since a recent re-paint and suffers only from being in the wrong place. Buses travel along the road to the right of the white dashes at the edge of the picture, so have to swing across the junction to get to the stop. There are other shelters which time and the whims of bus companies have cut off from the nearest route, but nowhere do they come quite so close as this.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
What we did on our holidays
OK, so it is nearly two weeks back at work now, but it was very nice to have a couple of weeks off at the start of the month.
As may be reasonably obvious from this picture, we did have a day in London amongst the excursions. This time we did two thirds of the National Maritime Museum (i.e. the museum itself and the Queen's House). Both of those were excellent and I can highly recommend the 16" West bistro at the museum too. We ran out of energy at that point though so the Observatory is left on the list for another visit. Hopefully one with better weather as, to be frank, it chucked it down for a lot of the day. Which made the river bus back to Westminster a rather damp experience. Great views though and a surprisingly fast cruise.
Other days out included plane and tram museums, assorted buildings in the heritage open days scheme, local delights of Aldeburgh and Bury St Edmunds and a couple of walks on the beach.
We also used a few days clearing and rebuilding our bedroom, with a new carpet thrown in during the process. All fun and games.
Pictures of all of that can be found in the usual place (click on Canary Wharf then have a rummage around!).
What surprised me most though was how much I have struggled to get back into things on returning to work. After a couple of days catching up on emails it was theoretically into the new job, but in actual fact things are much as before. We hardly see our new boss, have been given no clues as to whether we should still be doing the same stuff and are generally floundering around looking for jobs to tide us over. Assuming there will be a big change coming of course.
There are increasing rumours that we will be moving office, and went up to see the new place the other day. Not that impressed with the building (small and already crowded, with no room for more people I could see and no space for more cars to park either) or it being out of town, so no decent lunchtime wandering to be had.
All of which leaves me feeling just as unsettled as I was before knowing I still had a job and what it was.
As may be reasonably obvious from this picture, we did have a day in London amongst the excursions. This time we did two thirds of the National Maritime Museum (i.e. the museum itself and the Queen's House). Both of those were excellent and I can highly recommend the 16" West bistro at the museum too. We ran out of energy at that point though so the Observatory is left on the list for another visit. Hopefully one with better weather as, to be frank, it chucked it down for a lot of the day. Which made the river bus back to Westminster a rather damp experience. Great views though and a surprisingly fast cruise.
Other days out included plane and tram museums, assorted buildings in the heritage open days scheme, local delights of Aldeburgh and Bury St Edmunds and a couple of walks on the beach.
We also used a few days clearing and rebuilding our bedroom, with a new carpet thrown in during the process. All fun and games.
Pictures of all of that can be found in the usual place (click on Canary Wharf then have a rummage around!).
What surprised me most though was how much I have struggled to get back into things on returning to work. After a couple of days catching up on emails it was theoretically into the new job, but in actual fact things are much as before. We hardly see our new boss, have been given no clues as to whether we should still be doing the same stuff and are generally floundering around looking for jobs to tide us over. Assuming there will be a big change coming of course.
There are increasing rumours that we will be moving office, and went up to see the new place the other day. Not that impressed with the building (small and already crowded, with no room for more people I could see and no space for more cars to park either) or it being out of town, so no decent lunchtime wandering to be had.
All of which leaves me feeling just as unsettled as I was before knowing I still had a job and what it was.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Thunder God
As a result of staff sickness and holidays I got called up at short notice to help run our stall at the Lowestoft air festival last Friday. What a real blow that was to go back to my old publicity routes and deal with the public face to face!
Actually, we only had quite straightforward questions to deal with - nobody shouting about poor service or wasting public money (which I was expecting) or things not working etc. But to counter that it did chuck it down most of the afternoon (luckily we have an awning on our publicity van) with three other attendees getting struck by lightning.
So, I got to see quite a bit of the show as well as an incredible cross-section of the general public who came to see it. (Some of them can be seen on flickr by clicking on the Vulcan and wandering around the airshow set) . And jolly good it was too. This seems to be becoming my year of sky-watching as this now makes three events already attended with the prospect of one or two more to come. But that wasn't what I was going to waffle about. Yes this is the intro to another list...
The Vulcan up there is possibly the loudest thing I have ever heard. Even half a mile out to sea those four Olympus engines were still enough to make the ground shake and rattle the fillings. I've been trying to think of anything I've experienced that has come close, and come up with:
Other planes - obviously enough. I have been at the business end of the runway at RAF Lakenheath, been overflown by Concorde and other jets but don't recall the racket being quite that awesome.
Iron Maiden in concert.
Standing next to the actual bell known as Big Ben (not just from the street below) at the striking of the hour. Which was strangely muted - I think it needs to surrounding buildings and air to amplify and echo the famous bongs into what you hear from outside.
The cat, snoring.
Various roadworks.
Next door doing DIY (or indeed going up and down the stairs).
Downstairs neighbours at our old flat in the throes of passion...
But nothing like that gorgeous piece of flying technology, so recently brought back to life.
Actually, we only had quite straightforward questions to deal with - nobody shouting about poor service or wasting public money (which I was expecting) or things not working etc. But to counter that it did chuck it down most of the afternoon (luckily we have an awning on our publicity van) with three other attendees getting struck by lightning.
So, I got to see quite a bit of the show as well as an incredible cross-section of the general public who came to see it. (Some of them can be seen on flickr by clicking on the Vulcan and wandering around the airshow set) . And jolly good it was too. This seems to be becoming my year of sky-watching as this now makes three events already attended with the prospect of one or two more to come. But that wasn't what I was going to waffle about. Yes this is the intro to another list...
The Vulcan up there is possibly the loudest thing I have ever heard. Even half a mile out to sea those four Olympus engines were still enough to make the ground shake and rattle the fillings. I've been trying to think of anything I've experienced that has come close, and come up with:
Other planes - obviously enough. I have been at the business end of the runway at RAF Lakenheath, been overflown by Concorde and other jets but don't recall the racket being quite that awesome.
Iron Maiden in concert.
Standing next to the actual bell known as Big Ben (not just from the street below) at the striking of the hour. Which was strangely muted - I think it needs to surrounding buildings and air to amplify and echo the famous bongs into what you hear from outside.
The cat, snoring.
Various roadworks.
Next door doing DIY (or indeed going up and down the stairs).
Downstairs neighbours at our old flat in the throes of passion...
But nothing like that gorgeous piece of flying technology, so recently brought back to life.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Rescued?
So the episode of Duncan Bannatyne's Seaside Rescue filmed last year in Felixstowe finally hit our screens courtesy of Virgin 1 this week. Up against the first episode of Luther and amid the election overload I have no idea how many people managed to watch it, but there was a reasonable reaction on radio Suffolk the next morning. In the end I was pleasantly surprised by the result, not nearly as horrendous as it could have been.
Previous episodes in the series have tried to turn around the fortunes of struggling attractions elsewhere, many of which have really been on their last legs and in need of serious investment. And it was not made clear in any of the shows we have seen where the investment actually came from - Duncan himself, the production company, the owners of the sites or what. There was a bit of a hint in the suggestion that Charlie Manning repaint his main building, and he did refer on the show and post-broadcast to the cost of that being too great as well as being a bit difficult to acheive during the season.
For Felixstowe the show took a different direction, focusing on three different elements of our south sea front and helping with their image rather than the content or experience on offer. Some of the suggestions worked well, others were not taken up or just not practical but on the whole I think all three have seen a boost in trade. Certainly a lot of what was discussed is still in place eight months on.
I was disappointed that no mention was made of the other events that happen throughout the summer (including the two previous days mentioned in my earlier post) and there was not much discussion of the other parts of the town. I now the "story" of the show was the three businesses, but a bit of context would have been nice - especially if the aim as stated in a talk to various council people was to help put Felixstowe back on the holiday map.
And events are still going on. Sunday was the annual historic vehicle run (also mentioned before) which suffered from dreadful weather but still pulled a few people out. Then on Monday we had a fun run and the launch of a new coastal walk themed on our Martello Towers.
MrsB had to work, but I indulged in a walking tour of the south seafront (intended to be 45 minutes, it lasted over 90 and was fascinating) as well as a trip around Tower P from where the view above was snapped. More picks by clicking through to Flickr if you are so inclined.
My conclusion - Felixstowe is still doing OK!
Previous episodes in the series have tried to turn around the fortunes of struggling attractions elsewhere, many of which have really been on their last legs and in need of serious investment. And it was not made clear in any of the shows we have seen where the investment actually came from - Duncan himself, the production company, the owners of the sites or what. There was a bit of a hint in the suggestion that Charlie Manning repaint his main building, and he did refer on the show and post-broadcast to the cost of that being too great as well as being a bit difficult to acheive during the season.
For Felixstowe the show took a different direction, focusing on three different elements of our south sea front and helping with their image rather than the content or experience on offer. Some of the suggestions worked well, others were not taken up or just not practical but on the whole I think all three have seen a boost in trade. Certainly a lot of what was discussed is still in place eight months on.
I was disappointed that no mention was made of the other events that happen throughout the summer (including the two previous days mentioned in my earlier post) and there was not much discussion of the other parts of the town. I now the "story" of the show was the three businesses, but a bit of context would have been nice - especially if the aim as stated in a talk to various council people was to help put Felixstowe back on the holiday map.
And events are still going on. Sunday was the annual historic vehicle run (also mentioned before) which suffered from dreadful weather but still pulled a few people out. Then on Monday we had a fun run and the launch of a new coastal walk themed on our Martello Towers.
MrsB had to work, but I indulged in a walking tour of the south seafront (intended to be 45 minutes, it lasted over 90 and was fascinating) as well as a trip around Tower P from where the view above was snapped. More picks by clicking through to Flickr if you are so inclined.
My conclusion - Felixstowe is still doing OK!
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Which way now?
Been stuck in a rut of not knowing what to write about that would lift things since the last post's negativity, so here's another post that doesn't know where it is going either!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Mixing with the gricers
Took a trip to Duxford yesterday for the Showbus event. Went four years in a row when I first started at the council due to free bus journeys and reduced entry being offered, but this was my first visit since 2001.
A glorious day in terms of weather (they normally call it Showerbus) and I quite enjoyed getting back into the old buses as art kind of thing. And of course I like to see the planes as well. Lots of pictures which will gradually make their way onto the usual place.
OK, so the buses do bring out the bus enthusiasts, some of whom can be a little scary in their obsessions (and in need of a good wash/spray down with Sure), and there really was no need for wooly hats yesterday, but a generally harmless crowd. Some of whom I know of old, and some of whom drive me to work on a regular basis. Good to bump into some of them.
Funniest moment was two women I overheard. As they reached the end of a line of buses one said "Oh no, not more of them" and the other responded with "Aye, there's not much here for them of us as don't like buses or planes". Which tickled me. I assume they had husbands off jotting down chassis numbers somewhere.
A glorious day in terms of weather (they normally call it Showerbus) and I quite enjoyed getting back into the old buses as art kind of thing. And of course I like to see the planes as well. Lots of pictures which will gradually make their way onto the usual place.
OK, so the buses do bring out the bus enthusiasts, some of whom can be a little scary in their obsessions (and in need of a good wash/spray down with Sure), and there really was no need for wooly hats yesterday, but a generally harmless crowd. Some of whom I know of old, and some of whom drive me to work on a regular basis. Good to bump into some of them.
Funniest moment was two women I overheard. As they reached the end of a line of buses one said "Oh no, not more of them" and the other responded with "Aye, there's not much here for them of us as don't like buses or planes". Which tickled me. I assume they had husbands off jotting down chassis numbers somewhere.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Smile for the Camera
I'm not sure what triggered it, but I seem to have become re-obsessed with photography over the last couple of months. It was always something I enjoyed, but from the files just on this hard drive there have been big gaps when I haven't had the camera out at all over the years, never mind back in the pre-digital days.
Parlty this has come about through Flickr - having a few positive comments (especially from people I don't know in the real world), invites to groups and favouritising of shots is a natural boost to the ego. And of course that then spurs me on to try and do better or be more interesting next time. I'm also looking for more and different subjects to train the lens on - partly through browsing the groups or other people's photos randomly in search of inspiration.
But then I have tried to be a bit creative with my camera for as long as I've had one. Which I guess will be 20 years this Christmas for one of reasonable quality (OK, so that was only a cheap Halina point and shoot 35mm jobby, but it did at least take full-size pics in colour!). I also tend to overshoot compared to others.
When we went on a college field-trip to Morocco I used three rolls compared to the one averaged by most of the others. It seemed extravagant at the time (after all, three films and processing was a lot on a grant) but I did then have the luxury of choosing good shots for the essays and stuff when we got home. And the day after we first went to Canada and I took ten rolls in for developing still sticks in the mind too.
Of course now with digital cameras and memory cards cheaper than real film it is easy for me to whip off several hundred shots in a matter of days. Maybe quality is preferable to quantity, but at least I can weed out the good ones from the mundane before sharing them with the world.
But now I face a real choice - where do I go now? If you don't count phones, I am now on my third point & shoot digicam. The first lasted a good six years, the second a mere six weeks or so before dying and now number three is approaching its birthday. And I want something more powerful. So should I go for one of the new superzoom compacts (up to 24x zoom has a certain appeal) or move on up to a digital SLR?
I really fancy the latter, but am not sure I can justify the expense. Especially as I know I will want extra lenses which puts the cost up immensely (after all, I do love my macro shots, and also want to get that telephoto ability too). I just can't decide.
Of course, being able to stuff the current Samsung in my pocket is a big advantage too. Plus living in such a lovely County and having a job that takes me out into it on a regualr basis is also handy - especially as I have to get pictures of bus shelters/stops etc for work. So if there is something just as photogenic next door it isn't really any worse for me to stop and snap that as it is for the desk-bound taking a fag break every half hour.
Oh yes, and being out today has taken me over 16,000 steps in one day for the first time!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Seat of Power
Did the London day trip yesterday but haven't got time to write much now so a fuller report will come along over the weekend. I'll just say here that it was a south bank day and you can click through parliament for more pictures on flickr.
Oh, 14000+ steps recorded!
Oh, 14000+ steps recorded!
Monday, May 04, 2009
Felixstowe Run 2009
Another good day at the seaside with old vehicles.
Pictures now going up on Flickr so click through to see more.
Pictures now going up on Flickr so click through to see more.
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Well, for the first time ever as far as I can remember I actually had to get up in the night to knock back a hayfever tablet. Woke up at about 1.15 with nose absolutely streaming, sneezing like it was going out of fashion etc. Still feel a bit groggy this morning from it so have taken another one. Not the best way to start the day. And then after we were delayed leaving due to having to put the rubbish out (and there was an awful lot of garden stuff after last week's exploits!) I ended up sitting in traffic for ages on the way in. My own fault really - there are two routes for part of the journey I make and I thought I'd try the one I normally avoid for a change as it should bring me a fraction closer to the car park when they converge again. Wrong choice and it reminded me why I tend to avoid it. Just serious amounts of slow moving cars. Still, I am here in the end, only really a couple of minutes after normal but it feels like hours.
Mouth feeling a bit more normal again though, which is some consolation. Only another week now before the string can come out.
Sonic brought his pictures from Bob's retirement do in today which served mainly to convince me I was right not to invest in an APS camera when I was considering it a couple of years ago. I guess it could just be that he has one from the cheaper end of the range or the developer was not particularly good, but to me the prints looked really blocky. Like they came from a very low resolution digital. No smooth curves and patchyness in the areas of solid colour. I think I will stick with the digital for everyday snapping and dig out the old Olympus compact (that I was more than happy with) if I want a print of something.
Going off to a presentation about how to market public services now. Might be interesting but I'm not holding my breath.
Mouth feeling a bit more normal again though, which is some consolation. Only another week now before the string can come out.
Sonic brought his pictures from Bob's retirement do in today which served mainly to convince me I was right not to invest in an APS camera when I was considering it a couple of years ago. I guess it could just be that he has one from the cheaper end of the range or the developer was not particularly good, but to me the prints looked really blocky. Like they came from a very low resolution digital. No smooth curves and patchyness in the areas of solid colour. I think I will stick with the digital for everyday snapping and dig out the old Olympus compact (that I was more than happy with) if I want a print of something.
Going off to a presentation about how to market public services now. Might be interesting but I'm not holding my breath.
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