Windhovery

Orphan Black

keswindhover — Mon, 16 Sep 2013 21:10:30 GMT

Attention, Brits out there - Orphan Black starts on BBC3 on Friday. I strongly recommend it, though honesty compels me to say it doesn't really start to fly until Episode 4 onwards, maybe Episode 5. Perhaps the right approach is to amass episodes and have a marathon. Basic premise? There are clones, someone is killing them - who and why?

http://www.locatetv.com/tv/orphan-black/8019695

Watch, enjoy, then you can talk to me and quinara and rabid1st about it.

Google has a lot of answer for....

keswindhover — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 18:01:42 GMT

The guard on my train home this evening was American - but this did not stop him informing us that it was a) the anniversary of the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and b) the anniversary of Oliver Cromwell's death in 1658. He then attempted a rather painful segue to "and this is the train to Worcester, arrriving at xpm, but we're all in better shape than Oliver." Weak, I feel. He needs to work on his material.

Big Butterfly Count

keswindhover — Sun, 28 Jul 2013 16:15:31 GMT

Been out hunting butterflies this afternoon for the Big Butterfly Count. It was never going to be anything but frustrating given how windy it is, but I cheated by going to Warburg nature reserve, and spotted 10 species, including one not on the Butterfly Count people's ID Guide.

I give you the Silver-Washed Fritillary:

Two Turtle Doves

keswindhover — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:27:58 GMT

Went to Otmoor RSPB Reserve near Oxford on Sunday and got a clear sound and sight of two turtle doves, one calling (the chap on the bare branch) and one listening. They are getting rarer by the day, so let's hope these two hook up and make many little turtle doves.

p.s. The good news is that they are not endangered worldwide - only here.

Last 3 Episodes of Doctor Who

keswindhover — Sun, 19 May 2013 20:31:10 GMT

So, Doctor Who... what did we think, children?

My general conclusion is that the time stream stuff was a bit silly, but I liked the idea of a TARDIS leaking insidey-ness and growing bigger. And I liked the various jokes in the first half, including the sleepy paper for Clara. Both 'deaths' were botched - Jenny's was imaginative and beautifully written, but spoiled by her revival, Clara's is plainly not a death at all. Also - John Hurt! Valeyard!

I was less taken by the Cybermen episode last week - though it had a few genuinely creepy moments before the CGI Cybermen were on the march, when we only had a few of them to worry about, and plenty of good lines and performances. Much better in its first half than its second, I think.

Finally, I need to see the Crimson Tide again. It struck me as funny, cruel and brilliant when I saw it in Nashville, but I was in the middle of drinking Merlot to excess with revdorothyl at the time, and I may have overrrated it. When I tell you we were rolling on the sofa with laughter at three (or maybe four) back to back eps of the Big Bang Theory only a little later you can make your own judgement.

p.s. revdorothyl - thanks for the wine!

Call this Test Cricket?

keswindhover — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:27:35 GMT

Blimey - I tucked myself up for a two hour nap this morning after an early morning walk - and when I came back 10 wickets had fallen and they were all off tucking into their lunch. So much for sitting down to watch the cricket this afternoon. I shall have to go out and actually do something instead.

*swigs Diet coke, looks at sunshine outside*

ETA: An hour later, and it's all over.

I'm back!

keswindhover — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:27:32 GMT

Did you miss me?

I have sampled the delights of Cedar Rapids in Iowa, St Louis in Missouri, Nashville and Gatlinburg in Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains NP, Charleston in South Carolina, and Savannah and Atlanta, both in Georgia. I have been bitten by spiders, amazed by black bears, seen a coyote skulking across a field, and a grey fox trotting through a cemetery. And photographed birds - many, many birds.

I will do a 'my travels' post soon, but for today I would just like to record how happy I am to be home in time for the bluebells. I got in this morning, slept a couple of hours, visited Tesco for basic supplies - and then went for a woodland traipse, staggering a little with tiredness, and resting on the hilly bits.

And I'm glad I did, because the bluebells are staggering this year:

*embraces chilly, sunny, showery UK*

A few more belated Buxton pictures

keswindhover — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:12:25 GMT

Easter is a while back now, but here is more of Buxton. Away from the picturesque we also had the delights of its culinary traditions:

You'd have to be young to survive on chips, bread and sugar ice wouldn't you?

And here the Deryshire oatcake competes with the 'pannini'. It has never ocurred to me that you might be able to treat oatcakes as toast.

And for wet afternoons in Buxton there is a splendid museum built on one of those eccentric Victorian collections. The first pleasure was the lobby:

Next the collection box:

And the Museum of Wonders:

In this case you wonder why anyone did that.

Many, many butterlies died to make this.

Whereas I think a baboon and a fish died to make this mermaid.

I am being unfair to the contents of the Buxton museum and its art gallery, many of which were beautiful as well as interesting. Definitely worth a visit, should you find yourself in the area.

Finally, on the streets of Buxton we can learn the perils of Beltane, where a spot of maypole dancing has left this poor young woman with complete disarticulation of her lower body. No wonder she is resting on a log and balancing herself by grasping that young man's belt buckle.

This pointed the way to a trendy little wine bar/coffee house. Something tells me they painted their sign themselves.

Happy St George's Day Flist!

keswindhover — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:02:14 GMT

The only sign of St George's Day imagery I've seen today was an advert of a bacon sandwich, cut into a squares, with leaking tomato ketchup forming the red cross. Oh, and the Google picture.

How about you?

Mae West and Ice Age Art

keswindhover — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 21:21:00 GMT

Love today's picture of the day in the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/picture/2013/apr/19/mae-west-pleasure-man

Mae West, the centre of attention in a courtroom in 1926, after starring in a play "awash in female impersonators and homosexuality". She looks the picture of cool, doesn't she?

In other news, I went to the Ice Age Art exhibition at the British Museum this evening after work. It had a real ambience about it. Part of it was just that the objects were so old, but also they were small, and the decoration was hard to make out, and you had to really concentrate and FOCUS. It created a room full of really focused people, and an atmosphere of modern awe at what our ancestors could do.

There were lots of small things - either carved into objects, or with pictures incised on them - half of it you feel you understand (I wish good hunting, I wish for many children) the other half you have no real idea. So, lots of carved animals, lots of carved women, spear throwers, a flute, mystery objects made of antler that archaeologists have theories about, plates of bone that seem to have been sewn on to people's clothing, with abstract decoration. All European, and all from a time before we'd planted a single bean.

Marvel.

Telegraph takes the paywall plunge

keswindhover — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:54:50 GMT

Hmmm, the online Telegraph has introduced a metred paywall. It blanks out the article but not the comments beneath it, so I have been amusing myself by reading the comments only, and guessing what the article must have said.

And in television musings, Doctor Who had a pleasingly old-fashioned adventure, involving lots of actors in latex masks being 'aliens' a silly plot resolved by lots of singing and a space moped, and the continuing delightfulness of Clara. And there is a plot arc afoot, involving a leaf. Only in Doctor Who.

Game of Thrones Episode 2 was infinitely more engaging than Episode 1, mainly because it featured some characters you care about (though Sansa is just so wet). Bran seems to have grown a foot since we saw him last, but no one is mentioning it, and Diane Rigg has strolled in from an episode of Downton Abbey to hand round some lemon drizzle cake. And I am now in constant fear for the lives of Samwell and Brienne, since GRR delights in killing those we love. (Theon is in a spot of bother too, poor stupid tosser that he is, but it's hard to care.)

p.s. freebie update - a terrible dearth has fallen upon the land since the New Year. I have nothing to show but one lactose-free yoghurt and, today, a small tube of Crest toothpaste. What is the world of marketing coming to?

p.p.s. I was in the pub 20 mins ago and I heard "Marilyn Monroe!" spoken in a withering tone from a nearby table. And with only that clue, I knew they were talking about Margaret Thatcher. Heh.

RIP Margaret Thatcher

keswindhover — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:11:47 GMT

Goodbye Margaret Thatcher - love her or loathe her (and I fall in the latter camp) she certainly shaped modern day Britain in all sorts of ways. And now for the deluge of obituaries and news stories - and terrible jokes on Facebook and Twitter.

Doctor Who and Game of Thrones

keswindhover — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:00:31 GMT

I've seen Doctor Who now. I'm mildly encouraged - Sarah Louise Coleman can act, and seems rather charming with it. And the Moff is not forcing her to gabble like a cattle auctioneer this time round. There was lots of fun had with the dangers of new technology, some sillines with the anti-grav Triumph and the TARDIS being the ultimate mobile phone, a new Evil Villain and a series arc. And someone has noticed that Matt Smith has a square head and looks like a robot whenever he stands still. Bring on ep 2.

I've also seen episode 1 of Game of Thrones. Not particularly emotionally engaging, I thought, though that could be me. But lots of set-up for the next bout of bloody warfare, some characters in peril to root for - and a slaver we can devoutly wish to see flambéed by a dragon. My Season 3 favourite so far is Margaery - who is obviously going to turn out to be a murderous psycho, given her predilection for feeding the poor and dandling orphans on her knee, then flashing her big blue eyes at the revolting Joffrey. If she doesn't gut him like a fish one of these days, I for one will be very surprised.

Buxton Day 2

keswindhover — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:57:47 GMT

It was a dull day in Buxton today, with snow flurries. I came home at lunchtime, wisely avoiding the M6 altogether, and back to the sunny south.

But I had a full day in Buxton yesterday in lovely sunny weather, climbing a peaklet in the morning, then visiting Poole's Cavern in the afternoon and seeing Don Pasquale at Buxton Opera House in the evening. I've never sat right at the front in an opera house before and I was suitably impressed by the volume. Whatever the artistic merits of the soprano, she could certainly dislodge any problem ear wax her audience might have been suffering from.

A bit more of Buxton later in the week perhaps, but for now here is my walk above Whaley Bridge and then Poole's Cavern, home to some rather splendid calcite stalactites and stalagmites.

Walking up from Whaley Bridge station:

The view from the top:

Most of the snow had either melted or blown away, but some of the stiles were a bit tricky:

Looking over the Goyt Valley:

And then in the afternoon I met up with my sister and brother-in-law and we plunged downwards this time, into Poole's Cavern. Which is full of Roman and bronze age and neolithic finds, but only really got vandalised when the Victorians showed up, blew up the entrance and shot down the largest stalactite with their muskets. Wot a lark.

The owners favour pink lighting for effect:

The large stalactite which got partly shot down is centre of the picture. It's called the flitch of bacon.

These stalagmites, with their bright yellow tips, make this the poached egg cavern. Though poached egg is not the first thing that came to my mind. They're only a few hundred years old, and forming incredibly fast - because they're being formed by a toxic waste dump above ground left over by the mining industry.

Pretty, even if it is all made by pollution:

By contrast this, right at the end of the explorable caverns, is the purest bit of mineral deposit - pure white calcite, all the impurities filtered away by the rocks above.

There are various names for it, but my brother-in-law, who is not a poet, thinks it looks a lot like tripe.

And finally, this is me in the car park, with some local snow:

Thus ends the strenuous part of my trip.

Buxton

keswindhover — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 17:33:26 GMT

Now ensconced in the Old Hall Hotel, Buxton. Most famous former resident = Mary Queen of Scots. In tribute, you can buy Mary Queen of Scots chocolate at reception, for only £2.95.

The A415 from Ashbourne was interesting, with snow banked higher than the car on both sides in some places but Buxton, despite being higher, is actually less snowy. I visited Repton and Ashbourne churches on my way up - Repton has a 8th century crypt of the Mercian kings. Ashbourne is more modern (thirteenth century) but has a rather lovely green man, among other things. Both of them were got up in their Easter finery. Pictures to follow.

Something was going on at Ashbourne. Scads of locals were lined up along the river on park benches, eating sandwiches and waiting for something to happen. Since I didn't ask anyone what was going on, I shall never know if it was worth sitting on a park bench in the snow for.

Next: Dinner in Buxton. Tomorrow: Poole's Cavern and Solomon's Temple.

Oxfordshire in the freezer

keswindhover — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 21:40:51 GMT

I've been out bird watching/church visiting today. I attach a few snowy pictures to set the scene, however I have to say the memorable feature of today was the wind chill. The air temp varied between zero and minus two but it felt much worse. Hat, scarf and gloves weather.

Typical Oxfordshire countryside today:

Typical Oxfordshire medieval church today (Wotton Underwood):

And another (Chilton):

And one more sheltered (Ludgershall):

Now safe indoors by my gas fire and sipping Merlot.

One last shot of my lonely car in an Oxfordshire field. Brrr.:

Sutton Courtenay

keswindhover — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 10:34:53 GMT

It's Saturday morning, and the rain is pouring down outside. The perfect time to catch up with a church post, I feel.

Our venue today is Sutton Courtenay, burial place of both a famous author and a once-famous Prime Minister*. I visited in 2009 when the church was locked and showed you a picture of the outside of the church, and the author's grave. You all recognised George Orwell, of course, lurking under his real name, 'cos you are all literary and stuff.

This time round there were flowers by his gravestone again, and a scruffy note quoting The Ministry of Truth:

"WAR IS PEACE," "FREEDOM IS SLAVERY," "IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH".

Make of it what you will.

I'd chosen another grey and miserable day to visit, so the outside of the church looks very much the same as in 2009:

Still with that strangely stuck-on two storey Tudor porch. They really didn't try and blend it in, did they?

And this time the church was unlocked. It's a Norman church, which was subjected to a really messy hack-job rebuild in the 1300s, when the aisles were added and the chancel arch replaced.

If you think that arch looks wonky, you are right:

And this is what they did with the original Norman piers:

And finally, they decided they didn't want to get rid of the old Norman chancel arch (which would have been round, not pointy) so they cut and reshaped it to serve as the first arch in the south aisle:

Just to prove that was done in the 1300s, the masons added one little ball-flower decoration at the base of their Norman arch:

All very odd. Though I suppose we should be glad they kept the older carved stone, even if the result is this messy.

And finally, a bequest board. A lot of churches preserve these records of bequests made in various benefactors wills. And they are often extremely modest, like this one:

Though I am pleased he left more money for the widows' bread and gowns and their three-yearly meat ration than he did for the saying of a mass (ten shillings is half of one £, btw).

A line of grateful widows, presumably clad in their charity gowns. And Mr William Andrews bringing replacements - cheers, Mr Andrews.

*H.H. Asquith

ETA: And the rain has stopped, however briefly - so I am off for the wild open spaces - whee!

Hacked off

keswindhover — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:43:29 GMT

Sorry all, my Yahoo address book has been hacked - so ignore any weird messages I appear to have sent you. Now off to change my password.

Garden Centre Whimsy

keswindhover — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 21:40:36 GMT

I should know better really..... and yet, from time to time, I feel it necessary to expose myself to the cultural wasteland that is the average Garden Centre.

They have nice flowers, admittedly, and this one had a pet's corner, so I got to admire guinea pigs and bunnies and multi-coloured mice. But I was also exposed to guinea pigs of another, sinister sort. The so-called ceramic 'pet for life', though I feel 'stone cold pet for death' is more accurate:

And do not speak to me of the penguins.

Tottering after the ceramic guinea pigs, I was next confronted by bunnies. I mean, lots of bunnies:

With big soulful (cold, dead) eyes:

And reeling away from that, I was confronted by a sea of chickens, chicks and ducklings:

So if you want a yellow duckling made of painted plaster, I can tell you where to go.

Ponies!

keswindhover — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:44:48 GMT

This weekend has consisted of two grey days in a row, with snow flurrying about in the air, and freezingly cold winds cutting right through the hardy explorer. I've been out though, in scarf and hat - and my reward today was the sight of 24 shetland ponies - and one donkey - foraging by the side of the River Loddon. I find it hard to imagine why anyone needs 24 shetland ponies (except elinora of course) but there it is:

Funny to see a donkey looking like a giant, isn't it?

Six Nations Shocks Continue - Gasp!

keswindhover — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:00:32 GMT

Congratulations to Scotland - but how the hell did that happen?

England won against a much improved French team yesterday, and deserved it - even if their try was wrongly awarded. Chris Ashton still can't tackle though.

But the game that I actually enjoyed watching on Saturday was Leicester v Saracens in the evening. It had tries aplenty, a storming comeback, and a penalty try/losing bonus point subplot. And I didn't really mind who won.

p.s. Ireland v France in two weeks time is going to be a bloodbath.

The cartography of kitchenware

keswindhover — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:28:05 GMT

This is fun....

Poster

...and rather compulsive I imagine, if you are a cook. How many of these doodads do you own?

keswindhover — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 17:31:58 GMT

My whites are white again and my house smells like a chemical factory. Well done Dylon Colour Run Remover.

I have been out most of the day at Otmoor RSPB Reserve where I saw a wonderful flock of 200+ golden plovers joining up with a similar number of lapwings to make patterns in the sky. The lapwings flew directly over my head at one point, and the sound they made was like a hundred raindrops pattering on a roof.

Less delightful is the bill I will soon have for repairing the retaining wall around my house. (I live on a corner of two roads, and it is just a little six-course-high wall to separate my garden from the pavement.) At some time in last few weeks, someone hit it - and left without leaving a name or number.

But at least this didn't happen to me:

Those bungalow owners paid good money for a beautiful drystone wall. And now look at it. (I am impressed that the cement is still holding up the capping stones though).

*makes note to ring brickie again*

Pink all over

keswindhover — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 09:29:18 GMT

A stray red sock has turned all my whites pink. (It is a free sleep sock from Virgin Atlantic - so Richard Branson is to blame for the whole thing.)

The whites are now stewing in a bucket filled with a powder that says, rather disconcertingly, on the packet, "May cause fire. Do not breathe dust, do NOT breathe fumes." (their capitals) Hopefully it is lethal to pink dye as well as people.

Privates on Parade and Rugby

keswindhover — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:20:09 GMT

Still in the throes of this cold, and spending more hours asleep than awake. Went to 'Privates on Parade' last night. Simon Russell Beale was a great at being camp as you would expect, and there were no weak links in the cast. The play itself has some good song and dance numbers, and plenty of jokes, but suffered from an inexplicable decision by the writer to have two separate plots in Act One and Act Two. No play can really survive that.

As a reaction to this frivolity, I spent the whole of Saturday morning in bed, and finally forced down breakfast at 2pm. Watched the rugby with a blanket over my knees, chewing on my knuckles from time to time - but what an entertaining game, and England were deserved winners. (Scotland looked great on the break, but they've got to be able to win their set pieces to have a chance.)

Of course a handsome English win just ramps up the tension for Ireland next week... *chews knuckles again*