Sweet Pete

The Wherryman's Way

2010-08-03T04:54:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the Humpty Dumpty brewery and the book launch of Steve Silk's new book entitled The Wherryman's Way, June and I set off from Norwich Station on Sunday morning. Twenty miles later and some very sore feet into the bargain we arrived in Loddon but sadly I'd managed to book a B&B which was miles from the footpath. Darren came to the rescue and drove us the last couple of miles to the B&B. He even picked us up again that evening - fed us on a 'The Pigs ( Holt)' style menu and returned us to our lodging - what an absolute star.

The next day was the walk from Loddon to Great Yarmouth. It went really well except for the rain drenched 4 miles from Reedham to the Berney Arms. Luckily they were still serving food so we were able to fuel up and dry out for the final 51/2 mile push round Breydon water.

scale insects

2010-05-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

I have just discovered that my lovely vine is covered in scale insects. I am familiar with the small furry white things found at the base of most ficus leaves but this little bugger is a new one on me - Parthenolecanium corni - an armoured brown structure which resembles part of the plant stem - very crafty. Have no fear - the answer lies not in a Liberal Democrat Alliance but in Horticultural Oil. Watch this space!

Dog agility

2009-06-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

That's it - I've had enough! This is the last time that I take perfect Rosie to dog agility. Its a flippin nightmare. All she does it bark and growl at the other dogs and behaves in a completely different way to her normal demeanor which is passive and quiet. Isn't it strange how, like humans, we behave differently when out of our comfort zone. Dogs are not humans however and dogs are expected to conform to certain basic principles around pack behaviour. I'm sure there is some logic in there somewhere but it eludes me at this point in time.

Club Tour comes good

2009-06-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

Well it was an exciting day with the Thorn Club Tour having its real first test on the lanes and byways of rural Norfolk. This feisty little number coped with the pressures well and I am happy to report that both cycle and rider arrived back safely after their 50 mile adventure. The other half also completed the task which is a fabulous achievement.

precycle tension

2009-06-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

Its 11.04 and I'm sat in bed contemplating the likelihood of finishing the Norwich 50 tomorrow morning in the pouring rain. Lets hope the forecasts are all wrong and the occasional shower is all we'll get.

Rain rain go to Spain
Don't let me have a soggy brain

Impressive eh!
Poet Laureate next I expect - is it a salaried post I wonder

My Art Website

2009-03-19T01:44:00.000-07:00

Its taken some time in the preparation but finally I have got my website up and running. If you want to take a look its

www.norfolk-artist.net

The website has its own Blog where I will describe my journey through life as a series of images and comments. Hopefully I will also keep this Blog going as well but on past record this is unlikely!!

This is 'late morning sun' and depicts a field of Rosebay Willow Herb late in November.

ripping it up

2009-01-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

Found out how to rip a DVD this weekend. I think it took about 17 hours in total to rip and copy the disc to an ipod. I think I need a new computer!!

my space

2008-06-04T14:13:00.001-07:00

Its official

The Mollyhawk Myspace account has been finally opened and we have a web presence. We still need some vidoe footage and music tracks but at least a start has been made.

myspace.com/mollyhawknorwich

Fly fishing

2008-05-31T05:25:00.000-07:00

Tried my hand at fly fishing yesterday. I was using a rod I had found discarded with a broken ferrel. I managed to find a suitable piece of brass which I planed down on the metal lathe at work. I used a borrowed reel and flies. I had several takes but no fish were actually caught - I loved the simplicity of the gear used and the mimicing of a natural event - notably the hatching out of mayflies on the Wensum.

Stingray in blueray

2008-05-17T00:36:00.000-07:00

We went to a friends' house last night to watch a DVD on their new 50inch screen and blueray. We saw The Golden Compass. The experience was awesome - just like being back in the cinema. It would be nice to watch Troy and Marina on their TV so we can say we saw Stingray on Blueray!

Pain in the neck

2008-05-14T14:19:00.001-07:00

I attended my second bee-keeping course on Tuesday and was wearing my veil correctly. We were opening a hive of bees which got rather agitated and one of the bees found it was able to sting me through the veil on my neck. Whilst removing my outergarments I discovered another bee hidden in the fold of my sweatshirt which also stung me on the neck. I didn't realise until I got home and looked in the mirror that the sting and poison sac were still sticking out of my neck! My neck has swollen a little today and I appear to have a goitre!

Taking over

2008-05-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

I have made good inroads into the garden again today and have also started to take over the garden next door as well. I planted tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and beans today. I also finished my book 'A thousand splendid suns' and would thoroughly recommend it - but not if you want a cheerful light-hearted read.

I can now play 'when the saints come marching in' as well as the theme from Eastenders on the low whistle - wow!

We came second in the church quiz this evening. We were in first place until this silly round where we had to second guess a TV audiences responses to certain questions, which scuppered our chances. Second is good I suppose!

Taking the veil

2008-05-07T06:23:00.001-07:00

I am reading the follow up to The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini called A Thousand Splendid Suns. The two lead female characters are told to wear the veil or Burqa. It is evidently difficult to see when wearing this garment as your feet and peripheral vision are affected.

Last night I went on the first of my eight week practical bee keeping course where we had to wear a veil for a very different reason. One cultural and the other functional.

Purpose

2008-05-04T15:18:00.000-07:00

The purpose of life is a life of purpose. This is one of the mission statements we have up at my workplace. Surely the purpose of life is to find out what its all about. If that's the case then I might be on the right road. I can't pretend to have found any answers but at least I think my questions are relevant.

Its been a lovely day. We walked for miles at the coast and saw barn owls and avocets. I even think I found a Richard's pipit but I couldn't get close enough to hear the characteristic 'shreep' which they utter when flushed. This brings to mind a shameful episode on the Isles of Scilly in 1989 when my brother and I found a Richard's pipit on Agnes. Suffice to say that no-one else saw it!

Ticked off

2008-05-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

Rosie has acquired some ticks over the last couple of days. These small mites inhabit long grass and wait for some unsuspecting mammal to come along and cling on. They then find a nice soft part of the body - usually aroud the ears - to sink in their mouthparts and start inbibing the animals blood. The best method of removal is to use forceps - or finger nails - I have now removed 8 so I'm getting pretty adept. They must inhabit the long grass at the botoom of the garden and may have originated with foxes or cats - who knows - a bit of a pain and I'm well ticked off!

Whitethroats

2008-04-30T23:46:00.000-07:00

The first warblers to arrive after their Winter spent in sunny Africa are the Chiffchaff and Blackcaps but its always the Whitethroat which invade our hedgerows with their scratchy cheeerful call at the end of April which reminds me that Spring has really sprung and Summer must be just a round the corner

Get off my turf

2008-04-26T01:34:00.000-07:00

When I got back from work yesterday evening there was a pile of turf sitting on our drive. I have no idea where it came from but when I find out I'm going to grass them up!

Thinking of others

2008-04-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

The NUT rally at the Forum today was not fantastically well attended but they did mention a celebration of a strike which happened in 1914 at Burston. A celebration of this strike is taking place at Burston in Septemeber 2008. I decided to find out a little more about this action and found that this is the longest strike in history and ended in 1939. It highlights the actions of Tom and Kitty Higden and their desire to better the lives of the children in their community - just the reason many of us were on strike today - its not about the money its about upholding the professionalism and integrity of the teachers in this country and their desire to do a good job.

Burston School Strike
..............................
When pupils in a Norfolk village decided to go on strike in support of their sacked teachers in 1914, they could not have realised that they were starting what would become the longest strike in history.

Teachers Tom and Kitty Higdon had been thrown out after repeatedly coming into conflict with the land-owning authorities who valued a child’s labour more than a child’s education.

The Higdons wanted to improve the squalid buildings that passed for a school at Burston, and to educate the pupils so that they had higher expectations, clearer judgement and broader horizons – and much as the authorities hated them for it, the children loved them.

So when the Higdons were ousted, the Burston children marched through their village in a rally that ended up on the green. And it was here, under a makeshift marquee, that the Higdons began to teach 66 of their former pupils, while the remaining six children continued at the Council School. The school on the green was a hit with pupils and their families, but it infuriated the authorities who took it out on the parents.

Eighteen were fined for failing to send their children to school, local labourers were sacked and families evicted from their homes. But a year on, with the strike still standing firm, the school had won the support of trade unions and a national appeal raised £1,250 to pay for a new school building. That building still stands today, as a museum of the strike which continued until Tom’s death in 1939.

Speed revision for parents

2008-04-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

We hosted a revision evening for parents. They chose which workshops to attend - brain gym, relaxation, mind mapping and so on. Then every 10 minutes I rang the bell and it was all change. It was like speed dating. The atmosphere was fabulous and the evening went well. The staff involved were enthusiastic and professional and reminded me of why I am taking industrial action tomorrow - to protect that professionalism.

bush fires

2008-04-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

A friend was having a eucalyptus tree chopped down in his garden and offered me some of the wood for our stove. I readily accepted and drove over to collect the wood in a trailer last Summer. The wood was incredibly dense and I soon realised that I could only take a small amount on each journey otherwise the suspension on the trailer would collapse. In practice the tyres were flattened and I had to unload the trailer to pump them back up. On getting the wood home and stacking it neatly I decided to chop some up and see how well it burnt. I have a massive splitting axe with a substantial head which even when used with maximum force just bounced off the wood!!

Somewhat perplexed I left the wood until now.

It is still difficult to split and I have to use a saw but it burns incredibly well. A large log was left smouldering for 36 hours. The bark is an amazing mixture of colours and falls off easily. In the Australian bush it forms large piles of dry wood around the base of the trees and is the main reason why bush fires spread so quickly. The trees use this as part of their life cycle as the heat of the fire destroys unwanted herb layer from around the base of the tree. Many species of plant rely on the effects of smoke and heat to aid germination and the biodiversity of areas with regular bush fires appears to be higher than in other areas. The ferocious nature of bush fires is due to the natural oils in the bark.

Once lit it makes a great wood to use for heating the house.

Chicken run

2008-04-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

We waited in line on a cold Saturday morning outside a detached house in a nice part of central Norwich. We had decided to re-home 8 of them. Emaciated and in various stages of feathering the eight chickens were experiencing the first few hours of freedom having been cooped up just 4 hours earlier in a battery farm. We loaded them into cardboard boxes and took them home. Once home they are timid and confused. They do not eat and spend most of their time huddled together. I wonder how long those supressed instincts to scratch and perch will remain hidden. On a brighter note I see that M&S is only selling products made with free range eggs..

Well done M&S!

Pipers grip

2008-04-18T10:55:00.001-07:00

Jack has been ill for the last two days and inbetween administering regular does of calpol and paracetemol ( ran out of one and moved on to the other) I was able to unpack and investigate my christmas and birthday present which was a low whistle. The odd thing is the position of the holes. There are six holes but they are hardly in a sensible place to play. If you try and cover the holes with the finger pads as normal you end up with a dislocated finger and persistent numbness. I spent some time on the internet and discovered the pipers grip which is the recommended way to play the instrument. Its a bit contorted to start with but with persistence I can see its going to work. I suspect this is going to take a very long time to master. But when I get a half decent note out of it - well, its going to be worth the effort.

making the effort

2008-04-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

I went sailing after work today
The weather was unpromising
I had a lot of stuff to finish
The temptation was to cancel
but we didn't
and it was fun
so there is a moral to this story
Its always worth making the effort

war films

2008-04-15T14:52:00.001-07:00

A find of ours was throwing away some old videos and one of them was Saving Private Ryan. I hadn't watched this before but Jack had as part of English project in year 8 at school ( when he was 12 and its a 15 certificate but that's another story!).

I was knocked out by the film. It starts at a cemetary we visited whilst in Normandy two years ago and soon cuts to very graphic scenes from the landing beaches. Jack and Ben don't relate to the futility and utter waste of life involved in the film but they do get quite caught up with the character who is anti-killing and who they see as weak because he can't save his friend.

I managed to fit my new pick-up to the violin this evening which involved cutting clices off a wine cork to make the chin rest high enough. I had to drink the wine of course. After the film finished this was just about all I could do.

A busy bee

2008-04-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

I enrolled on a beekeeping course at Easton College which was due to start on May 8th. Due to the cold weather the start date has been postponed to May 6th. I did however go to see The Hives a Swedish garage rock/ punk band at the UEA. They were a fabulous live act in matching black and white suits. The music was thrash and the mosh pit was pulsating. I drank a pint of something masquerading as bitter and cycled home. My ears are ringing but I feel envigorated. I didn't really want to go out but at £17.50 for the ticket I made the effort and was content. Now I will sleep - if the ringing allows me to.

http://www.thehivesbroadcastingservice.com/

Indestructible

2008-04-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

I was trawling the pond earlier today and found a model of captain scarlet which must have fallen in years ago. He still looks fresh and ready for action. Not so my own family - my dad has been laid up with a bad back, my mum is in need of a hip replacement and my brother has a twisted ankle. We think we are indestructible whilst everything is going well but it takes the smallest thing to competely change our perspective of life. Believing in a wholesome, life-giving and active God does make the vagueries of life less daunting.

Monster Trucks

2008-04-12T00:07:00.001-07:00

Jack was given a Monster Truck ride as part of his birthday present last year. That is great except the truck is in Bedfordshire and its not leaving

Monster TRucks

2008-04-12T00:07:00.000-07:00

Jack was given a Monster Truck ride as part of his birthday present last year. That is great except the truck is in Bedfordshire and its not leaving. This means a weekend trip away and a visit to see the folks.

chill out

2008-04-10T11:14:00.001-07:00

A glass of water looks so calm and peaceful. Our inner lives are more like a glass of water and soil which has been shaken violently and not allowed to settle. We are constantly on the move - new ideas, making more money, adding to our social lives and commitments. When we stop the silt and sand falls to the bottom and we see the same calm quality as the glass of pure water. Why not set time aside today and make an appointment with yourself. Let the water settle and discover more about your inner self. You may find that God has something to say to you in these moments.

Resolving conflict

2008-04-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

I came across two examples of conflict resolution today.

As the NUT representative at school I held a meeting today to discuss with members the strike action we are proposing to take on April 24th in protest at the governments derisory pay offer. There were obviously concerns expressed by members as we have not taken action of this sort for 21 years. The action has come about as the result of a democratic voting procedure overseen by the electoral reform services a part of the electoral reform society.

We took the dog for a walk up to the park this evening where a large number of teenagers were hanging about. Evidently there had been a fight between a pupil from Costessey High and a pupil from Earlham which resulted in the police arrival and both boys needing medical attention from an ambulance.

Time to earth up

2008-04-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

I was given a book called 'growing under plastic' some years ago but never really read it properly - those of you that know me well with find this unsurprising. This year I have felt a real desire to get the most out of the earth which we have been given stewardship over and that starts with the garden. The book tells me that I can expect a crop of potatoes from the greenhouse in late April if I get them in early enough so I planted some early's in the polytunnel and waited - and waited - and waited. A couple of weeks ago they started to sprout through and I began the process of earthing up to protect the tender shoots from the odd patch or frost and hail we've had as well as providing somewhere for the potatoes to form for an easy harvest. Today I repeated the process.

I thought the black and white diagram I found resembled a cross section through a breast so I've also found a picture of a breast to compare it with. I had to rotate the image of course!

scaly legs

2008-04-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

We have asked to be included in the next batch of Norwich based battery rescue hen adoptions. This means we will receive for a nominal sum a bunch of featherless, psychotic and claustrophobic chickens on the 19th of April. I had noticed one of our own was looking a little crusty around the legs and on closer inspection the scales were showing all the signs of scaly leg - a common complaint in poultry caused by mites which burrow under the scales leading to infections. The treatment is to use vaseline regularly on the legs until the scales drop off and new ones grow. I'll also need to disinfect the chicken house. This was an interesting 30 minute activity this evening! It would seem a little inept to introduce our new arrivals into an infected run.

whistling down the line

2008-04-06T00:24:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting a low whistle for some years now having bought my sister in law one for her 40th and being amazed by its flute-like qualities. A number of renowned fiddle players also play the low whistle so I thought - lets give it a go. After doing a lot of research it turns out the best low whistles are made by Bernard Overton and Colin Goldie and are both called Overton whistles. Colin lives in Germany and I was strongly pointed in his direction. I ordered my whistle nearly two months ago and had to wait whilst poor Cloin went through one bout of flu after another before he had completed the next batch of low D whistles. Yesterday I spent a pleasant 30 minutes chatting to Colin on the phone ( all the way from Germany!) as he played different instruments down the phone for me to listen to - well they all sounded the same to me down a crackly phone line!! This is very much a long-term project and I ended up trusting his judgement over a suitable instrument. I then had a four hour wrangle with Paypal trying to sort out renumeration.

It should arrive sometime next week.

everythings going to be alright!

2008-04-05T12:35:00.001-07:00

I have been seeing sparrowhawks on a daily basis for some years now. Its almost become part of my daily routine as I cycle to work, out bird watching or walking the dog to see a sparrowhawk soaring the skies in search of a likely place to ambush small passerines or even more exciting as it bursts through the garden in hot pursuit of a finch or sparrow. These handsome birds have become almost common. I often wonder why this is the case. Is it because of habitat creation - DER NO!, is it because of larger numbers of prey items available - WRONG AGAIN! perhaps its because of a decline in the use of certain pesticides. I decided to investigate further and found the following references

The RSPB
The Breeding Bird Survey for 2006 showed that the UK sparrowhawk population declined by 1% between 1994-2006, whereas common prey actually increased in numbers: blackbirds by 18%, robins by 18%, great tits by 54%, collared doves by 39% and song thrush by 17%.

The Journal of Zoology
The long-term increase reflected the national population recovery over this period and followed the reduction in the use of organochlorine pesticides.

So I'm sort of right and wrong!!

Anyway I have always seen the presence of a sparrowhawk as a reminder of God's wonderful creation and was not disappointed again today. I have a suspicion I have blogged on this topic before but SOD IT - here goes again!!

Back home

2008-04-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

Its always nice to return home after a few days away to find the chickens asleep and content, the rabbit doesn't appear to have moved and the cat didn't leave home in disgust. We are tired after our time at Spring Harvest but we left Skegness with warm feelings and a renewed sense of expectency. Old friendships were revisited and deepened and new ones forged. Sounds like something out of Lord of the Rings.

as simple as abc

2008-03-31T00:30:00.001-07:00

abc is a form of notation developed by Chris Walshaw as an easy way of writing and storing tunes. Folkies seem to be the predominant group that use this notation here is a typical abc tune

X: 1
T: Woman Of The House, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
DBBA B2BA|GABd eBdB|(3ABA GB A2(3Bcd|eB(3BAB eBdB|
DBBA B2BA|GABd eBdB|GABG (3ABA GA |BGAG EGD2:||
f2fd edBd|edge dABd|f2fd edBd|eaag ea(3aba|
f2fd edBd|g2ge dcBA|GABG (3ABA GA |BGAG EGD2:||

A friend of mine was trying to send me a version of Colliers reel by email but the computer would not accept that it was legitimate text and tried to treat it as junk and wouldn't send it. To be fair it was Yahoo and not the computer hardware that was at fault. Perhaps it didn't understand the language!

111

2008-03-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

We took the boys bowling. They all brought a friend

But it was me that triumphed when it came to the end

I notched up a score that was difficult to beat

Amongst the lights and the noise and the heat

Not one single strike was I able to down

Consistency was my route to the crown

Then we came home and ate home baked chelsea buns and a nice cup of tea

Winterton beach

2008-03-27T10:12:00.001-07:00

Marriage time this week should have been easy to find as we are on holiday but somehow we managed to avoid spending too much time together. We have been following a programme called the Marriage Course through church. We are the guinea pigs as our church ( Norwich Central Baptist) is thinking of adopting the course and wants to find out what a select small group think - select in what way I'm not sure... Select because they are wise and objective - unlikely. Select because their marriage is currently on the verge of meltdown - not that I'm aware of. Select because one of the partners is a member of the leadership - most probably.

Anyway as part of the course we have to spend at least two hours a week doing 'marriage time'. This must be a fun time spent together. Today we went to Winterton beach with the dog. I watched a trio of ringed plover taking part in a courtship display. It was interesting as I wasn't aware that ringed plover went in for lekking ( ie more than one male present) or that they used the drop wing behaviour in courtship. I thought this was only to distract a predator away from the nest-site. On the way out of Winterton we noticed a number of birders armed with telescopes and stopped to ask 'owt about?'. I decided to forgo the bluethroat and opt instead for a very pleassant lunch at the Bridge Inn Acle.

What do you think of the photo complete with pawprints - I was rather pleased with it.

Yellows

2008-03-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

No oven chips or tinned mince, just a pleasant atmosphere and some very tasty food. We were impressed by the price too

"Yellows is Norwich's New York style diner

Delia Smith has a big hand in Yellows so you can be assured that the freshest quality ingredients are sourced locally where possible and the food, from easy-over brunches to full-on feasts, is made to her exacting standards. Come along and try out the freshest restaurant in Norwich that everyone is talking about! Yellows is soon to be featured on Delia’s new TV series on BBC Two."

What's more there was a reserves game on and we were even given preferential parking treament

Chicken run

2008-03-24T13:04:00.001-07:00

It was quite a surprise to wake up to a reasonable covering of snow. We took Rosie to Earlham Park where she did a lot of chasing snow balls. The dirty smudge on her face is thanks to me hitting her with a muddy tennis ball! I decided to spend the afternoon extending out chicken run so that we can accommodate more chickens. I did contact a rescue chickens website and came to the conclusion that there are a considerable number of chickens being rescued on a regular basis - the sooner we stop the practice of battery chickens the better. Anyway we may have to wait a while for any as we might not be able to get to a 'handover' point on the M6 or wherever at 3am or whenever the next bout of 'liberating' occurs. As TV mirrors real life we then watched the film 'chicken run' and I felt guilty about having dispatched and eaten our cockerels.

Barn Owl

2008-03-24T02:36:00.000-07:00

We watched a fabulous barn owl quartering fields adjacent to the cycle path yesterday afternoon. Despite the regular snow and hail showers the owl seemed content to enjoy what little sunshine was around in the pursuit of small mammals. Talking of small mammals I set a humane mouse trap in the polytunnel to catch the little buggers which are eating their way through the chicken's corn. I crept down the garden just after dark and heard a rustling in the corn sack. The sack has two layers and I saw a little tail sneek through a hole between the innner and outer layers of the sack. On opening up the middle section there were 5 sets of small beady house mouse eyes staring up at me. I didn't have the heart to bother them and left them to nibble to away in the freezing conditions. I've removed the trap.

Mad Spanish Circus

2008-03-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

I emailed my friends Uli who makes electric fiddles and he thoroughly recommends the skyinbow system so it looks as if I'll need to fork out the money. Uli is currently in Spain and sent me the URL for his latest project which is called circpanic and can be found at www.circpanic.com It is some of the maddest street entertainment I've seen in a while and lots of fun. Here is a photo of the metal contraption which the whole show seems to orientate about. Its a tiny photo so it might be very unclear. I'm wondering if we shouldn't try and incorporate some showmanship into our gigs - maybe not!

Pick-ups

2008-03-21T14:21:00.001-07:00

Apparently Chris, the sound man at The Shed, has suggested, rather heavily, that I should get a pick-up for my fiddle. It turns out that he has to turn my mic up so high it affects the balance of the other mics. Oh bugger I said to myself. So I decided to contact Tim Phillips who made my original fiddle and ask his advice. It turns out he's selling a pick-up by Skyinbow - a Shetland based electric fiddle maker. The problem is the price - £199! Yikes I thought to myself. This is a little more than I had in mind. I need to think carefully about this one. It would be great to have a pick-up which faithfully translates the acoustic qualities of the instrument rather than that harsh sound which eletric fiddles often have.

We watched Dog Borstall this evening as a border collie was on. The animal in question was called Ellie and was hyperactive. She needs stimulation and was much faster than her owner at picking things up - a trait that was commented on by the trainer. We had better take note when dealing with our own collie. We took Rosie to Hevingham Woods today. I hope she found the experience stimulating enough. It was certainly wet enough. Ben fell over in the mud and I nearly wet myself laughing. Unfortunately I wasn't expected to repsond in this way and he nearly went mardy and walked off. We made up soon enough and had a very pleasant stroll between cloudbursts.

The unexpected

2008-03-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

I had a lesson observation done today. I wasn't particularly bothered but it was with a difficult year 9 group and I was prepared to be fairly assertive. In the event the presence of someone strange in the room had a soporific effect on the pupils. Some of them wanted to know why there was someone strange in the room and the rest seemed to be more attentive than usual. It wasn't that the observer had any obvious interactions with the class other than to chat with the odd one on an informal basis but the impact overall was quite noticeable. I think a good teacher has a sense of the class. I know immediately there is someone new in the room or a certain student is present. I suppose we must all act in a similar way in the presence of our peers but I wonder if we would recognise this?

My new phone

2008-03-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

Well the fishing season may be over until June 16th but I have a new phone! Actually it is a cast off from my youngest son. At the moment I can only just about make a call with it but have no idea how to answer so lets hope I find out soon. The level of technology involved is amazing.

I went to my art class this evening and painted a scene from a Norfolk landscape. You know the sort of thing - derelict water mill and reeds- a bit cliche but I thought it might work. It all got a bit out of hand though and my simple atmospheric scene became an example of a force 9 storm and the contrast of colours seems to encourage the frenetic mood of the picture. I'd post an image of it but its still wet and will probably remain so for a couple of weeks as I did it in thick oils.

I have a picture hanging in the cafe at Gressenhall rural life museum at the moment which is also apparently wet. I finished it last Monday and it was hung on Sunday. Its called Wensum in Winter so the idea of a wet painting is really rather apt.

Back to the phone.... My son got the phone from a friend of ours who lives in Manchester. He dropped it down the toilet and it won't turn off. Seeing as I can't use the thing anyway I'd say this was the least of my worries.

I finished Stanleys jig by the way and am quite proud of my first ever tune.

Palm Sunday

2008-03-16T13:15:00.001-07:00

We played a gig at the shed in Norwich this afternoon - here's a picture of the shed. It looks a bit empty in the picture but I was pleased to see that the place was heaving this afternoon. We played a set of gigs at the end of the afternoon which starts with a tune called palm sunday. This evening we are watching the BBC dramatisation of The Passion and I've just watched the bit where Jesus is buying the Donkey on which to ride into Jerusalem. He instructs his disciple to give the man whatever he wants for the animal. Jesus was only interested in fulfilling the prophesy and not in how much it would cost. I often think we are too preoccupied with money and forget about the wider implications of following Jesus.

Where do you get your hog?

2008-03-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

I made a carbonara sauce to go with our pasta this evening. I followed exactly the same recipe as the last time I made it but somehow the sauce lacked flavour. I even got out the bacon wrapper to check that it was smoked and therein lies the problem - whilst the bacon was indeed smoked and did indeed come from the stable of Sainsbury's 'Taste the difference' range ( as opposed to the 'Lacking in taste range') it still does not hold a candle to Mr Pickerings finest smoked back. I remain appalled that people still buy bacon which appears to boil in the pan rather than fry and at 2 packsfor £5 are surprised that there is no decent flavour. So I apologise to Mr Pickering for not making the pilgrimage to Old Costessey recently, a situation which will be remedied before the next concoction of eggs, cream, bacon and parmesan cheese.

Less is more

2008-03-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

We had a band practice this evening as we are playing The Shed on Sunday afternoon as part of the St Patrick Day celebrations. We have been messing around with different arrangements, especially as we now have Leon the piper in the band. What we discovered this evening is that the contrast between a complex and a simple arrangement has far more impact than a straightforward loud or complex tune - obvious really but it was nice to hear it in action. We also took the same tune 'Jim Wards and played it in two different keys as part of the same set and it actually sounds like two distinct tunes. Perhpas I can apply similar principles to my own life and enjoy contrasts rather than everything having to be 'full-on' all the time.

Women are the better drivers

2008-03-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

I took some students to the go-kart track at Ellough near Beccles today. As we had enough for two groups with 12 boys in the first group and 11 girls in the second. I joined the girls group to even up the numbers. I was amazed by the driving of the girls group. Not only did they have far fewer crashes and spin-offs they also raced at the same speed as the boys and with the same determination. Everyone enjoyed the visit and we capped it off with a trip to MacDonalds for lunch. This was a reward trip for students that have performed well in their recent mock exams. I will never knock women drivers again ( not that I did before!).

Stanley

2007-11-15T12:38:00.000-08:00

My friend gave birth to a baby son called Stanley last Tuesday. He was a massive 10 pounds 7 ounces and was overdue. I have been trying to write a tune for him on the fiddle which is proving much harder than I thought. I mess around for ages and come up with lots of good ideas which I promptly forget. Luckily the H4 ( remember the H4?) comes into its own and I now have several hours worth of repetitive sounds. I've cracked the A part but like all good tunes it needs a B part as well.

High Performing Teams

2007-09-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

Today I was on a course at Carrow Road about High Performing Teams.

We were told that a HPT should have the following elements at the core of its identity...
Openness
Supportive
Action orientation
Leader has a positive personal style

I wonder how Chelsea will get on now that this man has left?

Handicaps

2007-09-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

Today I was on duty at Rollesby Broad. This happens once a year when all members have to be OOD - Officer On Duty.

It can be a bit of a chore but today was quite exciting as it was very windy and a number of boats were blown over and needed rescuing in the motor boat. Another role of the OOD is to record the times for each boat in the race and apply the appropriate handicap. This meant that even the smallest boat with the tiniest sail has a chance of winning. This boat is an Enterprise which is the same class as my boat. I brought the boat home today as it is wooden and needs some repair work to get it ready for next year. In a funny way I'm actually looking forward to spending some time working on it. I haven't used it a lot this year and I think the commitment I will have to make repairing it this Winter will make it more likely I will sail next year. I often think we take too much for granted and the things we have to work at are usually more important to us in the long run.

About time

2007-09-09T00:15:00.000-07:00

This is the cemetary in Savannah a city in America and the setting for the book 'Midnight in the garden of good and evil' which I have nearly finished. Its been a bit of a chore to finish. I have enjoyed the book which brings together lots of interesting characters around a murder, with the murder being an event rather than a crucial central theme to the story.

I'd love to meet some of the people.

But that's what a good book should do. I'm not sure why I'm running out of energy with it. I suppose the end of the Summer holidays and starting back at work might have something to do with it!

At least I've written a blog page after 4months away. Thanks to Steve for bullying me into it!

Chickens galore

2007-04-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

We got three new chickens yesterday. This is one of them. A cream legbar. When she starts to lay we should get some blue/ green eggs from her. At the moment she is cowering at the far end of the chicken run with no intention of mixing with the rest of the flock. I considered counselling but decided that she would benefit in the long-run from sorting out her own friendship issues. Maybe chickens have got it right - a few viscious pecks and everyone in the flock knows where they stand and life can cntinue as normal. Sounds harsh??

Back to work tomorrow. Maybe I'll have to introduce a few sharp pecks ( verbal of course) of my own just to re-establish who's boss in the classroom.

The rhythm of my heart

2007-04-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

It looks a little like this except the markings are slightly different. Otherwise its big and mean and kicks out a deep, deep , deep bass note. The drum makes three basic sounds which are A - bass note, B the middle tone, and C the hand slap rim shot.

This means I have invented a new form of writing musical score for fellow djembe players

For example the start of the rythmn for 'we will rock you' is AAC. But I'm now bored with this so will just go off and play said drum. Bought it at Spring harvest. I just want to say a big UP to all me mates coz I had a FAT time and it made me SICK.
I learnt a lot and felt challenged. I also feel God took me back to my ABC's and reminded me of lessons I should have learnt and remembered a long time ago.

DIRT

2007-04-03T00:25:00.000-07:00

Having just spent the best part of three days working in the stuff I thought I'd better find out a bit more about it. None of this is particularly amazing on its own but the outcome is a substance which is almost a living organism in it own right - respiring, excreting, sensitive to environmental conditions and we depend on it for our survival. Three cheers for soil. Lets find a better word for it than DIRT!

Soil makes up the outermost layer of our planet.
Topsoil is the most productive soil layer.
Soil has varying amounts of organic matter (living and dead organisms), minerals, and nutrients.
Five tons of topsoil spread over an acre is only as thick as a coin.
Natural processes can take more than 500 years to form one inch of topsoil.
Soil is formed from rocks and decaying plants and animals.
An average soil sample is 45 percent minerals, 25 percent water, 25 percent air, and five percent organic matter.
Different-sized mineral particles, such as sand, silt, and clay, give soil its texture.
Fungi and bacteria help break down organic matter in the soil.
Plant roots and lichens break up rocks which become part of new soil.
Roots loosen the soil, allowing oxygen to penetrate. This benefits animals living in the soil.
Roots hold soil together and help prevent erosion.
Five to 10 tons of animal life can live in an acre of soil.
Earthworms digest organic matter, recycle nutrients, and make the surface soil richer.
Mice take seeds and other plant materials into underground burrows, where this material eventually decays and becomes part of the soil.
Mice, moles, and shrews dig burrows which help aerate the soil.

Palm Sunday

2007-04-02T00:48:00.000-07:00

Palm Sunday is historically the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to the amazement and excitement of the Jewish people. It is also traditionally the day that people would show their palms to each other. This was a symbolic act - usually done before the lunchtime meal to show the guests that you had washed your hands prior to cooking their sunday roast. It was also done between men to prove that one had been doing more physical labour than the other, thus was stronger and more virile and was therefore a way of settling fights in local bars and hostellerys.

I have heard that Palm Sunday related to people waving at each other across the street as an open gesture of friendship by exposing the sensitive finger tips to a friend ot colleague.

What a load of old rubbish hear you say about this well researched blog entry. But what I know for certain is that Jesus was going to his death and he knew it and he kept on riding.

Vasilation

2007-04-01T00:15:00.000-07:00

I nearly bought a motorbike. Then I thought about how selfish it was and when would I use it. And then I thought about how much I love riding motorbikes. And then I thought about taking Jack and Ben on the back - and then I changed my mind very quickly. And then I discovered there is a Norfolk branch of the CMA ( Christina Motorcyclists Association) which meets in Norwich. And then I thought that even if I don't use it a lot this year - it's such a well-looked-after machine that it will last for years to come -and its a baragin at only £700 and...so on.... and so on.... and so on...

I thought a simple prayer might solve the conundrum

Can't decide whether I've had the answer or not

I will continue to vasilate for some time to come

Lets be cooperative

2007-03-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

Here it is - the Costessey COOP

Its open 7 days a week. Its local. It sells lots of fair trade products and its owned by its members. So why do we all shop at Tesco and Sainsbury's? Beats me - maybe the COOP should do their own 'Taste the difference' range or having found out this week that we throw away 30% of all the food we buy - should it be 'waste the difference'.

Lets do some Team work, lets get Cooperative!

reboot

2007-03-22T23:46:00.000-07:00

My iPod started playing up the other day. The fact that I dropped it didn't help of course. The problem was that it was stuck on 'play' and couldn't be turned off. I was at a loss about what to do so I turned to the apple website which recommended a factory settings restore. This wiped the hard disk and gave the iPod a fresh start. I dutifully followed the instructions and to my amazement it worked properly. I now have to keep checking it is still behaving itself as I can't quite believe it.

We ask for forgiveness and receive it through Jesus. This is a restore to factory settings where our sin is wiped away and we get a fresh start. Unfortunately we often find it difficult to accept and keep looking for the guilt and pain. The memory is still there but the sin is gone - I wonder if the iPod remembers that it was stuck on 'play' at one time and dwells on it during those dark times in the desk drawer at work?

We need to accept and move on

Take that

2007-03-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

Well its arrived - my birthday present which is a Zoom H4 with twin condenser mics and pre-amps - whatever that means. Now I can record live music wherever and whenever I choose. This little beauty has come all the way from the USA courtesy of ebay as it is virtually impossible to find in the UK at the moment. It took a while to figure out - "I need a little patience" to make full use of it's many functions. So far I've recorded June talking at me and the TV - not the ambitious projects I had in mind but you've got to start somewhere.

Well ARD

2007-03-01T15:10:00.000-08:00

ARD stands for Academic Review Day

Its an opportunity for parents and teachers to have a proper exchange of views and ideas about the children in their care. Then afterwards I went to an Indian called the Spice Lounge and enjoyed a very pleasant Balti Puree and Lamb Tikka Karahi. I had chapattis for the first time in years and they were fab. Two pints of Kingfisher soon followed which reminded me of happy times in Bradford where we would visit the Aagrah in Shipley. Since then it has become a chain of restaurants in the same way as the Mumtaz. I remember my friend John trying to feed his cat a meat Vindaloo from the aforementioned restaurant. It was not amused. We, on the other hand, would relish the hottness of each curry - we were well ARD.

Botox for the soul

2007-02-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

We all develop wrinkles as we grow older but our lives also wrinkle up as we push things under the carpet and try to ignore them. I believe that God wants us to have a life free from wrinkles where nothing is hidden or ignored. Botox is amazing stuff it relaxes the muscles and allows the frown lines to be smoothed away. We need Botox for our souls - freely available at a church near you - but just like the real stuff you will need repeat prescriptions as the frown lines soon develop again!

Is this analogy getting too complicated!!

Shaking Steven

2007-02-23T12:26:00.000-08:00

It stands like a white tower of hope
In a flat landscape
Installed in 1999
At a time when we needed direction
and belief
Each blade rotating at 160mph
converting the kinetic energy of air
into electricity for consumption
no carbon emissions here
no fossil fuels
just raw, vibrating gaseous molecules
driven by the sun into a frenzy of activity
the views were amazing
the climb exhausting
the capacity - 1.5MW - enough
for 1,100 homes
and I've called it Steven

Magicians

2007-02-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

There is always a good feeling when you are faced by mortal danger and somehow you reach deep down into the hat and - lo and behold - you pull a rabbit out by its ears. Fabulous news! Except not good for the poor rabbit as you will see from the recommended way to remove a rabbit from the hat is as follows...

STEP 1: Place one hand under your rabbit's chest and the other hand under its back legs.
STEP 2: Pull the rabbit up to your chest.
STEP 3: Hold the rabbit with one hand under its back end and the other on its neck.
STEP 4: Pull the rabbit into your chest if it starts squirming.
STEP 5: Treat your rabbit gently - do not hit or tease your pet. Bad treatment can make your rabbit aggressive and mean

I particularly like number 5 which can be applied to humans as well of course

An Inspector Calls

2007-02-19T12:59:00.000-08:00

Here he comes - mean, ruthless, efficient and very scary. Instilling fear and trepidation into the school community - and he's coming to a school near you, very soon. So get out the battle plans, dig the trenches and brief the artillery. Break open the gas masks and buy in a good supply of suppositories.

Am I over-reacting?

Seek and ye shall not find

2007-02-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

It always comes as a bit of a shock when someone you speak to very rarely phones you up to tell you there is a rare bird on your doorstep - in fact 21 of them. And here it is -The Waxwing. The birds were flying around Bowthorpe gobbling every rowan berry in sight. By the time I arrived they had eaten their fill and had moved off. I cycled here, I cycled there, I cycled everywhere. I could now draw a fairly accurate map of the Cloverhill estate.

But not a waxwing to be found!

Grumpy Old Man

2007-02-17T23:59:00.000-08:00

After a week away from Computer Land we return to screens, playstations and mobile phones. Screens, screens and yet more screens. I always view our February break in the Yorkshire Dales as an opportunity to escape from technology. The mobile signals are still weak and intermittent and unless we take it, the children have no access to a playstation. So what do they do the poor neglected creatures? Are they bored and restless with withdrawal symptoms.

Well, yes they are to some extend. We usually meet up with old friends from Yorkshire and often have people to stay over i the cottage we rent. This year as soon as everyone had left Jack and Ben appeared bereft of ideas and imagination. No electronic gadgets to occupy the waking hours. It took them a while to return to being just children.

We climbed hills ( scene from near the top of Ingleborough in photo), ate in the pub, played card and board games, whittled spears and bows, knitted scarves and played badminton in the street. They had a lovely time!

Is the latest report on the poor state of our children true? I suspect there is a lot of truth in it and I place the blame firmly on electronic gadgets ....... and peer pressure of course!

we've arrived!

2007-02-10T01:53:00.000-08:00

Well despite dire weather warnings, snow and sleet, windscreen wipers which worked intermittently we finally arrived in West Yorkshire at 9.30pm.

I have rarely had a more unpleasant journey. But what I want to know is......What was everyone else doing out on the road - had they not read the news, listened to the radio and watched the TV.

Ironically you need a certain volume of traffic to keep roads open in snowy conditions as it prevents the snow settling.

I should have packed the sledge

Ho Hum

So much promise!

2007-02-08T13:25:00.000-08:00

Well here it is. The fiddle I borrowed at Christmas with a view to buying it for a friend. It looks the part, its got quality dominant strings and a new bridge. But it sounds bloody awful. In fact its crap and the person that made it should have used it for kindling at the first opportunity. I assume its been crap all its miserable life and has somehow survived the ravages of numerous owners. Perhaps I will see it on ebay soon with ' for sale antique violin, mellow sound, good for the beginner.'

How many times in life does something look good but not deliver - luckily not too often which either reflects my cynical approach to everything OR I am eternally optimistic with low standards.

I need a holiday

I'm going to get out my Tim Philips infidel ( my own jawgus - apparently this is text language for gorgeous, violin) and launch into a couple of reels just to get this awful fiddle out of my system!

Frozen solid

2007-02-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

I nicked this photo from some guy in Utah - I hope he doesn't mind!

I went to check the rabbit's water this evening which will soon be frozen solid. It makes me wonder how animals and birds survive really cold snaps when there is no available water and the term 'cold desert' really comes into its own. The issue of keeping warm comes a fraction higher on the list than finding suitable drinking water. I suppose I'll have to smash the ice up for the chickens in the morning as well. Maybe I should get a microwave installed in the garden and train the chickens to use it for just such as eventuality. Nah - that's just being stupid. I'll continue being a responsible pet owner and keep putting out fresh water. I heard about a woman who put her boyfriend's cat into washing machine because they had broken up. Needless to say the cat died. Funnily enough I had noticed how dependent our cats suddenly become if there is any kind of argument brewing in the house!

Paranoid

2007-02-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

It started when some boys came in to tell me about an injured gull on the school field. I carried said bird amongst much pecking inside and rang the RSPB who collected it. I washed my hands and ate my lunch. Later that day I shut the chickens away for the night, washed my hands and ate my tea. This evening on the news I hear about 160,000 turkeys being slaughtered because of an H5N1 outbreak in Suffolk. I remember that Suffolk is very close - and wash my hands again just to be sure.

Good graffiti

2007-02-03T06:19:00.000-08:00

I was in the Cathedral refectory yesterday on a school visit when I felt the urge to visit the toilets where to my astonishment I found a rather lovely piece of graffiti. Its a little unclear but the words 'JOLLY GOOD' appear under the sign. I have always maintained the right to stick two fingers up to authority and still do frequently but I think its important to do it in style.

Good on ya

Surprise surprise

2007-02-03T06:05:00.000-08:00

It's just not fair. The door bell rings and you go to answer it and there standing in front of you is someone you know but you're not quite ready for them. The face contorts as you try to find a neutral visage to present and a thousand emotions shimmer across your facial muscles. A split second later you smile in friendly acknowledgement and invite the person in.
On this occasion Bev's surprise is not that Cilla Black is standing on his doorstep but more that whilst he was expecting me, he wasn't expecting me to be wielding a camera. As we age we become more cynical in our relationships with others. We compartmentalize our lives and have different personas for each part. Each one a different face and finding that face can take a few seconds.

I went out for a delightful meal last night with friends I know well. Friends that I no longer have to find that neutral face for, friends that accept me as I am complete with faults as well as something to offer. I know that Jesus never ever had to find that neutral face, his is always one of acceptance and openness.

The road to Errogie

2007-01-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

I played at the usual Sunday evening session in the Nelson this evening and played two tunes, the second of which is a reel called 'The road to Errogie'. Its a fab tune on the latest Flook album. Here is a picture of Flook.

I wondered where Errogie was and discovered it is Scotland and not Ireland as I had thought. The Errogie website says...

'Errogie is situated in the centre of the Scottish Highlands, midway between Inverness & Fort Augustus on the B862. Errogie nestles in the hills on the south side of Lochness. Only 30 minutes from Inverness the Highland capital, it is popular with bird watchers, anglers and hikers.'

I must visit it someday. Whoever was inspired to write such a brilliant tune must have connected with the place.

My friend kate discovered this afternoon that an excellent title for a tune would be 'the hair that got caught in the flute'. This would fit in with other such enlightened tunes such as 'dusty windowsills' and 'the cook in the kitchen'.

I'm off to write 'The cat that scratched the carpet' and 'The tuna mayonaise sandwich'

Tyred

2007-01-24T13:03:00.000-08:00

It was a snowy morning and I looked out at the wintry scene and looked at my choice of bikes. One had these tyres which are thick and knobbly and fit for the purpose of rugged terrain and snow. And I looked at these tyres which are designed for dry fast, flat roads.

So I chose the thin ones and regretted it for every centimetre of the 7Km cycle to Sprowston.

Why am I so thick some times??

Time to reflect

2007-01-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

The houses behind the wood were built on the site of an old orchard. We spent many a happy hour in here. The trees were too old to bear much fruit but the pear trees were a prime nesting site for starlings and stock dove. We collected conkers in the wood and played in the brook. Jack and Ben discovered an ideal tree to climb. I don't think this bough was as accessible in my childhood. Happy memories.

Shallow roots

2007-01-19T23:52:00.000-08:00

The strong winds have wrecked havoc with fences and trees. The eucalyptus at the bottom of our garden - all - 70 feet of it came down. Do eucalyptus have particularly shallow roots because of the habitat they live in? When I was in Brazil a couple of years ago I was amazed to see whole swathes of the South Atlantic Rain Forest had been felled and replanted with eucalyptus for commercial purposes.

We need deep roots. They feed us and give a sense of security and purpose. How is your resolve in the face of lifes storms?

Shaken but not stirred

2007-01-18T12:18:00.000-08:00

I introduced my year group to their latest rewards scheme The Bond Award. The pupils nominated for a 'Bond Award' are 'Licensed to thrill'. I'll use cinema vouchers for rewards. We went to the Riverside cinema complex on Saturday evening to see Deja Vu which was a brilliant film although a little far fetched. I was staggered to have to queue for nearly 15 minutes just to buy a ticket. Whoever was behind the revival of the cinema needs to get involved with the Anglican Church before its too late! I can see the banner headline outside Norwich Cathedral - Get into the spirit and be shaken but not stirred! Perhaps an introductory Martini at the door and a scantily clad Bond girl to take you to a pew.

Perhaps not!

And here's one I made earlier

2007-01-17T15:14:00.000-08:00

After a busy parents evening I return home to enjoy a refreshing glass of homebrew. Amber in colour with a crisp bitter edge and full bodied flavour. This is one I made earlier and drank only a matter of minutes ago.

Sadly for me I have another 40 pints of the stuff brewing away at the moment. I use the term brewing but actually the stuff has STUCK FERMENTATION. All those millions of yeast cells have gone on strike and are refusing to continue turning all that yummy maltose into carbon dioxide and lovely ethanol. Selfish little swine - I have tried warming, cajoling and adding more sugar but to no avail. I am going to try apply artificial resuscitation next with a long plastic hose. Wish me luck..............

What's the story

2007-01-16T14:08:00.000-08:00

I almost gave up trying to make a blog entry this evening as google have made it so complicated with different log in screen and user names. I need it nice and simple.

I found this dead mouse lying in the middle of the path in Waterloo Park this morning. Not very exciting you might think - but I wondered how did it get there, what had happened to it? Had it just come to the end of its alotted heartbeats....

Check out this quote

"The heart of a 1-ounce mouse beats roughly 600 times per minute. The mouse lives an average of three years. An elephant's heart beats just 30 times per minute, but a 5-ton elephant will likely live 60 years or more.

In both cases, if the animals' pulse rate is scaled inversely as the quarter-power of the animal's mass, this notable fact is produced: The total number of heartbeats in a mouse's and an elephant's average life span will be roughly the same, about 946 million times. Used this way, the quarter-power law can be used to estimate life span."

So what have you done with your heartbeats so far and how many more have you got to go?

What's more pressing - if I continue to cycle to work will it limit my expected lifespan significantly??

My Mate Marmite

2007-01-15T13:42:00.000-08:00

Just finished my latest masterpiece. 'Self portrait with Marmite jar'

Yvetta came to art with me this evening. How do explain to someone from Prague what marmite is?

"well its thick like really thick treacle but it tastes like salty beefiness and you have it on toast'" - would you want to eat it after that description?

I have more recently become a fan of yeast extract as sold by Rainbow. This is a little less harsh and not as dark. Sort of 70% marmite solids in a chocolatey sort of way. What utter drivel. I'm off to get out the sliced bread and dig into some salty beefiness.

As white as snow

2007-01-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

The weather at Horsey today was just the way I like my winters - cold and bright. A collection of ringed plover and sanderling were feeding amongst the breeding seals. My friend Andy commented on the way the new born seal is white and without stain or blemish but as its experience of life grows it loses the innocence of youth and darkens in colour. There's only one way I know of to return to that state of purity and it doesn't involve a pot of Dulux!

Quiet life

2007-01-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

This is my wood pile. The wood arrived today. I think everyone should have a wood pile - especially men. My friend John would understand this. The task of unloading a tonne of logs and stacking them appeals to my aesthetic nature as well as giving me a sense of tiredness due to the sheer effort. Once complete I can stand back admire my handiwork. I then feel content as I know my family will be warm for the next couple of months. I just need to snare a woolly mammoth and fight a sabre toothed tiger before bedtime.

If you haven't got an open fire or stove just order a £50 load of logs and try stacking and restacking in different ways - hours of fun and you can always sell the wood on afterwards.

Heard the track "Quiet life" by Japan for the first time in decades. This reminds me of the title of their album ' Gentlemen wear polaroids'. I rarely wear polaroids. Perhaps I should start. Anything for a quiet life.

Gas the moles

2007-01-12T22:45:00.000-08:00

I know its an insane time of the morning to be blogging - but there you go. Just read a report about moles being gassed at a Wells School because the molehills were affecting the playground. No doubt someone is worried about being sued when a child trips over a mound of earth.

THIS IS INSANE

I know moles can be destructive little buggers when they get in your garden but they are an important part of the biodiversity of our towns and gardens and we should learn to live with them not gas them. Rake over the mole hills, use the wonderful soft earth they produce to put back onto flower beds.

Next we'll be killing badgers because we're worried about TB - Oh, I forgot, we already do that.

What ever happened to Stewardship of God's creation.

I'm off to trash a few compost heaps in the hope of finding a hedgehog to drown - I'm concerned the spines might do something pointy.

The tug of life

2007-01-12T13:39:00.000-08:00

Yet more rain and high winds and the Wensum here at Hellesdon is awash with water. Still waters run deep - so by inference , fast flowing waters run shallow - I think a geographer would agree with that.

The river itself just wants to get rid of the excess baggage - a bit like the Atkins diet for medium and large rivers.

Back at Great Yarmouth we were treated to a guided tour by the Port Authority thanks to Ross. Highlight of the visit was watching a grain vessel being towed in by a very active tug. I think we should all have a tug to guide us through those tricky corners of life.

Any one seen my elephant?

2007-01-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

I fancy seeing a real one in the wild in Africa. How do you go about organising a safari?

Ironically the search engine for my Macintosh is Safari

Maybe I should just stay at home, log on to the internet and browse my way around Kenya - cheaper and better for the environment

Danger in deep waters

2007-01-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

Two reminders that water is at the very escence of the physical world we inhabit. The cycle path near Mile Cross was badly flooded for the first time I can remember in ages making my cycle to work exciting - luckily I had mudguards on.

The almost finished island now has a shipwreck and a couple of sharks. The sailors have all been eaten. One minute we're sailing along all dandy and the next we're up to our necks in it, trying to persuade 'Jaws' that she isn't hungry. I can swim and my skin is so thick I'm shark proof - yeah right!!

Oil paints and PVA glue waits for no man

2007-01-09T13:43:00.000-08:00

The sea is finished off with a mixture of titanium white oil paint, PVA glue, cling film and Poster paint. I was amazed the poster paint and oil paint mixed. I thought they would separate out like factions in a civil war - but no - they mixed beautifully.

Iraq had its worst month for civilian deaths - can the two sides ever mix and live harmoniously together?

The H on the landing pad is for Helicopter and not Hussain - just in case that's what you were thinking

A Poachers Tale

2007-01-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

I read a blog
about a rabbit
that lost its skin
it made me think

About a book
I used to read
When I were a lad
About a poacher

I logged into ebay
I searched the web
I located said book
And ordered one

A 1961 reprint
all battered and worn
but soon on its way
sweet memories

Proverbs

2007-01-07T12:49:00.000-08:00

The way of a fool seems right to him but a wise man listens to advice Prov 12:15

Okay so I spent the afternoon on the Albatros in Wells harbour rather than at church with my Christian brothers and sisters sharing food, fellowship and music.

To be fair I didn't know about it - but would I have done the same even if I had known?

Help!!

Come rain or shine

2007-01-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

Well here I am with the pike I caught earlier today

Okay so I'm lying and the person in the picture is just a bit younger than me, oh and the fish is a little larger than the one I caught, oh and the weather was a little worse than in the photo. Apart from that - what have the Romans ever done for us!

3 hours in the freezing cold on Rockland Staithe for a few roach and perch of the minutest proportions - its enough to drive a man home to watch Norwich sloshing around in Midlands mud sealing a 4-1 victory over Tamworth on the box.

June cooked a broccoli quiche for tea which was fab and we settled down for an episode of Morse. What a great name that is - I shall now change my name to something more enigmatic like.........Pike

"Don't tell them your name Pike"

Too late

I'd like a nice cup of tea Pauline

2007-01-05T15:28:00.000-08:00

Well I don't think she's called Pauline but this woman made us a fine cup of tea in a tiny shack of a cafe on Great Yarmouth docks as we did a ship survey. I was saddened by the lack of vessels in the docks which either reflects a downturn in trade or just a quiet tme of the year.

The small group of year 11 I took said it was their best trip out - no playstation, no slot machines and better still - no rude signs or comments towards the good citizens of Great yarmouth.

We came We tasted We left - and some time later We weed!

New beginings

2007-01-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

Well here they are - all 313 of them - grinning, smiling, grimacing, scowling and pouting. What a whole hall full of potential just waiting for that spark of imagination and energy!

Where will this burst of creativity come from?

Walking before I can crawl

2007-01-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

What they tell you in First Aid training is not to rush things

Here is the painted version

I used the 'Preview' button this time and checked it would turn out okay. Wouldn't it be great to have a 'Preview' button in real life - it might avoid some of the problems we get ourselves into.

The painted version

2007-01-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

Perhaps , like my own life, things don't always appear as they ought to!

Here is the painted island.

First Aid for life

2007-01-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

Today I actually received proper training on a Staff training day on First Aid - this is close to miraculous - I can now do DRS AB and RASMAS

Don't ask! - something to do with CPR and the recovery position

Ben and I painted his papier mache island today - here it is a before and after. I'd like to think this is a reflection of my own life with each day seeing improvements and enhancements - the grey flat bit is a helicopter landing platform by the way.

Nothing changes - much!

2007-01-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

Pike fishing was sadly put off due to a flooded river. I made up for it by watching War of the Worlds with Ben and then buying my next homebrew kit - another Woodfordes Wherry!

Ben and then ransacked the lounge and made an island out of papier mache. It is drying as I type.

I just found out that a good friend of mine lost his mum to alzheimers last month. Seven years living with no outward sign of recognition. It must have been desperate. I must spend as much time with my family as possible and burn those memories so deep into my consciousness that they never fade - or just trust that God has a plan and whatever happens his glory will prevail

Heavy stuff

Bye!

Walking in the Dales

2007-01-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

We love going back to Yorkshire and using the long journey North as an excuse to meet up with friends. Here we all are on December 30th enjoying a cup of tea in the Cavendish pavilion after walking up the Strid at Bolton Abbey. We had planned to climb Penygent but the gale force winds and torrential rain predicted put us off!

This shows Jack and Ben at the start of our walk -okay so the Blog has reversed the images - Hey I thought I'd done it right

New Years Resolutions

2007-01-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

So I started a Blog and proceeded to ignore it for several months - not any more though and 2007 will be

'The year of the Blog'

We started the New Year in West Yorkshire in the company of family and Jools Holland - God Bless Jools Holland - where would we be on New years Eve without Jools to drag us round a collection of drunk celebrities giving their own personal take on the world and its woes!

We were treated to a selection of eclectic music- some I'd heard of.

We then drove home via The Junction 32 retail park of explore the delights of cut-price Le Creuseut kitchenware

Now that's got you excited!

Until the next time