SNAPS TWO: April 2006

River Thames by Tate Britain

amphibious //www.londonducktours.co.uk/index.htm

but the low freeboard makes me nervous

Army duck

Miyuki Maru
Cruise the Thames aboard the Miyuki Maru party boat

house boat

gasometer south bank

Turner Gallery - Tate Britain

sun and gilding on Victoria Tower

High Society played a loud slow bass drum beat that made me look for a marching band

Victoria Tower the Palves of Westminster - Parlament

sunrise over Coleshill

Coleshill, United Kingdom Forecast : Weather Underground: "the SUN
Actual Times 5:45 AM rise
noon BST1:04 PM BST
and set 8:24 PM BST"

I said to myself no more sunrises
but as I was leaving my balcony after breakfast
this appeared

and these are the three originals before I used IrfanView to correct the gamma for this computer's screen

which look best on your VDU? Lighter or darker?

the -g at the end of a file name means it has been fixed

balcony breakfast

the sort of yellow greens I used love making by mixing poster paints as a school boy

the art master Ledbetter always cried out "NO LOLLIPOP TREES"
and I used to enjoy drawing branches

the big crane has been taken down at the new Solihull College northern campus

these ducks were making a lot of noise - two drakes to one female , who is leading them up the garden path

QUACK QUACK ladies first - after you

QUCK QUACK shall we make a nest here dear?

QUCK QUACK and she turned round because she had changed her mind

they had walked along the pavement, through the open gate and up the garden path into the next garden

two more noisy ducks were quacking away
on this grass

the football fan's home which I blogged yesterday - the next door neighbour has sold up and moved out with their caravan and two cars

magpie
it is getting much greener in our shared garden beneath my window

the geometry of these porches caught my eye - the bush should balance the composition but looks a bit dark on this old Optiquest V115 monitor

misty this morning

at breakfast time on my balcony

this watering can from Widney Lane is at least as old as me and is kept full of water so the plants will not be shocked by cold tap water. All except the geranium seeds have some germinations but are not very photogenic yet.

the first tulips I have seen out of doors this year

this light is very flattening

I had to brighten this one up, because for a better composition the camera is pointing at a light area
the -g after a file number means that I have used the gamma correction of IrfanView ALT + C

easter sunday at home

empties from friday and saturday evenings
lidl cider - Google Search Woodgate or Scimitar
Bulmers Ltd. is the only Irish cider producer

this whisky simulates a straight malt packaging Glen Orchy whisky - Google Search
but was a PURE MALT blended in Glasgow by CLYDESDALE Scotch whisky
NAUGHTY NAUGHTY LIDL your lowland patent whisky trickery fooled me

large quantities of cider, made at Tilt's Farm, Woodgate. which had a big old-fashioned cider press. Cider was part of farm economy generally, issued almost as part of the wages of agricultural labourers. 1907 Quinton

new tree awakening

greening

blooming

short cut across the car park

Why ?

going to a birthday party and the pampass grass has been replaced by a palm tree

green willow
new roof on the new Solihull College campus

football fan flags from a sixth floor window
not a monday but sunday washing day

blue distant hills like a child's paint box
I love this yellow People's Express
beendng towards the light - seedling peppers, radishes, cucumbers

lettuce in about six weeks
and one tomato seedling

I slept in the afternoon and went in the kitchen to steam my rice and vegetables before the new Doctor WHO repeat started on BBC3 freeview

this pink light caught my eye
and I realised the sun was shining into my north facing kitchen window and full of glee I rushed to grab my Sony Handicam

the setting sun is now a little north of due west

sunset has passed the next block of flats

looking west out of my kitchen window

rubber deposited on the car park

999 - Midlands Today BBC

drama from my balcony at about 10:00 am whilst having a late breakfast

smoke issuing from the roof of the Royal Mail
Chelmsley Wood Delivery Office, Birmingham, B37 5RA
0121 770 5616 of course when I dialed 999 (the emergency services) they asked for the street, 1 Stephenson Drive, which I did not know
multimap

then I called the BBC to ask if they would like this photo and was told if nobody was hurt they were not interested - how should I know?

Later I saw two fireman in yellow helmets and orange suits checking it out.

BBC Online - Midlands Today -: " If you have a story you think we should be covering then give us a call on our Freephone tip-off line. The number to call is 08000 969560 or email us at
midlands.today@bbc.co.uk

"

three sisters

two starlings

eating worms

What is that dog barking for?

who are you?
said this watchful cat

with a half concealed fifteen inch iron pipe in his hand . . .

a madman came out of the house at number 27 and said "Are you photographing me?"

after visiting the three sisters I found the way to a new viewpoint on the footbridge over the railway

the three sisters the smoke is from an even more distant fire

not at ALCOA

I have just come along this footpath and up 36 steps to my newest viewpoint

moon zoom times ten and click to see bigger

two planes stacked up on the approach to Birmingham airport
one safely landed at BHX

Centro train going towards Marston Green and Coventry

gone
at about 1900 they turned on the runway centre line lights

stourbridge junction station

oops clicked too soon

Centro Train Snow Hill to Worcester

this cock wood pigeon dominates with his loud cooing

he is in charge of the car park lamp posts

balcony and greenhouse

INSPIRATION - these shelves just fit

I got these REMPLOY shelves fifty years ago to store my engineering drawings when I was at Loughborough CAT

inspiration completed with the old upright

kitchen thermometer resited

the southern end of the balcony
colder with the window open

filling up John Innes number 3 with a layer of fertiliser pellets

seeds planted but not yet covered

red peppers and cucumbers, radishes and parsley in the round pot
three kinds of lettuce, three kinds of tomatoes in the window boxes
cress on the green plastic, more tomatoes , red geraniums in the plastic mini green houses from LIDL

messed up Grand National horse race at Aintree

another race over hurdles - which I learned were much lower than the Grand National fences

the grey horse at the start the commentator said some punters backed grey horses because they were easier to spot during the race http://www.aintree.co.uk/

stewards on standby awaiting the starters signal if a false start

40 horses milling around waiting the start note the grey facing the wrong way

number 38 the only grey - form 21411F ROSS COMM aged 10 years carrying weight 10 stone -05 lbs jockey Sue Smith

STOP STOP STOP STOP false start

mending the tape - not very quick with their knots

ROSS COM, which I had fancied betting on, caused the false start getting her nose stuck over the tape

going back to start over again

and ROSS COM fell at the third fence 31 horses fell altogther but not one was injured

http://www.aintree.co.uk/racing/fullresults.jsp?date=08/04/2006

winning owner Bernard Carroll, winning trainer Martin Brassil and winning rider Niall Madden, who is in only his first season as a professional, landing the 2006 John Smith's Grand National with Numbersixvalverde, who is named after the Clare-based winning owner's family home in Portugal.

the BBC race replay showed how well Niall Madden rode.
He held back for the first round, riding wide to avoid the fallen, a matter of survival at this stage one commentator said, but on the second circuit he gradually crept forwards into fifth place and then used the whip to drive to a decisive victory

bright morning

my mother taught me to wonder at the shrubs which bloomed on the bare wood every spring

forsythia - Google Image Search Lian Qiao used heavily in Chinese traditional medicine.

the angle and lengh of the shadows from the still window-less bus stop on Bosworth Drive define the sun's height and positon

dazzling light reflected from the windows of Merton House see also
april 8 2006 weather SNAPS ONE

my diet on saturday

my weight is around 350 lbs or 157.8 kg or 25 stone - stable or falling slowly

carbs for today - three portions of dry rice using the home made green measure
(I have run out of rolled oats and rye bread, but the lack of fibre may slow my bowels down later)

the steamer in bits with the rice just covered with water as I learnt from master cook ILK in Brumleby Denmark - takes 40 minutes of steaming

my four pills daily multivitamin with all minerals

(recommended by the danish pharmacist on the Faroe Islands where selenium is lacking because of the high rainfall)

a danish "water pill" with diuretic with potassium (english doctors don't prescribe the additional potassium) Diuretics - Drug Comparisons - Compare Drugs - DrugDigest

a mini aspirin to thin my blood,

and RAMIPRIL does something to my heart and blood pressure an ACE inhibitor Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme, Ramipril - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

at last breakfast on the balcony - 200 grams low fat cottage cheese - Twinings "everyday tea" (boring taste and not to be reordered) with skimmed milk - one third of the newly steamed rice with Worcesteshire Sauce and vinegar - a raw carrot

ice cold coffee with lemon for elevenses - the only fruit I have left is sliced frozen lemon

my LUNCH chopped raw cabbage with a chopped half onion, a glass of tap water (from Wales) and to the right the second portion of cold rice with a can of tuna in oil and wine vinegar from Italy (via Lidl)

and afterwards Nescafe instant coffee with cold skimmed milk

after the Grand National Race on TV, a snooze and "Flog It" whilst the pressure cooker was heating up, I enjoyed nostalgia with Banks bitter beer from Wolverhanmpton where I used to teach and live - the last two of a four-pack from yesterday

the third portion of cold rice with fish and reheated soup - carrots , onion, cauiliflower greens, diced cabbage

cheating again - after wards two pint glasses of 7.5% white cider left over from yesterday evening

Later four toasted slices of wholemeal brown bread (high fibre) with cottage cheese and a splash of Daddies Sauce.

Alcohol is a factor in my obesity creating an enhanced appetite, but relaxing and helping me to sleep well - I woke up tonight at 1:00 am after dreaming of PIZZA of all the dumb things, and started blogging and I will continue until I feel tired at about sunrise.