The current 'batten down the hatches, secure anything likely to blow away, even things unlikely to blow away, and lay in some clean water, batteries, torches and alternative (to anything mains-electric-powered) heating' warning is for hurricane Ophelia.

Readers in the States may not have heard of Ophelia as her path has taken her from the equator ( Read more... )

Having bought Severn and Solent tickets from GWR for the trip to Mum's on Saturday we decided to take advantage of them.

Brief explanation: GWR have produced Freedom of Severn & Solent Rover tickets.  They're a bit like the 'access all areas' rail tickets which have been available to foreign visitors for years.  Now GWR have had a bright idea ( Read more... )

We've had glorious weather the past week or so.  Of course today being the first day of schools' Easter holidays, it's turned a lot cooler, but it's still sunny.  On the strength of that I'm doing two loads of washing and hoping the shirts will be dry enough so I can put the towels out when they finally 'land'.  This may be optimistic, Dear Reader ( Read more... )

Yesterday H had taken the day off specially.  We were both going up to London to see the 'Robots: The 500-year quest to make machines human' exhibition at the Science Museum.  Well, that was the main reason.  That and seeing BiL again ( Read more... )

There are sandbanks in the Solent.  These provide a hazard to passing shipping.  Also, being sand banks, they tend to change shape over time.  One particularly large sand bank, the Bramble bank, appears 'above' water for a short while at very low tides every month.  Yesterday it 'surfaced', more or less, for around fifty minutes.  In this time two ( Read more... )

Chelsea won the Women's FA Cup.  Hope you had a good weekend, Dear Reader.  I've been knitting socks.  Finished the Roses pair, got a move on with the Eclipse pair and am now round the heel and more or less completely up the leg.  Just have to decide on how to finish it.  Now I'm looking for another project.  I'd love to knit a silky, lacy shawl, ( Read more... )

Aujour d'hui il pleut.  A great relief after yesterday - which was the Hottest July Day Evva!  Being near the sea it wasn't quite that hot here, just too hot to be comfortable.  w00t for the other fan.  When everything dropped still and far too warm yesterday evening it came as a great relief, as did large cups of iced coffee.  Hmmm, maybe I should ( Read more... )

Last week the various rail unions decreed that there would be a rail strike from 5pm on Monday (Bank Holiday Monday) to 5pm on Tuesday.  This was in support of a claim for increased wages.  After all, the reasoning went, it's been a long time since we've had a wage increase.  Inflation has been low maybe, 6% down to 1%, over the past few years.   ( Read more... )

Should any Reader be up before dawn over the next week or so I would advise them to look towards the sky in the north-east, lowish down, where Venus and Jupiter are currently passing each other.  They were closest yesterday morning, but will still be obviously near for a while yet.  Come 23rd August (this Saturday) the crescent moon will join them ( Read more... )

I've blogged before about the 'joys' of travelling with a musical instrument.  The 'joy' factor being inversely linked to the size, and age, of said instrument. Have a quick video of a cello giving up the ghost.  Apparently it was an old cello.  Which is one of the reasons why Julian Lloyd Webber always booked an aircraft seat alongside his own for ( Read more... )