A visitor

Not quite fairies at the bottom of the garden, but she'll do.

(Do excuse the state of my phone's zoom)

Is that it?

(Mrs Neighbour must want to go out - Mr Neighbour is shovelling their path)

This week I are mostly drawing

this..

Snow?

Roads

I was musing on the state of the roads in Aberdeen last night and I've come up with a theory.

I think the City Council can't afford Aberdeen and have decided to let the holes in the roads continue to open up until the city's swallowed whole and they don't have to worry about it anymore.

Either that or they're too chicken to ask First.

Been to see the men again...

We've been down to Crosby with my mum, for a walk on the prom and a look at the men. The prom at Crosby is built up with the rubble removed from Liverpool when the bomb sites were being cleared in the 50s and 60s. My mum says you can still find nice pieces of 30s tiles laying amongst it.


It was a bit misty and drizzly (I can't think of an english word for dreich), but the cloud lifted just enough to see the Wirral and the windmills on the docks and in the bay.

Mither Tap

A couple of weekends ago we went for a run around Bennachie. Bennachie is a range of tops and a plateau, with walks and bikeable trails all around it. I took this picture (phone camera) from the top of Craigshannoch looking towards Mither Tap. Mither Tap is an ancient descriptive hill name. Mither is a local word for mother, I'll leave you to look at the shape of the hill to figure the rest out. There's a fort and a tor on the top, and the views over Aberdeenshire are spectacular on a clear day.

While I should be working...

Messers Magpie and Blackbird are disputing ownership of the front garden. The dispute takes the form of turns of walking purposefully about the frozen lawn.
Mr Magpie has the edge, in regal pose and stride length...

New Bird

One of these just flew into our patio door. T'internet confirms it's a female Blackcap, who have brown caps. I've never seen one before. She flew away after a minute, so I think it was only her pride that was hurt...

The photo is from the British Trust for Ornithology website and was taken in Newmachar, which is just a few miles up the road from me. So maybe I should keep my eyes peeled for some more. And my other half swears blind he saw a lesser spotted woodpecker on the telegraph post yesterday. However, he has trouble telling a bluetit from a sparrow, so I'm not sure if I should believe him.

Edit: 15/12/09 The BTO link to the pic broke, so I've inserted a random flickr one.

Kelpies at Falkirk

I'm still not convinced that having a pair of enormous kelpie heads operating a lock on the Forth-Clyde canal is a good idea. I always thought kelpies were malevolent beings, with a taste for drowning and eating people. Perhaps people don't believe any more, or, I suspect more likely, just don't know their own folklore. The photo is of the maquettes currently on display (from Falkirk Council website).

Stonehead made me think about this the other day with his tale of an each uisge and now the story in the Guardian reports on the next phase of the sculpture work.

It seems that the idea of a water horse spirit - in varied guises from downright evil to a bit mischevious, slightly different for each cultural group - is (or was) a widespread northern european belief. Some of the differences appear to be driven by the location of the people. For example the Kelpie of the Scottish lowlands prefers rivers, while the Each Uisge, the northern Gaelic variety, haunts lochs. Coastal peoples, such as the Manx and Cornish, have salt water versions. The Ceffyl Dwr of Wales appears in both fresh and salt water - it also doesn't appear to eat people, but will kill them.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this. The idea that so many of the Norse and Celtic cultures have such a similar belief intrigues me. I like it. I don't like the kelpies on the canal. That worries me.

Self Unemployment

Things take a while to set up, don't they? It turns out I can't register as self employed until I begin working as such, which seems a little odd, but who am I to question the wisdom of the Inland Revenue?

I opened a business bank account today, but won't get an account number for a few days - which I need to fill in the forms to pay my National Insurance when I do register with the IR. Mind you, Class 2 NI for self employed people is considerably cheaper than Class 1 Employers contributions (11% of salary). I wonder what that'll do to my pension (if pensions exist in 40 years time...).

Then there's the business insurance and professional indemnity, for which I have to fill in a 6 page form just to get a quote. I'm a little worried that they might then refuse me because I'm not qualified by any particular professional body.

Nothing's easy, is it? But I was expecting it to be worse. I don't know how, but just worse.

Oh, and we still have no heating. But the plumber is coming in the morning, so fingers crossed...

What have I been doing since August?

Well, I thought I'd blogged more recently than August, but apparently not.
So, since then I have

had a sort of unofficial blogmeet at Ben Nevis with Mr Uhdd
run in the Comrie Relays
run at Morven (and wasn't last)
been made redundant (construction always goes first in a recession)
got part time contract work in building conservation with some one who'll help me with my MSc thesis (so may be the redundancy will turn out to be a good thing)

(edited for spelling 24-11-08)

OMM 2008

So, I'm willing to bet that the conditions at the OMM were not quite as bad as the media are making out. I'll get the story later when my other half gets home - he and his sister spent the night in her car having made it back to the car parks. It must have been bad for the event to be called off for the first time in its history, but the competitors are required to be prepared for spending a night out in wild country at the end of October.
(See also UpHillDownDale for Mr Uhdd's version of events).

Dufftown Highland Games

On 26th July we went over to Dufftown for the Highland Games, mainly because he wanted to run the Ben Rinnes race but also because we'd not been to a games before. I wasn't daft enough to try to run this one, so opted for tea and strawberries and watching the heavyweight and lightweight events in the games field.

The race takes about 2 hours for the winner. There was quite a collection of hillrunners other halves waiting for the winner - we'd all spotted that there were 4 guys up from Bowland and Calder Valley and I was wondering how good they must be to make the trip up. It turned out that one of them was rather good. As we were waiting in came reports of Sean Bolland, who held his lead to win. Last year's winner, Brian Marshall, came in third.

That night we went to Tomintoul. We stopped at the A'anside Studio and bought some prints then went to The Clockhouse for dinner. It was really nice food - I think we should go back.

On Sunday we went mountain biking from Cock Bridge to Fords of Avon. It was a 35 mile round trip, but wasn't too bad as we took our time. We had a lovely big portion of chips at the pub and watched the baby housemartins in the herb pots.

Glamaig

Right, I’ve finally got round to writing about Glamaig.

It was the first weekend in July and several (mad) Cosmics, including me, went off to Skye to run up and down a stupidly steep hill. Actually, there wasn’t much running done on the way up. As soon as you hit the bottom of the hill you’re walking. By half way up you’ve hit the scree and rocks and are mostly on all fours.

After the false summit, there’s a grassy rib then a path through the scree to the top. At the top were some nice chaps with water and a wee dram. Then there was the question of how to get down.

I took the immediately safer option and went back down the path and the rib. Unfortunately the rib ended in some rather steep crags and I really should have turned left on to the scree sooner. Once I was on the scree it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought and was the quicker way down. Earlier in the morning I’d picked out a big boulder and a couple of lochans as landmarks to aim for to get back towards the hotel from the bottom of the hill. I passed close to the boulder and ran into one of the lochans (lovely and cool). Eventually I picked up the path back to the road and ran as fast as I could to make my target time – with 40 seconds to spare.

After finishing we went back to the bunkhouse to celebrate a Cosmic’s birthday and then for the food and ceilidh included in the £3 (!) entry.

On the Sunday I went up Pinnacle Ridge to Sgurr nan Gillean with five other Cosmics. It was a really good scramble and I did my first proper abseil. Probably not the place to learn, but no one died…

Fledglings Part 2

The sparrows have won the battle of the seed feeder. By force of numbers - they have produced a second brood. The magpies broke the tree in their attempt to join in.

On Friday evening I tried to write about Glamaig, but Blogger ate my post.

Fledglings

Procrastinating while I should writing my thesis, I've been watching the new occupants of the front garden. The Great Tit and Sparrow families have fledged and are busy battling for control of the peanut feeder. So far the Great Tits seem to winning, but the sparrows nested in the back garden so maybe they have control of the neighbours feeder...
I wonder what will happen if fill the seed feeder as well. I've given up on the fat balls as the magpies have learned that they are strong (heavy) enough to rip the plastic netting and make off with whole ball.

Meme

I saw this on GeePeeMum and thought I'd have a go. You're supposed highlight in bold the ones that apply to you, see how privileged your childhood was.

1. Father went to college.
He went to the College of Building in Liverpool after leaving sixth form when his headmaster refused to support his application to the University to study architecture.
2.Father finished college.
Not really. He started on the RIBA part 1, which was then removed from part time courses to be by degree only. He then started on the RICS courses to have the same happen. Then he got a full time job. So he actually has no formal qualification.
3.Mother went to college.
My mum went to University when she was in her mid forties, to study Environmental Science with QTS.
4.Mother finished college.
Yes. She graduated on the day of one of my A level Maths exams.
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
My sister in law is a med student. We’re mostly engineers of one sort or another.
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
Middle class? Probably.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
Easily.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
I should think so. Books were the source of all knowledge. Don’t know something – look it up and learn for yourself.
9. Were read children’s books by a parent.
I’m fairly sure my parents taught me to read before I started school. I was lucky to be the eldest child.
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18.
11.Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18.
I went to ballet until I was 9, and then to gym (when it became clear to everyone else that I was no good at and hated ballet). I also didn’t enjoy gym (mean girls).
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively.
Yes, most average middle class white people are.
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.
I thought you had to be 18 to get a credit card. I didn’t have a bank account I could have a card of any sort for until I was 19.
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
No. I had some help, but I had the full means tested loan.
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
Comprehensive ex-grammar. Doesn’t exist anymore.
17. Went to summer camp
Does Guide camp count?
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels
Holidays were occasionally in rented cottages, but most often at my Nain and Taid’s house in Snowdonia.
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18.
I had hand me downs from cousins, friends, all and sundry. Some stuff was new, from catalogues with spread payments. My mum had a sewing machine and a knitting machine. My parents had four kids to clothe. The only things bought new were shoes – one pair school black, one pair black plimsolls (white running shoes and hockey boots later), one pair playing out trainers, one pair wellies - and some school uniform.
As I got older (14+) I was given access to a savings account and could buy my own clothes, on the strict understanding that the money was mine to look after – once it was gone it was gone. I still have £150 in that account.
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
Absolutely not. I didn’t even get driving lessons until I was 23 and could afford them myself. My first car was my husband’s.
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child.
A landscape by J. Williams. My Nain has a couple too, I think he was a friend of the family. My Dad painted a mural on my bedroom wall when I was born. A rural idyll, with cottages with roses, sheep in the fields, a smiley sun and a red bus for a radiator complete with self-portrait as a cheeky school boy on the back row.
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house.
24. Your parents owned their own house or apartment before you left home
My parents bought a wreck – it was all they could afford – in the early 70s. My Dad still lives in it and there’s still work to be done.
25. You had your own room as a child
After the age of 6 or 7 I think. My brothers then got the attic conversion my Dad did to share. My sister was in a corner of my parents’ room until her room was converted.
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
Did British children ever have their own phone before mobiles? I didn’t have my own phone until I got a mobile in my 3rd year at Uni.
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school.
I had the old black and white TV that we used as a monitor for the BBC Master computer we had when I was in Sixth Form.
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college.
I had a Capital Bond bought by my Nain and Taid when I was born. That's not really a Fund, is it? It paid for me to go to Mexico with the Scouts.
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16.
My first flight was to Mexico for the World Scout Moot in 2000. I was 21.
31. Went on a cruise with your family.
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family.
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.
Yes. Loads. Everywhere new we went there were museums, galleries, castles, National Trust properties etc. I grew up with trips to Steamport, the Maritime Museum, the Science Museum, Rufford Old Hall, Conwy and Caernarfon as regular events.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
As a child I never knew how poorly off we were. I knew we couldn’t have new stuff and that we would never have hundreds of pounds spent on us at Christmas and birthdays like other kids, but I never figured out what that meant really – I just thought it was because there was four of us. It’s only now that my Dad is letting little bits slip out. He raised four kids on the same sort of salary I'm on now, I'm perpetually amazed.
Anyway, our heating bills weren’t the same as other people’s. We had a multi fuel boiler and solar panels from the early 80s.

So, I don't think I was under or over privileged. Just sort of normal, in comparison to my peers.

Birds

Off work today, with a poorly throat and inability to control my temperature, so I'm watching the shenanigans of the bird world outside my window.
Three Messers Blackbird are squabling over something, presumably the future Mrs Blackbird. All I can see them achieving is damage to the newly emerging blossom on my poor cherry tree - no lady blackbirds in sight.
There's a pair of Bluetits in the forsythia as I write and Mr and Mrs Magpie are looking like they're laying claim to the same tree as last year. Do magpies stay together? Or would it be the same male with a different female? Last year's baby magpies were adorable - playing together in the garden after they fledged - it would nice to have some more.
I can't see the Robins but I can hear them cursing each through the medium of song.

It didn't snow for very long...

After being so excited about the snow, it didn't last. In fact there has been hardly any on the hills. We did manage to get out for a week with the Scouts around Cairngorm, but the poor snow and high wind weren't in our favour. There a few really nice days, but the sunshine was melting the surface of the neve.
We're going skiing in a couple of weeks to Morgins on the Swiss/French border. Hopefully they've had a more wintry winter.

Yesterday was St David's day and, as I'd predicted, the weather has been so warm we have daffodils in flower.

Exciting news of the moment! My sister has produced me a nephew!

And now I'm off to the bathstore to buy taps in the vague hope that his Dad has plumbing skills and we might have a functioning (if not finished) bathroom by the end of the week.

Snow!

It's SNOWING!!!

What did I do next?

After my brother's wedding, which was lovely, we headed back up to Scotland. We spent a night with our friends in Partick, then headed to Arrochar and Loch Fyne. The plan was to go up Beinn Bhuidhe above Glen Fyne, but we didn't leave Glasgow early enough and were beaten by the daylight.
Failing in the mountain climbing plan we went to Inveraray instead. Had a wander around and bought some very nice soap and candles from Purdies. We then got a phone call from his sister to tell us she didn't need picking up in the morning because she'd broken her arm falling off a mountain and was going home. We decided to go too and caught with her and the friends she'd been walking with on the Colintraive ferry.

We spent Hogmamay with his parents on Bute - their flat is now almost complete...

On the 2nd we went for a walk above Colintraive. We then went back to Cairndow to have dinner at the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar, but found it shut. After some toing and froing, we settled on pitching for the night at Butterbridge to go up Beinn Ime the next day. It was pretty cloudy all day and was starting to snow as we set off to go home. There was a lot of snow in Stirlingshire, but disappointingly little as we got nearer to home.

Having seen the snow, the following day we got up very early and set off to Braemar to ski at Glenshee. However, the road was shut. We took a turn round the Queen's Drive on our nordics, a large proportion of which I spent laying in the snow.

And that was our holiday.

Christmas is over, what next?

It took us three days to get to Scarisbrick from Aberdeen. We stopped en route to take in a few hills, first at Drumochter then at Skiddaw, then finally in the Forest of Bowland. We slept in the Van, which is partially converted by having a bed/storage box built into the back of it. It wasn't too bad, except for the first morning when we woke up to find more ice on the inside of the windows than the outside.
We got to Scarisbrick on Christmas Eve and fairly promptly went out to The Ship at Lathom for Ormskirk Network's Christmas drinks. He made a disgrace of himself and won the prize for the best slow fall off a stool.
Christmas Day didn't really start until after lunchtime. We had dinner in the evening, goose not turkey, with my dad and my brother and his girlfriend.
On Boxing Day we visited a friend to recover some of his gear that he hasn't seen since Greenland. I then spent the best part of the afternoon hennaing my hair, to little apparent effect.
Today we have been out to Crosby to see Anthony Gormley's men (known locally as The Goonies my brother says) since they're still there. The tide was in, but as we started back along the beach to the van it was beginning to go out so some more of the men were coming out of the water. Several were wearing Santa hats.
Tomorrow is my younger brother's wedding in the Parish church in Scarisbrick. We're back off up north on saturday to get to Bute via Arrochar for New Year with his parents.

EDIT: I've added a photo of me coming down Skiddaw. That is the small path!

Scottish councillors reject Trump's £1bn golf course | Golf | Guardian Unlimited Sport

Woo Hoo!

Out and About

This weekend we went to the SHR race at Meall a Bhucaille and the 'do' afterwards at Badaguish. He ran while I went up Cairngorm, Alpine style (cafe to cafe)with some friends from the Club. It was a bit damp and windy, but we had a nice day out.

On Sunday 10 of us went to Inshriach to orienteer on the Map of the Month, well technically the map of last month but the controls are still out. It was a lot of fun, chasing each other round the forest in the rain. Somehow I hurt my hip - no idea what I did but it suddenly started hurting and now I'm hobbling like an old man...

We stopped at Inverdruie for lunch, meaning to go to the cafe in the Rothiemurchus estate shop but it was shut. So we went to the diner over the way then bought some venison from the shop for tea. It was very good.

More opera

On Wednesday we went to see the Scottish Opera production of The Barber of Seville. I really enjoyed it - the casting was good, the funny bits were funny and the set was good. I think, that compared to the other productions we've seen this year, it is clear why this one was about £5 dearer. It's not hard to see were that money goes.

Before the show we went for dinner at The Square and took advantage of their split service to come back afterwards for dessert and coffee. I had an autumn fruit cheesecake for pudding, which was rather mauve, but so good.

Winter

It snowed in Aberdeen last night. Not very much but it was still there this morning. Now the sun is out and it's a clear east coast winter day. The wind has dropped thankfully. Hopefully it will stay that way so I can rescue the garden. I was blown off my bike last night on my way home when I got hit by the crosswind at the end of my road. Luckily there was no traffic and I landed on the long grass on the verge, so I bounced.

Opera

Last night we went to see a production of Carmen at His Majesty's in Aberdeen. I'm not a reviewer in any way, but I enjoyed it.

What interested me is the variety of people there. Opera is always supposed to be High Culture and not for the ordinary folk. I'm not sure this is true. The audience consisted mainly of average middle class types and students. Maybe this is because it was in Aberdeen. I expect the audience for an ENO production at Covent Garden might be different - or is that just perpetuating the prejudice?

Riverbend made it to Syria.

Daft things fell runners do for fun...

The first weekend in September was a busy one for the Cosmic Hillbashers. My other half went to do the Ben Nevis Race with two others. Some other Cosmics went to Applecross for the Bealach na Ba cycle race. Three Cosmics also went to the Braemar Highland Games, which include a popular hill race.

This week is...

...Offshore Europe week.
This means there are some extremely large tent/sheds on the AECC car park and many, many oil engineers from all over the world. My other half has to attend his company stand for two days, which required the purchase of a new suit this weekend.
It was interesting trying to get into the Park & Ride car park this morning, conveniently located, as it is, behind the AECC. The Police Traffic Wardens were out in force - standing about in the middle of the road, trying to direct traffic and look important in hi-vis jackets. Interesting to watch the people who hadn't paid attention to the rearrangement of lanes on the roundabout and were being funnelled into the exhibition parking instead of the council car park...

Jamboree!

This summer I went to the 21st World Scout Jamboree at Hylands Park in Essex. This year is Centenary Year for us Scouts and the Jamboree celebrated this big style. 40,000 people were in camp and a further 42,000 came as day visitors.
I went as a member of the International Service Team - 8000 scouts aged over 18 who go to the Jamboree to work. I was working on the design and build team, which was responsible for the build and take down of the Jamboree site. During the Jamboree, however, we were responsible for the flags, banners, monuments and signposts around the site. The main job was to raise and lower the 160 nation flags and the World Scout Flag each day.
The most memorable experience for me was Sunrise Day on the 1st August - when the World Organisation of Scout Movements celebrated the Centenary. We held flag break at sunrise, timing it to ensure that the World Flag was raised at local sunrise - 5.17am. For me, this was something really special and a great honour to be part of.

This really annoys me

The G2 on the ongoing rows about the HPV vaccine.

I was given the rubella (german measles) vaccine aged 11. As far as I still understand it was on the premise that one day I would be married and have children, and, if during one of those pregnancies I caught rubella it would affect the baby.

I don't understand how this situation is different. It protects against a future chance of infection. The method of infection isn't important to me. It's a matter of protecting the child now against something that might occur in the future.

Busy busy busy

I've been very busy recently. And so, somehow, again, a whole month has slipped by...
I've been busy Scouting, with the Centenary Camp to take our Cubs to and helping Aberdeen Network get on their feet and start running. I've been down to Gilwell for the pre Jamboree kit distribution weekend.

I've even tried to do a little work on my thesis (!) in preparation for Summer School next month.

A message from The Great Architect

God writes in BD?

Non-believers, thanks for nothing. Eternally grateful I don’t think. Don’t bother invoking My help the next time it all goes pear-shaped. If you WANT it to go pear-shaped you can always buy some of that expensive design software from the Gehry Corporation, can’t you? You snivelling distracted heathen dabblers.

Architecture and I go back a long way. Ask your old pals the Freemasons. Who created the universe? I did. Who am I? The Great Architect. I didn’t ask to be called that. I would have preferred Tecton, Master of The Galaxies. Or The Omnipotent Spatial Masterplanner. Almost anything else to be frank, I’m just not that keen on The Great Architect. Makes me sound like the managing director of Jehovah + Partners, some turgid outfit doing modular housing in the Thames Gateway.

Which reminds Me. I know an interventionist God is a bit passé these days but the next practice using “+” instead of “and” in its name, or deploying a row of lowercase bullshit with “:” in the middle... well. Upon them will be visited a most calamitous vengeance. And this is not Arb speaking here — I am God, so watch it.

Architects have traditionally been accused by their victims of playing Me, which is ridiculous. If people stopped to think for a moment about the logistics of social engineering they would realise it is money, not architecture, imitating Me. And in terms of infrastructure I think you’ll find the righteous paths are chosen by the county council.

While I think of it, I’d like to take this opportunity to disown a poem currently circulating on the internet in which God’s Architecture is a snowflake. In no way is this architecture. Snowflakes are essentially a feat of engineering. Obviously I take credit for that too. A snowflake conforms to My laws of physics.

One of the questions I sometimes ask Myself is how should architecture serve Me? Unfortunately, I’m dealing with defective software here. In My experience, which is pretty extensive, architects are overwhelmingly secular. It goes with concepts like urban and rational. These days, when one of you is outed as a believer — Quinlan Terry for example — they’re treated with pity and derision. Firstly for being God’s Architect, secondly for not being Gaudi or Pugin. So what? I’m allowed only one architect at a time? In My mansion is an infinite volume of epic space. Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough.

You won’t, though, will you, because the smart thing these days is sustainable paganism. I may not be revered any longer, but you’re all perfectly relaxed about this new green religion. Oh, brilliant — Earth worship. I thought you’d done with that, ages ago. Please. The Earth is just a big fat clod. Yet apparently it must be appeased, and feared. “O wrathful Earth, do not choke us all or boil us. O great Gaia, spare us and we will mend our ways. And could you put in a good word for us with your mate the sun god Ra? Or whatever he’s called this week?” You thick ants.

I acknowledge there has been some cracking architecture done in My name throughout the ages. Temples, churches, supermosques. Lovely. Houses of Me. Thanks. Good job.

Except I’m not corporeal, am I? I’m everywhere and nowhere baby, as per Jeff Beck’s classic party floor-filler, Hi Ho Silver Lining. So at the moment, yes, I’m definitely “at home” in, say, Ely Cathedral. Gorgeous nave. But I’m actually “in” social housing too. You know, that haunting stuff you recoiled from, guiltily, when you glimpsed it the other day out of the train window. Don’t even bother pretending you didn’t. I am God. I AM your conscience.

I know Mies van der Rohe once said I was in the details. And I know he’s everybody’s favourite modernist autocrat. But to be honest he was more interested in the luxury end of the market than theology. No, I am in the POINT of a building. I don’t just mean spires either, you scuttling idiots.

Anyway, listen, take care.

Starchitect talks sense?

Frank Gehry blogs for the Guardian about designing a new Guggenheim for Abu Dhabi.

The talking sense part? This paragraph:

"I'm really excited by the level of intelligent engagement by the local leaders in Abu Dhabi although there's still a big discussion to be had about the planning of new buildings. What they want from the architecture, by me, by Zaha Hadid and others, is a "string of pearls", stretching to the water to form a new "cultural quarter" to attract tourists; but, there's a bit of tendency to want a nice new building from each of us without enough thought about how they'll all hang together. I'd like to be more involved in the urban planning, but that's a lot to ask; you can't just say, especially when you've just arrived, hey, I'd like to redo your city."

So often it appears that these starchitects don't have enough concern for context. Or perhaps they're not allowed to. I suspect the practices are handed a plot and have very little input on its surroundings. We see that in competitions we've entered at work - someone else has done the masterplan and we get given a plot number to design a building for (especially with housing developments).

Gehry ought to be concerned about the setting of his building. A poor setting will detract from it and poor access will deter visitors. His client won't be happy.

PMA

I think I've figured something out.

Now I've passed my driving test I can drive. I think to myself "I've passed my test that means I can drive".

Before I'd passed the thought was ore like "I haven't passed my test - I can't drive".

Maybe Linford Christie was right about that Positive Mental Attitude stuff after all...

I read books as a kid...

Your Language Arts Grade: 100%

Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).

Are You Gooder at Grammar?
Make a Quiz

Lutyens' Cathedral

The model of Lutyens' RC Cathedral design for Liverpool is finally restored and going on display at the Walker Art Gallery. The Guardian have included an article about it today in the G2.

I was going to post about it, but Andrew Cusack has beaten me to it. While his post is good, I don't agree with what he and some of his other readers have to say about Gibberd's design.

Gibberd's cathedral has to be seen from the inside. I suggest Andrew Cusack's readers (and the rest of you) start here.

I think that the Lutyens' design would have been completely out of scale with the city and probably outgrown by the modern liturgy. Adrian Gilbert Scott's pared down version would not have done justice to the original scheme and, I think, suffered the same liturgy related issues. I suggest there would be problems with an older style building and the modern liturgy because of the vast numbers of churches having their interiors reordered these days - I've worked for a practice where that was our bread and butter. Gibberd's in-the-round design allows for a more modern approach to the acts of worship. Many Anglican and Catholic congregations are seeking this approach rather than the 'old fashioned' sanctuary and high altar at the far end of the church. I think this is a Good Thing - more inclusive worship.

I hope to get down to Liverpool to see the model at some point before April, however it is rather far away these days. Perhaps I'll have to wait until it is installed in 3XN's Museum of Liverpool in 2010...

Sarah skiing home

Sarah skiing home
Originally uploaded by Don Sean.

It did snow.

So, last night - late last night - we went skiing in the field at the back of our house!

Windy weather

As I've been commenting on other people's blogs, it's really not been windy up here. We've missed out on all the gale force and hurricane type fun. In fact, for January, the weather's been fairly nice....

I just wish it would snow. My skis are still new and shiny and untouched. And I need the practice before Ski Alpine in March.

Pass Plus

I finished off the last two hours of my Pass Plus last night. It isn't tested as such, but the instructor has to mark on a form whether you've Achieved or Exceeded the required standard. I got all As - but he did say that they're told to mark harshly...

Driving

Today I will be doing a Pass Plus course. However, Sunday night's drive home almost did away with the need for it. I drove from Southport to Gretna, up the M6 in the pouring rain. A big achievement for me!

So, we will see how well today goes. I wonder how many bad habits I've picked up in the last couple of months...

Losing the clone city fight?

World's oldest record shop to close?

PostSecret

PostSecret

Calendar

It appears my father in law has been busy making a calendar with his own photos. I've seen some of these pics framed in his house and they are very good.

Blogger beta

It would appear Blogger would like me to move to the beta version. This is apparant because it insists on trying to sign me in with my gmail account and won't let me at my dashboard without telling me about the beta twice.

But I want to know if the beta is actually working properly yet. I have heard tales of people not being able to comment from a beta sign in on non beta blogs. I have heard tales of things going all to pieces after changing over.

Isn't a beta version so called because it is not yet a full version? Aren't betas versions still being trialled?

Is it worth it just yet?

Dark

It's dark...
Winter is a coming in. (to paraphrase).

There's snow on the mountains though. Soon it will be time to go and play with my new skis.

Woo Hoo!!

On Monday...

I passed...


My driving test!

First time!

(After 16 months of lessons. Patient instructor.)

I thought I'd failed by collecting too many minor faults. I got 11 - 15 is a fail. I can drive better than I did during the test - I made a few mistakes through nerves, snatching at the gears and that sort of thing (putting the car in 4th instead of 2nd at the first roundabout wasn't a great start). I felt like I was reaching in the wrong place for the gear lever after driving our car at the weekend.

A good chunk of test time disappeared in the drive up to Balmedie and back on the A90 to use the village streets for the manoeuvres. I was asked to demonstrate a turn in the road (3 point turn) and reverse around a corner. Thankfully I didn't have to parallel park or bay park and no cars came when I was reversing. My controlled (emergency) stop was a bit ragged (did better in my lesson beforehand), but only picked up a minor fault. I should have asked the tester to move his seat forward when I was reversing, really, but I bottled it and peered round him.

Any way, I passed. Now I have to pluck up the courage to get out on my own. Then figure out if my insurance cost will be reduced by doing the Pass Plus course.

Northern gardening

I've noticed that my garden up here seems to run about a month behind the one we had in Chesterfield. It's also true of the wild plants. There were ripe blackberries in the Lakes at the beginning of August, the ones near us weren't ready till September. There were masses though - is this a sign of cold winter coming?

I also still have roses and gladioli in flower, but I suspect spring may be slower to appear up here, so this good fortune will be balanced out.

Any way the point of the post...
I have Michaelmas daisies in my garden. They're are the first example of them that I've ever seen flowering at the time of Michaelmas. Which is actually quite pleasing.

What we did last weekend...

He was running with his sister and I was marshalling. I'm not as daft as they are.
Spent a pleasant five hours in Coniston in a car park checking teams on to the mountain section.

No Conkers?

Move to Aberdeen. We've got loads...

PARK(ing)

At first I thought "That's a really cool idea, we could do that outside the office". Then I remembered - on the other side of the parking spaces outside there is a park.

The toll of the bell

I have a bell on my bike, but generally I find that should someone step out in front of me squealing brakes are more effective as an audible deterrant. That or a shouted warning using some short anglo saxon words.

World Premiere

Last night at The Belmont Cinema in Aberdeen the World Premiere showing of The Planet was held.

I've never been to a World Premiere before. Six of us went from our office - one of the co-producers (who did the special effects) also does our IT - and fun was had by all.

As the name suggests the story takes place on a random planet in space somewhere, when ten survivors from an attacked ship land. They then get set upon by some unknown entity, which they do battle with at the end. I won't spoil the plot further as I'm sure you'll all be rushing out to see it...

The planet scenes were shot on Balmedie Beach, to the north of Aberdeen (which is also the home of the Balmedie Beach Bash (scroll down for post) - a fearsome 3.5 mile run over the dunes). Others were apparantly shot in the producers' living rooms.

Duathlon

Bennachie duathlon

Connecting the dots

I agree.

We shall fight them - in the Assembly Rooms

Oh dear. Some people need to grow up a bit.

Smoking is banned in workplaces in Scotland. Performers on stage are at work and therefore may not smoke.

It is an offence to smoke and also to permit smoking, so it's not just them who could be fined - it's the venue, the stage crew, the audience...

I think this is a good law. I also think that the comedian in the article who says he can't perform well without a cigarette has a problem.

Note to self...

Update links and blog once in a while.

Just noticed Tilly has linked to me, which is fab. Possibly the only person to do so other than my husband, who doesn't count obviously.

If only some Aberdeen cyclists would pay attention to this...

Snow!!

It's still snowing!!!

If the roads were open we could go skiing tomorrow. But currently the only way to get to Aviemore is via Elgin which means that the Lecht road is closed. Glenshee via Braemar is looking doubtful as is Cairngorm (see above re elgin). There be little safe walking or climbing - avalanches do happen in Scotland, you know.

Too much snow spoils the winter sports.

Snow!!!

Finally winter has arrived in Scotland. It took its time - it's nearly spring.

Hopefully there will enough snow to ski this weekend, but not too much or the roads will be closed...

Carnethy 5 update

I didn't die...

But I did come last!

Carnethy 5

Tomorrow I am doing the Carnethy 5. If you never hear from me again I have collapsed and died on a hill near Edinburgh.

Lazy Post

Saw this at Tilly's place and thought I'd use it...

Though not so lazy a post as I thought since it won't cut and paste.

1. What is your occupation? Architectural Technician. As my Dad used to say the technicians are the people who make the architect's pretty drawings into buildable buildings.
2. What colour is your underwear? Today, purple.
3. What are you listening to right now? Julian Clary on BBC2's family history programme.
4. What was the last thing you ate? Lunch. Quite hungry now...
5. Do you wish on stars? No. Why would I do that?
6. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Grey. The bluish grey one not the brownish.
7. How is the weather right now? Cold and dry but clouding over.
8. Last person you spoke to on the telephone? Sister in law. General natter.
9. Do you like the person who sent this to you? No one sent it - I pinched it... I don't know the person I pinched it off, we've never met. I like her blog though.
10. How old are you today? 26 years 10 months 20 days
11. Favourite drink? Tea. Brown with semi skimmed.
12. Favourite sport to watch? Rugby Union. Esp the six nations which starts this weekend!
13. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, constantly. I've inherited my parents' premature greying.
14. Do you wear contacts or glasses? Glasses. Can't stand the idea of sticking things on my eyeballs.
15. Pets? Not any more. Childhood dog died.
16. Favourite month? February, I think.
17. Favourite food? Don't think I can pick one...
18. Last film watched? Memoirs of a Geisha, on Sunday afternoon.
19. Favourite day of the year? My Birthday? Don't know...
20. What do you to vent anger? Throw a strop at my poor husband.
21. Autumn or Spring? Autumn
22. Hugs or Kisses? Hugs
23. Cherries or blueberries? Blueberries. Those glace things put me right off cherries.
24. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? I'm not sending this to anyone. None of my friends know my blog address.
25. Who is most likely to respond? See above
26. Least likely? See 25.
27. Who do you live with? My husband.
28. Last time you cried? When I threw a strop about the untidiness of our flat, no husband present though.
29. What is on the floor of your closet? If closet means wardrobe, then shoes. Far too many shoes. If it means cupboard, then outdoor gear.
30. What friend have you had the longest? A school friend I still write to but have very little in common with now.
31. What did you do last night? Went running - hill laps on the road, which gave me sore knees. Then viewed a house, which we have put a note of interest on.
32. Favourite smell? Tar or creosote.
33. Who inspires you? Don't know. Can't think of anyone specific. Oh wait, my husband inspires me to get fitter and climb mountains with him. If he can do it...
34. What are you afraid of? Not being good enough at something first time out.
35. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Not keen on hamburgers. Do you know what they're made of?
36. Favourite car? An e-type or DB7, maybe. I like the classics.
37. Favourite dog breed? Border Collie. Working bred. None of your pedigree nonsense.
38. Number of keys? 3 for my flat, 2 for my Dad's house, 5 for work and a bike lock.
39. How long in current job? 3 months
40. Favourite day of the week? Saturday
41. How many states have you lived in? Translate to counties for the UK...5. Right and wrong side of the pennines and currently north of the border.
42. How many cities have you lived in? 2 cities, 3 towns and a village. But not in that order.

There now, done. And probably the longest post I ever wrote.

Christmas and New Year

(Are over. Woo Hoo!)

But I had intended to update the world with what I've been up to while on holiday.

So, Christmas. It was quiet. Just me and Sean in Aberdeen. (We visited the parents the weekend before and went to a folk gig at Rufford Old Hall.) Christmas Eve we managed a run along the beach - climbing over the groynes as the tide was coming in.

On Boxing Day we braved the sales in town and I got myself a new pair of walking boots from Tiso's. They are Scarpa ZG65s and so far so good. I don't think they'll stay beige very much longer though. They started to get mucky on a short walk up Clachnaben.

We went away over New Year - I should say Hogmanay, shouldn't I since I'm in Scotland- with the Aberdeen Mountaineering Club. We stayed for four nights at Invergarry Lodge, near the southern end of Loch Ness in the Great Glen. The lodge is usually an independant hostel, but the club booked it out. It was a good place to stay for 27 people and a dog.

Sean and I went out with two other club members to the Forcan Ridge (pic from Manchester Uni Hiking Club site) in Glen Shiel on the first day. I carried far too much stuff and wore myself out, but the day was good. It wasn't very snowy on top, but the ground, which is usually boggy, was very icy. We were more likely to fall on the path than the ridge itself. We avoided the one section of vertical climbing though, just in case. Afterwards, we retreated to the Cluanie Inn, for a drink in front of the fire.

On the 2nd Sean and I went up Meall na Teanga - one of the munroes near the lodge. Several other club members were also going in smilar directions, so we walked part way as a four. The weather was wet and miserable, but I was persuaded to persevere. Again the ground was frozen, so we got our crampons out to get up to the summit and down safely.

And so, that was my Christmas holiday.

JCBSONG by Nizlopi

So sweet, this song. Now on third consecutive listen instead of doing a drainage layout plan.

Found it via the wife says at Nicecupofteaandasitdown

By the same people as the Creep video I blogged ages ago (in November 2004).

Skiing

This blog is rapidly turning into a list of winter sports and things not to do in the rain in Scotland. So, to continue it in the same vein - this weekend we've been skiing.

Or, more precisely, falling over in the snow.

We braved the rain in the hope that it would be snowing on the tops and it was. The Lecht Summit was all white and snowy. Winter Highland has pics from yesterday taken while we were there.

It was actually my first attempt at downhill skiing - I had a go at nordic skiing last winter - but I don't think it went too badly. My shoulders are sore from falling and dragging my arms backwards, but no real bruises.

We had to get towed out of the carpark by JCB, but the roads were gritted so it wasn't too bad getting home. I wasn't driving though.

Speaking of driving, I had a near miss in my lesson last week. A bus ran a red light while I was halfway over the crossroads. I only know how close it was by the fright my instructor took as it went behind us.

Cycling through rivers...

... is not necessarily a good idea.

This is me nearly falling in the river on the way back from Slugain Lodge. I cycled perfectly through two fords before he decided to photograph me.

bad weather cycling...

We didn't go walking in the end. The weather was just too miserable. We did manage to cycle as far as Slugain Lodge though. It would be very pretty up there in good weather and there are some good spots for wild camping.

It would be nice if the Lodge was in a useable condition. Even if it wasn't a proper bothy, just a sort of shepherd's shelter of four walls would help.

We meant to get up to Beinn a'Bhuird and tick another Munro off, but we'll have to try again. Maybe in the snow...

We didn't camp in Braemar overnight, after failing to find any room in a B&B we came back to Aberdeen. I drove as far as Ballater - my first drive at dusk - where the headlights got the better of me. Random Ballater fact: The Deeside railway line terminated there after Queen Victoria bought up the land along it's intended route to Braemar so that the tourists couldn't get too close to Balmoral.

Bad weather walking?

We're supposed to be going walking this weekend, over near Braemar. We're aiming to get up into the back of the Cairngorms.

Just one small problem... The weather is howling round Aberdeen and isn't supposed to get any better. And we've intended to wild camp on Saturday night.

The plan also includes going orienteering on Sunday morning. But maybe it will have rained itself out by then...

New Job

I also have a new job!

I started on staff on Monday after being on contract for a month.

House hunting

We've been starting to look for a house up in Aberdeen now the sale is going through on the one we had in Chesterfield.

We've been using the ASPC website. It has almost all the property for sale in Aberdeenshire on it.

Tonight we've seen two in the west of the city. Both 1950s granite bungalows to the same layout. They're both quite attractive. The first is cheaper and we can make more of a mark on it because it needs completely redecorating, the second is move-in-able, bigger and nicer but quite a bit more expensive.

Do we stretch ourselves to the expensive one we could stay in almost forever? Or do we go for the one we can afford to change to our taste?

A Dilemma.

Hopefully the Scottish system is slower than the English one, so we'll have a chance to think...

This is St Ninian's Bay, on Bute.

We went this weekend with some friends from Glasgow and stayed in his parents' holiday flat in Port Bannatyne.

Blogging again?

I have been meaning to blog again for absolutely ages... Getting a comment has prompted me to actually do it.

Well, we've been in Aberdeen for nearly four months now and I may be on the verge of finally getting a full time job. No conservation work, but hopefully a variety of building type and age - refurbishing nursing homes. I may be becoming an Architectural Technician... Same as my Dad...

We still haven't sold our house in Chesterfield. I'd really like it to go so we can get somewhere permanent up here. Our flat's nice, but renting isn't great when we've had our own house.

In answer to Zoe's comment question my husband doesn't work for BP. He's a Safety Engineer for a consultancy company based onshore. He won't have to go offshore very often which is probably a good thing - I get bored and watch far too much TV when I'm on my own.

!

That was easier than I thought!

New Life New Title?

I suppose I ought to change the title of this blog now I've moved house. My husband has gone and got himself a job in the oil industry so we've moved to Aberdeen. The Oil Capital of the North Sea (or something like - discounting any Norwegian claims).

Perhaps I should include a reference to being unemployed. Okay, it's only been a week but I want a job. I want one now. If any building conservation specialists who just happen to based in NE Scotland are reading this there's a spare architectural assistant with three years conservation experience sitting here...just waiting for your e-mail...

As for changing the title can I change the URL too? Without losing the archives and stuff? Hmm...will blogger help tell me how?

Exams

Oh, how I hate exams. Thankfully these will be my last for a while. Just a small (ahem) thesis to do next.

Four exams:
Building Pathology
Structural Engineering
Conservation Technology
Building Services

Starting tomorrow. Eek.

When the thesis is finally done and I can graduate, I just have to do two years work in an 'appropriate' job followed by the Assessment of Professional Competence. Then, maybe, I'll finally be a qualified Surveyor...

Give her a break

Maybe she just likes that outfit. I expect that she wanted to be comfortable and sure of herself for her first engagements.

Just like anyone in a new job.

Fake bomb

BBC NEWS UK Fake bomb 'reaches castle area'

What's the chance of the Sun journalists being investigated or charged? Surely there's a whole bunch of things they could be charged with.

Let's see...The obvious one to me is trespass, but what else could the Palace and Police stretch to if they saw fit?

Threatening behaviour? They claimed to have a bomb, fake or otherwise. You could be done for carrying a fake firearm - can you be done for carrying a fake bomb?
Wasting police time? Indirectly I suppose, but a lot of time will be taken up with the Met's inquiry.
Obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception? I'll bet they've sold a lot of papers off the back of this story.

Is there so little going on the world at the moment that the Sun feels the need to invent themselves a story? They need to try watching the news sometime...

Blue Robin?

I never knew these birds existed.

And...

I'm going to see the Saw Doctors at Sheffield Octagon tonight.

Then I'll write my essays. Promise.

So long...So lazy...

Ellen left a comment on the last post after I commented at her blog, Brain Lint (which, by the way, is rather good). She's right of course, I HAVEN'T posted in forever. And I've been doing so many bloggable things.

Maybe that's the point...I'm too busy doing stuff to write about it!

No, perhaps I'm just a big lazy layabout. Yep, that'd be it.

So, what have I been doing since the middle of October?

Starting the 2nd year of my MSc (and failing miserably to get any work done. See above re. layabout)
Nearly fainting and throwing up at Sheffield Station
Walking and wild camping in the Lake District -twice - Blencathra via Scales Tarn and Sharp Edge and Helvellyn via Grizedale Tarn (bloody windy and horrid rain)
Cycling on the Tissington Trail
Pruning (read savaging) the roses and other garden pottering
Greenland Expedition Evening - his sister went to Greenland in July
Signing up for Snow & Ice (Scotland) and the Alps trip (West Lancs Scouts Mountaineering Group). The things I let him convince me to do...
WLSMG Peak Meet
Buying a down jacket. So warm...
Seeing Ladysmith Black Mambazo at the Phil

And I'm sure there's more. No wonder I haven't written my essays yet.

Just found...

via the Green Fairy a really fabulous Flash animation for Creep by Radiohead.

Do you know what your MP is up to?

Or even who your MP is?

I'd be willing to bet that a great many people have no idea.

So it's a good thing that the nice people at the Guardian have created Ask Aristotle, a database that will tell you who your MP is and what they do in Parliament. The good thing about Aristotle is that all the information is linked from the one site, rather than having to go through the different layers of the parliament and House of Commons sites.

A site to have a look at is the Register of Members Interests. This list that tells who's got their fingers in the most pies. "Remunerated Directorship" is the term to look out for. It also shows patronage of charitable organisations and the like, so gives you an idea of what an MP believes in (or, for the cynics, believes will make them look good). Some of the Lords' lists are particularly interesting.

Go and have a look. Find out what they're up to and how they voted and what committees they're on. And find out their addresses and write to them about things that bother you -locally and nationally- it's their job to represent the views of their constituents.

While we're on the subject of government, if you ever want to know what county or district or borough a place is in have a look at Oultwood.com. They provide links to local government information worldwide.

When computers eat your stuff...

Found this randomly on a poetry website. For everyone who's suffered at the demon will of the Machine on their desk.

Hemingway Never Did This -- Charles Bukowski

Certificated Copies...Hmph.

According to the person at a certain internet bank an original (written in register office standard blue-black parker ink) marriage certificate isn't a "certificated copy" for account opening purposes. What? Why?

My bank (no not them) don't seem to see it that way. Marriage certificate plus Switch card was fine for them. Or perhaps that's because I already had an account and was just changing the name.

The only difference in the information these two banks have about me is CCTV footage of me in the branch.

The dificulty is that I don't have anything they'll accept in my married name yet. So, I have to wait the real bank to send me a statement in my new name so I can send it to the internet bank. The ID they want is the kind of stuff that could have been stolen out of someone's rubbish. Official (government) documents won't do.

Help...Album

On September 9, 1995, War Child released an album called Help. Featuring, among others, Oasis, Radiohead, Manic Street Preachers, Paul McCartney, The KLF, Blur, The Charlatans, The Chemical Brothers and Paul Weller, it was a fund-raiser with a difference - you see, before Help, charity records always followed an unspoken rule... they were rubbish.Not only did the proceeds of this particular record help children caught up in a shocking war in Yugoslavia, it was also very good.

I bought the Help album when it first came out in 1995 - a bit of a gamble since it had no track listing at the time. Now thanks to the new website I finally have an artist and track listing for it. I still think it's a very good album. An interesting mix of bands and tracks, but it all goes together quite well.


I always particularly liked the version of Dream a Little Dream by (I now know) Terry Hall and Marijne from Salad. Lovely track - I like the way it sort of swirls around between the speakers.

Ow, my arm

The National Blood Service - do something amazing give Blood

I gave blood today. A small amount of discomfort to do so much good. I think that's how it goes. However, my small amount of discomfort is bigger than other people's. But that's my own fault for having small veins and/or slow blood. Apparantly the vein in my left arm is smaller than the one in my right, but the one in the right is more in the angle of my arm.

Well despite that, if my Dad can get his gold badge, my husband his bronze and my younger brother has a blue card then I will not be outdone too easily. Just another 40 or 50 odd donations to catch my Dad up then...

I still haven't got a keyring though. But I do have a Billy Blood Drop.

And my arm will be better in the morning.

Help

Does anyone know how to write a 5000 word assignment in a week and a half?

Bearing in mind that I haven't finished the 3000 word one yet. And the full time job and husband etc...

Why do I always dig these holes for myself...

Cycling

On Saturday I went cycling at Ladybower.  A Good Idea.  A simple way to get fit relatively easily.  Right?

Ha!  Yesterday I couldn't sit down or stand up without being in great pain.  The saddle related problems were anticipated, thanks to Zoe at MBIAT,  the knee problems weren't.  Apparently my knees do not like cycling.  I suppose they'll either break or get used to it.  Mind you, I have only had the bike for a fortnight.

But, apart from those problems and the chain coming off and getting smacked in the back of the leg with pedal when it did (I've a lovely pedal-spike shaped bruise), it was Fun.  Although I'm not too keen on the bumpy bits of path yet.

I won't be cycling to work just yet.  If the bus stuggles up Slack Hill then I don't think I should even contemplate trying.  But his suggestion of going to do some of the Tissington Trail  is fine with me.

I believe I just enabled comments.

I wonder if I have a reader...

Yesterday I went to London.  For work reasons, not galavanting - there was a condition survey to be done at the Ranger's House in Greenwich Park.  It took the best part of four hours each way - that includes the walk across the park - to get there and I was on site for for an hour and a half.

Anyway, what I wanted to blog about was actually the GLA building.  Or Foster's Testicle as one of the building press once described (to match the phallic symbol on St Mary Axe).  I saw it from the train as I returned to London Bridge from Blackheath.  I was disappointed.  Fleeting glimpses between other buildings is probably not the best way to go about architectural appreciation but that was all I had.

It's not a very impressive building.  Brian has written about it before and included "gratuitous pictures" in some of which it looks considerably more impressive than it is.  I agree with him in that the Porsche headlamp design phase was more striking.  I think it also shows a better relationship to the river than it has now as well.

It isn't very big.  I really thought it was quite a large building.  But the in the view I had it looked rather stumpy.  Perhaps it was just the angle of the view from the train.

On the other hand, I had been determined to dislike the St Mary Axe (Gherkin)  building.  On seeing it - from the same train - I found that it nearly so bad as I thought.  In fact I think I might like it.  It's growing on me.  Though I still think it looks rather large.

I also went through the new part of St Pancras station.  They appear to have moved the milling-about-not-knowing-where-your-train-is area into a new bit.  So, now one can mill about staring at blank info boards under a shiny new glass roof.

And someone has let the clock stop.

Rubbish blogging
 
OH dear I've been very poor at blogging.  And I've been reading some rather good ones, to whom I shall link in the generous fullness of time.  Then they'll all know what kind of rubbish "bloggers" lurk around theirs.
 
Well, one of the blogs I've been reading is Bandhag's  (Oh I hope that link works.  Very few things are worse than a broken link.).  A recent post there listed the first ten songs randomly out of Bandhag's mp3 player.  I thought I'd do the same.  Now, I only have a small selection of tracks on a USB gadget so it truly isn't a real reflection of my CD collection - an editted version only.
 
The tracks were:
 
1. Belle & Sebastien - Boy with the arab strap
2. Oasis - Half the world away
3. Electric Soft Parade - Empty at the end
4. The Calling - Wherever you will go
5. Appleton - 5 am
6. Stereophonics - Step on my old size nines
7. Belle & Sebastien - Dog on wheels
8. The Bluetones - Marblehead Johnson
9. Badly Drawn Boy - You were right
10. Wilson Pickett - Mustang Sally
 
Now, I'm sure that tell some manner of psychoanalyst something about me, but I don't know what.
 
I could do with a comments box.  Then maybe some manner of psychoanalyst would tell something about me...

Well, at least it wasn't Lucy. I never liked her.


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You are 38% geek

You are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator. Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com Tuesday, February 17, 2004 BTW, that Peak Park planner I mentioned in september finally gave us a decision on the application a fortnight ago. Well, an approval of the Listed Building Consent anyway. It's supposed to (in the legal obligation way) to take eight weeks. And still they're holding out on the planning permission for a Section 106 agreement. AND they want our client to PAY their legal department for drawing it up. I'm not sure I want to take the phone about that. I don't like 106 agreements anyway. I think they're a bit like a legal backhander. You give us this and we'll approve your development... Yes, sometimes they can be used to improve developments, provide community facilities for housing developments and that kind of thing, but I still don't think it's quite right. Either a development is acceptable or not. I started doing an MSc by distance learning. Building Conservation Technology and Management from Heriot-Watt. So, I joined the library at Sheffield Hallam. Now, there's a badly designed building. To get to the main library you have to go through other buildings. What's wrong with that? The entrance is off a terrace. You have to go through the building find the right floor go outside an go back in again. In joining I managed to confuse the librarian who didn't know what to do with a UK Libraries Plus form. It's a scheme that allows part time & distance learning students to join local uni libraries incase you didn't know. It took three of them to figure it out and they tried their best to be helpful and explain how many books I could take etc but failed to manage to tell me anything useful. Well, I asked someone else and figured it out in the end. So, now I have some books I have to start writing my essays, don't I? I am trying. Honest. UK Libraries Plus Heriot-Watt Uni home page Quiet Girl What kind of little girl were YOU? brought to you by Quizilla Wednesday, February 04, 2004 Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) About Me View my complete profile Blog Archive ▼  2023 (1) ▼  September (1) Autumny ►  2022 (2) ►  February (1) ►  January (1) ►  2021 (9) ►  September (1) ►  April (2) ►  March (2) ►  February (1) ►  January (3) ►  2020 (4) ►  December (1) ►  October (2) ►  September (1) ►  2016 (1) ►  April (1) ►  2015 (2) ►  April (1) ►  January (1) ►  2014 (1) ►  March (1) ►  2012 (8) ►  November (1) ►  September (1) ►  August (1) ►  June (1) ►  May (1) ►  April (1) ►  March (2) ►  2011 (16) ►  December (5) ►  November (1) ►  September (1) ►  August (1) ►  June (4) ►  May (1) ►  April (1) ►  March (1) ►  February (1) ►  2010 (19) ►  December (2) ►  November (3) ►  October (2) ►  September (5) ►  July (1) ►  June (2) ►  March (2) ►  February (1) ►  January (1) ►  2009 (33) ►  December (1) ►  November (6) ►  October (2) ►  September (4) ►  July (2) ►  June (1) ►  May (4) ►  April (2) ►  March (6) ►  February (4) ►  January (1) ►  2008 (17) ►  December (3) ►  November (3) ►  October (2) ►  August (2) ►  July (1) ►  June (1) ►  May (1) ►  April (1) ►  March (1) ►  February (1) ►  January (1) ►  2007 (21) ►  December (1) ►  November (4) ►  October (1) ►  September (3) ►  August (1) ►  June (1) ►  May (1) ►  April (1) ►  March (1) ►  February (2) ►  January (5) ►  2006 (23) ►  December (4) ►  November (2) ►  October (3) ►  September (3) ►  August (3) ►  May (1) ►  March (4) ►  February (2) ►  January (1) ►  2005 (14) ►  December (1) ►  November (6) ►  October (2) ►  June (2) ►  April (3) ►  2004 (20) ►  December (3) ►  October (1) ►  September (2) ►  August (4) ►  July (4) ►  March (1) ►  February (5) ►  2003 (13) ►  December (1) ►  October (2) ►  September (10) Links Grampian Orienteers Come live in Aberdeen! Cosmic Hillbashers West Lancs Scouts Mountaineering Group Simple theme. Powered by Blogger.