Composting July 2018

Here are my observations about collecting the compost on Friday.

It is over three years since we have been using the hot-bin compost bin, you might think we would be experts by now.

As previously, I emptied material from the bin onto the ground, and then took a spade full or two at a time onto a tomato grow-bag sized tray, sifting through to remove unwanted material before tipping it into a 50 litre garden carrier.

What I removed was mainly - twigs, set aside to re-use; they help oxygen get to the composting process - tea bags,  to discard; it seems they are made of plastic as well as paper, - and stones, presumably from garden rather than kitchen waste. There was also a brass buckle.

What was left included a lot of eggshell fragments. I thought this would look unsightly, but even used as a top dressing, it looked okay.

I started the task in light drizzle, a bit of a rarity this summer, but it brightened up. I still ended up quite wet, from leaks and splashes using the hose to clear up.

I collected less this time than eleven months ago, hopefully I will continue with little and often. Including some additional tidying up, it took just under two hours.

By taking less, the remaining material stayed in place, making it easier to replace the door.  Later I pushed the material down while bracing the door with my knee.  The luggage straps holding the door closed had snapped since last time, and for now, the door has held good without them.

So that is it for a month or two, hopefully less than eleven.

Carlton Hotel International, Sorrento

This hotel has a lot going for it. It was great to arrive back mid afternoon and enjoy a swim in the pool, or enjoy sitting between the pool and the gardens, or by the bar.
The ground floor area was light, expansive, and decorated with generous quantities of marble, making it all cool and comfortable to be in when the weather was hot.
Being located just off Piazza Tasso made it ultra convenient for getting to all the shops trips restaurants and attractions.
Although we missed out on getting a room facing the front, with views across the bay of Naples to Vesuvius, we were very happy with the view from our balcony,  of the swimming pool and gardens, and of the mountains behind Sorrento.
Although it does not have a restaurant, there are any number within 5 minutes walk, including one very acceptable place literally next door.
The room was entirely adequate, with a good level of soundproofing; what we heard from neighbouring rooms was very muted indeed.
There was no kettle; the fridge was empty; the TV was small; it was a hunt to find the one power socket we could use to charge our phones; and we placed a spare blanket under the sheets to make the bed softer for Ann.
The shower was adequate, but the showerhead was fixed to the wall, making it inflexible and difficult to avoid the water before it got to temperature. It seems the whole bathroom was once a wet room; the advent of shower enclosure meant having to squeeze past the bidet to reach the toilet, which was not ideal for those of reduced mobility. On a similar note it was a significant step up into the  shower enclosure.
The breakfast room was spacious and airy with relaxed jazz playing as background music. The self service bar had boiled egg, cheese ham, yoghurt fruit cereal, and a wide selection of sweet breads and cakes, and fresh fruit. The coffee was served by waiters, sadly it was not always very hot.
We did not feel especially valued and welcomed, which was a shame. Several members of staff were very kind helpful and friendly on occasions, but the overall effect was a little impersonal. Perhaps we had been spoilt by staying previously in a smaller hotel. In part it was the location of the reception desk, way off to the left so there was no need to approach it unless you had a query.
The hotel entrance had two short flights of steps, with handrails too short for the top step in the first case. We were not made aware of any alternative entrance. The only toilets available from reception/bar/breakfast room were down one storey, with no lift access.
While by the pool I observed that what looked like an external fire escape was potentially dangerous being overrun with climbing plants. On closer inspection this was not a fire escape and the single central staircase is the sole means of escape for all 18 rooms on each floor. I was comforted that there was no wallpaper or carpets, just marble finishes, but I did note that the old lift, in the centre of the stairwell was housed in a wooden frame.

River Hotel, Florence

From the moment we arrived at the bottom of the stairs on the street in view of the reception desk, we were made to feel very welcome at the River Hotel.
They took our luggage, while one member of staff came round with us to the back door which gave us easy access to our ground floor room.
The decor throughout is a very modern, black and white design, with abstract art work breaking up what would otherwise be overly clinical. With LED lights around each doorway, it was very striking.
The room was very comfortable, and we slept well.  The wardrobe and drawers easily accommodated the contents of our cases. We did not make use of the well stocked mini bar, except to chill our own water bottle, but we did enjoy the the two tea bags of English breakfast tea, albeit without milk. There was large TV that we did not make use of.
The bathroom was bright and spacious, but suffered from having no shelf space. The shower was forceful by virtue of small holes in the showerhead rather than lots of water, but was entirely adequate, and had an adjustable hose. Access to the shower was easy, being on the same level as the bathroom floor. We think the extractor fan was working, but the bathroom steamed up somewhat, but with substantial shutters, opening the window was very feasible.
Although there is a lift, the breakfast room and restaurant is down a further half flight of stairs. Half the tables were awkward to reach, squeezing between tables when the room was full at breakfast. The breakfast bar had a wide variety of items, including scrambled egg and bacon, cheese and ham, yoghurt and fruit. The layout was a little confusing at first.
The restaurant food was good, but limited in choice and overly expensive.
The process of installing a spa was well managed, and was of no inconvenience to us.
The staff were wonderful, taking an interest in us, encouraging our limited italian, and reverting happily to english when we needed to. They were especially helpful when my wallet was lost or stolen, giving advice, directing us to the nearest police station, accomodating our late check-out, and offering to defer our extras bill until we were due home a week later.
The hotel is an easy walk from Piazza di Santa Crocé and the rest of the central attractions. It is also easy to get to as the No 23 bus stops just outside, on Lungarno della Zecca Vecchia.

Verdi's Falstaff

It was a blast at the Liverpool Philharmonic a week ago last Friday.  We really enjoyed the performance of Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi, a comic opera loosely based on Shakespeare's the Merry Wives of Windsor.
In an opera house, there are sumptuous sets and the cast have the run of the stage, while the orchestra are relegated to the orchestra pit. Here the orchestra took their usual place, the scene changes were suggested by images projected onto the back wall, and the cast sung mainly from the front of the platform, though they also used the stall aisles and choir benches on occasions. From our second row seats, we could almost reach out and touch them.
While Bryn Terfel was excellent in the title role, and the most eye catching name, Rebecca Evans and Anna Dowsley were wonderful merry wives, Wanda Franek was a great bearer of messages, and the two young lovers, Murat can Guvem and Barbara Massaro are worth looking out for.
Opera in Italian is not the easiest to follow, but we were helped by reading the plot summary in the program notes beforehand, a screen at either side showing the English translation, but mainly by the expressiveness of the singers. they were real performers.
They added plenty of their own humour to the score. The kitchen utensils in Falstaff's hat serving as horns for the forest scene was a particularly fun touch. Vasily Petrenko is well able to add an element of humour to his conducting; I did catch some, but found myself watching the singers more.
Verdi wrote only two comic operas, one, not well received in his youth, and then this a masterpiece in his old age. I particularly enjoyed the first scene in Act 3; at the start Falstaff is dejected, but his spirits rise as he sings an ode to the joy of wine. The music expresses it so well.

The Compost Bin

I emptied some compost from the compost bin today. This is how I went about it.
1. First I swept up the space in front of the bin. We had a broken window pane a while back, and while most of the glass fragments had been cleared away, there were still a few that needed sweeping up.
2. I edged the bin forward a few inches, and opened up the door at the bottom, cleaning up the soil from the edges, so that it goes back cleanly.
3. Using a spade, I dug out some compost from the bottom of the bin. I took out a wedge, up to the top of the door at the front, making sure  I got to the back at least at the bottom.
4. I then cleaned up the faces where the door fits, and then put the door back in place. I was lucky, the remaining compost did not fall down to fill the void until after I fitted the door, and secured it with ties.
5. Taking three or four spadefuls into a tray, I lifted it up to table height, and took out any large pieces that did not immediately crumble in the hand.
6. The twigs went to one side to be reused. The twigs help the oxygen get to the composting process.

7. Pieces of slate are ready to wash and put back onto the slate path.

8. I threw away everything else I took out: nested pieces of egg shell,  peach stones, avocado skin, pieces of plastic. There were other chunks of unidentified material that did not immediately crumble. Although tea bags did not compost that well, we will continue to compost them, as the tea itself seemed to compost okay.
9. I ended up with one and a half tubs of compost, which we will cover with plastic sheets to keep the compost dry before we use it.

10. Finally I tidied up, passable well.

Story of your Life

This is the short story on which the 2016 film Arrival is based. It is much better than the film.

"The only way to learn an unknown language is to interact with a native speaker." When alien craft orbit the earth and open up a number of communication windows around the world, the military are quite cagey about the information they share, but the colonel takes the advice from Dr. Louise Banks, and she is paired with a physicist and tasked with learning the alien language and learning what physics they can teach us.

The book is not so much about language as knowledge of the future. The aliens know the future, and so are very patient as Louise learns their language. But as she does, she gains knowledge of the future.

This is not liberating, but is instead very restrictive. She is precluded from making actions that deviate from what she knows of the future.

The book is addressed to her unborn daughter, and describes incidents of her life from childhood youth to untimely death.

A thoughtful short story, much better than the film with its nonsense atmospherics and artificial climactic finish.

Sophie and her Parents

Sophie Grace Garden is this week (by our time-bound reckoning) beginning a glorious and joyful eternity with her heavenly father, who loves her. There she will receive great honour, as Jesus said “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”

 

Photo Credit:- Katie Garden

To many eyes, Sophie’s lot in this life was not great, and her hold on it was tenuous and brief.  Her condition of Down’s syndrome stood against her, and her heart condition ensured that her life was both brief and troubled.  

But she enjoyed what many do not - the love of a great Mum and Dad.

Danny and Katie are the greatest of parents, loving and standing up for their daughter, her fiercest advocate, her greatest champion, standing with her through thick and thin. Through them, we learnt to see Sophie not as someone to be pitied and feel sorry for, but as wonderful Sophie to be treasured and delighted in.  

Ever able to see the comedy in life they were able to communicate love and fun, even when sharing news that was difficult.

Thanks to Danny and Katie, we do not remember Sophie for all her troubles, but as the joyful fun loving little girl that she was.  You are an inspiration to us all.

 

Photo Credit: Jemma Orange

  

Start Yachting

This is what I learnt from my Start Yachting Course in September.

Tides.
The tides influenced where we went, and to an extent, what time of day we sailed. Water sweeps up the English Channel and back, and our route was designed to travel with the tides rather than against them.  A table gives the time and height of low and high tide for each day of the year using universal time (which we know as GMT so add one hour in British Summer time). A series of charts show the direction and speed of the flow at high tide and at each of the six hours before and afterwards.

Sleeping.
There is a cabin in each of three of the corners of the boat with the heads (toilet) and water tanks etc in the fourth.  These cabins sleep two quite cosily if there are eight on board, or one more comfortably if there are only five, as we had. You still have to get in the bed from the head end.  The other two beds are on the bench seats either side of the table. On these you can swing your legs over the side, but have to prevail on one of the cabin occupiers to store your kit during the day.

Slip Knots.
Before we set off, the ropes that secured us to the jetty are replaced by ropes that are not tied to the dock (or slip).  Instead they are simply looped around the cleat, with both ends secured on the boat. When we are ready, one end is held and the other released, so the boat can slip away.

The Motor.
Although we came to learn to sail, there is no escape from learning to use the motor. As well as being able to get home if the wind drops, the motor is needed for navigating in and out of harbours and berths.  Sometimes the mainsail was up and pulled tight while under motor. A cone with the apex down hoisted in front of the mast indicates to other craft that the boat is under motor.

Mainsail and Topsail.
From my dinghy sailing, I am used to calling the Topsail a jib. We had a Genoa, which is similar but larger, extending beyond the line of the mast. Using the term Topsail avoided having to make this distinction. It was furled and unfurled by a pair of ropes running down the port side and cleated near the stern. These were the only ropes I could see that were cleated by hand. For the rest I needed to learn about winches.

Winches.
On my dinghy, you can cleat the jib sheet, or just hold it with one hand. This is out of the question on a larger boat with a larger sail. You can pull the sail from one side to the other by pulling it by hand, only after it is wound twice round the winch, to pull it tighter, the rope goes another two times round and into a guide that makes the fifth turn hold it tight, so that it can be turned using the winch handle.

The tricky bit to learn is winding the three extra turns. You have already pulled it hand tight, so you do not want to lose that by letting go. You wind it using one hand drawing a wide circle so your hand does not caught, and you wind each one higher than the last to avoid them crossing each other and prevent them turning.
The strenuous bit is turning the winch handle. You brace yourself with one leg either side of the inside edge of the deck, facing forward so you can see the sail. You will be on the lower side of the boat if it is heeling. Especially in a race, it needs to done quickly, but in your haste you do not want to start turning the handle before it is fully inserted.
On the next tack your job is easy, simply release the sheet so that your partner on the other side can pull the sail to his side, then wind the sheet twice round ready for the tack after that. In a narrow channel with the wind against you, the tacks come quite often, and it can be hard work.

Eight Cleats and two Winches.
On either side of the cabin hatch are one winch and four cleats holding four ropes, each of which can be tightened using the winch. I did not fathom what they all were. One was the main sheet, three were reefing lines, and three were halyards, which makes only seven.  The cleats had long handles, they needed to be lifted up and pushed forward to be open.

Steering the Boat.
I have to say I did not master this. It is different using a wheel, there is a mark to show where straight is, but I did not keep track of it very well. I tended to over steer, perhaps because the boat takes longer to respond than a dinghy, perhaps because I lost touch with where straight is. In rough sea, we had force 5 and for 6 winds, the waves and gusts meant you were continually having to correct the direction, easier with land ahead than behind. Also you had to brace yourself against the movement of the boat, using other parts of the boat, not the wheel. Unlike a dinghy, you did not have hold of the main sheet, and you were not taking action to keep the boat level and avoid capsizing.

Setting the Sails.
There was little fine tuning of the sails. Very largely they were set for the course and left for the duration. In the open water we kept the same course for long stretches and the wind direction did not vary much. We did slacken the main sail for some gusts, but I suppose the gusts just turned the boat to windward, not a problem in open water.

Stugeron.
Once you feel seasick, it is a little late to take Stugeron, and it is easier to feel yuk on deck than to go below deck to fetch it. I was fine when we were sailing, but when we went heave to I started feeling nauseous, and another crew member was sick. I joined him and one other at the second occasion we were heave to.  To Heave to, steer into the wind, when the topsail backs the other way turn fully the other way and lock the wheel. You can drift safely, but as I discovered not necessarily comfortably.
Whether I was better the next day because I was used to it, because we did not heave to in open water, because the water was calmer or because I took Stugeron the night before, I do not know.

Man Overboard Procedure.
We practised it like this. Skipper throws bucket and buoy overboard. One crew member keeps his eye on it and points towards it till it is picked up, but taking care not to be hit by the boom. Helm turns to wind and start the engine. When the engine is started the jib is furled.  The boat approaches the buoy at right angles to the wind direction, aiming to arrive just upwind (not down wind as in a dinghy) slowing the motor and using reverse if necessary.  As the boat drifts toward the buoy it is picked up using a boat hook.
A real event involves throwing a lifebelt, either one attached to the boat, which avoids the need for the manouvre if the man overboard can grab it, or the one that signals by light and radio beacon its location, and therefore the approximate location of the man overboard. Meanwhile a crew member sends a distress message on the radio, first an automatic message by holding the button in for three seconds, and second giving the same information by reading out the information from the board behind (name of vessel etc) and the instrumentation (exact position) and the nature of the distress.

Coming into Berth.
Approaching the harbour requires local knowledge, whether to keep strictly to the channel or whether you can take shortcuts when the tide is high. The channel for Lymmington begins what seems like half way across the Solent. Poole harbour has a bridge that is only opened by request at half past each hour. Once the motor is started the topsail is furled and the main sail lowered.
Then the fenders are moved into position along the side from the stern where they have been for the journey. A length of rope is loosely tied to the shroud near the centre of the boat, run to the Fairlight at the front, and then secured to the cleat using an OXO knot, round once, two diagonals and round again.  A second rope is similarly prepared at the stern end. As the boat comes in, two crew members untie the end from the shroud, step outside the rail, holding the shroud and facing into the boat. As soon as they can they step backward onto the berth and secure the rope around the cleat on the berth, simply holding it tight until they tie a knot. After this a further line is attached at the middle, but I will have to learn that next time.

Visitors' Berths.
When visiting a harbour, there may be limited space for visitors, so boats will come alongside the ones already there, and tie on to them. Unless your boat is shorter which makes it problematical, a second set of lines will pass round the first boat to reach the shore. You have to walk over the first boat to reach the jetty, and etiquette demands that you walk across their bow, never across their cabin.  At Lymmington we were the third of four, so we needed to negotiate with the fourth boat to accommodate our early start.

A Good Start.
It takes a five day course, or three two day courses to achieve the competent crew qualification. There is still much to learn, but this has been a good start. A big thank you to my colleagues you bought this taste yachting experience for me on my retirement.

Thomas Cromwell Tracy Borman

This is a very fine history book. It is well researched, and very readable. It paints an honest picture, allowing the reader to make their own judgment on the man.
Thomas Cromwell. What a man. Certainly a man of ability whom Henry VIII described as 'the most faithful servant he had ever had.' Born in obscurity his hard work and ability raised him to Royal favour, to become the most powerful man in England after the King.
He reshaped the country, making Parliament more prominent, engineered the break with Rome, released the wealth of the monasteries for the benefit of the country, and placed a Bible in English in every parish in the land. A hero of the reformation.
For our generation, brought up on the film 'A Man for All Seasons' and a sympathetic Jean Plaidy novel of Sir Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell was the enemy, a scoundrel without principles and ruthless villain.  Hilary Mantel with her 'Wolf Hall' novels and TV adaptation have given us a new equally biased perspective, and Tracy Borman's book presents the facts as they are available to us, and an opportunity to make up our own mind.
The book is clear and well written. It does not zip along like a novel, and takes a bit more commitment than a well written historical novel. Two factors contribute to this; the quotations from source documents that are necessarily of a different style; and the retention of original spellings which require a little more concentration to follow; but the book is certainly the richer for that. I did not, as is sometimes the case, lose momentum and break off to read another book before finishing it.
There are two sets of pages with colour pictures of some of the main characters, which adds to the experience of the book.
My own opinion, having read the book, is that Cromwell was not a hero of the reformation, but paved the way for it. Where religious belief was heading at his death was very finely balanced, and what he did was possibly for more pragmatic reasons.
It was he that arranged for Ann Boleyn's death on largely false charges, and for Margaret Pole's death by Act of Attainder without any trial, which subsequently did for him. It seems he helped to create the bloody times he was part of. It is sad that a lawyer should have eroded individual civil liberties, but that is observed from the luxury of the present day.
It is clear that Cromwell inspired great loyalty from his friends, and Thomas Wyatt, poet and courtier, Ralph Sadler, trustworthy helper and able administrator, stand out as faithful friends who continued to enjoy Royal favour long after Cromwell disappereard from the scene.

The Hepworth

We greatly enjoyed our visit to The Hepworth  in Wakefield.
As you cross the footbridge from the car park, the building looks stark austere and angular, made of large blocks of concrete, not broken up by many windows at all.
Once inside this impression is reversed. The galleries are laid out in a fan shape, and many have large windows, providing a light airy exhibition space, and affording marvelous views over the river Calder and its weir.  The building stands on a curve in the river, and so has river on three sides.
The exhibition space is all on the first floor, reached by stairs or lift, while all the facilities - reception, cloakroom, toilets, shop and cafe are on the ground floor.
We were particularly pleased to visit the temporary exhibition while Kettle's Yard in Cambridge is being renovated. We enjoyed our visit there, and were pleased to see again some of the exhibits we had seen before. The statues of Henri Gaudier-Brzeska had passed me by before, but this time I was drawn to their angular lines, and by contrast, a very flowing delicate figure of a dancer.
One temporary exhibition was of the painter Stanley Spencer, and a further one showed many smaller drawings and doodles by David Storey, better known for his novels, and like Hepworth hales from Wakefield.
As you would expect, there were a good few statues, including some by Barbara Hepworth and by Henry Moore.  They met at the Leeds School of Art where they both studied, and later they both studied in London at the Royal College of Art. In some ways their styles are quite similar, but the exhibition said that while Henry Moore was most known for his reclining figures, Barbara Hepworth is more associated with standing figures.
There are two galleries dedicated to Barbara Hepworth's work alone. One gave details of her career, her studios, her tools, her way of working, as well as stories about individual pieces. The other was a collection of models used to cast her pieces. Some of these were on a considerable scale, and the room was dominated by the model for Winged Figure, which stands on the side of the John Lweis building in London.
Our Tea and Cake at the cafe was very welcome, and next visit we will choose afternoon tea for two which was priced very reasonably at £15.00. As is often the way, the shop cost us more, but we have books and pictures to enjoy. Entry the the museum and all the exhibitions is free, and the car park cost £5.00.
We will certainly come again, and visit the nearby sculpture park as well.

Sounds and Sweet Airs

The Grade I listed Ullet Road Unitarian Church was a wonderful venue for the latest Liverpool Voice Concert on Friday.

Entitled "Sounds and Sweet Airs" a line from his play "The Tempest", the concert was a celebration of Shakespeare in the 400th anniversary of his death, together with a nod to two other anniversaries. Lesley Bentley, the Artistic Director, dedicated the concert at the start to the people of Nice who were caught up in the tragic events of the previous night.

The concert included some quite dramatic pieces. The most ancient was probably "The Agincourt Carol" a fifteenth century song which is features in the 1944 film of "Henry V" This had a distinct early music sound, quite different from much of the repertoire.

The Vaughan Williams Motet "Valiant for Truth" has been performed by the choir before, but this was the most crisp performance, capturing, for Pilgrim, that moment between life and death, where trumpets sounded for him on the other side.

Most dramatic of all was the powerful "Fanfare for Michaelmas Day" by Sidney Campbell. This sets part of Revelation 12 to music, and portrays the mighty battle in heaven between Michael and the Dragon.  It is spine tingling stuff.

Between each piece there was a short reading from Shakespeare's work by different members of the choir, often on a passage that had inspired the music about to be performed. Two longer passages were read not by choir members but by the church minister Philp Waldron, who proved to be quite a performer.

We enjoyed a performance by one choir member despite not understanding a word. Fede recited a poem from Don Quixote, and his son then provided the English translation. This was to mark the author, Cervantes, who like Shakespeare, died in April 1616.

The other anniversary being marked was the continuing 100 years since World War One. Erik Bichard sang two solos composed by authors who fought in the war. The programme included one other solo number, sang by Kim Ford. These, as most of the choir songs were accompanied by John McHugh on the piano.

Some of the music was by contemporaries of Shakespeare, "It was a lover and his lass" by Thomas Morley, and "Hey Ho, to the Greenwood" by William Byrd.  Others were modern songs from modern adaptations of his works.  This included "Tonight" from "West Side Story" by Bernstein, and "Perfect Day" by Lou Reed. "The Impossible Dream" was the song that followed the Don Quixote reading.

During the later rehearsals, the choir was encouraged to be less choral, some of songs needed to be more gospel, or more folk. Liverpool Voice is perhaps at its best with more choral works, and "Virga Jesse" by Anton Bruckner was an excellent expression of this.

Liverpool Voice rehearses on a Thursday night, and is available to sing at private events. The next events will be concerts at Christmas.

The Ullet Road Unitarian Church web site is Here
The Liverpool Voice Facebook page is Here

Ode to Mike

Ode to Mike
Recited by a colleague at my last day of work.

After 32 years of working, taking the pressure and at times being on the wire,
Mike has decided it's now his time to take it easy and just retire.

He's folded up his spreadsheets and packed away his data,
from now his catch phrase will be - I'll do it later!

He has done many a job in his time,
but scraping wax off the wick room floor was when he was at his prime.

His role as accountant for so many years
must have really, really bored him to tears

When Robert left after years of company devotion,
Mike sought his chance and gained that desired promotion.

Mike was elevated to his new post
company secretary a role that's mystery to most.

But Andrew and I know better than all,
his duty and diligence has protected the company from many a potential fall.

He's crossed the t's and dotted the i's, being a happy little soul,
Mike's filled his company secretary role.

We 3 have dealt with some serious stuff in the past,
but there are many happy memories of when we just had a blast.

Come sailing he said to Andrew and me,
you'll be safe, we are on a lake not out on open sea,

I had a vision of sipping wine on the deck,
but I was not the only one squashed into wet suit and left looking like a wreck.

On open water he taught us to jib, jibe and hoist up the main sail,
what my hair looked like at the end of the day, that's completely another tale!

It's not just sailing that Mike tends to like,
he's also keen to take to the roads on his bike.

I think it's a male thing and a lot of palarvour,
but him and Andrew get very competitive when comparing their strava!

We'll miss you Mike I am sure you know,
but need you to solve one final mystery before you go.

This bunch of keys you are responsible for and there's more than just a few,
have you, or any other company secretary over the last 130 years, any idea what they do?

As you are about to leave us now this week,
we want to say in axapta dimensional speak

Cand, wood, meta, wick and vest
Wish you Mike! health, happiness and all the very best!

Geneva 2015

In many ways the lake shore is the best part of Geneva. We walked from the Jet D'eau along the promenade, past boats and huts to the Jardin Anglais ferry stop, and then on the promenade beside the Jardin Anglais. We saw that there was a bandstand and a cafe, but generally kept to the promenade, with the jetties for the longer boat trips.

The river Rhone leaves the lake at this point,  and we walked across the Pont du Mont Blanc, from which the mountain peak can be seen on a clear day. We might have crossed under the bridge and continued on the promenade crossing on the next bridge. This route is lit up at night by a string of lights on the hotel fronts. This second bridge, the Pont du Berries, has access to the Isle de Roussau an area of seating and decking we will explore next time we visit.

Across the Pont du Mont Blanc, toward the west, is the tourist information office, and the Gare de Routiere, where we caught the bus to Annecy. Further still, not anywhere we walked to, is the railway station, Gare de Cornavin,  and beyond that the airport. The promenade continues past Paquis,  which is where there is a jetty leading to a lighthouse, opposite the Jet D'eau.  Part way along, are baths in the lake,  with changing rooms, lifeguard and a café. There was no-one swimming early evening when we were there in April, but plenty of folk at the cafe or sunbathing on the jetty.

Further along to the north are the botanical gardens, which we loved. There is a great variety of plants, well labelled, some animals, and a café up a slight hill, affording a good view of the lake. We enjoyed our beer and fruit tart sitting outside the café in the sunshine. Behind the gardens are the United Nations building,  and park, which we did not visit. 

Up the hill behind the Jardin Anglais is the old town and St Peters cathedral. Before the hill are two roads, Rue de Rhone and Rue de Rive on which all the trams run between Bel-air, by the Rhone, and Rive and Place de Eaux-vives, which is where the more residential area begins.  Here there are shops, some affordable most not, and banks, and squares and cafés.  As we walked up the hill to the old town, we chose some good roads but missed other sights, including the Morlard tower, which we will have to climb next time.

The centre of the old town is the Place du Bourg de Four, perfect for sitting outside the cafés and drinking tea. We were pleased to find a café that served both both Assam and Darjeeling tea, and also had a view of the Jet D'eau.  Next to the square, but a little higher is the Cathedral, with good views over the city and lake from the towers, the archaeological museum, and the museum of the reformation. Next to the square on the other side, across a footbridge high over the main road below is the Museum of Art & History.

Around the Cathedral in other directions are various streets with interesting corners shops churches and cafés, all worth exploring, although some streets were quite steep. We made our way down to the Rue de Corraterie, where we enjoyed cake and coffee at one of the cafés there.

Further South from the old town is the Place du Neuve, Plainpalais,  and Carouges. We visited Plainpalais first, a big diamond shaped square which housed a market, a circus and a funfare. The day we were there the market was more bric-a-brac than antique. We walked down some streets and found a bookshop,  called 'au Chien Bleu' with many children's books, which was impressively busy. We also saw a memorial to the French residents and Swiss volunteers who died in World War One. 

This took us to the Parc de Bastion,  which we walked through past the Reformation Wall. This monument has ten oversize statues of important figures in the reformation.  We walked past a grand conservatory style café, and the corner with about ten large open air chess boards, to arrive at the Place du Neuve, which has the opera house on the other side. after a cake and coffee at the café de Corraterie,  we took a tram out to Carouges.

Carouges is further south, across the river L'Arve, a tributary of the Rhone. It was settled by Italians from Savoy, and has a more Mediterranean feel. We got the tram to the Place de Rondeau, and retraced the route along Rue D' anciennes, enjoying the squares, the quirky shops, and the general atmosphere. This was our first day, and we loved the relaxed atmosphere after the busyness of the travelling to the hotel from the airport.

What I learned from my trip to Geneva

This is what I learned from my trip to Geneva.

Arriving at Liverpool Airport one hour before the flight time is OK, but is probably cutting it a little too fine. I might aim for 90 minutes next time. We were just through security and buying a pastry when we heard the final call. It was probably more relaxed for there only being a handful of passengers. We were blissfully unaware of the possibility that the French air traffic controllers might be on strike and cause our flight to be cancelled, but that probably accounted for why our flight was so light on passengers.

Goodbye toothpaste. Buy 75 or 100ml of toothepaste next time. The 125ml went in the bin. Ho Hum.

EasyJet plus (whatever that is) allows a hand (shoulder) bag as well as a cabin bag, but standard fare does not. We had to pack our smaller bags and their contents into the cabin bags, which was quite a squash.  This was enforced even though most of the seats and cabin space was free.

Geneva is in Switzerland, where they use Swiss Francs CHF, not Euros, so my prepaid Mastercard in euros was a bit of a waste of time. It was easy enough to draw out CHF from the ATM at the airport, and we did draw out and use euro when we went to Annecy in France. We also used Euro in Geneva. Shops accept Euro notes, and give the change in Swiss Francs. It is very easy since the last revaluation of  Swiss Francs, as they use an exchange rate if one to one.

It is worth studying a destination airport plan before arriving. We found a plan after we walked past a large number of shops to the station, and so proceeded to retrace our steps to near where we started, We were still baffled, as we were looking one floor too low, so we asked, and it was all quite easy really.  The trams in Geneva are very good, and frequent, and free to tourists. We were clued up to get an 80 minute ticket for free at the baggage reclaim hall before getting our one for the duration from the hotel.

Always put the bag down on a spare chair, or on  the ground.  Never hang it over the back of a chair. If you sit down in a restaurant on a chair that is not there, but has toppled over backwards, you feel quite silly.

A good breakfast is better than a big breakfast. Unlimited amounts of cereal, cooked breakfast, toast, croissant with jam, coffee and pastries at the hotel may sound good, but our breakfast at 'le pain quotien' was much more tasty.

If you forget to check in before hand, it is too late to check in on line when you are at the airport, so there is no point in tangling with the airport wi-fi.  It actually worked very well for us. Whether because we had no hold luggage, or on account of Ann's walking stick, we got waved toward the short priority queue, rather than the fearsomely long one. It then got better, as they took our cabin bags into the hold at no extra cost.  It was a much better experience than the outward flight.

Ingleborough

Yesterday I did my first trip up Ingleborough. Having visited High Bentham a few times, seeing the peak so close and enticing made it a very alluring goal.  I parked in the car park by the library in Ingleton, and bought a map and a scarf and some lunch, and made my way up on the bridleway that starts just outside the village on the road to Hawes.

On the way up, turning back to admire the view

A little higher, a little bit more to see

One o'clock, and a sheltered spot with a great view to eat my Fellsman Pie

The view North, to Whernside, one of the three peaks

The Snow was not new, and was quite grubby in places

The View to the Northeast, to Simon Fell

A view to the East, towards Pen-y-Ghent, one of the three peaks

A view to the South, of Little Ingleborough

Is it better to take a Selfie with a hat.....

... or without a hat?

A View of the peak on the journey down

A nice chocolate and banana muffin, eaten on the way down at the same spot as lunch on the way up.

Half Past two and the Sun starts to break through

A last admiring view of the peak on the way down

A zig zag River valley

November 14 Arts Cafe

The latest in the series of Arts Cafe Evenings hosted by Liverpool Voice at Sefton Park Cricket Club was an outstanding success last night.

Such is the reputation that these evenings have generated in the past that there was a packed audience, so much so that the bar staff asked people to bring their empties to the bar as there was little room for them to move between the tables to collect them.

The choir kicked off the evening singing "Wassail" a mid-winter song celebrating the apple tree in expectation of good cider next year, before moving on to the popular song "Moon River". The choir returned at intervals throughout the evening, but there was rich fare from individual choir members, ensembles or friends of the choir.

Chris Keogh, whose brother Sean sings tenor in the choir, is a talented pianist, and entertained us well, first with a beautiful piece by Ravel, and then a piece of his own composition. We very much enjoyed the fruits of his study at Aberdeen university. Later his brother Sean sat at the keyboard and sang a song of his own composition, and a Christmas song by the Chieftains. A versatile singer, very different style to what we sing in the choir.

Brenda Connor, who sings alto in the choir sang two jazz numbers, which were well received. Also outstanding was the piano accompaniment, by John McHugh, who also accompanied the choir throughout the evening. 

Erik Bichard sang a setting of Houseman's poem 'A Shropshire Lad' by Butterworth, and later in the evening he was joined by Denise Owen as they sang a duet from a Mozart opera. Sung in German, and very beautiful.

We were joined by friends from Widnes and Warrington, Chris and Cath, who came with 12 string guitar and Ukulele, and sang numbers in both halves of the evening, including the 1964 song "Where have all the flowers gone" by Pete Seeger. 

Liverpool Voice performs some classical repertoire, and "Hodie" by Sweelinck, a sixteenth century composer, showcased some of this.  It also introduced the Christmas theme, which was followed up by "Carol of the Bells" before the break brought an opportunity for the audience to refresh their glasses at the bar.

The lighter side of the repertoire resumed after the break with a beautiful setting of "Over the Rainbow" followed by a new one for the choir "Unforgettable"

Toward the end the pre Christmas atmosphere returned with a round "Christmas Eve in the Old Town House" sung by a group comprising choir members and one of their mothers. It is rare to have an evening without something by John Rutter, and his arrangement of Silent Night preceded the final number, which was a Christmas Medley, joined by Chris and Cath, and two choir members playing the flute, and various members of choir and audience playing bells during "Winter Wonderland" "Jingle Bells" and other well known songs.  During this John McHugh vacated the keyboard seat to play bass guitar, while Lesley Bentley, musical director and conductor led from the keyboard.

Lesley deserves special mention not only for the high standard of performance achieved by the choir, but also the welcoming atmosphere she creates introducing each performer.

Very often Liverpool Voice finish their evenings with "Keep you in Peace" but this time it was displaced as members of the audience requested a repeat of "Moon River". Very nice too.

Watch out for the next Arts Cafe evening, probably toward the end of March, and try and get to "Joy to the World - An evening of Christmas Songs and Audience Carols" at Mossley Hill Parish Church on Thursday 11th December at 7.30pm.

The Laindons, Hastings

Jon and Sara made us feel welcome, and we felt very much at home during our 5 day stay at the Laindons this November.
The accommodation is tastefully decorated, with a fishing or nautical theme, giving a relaxed and uncluttered feel throughout.The room was clean light airy warm and spacious. The bed was very comfortable and the en-suite with shower very adequate.
The location is ideal. Hastings Old Town has the feel of a village, nestling between West and East Hill, away from the busyness of the new town beyond West Hill. There are many cafes, pubs, restaurants, a myriad of shops, quirky and independent, and lots of antiques. Mostly they are on George Street, on the sea front, and at that end of the High Street. The Laindons stands part way along the High Street, where the shops start to give way to the quite old and picturesque residential end. The traffic is minimal, and there is a cut through to a car park with free overnight parking.
Breakfast is a fine affair, home made muesli with yoghurt and home made fruit compote, with Bircher muesli or grapefruit as alternatives. A limited choice, but I would not choose anything different. The full English breakfast was excellent, as was the smoked haddock and Blueberry pancake options. The apple and pear juice was sourced from a local farm, though I did miss options for orange a grapefruit.  A Dualit toaster was on-hand to make your own toast from the delicious home made bread, very soft, yet easy to cut, and very tasty, a true delight.
Breakfast was served in a first floor conservatory, with views looking out over East Hill. Next to the conservatory was the residents lounge, which we found to be very comfortable. There were books and games, and we played a few games of scrabble, and ate our fish and chips there one night.
Also in the evening, there are apples tangerines, and nuts with a nut cracker freely available, while outside the rooms there were crisps drinks and other refreshments for sale. In the room, each evening were two home made cake portions, wrapped for freshness, as well as a flask of fresh milk for the tea and coffee making in the room.
It is not ideal for disability. Ann needed assistance, an arm or walking stick, for the three steps up to the front door, and the stairs up to the first floor had a turn, and an outward opening door at the top. The stairs up to our room were OK, but we will ask for one of the two first floor rooms next time.
All of Hastings Old town are within easy walking distance. We enjoyed our anniversary meal at The First In Last out pub and ate twice at the excellent Cafe Maroc, both less than 100 yards walk.  We also enjoyed Hanushka Coffee Bar during the day.

Gargoyle

Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson is a story of love and loyalty, and a great read.

We never find out the protagonist's name. He refers to himself on occasions as the Gargoyle, on account of the severe burns he received a a result of a road accident.  We meet him in hospital as he alternates between telling us of the accident and his treatment, and from an earlier timeline, of his childhood and life before the accident. The dual timeline is a taste of what is to come.

Other than an ability for vivid description and a certain intellectual honesty, he has no virtue about him. He used to spend his days acting in and producing porn movies, he was drinking whisky and had taken drugs when he drove off the road, and spends his time planning how he will commit suicide once he is discharged from the watchful eye of the hospital staff. You may well be tempted to cease reading such bleak and objectionable material, but it is worth persevering with the book.

Somehow, the hospital staff fail to stop a patient from a psychiatric ward slipping into the burns ward, and the enigma that is Marianne Engel comes into his life. Oddball and eccentric, claiming to have been brought up in a convent in Engelthal the early 14th century, and accountable to three masters, the staff let her continue to visit as he has no other friends or family.The relationship grows and eventually the hospital staff agree that he can live with her on his discharge from hospital.

He also wins the respect and friendship of the doctor and the physiotherapist who are treating him, the psychologist who is not. He borrows psychology text books in his quest to diagnose Marianne Engel. Even as the relationship grows, it is always Marianne Engel, never Marianne.  Her story grows more fanciful; he also lived in the 14th century, and arrived needing treatment for burns at Engelthal, and their earlier relationship begins.  We get two developing love stories, in two different time lines.

Marianne Engel also tells him four other stories, which lay seeds for how the main story will develop. Some of these are the most inspiring and powerful stories, truly remarkable, and would do credit to any short story collection. Even as you wonder how the book will end, we know from these that it is a story of love and loyalty.

In both timelines, 14th century and present day, the suspense builds, and it becomes quite a page turner.  After a while we stop questioning how they can have known each other in medieval Germany, and just get drawn in to the story, as does the Gargoyle himself.

When he comes off his dependency on morphine there is a bewildering experience borrowing from Dante's Inferno (just recently written in the earlier timeline) and characters from the four short stories. If it is easy to portray evil powerfully, but hard to portray good, then one section in this chapter proves Andrew Davidson to be a master.

There is something about the pace of the book that is very satisfying. There is adventure and thrill, there is gathering storm, but it is tempered in part by each story being interrupted by the other, and part by the central puzzle. Do we believe Marianne Engel's story? What is the nature of belief and faith? The Gargoyle puzzles these issues throughout the book, but ultimately the story is not one of faith, but of love.

Greenbank Park

Pictures of Greenbank Park Liverpool on a bright Autumn Morning

Paul Klee

Ann and I went to see the Paul Klee exhibition at the Tate Modern on our anniversary weekend.  On Saturday we visited the market at Portobello Road, and on Sunday we saw the exhibition before having  lunch with some oaf the family.
Before we ever got to London I learnt that I liked the paintings  of August Macke. Of the paintings on the web there were very few I did not really like, bright and colourful, with broad blocks of colour, much like some of Klee's. They travelled together with another friend to Tunisia in 1914, which was very significant for Klee in gaining confidence  in using colour. Sadly Macke never saw his thirtieth birthday, as he died in the first world war. Later Klee also fought for Germany, but unbeknown to him, by that time the army were putting artists in less dangerous posts.
At the exhibition  the first noticeable thing was how small many of the paintings  were. There was often an immense amount of detail, in quite a small area.  The paintings repaid a close examination, but it was a mistake not to also view them from a distance.
We have one Klee print at home, and while I now know that he painted in many more styles, I still think of different size blocks of colour as being his signature style. What surprised me was that he developed this style quite early in his career, and continued to use it alongside other techniques. One particlar painting like this from mid way through the chronological exhibition absorbed our attention for a good while while Ann and I sat together discussing it. It was amazing how so apparently  simple painting had so much that repaid careful observation.
Whereas our print was watercolour where the blocks of colour ran into each other at points, this was different for having bold lines separating the blocks. I thought line was a major feature of many of the paintings. This was especially apparent in some paintings comprising primarily of blocks, where a few isolated angled lines conveyed the sense of a building.
Drafted in 2014 but not published until 2018.