Month: April 2015

North Norfolk Walk (Part 1)

On Easter Sunday, enabled by the fact that I was staying with my parents overnight rather than returning to King’s Lynn we decided to do a walk recommended in The Times, and have our main meal in the evening. Here for reference is what they provided:

Walk 001

Sheringham Park, where the walk starts and finishes, is a National Trust property, and as such as is very informatively signposted. Here are the information boards from the start of the walk…

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Straight after these was an interesting tree…

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After this, we passed a turn off to The Bower, with a story board, and then walked through woods for a while…

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This clump of flowers was hard to do full justice to because the flowers themselves do not have a lot of colour.
This clump of flowers was hard to do full justice to because the flowers themselves do not have a lot of colour.

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The sign that we had reached the end of the wooded section - horses grazing in an open field.
The sign that we had reached the end of the wooded section – horses grazing in an open field.

Just in to the open section came Weybourne, and a chance to watch the North Norfolk Railway in action, which I have already covered in detail here and therefore will skip over.

I will leave you for the moment with some glimpses of the village of Weybourne, before covering the rest of the walk in another post later…

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The North Norfolk Railway.

Yesterday, because I was staying over with my parents rather than trying to travel back to Lynn on Easter Sunday, we were able to have our main meal in the evening, which in turn meant that we could do a proper walk in the day. The Times had a feature advertising a number of good walks, one of which happens to be in Norfolk…

Walk 001I will be doing a post about the whole walk with a link back to this post later, but for the moment I will focus on the star attraction of the walk, a chance to look at the North Norfolk Railway in full flow. Our first glimpses of what was in store were these…

?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ??????????We arrived in the vicinity of Weybourne Station at about 1PM and discovered that two trains (one in each direction) were expected within the next ten minutes. Naturally therefore we waited, and in preparation for the main event I gathered some photographs at the station…

?????????? ?????????? DSCN3180 ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ??????????The trains themselves did not disappoint. As a fan of Edward Marston I could picture Colbeck and Leeming emerging from one of the carriages to investigate one of their cases! Having got some excellent shots from platform level, we watched the second train leave from the bridge across the line…

?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? DSCN3203 ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? At this point we left the station to continue our walk, but there were a couple more blasts from the past to come. First, one hour after leaving the station we witnessed this…

??????????Finally, because my mother had bought a heavy book, we called back at Weybourne on our way home to pick it up, and I got some pictures from the car park…

?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? I will conclude by thanking the volunteers who run this wonderful glimpse back into our past and reminding you that in due course I shall be blogging about the walk as a whole.

The Last of the April Imaging and Some Cool Links

Because yesterday was a public holiday the bus company were running a Sunday service, and because yesterday was a Friday it was a working day for me. Therefore, I got the first bus of the morning (the 9:25) to Fakenham and was able, all the essential work having been accomplished, to get home on the 15:35. Before I move on to details of the imaging I was doing, I have a fabulous selection of links for you to follow.

LINKS

http://tomdlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/a-radical-and-practical-proposal-to.html?spref=tw

http://www.nhsforsale.info/#

http://www.nhsforsale.info/share#prettyPhoto

http://linkis.com/wordpress.com/DIOYq

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBnIQZ9WIAER4l1.png

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBnMSxWXIAEICpX.png

https://twitter.com/FHUKPolitics/status/583740340865105921/photo/1

http://www.blog.rippedoffbritons.com/2012/02/why-we-should-be-business-friendly-and.html?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBpIl6hVIAEJVZf.png

https://o.twimg.com/2/proxy.jpg?t=HBh3aHR0cDovL21lZGlhLnNuYXBweXR2LmNvbS9pbWFnZS9sZDM2MHAvODg0cDg4NC8yMDE1LTA0LTAyVDIwLTE2LTMwLjc2N1otLTY0MHgzNjAuanBnP2g9YmFjMTU4ZGI4Yzc0YzZkYThlYWU3NGFiYTdhODk2OGYUwAcUnAQAFgASAA&s=m1I_nwZbKTeS_rYUKHFmHvp3ynwe8mGT8Rs_O7_ZVGA Natalie Bennett gives David Cameron an epic tell off.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBnOaECUgAAv0WY.png

http://london.autismshow.co.uk/whats/autism-matters-theatre/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/general-election-tv-debates-a-battleground-for-david-cameron-and-ed-miliband-but-poll-declares-snp-leader-nicola-sturgeon-the-winner-10153574.html

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote The site you need to visit if you have not yet registered to vote.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/02/how-should-we-illustrate-mental-health?CMP=share_btn_tw An excellent article about portrayal of mental health.

https://rosslydall.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/response_ealing_midwives_final_15-02-12.pdf An example of impenetrable English.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIrIafHhwEw&feature=youtu.be A talk given by the philosopher Daniel Dennett

https://www.facebook.com/GARRYBURGE.AS/posts/905120682883248 An excellent idea for improving the support available to autistic kids in Australian schools (I reckon we could use it in this country as well).

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBnTTPlW0AAa9xA.jpg

http://blog.autism-mom.com/2015/04/autism-awareness-day-interview/ An inspiring interview of one of my favourite bloggers.

http://www.labour.org.uk/w/why-im-voting-labour/public/nhs/zhc/ This is the link to my personalised graphic for why I am voting Labour.

JAMES AND SONS

There were just the three of us at James and Sons yesterday, me and my colleagues Chris and Andrew. The two most senior members of staff were at a collectors fair. I had some bulky stamp lots and a couple of pictures to image first up, and then got the really fiddly stuff (old car logbooks and collections of bookmarks) to image later.

I started with the pictures because I wanted to get them stowed out of harm’s way quickly. Pictures, especially if they have a protective covering of glass, can be tough to image, but I reckoned these two came out OK…

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The stamp lots were not especially inspiring, but there is one that I think worth sharing…

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Just for completeness sake here is a single example of a logbook lot…

This is a composite image showing both sides of the logbooks
This is a composite image showing both sides of the logbooks
These two are the individual images that combined to make the other.
These two are the individual images that combined to make the other.

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I have no idea how much collections of bookmarks will make at auction, but they were fun (if a bit fiddly) to image, and there were many that appealed to me (given my tastes there would have been a big problem had it been otherwise!)…

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I will end this post, as day two of the Classic FM Hall of Fame begins, with my personalised “Why I am voting Labour” graphic…

safe_image

A Frantic Day’s Imaging

Before getting to the main meat of my post, as usual I have some links to share with you. So…

LINKS

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/amazon_corridor_dn_c/?bYDPLib&v=56336 This is a VERY IMPORTANT petition.

http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2015/04/02/are-zero-hours-employers-committing-electoral-fraud/ Rumours have reached Mike Sivier that some of the unscrupulous bosses who use zero hours contracts have been threatening those on such contracts with dismissal if they dare to vote for anyone other than the conservatives. If these rumours are true, they are prima facie evidence of criminal activity.

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/electoral-fraud/preventing-and-reporting-electoral-fraud This is the website to visit if you suspect someone on electoral fraud.

http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2015/04/02/economists-agree-austerity-is-bad-for-you/ Mike Sivier acts as a conduit to…

http://mainlymacro.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/economists-vs-business-leaders.html This very interesting post from a professional economist.

https://www.change.org/p/politicians-ian-duncan-smith-come-clean-about-cuts-affecting-disabled-people?utm_campaign=fb_dialog&utm_medium=email&utm_source=signature_receipt&post_id=1319562568_10206450022592245#_=_Not only this is a very important petition, signing it will also help to clog up IDS’s email inbox!

https://tompride.wordpress.com/2015/04/02/ceo-accuses-tories-of-using-his-name-in-business-letter-without-his-permission/ Hot off the press – more bad news for the Tories re yesterday’s infamous letter.

Before moving on to today at work here are some pictures that will feature in the printed catalogues…

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This one, unusualyy is not 100% my work - it is my photography but my colleague Andrew's editing.
This one, unusualyy is not 100% my work – it is my photography but my colleague Andrew’s editing.

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IMAGING

A combination of factors made today a bit of a tough day, but at the end of it I had accomplished a good deal, and had imaged some very interesting items. By the end of tomorrow the imaging for April’s auction should be complete. Meantime, here is a selection of interesting images from today…

?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ??????????As I was inserting these pictures, I got details of a small victory for the Living Wage Campaign, more info at: http://leftfootforward.org/2015/04/a-victory-for-the-living-wage-campaign/

Tory HQ in Massive Blunder (Again)

Before I get to my own stuff I have a plethora of wonderful links to share with you.

LINKS

http://www.advicenow.org.uk/

http://www.autismdailynewscast.com/press-release-minister-bergen-addresses-autism-leadership-summit-highlights-harper-government-support-canadians-living-autism-spectrum-disorders/25314/pressrelease/

https://www.change.org/p/rt-hon-david-cameron-mp-please-listen-to-the-attached-recording-of-my-father-93-years-old-blind-and-deaf-who-fought-for-our-country-so-that-his-unbeliveable-gut-wrenching-avoidable-agony-will-not-have-been-in-vain?utm_campaign=fb_dialog&utm_medium=email&utm_source=signature_receipt&post_id=1319562568_10206441204731804#_=_

https://mnosal49.wordpress.com/2014/04/04/autism-awareness-should-be-about-action-not-reaction/

https://saritsa.wordpress.com/ A very interesting Indian site.

https://tompride.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/londons-fire-engines-are-now-owned-by-one-man-an-old-etonian/

http://www.vox.com/2015/3/31/8322545/visit-indy-lgbt-rfra

https://www.change.org/p/parliament-prime-minister-chancellor-mps-introduce-a-windfall-tax-on-banks? recruiter=102059100&utm_campaign=signature_receipt_twitter_dialog&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=share_petition

http://paper.li/AspieTravel/1307413001?edition_id=bdf2dfd0-d858-11e4-ae26-0cc47a0d1605

https://fullfact.org/

http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2015/04/01/heres-a-multi-signature-letter-that-deserves-much-more-exposure/

http://www.brockpress.com/2015/03/undermining-and-over-mining-the-antarctic-food-pyramid-333/

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/04/01/nick-clegg-will-lose-sheffield-hallam-suggests-poll_n_6983612.html?1427887814&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067

http://www.votebooster.org/

http://act.nhscampaign.org/lobby/6

http://www.londonlive.co.uk/news/2015-04-01/last-ditch-effort-to-save-waltham-forest-disability-centre Two of the people who run this centre talk about it in a must-watch clip.

http://scvincent.com/2015/03/31/more-than-best-friends/

https://sdbast.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/the-tories-are-the-party-of-benefit-scroungers/

https://theyhavewidescreentvs.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/the-tories-are-the-party-of-benefit-scroungers/

http://politicalscrapbook.net/2015/04/telegraph-business-leaders-letter-samantha-cameron-friends/ A minor contribution to the discussion of that letter.

http://faradayscandle.com/2015/03/31/thriving-in-extremes/ A very interesting piece about micro-organisms that flourish in sometimes very extreme conditions. A shining example of the gems that can be discovered via twitter

http://pro.psychcentral.com/mentally-ill-and-locked-up-prisons-versus-inpatient-wards-for-psychiatric-patients/007210.html

http://leftfootforward.org/2015/04/quentin-lettss-class-war-on-hampstead-left-hides-the-mails-real-hypocrisy/

 THE LETTER

This morning a letter was printed on the front of the Daily Telegraph. Appended to a few lines of body text about why they would be voting conservative were the names of 100 business leaders. Even if this had been entirely genuine, it would have been no more convincing than a letter to the Daily Mirror signed by 100 prominent trade unionists explaining why they were voting labour. However, it was not very long before it was discovered that the letter had been drafted in Tory HQ, and that a sizeable portion of the signatories were already known Tories, in some cases even Tory peers. As the day progressed, this was compounded by somebody noting the presence in that list of a 100 of a number of Mrs Cameron’s cronies (yes, they really are that stupid/ arrogant).

Various people made suggestions through the day about other selections of 100 people with a linked trait who could sign a letter about why they were voting labour (disabled people, and food bank users were two suggestions).

This letter was intended to boost the Tories and harm Labour, but I suspect that like the now legendary “Road to Recovery” poster that started the year its effect will be the reverse. The letter (unsurprisingly since it came from Tory HQ) was riddled with factual inaccuracies, as well as the problems already documented with the so-called signatories. It started out as a non-story given ridiculous air-time (“100 rich b**t**ds are going to vote Tory”) and un-ravelled from there.

Frankly, the use of this kind of tactic suggests desperation. To end this little section I have a couple more links to analyses of this story…

http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2015/04/01/why-we-should-all-ignore-that-letter-in-the-telegraph/

http://leftfootforward.org/2015/04/revealed-the-fat-cat-pay-packets-of-the-100-tory-supporting-bosses/

Now for some pictures…

The first three pictures were taken through the window of a moving bus.
The first three pictures were taken through the window of a moving bus.

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four birds in the picture, each of a different species.
four birds in the picture, each of a different species.

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The Red Mount Chapel
The Red Mount Chapel
A close-up of some brickwork, Red Mount Chapel
A close-up of some brickwork, Red Mount Chapel
The Vancouver Garden viewed from near the Red Mount Chapel
The Vancouver Garden viewed from near the Red Mount Chapel

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These tiny ducklings may have been out on their first ever swim.
These tiny ducklings may have been out on their first ever swim.

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The most famous facade in King's Lynn.
The most famous facade in King’s Lynn.

I hope that you have enjoyed this and I encourage you to share it widely.