The Croft-Yates Wedding

A personal account of the wedding party for Rob and Olivia Yates, with lots of quality pics. Also, some important links at the end.

INTRODUCTION

I will start with a word of warning: this is going to be a very long post, as there is a lot to talk about and I have some fabulous pictures to share with you. Olivia Croft (now Yates) is a cousin of mine, which is why I was there.

THE PRELIMINARIES

Needing to arrive at Kegworth early enough for those who would be at the ceremony itself to travel on to Loughborough and arrive by 12 meant an early start. I was not at the ceremony and was assigned another task along with my nephew Zachary, which I have already written about in a previous post. After a schemozzle over room bookings, which worked out to my benefit since I ended up with a room to myself (they had messed up, so we got the extra room we needed at no further cost) it was time to deposit our bags in the rooms and make the short walk to the house where the party was taking place, next door to the Kegworth museum.

THE PARTY

Arriving at the venue the first arresting sight was a 1950s vintage Morris…

The Morris in all its glory
The Morris in all its glory
A very old style AA badge - this close up shot was gained much later than the shot of the car.
A very old style AA badge – this close up shot was gained much later than the shot of the car.

This is the time, before going on to the party itself to introduce my feature image, a montage of some of the many pictures I took through the day…

FB Montage

There was a Pimm’s table for those whose tastes run in that direction, although I ignored that and was then delighted to located cask beer (four kegs, each different). I went for something called Blue Monkey Infinity and it was delicious. There was a barbecue lunch which was excellent. It is now time for a brief diversion to…

THE FISH POND

The fish pond was quite simply magnificent, with a stunning variety of fish and an excellent rock garden…

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PUNCH AND JUDY

At 4PM there was a Punch and Judy puppet show. I watched it all and got some good pictures. It seemed to appeal to its target audience, the children, but I was unimpressed to say the least…

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OUTDOOR MUSIC

Early on in the day there was some live music outside in the sun, and helped to be the volume not being too ridiculously amped up it was actually quite pleasant from a distance…

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THE SPEECHES

The speeches took place in the same area as the Punch and Judy, and with the exception of the opening salvo from Andy, the bride’s stepfather, none were particularly impressive…

The groom, who was also MC for the speeches.
The groom, who was also MC for the speeches.

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Andy, giving the first speech.
Andy, giving the first speech.

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The bride's sister, flanked by Evie (blonde) and Libby (darker)
The bride’s sister, flanked by Evie (blonde) and Libby (darker)

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The groom's father making his speech.
The groom’s father making his speech.

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The groom's brother at the mic.
The groom’s brother at the mic.

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The bride making her speech.
The bride making her speech.

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AN INTERLUDE – SOME GENERAL PICS

Before going on to mention the supper and my own departure from the event here are some pictures taken at various times through the day that don’t fit neatly into a particular section…

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Each table in the marquee had floral displays on them, one of which featured this sunflower.
Each table in the marquee had floral displays on them, one of which featured this sunflower.

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A full floral display.
A full floral display.
My cousin Richard and his fiancee Ida - they will soon be off to her native Sweden.
My cousin Richard and his fiancee Ida – they will soon be off to her native Sweden.

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Ida and Rachel, girlfriend of another of my cousins, Edward
Ida and Rachel, girlfriend of another of my cousins, Edward

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Me and Richard
Me and Richard

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Serious rain in the early evening.
Serious rain in the early evening.

SUPPER AND TAKING MY LEAVE

Supper was fish (or sausage in my case) and chips, and it was delicious (give what my uncle had apparently paid for the hire of the chip van for the evening so it jolly well ought to have been). While I was eating it in the shelter of the marquee, the evening’s entertainment were warming up, and that was sufficient to persuade me that as it was no longer suitable weather for being outside it was time to return, since there was no way I could cope with that kind of music at that volume and accompanied by strobe lighting at close quarters.

The cake, which I did not get to see being cut.
The cake, which I did not get to see being cut.
These last two pics are of the evening's entertainment making their preparations.
These last two pics are of the evening’s entertainment making their preparations.

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I had a fabulous day, and by departing early was able to keep the good memories untarnished. This concludes the main part of this post, but I also have some…

LINKS

My first set of links concerns…

CECIL THE LION

Lots of stuff about this case…

OTHER PETITIONS

I start this section by reminding readers of the change.org petition calling for a better gender balance in Parliament. Another reminder of a petition that I have been pushing for some time, Fiona Paddon’s via change.org calling for the NHS to provide tests for group B strep to prevent needless deaths of newborns. My next two are related, a call on BA to stop selling trips to seaworld and one from uk.whales calling on ABTA to enforce its own very tight guidelines. Still on the Cetacean theme, defenders.org have this plea on behalf of the Vaquita. Next and penultimate, another reminder, this time of the Sweets Way Campaign. Finally, I end this subsection by inviting all my readers to take part in a thunderclap on behalf of the Hen Harrier.

SCIENCE

I have several very interesting science pieces for you:

  1. A light start courtesy of Faraday’s Candle, whose latest offering is this one.
  2. Cosmos Up have this on red arcs on one of Saturn’s moons, Tethys.
  3. From Niume comes this on “Methane the Destroyer
  4. Finally, accompanied by some graphics to whet your appetite comes this magnificent youtube video on the evidence for evolution.
    Cetaceans skull Whales

GENERAL LINKS

The first link to appear in this section comes courtesy of a new find for me, suburbanprincessteacher who has produced this wonderful piece about school dress codes entitled “Newsflash: Girls Are Not Distractions“. Tax Research UK, often a source of good material have produced this on human rights versus trade deals. My next piece comes from unisonactive and is their take on the Trade Union Bill. My final link is to a quite wonderful response by a paramedic to news that New York fast food workers have won a minimum wage of $15 per hour.

AFTERWORD

I hope that you have all enjoyed this post and will be encouraged to share it. A final message for all who have made it to the end…

TY4

A Soupcon of Family History

An account of mission mixing photography with family history.

INTRODUCTION

This weekend just gone we were in Kegworth to attend the wedding of a cousin of ours (see future blog posts). A coincidence of the registry office not being big enough to accommodate everyone and a road in Kegworth bearing a rather curious name led to a mission to carry out some research…

THE BACK STORY

Dr Jeffares of Kegworth was sufficiently honoured in his own town that a street was named after him. Dr Jeffares’ Great Great Grandson is my nephew Zachary, present on this side of the world for once (he and his  mother live in Indonesia). Since neither Zac nor I were going to be at the ceremony itself, it seemed a good idea to get a picture of him and the street sign that bears his ancestor’s name…

LOCATING IT

Use of google maps turned up all the information necessary to find the road in question, especially as  we were booked into the Kegworth Hotel and Conference Centre, which as you will see is very close to the target…

The google street view showing me what I would be looking for.
The google street view showing me what I would be looking for.
The google map picture showing the location in detail.
The google map picture showing the location in detail.

THE PHOTOGRAPHS

Given our starting point of the Kegworth Hotel and Conference Centre, it was a very brief matter to locate the Jeffares Close sign. After discovering that I could not get a shot from the same side of the road as the sign I crossed and used the telescopic zoom lens on my Nikon Coolpix P530 to get pictures from long range…

JCZ JCZ2 JCZ3

This final pictures is customised for use as a featured image...
This final pictures is customised for use as a featured image…

Special Post: Belsize Park

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to this latest installment in my series “London Station by Station“. I do hope you will enjoy it and that some of you will be inspired to share it.

BELSIZE PARK

This station opened in 1907 as part of the original section of the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway, which was subsequently amalgamated with the City and South London Railway to form the Northern line. It is located on the Edgware branch, two stops beyond the bifurcation point of Camden Town and one stop south of Hampstead. Like its northerly neighbour it is very deep, and accessible from the street only by lift or staircase. Although it is shown on the maps as offering no interchanges, Gospel Oak on London Overground is walkable should one ever have reason to make such a change.

MURDER ON THE UNDERGROUND

This is the title of a book by 1930s crime writer Mavis Doriel Hay. The murder itself takes place on the stairs mentioned above, and all the action is set around this section of the northern line. Having just read the book I heartily recommend at and am looking forward to reading the other book of hers I have located at one of the libraries I patronise, Murder on the Cherwell, set in another place I have a more than passing acquaintance with, Oxford.

The front cover, showing a 1930s train (that shade of red was known because of its use at that time as "train red")
The front cover, showing a 1930s train (that shade of red was known because of its use at that time as “train red”)

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A diagram showing the layout of Belsize Park station that appears in the middle of the book.
A diagram showing the layout of Belsize Park station that appears in the middle of the book.

THE DIAGRAMMATIC HISTORY

Of course, no post in this series would be complete without an extract from London Underground: A Diagrammatic History, and here it is:

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England Take The Lead In 2015 Ashes

A bit about England’s magnificent win at Edgbaston, an infographic about an event being staged by Surrey, some quality links and infographics.

INTRODUCTION

I have some links and infographics as well as my main piece. I hope that you will enjoy this post and be encouraged to share it.

A THUMPING VICTORY

England responded to the battering they took at Lord’s in the best possible way, by storming to a three-day victory at Edgbaston to restore their lead in the series. Australia won by 405 runs at Lords, England by eight wickets here. I reckon this constitutes the most spectacular about turn in fortunes in successive ashes matches since 1965-66 when the teams traded innings victories in the second and third matches of the series.

Particularly welcome was the return to top form of Steven Finn who followed James Anderson’s first innings six-for with six wickets of his own the second. Among the scraps left by these two were enough wickets for Stuart Broad to reach 300 in tests. Ian Bell whose poor form had him in the last chance saloon with the last orders bell being sounded came up with two fifties in the match in front of his home crowd – and given the low scoring nature of the game these were easily worth centuries on a flat one.

An unfortunate injury means that for the fourth match at Trent Bridge England have the unenviable task of attempting to fill an Anderson shaped hole in their squad.

To finish this cricket related section, Surrey are putting on an event to celebrate women’s and girls cricket featuring current England captain Charlotte Edwards, head of ECB women’s cricket Clare Connor and being hosted by Surrey”s Director of women’s cricket Ebony Rainford-Brent…

Women's cricket

LINKS

My first set of links follow on from my last blog post and feature more on…

CECIL THE LION

First up an event that will probably remain unique in the history of aspiblog – a link to an article in the Daily Mail

Next, courtesy of Huffington Post, this piece by wildlife expert and occasional ballroom dancer Steve Backshall

Finally on this particular topic, this from The Age.

Lion

SCIENCE

Tonight is the second full moon in July – a rare event called a Blue Moon and best know for the cliche “once in a blue moon”. For a detailed account of the phenomenon check out this piece from discovery.com.

Next, courtesy of livescience come two dinosaur related links:

1)A new discovery of a dinosaur with an exceptional sense of smell

2)Photographs of remains of one of the largest animals ever to walk the earth.

Dinosaur bone

Ending this subsection on science, courtesy of bbc.co.uk, this piece about the Earth’s magnetic shield being older than previously thought.

ATHEISM

Just two connected pieces here:

1)A post on Patheos about an atheist suffering persecution

2)The original blog post that triggered the Patheos piece.

DISABILITY

Again, just two connected pieces:

1)An update on a change.org petition calling on Lego to positively represent disabled people

2)And a piece courtesy of themighty that connects to the above petition.

INFOGRAPHICS

I finish this post with two infographics, one from the Corbyn campaign and one on the subject of NHS pay…

Corbyn NHS

On Appreciating Nature

This post may be considered my personal response to the death of Cecil the lion.

INTRODUCTION

This post can be considered as my response to the tragedy involving Cecil the lion. Before getting into the main body of it I am once again going to share details (as I did in my previous post) of The Art of Autism’s calendar for 2016, currently being sold for $12. Full details can be seen on their own post on the subject, but I offer you this picture as extra inducement…

A picture to show you why as well as wishing to support the activity I am genuinely enthused by this calendar.
A picture to show you why as well as wishing to support the activity I am genuinely enthused by this calendar.

ON APPRECIATING NATURE

We are now in the main part of the post, which as well as what I am writing on my account will feature some photographic highlights relating to nature from the last few months, a variety of important links, and leading from here into the rest of the post my first essay in the craft of infographic creation…

Swan infographic

CECIL THE LION

Cecil, a 13 year-old lion who jointly controlled his pride with another lion called Jericho, was shot by a wealthy American who had paid $50,000 to have him lured out of the reserve in which he lived. Walter Palmer, the shooter, has a long and bloody history of such activities, including at least one felony conviction involving poaching. Cecil was a huge tourist attraction, and even from the purely monetary angle (not a viewpoint with which I identify) his death has cost far than the $50,000 that was paid to bring it about. Before moving on from this introduction I have a bunch of Cecil related links to share with you:

There seems little doubt that Mr Palmer’s activities, and those activities that were paid for with his blood money were in breach of Zimbabwean law, and as a staunch internationalist I would say that the American government has a duty to ensure that Mr Palmer gets appropriately punished, either by putting him on the next plane to Zimbabwe to be punished in the country where he committed the crime or by arranging for him to be tried, convicted and punished in America.

I would also like to see a blanket ban on “trophy hunting”, enforced with stringent penalties for those who breach it. Also, I have concentrated on the American, rather than the two Zimbabweans involved in the atrocity because it is the American who bears full responsibility – without his money the two Zimbabweans would have had no motive for their nefarious contact – Mr Palmer is guilty on his own account and has made criminals of the other two involved.

SOME PICTORIAL HIGHLIGHTS

This subsection is devoted the only kind of shooting I am interested in performing – that done with my trusty Nikon Coolpix P530. Yes I have recently acquired a set of five obsidian arrowheads – but that was purchased as on object of interest, not with any intention of using them as weapons!

The first two pictures are of an insect that was crawling on the window of an X8 bus in which I happened to  be a passenger.
The first two pictures are of an insect that was crawling on the window of an X8 bus in which I happened to be a passenger.

011

These two robins, enjoying the local park, formed the basis of my second ever pictorial thank you message.
These two robins, enjoying the local park, formed the basis of my second ever pictorial thank you message.
This lone robin was by the bandstand in the local park.
This lone robin was by the bandstand in the local park.

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A squirrel preparing for the main ascent!
A squirrel preparing for the main ascent!

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A Moorhen
A Moorhen

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A swimming gull, reflected back by the smooth water.
A swimming gull, reflected back by the smooth water.

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A moorhen showing a turn of speed
A moorhen showing a turn of speed
This one was standing on a submerged log
This one was standing on a submerged log
A cormorant - the first of many.
A cormorant – the first of many.

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Cormornant showing off its wingspan
Cormornant showing off its wingspan
Fully extended.
Fully extended.

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A cormorant on the structure that I named Cormorant Platform because they make so much use of it.
A cormorant on the structure that I named Cormorant Platform because they make so much use of it.
Swans in the parkland off Littleport Street
Swans in the parkland off Littleport Street

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Bunny enjoying the thick grass.
Bunny enjoying the thick grass.

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One of my ornithological alter egos - a magpie.
One of my ornithological alter egos – a magpie.
The only time I have ever got a really got shot of one of these white butterflies - they move seriously fast
The only time I have ever got a really got shot of one of these white butterflies – they move seriously fast

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A cormorant and black backed gull together.
A cormorant and black backed gull together.

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A cormorant in swimming mode.
A cormorant in swimming mode.
These were the first ducklings I saw in 2015.
These were the first ducklings I saw in 2015.
This crafty duckling had realised that it could use the lily pad as a kind of boat.
This crafty duckling had realised that it could use the lily pad as a kind of boat.

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These three shots were gold from my point of view - usually if a cormorant is swimming it is looking for food and therefore dives regularly, making it tough to capture on camera.
These three shots were gold from my point of view – usually if a cormorant is swimming it is looking for food and therefore dives regularly, making it tough to capture on camera.

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Gulls in full flight
Gulls in full flight

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Mallard drake and moorhen being companionable on the edge of the upper Millfleet.
Mallard drake and moorhen being companionable on the edge of the upper Millfleet.
I had seen swans on various rivers, but until July 2015 never on the Great Ouse which is tidal and flows seriously fast.
I had seen swans on various rivers, but until July 2015 never on the Great Ouse which is tidal and flows seriously fast.

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These birds like marshy land best, but mud flats when the Great Ouse is at low tide are clearly also acceptable to them.
These birds like marshy land best, but mud flats when the Great Ouse is at low tide are clearly also acceptable to them.
The base of my current pictorial thank you message.
The base of my current pictorial thank you message.

Every single photo in this subsection was bagged within walking distance of my “compact” town centre flat – if you truly appreciate nature you do not have go very far to find glorious sights, and nothing need be harmed.

A FEW NATURE RELATED LINKS

These two links are both to petitions that anyone who takes an interest i nature should sign and share:

1)This from 38Degrees is an emergeny petition about bees

2)Take Part are running this petition against unsafe drilling in the Arctic Ocean.

A FINAL REMINDER

To finish the main section of this blog I have another infographic, which gives the same message as the one I opened the section with – the fundamental message of this post…

Nature infographic

GENERAL LINKS

Just a handful of links today:

James and Sons: Auction and Aftermath

An account of James and Sons’ July Auction and its aftermath, with plenty of pictures. Also a mention of a Calendar being sold by The Art of Autism.

INTRODUCTION

This post, with one exception, deals exclusively with yesterday and todat at James and Sons. The exception which I shall deal with now is a link that will be appearing again in this blog. The Art of Autism are selling 2016 calendars for $12 each. If this takes your fancy, more detail is available in their post announcing the offer. I will be doing a more substantial blog post later.

A picture to show you why as well as wishing to support the activity I am genuinely enthused by this calendar.
A picture to show you why as well as wishing to support the activity I am genuinely enthused by this calendar.

YESTERDAY: THE AUCTION ITSELF 

Being in Norwich, the auction necessitated a seriously early start (certainly ridiculous o’clock, possibly even qualifying as ludicrous o’clock), but being a fairly small auction it finished reasonably early, and I was home only twelve and a half hours after having set off (for a Norwich auction that is not too bad).

There were some spectacular triumphs, some flops and lots of middle of the road sales. Old football programmes fared well, one which  was not expected to get more than £10 going for £28. Overall, it was a successful sale, and here are some pictures from yesterday…

This little display section was organised by me
This little display section was organised by me
The arrowheads in their new home.
The arrowheads in their new home.
Not an auction pic, buth I just had to include the rainbow flag fluttering from Norwich Castle.
Not an auction pic, buth I just had to include the rainbow flag fluttering from Norwich Castle.
A close up shot with the cover of the display case removed.
A close up shot with the cover of the display case removed.
The obsidian arrowheads found a good home!
The obsidian arrowheads found a good home!

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Reoghrnasing these display boxes to better effect.
Reoghrnasing these display boxes to better effect.
Two gold coins, which sold very well.
Two gold coins, which sold very well.
The whole auction in all it's glory
The whole auction in all it’s glory

TODAY

Most of my day at work today was taken up with making sure I had full and accurate records of all the people who had registered bid online via the-saleroom but I did also get some work done on the August sale, imaging a couple of new lots and locating images in our archive of items that were being given another chance to sell…

4 4a 4b 4c 195 349

These Pevsner's are in impeccable condition - let's hope it is second tiem lucky for them.
These Pevsner’s are in impeccable condition – let’s hope it is second tiem lucky for them.

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AFTERWORD

Sharing is a running theme of this blog, and I hope that some of you have enjoyed this post enough to share it with others.

Adverts and Imaging

INTRODUCTION

The title section of this post refers to today’s activites at James and Sons, but I also have some important links and quality infographics to share. On the subject of sharing, I hope that some of you are encouraged to share this post.

ADVERTS AND IMAGING

Today was productive, but not as productive as it might have been due to the fact that my efforts on the imaging front were interrupted by the need to send a couple of very basic adverts to the Diss Express and the Bury Free Press respectively about collector’s fair. A copy of one of the ads is below and I will provide links to the original word documents for both…

COLLECTORS FAIR AND AUCTION VALUATION DAY

WEDNEDAY 5TH AUGUST

STOWMARKET FOOTBALL CLUB 10AM TO 3PM

A wide range of coins, stamps, postcards,
banknotes, militaria etc. for sale.

COLLECTIONS PURCHASED

Please ask for David James

Tel: 01328 855003      Email: admin@jamesandsonsnorfolk.com

Collectors Fair Diss CF

IMAGING

The imaging workload was nicely varied, featuring most kinds of item we sell save for militaria…

COINS

The coin lots I choose to share come in the form of high resolution scans…

52 68b 68a 68 67b 67a 67 60b 60a 60 57b 57a 57 56b 56a 56 53b 53a 53 52b 52a

STAMPS

The stamps were all in albums and hence required the use of the camera…

403 403a 403b 403c 405 405a

EPHEMERA AND TOYS

These items were also done with the camera, and apart from a few football programs I will sharing the full range. The items categorised as toys are actually as you will see collector’s models – not intended to be played with…

12 13 14 50 50a

This gazeteer is not in great nick but then it is over 250 years old
This gazeteer is not in great nick but then it is over 250 years old

348a 348b 348c
350 351 351a 352 354 354b 355 355a 356 356a

POSTCARDS

To end the section on today at work, some more scans, this time of postcards…

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LINKS

I do not have as many links as sometimes, but they are all very important, starting with…

CECIL THE LION

This is a story about a self-indulgent rich bastard (I make no apologies for the strong language – I do not often resort to it) from Minnesota named Walter James Palmer and an African icon. The circumstances of this particular piece of “trophy hunting” – Mr Palmer apparently has a long history of such activities – have generated it vast international publicity. The lion was decoyed out of the protected area in which it lived by bait, shot with a crossbow and ultimately finished off with a rifle – all so a rich American could indulge his perverted sense of fun. I have two links for further information about the story:

1)This from avaaz

2)And this article in a newspaper not often cited by this blog – The Telegraph.

AN UPDATE ON “ROOSH V”

The campaign to prevent “Roosh V” from being allowed into Canada continues to gather momentum – here is the latest news.

VOTING REFORM

Just a single link here, to the Voting Reform Declaration.

VOX POLITICAL ON DISABILITY

Two excellent pieces from the ever reliable Mike Sivier today, both on the subject of disability:

1)This one about the assessment system as orchestrated by the vile American company Unum.

2)This horror story about a case of discrimination by association – sacked for being a family member of a disabled person.

A NEW DISCOVERY COURTESY OF A GREAT SUPPORTER

Autism Mom is a long standing supporter of this blog, and it was from her blog that I located the details of pucksandpuzzlepieces whose most recent post features tackling an assault course!

INFOGRAPHICS

My first infographic comes with a link this article on Discover

Lizard Family Tree

Next, a return to the Telegraph – unlike the story which I am told was big and bold this correction was tiny and in the bottom corner of a page, so I am giving it a bit of extra exposure!

Torygraph exposed

Finally to end this post two excellent infographics relating to the Conservative Party…

Tory Bastards selfservativespuc

Cormorants, Classical Music and Campaigns

Pictures from King’s Lynn and East Rudham, mention of two uppcoming events at King’s Lynn Minster, a large number of important links and some high quality infographics.

INTRODUCTION

I hope you will enjoy this very varied post and that some of you will be encouraged to share it. Talking of sharing, here are a couple of recent comments about this blog from twitter:

@obiwandar “Great blog. pictures, activism, tips WOW”
‏@spacesheepy loving the photos & duckies ~ nice blog Thank you for sharing 🙂

BIRDS, BOATS AND PLANES IN KING’S LYNN

In the break between innings of the delayed women’s ashes match at Worcester (yesterday was washed out entirely, so the whole game is happening on the reserve day) I went out for a walk and was delighted to see a cormorant in residence. As these pictures show, it was far from the only interesting sight of the day…

These model planes (two feature in these pictures - 5 pics in total) are by way commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
These model planes (two feature in these pictures – 5 pics in total) are by way commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

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The Great Ouse looks a bit choppy.
The Great Ouse looks a bit choppy.

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Two boats at the jetty - "Pero" and regular visitor "Kalyptos"
Two boats at the jetty – “Pero” and regular visitor “Kalyptos”

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The flag drooped at just the wrong moment, but the gull made the pic worth keeping.
The flag drooped at just the wrong moment, but the gull made the pic worth keeping.
And I got the flag, plus an ornate weathercock as a bonus, at the second attempt.
And I got the flag, plus an ornate weathercock as a bonus, at the second attempt.
This stonework is on the side of the Magistrates Court
This stonework is on the side of the Magistrates Court

LINKS

I have a large number of links to share, and I am going to start with the various campaigns that feature in this context.

CAMPAIGNS

Within this subsection I am going to give each campaign its own small slot…

STOP TTIP

The campaign against TTIP is gathering momentum. 38 Degrees members, of whom I am proud to be one, are organising a day of action all around the country on August 22nd. The particular details for North West Norfolk are:

North West Norfolk / TTIP Day of Action

  • Sat 22nd Aug 2015, 12:00pm
  • Outside Top Shop, High Street, King’s Lynn

For more or (hint) to sign up for the event please click here. There is also a specific link for joining.

HELP YAZIDI WOMEN AND GIRLS KIDNAPPED BY ISIS

I encourage all of you to sign and share this petition from change.org. I am going to share a buzzfeed article that gives detailed coverage of this issue and the petition itself:

1)The article

2)The petition

THE JOANNE FOWLER PETITION

Joanne Fowler has posted an update on the petition she set up following the horrible and needless suffering her father endured at the end of his life:

1)The petition

2)The link to her Facebook account.

ON ORCAS

The campaign over Seaworld’s treatment of orcas has recently gained some coverage in the San Diego Tribune:

1)The article.

2)The petition

OTHER LINKS

The remaining links I am going to share in this post divide naturally into two groups…

HUMANISM

Two pieces here, one about an event and one excellent article:

1)The event

2)The article

OTHERS

First up, courtesy of independenclive, a horror story about someone who dared to take part in a protest immediately before an appointment, was refused entry to the building and then sanctioned for missing the appointment.

Then comes this Guardian piece on cuts to children’s mental health services.

Vox Political make another appearance in this blog, providing the signpost to another DWP related horror story, this one involving a suicide…

1)The VP ‘signpost’ piece.

2)The full article courtesy of the Daily Star.

My final link is to this piece about providing the police with training for dealing properly with autistic people.

CLASSICAL MUSIC

While at my parents in East Rudham for Sunday lunch yesterday I saw these two leaflets…

DSCN9656

…While I am sure that both events above will be excellent, it is the one on October 10th which really appeals to me. All three headline composers are among my favourites, while the subtitle piece was the first piece of classical music I ever heard, initiating a life long love. Here is a close up of that leaflet…

DSCN9657

A full listing of organ recitals at the Minster can be found here, while among the many things that can found at the Minster’s official website is this piece about the organ.

INFOGRAPHICS

Today has been a bumper day for infographics…

Attlee

The next three pictures are all related...
The next three pictures are all related…

Iceland LXI

Feminism Stop Homophobia Welfare

A FEW FINAL PICTURES

I bring this post to a conclusion with these pictures from East Rudham yesterday…

My parents new camper van
My parents new camper van
Inside the back of the camper van.
Inside the back of the camper van.
Once this pigeon nest was identified as reachable from ground level it did not survive long.
Once this pigeon nest was identified as reachable from ground level it did not survive long.

Emails and Imaging

Coverage of some aspects of today at work, lots of quality pictures, a good link and a superb infographic.

INTRODUCTION

This post is about today at work and features some quality photographs. There is also a solitary link and a quality infographic.

PREPARING AND SENDING A BULK EMAIL

One of my tasks for today was to put out a bulk email about the collectors fairs that James and Sons will be involved in at Stowmarket on August the 5th and Diss on August the 7th. The plain text version is below, while I have a link to full word document and copies of every image used as well.

TWO COLLECTORS FAIRS COMING SOON

Collectors Fairs on August 5th at Stowmarket and 7th at Diss

James and Sons will:

  • Provide free valuations
  • Make purchases
  • Have a wide range of our own stock available for viewing and purchase

We look forward to seeing you there!

DISS                             STOWMARKET
Diss Youth & Community Centre

30 Shelfanger Road

IP22 4EH

Stowmarket Football Club

Bury Road

IP14 1JQ

66a 116 122a 252

This is the composite image that I created from the first four pictures.
This is the composite image that I created from the first four pictures.

TWO COLLECTORS FAIRS COMING SOON

AUGUST IMAGING

I am not going to attempt to kid anyone that the stuff I was imaging today included any potential record breakers, but a few items came out decently…

I quite liked this painting.
I quite liked this painting.
The oriignal art dealer's label from the reverse of the painting.
The oriignal art dealer’s label from the reverse of the painting.
Lot 8 - a tiny little ting.
Lot 8 – a tiny little ting.
Lot 10 - the whole picture.
Lot 10 – the whole picture.
A close up photo of the three medals.
A close up photo of the three medals.
A high-resolution scan of the three medals for comparison.
A high-resolution scan of the three medals for comparison.
Lot 347
Lot 347
Close ups of the two earthenware receptacles.
Close ups of the two earthenware receptacles.
And a close up of the curious bottle.
And a close up of the curious bottle.

390 392

Lot 502 - a bulky mixed lot.
Lot 502 – a bulky mixed lot.
A close up of the brass (?) plaque
A close up of the bronze (?) plaque
Close ups of the ashtray and the metal figure.
Close ups of the ashtray and the metal figure.

A LINK AND AN INFOGRAPHIC

The link is to a collection of “The Ten Scariest Theories Known to Man”

The infographic is a devastating illustration of the extent of America#s problem with gun homicides…

Gun Homicide

A Very Varied Day’s Work

Accounts of some elements of yesterday at work, some important petitions, a couple of autism related links and some cracking pictures.

INTRODUCTION

Apart from a substantial links section, this post focuses on yesterday at work. I hope that you will enjoy it and that some of you will be encouraged to share.

CATALOGUE OUT

The catalogue for James and Sons’ auction on Wednesday is now out in print form. It can also be viewed online at the-saleroom.com

Our feature image!
Our feature image!

The auction will taking place at the Maids Head Hotel in Norwich, and those who cannot be there but see something of interest can bid online via the-saleroom or Delcampe or leave bids with us either by emailing admin@jamesandsonsnorfolk.com or phoning 01328 855003.

RESOLVING A QUERY

One of the tasks I was given yesterday was answering a query about one of our lots in the next sale. The  request was for some extra images, and here is how I resolved it…

This is the image that is available online.
This is the image that is available online.

317J5 317J4 317J3 317J2

And close-ups of each
And close-ups of each
The selection I chose to serve as highlights.
The selection I chose to serve as highlights.

LINKS

My selection of links divides into two subsections, a selection of important petitions and a couple of autism related pieces.

PETITIONS

The first petition I have for you comes via change.org and is aimed at putting pressure on Pakistan to overturn Asia Bibi’s death sentence.

My next petition grew out of a Freedom of Information request submitted by Mike Sivier of Vox Political regarding deaths following the stopping of benefits. I have two links relating to this:

1)The petition itself

2)An accompanying blog post by Maggie Zolobajluk

My next petition is one that has already achieved its original goal but is being used as a jumping off point for tackling similar behaviour by an authority in Kent:

1)The original petition

2)An article on kentonline.

Last and in the chief place among the petitions is Joanne Fowler’s petition motivated by the needless suffering inflicted on her father in his last years

AUTISM RELATED STUFF

My first piece in this section comes from Dr Lisa Sulsenti, who runs an autism related facebook group of which I am a member and takes the form of an open letter to someone who responded badly to an autistic child in a restaurant.

Secondly, here is Autism Mom’s latest offering.

AUGUST IMAGING

I conclude this post with pictures of some of the items I imaged for our August auction (26th, Fakenham Racecourse)…

Lot 5, a very fancy boxed Meerschaum
Lot 5, a very fancy boxed Meerschaum

5a

This metal strong box is lot 337
This metal strong box is lot 337
This wooden cabinet type box is lot 339
This wooden cabinet type box is lot 339

339a 339b

This British made tobacco shredder is lot 340
This British made tobacco shredder is lot 340

340a 340b

This clock is lot 343
This clock is lot 343
A close up of the face.
A close up of the face.
The mechanism
The mechanism