Tag: Autism

Invincibles Boss London Derby

A look back at the early game in The Hundred today and a two part photo gallery – some of my regular stuff and a lot of owl pictures, taken at a Norfolk Owls session yesterday.

The early game in the Hundred today was between Oval Invincibles and London Spirit, at The Oval. This post looks back at that match.

THE SPIRIT INNINGS

The Invincibles won the toss and elected to field first. Spirit started atrociously, and when Charlie Dean gifted her wicket to left arm spinner Sophia Smale the score was 47-7 and it looked like we were going to be in for a very short game. However Eva Gray lived up to her team’s moniker, playing a very spirited innings of 28 off 22 balls, providing excellent support to Indian all rounder Deepti Sharma. Gray was eighth out with the score at 103. Sarah Glenn scored 2*, but her main role was to support Deepti Sharma which she did excellently, and the end of their innings Spirit had 120-8 to defend, with Sharma having scored 46* (30).

THE INVINCIBLES CHASE

Invincibles started slowly, with Chamari Atthapaththu continuing to struggle for form, scoring 11 off 19 balls, and number three Alice Capsey also scored at less than a run a ball, managing 13 off 14. However Invincibles’ skipper Winfield-Hill was going well, and she now found an excellent partner in Marizanne Kapp. This pair were still together when Invincibles completed victory with nine balls to spare. Winfield-Hill had 61* (40), a performance that would win her the Player of the Match award, while Kapp with 30* (18) had also batted superbly. Invincibles are second in the table, behind Welsh Fire on net run rate. A by-product of this result was that Manchester Originals, currently in action against Northern Superchargers, were officially eliminated even before their match started.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Today my gallery comes in two parts, first of all some of my regular pictures…

The second part of today’s gallery comes from yesterday early afternoon when there was a Norfolk Owls session for autistic people at the Scout Hut on Beulah Street. There were a number of different species of owl, ranging from very small (similar in weight to the mice that are its foodstuff) to gigantic (an eagle owl with a wing span of 6’4″). We were given plenty of information about owls, including the excellence of their sight and hearing. At the end of the session we got to handle two of the owls, one very small one and the eagle owl.

Different Format, Same Result

Yesterday, following on from the ODI series that in which England Women comfortably won all three matches the T20I series between the England and New Zealand women’s teams got underway.

THE ENGLAND INNINGS

England found themselves batting first. They were given a strong start by Danni Wyatt and Maia Bouchier, the former being preferred in T20Is to Tammy Beaumont, who was in the commentary box instead. Bouchier’s dismissal brought Natalie Sciver-Brunt to the crease, and she immediately put the Kiwis to the sword, making even Wyatt look somewhat pedestrian by comparison. Wyatt entered the record books when she brought up her 17th T20I 50, moving ahead of Sarah Taylor to the top of the England list of makers of such scores. Sciver-Brunt was already into the 40s by then, but she finally fell just short of 50. The left handed Freya Kemp maintained the momentum. Wyatt’s innings ended for 76. England finished with 197-3 from their 20 overs.

THE NEW ZEALAND RESPONSE

New Zealand started fairly well, although they were always behind the required rate. As had been a regular theme of the ODI series it was the spinners (of whom England had no fewer than four for this match, with a series in Bangladesh coming up in the futures) who applied a chokehold from which the Kiwis could not escape. At 63-1 New Zealand seemed to be faring respectably, especially given that the only one to go, Georgia Plimmer, had been run out, her third such dismissal in four innings. Once the second wicket fell however the floodgates opened, with leg spinner Sarah Glenn claiming three scalps in a single over, and Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone picking up a wicket the score soon read 67-6. Jess Kerr, sister of leg spinning all rounder Amelia Kerr, batted in a manner that should have caused some of the more senior Kiwi batters no little embarrassment, making 38 to give the Kiwis a hint of respectability. Near the end the fourth front line England spinner, Linsey Smith, picked up a wicket. New Zealand finished with 138-9, beaten by 59 runs, which in a T20 is an absolute pummelling. Scorecard here.

PIZZA MAKING

Today there was a Pizza making session for autistic adults at the King’s Lynn branch of Pizza Express. Great fun was had by all, and my Pizza was certainly good.

The base in the tray in which the pizza would be cooked.
The base loaded with toppings.
The last pre-cook addition – some oregano.
Dough laid out for the pizza makers.
My particular piece of dough.
The base, before removing the flour.

The above show stages in the preparation of the pizza, and below is the final outcome…

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off, in two parts, from yesterday and today…

Part 2…

Pensthorpe – The Trailer Ride

Completing my account of the WNAG visit to Pensthorpe a week ago with the trailer ride.

Welcome to the final post in my series (posts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 can be viewed by clicking the appropriate number). about the West Norfolk Autism Group trip to Pensthorpe. This post deals with the trailer ride (we had two booked, and I was on the second at 12 noon).

THE JOURNEY

There are some parts of Pensthorpe that cannot be accessed on foot, and others that sufficiently far from the starting point that doing so would take a very long time. The vehicle that pulls the trailer is a Land Rover Defender. In the course of the journey one sees some of the farm area, both old and new growth woodland, lakes, ponds that are a remnant of the last ice age and nesting sites of one sort and another for birds and bats. We got a glimpse of the Aberdeen Angus cattle but not the longhorns that they also have. The route takes in parts of two former railway routes which crossed the land – one was part of a major railway company, the other a smaller local route, and both were killed by Beeching in the 1960s. We also saw a family of greylag geese, with six youngsters. On a day like we had the absence of shelter was never an issue, and being in such an open vehicle did make photography easier. If you do not do the trailer ride you will never have anything close to a complete picture of Pensthorpe.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Here are my photographs from the trailer ride…

A nesting box for barn owls.
This is for terns.
bat boxes – ensuring that the bats can always be away from the direction of the sun (all the species in this area are tiny, with the pipistrelle the most frequent visitor).
The greylag goose family (four shots).

Pensthorpe: Flamingos and Cranes

The penultimate post in my series about the West Norfolk Autism Group trip to Pensthorpe, featuring the cranes and flamingos.

Welcome to the penultimate post in my series about the West Norfolk Autism Group trip to Pensthorpe (posts 1, 2, 3 and 4 can be viewed by clicking the relevant number, and the final post, about the trailer ride, will appear tomorrow, one week after the trip took place).

FLAMINGOS AND CRANES

The Flamingo and Crane Enclosures are accessed in the same way when on the way round Pensthorpe. The path into the area that houses both enclosures arrives in between the two – flamingos one way, cranes the other. Although one cannot get close to the flamingos their enclosure is open, with nothing concealed. The cranes, of which Pensthorpe has four distinct species, are viewable only from a hide, which has four separate hatches through which one can look, one for each species. The cranes are one of many conservation projects being undertaken at Pensthorpe.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Here are the photographs I got of the cranes and flamingos:

Flamingo doing a cormorant impression – the feature image is a composite featuring this and the most impressive of the cranes.
This shelduck was near the path linking the flamingo and crane areas.
The East African Crowned Crane…
…and a close up of that ‘crown’.

Pensthorpe – The Waders Aviary

A look at the Waders Aviary at Pensthorpe.

Welcome to the fourth post in my series about the West Norfolk Autism Group trip to Pensthorpe Natural Park (see here, here and here). Today I look at the Waders Aviary.

THE WADERS AVIARY

The Waders Aviary is accessed by a door from the gift shop/ viewing gallery area, and is the only part of the site accessible via that door – it is entirely self contained, and one must therefore fully intend to visit it. It is extremely well worth visiting. There is a walkway along one side of the aviary which is the only part of the enclosure that is accessible to the public. To prepare for the main photo gallery here is the information about which birds can be seen here:

PHOTO GALLERY

Now for the main gallery…

Pensthorpe 2024: The Sculptures and Artworks.

A look at the more artistic elements of Pensthorpe Natural Park.

Welcome to the third post in my mini-series about the West Norfolk Autism Group’s trip to Pensthorpe on Saturday (see here and here). Today I focus on one particular aspect of the site – the artistic element thereof.

ART AT PENSTHORPE

Art is clearly highly appreciated by the people who run Pensthorpe Natural Park, with a number of nature inspired sculptures dotted around the site, at least one very artistic gate (I did actually use it for its intended purpose, as well as photographing it) and a bridge inspired by a great artist of the past. I do not know if Claude Monet ever visited Norfolk (I suspect not) but he would certainly recognize the bridge modelled on his own at Giverny. The artistic element undoubtedly enhances the overall experience.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Here are my photographs of the artistic elements of Pensthorpe (those that I managed to capture anyway).

The gate referred to above

Pensthorpe 2024 – Setting the Scene

Setting the scene for a mini-series about yesterday’s visit to Pensthorpe.

Yesterday was the West Norfolk Autism Group’s third annual outing to Pensthorpe Natural Park. This post will set the stage for a mini-series about the day.

THE PRELIMINARIES

Some of the group were making their own way to Pensthorpe, but there was also a coach laid on which was picking up and dropping back off at Gaywood. The departure time of the coach was set for 9:30AM, so I aimed to arrive at the pick up point at 9:15. I did exactly that, walking by way of the Gaywood river path, and arriving at the pick up point just as the coach was pulling in. We set off promptly, and the roads were clear. On arrival at Pensthorpe a couple of us were presented with trophies from the bowling event on April 7th.

My trophy for winning the adults section.
The trophy in its new location, next to The Mallard.

PLANNING THE DAY

Only three parts of the day were fixed: I was booked on a trailer ride at noon, lunch was scheduled for 2PM, and the coach was making its return journey to Gaywood at 3:30PM. For the rest the day was what one chose to make of it. I will now introduce the various parts of my experience, on what was a perfect day for the event – warm and sunny but not absolutely roasting.

PENSTHORPE GENERAL

One starts by putting on a wristband that indicates that admission is paid for, and then proceeds through the gift shop. I opted to start with the exit at the far end of the viewing gallery, which takes one straight to the water fowl. There were many interesting species…

SCULPTURES/ ART

I will be producing a post about this aspect of Pensthorpe. Suffice it to say for the moment that there are a number of sculptures and other art pieces to be seen along the way. Here are a few images to whet your appetite…

I put this bridge among the art elements because it is inspired by Monet’s bridge at Giverny.

THE FLAMINGOS AND CRANES

My two visits to these birds (either side of the trailer ride) will get a full blog post. For the moment…

A flamingo doing a cormorant impression.
Group shot of flamingos
The most remarkable of the four crane species at Pensthorpe, the East African Crowned Crane.

THE WADERS

The wading birds have their own special enclosure, with a netting roof over it. I visited it twice, as with the flamingos and cranes, and will be giving it a full blog post. For the moment…

THE TRAILER RIDE

This experience is not to be missed, and will get full blog post treatment. For the moment…

The trailer.
Aberdeen Angus cattle grazing.
The Maltings
The structure in the middle of this lake is for migrating terns.
bat boxes – all round the tree trunk so that the bats can always be away from direct sunshine during the day.
A greylag goose family with six youngsters walking close to the trailer.

A Weekend in Loddon

I am in Loddon for a big family get together for an aunt’s 70th birthday, and this post is intended to set the scene for probably two more such posts.

I am at a big family get together for an aunt’s 70th birthday. The clans have gathered in Stubbs House, just outside the village of Loddon, which is between Norwich and Beccles, close to the Norfolk Broads. Loddon is picturesque village with a splendid church (this latter, which includes a mini-museum of local history will be getting a whole post all to itself). The other way from Loddon is an alpaca farm which I may get to take a look at before the weekend is done (alpacas are related to llamas, and like the latter are sturdy and possessed of shaggy fur). I can also reveal courtesy of my visit to the village that the area is well served by buses, being on a major route between Norwich and the easternmost town left in the UK, Lowestoft in Suffolk (the Suffolk coast is massively subject to erosion, and one major casualty is Dunwich which once rated second only to London among UK commercial ports).

STUBBS HOUSE

Stubbs House is a colossal house (it clearly once used to be two separate houses, each of which would have been substantial). The Stubbs family must once have been very important round here – there is a fair amount named in their honour. It has a substantial garden as well. It is on the opposite side of the A146 from the village, and the centre of the village, with a splendid village sign which features a statue of the last Anglo-Saxon thegn of Loddon is about three-quarters of a mile distant, with the church a little further on. Here are some photos relating to the house itself…

LODDON VILLAGE

I have already covered the village in my introduction. Here are some photographs of the village, including one with the church in the background by way of a preview…

The official centre of Loddon.
The village sign
The war memorial with the church in the background
A local map
Two pics showing the bus route…
…and the service frequency, which is remarkably high for a non-urban route in Norfolk.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Between Thursday before and after work, walking to and from a WNAG committee meeting on Friday morning and walking into the town centre after Friday lunch to meet my parents for the journey to Loddon I also have some of my regular photos to finish proceedings…

County Championship Round 3 Day 3

A look at developments in the county championship, with close looks at Somerset v Nottinghamshire and Kent v Surrey.

The third round of the county championship continues to progress. Essex have already polished off Lancashire by an innings and 124 runs, and Middlesex are close to completing victory over Yorkshire. Other matches are rather closer. This post looks closely at two of the games in progress.

SOMERSET V NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

Somerset took a huge first innings lead over Nottinghamshire – when the eighth Somerset wicket fell the lead looked like being manageable, but then Craig Overton and Migael Pretorius batted very well, Pretorius making 77 from number 10, and Overton being stranded on 95 after a poor shot from Bashir to end the Somerset innings. Nottinghamshire are looking untroubled in their own second innings, but they are only just in credit even so.

KENT V SURREY

This is the game I am now following, and Surrey are in total control – a massive second wicket stand between Dominic Sibley and Dan Lawrence saw them into a first innings lead with nine wickets still standing, and some more aggressive later play, especially from Jamie Smith, Cam Steel and Jordan Clark saw them reach tea at 543-7, an advantage of 299, at which point, as predicted by me they declared to have a go at Kent’s second innings in the evening. Dan Worrall has just accounted for Crawley, the second time in the match he has dismissed that worthy, and Kent are currently 16-1, still 283 adrift.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

Yesterday morning was a ‘just a cuppa’ for autistic adults at King’s Lynn library. This lego archiecture was constrained by how little lego was actually available for us.

The Final Day of the Six Nations 2024

A look back at the final day of Six Nations 2024 action, and a bumper photo gallery, presented in three parts.

The 2024 Six Nations rugby tournament concluded late yesterday evening, with France playing England in Lyon in a match that would decide second and third spots in the final table. This match was the third match a final day and that it had no bearing on who won the tournament shows that the schedulers miscalculated somewhat.

THE EARLIER GAMES

The first match of the day saw Wales and Italy facing one another in a game that Wales had to win to avoid the wooden spoon. A win for Italy would make it their best ever Six Nations showing. It was also confirmed as a final international appearance for George North of Wales, and I suspect there may be other members of this Welsh squad who will not be seen at international level again. The Italians were 11-0 up at half time, and a converted try right at the start of the second half extended the lead to 18. At that point Wales finally showed a hint of fighting spirit, and in the end the final score was remarkably close, but Italy’s early dominance had ensured that justice was done, and that they did indeed record the win that gave them their best ever Six Nations showing.

Ireland needed only a single point from their match against Scotland to ensure that they would retain the championship that they won last year. Scotland came out fighting, making it clear from the word go that they were not just there to assist in Ireland’s coronation. Ireland proved good enough in the end, and retained their championship, underlining their status as the current dominant force in European rugby.

FRANCE V ENGLAND

This match would have no bearing on who won the tournament, but no game between these old rivals is ever meaningless, and there was plenty of pride at stake, as well as which of these sides would end up in second place. The match was an absolute belter of a game. The lead changed many times. With only a few minutes to go England got a penalty, and in the situation George Ford opted to kick for the corner hoping to set up a try rather than settle for three points. A superb kick gave England a line out just ten metres from the try line, and some slick work from that line out got them the try, and Ford, as unerring with the boot as he had been all game, duly scored the conversion to put England ahead. Then, with 38 seconds left on the clock France were awarded a penalty. For them, with three points being sufficient to re-establish their lead in the dying seconds it was a ‘must kick’ opportunity, though at 49 metres it was a major challenge to do so. Ramos, the French kicker, managed to put it over and the home crowd celebrated. There was time for the match to restart, but there was never any doubt that the French would retain possession for long enough thereafter to hang on for the win and with it second place in the table.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Yesterday was a very spring like day, and I deliberately extended my walks to and from King’s Lynn library where there was a ‘just a cuppa’ morning for autistic adults to take full advantage of it. Thus comes a gallery three parts…

Friday afternoon’s walk and the walk to the library…

The walk to the library yesterday starts here.

Lego architecture at the coffee morning…

Modification of the roof to include an overhanging observation platform.
The final modification – the blue bases used here represent part of a river, with clear blocks forming a stepping stone type crossing thereof.

The walk back from the library…

A brimstone butterfly fluttering around the greenery near Kettlewell Lane (four pics)