Spring is in the air (and I have plenty of photos to bear this out). Therefore, the King’s Lynn Asperger Support Society, of which I am Group Leader, is moving venues from our winter perch at the Lattice House to our summer venue on South Quay near Marriott’s Warehouse, with the option of ducking inside should the weather not co-operate. Our April meeting will be on the 13th, starting at 6PM, after which we will be reverting to our usual first Monday of the month.
Although it is not that long since my last post and I have been outside for much of that time, I have a handful of good links to share before displaying a few more pics…
http://wfdrc.tumblr.com/ The online hub of a campaign to save a vital resource for disabled people in the Waltham Forest area.
The first set of pics from today…
Mike Rosen’s name on the cover of a book is generally good sign, and this book is even better than that suggests.
GENERAL ELECTION 2015
While I thoroughly understand and respect those who wish to vote for a left-wing alternative to labour, I urge care. By voting for a small left-wing organisation you may just end up helping the tories. In my own constituency I am faced with only two remotely palatable choices, labour or green. The fact that labour have selected an excellent candidate in Jo Rust, and the fact the only time this seat has been occupied by anyone other than Henry Bellingham since 1983 was between 1997 and 2001 when labour held it have been sufficient to sway me. I will vote labour and I will do so with a song in my heart, and I want to see a huge turnout at the ballot-boxes in King’s Lynn because that is how we will do our part to ensure that we are not saddled with another five years of Cameron and his cronies.
Here in plain text is my personal voting history in general elections…
MY GENERAL ELECTION VOTING HISTORY
1997: Labour and celebrated long and hard as the government that had been in power all my conscious life was finally booted out.
2001: Socialist Alliance – I was in a rock-solid labour seat at the time and could afford to vote to the left by way of protest.
2005: Respect – see above
2010: Liberal Democrats – my worst ever mistake in a general election, but at the time it seemed sensible. The labour candidate who had been parachuted in from Leicester then torpedoed his own credibility with a speed to rival that of a Ukipper and the only other possibility to unseat the sitting Tory was the one I voted for. Five years of betrayals later I can say with certainty that I will NEVER make that mistake again.
2015: Labour – with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. We have an excellent candidate in Jo Rust, labour took this seat in 1997 (the only period since 1983 when the MP has been other than Henry Bellingham) and can therefore do so again.
Having reached this stage you deserve some more pictures…
Another vote that will be settled on May 7th – that for Britain’s national bird. Here is my candidate.
Some good links, including to a Tory candidate who showed who not to deal with the EDL – and a corresponding link to how to do so. A stack of splendid pictures from yesterday.
Another multi-part post – a links section, a section on King’s Lynn in the morning, a brief East Rudham section (I will be doing another post on the architectural features of a Norfolk village theme) and a section on King’s Lynn in the evening.
https://www.voteforbob.co.uk/ A campaign that I have been involved with since it began. I have contacted my Labour, Green and #FibDem candidates. Both the Green and Labour candidates are on side (the Green virtually had to be, and no one who knows Jo Rust would expect anything less of her) while the #FibDem has not responded as yet.
A somewhat late start meant that I missed the 9:25 bus so had to get the 11:55. In the interim I took a walk, divided by a stop at my aunt’s to water the plants and check that everything was OK. It was obviously going to be a splendid day for photography but I did not yet realise quite how splendid. Up to leaving my aunt’s house I had a few decent pictures…
The Great Ouse beyond my Aunt’s house provided the first clue as to how good the day would be, when “Cormorant Platform” provided some excellent pics…
Heading back towards the bus station I crossed the Nar, which provided these crackers…
Walking through the parklands to the town centre I collected some more fine pics…
Even the bus stations and the bus journey were not complete blanks…
Decorative brickwork is a regular feature of the houses on the way out to the hospital (yes that was shot through the window of a bus)
Although I am preserving many of my East Rudham pictures for another post, some belong here…
This rabbit was too far away to produce a really excellent picture but as the local landowner goes by the name of Mr McGregor I could not resist including it.
Because it was bright and sunny outside I got off the bus early, in Gaywood, and walked through the parkland to get home. This last little outdoors session provided a shot of Britain’s national bird to be, my best capture of flying aeroplane to date and some splendid shots of local landmarks…
Even after I got home there was one more classic moment – “red sky at night: shepherd’s delight”…
Some excellent links at the top os the post. Then some comment on the cricket world cup, then some cool pics, then the Six Nations and finally some more pics.
As with my last post I am going to start with a links section before moving to the main meat of the post…
The last of the quarter-finals of the cricket world cup ended earlier today UK time. New Zealand obliterated the West Indies in a match dominated by Martin Guptill’s amazing 237 not out (the last 137 off 51 balls if I remember rightly). The semi-final line up is thus India v Australia (head and heart both say India to win that one) and New Zealand vs South Africa, neither of whom have ever got further than the semis (impossible to predict, heart says NZ). South Africa’s potential bete noire is their lack of an all-rounder, which means either playing only four front-line bowlers as they have so far, or dropping a batsman to make way for a fifth bowler. For more details about the Guptill knock, and the records he rewrote in the process check out www.cricinfo.com. Before moving on to the rugby section, some pics…
This is the edited but not cropped version that now serves as the desktop background on my work computer!The Fakenham cinema viewed from top deck of an X8
Choppy water on the Great Ouse today.
SIX NATIONS
Today has been an amazing day in the Six Nations. First of all Wales thrashed Italy to become favourites for the trophy. Then Ireland won by a sufficient margin at Murrayfield to move into pole position to retain their title. England who had the toughest assignment of the three contenders need to beat France by 26 or more to take the title on points difference. At the moment it is not looking good for England. France have just scored and converted a try to move within five points of England – looking more and more like the trophy is staying in the emerald isle. England nine points to the good (34-25) – another 17 needed to take the trophy. Another try for England – moves them within 12 with possibly two more to come. Conversion successful – England need 10 unanswered points for the trophy. James Haskell in the sin bin – not looking good for England. France have just scored the try that surely ends England’s hopes of the trophy – England 41 France 30 with a French conversion to come. Conversion missed – England need 15 unanswered points. Another try – England 46 France 30. A successful conversion for England and it is 48-30 – eight more points for England and they win. France have just scored again – England now need 13 points – conversion to come. The equation is now that England need to find 13 more points and they have 13 minutes in which to do it. Jack Nowell has scored another try – reducing the ask to eight points. Conversion by George Ford – England 55 France 35 – a converted try will win them the Six Nations. The whistle has gone and an amazing final day at the Six Nations is over – Ireland retain the title and England are runners-up for the fourth time in succession. Wales in spite of scoring 61 points in Rome earlier today finish third. I will now finish this post with a few more pics…
It was the best of days, it was the worst of days: as so often the King’s Lynn weather could not quite decide what it was up to.
The two rivers of my title are the Great Ouse and the Nar, both of which I walked along some of yesterday. Rumours the spring is upon us may not be so far wide of the mark – I saw a privately owned boat at the Jetty on the Great Ouse in King’s Lynn…
A brief diversion to check in on my Aunt’s place in her absence, revealed that even the most familiar of surroundings can spring surprises – this cannon ball in the entrance way to Hampton Court that I had not previously noted…
“Cormorant Platform” revealed no cormorants, but some other sea birds…
I continued along the riverbank further than usual, passing the new road bridge (before this was built the river could be crossed either by ferry or by taking a 12 mile detour via Wiggenhall St Germans, and paying a punitive toll to the Barons of Rising – the ruling class were even more open about fleecing us in those days!) finding more stuff to photograph…
I spotted a position from which I could take “townscape” photos of King’s Lynn looking back down the river and bagged a couple…
Townscape 1 – can you ID all the landmarks in there?Townscape 2 – with the zoom increased.
I walked on past Palm Paper (first photograph of next series) and then just before leaving the Great Ouse (and far further inland than I would expect) I finally spotted a pair of cormorants…
The small section of walking between leaving the Great Ouse and joining the Nar produced only a few photos…
An unusual sight – a British roundabout and no traffic!A ruin just on the edge of South LynnThe South Lynn logo.
The Nar Valley way runs almost interrupted (save for the bit where it intersects with the Nar Valley Park development) from King’s Lynn to Dereham, so once I had hit the Nar I could follow it to the South Gate, and which point I diverged to head home through the parkland…
A distant view of the Nar Valley Park development.
More of the Nar Valley Park developmentA first view of the South Gate
A tributary of a tributary (the Nar ultimately flows into the Ouse at what I call Cormorant Platform)
A moorhen in the urban section of the Nar
Almost the last pic, and the only one of the day of Britain’s soon to be national bird!Work proceeds apace at the bus station.
I had a go as a kind of tribute to this blog’s latest follower, Charlotte Hoather, at creating a ‘playlist’ to fit my themes:
The Birds by Ottorino Respighi, The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams,The First Cuckoo in Spring by Frederick Delius,The Banks of Green Willow by George Butterworth, Symphony no 6, The Pastoral by Ludwig Van Beethoven. As well as these there were naturally a couple of famous ‘river’ pieces the sprang instantly to mind, Vltava (Bedrich Smetana) and the Blue Danube (Johann Strauss II) – The Great Ouse when the sun is shining is bluer than the Danube ever is (and I have seen both).
For those interested in birds, a vote is being taken to decide which will be Britain’s national bird. There is a shortlist of ten, from which I have voted for the Blackbird. For more details and/or to vote visit www.votenationalbird.com. Below is how I introduced this to my twitter followers…
Yesterday afternoon I felt like varying things a bit, so I decided I would follow Bawsey Drain as far as possible, and did so until it hit the Gaywood River, at which point I followed that waterway until I reached Wootton Road, whence I headed back into town, via the Gaywood Clock. I finished up by walking through the parkland to Seven Sisters, past the South Gate and down to the Great Ouse via Hardings Pits, following the river as close as is permitted until reaching Devil’s Alley, which I diverged down as it was necessary to check in on my Aunt’s house and make sure all was OK. Having finished there I returned home by going down St Margaret’s Lane to the river and heading along the bank to the Lower Purfleet, which I followed into the heart of the town before crossing the bridge into Baker Lane car park and arriving back at my flat almosgt exactly three hours after departure.
My candidate for Britain’s national bird was much in evidence, as these pictures show…
There were many other birds in evidence as well, some of which I did justice to…
Of course, I also spotted some interesting architectural features…
For my penultimate set of pictures I am going to focus on the Great Ouse…
To end this post, although it came in the middle of the walk I will feature Gaywood’s principal landmark, a clock that is also a war memorial…
As I prepare for another day at work, I am listening to commentary from the Cricket World Cup. Bangladesh are giving a good account of themselves against New Zealand in Hamilton, while in between rain breaks in Sydney England look like finishing a truly appalling world cup campaign with victory over Afghanistan (maybe they should accept Cricket Japan’s invite to stop by for a few games on the way home!)
The pictures I will be sharing at various points in this post are from two sources, imaging for the March Auction (now practically complete) and some pics from in and around King’s Lynn. At some point in the future I will be putting up a post about architectural features to be found in the village of East Rudham, having recently taken some good pics there.
A lot of the imaging I did on Tuesday was of banknotes in albums, but a few other bits got in there as well…
This was one of a quantity of these that made up lot 349
This lot could appeal to postcard collecotrs, but also to those interested in stamps and postal history, so I have covered all bases!
My Wednesday morning walk was fitted in between the cricket commentary finishing and meeting my mother to go to East Rudham for lunch, photographing architecture, providing a tutorial in MS Access and finally playing bridge at the Jolly Sailors. This latter was enjoyable in spite of the fact that I had the kind of luck that should be toasted in extra bitter Fernet Branca!. At 5p a hundred I ended up £1.30 down on the evening – and on the three hands on which I was declarer I made two of the contracts and went one down undoubled on the other. Here are some of the highlights from the walk…
I will finish by showing you some images from yesterday’s mop-up operation…
I don’t normally image single coins, but the person who usually does them was not around at the time I located this one, so I did it.Imaging it the way I did meant I automatically had close-ups of each face – and if you’ve got ’em, use ’em
The next three items, lots 419,428 and 429 are sold with the usual caveats attendant on German militaria – at the buyer’s own risk.
Now come two lots of scenic postcards for each of what I produced two images.
This map is lot 719Lot 726 (This, and the remaining three pics) is very nice.
The best match of the 2015 Cricket World Cup so far took place at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart this morning GB time. Ireland, with a century from Ed Joyce and 97 from Andrew Balbirnie reached 331-8. In reply Zimbabwe fought brilliantly, and at various times, not least when they took 19 from the 49th over, bowled by Kevin O’Brien, to leave themselves needing seven of six balls, they looked like favourites for what have been the largest successful chase in World Cup history. Alex Cusack kept a cool head, and put the finishing touches to a fine bowling performance by capturing the two remaining Zimbabwe wickets for the addition of a single, in three balls. A full scorecard can be viewed by clicking here. Having set the scene with this opening account I will share some pictures before moving on…
This device appears above Paper Klip, the Fakenham stationers.
Not only was that match a classic, featuring quality performances from many players, but the eventual result means that Ireland have now won three matches at this tournament, and are very well placed to progress to the quarter finals. The only disappointment to me was that the Player of the Match Award went boringly (and in my opinion wrongly) to Ed Joyce for his hundred when the key to Ireland’s victory was the cool head under pressure displayed by Alex Cusack. Having witnessed this amazing match I am more convinced than ever that the ICC would be utterly wrong to reduce associate nation involvement in the World Cup. My response to Aakash Chopra who gets to publicise his ideas on www.cricinfo.com and who believes that the World Cup should be reduced to ten teams and that the associates should concentrate on getting to play more matches against full members outside of world cups is twofold. First he is guilty of presenting a false dichotomy: it is not a case of either or – i would like to see both more matches between full members and associates outside of world cups and greater associate participation in World Cups. Whether he is guilty of any offence beyond sloppy logic I am not prepared to say, but it is only in cricket that anyone argues for a smaller world cup. My thoughts on how the Cricket World Cup should be formatted can be viewed by clicking here.
Congratulations to Ireland on a magnificent performance. Before sharing some more pictures I will comment on nations who first entered the world cup as associates and are now full members:
Sri Lanka – played 1975 and 1979 as associates before being granted full membership – Won in 1996 (a feat never achieved by England), Runners up in 2011.
Zimbabwe – made world cup debut in 1983 as an associate,promoted to full membership in 1992 – beat Australia in their first ever world cup match, nearly beat India (eventual champions), later in that competition, and in 1999 when England were ejected from their own party embarrassingly early came with an ace of qualifying for the semi-final.
Bangladesh – No great highlights yet, but are going fairly well this time, and there is at least one person who would not be in the least surprised were they to end up progressing further than England.
Now for the second batch of pictures…
I was delighted to see cormorants back on the structure I have dubbed Cormorant platform as for some weeks due to nearby roadworks they had not been in evidence.
There has been much talk at the Cricket World Cup about how the tournament should be formatted, especially given that there are those who would reduce it to a ten team tournament (so utterly harebrained a notion that I do no more than mention it). Several of the associate nations at this world cup have given good accounts of themselves, with Ireland having a strong chance of progressing to the quarter finals.
My formula for a Cricket World Cup would be as follows:
16 teams to play in the tournament. Stage one would involve two groups of eight teams, the top four from each group progressing. Each group would play its matches in sets of four (hence two groups of eight), making seven rounds of matches for each group, to played on alternate days (i.e. this stage would span two weeks, with each side having a day off between matches.
After the group stage would be a three day break before the quarter-finals, which would be played all on one day. After a two day break the semi–finals would take place. Then following another two day break the final would take place. This would mean that the tournament would be played in a period of three and a half weeks (a sensible length for a global tournament).
As for the TV people: If they don’t like it they can lump it.
Now for some pics…
Developments at King’s Lynn bus station.
These magpies played a good game of hide and seek with me – but as this picture proves I emerged the winner!
aspiblog 
