A Sunny Sunday in West Norfolk

An account of a walk yesterday morning, the journeys to and from East Rudham, and Sunday lunch in East Rudham, with a subsection devoted to bees enjoying wild marjoram.

INTRODUCTION

This post concerns yesterday, and us set part in King’s Lynn and part in my parents village, East Rudham. A running theme is nature. I hope you will enjoy it and that some at least of you will choose to share it.

PART 1: KING’S LYNN, MORNING

It was a beautiful sunny morning, so I decided to take a long walk from my flat, planned to finish at the bus station in time to catch the 11:55 bus to arrive in East Rudham for Sunday lunch. Right at the start, the upper Purfleet yielded these pictures…

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South Quay then yielded a few more good pictures…

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A few minutes later came one of the regular highlights –

CORMORANT PLATFORM

The set of pictures I have this time indicate precisely why I have given this structure which sits at the meeting point of the Nar and the Great Ouse the name I have…

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Before leaving the river there was just time for a couple of shots looking back at the town…

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On leaving the river I headed through Harding’s Pits, which at this time of year means…

BUTTERFLIES

It is difficult to capture butterflies on camera, but I got a few pics…

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After this, the next pictures worth sharing came from near the end of the walk, along a stretch of river near Morrison’s…

My photographic comment on Australia's recent batting performances! — My photographic comment on Australia’s recent batting performances!

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A VARIATION ON THE USUAL BUS JOURNEY

A combination of a spectacular day and herd mentality increased the journey time to Hunstanton and the sea to two hours and rendered the Knight’s Hill junction with the A148 effectively unusable for buses, so the X8 towards Fakenham went by way of Leziate, Ashwicken and Roydon joining the A148 just short of Hillington and its first out of town stop. Thanks to this intelligent alteration of the route the bus was only a couple of minutes late arriving at East Rudham.

PART TWO: EAST RUDHAM

Following a delicious lunch of roast beef the afternoon was spent sitting out in the courtyard outside my parents house, until it was time for me to get the bus home. I was reading the book by Robert Bakker that I mentioned in a previous post – keep an eye for a review in the near future – and also endeavouring to do photographic justice to…

THE BEES

As well as being useful for bringing out the full flavour of lamb, the wild marjoram that grows in abundance just outside my parents door is much appreciated by bees. Bees are a vitally important part of the ecosystem and are under ever increasing threat from the combination of the insensate greed of pesticide companies and the cravenness of governments (the latter do not have the guts to stand up to the former). Their activities so close to where I was sitting were an irresistable opportunity for the only sort of shooting I am interested in – that done with my trusty Nikon Coolpix P530!

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THE RETURN JOURNEY

The bus turned up precisely when it was scheduled to, and until it hit the now customary traffic jam on Gaywood Road (at which point I decided to get out and walk the rest of the way) it ran exactly to schedule all the way.

PART THREE: KING’S LYNN AGAIN

In this last section I am going to share some pictures from yesterday evening and also the pictures I got of the bus station immediately before setting out…

The new London Connections map, one of the many things that can be obtained from the visitor's centre at King's Lynn Bus Station. — The new London Connections map, one of the many things that can be obtained from the visitor’s centre at King’s Lynn Bus Station.

On the reverse side the whole of the South East.

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The front of the vistor's centre and the Lynn museum — The front of the vistor’s centre and the Lynn museum

Focus on the visitor's centre — Focus on the visitor’s centre

The clock, courtesy of King's Lynn Civic Society. — The clock, courtesy of King’s Lynn Civic Society.

The barrier at stand C - interleaving Captain Vancouver and the Custom House. — The barrier at stand C – interleaving Captain Vancouver and the Custom House.

A Sunny Morning in West Norfolk

An account, complete with a fine haul of photos, of a walk around King’s Lynn. This is followed by some important links and some interesting infographics. Please share widely.

INTRODUCTION

Being up bright and early this morning and noting the sunny weather I headed off for a walk. The body of this post is devoted to sharing the best sights from that walk. After that I have some links and infographics to share. I hope you enjoy this post and will be encouraged to share it.

THE WALK

My first ports of call were…

THE TUESDAY MARKET PLACE AND ST NICHOLAS CHAPEL

These places looked very fine in the sun. The extensive restoration work on the chapel is now nearly complete.

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From there I headed to…

BAWSEY DRAIN

This is a far more significant waterway than that name may suggest, and was rewarded with a clutch of fine pictures in that section of the walk…

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Watching and waiting in the undergrowth... — Watching and waiting in the undergrowth…

I left Bawsey drain part way along it’s length to head towards the Great Ouse by means of a nice route that I know, but I am briefly going to diverge from strict geographical recounting for a subsection on…

BUTTERFLIES

The butterflies were out in force, but it is always difficult to photograph them due to their speed. Nevertheless, I did get some good pics to share…

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This was the last butterfly I got, while walking through Hardings Pits

This was the first butterfly pic I got today.

The only non-animal flyer I got today - a helicopter (Helico- = spiral, pteron = wing) — The only non-animal flyer I got today – a helicopter (Helico- = spiral, pteron = wing)

ARRIVING AT THE GREAT OUSE

Just a few pics here, but it was a delight to see the river at very high tide…

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My next set of pictures are themed around a small but (to me) very significant little landmark which I have dubbed…

CORMORANT PLATFORM

The very high tide meant that most of the structure was submerged, and the presence of boats and the river and West Lynn Church on the far bank also contributed to a great set of pictures…

A brilliant piece of photobombing by the flying gull!

Multiple species of bird coexisting peacefully.

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Two cormorants took wing in my direction.

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Not all of the boats i saw on the river were there for leisure purposes – there was also a…

RESEARCH VESSEL

Four pics showing the boat and website details…

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From here all that was left was…

THE HOME STRETCH

The pictures I took in these final few minutes are very varied…

The smallest baby moorhen I have ever seen.

We have reached the end of my walk, but I do hope some of you stay for the…

LINKS

I have a shed load of important links to share, starting with some on…

CONSERVATION

My first link comes courtesy of Huffington Post and features Richard Dawkins giving Idaho huntress Sabrina Corgatelli the full treatment.

My next three links are part of a developing story involving airlines stopping the idiots from getting their “trophies” home…

First to step up to the plate by refusing to carry such items were Delta.
Who have already been joined by American Airlines and United.
On change.org a petition is taking off to get South African Airways to impose a like ban.

Although it was a universally revered lion whose demise sparked this activity they are not the only species targeted by noxious individuals, and my next link is to a take part petition on behalf of the elephant.

Finally in this subsection, from Mark Avery comes a story about hen harriers which was written in response to a piece in the Telegraph that was shockingly inaccurate even by the “standards” of that detestable rag.

SCIENCE

Just a few links in this subsection. First up, a brilliant scheme from Norway to combat climate change (unlike the “I’m all right Jack” types who currently form the British government these people can see beyond their own immediate concerns). I am also classing as science these two connected links regarding London postcodes:

1)From londonist an interesting post about why London which has compass point themed postcodes beginning with E, SE,SW,W,NW and N has no S or NE postcodes.

2)The website of the author of the above piece, mapping modernity.

Finally in this section, a quirky piece about science facts, accompanied by a graphic. courtesy of viralands – there are 22 facts in total in this piece.

DISABILITY AND AUTISM

A few links in this section, which i shall present as a bulleted list:

From Scope comes this piece entitled “Do You Have a License For That“
Next, by way of Autism Daily Newscast comes this story of discrimination against an autistic person by furniture giant IKEA.
Kevin Healey’s long standing battle to get twitter to verify his account and protect him from trolls continues.
A feelgood story from The Mighty titled “A Little Girl Asked Why My Daughter With Autism Is Weird. Her Friend Had the Best Response”
Read more: http://themighty.com/2014/12/a-little-girl-asked-why-my-daughter-with-autism-is-weird-her-friend-had-the-best-response/#ixzz3hxh3tbzo

CELEBRATE SUFFRAGETTES NOT SERIAL KILLERS

I mentioned this yesterday, and the story has moved on since then. My source today is Socialist Worker with a piece giving great detail, including the fact that the museum which got planning permission on false pretences did not open yesterday as planned – let us hope that in it’s current incarnation as a musuem dedicated to Jack the Ripper it never does open its doors. here are the two links:

The Socialist Worker article.
The 38degrees petition

ODDS AND ENDS

A final bulleted lists of links that did not belong anywhere above but which I wish to share:

From Amnesty USA comes this very important petition:

Stop Crackdown Against Lawyers and Activists in China
I do not often mention football in this blog, but I had to make an exception for this story titledAlmira becomes first Pakistani woman footballer to play in UK

INFOGRAPHICS

A few infographics to round things off…

Earth Age End the Great Housing Giveaway IDS

There is a link to the story behind this earlier in the blog.

Stop benefit sanctions

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.

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…

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:

A public response from World Animal Protection
Two links to the petition site:
1)The original petition
2)The current state of play
Sumofus calling on airlines to refuse to carry the “trophies” of such activities
Take Part have produced this splendid article by way of response
Patheos have offered this interesting view
Finally, mashable have produced their own petition relating to this issue

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.

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.

A squirrel preparing for the main ascent!

A swimming gull, reflected back by the smooth water.

This one was standing on a submerged log

A cormorant - the first of many. — A cormorant – the first of many.

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

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

A cormorant and black backed gull together.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

GENERAL LINKS

Just a handful of links today:

Richard Murphy of Tax Research UK on the “power of capital well used”.
An update on the change.org petition launched by the Sweets Way Campaign.
Two from Vox Political:
1)A splendid attack on the despicable Jeremy Hunt.
2)A scathing indictment of Tory plans that would amount to legalising bribery and corruption.
Finally, to end the post, a link to a new find that came by way of Fargaregardsanna, Harsh Reality, who are offering the opportunity to share a blog post, which I shall by accepting!

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.

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

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.

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

CLASSICAL MUSIC

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

…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…

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…

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

A FEW FINAL PICTURES

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

Once this pigeon nest was identified as reachable from ground level it did not survive long.

A Bloggers Bazaar

I will be starting as usual by sharing some important links, before moving on to some other stuff…

LINKS

To start with, a reminder that the autistic community is still awaiting an apology from Katie Hopkins. On this topic, a prominent supporter of our campaign is Lucy Hawking, daughter of Stephen and mother of an autistic child – check out this piece.

Next comes some information about bumble bees.

My penultimate link is to a list of demands to the next government on behalf of disabled people.

Last of all, courtesy of the Anti-bulliying Alliance comes a suggested anti-bullying charter for use in schools.

PICTORIAL INTERLUDE

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MIDDLESEX SECOND INNINGS WOES

Middlesex demonstrated in their match against Durham that batting again rather than enforcing the follow-on is no guarantee against a disastrous collapse. Middlesex reached their eventual 2nd innings total of 83 only because Tim Murtagh, batting at no 11 and suffering with a hamstring strain top scored. Chris Rushworth and John Hastings each took five wickets in this remarkable display.

I was sitting outside listening to the commentary on this and periodically enhancing my collection of photos…

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My best aeroplane shot yet... — My best aeroplane shot yet…

...with this one a decent second — …with this one a decent second

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Cricket Season Underway

As so often I have things to share with you before moving on to the main meat of my post…

LINKS

First of all I wish to share several important petitions that I hope you will sign and share:

From change.org a petition calling on The Sun to sack the loathsome Katie Hopkins.
From gopetition.com an urgent petition calling for the release form prison of a Saudi human rights lawyer.
Another one from change.org is this one calling for a mother and son to be allowed to stay in the UK
From Avaaz comes this petiiton regarding a cynical attempt by Monsanto to have a report that is bad news for one of their products suppressed.

I hope that you, as I have, will sign and share all of these.

My next offering is evidence in the form of transcripts from the Marr show that Mr Cameron is guilty of a large number of murders. The evidence is presented by Mike Sivier on Vox Political.

Changing topic completely, here is an account of a performance of a new opera by one of its stars, Charlotte Hoather.

My penultimate item in this section is a post from Atheist Republic.

Last of all, a campaign set up by parents of disabled children in Sefton, SOS Transport Sefton. For full information check out their blog runawaybus. I urge you to read the blog, and connect with the campaign – these people need support.

PICTORIAL INTERLUDE

In between the two text parts of this blog I have some pictures, the first of which is not of my own creation…

This wonderful election poster deserves to be shared widely.

The next four pics are of plants growing in my Aunt's pots, which I am attending to while she is out of the country. — The next four pics are of plants growing in my Aunt’s pots, which I am attending to while she is out of the country.

Humber Guardian still moored in King's Lynn — Humber Guardian still moored in King’s Lynn

A harbinger of things to come - "Cormorant Platform", at point where the Nar flows into the Ouse. — A harbinger of things to come – “Cormorant Platform”, at point where the Nar flows into the Ouse.

CRICKET SEASON UNDERWAY

The English cricket season is underway, and that the moment I am listening to commentary of Glamorgan v Surrey in the county championship. The match to date has been dominated by the batting of Sangakkara (149) and Davies (now past 150 and still going), as Surrey are piling on the runs. Newly at the wicket following the dismissal of Sangakkara is Jason Roy, who could produce some serious fireworks.

Although,the Test team looks reasonably settled there simply have to be vacancies in the England one day side – the performance in the World Cup that has just concluded was so abysmal that there is no option but to find new players.

Time now for some more pics to finish this post…

It wasn't just sea birds that were enjoying the Nar Outfall — It wasn’t just sea birds that were enjoying the Nar Outfall

First time I've managed to get a swimming cormorant - they dive under so often that they are rarely visible long enough to photograph while swimming. — First time I’ve managed to get a swimming cormorant – they dive under so often that they are rarely visible long enough to photograph while swimming.

Please share widely!!

Sunday Spectacular

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.

LINKS

http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2015/03/22/conspiracy-claim-will-drive-voters-away-from-the-tories/ The first of several stories about the Tory candidate in Dudley North dickering with the EDL. For an example of the correct way to deal with the EDL check out https://aspiblog.wordpress.com/2012/11/11/nails-in-the-edl-coffin-and-other-stuff/

https://tompride.wordpress.com/2015/03/21/tory-candidate-suspended-for-plotting-with-far-right-group-the-edl/#respond

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/odin-s-birthday-celebrated-by-social-media-supporters-1.3004041

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/65627

http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/a-nation-of-immigrants-the-10000year-history-of-britain-as-told-by-your-dna–xJ71_M6MRx

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAsPO3mWQAAMS3r.jpg

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/tory-election-candidate-suspended-over-alleged-plot-to-stage-fake-demonstration-outside-mosque-with-former-edl-leader-10125388.html

http://www.allthatsleft.co.uk/2015/01/the-general-election-100-days-to-go/

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.

http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2015/03/22/doctors-to-be-briefed-on-life-saving-work-capability-assessment-rules/

http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2015/03/22/nick-de-bois-enfields-unrepresentative-representative/

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAuTMeFU8AAVu_8.jpg

https://www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/kate-godfrey/faqs-staffordshire-cancer-privatisation

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAjSxwUVIAAw6vs.jpg

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/22/conservative-hopes-of-claiming-dudley-north-lie-in-tatters

https://thepoorsideoflife.wordpress.com/2015/03/20/national-day-of-demonstrations-against-sanctions-and-attempted-suicide-by-man-who-attends-ashton-jobcentre/

http://www.lettersfromaspergia.com/2015/03/five-reasons-saying-autism-isnt.html

http://charlottehoatherblog.com/2015/03/22/the-laird-ocockpen-2/#like-3349 A blog from a professional musician.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_uhO52WYAA_ywI.png

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

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/auteachism/auteachism-apps-communication-technology-that-chan One of my more recent followers on @aspitweets

http://paper.li/ambir An honourable mention for yours truly.

http://socialistworker.org/2015/03/23/solidarity-wins-at-rutgers

THE MORNING: KINGS LYNN

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”…

A Tale of Two Rivers

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 1 – can you ID all the landmarks in there?

Townscape 2 - with the zoom increased. — 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! — An unusual sight – a British roundabout and no traffic!

The 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.

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! — Almost the last pic, and the only one of the day of Britain’s soon to be national bird!

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).

A Pot Pourri of Pics (and other stuff)

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. — 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 — 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. — 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.

Lot 726 (This, and the remaining three pics) is very nice.

Bellerive Brings More History

The match between Scotland and Sri Lanka at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart is at the halfway stage and has already seen a record set and another equalled.

Kumar Sanggakara kept his appointment with a century, becoming the first to achieve the feat in four successive ODIs. His century was matched by one from Tillekaratne Dilshan and the main course was followed by an explosive 51 from Angelo Matthews as Sri Lanka ran up 363 from their 50 overs. In amongst this carnage Josh Davey took three wickets, taking him up to 14 for the tournament and temporarily leading wicket taker, one ahead of Trent ‘the conductor’ Boult. That figure of 14 wickets for the tournament also ties Eddo Brandes of Zimbabwe for most wickets ever taken by a bowler for an associate member at a world cup (in 1992 Zimbabwe had yet to be promoted to full member status).

The Bellerive seems to be a serendipitous ground for great things to happen at – it was here that Ireland edged out Zimbabwe in a thriller just a few days ago. The word serendipitous derives from the wondrous island encountered by Sindbad the Sailor in his sixth voyage, the Arabic name of which is rendered in English translation as Serendip, Serendib or Sarandib. The name by which this island is now known? Sri Lanka.

I do not see this game developing into a Zimbabwe v Ireland style thriller, especially with Kyle Coetzer, the Aberdonian with a South African surname having gone to the second ball of Scotland’s reply.

As those familiar with this blog know I never leave you without sharing some pictures…

Work on what will be the Northbound exit from the new bus station.

Gaywood Clock through the window of an X8.

A lacewing on the inside window of an X8 on the return journey.

A new dawn (something English cricket needs) breaking over King's Lynn — A new dawn (something English cricket needs) breaking over King’s Lynn

My new bathroom window - I also have secondary glazing on the High Street side of the flat. — My new bathroom window – I also have secondary glazing on the High Street side of the flat.

A glimpse into the Jewish Cemetery, Millfleet, King's Lynn — A glimpse into the Jewish Cemetery, Millfleet, King’s Lynn

These swans, swimming in the Nar, were a trifle uncooperative.

Moorhen about to take the plunge... — Moorhen about to take the plunge…

...And now happily swimming. — …And now happily swimming.

	Aoteroa Axed by Ahme… on South Africa Finnished as Alle…
	Thomas on World T20 Cup Underway
	Anna on World T20 Cup Underway
	London Underground t… on Project Piccadilly
	Thomas on All Time XIs – Detective…

INTRODUCTION

PART 1: KING’S LYNN, MORNING

CORMORANT PLATFORM

BUTTERFLIES

A VARIATION ON THE USUAL BUS JOURNEY

PART TWO: EAST RUDHAM

THE BEES

THE RETURN JOURNEY

PART THREE: KING’S LYNN AGAIN

INTRODUCTION

THE WALK

THE TUESDAY MARKET PLACE AND ST NICHOLAS CHAPEL

BAWSEY DRAIN

BUTTERFLIES

ARRIVING AT THE GREAT OUSE

CORMORANT PLATFORM

RESEARCH VESSEL

THE HOME STRETCH

LINKS

CONSERVATION

SCIENCE

DISABILITY AND AUTISM

CELEBRATE SUFFRAGETTES NOT SERIAL KILLERS

ODDS AND ENDS

INFOGRAPHICS

INTRODUCTION

ON APPRECIATING NATURE

CECIL THE LION

SOME PICTORIAL HIGHLIGHTS

A FEW NATURE RELATED LINKS

A FINAL REMINDER

GENERAL LINKS

INTRODUCTION

BIRDS, BOATS AND PLANES IN KING’S LYNN

LINKS

CAMPAIGNS

STOP TTIP

HELP YAZIDI WOMEN AND GIRLS KIDNAPPED BY ISIS

THE JOANNE FOWLER PETITION

ON ORCAS

OTHER LINKS

HUMANISM

OTHERS

CLASSICAL MUSIC

INFOGRAPHICS

A FEW FINAL PICTURES