Sunday lunch at East Rudham, a spot of imaging (37 magic books, of which some of the better pictures feature in this blog) and finally home to check and edit the pics (left the cable here, so could not do it at Rudham). The weather although pretty unpleasant at times was not as apocalyptic as we had been led to believe.
I managed to catch the last rites of the Somerset v Sussex 50 overs a side game once I had got back. Sussex were always in command, and reached the target easily.
Now for those pics…
Dreadful puns are a common feature of magic book titles!
Rough conditions did not deter the gulls.To get as many as four swimming gulls in a shot is something of a rarity.
Yesterday England found the best way to avoid being hampered by the possible intervention of hurricane Bertha by wrapping things up very early. Not even a freak injury to Stuart Broad could prevent England from settling the matter. For the second time in the match India’s top order failed abjectly, and although I did not witness the events of the first two days being busy working, some of the dismissals suggested a team who had lost all semblance of fight.
Moeen Ali, who is not even a regular bowler for his county, took (or was handed) four cheap wickets. The only triumph to go India’s way on this day was the Brian Johnston Champagne Moment, which went to Pankaj Singh who ended a very long wait for his first test wicket – only two bowlers with test wickets to their name had conceded more runs before getting their first.
Perhaps the biggest single gainer on the day was new wicket-keeper Jos Buttler who after making a swashbuckling 85 in his first test now showed that he could adapt to different circumstances by making a much more restrained 70.
As usual I have some fine photographs from in and around King’s Lynn to share…
Long overdue changes to the bus station
Two gulls look on while a third takes wing
While two gulls like their rooftop perch, a third flies off.
This rose within a pentagon appears just outside the main door to King’s Lynn library.
I am now deep into preparing for the August auction at James and Sons. I have about 140 lots already in my Stock database for this auction, and have also streamlined the input process in the Auction side of the database.
As usual I have plenty of pictures to share with you…
Two small birds.Seagull on Chimney
This statue sits atop the Corn Exchange in King’s Lynn
This postcard album forms the bulk of lot 64, but there were three other images of loose cards as well.
I was needed in East Rudham yesterday to do some imaging for my father, and took the opportunity to visit the Rudham Village Fete that was running at the same time, and got some good photos. Then for an encore I went down to the east bank of the Great Ouse to watch the fireworks display that is a regular feature of Festival too. I have some fine pictures for you, especially of the fireworks…
Very little imaging to do today, but there was all involved quality items. I put out two press releases, one mainly targeting organisations with an interest in aviation history and focussing on the propeller, and a general press release about the auction taking place at Raynham Hall as a trial run for the big event (will soon be communicating these details on the appropriate facebook and twitter pages). Note for my newer followers/ those who have more recently liked my posts: I would be even more grateful if you could like the facebook page I have linked to above and/ or follow the twitter page.
Now for the images and links to the press releases…
This little brass clock with visible mechanism and very battered carrying case appealed strongly.
Watches like this one caused me grief with the old camera – no probs with this one.
This Chinese tea set required security measures – each part of individually bubble-wrapped, then a top layer of bubble wrap to house it more safely in the very stout box I selected with care, and then black marker pen to indicate the lot number and most importantl;y the word FRAGILE!!
Even though my outside seating area was still in the shade this morning I could not resist sitting outside for my second cup of coffee of the day, and I got a couple of decent pictures while doing so.
My entire working day today was spent imaging for the dress rehearsal auction at Raynham Hall (aka James and Sons July sale), although tomorrow will be more varied, with some press releases to go out. Most of the imaging was of course done with the camera, but some items do genuinely work better done with the scanner, and there are couple of these among the pictures the accompany this post. I am going to start posting on the Great Auction facebook and twitter pages with some of these images and the suggestion that if anyone has similar items that they would like to donate to a really good cause, please get in contact with us.
I have just had an email from Phil Pell at the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge confirming that we have a session booked for August 27th. The new feature (for me) of this particular research project as that it will entail spending time in an MRI scanner. As group leader of the King’s Lynn Asperger Support Society (KLASS) and as someone who wants Asperger’s Syndrome to be better understood by the world at large I always accept invitations to take part in research projects of this nature.
Now for the photos…
As both sides of this item were interesting I decided to take two pictures and produce a composite image.I went for the secondary image for the purposes of this blog.
I always use the scanner for small stamp lots.
This flagpole, atop the Clifton House Tower is a popular perching placeI had not previously seen a bird perching on this wall.
First up, before I get to the main meat of this post, a considered retrospective on the conclusion of the first test. While I give Moeen Ali full credit for his maiden test century and for taking England to within the proverbial hairs breadth (two possible balls remaining in the match when Anderson was finally out) of escaping from a match that they really surrendered in the second and third sessions of the penultimate day, I consider the final result to have been what England deserved.
Wimbledon is under way, and I spent an enjoyable afternoon yesterday listening to the play. Andy Murray looked every inch the defending champion in winning his second round match with only two games going against him, and there were several other good matches. Alhtough I am normally studious in avoiding any mention of the f-game in this blog, I could not avoid hearing about Luis Suarez’s latest (alleged) felony yesterday. My only comment is: if he is guilty, then given the nature of the offence and his previous record, there can be only one punishment: A worldwide lifetime ban from the sport that made him a rich, spoilt brat.
First up this morning was a meeting at Raynham Hall to discuss progress on the Great Centenary Charity Auction. Unfortunately our gracious host Lord Townshend was not able to participate owing to a mishap involving an overflowing bath and damage to a ceiling. In a stately home that dates back to the time of Queen Anne such matters are cause for extra angst as there are fewer people capable of performing the necessary repairs.
We have a rather spectacular lot no 12 in our July auction, which to remind you all takes place at the hall as a dress rehearsal for the Great Centenary Auction in September. We have a wooden aeroplane propeller dating from 1935, and with two inscriptions on its centrepiece. The full photo gallery I assembled is included in the added media. Although I have included a link to it, the website for the Great Centenary Auction is going to be out of action tomorrow and Thursday while it is redesigned. Our facebook and twitter pages are very much still up and running though, and visitors, follows and/ or likes would be most welcome.
The final day of the test match is going less ignominiously for England than I feared (ie it is still going on), but the damage was all done yesterday, first by poor tactics in the field and then by a disgraceful effort with the bat. If England do somehow wriggle free of the noose Sri Lanka can count themselves victims of an injustice.
Now for the promised photos…
The propeller mentioned in the text.
Of the three montages I created I like this one best, so will be using it on facebook and twitter (and in a specialist press release I shall craft on Thursday)I have also included the full gallery for this coin lot (This image, the closed cigar box and a half dozen particular curious coins that I scanned at 400 DPI
With the parents back from their latest sojourn abroad I had Sunday lunch in East Rudham, and picked up some good rural photographs. Also in the added media you will see a pic that has gone out on the Great Auctionfacebook and twitter pages.
England in the course of approximately half a day threw away a test match they seemed to have in the bag. When Sri Lanka lost their seventh second innings wicket they were still under 200 to the good, and one would have backed England to make a successful chase. It was at that point that the wheels began to come off, as Alastair Cook went for the “strategy” of feeding the established batsman (Angelo Mathews) singles so as to attack the tailender. I have never been greatly enamoured of such a practice, believing that it is better to encourage your bowlers to look for wickets whoever is on strike, and the moment I became absolutely 100% dead set against it was in Australia in 2009 when I saw Mohammed Yousuf gift the home side a test match that Pakistan should have strolled by doing the same things. On that occasion Mike Hussey and Peter Siddle batted for more than a session together, and instead of a token run chase at the end Pakistan faced a target of 176 and collapsed, Yousuf compounding his failure as captain by surrendering his wicket to an awful shot at a critical time. On this occasion, Mathews destroyed England with a magnificent 160, Herath the tailender made 48 (actually with no pressure being applied to the senior partner, there ends up being less pressure on the junior), and Sri Lanka’s lead mushroomed to 350, more than enough to defend in the fourth innings a match at most test match venues. Cook then compounded has failings as captain by falling cheaply to initiate a collapse that ended in the last over of the day when night-watchman Plunkett was inexcusably caught at cover playing a loose drive to leave England right in the cart at 57-5 needing a mere 293 more for victory. The only worse response to a mini session at the end of a penultimate day that I can remember from England was in Trinidad in 1994, when chasing 194 for victory they were 40-8 at the close, and there were mitigating factors in the combined form of Ambrose, Walsh and murky light on that occasion. For more details about a defeat from the jaws of victory such as even England (all-time masters of this dubious art) have seldom engineered check out cricinfo.
Now for some photos…
The Dereham War Memorial, taken through the upstairs front window of an X1 bus.
These roses grow outside my parents houseNorfolk’s stupidest and most irritating avian resident – the collared dove.
