Archives for October 2021

The little cutting that grows

The little cutting

A pressie for F from lovely C: the little cutting that just keeps growing!

Halloween Pt 2

Will

Part Two of a series. Part One is here. Spooky.

Halloween

Halloween

Will. This one brings back some memories.

Range

Range

The beeping EV's done good. Cornwall and back via friends and family and a circular route.

The Rings

The Rings

Cobweb blowing stroll around the rings.

The Rings

Where the National Trust are claiming low biodiversity as a justification for an action. Let's hope they apply the same logic to all the landscapes they manage.

Hedgehog

Hedgehog

Spied along the footpath in Honiton.

Camel Days

Camel Days

An end-of-break last walk along the Camel.

Too bright for selfies

With sunshine too bright for selfies!

Sir Ewok of Padstow

Ewok Walks

Steps

The Steps

Burgers and Fish

Burgers and Fish

A Pint of Padstow

First Visitor

First proper visitor

Good Evening Padstow

Good evening Padstow

Boundaries

Boundaries

Lunch at The Pig

Lunch at The Pig

Lunch at The Pig

25 mile menu.

Pumpkin

Pumpkin

Pumpkin

It's a multi-sided pumpkin, created in a flash before J arrived, and a conversation piece when we met the neighbours for a drink or three.

Light Inspiration

Light inspiration

Good food, great atmosphere, plus film and travel recommendations, at Purcelli's.

Padstein

Welcome to Padstein

The queue to chat with Rick.

Selfie on the Beach

Selfies

17.21 kWh

Charging in Wadebridge

There's a danger that c r o s s o a k may turn into the trials and tribulations of EV charging. The novelty may wear off. Or we may give up.

Watching the internet

Waiting

Watching Luke install the interwebz.

Hawkers Cove

Hawkers Cove

We planned a loop walk, but the path out of the cove was a swamp. So we switched to a there-and-back walk.

Eleven years later

FTTP

Eleven years after we moved back from the USA we finally have faster broadband than we had there. Luke from Kelly Communications popped round this morning and pulled 100Mbps through the wall.

Cosy Boys

Cosy

AirThings

Air things

An AirThings monitor. Because Cornwall & Radon. Radon is negligible. While CO₂ and VOCS spike at night...

Good Morning Padstow

Good morning padstow

Good morning padstow

Morning Fishing

I was up early walking the dogs. Someone else was up early fishing.

Fish and Chip Dinner

Fish and Chips Dinner

Electric Experiences

Electric

Electric

Yes, this one is electric. With a whole new world of experiences.

Electric

Electric

Like broken chargers.

Electric

And working chargers.

Which means a whole new way of long distance trip planning. Hurrah!

But it did do Padstow via Honiton with a 15% top up at Solstice Services and 22% remaining at the end of the trip.

The house with the Spitfire

The house with the Spitfire

The house with the pillbox, now turned into a work of art. Spitire RF-D as flown by Wing Commander Jan Zumbach.

end of the journey

Nearly home

Well, nearly.

From the train

Durham Virtual Tour

Everything you need to know about Durham in one view. Apparently.

Yes, we walked

Walking

Moon in a cathedral

Moon in a cathedral

LSE may have their globe but Durham have The Moon. IN A CATHEDRAL.

Breakie

Breakie

Breakie @ Bill's. Energy for the day ahead.

Welcome to our virtual tour of Durham University

Durham Virtual Tour

With Covid and all the unpleasantness old fashioned university tours have gone all virtual. "There's an app for that" (although not a particularly good one).

Durham Virtual Tour

Durham Virtual Tour

Durham Virtual Tour

Durham Virtual Tour

Durham Virtual Tour

Maybe Amazon could sponsor the School of Heavy Goods Deliveries.

Durham Virtual Tour

We did some miles, saw lots of stuff, and ended up at the well named Riverview Kitchen for a very tasty lunch with a view. Thanks for the recommendation Dave!

Prices

Student Deals

Apparently, the most important aspect to check out with any potential University says H.

A night out in Durham

What time is it?

With Dave

An awesome meal out with Dave in Durham...

Durham Cathedral

Durham Cathedral

...and then a night time wander around the city.

River Weir

Durham

Durham

Edit: How embarrassing, it's the River Wear. If you look closely there is a river weir, but that's not what I meant so that excuse doesn't count ;-)

LSE Globe

LSE Globe

LSE

High Time for High Tea

High Tea

First team gathering of the pandemic. Not bad sarnies.

Eye eye

Eye

Waiting

Waiting

The 0720 from Cholsey used to be a magic train. A HST service that missed out Reading and then ran non-stop from Twyford.

A quote from hit makers

Hit makers: how things become popular

A quote from Hit makers: how things become popular.

> Some of my friends would welcome fashion tastes so static that a single wardrobe would last several millennia. Ironically, they tend to work in the technology industry, which embraces, and even pushes, change in just about every other category of life.

Looking back through the evidence, I can see no indication that this observation applies to me.

Waiting

Waiting

Patiently. It is a roast after all.

Driving

Driving

Are these the boots

Are these the boots you're looking for

You're looking for?

Edge of the trampoline

End of the trampoline

The edge of the trampoline, signifying the end of the trampoline. And an end of an era.

Flying Niro

Flying Niro

Turns out that it wasn't this one. And it wasn't a bike either.

Student Care Package

Router

In 2021, a student care package means fast, reliable, low latency Internet. Everywhere. Well, everywhere except where we are, where the two asthmatic mice blowing ones and zeros down a piece of string usually max out at 8Mbps.

Walking to Paddington

Walking to Paddington

007

The art outside the gallery

Things seen walking back to Paddington. Yes, I was avoiding the tube, and yes I was also missing my bike.

New Office View

I've had a few office views over the years.

There was the Barrington Hall View; the gardens of an English Country House. There were the Microsoft Redmond Campus views that included Lake Bill, a hint of the Cascades and perfectly manicured grass. The Microsoft UK office view was memorable through not being worth remembering (but the walk there and back was awesome). I'm not sure if the The Oxford Academy counts, it was a classroom not an office after all (but the commute was good too). Skype had many views, from Tallinn, to Seattle and even London. And mixed in around this period were some "I'm workings on the train office views. Amazon provided some variations on a theme, Seattle (again!) towards the space needle, and London looking East and West. Then there's been last 19 months of office views that have had a large proportion of "working from the garden".

Office views

Office views

But of all the office views, the latest are not too shabby.

Back on the train gang

Back on the train

First day in an office since March last year.

Looks like we're flying again

Looks like we're flying again

After a year and a half of beautiful, plane free (or mybe more plane-challenged) skies, it looked this morning like things were getting back to How They Were.

Scotland, a rough guide

A rough guide

F caught me reading this this morning. He said, "you know that there's this thing called the internet". Cheeky so-and-so.

Not this one?

Not this one

Probably not this one. It was more like driving an iPad than a car. Maybe this one because it feels more like a car than a computer game.

Could be back in WA

Could be back in WA

A bit foggy this morning

A bit foggy

Cosy on a Friday Night

Cosy

Grace's Gallery

Grace's Gallery

The mouth of the Camel

The mouth of the Camel

Snapped between the showers while on a walk with Ewok and Yogi.

Very different from yesterday's view.

Morning Padstow

Good morning padstow

Morning light

Up early and a walk with the boys before breakfast.

The Shipwrights

Sheltering from the squall

We had to stop to shelter from the squall, but the light was worth it.

Quay Side Reading

The places in between

A quiet spot on the quay for a spot of reading.

Overheard while sat there, the crew of a boat planning to sail up to Scotland for the climate sumit, sampling the sea-soundscape on the way. I hope they got their TV slot. The producer (just arrived from south east London even though there's no petrol) sounded positive about an early morning piece to camera from the foredeck. But the lost and exasperated cameraman I saw the next morning probably meant that the tide-constrained slot had been missed.

Amazon Delivers

Amazon

90 mins after the apology email that the delivery would be a day late, up pulls a branded van. It sits there for a few minutes and then drives off. I'm wondering which person or system realised that the package wasn't in the van and when, oh, and what the COE will read like. busmansholiday.

Winter Cabbages

Winter cabbage

Taken from the same spot as this pic, one of the earliest on c r o s s o a k back in 2005.

Good morning Padstow

Good morning padstow

The road home

Strand street

Walk, Surf, Lunch

Harlyn

Morning walk, some boarding (brov was sooooo right, it's warmer in the autumn!!!!), and a roast at the Harbour Inn. Tradition making?

Brick Tent Camping

Brunch

I don't know who coined the phrase brick tent camping but it's perfectly apt. The project has a single pan induction hob which is perfect for brunch. There's a microwave, kettle and, most importantly a toaster. The plumbing works, just. And there's leccy too (although whether we'll be able to afford any in a month is anyone's guess). A fridge arrives tomorrow, just in time for it to be cold enough not to need a fridge. There's also a futon to sit/sleep on and a possibility of a bed arriving on Tuesday.

Wet Walk

Wet dog shelter

After a wet walk, taking shelter.

Drying Ewok

After the post-wet walk dry, getting settled.

Spikey

Spikey

In the dunes at Harbour Cove. Loads of snails too.

Kitchen Window View

View from the kitchen window

Tommy's Bench

Tommy's Bench

Tommy's Bench

Tommy's Bench

Tommy Morrissey, 1915 - 1996.

> Just tell me Old Shipmates

> I'm taking a trip mates

> and I'll see you someday

> in Fiddlers Green

Futon

Futon arrived

A futon arrived for the project. It was hanging out in the shed, but we thought quarter-past twelve in the morning was a little late to be figuring it out. Fortunately the airbed survived one more night (unlike our first attempt camping out at the project, which I'm not sure I'll ever be forgiven for). It's all quite cosy really…

Footie

Wallingford playing Didcot

F (#6) playing for the Under-21s.

Spot the cat

Spot the stray cat

A very shy cat, maybe lost, maybe stray, maybe feral, has been lurking in the garden.

Artist at work

Artist at work

Keen eyes may spot the floor making slow progress.

Dogs spots

Comfy places

Comfy places

Where they sit is a window into their personalities.

Lost Yogi

Lost yogi

We couldn't find Yogi after a muddy walk. We found him waiting patiently for a shower.

Leopald Street

New student digs

New student digs

New student digs. The alien was impressed.

Last Fifa

The final fifa

The last game of FIFA before H headed back to uni.

Swimming

Yogi ready for an autumn swim

M wanted to swim in the sea so everyone got their bathing costumes ready.

Finn after an autumn swim

Getting in was easy. Getting warm, dry and sand-free after was the tricky bit.

Games

Games at Grandad and Nana's

Games at Grandad and Nana's

Games at Grandad and Nana's

Games at Grandad and Nana's

Games at Grandad and Nana's. Some people won.

Weak Bridge

Except for fire engines

Except for fire engines.

Camel

Camel

Looking up the Camel. (yes, you've already seen this).

Ewok's Place

Ewok's place