-
Our Somerset, holiday cottage
No comments on Our Somerset, holiday cottage -
A lovely morning on Epsom Downs
-
Rain ⇨ Sun ⇨ Colour!
-
My mum doesn’t look happy
By the look on my mum’s face, and the suitcase and bag piled up on the wall, it looks as if another one of my stepdad’s cars has broken down.
Picture taken around 1966. I was a bit of a looker, do you think? Things change.
-
Spring in Kingston
Contrasting images taken in Kingston-Upon-Thames on a glorious Spring day.
-
Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium
In Saturday’s Guardian there was an interesting article on the closure of Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium.I have fond memories of the only time I went greyhound racing, at Wimbledon, with half-a-dozen work colleagues.
As well as 10 or so races to bet on, we had some surprisingly good food. My cautious colleagues decided to place £2 each-way bets on each race, but I decided to follow a riskier strategy. I was prepared to lose up to £50 over the course of the evening (yet still have a good time), so I went for £5 bets, each race, on a dog to win. Riskier but potentially more rewarding!
How did we do? My recollection is that most of my colleagues lost small amounts overall, whereas I ended £50 up by the end of the evening! No skill involved, just a lot of luck and a riskier betting strategy. A night that now, cannot be repeated.
Wimbledon Greyhound Track closed last night and will be knocked down to be replaced by a football stadium for AFC Wimbledon, 600 new homes and a leisure centre.
-
Mike’s bikes
I recently bought two second-hand books on cycling, and although I rarely cycle, they were both interesting reads. The Escape Artist, by Matt Seaton, is an excellent short book, describing the author’s passion for cycling. Two Wheels, by the same author, is a varied and interesting collection of the author’s short, Guardian articles on biking.
My first bike, at about the age of 12, was a second-hand beast much like the one shown. It was so very old-fashioned that I just had to customise it to reduce the embarrassment of riding the horror!Firstly I removed the chain guard and replaced the curly handlebars with drop-handlebars. Finally I painted it turquoise! It must have been a sight for sore eyes, but my recollection is that I believed it to be the bee’s knees.
I haven’t really done much cycling as an adult.In 2007 I hired a bike in Stockholm.
Whilst in New Zealand in 2009, we hired bikes and cycled along a rough path alongside the lake at Wanaka.
In this short video I’m holding my camera with one hand and steering with the other. In hindsight this was probably somewhat reckless.
-
A neo-renaissance cinema masquerading as a bingo hall!
I just had to post a link to a blog post about this amazing building. Maybe it’s time to take up bingo!
-
Hamble, again
I make no apologies for taking yet more pictures of the River Hamble and the pink ferries! It’s a lovely spot, with a small waterfront and a consistently reliable café. Hamble village is also charming, with several pubs.The short ride on the ferry, across the river to Warsash, is well worth the modest fare.
-
Personal Shopper
At almost 2 hours long, Personal Shopper is an absorbing film, but very odd. Its star, Kristen Stewart, is barely off-screen and gives a fine performance in a confusing ghost story. I would recommend the film, for some.It’s been a while since I last went to the cinema! There were just 6 film-goers in the Wimbledon HMVCurzon cinema, which is about par for a lunchtime viewing. I can’t remember the last time I sat in a cinema that was crowded. I don’t think I would like the noise from, and proximity to, so many people!
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
things change 