I Back to Grasmere

Just for a couple of days, to take a few pictures:

The breakfast was delightful:

The daffodils in the Wordsworth Garden were long past their best but there were some compensations:

Here are a couple who were totally wrapped up in whatever images they were looking at on the phone he was holding:

I took it at Allan Bank - one of Wordsworth's many homes. Now run by the National Trust, it's one of the loveliest, cozyest and interesting places you could wish for. Also, they have red squirrels. Major props.

3 unrelated things...

This week I remembered where the gym was and I'm trying to get back into some sort of regular schedule. I'd forgotten how boring 10 min. of static cycling could be. My only hope is that I become so absent minded that I don't notice how long I'm spending sitting on the saddle.

In other news there were some lovely contrails in the sky the other evening:

I must have taken a gazillion pictures of the signs next to the lifts at the Royal Stoke University Hospital - <sigh> here's another:

Nantwich

...and time for some paperwork 🤓 

Springtime

Spring really is a lovely time of year

Buxton

On a sunny spring day, the golden stone that graces many of the older buildings in Buxton takes on a lovely, warm, honey tone. With that in mind, here's an unhelpful black and white taken in the main street:

The park has a little train that runs around a looped track:

On the way back home I went for the healthy eating option:

Ruby Turner

Ruby took a break from touring with Jools Holland and played a storming set with her band at the Nantwich Jazz Festival over the Easter weekend. Great voice, and songs that appeal widely - go see her if you get the chance.

Apologies to the keyboard player, who remained a mystery to me throughout the entire concert hidden behind the stack on the right.

Walking back to the car, after the gig, the spring cherry blossom in St. Mary's churchyard cast some wonderful patterns and shadows:

Biddulph Grange Gardens

A couple of visits to Biddulph Grange gardens, a National Trust property about 15min. drive from home, are always good for a few pictures any time of the year:

There's a stumpery here too: 

...and some bells: 

That's the house - it used to serve as a hospital once - taken from across the ornamental lake. The lake contains some of the largest koi carp I've ever seen. I swear, one day, I'll see someone standing on those steps at the far end of the pool disappear beneath the water.

Did I take a picture of sludge? You betcha!

As part of the upcoming Nantwich Museum exhibition about the influence of the River Weaver on the town I thought I'd go and get some shots of the sewage treatment works - now lovingly called a wastewater treatment works or, if you're in East Anglia for example, a water recycling facility. It has to be the best part of 30 years since I set foot inside Nantwich works but it was very reassuring to see that it's not changed much.

After reminiscing with the guys on site for a while, I set off through the grey drizzle [the weather that is, not the material being treated].

Nantwich is unusual in that all of the incoming flow is pumped from a large pumping station close to the edge of town. At most works at least some of the flow arrives by gravity alone. Here's the pumping station on a sunny day:

Beam Bridge Pumping Station

Impressive huh? Well, if that doesn't float your boat here's some pics of the the business end of that rising main. First up, the log flume aka the inlet:

Then, we move gracefully through the laminar flow grit separation unit:

Onwards and upwards through the primary sedimentation tanks:

Just don't ask...ok

It's in there that the solids separate out to form the sludge. Did I take a picture of sludge? You betcha!

Lovely jubbly.

Next, we're off to the biological filters:

And a sewage works wouldn't be the same without a shot of a pipe. Here's a pipe. It's black, of course.

Finally, after another couple of hours settlement, the top water is fit to put into the river. But not to drink - don't ever believe that the glass of liquid that the Works Manager chugs down at the end of a works visit is really the final effluent. Not even on a good day.

March

Tomorrow is a day set aside for marking exam papers...or as much of the day during which I can remain focused on poor handwriting and repetition. You can tell I'm looking forward to this, can't you? :))

But today...today the sun is shining and I get to try out my new super-expensive spade for hole digging and plant planting.

By way of catch up, after the Lake District there was a day in London at a Royal Society of Chemistry Environmental Chemistry Group meeting and then, at the end of the week, another morning spent with the Nantwich Museum Research Group. There's a summer exhibition about the River Weaver that flows through the town and its influence on the place over the centuries. Nantwich is a pretty market town in Cheshire famous, historically, for salt-making, shoe-making, tanning, milling...and cheese.

The town square is dominated by St, Mary's church, built of lovely warm stone that creates some interesting shadows when the sun is in the right direction

There are lots of old black and white timbered buildings dotted about - here's one of the town centre hotels: 

More about the river...

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..and the sewage works(!) next time. Bet you can't wait ;)

Sizergh Castle & Gardens

On the way back from the Lake District at the beginning of the week, a stop at Sizergh Castle on the right just before you get to the M6.

The house was shut on the day.

But the gardens were open. There's a new 'stumpery' under construction:

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And there were lots of spring flowers to cheer up an overcast February day...

There's a lake:

And there are hawfinches - one of our rarest birds. They feed on the ground for an hour or two after daybreak, oftentimes amongst the hornbeam trees next to the car park. We were lucky and had one pointed out to us by a National Trust ranger. This hawfinch was perched at the top of a tall tree surveying most of Cumbria from where s/he was sitting, I think. Larger than I expected [about the size of a small thrush] with a short, thick-set beak, it was wonderful to see one for the first time as the rain set in and, slowly, my binoculars began to mist up.

Back to the Lake District

A few days in Grasmere are always welcome. The gingerbread shop is always on the itinerary:

That's directly opposite the National Trust shop:  

The chaffinches and great tits visiting the feeder outside the front door wouldn't keep still long enough for me to get a click. 

Baldry's Tea Room is cosy yet roomy, pretty yet not twee, friendly yet not overbearing and good value for money. They also serve up killer toasted tea cakes and the option of more teas than I can list out here. 

A return visit to a soggy Wordsworth's Daffodil Garden after a couple of days heavy rain:

Then a walk around the lake - the rain kept away and the sun almost threatened to breakthrough a couple of times.

The light here always surprises:  

And the views across the lake, back towards the village, make the walk even more worth while: 

Little Moreton Hall

Little Moreton Hall, a beautiful National Trust property 10 min. drive away from home, is open again after its winter shutdown. It closes from Christmas to half-term, so it's reopening always makes it feel as though the worst of winter is over and warmer days are drawing near. Still, it looked a bit stormy when I rolled up:

Carpenter's marks on the internal beams.

The dead tree close to the entrance always makes a good photo.

Paul Carrack

Paul's an awesome singer-songwriter who's unique voice fills his songs with power and emotion. The Victoria Hall welcomed him again a week or two back.

The opening set by Sarah Munroe underlined her promise as a songwriter with a brilliant voice.  Paul and the band were as good as ever. They all seem to enjoy themselves so much on stage too.

Hull

Hull railway station can sometimes be surprising. No really. For example, there's a plane hanging from the roof:

They also have a piano on the concourse - here's Dad & Daughter (I think) sharing a quick lesson: 

On the way back home, just as you go under the Humber Bridge a few miles outside the station, if you're lucky with your timing you might see this: 

Or this... 

After Brussels

It was time for trip to Chester Zoo. 

To see elephants in various sizes... 

...a terrapin... 

Solo synchronised swimming.

Talk to the paw 'cos the jaguar ain't listenin' .

My big buddy, the tapir. Smells a bit but we get along just fine - as long as he's facing me.  He can eject urine a long way when he sets his mind to it. Unfortunately thesedays, that's just a happy memory for me :)

There's a cool bamboo:

...and there was a cool sunset as we were leaving: 

Glynn's world

At the end of January I was working in Brussels helping to evaluate, and to produce project evaluation reports, for the Commission. There's a lot I could say about the spirit of cooperation working with agreeable, bright people from so many countries in an environment that fosters collaboration and the exchange of ideas, but let's just say that I cannot see how the Little Englanders here are going to be any better off by taking their bat home and pretending they can still punch above their weight. Forgive the mixed metaphors.

Place Rogier at night. It's in this part of Brussels that I stayed during the week. The EU office building where I was working was called Covent Garden, believe it or not. 

That's a view from the 7th floor with the botanical gardens up to the left. 

They have some interesting Italian restaurants too around Rogier. 

Here are a couple of shots around St. Catherine's square: 

I always try to make a point of eating once or twice at Bij Den Boer; the food is awesome and reasonably priced (for Brussels!)

Back home with Eurostar and Virgin Rail - tired but happy. And we did some good work during the week, which is always a good feeling.

Instagram

I also post stuff on Instagram from time to time; you can find me as iGlynnn.

Here are some recent pics:

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And suddenly it was February...

And to prove I have a (fairly) active Twitter account - here's an excerpt:

3 days to go

...and then we have President Trump. If that weren't enough for me to deal with, today I have to witness the unedifying spectacle of Theresa May speaking a mixture of half truths, untruths, aspirational claptrap and bluster [aka talking utter bollocks].

Nine months ago she was saying the precise opposite, backing David Cameron's remain campain. Remember him? He's the miserable little turd who walked us to the cliff edge with that nice Mr. Farage poking him between the shoulder blades. Now May has completed the Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid jump sequence in the spirit of 65 million of us 'coming together'. What a presumptuous piece of shite she is too. How dare she say that in my name.

I only came here to post something about going to Hull and London last week. External examiner work in Hull at the beginning of the week and an opportunity to see the 'Lines of Thought' exhibition in the University library - a British Museum curated display of works-in-progress and sketches from famous artists and sculptors over the centuries.

They even had a Pissarro in the gallery housing the permanent collection next door...

Then down to London for a meeting at the Royal Society of Chemistry, which is right next door to the Royal Academy. 

And then it was back home in time for Friday's snow ❄️ 

Sunsets are good to share

These were taken yesterday evening at Astbury Mere, just outside Congleton. It's exactly one mile in circumference and a regular haunt. Walking pace can be a bit slow sometimes, especially if I'm trying to take pics (or catch Pokémon although you'd never get me to admit this).