Through the Lens

england dec 2011

2012-01-08T13:35:00.020-04:00

Gold Cup and Saucer Parade 2011

2011-08-20T19:14:00.007-03:00

Marco Polo Land at Cavendish PEI

2011-08-10T11:34:00.004-03:00

more snow and ice in Charlottetown

2011-03-05T12:03:00.007-04:00

The windows in the middle of the upper floor of the above house are shrouded in a complete curtain of ice.

Route to the Library, nicely ploughed.

The somewhat dangerous path to our door!

old home week, charlottetown pei

2010-08-28T14:30:00.001-03:00

gold cup and saucer parade, charlottetown pei

2010-08-24T07:24:00.001-03:00

The Gold Cup and Saucer Parade during which MJ spent most of her time ignoring the unmarked boundary and running out into the road to join in with the dancers, marching bands, clowns and floats. It's pointless to resist so we let her have her excitable way, only intervening when danger threatened.

orwell corner historic village

2010-08-22T07:30:00.001-03:00

Orwell Corner is a village which has been preserved the way it would have looked a century ago.

spring goings-on

2010-04-28T10:51:00.000-03:00

charlottetown

2010-03-14T12:22:00.001-03:00

winter

2010-02-12T12:44:00.001-04:00

a sunday morning walk

2009-10-11T12:04:00.000-03:00

Scenes around our neighbourhood on a fresh but sunny Sunday morning:

flavours of P.E.I.

2009-09-07T09:36:00.000-03:00

island views from my bike

2009-08-26T09:28:00.001-03:00

camping in Algonquin

2009-07-27T20:42:00.000-03:00

A short account of our camping trip is here.

Cycling the Confederation Trail

2009-06-29T09:14:00.001-03:00

I have written some more information about the Trail and its history here.

cycling in canada

2009-05-26T13:56:00.000-03:00

...and there are a few words on the subject here.

gadgets

2009-05-06T10:40:00.001-03:00

Epson RX620

Dell XPS16

Canon 450D

Images are likely to be taken through this lens from now on.

food for thought

2009-04-15T18:39:00.000-03:00

Strawberry Smoothies

"Potunas"
Baked Potatoes which have been hollowed out and will be backfilled when the potato has been mashed with tuna and onion. Mmm...

calshot beach

2009-01-03T15:00:00.000-04:00

running...

2008-12-30T10:44:00.001-04:00

... to the far side of the bay and back - 13 miles.

cycling

2008-12-14T19:00:00.000-04:00

singing

2008-12-14T01:00:00.000-04:00

walking

2008-12-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

flying

2008-11-28T22:00:00.000-04:00

Prince Edward Island Half Marathon

2008-10-19T14:32:00.000-03:00

Michelle took some nice photos of my race day, capturing the excitement of the day and me crossing the finish line in my first ever race. I have posted a full report here.

shades of autumn

2008-10-12T20:09:00.000-03:00

roads I run

2008-08-22T11:53:00.000-03:00

There's more information about my running on Buick City Complex

Beach Grove Road...
leading to North River Road

cavendish sunset

2008-07-18T21:02:00.000-03:00

Bluenose II

2008-07-12T21:46:00.001-03:00

Afterwards we took a walk in the AA MacDonald Memorial Gardens.

a brand new Anglo-Canadian

2008-04-09T21:47:00.000-03:00

As a dad all over again a quarter of a century on, I'm old enough to be older than her grandfather but luckily her mum is young enough to be her sister. So between us we have it all covered.

recent projects and hobbies

2008-03-01T09:56:00.000-04:00

170 pages of my life story on a DVD - for future generations.

Home movies edited and burned to DVD with music and subtitles.

Cases for CDRs. I use laptop and printer then my guillotine, a gluestick and a lot of patience.

hurry up spring

2008-01-29T16:23:00.000-04:00

I haven't put anything up recently because I'd like to post something other than snow photos! No sign of a thaw so I may have to trot out some images of freezing rain or something... By the way, when the baby arrives I promise not to flood the page.

and yet more snow

2008-01-03T10:55:00.001-04:00

Life is one long round of digging the car out of a drift, sweeping 6 inches of snow off it then scraping ice off the windows each morning. It's pretty good exercise and even at minus 15c I begin to overheat.

more snow...

2007-12-05T14:46:00.001-04:00

winter drawers on

2007-12-03T22:50:00.001-04:00

november

2007-11-08T21:12:00.000-04:00

pumpkins

2007-10-22T10:38:00.000-03:00

autumn

2007-10-22T10:29:00.000-03:00

Camping in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia 1

2007-09-29T16:47:00.000-03:00

Camping in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia 2

2007-09-29T16:43:00.000-03:00

Camping in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia 3

2007-09-29T16:40:00.000-03:00

Camping in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia 4

2007-09-29T16:36:00.000-03:00

Camping in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia 5

2007-09-29T16:27:00.000-03:00

Camping in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia 6

2007-09-29T16:22:00.000-03:00

Camping in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia 7

2007-09-26T16:54:00.000-03:00

private dunes

2007-09-07T10:39:00.000-03:00

Chin hair > head hair

2007-08-23T13:07:00.000-03:00

Island views

2007-08-23T13:04:00.000-03:00

Pieces of a new life

2007-08-18T02:03:00.000-03:00

2001 Chrysler Intrepid SE

2007-07-13T19:30:00.000-03:00

V6 3 litre automatic. Cruise control, electric seats, air-conditioning, etc, etc...

Beach Grove Road, Charlottetown, PEI

2007-07-13T19:24:00.000-03:00

London 2

2007-06-24T13:04:00.000-03:00

Bath, Berwick St John, Shaftesbury and Salisbury.

2007-06-24T13:01:00.000-03:00

Wiltshire, Bournemouth, Southampton and Stonehenge

2007-06-24T12:58:00.000-03:00

The Australian Pink Floyd

2007-06-24T12:55:00.000-03:00

... at the Bournemouth International Centre

London

2007-06-24T12:50:00.000-03:00

Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum

2007-06-24T12:48:00.000-03:00

Don't be in a hurry to go anywhere...

2007-04-21T14:18:00.000-03:00

... and after

2007-04-15T17:18:00.000-03:00

Before...

2007-04-15T17:17:00.000-03:00

Weather

2007-01-28T15:59:00.000-04:00

Cold

2006-12-31T15:08:00.000-04:00

Minus 19 when you factor in "windchill." It gives me toothache.

Home

2006-12-22T12:11:00.000-04:00

Old and creaky and in need of some TLC but this is home for us for a while now.

Walking in the Snow

2006-12-22T12:07:00.000-04:00

I am becoming accustomed to snow more quickly than I imagined I would.

We Are Scientists

2006-11-08T05:37:00.000-04:00

Southampton Guildhall - 7th November 2006

Hot and Humid

2006-10-27T00:05:00.000-03:00

Babyshambles - Southampton Guildhall Oct 2006

2006-10-15T18:13:00.000-03:00

Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire

2006-08-05T10:27:00.000-03:00

Fast machinery speaks for itself.

Motor Cycle World Show at Beaulieu

2006-06-28T16:04:00.000-03:00

...where the heck did I park my bike?

Fancy his passenger?

Mmmm leather... can't you just smell it!

Isle of Wight Festival 2006

2006-06-14T07:36:00.000-03:00

As always - click or rub them to make them bigger...

CATHEAD

DELAYS

SUZANNE VEGA

PROCOL HARUM

THE UPPER ROOM

DIRTY PRETTY THINGS were awesome and Carl Barat (left) is the epitome of cool

MY ESSENTIALS - PHONE AND WRIST BAND

FOO FIGHTERS - Dave Grohl even slid behind the drums for one track.

LOU READ (Hmm, impenetrable)

MAXIMO PARK

MORNING RUNNER

PLACEBO were one of my highlights.

RICHARD ASHCROFT yes he played all The Verve's big songs.

PRODIGY

The paper beer mug snake

COLDPLAY

Thank you and GOODNIGHT!!

The Upper Room

2006-05-24T06:27:00.000-03:00

The Joiners is a pub venue perhaps holding 150 or so and well known on the up-and-coming circuit. The walls are papered with old posters reminding the hopeful that bands such as Travis, Coldplay, Oasis etcetera all graced this tiny stage on the way up. Last week was the turn of Brighton 4-piece The Upper Room. Dismissable support acts held the main event back until 10pm. One hilarious and noteworthy incident was the discovery among the small crowd of a cased and highly unusual yellow Fender Strat earlier declared stolen. Hmmm, perplexing.

On a cursory observation of The Upper Room you may dismiss them as bland but listen harder, listen much harder. Lyrically this is rather deep stuff, cloaked in the easy sounds of pure pop rock. Melody is here in abundance prooving that a good song will always stand out.

Surely Alex Miller should be revising for his GCSE exams! What a shining example of how youth can be today and I mean that with no trace of irony. Bright, vibrant and loud, yet respectful, articulate and charming. Despite a loss of all stage lights the band played on with dignity to rapturous applause.

Listen here

Come back soon boys...

Cruise Ships

2006-04-29T06:42:00.000-03:00

Cruise season starts in ernest from Southampton this weekend. The waters of the Solent are plied by many floating palaces and here are two new ones. The "Freedom" is the current world record holder for dimensions but will be overhauled next year we are told. The "Legend" appears small by comparison but is gigantic up close.

Freedom of the Seas

Legend of the Seas

Stonehenge

2006-04-27T09:34:00.000-03:00

No commentary really necessary for these 3/4,000 year old monoliths. No admission fee should be payable but it is...

Gunwharf Quays

2006-04-13T12:43:00.000-03:00

I am not a shopping person but today I was persuaded to visit a shopping centre in Portsmouth. The 45 mile drive was worth it for the photo opportunity afforded by the proximity of the shops to Portsmouth's historic naval dockyard. Here is what I saw.

The Spinnaker Tower cost $15M and was five years behind schedule. I am too nervous to take the lift to the observation deck even though the panoramic views would be superb. For miles around it appears on the horizon as a tall ship in full sail.

Glastonbury

2006-04-09T13:36:00.000-03:00

This is a pastoral English village known the world over for its legendary 3-day summer rock festival. In a chilly spring breeze the rolling farmland seemed a far cry from the churned mud and summer rain which is home to 150,000 souls and draws the very top rock acts.

Today we drove the 80 miles across country with my eldest son and future daughter-in-law principally to visit a purpose built shopping village full of factory outlets. I was bored rigid having bought a pair of shoes in the first 10 minutes then hovered around for another 3 hours waiting for all the necessary browsing to be done.

I made sure there was time on the way home for a short detour north to climb the famous tor which dominates the local country skyline. The monument on top is only of passing interest and in any event has been hijacked by druids, mystics, hippies and all manner of earthy leftfield groups. It seems to mean something different to each.

I had never made the long steep ascent before and was rewarded with spectacular views of the county of Somerset.

Poole

2006-04-05T14:36:00.000-03:00

My plan to take a 60 mile drive to visit my younger son was scuppered today but in a good way. He surprised us by turning up at home on his day off. In my current train obsessed mood I suggested a roll along the south coast to Poole for a walk along the quay.

Poole Harbour is one of Europe's largest natural harbours and has some idyllic islands. Today the glinting water looked deceptively inviting.

The quay is lined with typically quaint English pubs. I don't go in them any more but I know where they are.

Fish and chips?

A Forest Walk

2006-04-03T14:17:00.000-03:00

... with not another soul in sight this time. Lonely but rewarding.

Bell X1 and The Upper Room

2006-03-29T03:49:00.000-04:00

Bell X1 hail from the Emerald Isle and are an established rock act with a small but fanatical following. The Wedgewood Rooms at Southsea was the place to be last night - where else of course!

The Upper Room are a Brighton based 4 piece with beautiful pop melodies.

There is a remote chance I may have posted a very brief review on Music to Grow Old to.

Grey Day

2006-03-24T10:16:00.000-04:00

I called off my planned trip into the forest today due to the weather. Instead I trundled around wet and windy Hythe. When it dries up I'll take my camera into the pine-clad moors of the New Forest.

Dead people have these benches named after them so that nearly-dead people can sit and watch the boats.

It doesn't matter if that sinks beneath the grey waves now.

In the grey distance is the city I no longer need to visit for work. Sharp eyes will spot the small red ferry beyond the blue tipped piling as it carries the unfortunates to their treadmills.

Brighton, East Sussex

2006-03-19T10:02:00.000-04:00

Brighton is vibrant trendy and cosmopolitan - we three felt somewhat out of place. We took the train from Goring with Mike and spent the day wandering the Lanes, perambulating on the pier (yes it does have a funfair at its far end) and turning our collars against the bitter cold.

Rain...

2006-03-17T15:37:00.000-04:00

... bow

Hurst Castle

2006-03-12T16:22:00.000-04:00

This naturally occurring 2 mile spit (reinforced with shingle) protects important mud flats for wading birds. Historically it also protected the port of Southampton from attack to the west by reducing the shipping lane between mainland Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to a mere 1000 yards.

We walked for an hour in bitterly cold winds and returned with red faces and frozen extremeties but Cocoa the Springer Spaniel was barely out of breath.

You can almost reach out and touch the Isle of Wight from here. For the the return walk we had the wind beating on our backs. Conversation had been virtually impossible so we took Matt and Gemma out later for a meal and to thaw out.

Goring-by-Sea, Sussex

2006-03-09T13:17:00.000-04:00

A Saturday drive to visit Mike at his pub, The Mulberry in Sussex.

Mother and son taking the sea air.

Snow

2006-03-06T08:10:00.000-04:00

It never snows in Southern England???

Yamaha YZF R1

2006-03-01T18:33:00.000-04:00

Words seem unnecessary...

2006-03-01T14:51:00.000-04:00

YZF R1

Sights on a London Walk

2006-02-10T07:17:00.000-04:00

A varied day starting at 6am with a 2 hour car journey to New Malden to deliver #2 son to an examination centre for aspiring publicans. Then a 3 mile walk followed by a 30 minute train ride. Throughout the day walking, tubing and photographing were done in more or less equal proportions as evidenced below.

Pedestrian friendly route from parked car to tube station, trouble was it was 3 miles.

The Palace of Westminster - otherwise known as The Houses of Parliament.

The London Eye - sponsored by British Airways. My insurmountable fear of heights makes this wheel unmountable.

Glimpses of Highgate Cemetery (more will emerge following my next trip.)

Oxford Street

2006-01-17T07:12:00.000-04:00

Between Christmas and New Year I had a few days off so we went to London to see the Queen. She wasn't in so we made do with shopping in the Sales (along with the entire rest of the UK!)

Who parked that there...

2005-12-26T08:10:00.000-04:00

Queen Mary 2

Dead Office

2005-12-16T15:03:00.000-04:00

The office is dying on its feet. Empty chairs gather for company and monitors have nothing left to monitor.

Legs

2005-12-09T16:36:00.000-04:00

Vehicles past and present

2005-12-04T11:33:00.000-04:00

Here they are in chronological order of purchase. This creature of habit would appear to have paid homage to the legacy of Henry Ford over the years. The Wolseley is the only 4 wheeled exception. The Sapphire was my favourite for comfort, performance and style.

1976: Wolseley 1.3

1978: Yamaha DT175 Enduro

1980: Yamaha XS500

1981: Yamaha XS750 shaft drive, triple cylinder

1986: Ford Cortina Mark 3 1.6 GLX

1989: Ford Cortina Mark 5 2.0 Ghia

1993: Ford Sierra 2.0LX

1996: Ford Sierra Sapphire 1.8 GLS

1999: Ford Mondeo 1.8 LX

2005: Yamaha FZ6

Inter-galactic space cruiser

2005-11-22T17:09:00.000-04:00

Splattered with road grime and ready for the car wash.

Pontoon

2005-11-20T16:12:00.000-04:00

Desktop

2005-11-09T14:20:00.000-04:00

Desktop

Laptop

2005-11-09T14:18:00.000-04:00

The Wedgewood Rooms

2005-10-12T15:33:00.000-03:00

The stage is set...

The Editors

The Cloud Room

The Paddingtons

Narrow Boats

2005-10-08T14:25:00.000-03:00

Four weeks ago my youngest son Mike moved 100 miles away to be deputy manager of The Green Man near Silverstone. Today we drove to pay him a visit and take him shopping. This was only the second time he had left the pub since starting there. We bought him luncha and found a shopping Centre in Banbury where we saw narrow boats in the Oxford Canal. 20 years ago we had several holidays on the Inland Waterways - took me back a bit.

(Not clever but the Mondeo touched 115mph on the A34 and we made the 104 miles there in 82 minutes. Far too slow I'll take the bike next time...)

Southampton International Boat Show

2005-09-20T14:00:00.000-03:00

Ths annual event takes over the prime foreshore sites for 10 days. Locals wander around scowling at all the unfamiliar exotic cars which have stolen the best parking spots. Everywhere there are strangers with yellow jackets and deck shoes. Roll on next weekend when the insanity ends.

Smartie

2005-08-31T18:35:00.000-03:00

From kitten to young adult in a few months.