Navigation
Home | Links | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Videos | Oxted Paris Cycle Ride | Scarlett | Site notices
About This Site
About
A personal weblog with photographs and comments. Quiet ramblings, quite rambling...
Members
Most recent entries
- Cyclists! Look out for each other
- Yellow vest is the new snow?
- Paris Gare du Nord
- Queen Elizabeth II
- Where you going to sleep tonight?
- Wildfire
- Francisco Alomar
- Cap de Formentor
- Kamel’s halaal butchery
- Versailles
- Oxford Street
- Hip-hopspital
- Street furniture
- Ebbsfleet International Station
- It’s in the gênes
Recent entries with comments
- Indications of Autumn - (1)
- Temple roofs - (2)
- My first experiences cycling in Paris - (2)
- A shrine on Limpsfield Road - (4)
- Zebra Crossing Part Two - (1)
- Courchevel - (2)
- Mersea Island - (2)
- Old school rice packaging - (1)
- Were you one of these car drivers in Oxted who nearly killed me yesterday? - (4)
- This Charming Man - (2)
Feeds
Categories
Tweets by @bigbluemeanieMonthly Archives
- December 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- May 2004
- April 2004
- March 2004
- February 2004
- January 2004
- December 2003
- November 2003
- October 2003
Links
Lately listening to
Site Statistics
- This website has been viewed 4458568 times
- Page rendered in 0.4122 seconds
- 47 queries executed
Site Credits
- Based on a design by:
BlogMoxie 
The original content of this blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
I spotted this pollyp-like growth on the trunk of a tree in a wood at the bottom of Emmetts Garden. I have no idea what it is, but assume that it some kind of mushroom. Talking of which I have been getting a lot of hits from people looking (on google) for magic mushrooms in Wales, since February this year.
Filed under: Europe • United Kingdom • England • (0) Comments • Permalink • Bookmark or Share •
This is the Weald of Kent as viewed on a hazy autumn morning from Emmetts Garden. Click on the photograph to embiggen, or here to see the uncropped original in all its hazy glory with points of interest highlighted.
This morning I had coffee at Emmetts Garden followed by a brisk walk around the gardens enjoying the sunshine and warmth. According to About Britain:
This charming and informal garden at the highest point in Kent was laid out in the late 19th Century, with many exotic and rare trees and shrubs from across the world. There are glorious shows of daffodils, bluebells and azaleas in spring, roses in summer and the glowing autumnal foliage of acers and cornus in September and October.
The area was transformed by the 1987 storm [link added by bigblue] and dramatic new vistas opened up, which can be enjoyed from the hilltop tea-garden.
Filed under: Europe • United Kingdom • England • (0) Comments • Permalink • Bookmark or Share •
Wine Spectator magazine named the 1990 vintage Grange The Best Red Wine in the World. This accolade has sent the price of both the 1990 and subsequent vintage releases soaring at auction. The above photograph shows the 1999 vintage available at the largest wine retailer in the UK for 99 pounds sterling. They do not put the real wine on display - the above are display bottles that can be exchanged at the check-out till for the real thing. I believe that this is the cheapest you will get this particular wine, anywhere in the world. The experts at EveryWine have the following to say:
Considered an outstanding vintage in Penfolds Rewards of Patience (4th edition, 2000).‘Very good. I like this, it’s just about perfect!’, said Tim White, at the Rewards of Patience tastings in September 1999.
‘Very big-boned and just starting to ease into a long final straight. I suspect this is - will be - a classic,’ said Anthony Rose at the same tasting.Vintage Conditions
Generally good growing season with fine and warm conditions followed by a cool vintage. Another unusual vintage in that the grapes ripened late, but were very full.Maturation Eighteen months in new American oak hogsheads. The nose has intense, fragrant chocolate/cherry/prune/dried fig aromas. Leading to a palate full of dense and chewy, generously ripe, prune/chocolate fruit flavours, pronounced grainy tannins and superb length. Peak drinking is Now - 2015
Filed under: Europe • United Kingdom • England • (2) Comments • Permalink • Bookmark or Share •
Tonight Raghs and I went out with Shyam and his crew to the Indian Gymkhana Club in London. It was a good evening out - we first sat in the restaurant/bar, then a function room at the back.
I see now that the Indian Gymkhana 1st team hockey play Oxted in the Slazenger England Hockey League Men’s National South Division.
Filed under: Europe • United Kingdom • England • (0) Comments • Permalink • Bookmark or Share •
One month ago, at the end of September, I spotted shelves of Christmas goodies - decorations and lights - for sale. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera (or mobile phone) on me because I think this was a personal record for spotting of inappropriately early Christmas marketting.
Anyhow it was Eid ul-Fitr, the Islamic holiday at the end of Ramadan this week and I spotted these countdown calendars on sale. This is something I would have thought was inappropriate for a month of fasting: every day you open a window and help yourself to a chocolate. What next? A countdown calendar for Christians to have a choc-a-day while fasting over Lent?
Filed under: Europe • United Kingdom • England • (1) Comments • Permalink • Bookmark or Share •
I spotted this poster in the window of a shop in Oxted. It’s a Surrey Police poster, advertising the Talk to Frank website which provides free confidential drugs information and advice. According to Frank’s A to Z of drugs there is no drug beginning with the letter U. Obviously there are, but I guess these ones aren’t taken as recreational drugs.
Filed under: Europe • United Kingdom • England • (0) Comments • Permalink • Bookmark or Share •
This is my night-shot of the Screen Cinema in Oxted (previously known as The Plaza). It’s really a useful little bug-house: it gets current movies, and although it only has one screen it has a new film every week or so. In fact I don’t get there as often as I would like. Compare my photo with that of Loutoo and RogerGW.
Filed under: Europe • United Kingdom • England • (1) Comments • Permalink • Bookmark or Share •
I spent a bit of time over the weekend browsing through the flickr photo pool of Swaziland and was struck by chancer’s photos of Phophonyane. I remember spending many happy hours here as a child fishing for tadpoles, both in the pools at the top and at the bottom of the falls. I also recall being responsible for sending some of the tadpoles on the journey from the top pools to the bottom pools. I was also interested in the Execution Rock, which gave me the heebie-jeebies as a young child. I was told that the ground below the rock is littered with old skeletons and bones.
Credit: the photo is from Chancer!