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About | Bluemeanie | Scarlett
A personal weblog with photographs and comments. Quiet ramblings, quite rambling...
- If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti
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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 • England • (0) Comments • Permalink
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.
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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 • England • (2) Comments • Permalink
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.
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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?
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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.
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.
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!
Filed under: Africa • Swaziland • (0) Comments • Permalink
This one is great - even if only for the out-takes at the end!
It’s a quiet and rainy day today, so let’s check out the Team Reverse Oxted Training, and wonder who these chilled out young people are.
The year 1860 was a significant one in South African history because this was the year that the first immigrants from the Indian subcontinent arrived in Durban. The South African tourism site South Africa Net lists some facts about Indian South Africans and the historical relationship between the two countries.
The year is commemorated by 1860 The South African Indian Restaurant at 28 South End, Croydon. When I heard that they sell the South African dish bunny chow I just had to go there, and today I spent the evening there with Brenda, David and their familyBecause I wasn’t hungry I didn’t order a bunny chow: that will have to wait for next time. I had a chilli bite starter followed by a bean and potato curry with roti. They asked whether I wanted the curry hot or medium strength and I ordered hot. I’m not convinced that they didn’t just give me a medium anyway. Basically the food was good, but not outstanding. The atmosphere and service was excellent, and the evening was only spoiled by the adjacent table of six South African smokers. One of the men sported a small and neat version of a Eugene Terreblanche beard. It was quite bizarre.because that was not the only thing they had in common. Later in the evening I glanced across at their table and noticed that his face was beaded with sweat.
Kicked off Diwali celebrations this evening with Raghav and Sergio: a delicious meal provided by Raghav, and some flashes of fireworks provided by his neighbours.
This photograph is of Godstone Station. I liked the cast of the orange lights that illuminate the platform. There is no ticket office at this station, which always has a deserted air about it - even during the day. I’m not sure why the signwriter adopted the phrase mind the step rather than the traditional English mind the gap: perhaps he was paid per letter?
with every watch bought? Actually the poster reads
FREY WILLE since 1951
which is really not a long time in the watchmaking trade.
Bigblue had an in-COUGH! appointment with the dentist today, so he must have taken this photograph another day.
Spotted this week in Uxbridge, and added to the list of firms with funny names.
On a general point about this blog, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that I have added a little country flag on the site’s referrers page to indicate the country of origin of the visitor. I had also added it against comments, until I found out it is not error-free: sometimes it has me as being in Germany, at other times the UK. If you do check out the site referrers, please don’t click on any dodgy-looking links. Although I have a blacklist in place, some spammy sites slip through. I have also disabled trackbacks - the only people utilising them were spammers.
This evening, following my SatNav, skirting the jams on the M25, travelling where I have never travelled before, I came up to this level crossing. After waiting an age a train passed in one direction, followed shortly by another in the opposite direction. This crossing seems to be popular for pedestrians too, as they also queued up while the booms were down.
A couple of months ago, following (very loosely) the guidelines of Dr Chris Greenhalgh, I wrote the following poem:
The Raven
Black bird lying in the centre of the road.
On back, dead beak pointing skyward.
With gaping sockets.
Wing flaps up with each momentous passing car.Once strategic and thoughtful.
Watchful for friends.
Nibbling the giblets of the daily slaughter
Janus of our familiars:
Valued and reviled;
Questioning and whispering;
Tattler and spy;
Miscreant, cursed by the gods.
A portend of tomorrow’s void.Silent cry.
Crassly, I continue in my air-conditioned comfort.
Finally you wave as I pass.
Edit - 20 October 2006: I have added a line that was missing from the poem!