Author Archives: essiep

Speed trap

Posted on by
4
25°C, uninterrupted sun, Sth winds

On the commute to work: I went through a speed trap at 34 mph, but it didn’t trigger the camera- no flash. Was the camera’s trigger set just a bit higher- say 35mph, or did I not reflect enough for the radar? Perhaps if I put s length of baking foil up my cycling jersey, then the camera should trip. I’m not a stealth cyclist.

Lost: I lost Rosie tonight.Out for a 40′ walk in the woods and then an hour to search for my missing dog. By the time she came back she was obviously stressed and relieved. And so was I.
She’s back home now, worn-out and thirsty. I blame the rabbits, and they look so innocent too.
Now what has happened to my voice, it’s all hoarse & dry.

Empty legs

Posted on by
Reply
22.5°C, clearing, not like this morning.

That empty-legs feeling: a conversation has confirmed what I suspected was the reason for this. Occasionally, cycle rides need ot be cut short because there just isn’t enough energy in my legs (my whole body really). Now I am willing to air my suspicion. This weekend, I simply haven’t eaten well enough, noodles just aren’t good enough to cycle on. This evening, I had pasta and suddenly the energy game gushing back.

The turning sunset

Posted on by
Reply
16°C, light Clouds, C=37 miles


Rushed out to watch the sunset at the river confluence.The clouds were obliging someone else this day. I like this place, Rosie does too but I fear for her safety there. The railway is not fenced off, so she can trot up to the embankment.

There were jewels in my eyes

Posted on by
Reply
18°C, light clouds, getting lighter

Contact lenses: tried out a trial pair today. They were uncomfortable to put in (the optician did that bit) but no real sensation after that. Seeing was another matter- vision was clear for half of the time but each thing you look at as you go about your day could be blurred or clear. The sens partially flaots in the tears on your eyes, which sometimes lifts the lens, sometimes it aligns true. Sometimes, patches were blurred, others amazingly clear. At best, there was no chromatic aberration and certainly none of that mildly irksome barrel distortion that I get with glasses. However, you just don’t ever know when you glance at something that it will beclear- probably a real nuisance when driving.

I’ll drop the idea of contacts for now.
Tomorrow– longest day of the year, perhaps go somewhere high to watch the sunset at 21.35.
Dating sites: if you are dating and do not ‘love to laugh’, please leave a note to satisfy my curiosity- do you actually exist?

The 48 tree

Posted on by
1
23°C, sunshine, SP15, C=73 miles.

Two photos from today’s cycle ride.
Remember that swan nuclear family I posted a few Sundays ago. Well, haven’t they grown?
I got resolutely hissed at by this swan. I don’t blame her, so I backed off.. She was guarding the same number of cygnets that I counted two weeks ago

The 48-tree. Taken from the road overlooking the Staunton Harold estate. Can you see it, or am I just stretching my credibility.

Health & Safety

Posted on by
Reply
21°C. Sun. C20

That Health & Safety meeting was just as good as I’d expected. Didn’t expect the prostate bit though.

That hotel company did the honourable thing and returned my money today. So that is cleared up with no bad feelings, I’m still going to buy a tent though.

Guilty before trial

Posted on by
Reply
18°C, sunshine.

Is this how justice works: See BBC This woman has been charged, her picture published in the media and she’s been attacked on her journey to court by the mob. But hold on a minute- what if.. just what if she’s innocent? It doesn’t seem right to expose her to the mob (newspapers+ chavs) when she could possibly he a victim of mistaken identity. Miscarriages of justice are not rare in England.


A6 sketch, copied from another in my lesson planner.

Have you got a ticket?

Posted on by
Reply
14°C, rain.

English grammar is in my thoughts around this time- we’re writing reports at work. Add to that a discussion underway on FSDeveloper‘s website and my mind wanders- especially when on the bike. Some of the discussion looks at the differences between British & US English. Consider this:
The Question "Have you got a ticket?"
A British person answers: "Yes, I have."
An American says: " Yes I do" which sounds peculiar to British ears, but why?

The clearest explanation I can think of goes like this:
My answer is shortened from " Yes, I have got a ticket?
So we assume that the US version is shortened from: "Yes I do got a ticket", which is absurd.

It seems that there could be two explanations for this: one is that the American version is wrong. The other is that the Americans could be in the habit of asking the question differently:
"Do you have a ticket?"
However, we don’t always hear that style of question, so that is not a strong hypothesis:

Found a clearly written site that explains a technique for questioning those grammar posers that you have an odd feeling about but aren’t exactly sure why.
Dodge the grammar traps. I like the idea of removing parts to sentences to see if they still work. There are other tests to help trace the problems. Useful.

I’m sorry about my dogs

Posted on by
1
17°C, routine summer weather, C=20

I’m sorry that my dogs make others’ look rubbish. Rosie climbs mountains with me, she has an instinctive knowledge of the routes. Bessie has stayed at home but impressed me for another reason. This last few days she has not been well, she needs to get to the garden more often than usual- perhaps it’s something that she ate. Last night she woke me a couple of times to go out, she paced around, she fussed and bothered. A lesser dog would have quietly left a dollop on the carpet and hoped for the best, but not Bessie- she desperately wants to do the ‘right thing’. If she isn’t getting the message across- she’ll resort to barking at you.

So I say sorry to those of you with likeable but slightly inferior dogs.