7°C, clear

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3 Peaks: today was the second of our training walks. The view from the top was a lot more than I expected. There was still low lying mist in the surrounding flat landscape. See pictures. The lowest lying land was thick with mist, in places unbroken mist had power lines poking through. In others, just the tops of trees.

 

PC plod: this is one poorly machine, I’m getting blue screens and fatal STOPs which is rare with Windows 2000. The codes in the error screen point to faulty RAM. though pulling the box apart and looking in suggests that the RAM cards are just not a very tight fit. Perhaps the contacts are poor, or generating noise.

 

Painting(yesterday): this is the first layer of linseed/paint in this picture. It all went on the guy’s face, nothing more has been added to the horse. It’s going to be hard to see the difference in this photo, but I am working on improving my photogrphic technique to make them clearer.

11°C, mostly sunny

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In all the years I lived there, I didn’t pay a visit to the zoo. The only real comparisons that I can make are with Twycross in Leicestershire. It’s smaller, but with a far greater imagination in its development. There are a few headline features that can’t go unmentioned- the underwater tunnel where you can watch the penguins feed on fish, there are a number of enclosures that get you up close to the animals. They are entered through double-gates beneth netting tents so the animals share the same space as visitors. They don’t have many of the big headline animals, lions yes- but no elephants, rhino, or giraffes. On the other hand thay do have one of my favourites- the Tapir and another that makes me want to buy a few acres of forest to have my own- the Okapi. What a fine gentle soul those creatures are- ’tis a shame it was so hard to photograph. Still, the Tapirs did perform for my camera’s video capture- which is all getting edited today and tomorrow.
The place is well laid out, there were no chavs and in a very likable part of the city- therefore well worth a visit.

 

Say hello to a meerkat->

 

Flash: found a nice little Flash game from a French developer: Jeu Chiant. You have to balance the ball while batting the other one with mouse-movement, you get a time at the end. Simple, fun but not too annoying like these things can be.

19°C, very heavy rain in Worcestershire, sun in Bristol

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What is the probablility, in a city of 450,000 people of an old friend from 10 years ago sitting in the same cafe that you are going into at the same time. It happened in a city with a lot of cafes, and it happened today. Mat Smith, it’s been a long time. I have a funny email to send to you mate!

 

Fledgling: took the youngest daughter to university today. Bristol is a fine town, especially when you miss the junction on the moroway and have to drive in on the Gordano road, then cross the suspension bridge. That was definietely the best mistake I made today, it saved more than a ½Hour in traffic on Hotwells road.

 

Berkley Church: see the photo below has family links for us dating back 200 years or more. Family would have survived the tsunami from the 1800s, as well as benefitted from the Smallpox immunity developed there. the shurch itself has relics dating before 1500 and the decorative frescos still remin on the interior walls in excellent condition.