Thursday, December 15, 2011
Rocketry
A plug for rockets for all owners of small children. Wonderful thing: cheap, simple and safe. Fun for all the family. See http://www.stomprocket.com/ for the story from the horse's mouth and Mr. Google offers lots of places from which to buy the things.
On the same occasion we also chanced across something called Tunbridge Ware, offered that Sunday morning in the Spa Hotel (http://www.spahotel.co.uk/) but also to be found at http://www.tunbridgeware.org/. The ware being elaborate marquetry boxes, mostly of jewellery box sort of size. The marquetry included some very handsome cube work (if that is the proper name. Reminded me of similar motifs painted on the ceilings of Renaissance churches in Tuscany. Maybe that is from where the pattern derived) and was varied by the inclusion of mosaics made by setting short, square sectioned sticks of coloured wood, maybe a millimetre across, upright on the ground, the whole then being polished flat & shiny. Products interesting but a bit strong in price for Christmas presents in our family. Might also mention that the hotel, as well as being a very handy place to take coffee on a Sunday morning, has rather splendid gardens out the back.
Back at the Guardian depressed to read of all the dreadful goings on in Syria. Which gave rise to the thought that one can understand the Israelis being a touch paranoid about Arabs if one of their Arab neighbours carries on like that on their own.
And amused to read that this nation of shopkeepers needs a ministry of shopping to get us doing more shopping, or at least more of the right sort of shopping. One more of the many contradictions of capitalism that we should need a ministry to encourage more spending at a time when, collectively, we need to be balancing our books by spending less. Never mind about saving the planet. Also that that essence of the free market, the English High Street, should not work properly of itself but needs the dead hand of government to poke it into line. Whatever would Adam Smith have thought?
Intending some light relief off to Tooting, on return from where I experienced a whole new category of senior moment. Got to the northbound platform at Earlsfield (the normal entrance to the southbound platform being closed) to see a southbound Epsom train heading into the station. Make a dash for it, getting about two thirds of the way down the platform to the temporary bridge when I run out of puff. Decide that I am not going to make it. The train pulls out shortly afterwards. But a touch upset to think that not so long ago I would have carried on running, up and over the bridge and caught the train. Fortunately we were still in 15 minute interval land so little temptation to take the Chessington train and take in a quick one at the 'Earl Beatty'.
There was also compensation in the form of a handsome black girl handsomely got up in various shades of grey, something I have not seen before. Worked very well.
And there was still time to inspect the temporary bridge, which appeared, oddly, to be tied down with wire ropes rather than bolted down. I was also interested to see that one could stack up concrete blocks - the sort of thing used to fence off workers on motorways, maybe a cubic metre a pop - using just a couple of lengths of three by three as bearers between each layer. Struck by the weight that these bits of softwood could take without apparent strain.
Back at Epsom the sky was unusually clear with plenty of visible stars, among which I was able to pick out Orion, Cassiopeia, Large Bear and Small Bear. Pole star rather faint but visible. With the further unusual of a clear night in December not being followed by a frosty morning. Bright and clear but no frost.
On the same occasion we also chanced across something called Tunbridge Ware, offered that Sunday morning in the Spa Hotel (http://www.spahotel.co.uk/) but also to be found at http://www.tunbridgeware.org/. The ware being elaborate marquetry boxes, mostly of jewellery box sort of size. The marquetry included some very handsome cube work (if that is the proper name. Reminded me of similar motifs painted on the ceilings of Renaissance churches in Tuscany. Maybe that is from where the pattern derived) and was varied by the inclusion of mosaics made by setting short, square sectioned sticks of coloured wood, maybe a millimetre across, upright on the ground, the whole then being polished flat & shiny. Products interesting but a bit strong in price for Christmas presents in our family. Might also mention that the hotel, as well as being a very handy place to take coffee on a Sunday morning, has rather splendid gardens out the back.
Back at the Guardian depressed to read of all the dreadful goings on in Syria. Which gave rise to the thought that one can understand the Israelis being a touch paranoid about Arabs if one of their Arab neighbours carries on like that on their own.
And amused to read that this nation of shopkeepers needs a ministry of shopping to get us doing more shopping, or at least more of the right sort of shopping. One more of the many contradictions of capitalism that we should need a ministry to encourage more spending at a time when, collectively, we need to be balancing our books by spending less. Never mind about saving the planet. Also that that essence of the free market, the English High Street, should not work properly of itself but needs the dead hand of government to poke it into line. Whatever would Adam Smith have thought?
Intending some light relief off to Tooting, on return from where I experienced a whole new category of senior moment. Got to the northbound platform at Earlsfield (the normal entrance to the southbound platform being closed) to see a southbound Epsom train heading into the station. Make a dash for it, getting about two thirds of the way down the platform to the temporary bridge when I run out of puff. Decide that I am not going to make it. The train pulls out shortly afterwards. But a touch upset to think that not so long ago I would have carried on running, up and over the bridge and caught the train. Fortunately we were still in 15 minute interval land so little temptation to take the Chessington train and take in a quick one at the 'Earl Beatty'.
There was also compensation in the form of a handsome black girl handsomely got up in various shades of grey, something I have not seen before. Worked very well.
And there was still time to inspect the temporary bridge, which appeared, oddly, to be tied down with wire ropes rather than bolted down. I was also interested to see that one could stack up concrete blocks - the sort of thing used to fence off workers on motorways, maybe a cubic metre a pop - using just a couple of lengths of three by three as bearers between each layer. Struck by the weight that these bits of softwood could take without apparent strain.
Back at Epsom the sky was unusually clear with plenty of visible stars, among which I was able to pick out Orion, Cassiopeia, Large Bear and Small Bear. Pole star rather faint but visible. With the further unusual of a clear night in December not being followed by a frosty morning. Bright and clear but no frost.
# posted by Jim @ 2:11 AM 
