Last day of the holidays August 31, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : learning , 5commentsI like the autumn best. For me it has always been a time to take stock and get things under control. Back to the serious stuff.
The summer’s indulgences are only slightly spoilt by a nagging sense of procrastination, and it can be a relief when this is finally attended to.
In 2003 the Summer was dominated by the installation of a central heating system, and the huge disruption this caused in the house. It was the hottest summer for decades and the fridge broke down as well. So this year, I really didn’t want to spend too much time in London but ended up doing so and the weather was much more suited. I didn’t get wet at all, and enjoyed many fine days out although the number of barbecue evenings and meteorite spotting nights were restricted.
So what have I done, and what is left undone?
The first week was entirely taken up by Ultraversity work, writing reports 5 and 6. The results for these have not been published but I feel reassured that I passed the first year and have re-registered for year 2, which begins around the 20th September.
I’ve done a lot of filming, and learned quite a bit through sharing the experience with others. I’m not quite sure why I feel I have to make these short films but the compulsion to do so takes up most of the available time at the expense of other things. I now welcome the opportunity to relinquish the cameras although I will still be spending a lot of time in post-production, again making use of equipment which I don’t own while it is there.
I attended a course of five workshops spread over three weeks with the Satsuma Consultancy, which were well received on the whole. So I now have an embryonic business plan and an understanding of business concepts and marketing which should help to bring things into focus. Progress which needs to be consolidated.
I spent far fewer hours at the computer, apart from all the video capture and editing, and a lot less time on the phone as well.
I’ve consumed far too much good food and wine so this needs to be attended to….
Music has trickled along in the background still, with no progress on the backlog of tunes apart from gathering the writing together into a folder here on my desk.
Family has needed attention, and this has to be the priority sometimes. One funeral, a visit home and a late University application. Yet I still have my own forms to be filled in - tut.
One thing resolved is to have a complete break away for the autumn half term, looking forward to that.
So back to work, back to more work, back to studies and all the rest of it. Onwards and upwards.
Brunel’s Bridge August 29, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : transport, movie clips , comments closedIt’s my first blog entry for a couple of weeks I think, but I’ve been acquiring digital material like a loony. A forthcoming meeting on 31st August requires that the cameras be relinquished, so the blog will change character after that in some ways, although there are plenty of unfinished projects left to edit.
Anyway….
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the famous Victorian engineer designed this unique railway bridge, completed in the year of his death 1859.
The bridge spans the river Tamar, which marks the border for crossing from England into Cornwall. This is the point where the rain usually starts, but not always of course. Sometimes it begins in Devon. Here’s a short movie clip from that part of the journey.
The harbour and village on the Cornish side is Saltash. Try to ignore the upstart 1960s road suspension bridge, it’s the double span compression arches which carry the Great Western Railway.
Hibiscus August 11, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : movie clips, wildlife , comments closedToday’s movie clip stars a flower:
I’m so glad I chose this particular variety of hibiscus just a few years ago when I wanted something a bit special for that end of the garden.
Also starring:
a bee
an ant
The New Book August 8, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : Uncategorized , 1 comment so farJust got a first look at the cover for the new book, hey!…
What do you think?
Tree Surgery August 6, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : movie clips, wildlife , comments closedIt all happens outside my house, which is just as well really. I’ve got a bad foot and can’t get about very well at the moment, so open to visitors..
The sycamore tree is thought by some to be inappropriate in a residential setting, and it does cause a regular precipitation of undesirable substances in volume at certain times of the year what with the tiny flowers and pollen falling, the sticky stuff, the helicopters and then all the leaves.
But I do like the shade, and wouldn’t want it cut down. So the other day professional tree surgeons arrived to thin out the lower branches and give the tree a bit of a trim. I caught some of this procedure on video, just as I was setting off for the jellyART Social ( pictures after that event here )
I’m very pleased with the result, the tree looks nicely balanced and lets in a little bit more light. Good for another 5-10 years.
Changing a Light Bulb August 5, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : movie clips , comments closedHow many men does it take to change a streetlamp bulb?
I found out recently when this bright yellow van drew up opposite and I happened to have the DV cam ready. The interesting thing to watch is where he tries to put the lamp back together and the catch breaks off or something, so he holds it in place with a roll of sticky tape. Perhaps a frequent occurence, but I wonder how long it will remain adhesive in the rain?
Filmworks August 4, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : London , comments closed
Went to see two films at Greenwich Filmworks,
a 14 screen multiplex. “Adaptation” I’d seen before, but wanted to see again and
“Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind” was similarly clever and enjoyable.
London Flooded August 4, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : transport, movie clips, London , 3comments
Railway stations and Underground lines closed yesterday while streets, homes and shops flooded, as reported in ThisisLondon
I wouldn’t have blogged another boat trip normally, but by some bizarre coincidence, I happened to be sitting onboard the Mercia looking at the Thames Flood Barrier which remained in the open position while the high spring tide filled the pool of London.
The Storm Tide Forecasting Service monitors tides along the East Coast and issues warnings of dangerously high waters. Their estimates are based on meteorological information from satellites, oil rigs in the North Sea and from land based meteorological stations. Yesterday the incoming tide was forecast not to be a danger, and The Barrier was not closed.
A coincidence is all I am reporting here as the flooding was caused by rain not the tide.
If you want to see the Barrier closed, try visiting during
Maintenance Closures
Floodmovie (4mb):
Mercedes August 2, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : transport, movie clips, Art, London , comments closedQueen Mercedes (1860-1878) was the wife of King Alfonso XII of Spain. Reina Mercedes, an unprotected cruiser for the Spanish Navy, was launched 1887, captured by the US Navy 1898, salvaged and used as a sort of prison ship, then scrapped in 1957.
The River Thames passenger cruiser Mercedes was built in 1960, and brought over from the Continent in the late 1980s to sail the ‘circular cruise’, from St Katherine’s Pier to Westminster, returning via Festival Pier, Bankside, and London Bridge City Pier.
With a travelcard, the ‘hop on hop off’ day pass is only
Two Fountains August 2, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : movie clips, London , comments closedTwo fountain movies taken with tripod.
is an online professional who initiated DARnet 
