Month: November 2016

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Dodd

This is another in the occasional series of mountains conquered. On a Sunday morning I awoke and headed out from Keswick to Dodd Woods to the east of Bassenthwaite Lake. This peak is a western foothill of Skiddaw range and not too high at 1612 feet or 491 metres which makes it number 174 of the Wainwrights.

This peak had a very clear footpath all the way and was a nice little walk. It is one of the last strongholds of the red squirrel and a good vantage point to see ospreys of the feathered kind when they are in this country.

View from near the summit of Dodd with Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake
View from near the summit of Dodd with Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake

There’s a monument at the top of Dodd to two scout leaders.

Memorial on Dodd and Bassenthwaite Lake
Memorial on Dodd and Bassenthwaite Lake
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Mille

This is communication number One Thousand. This one kinda snuck up on me, I had noticed over the summer that I was close and then forgot for a while but I have been thinking about what to write here for about a month and had absolutely no clue. A lot of this communication is repeated somewhere else within this site as it seems sensible for some reflection of: Operation Parish On The Web.

I am often amused by the response at work to the phrase “on my website”. The response is often “you have a website?”. I’m not entirely sure why the response is phrased that way, because, as becomes clear, the responder often uses Faceshit loads. What is Faceshit other than a way for everyone to have a presence on the web. A method for letting their friends know what they are up to? A way of publicly displaying the version of us who we want people to see. Faceshit is easy. It’s something I don’t really do.

I started editing web pages in 1994 when I was involved with Imperial College Union. I maintain the pages for the student union for about six months. After that I did nothing until around 1999 when I decided to have a web site. I have owned the following domains over the years:

www.ianparish.me.uk

www.iparish.org.uk

I used those in the days before social media. I have used various programs for creating the code including Frontpage, which I hated. Over time I wanted to have a domain name that actually meant something to me rather than just my name. Hence Fooyah.net you can see why I chose that here. This website was started in June 2011. Initially I tried to use Joomla and while I could see how it worked I couldn’t spend that amount of time to get it right and wanted something a little more user friendly. I chose WordPress and have used that ever since. My very first communication is linked here it’s not very interesting.

My general policies on this website are:

  • Write stuff about what I do
  • Write stuff about what I think
  • Write whatever I want about nerdy stuff
  • Not to include “state of mind” information
  • Not to write about emotions and shit
  • Not to delete anything, but to openly edit if necessary
  • I will use the language that reflects who I am

As with all web-based stuff this site only really shows the part of me I am happy having in the public domain. I am acutely aware of the fact that anyone can look at this site and draw whatever conclusions about me that they want. I don’t really include family stuff directly, I don’t really moan about work and I try not to slag off individuals. I will try to defend my position on things but I’m not very eloquent at that. Reading this is like reading the stream of my consciousness and that doesn’t often make for easy comprehension. But, what you see is what you get.

Sometimes in the history of this site my general well-being can be inferred by the type and number of communications but then sometimes I don’t publish much because I just don’t have the time. I am able to look over this site and see how I have been and those close to me can figure it out. Everyone goes through rough times in their life and this public web thing means we don’t show that. You can read this and figure out my quite obvious views on religion, science and politics but you shan’t know me!

Earlier I wrote the word Faceshit. That particular social media site is one that I don’t regularly use. It disturbs me somewhat at how ubiquitous it is. There’s an awful lot of information out there on people who possibly wouldn’t want that out there. I like to think that I’m reasonably with it, and when a new service starts I tend to investigate it and then decide if it will add anything to my life, normally it won’t so I don’t bother with it. I have communication routes with my friends through different methods and these work for me:

  • Rich – twitter, Fooyah and meeting up
  • Jase – phone and meeting up
  • Jim, Andy and Daryl – Whatsapp
  • Andy – Twitter and Fooyah
  • Jo – Twitter
  • Mazza – meeting up
  • Andrew – text

[Not all friends listed, don’t be offended if you aren’t there] A lot of my friends aren’t on Faceshit I guess that makes it easier [also, I have too many friends named Andrew perhaps I’ll have to cull one!]. I do have a Facebook account, not in my name but I use it to follow a couple of groups who don’t have a presence anywhere else. This annoys me a little but I guess FB is convenient for a lot of people. My twitter account was started to follow more information about Formula One and it grew for me into a more political resource.

So, more stuff, about me. My views, my thoughts [edited for public consumption]. When I started this site I wrote this about me:

Geeky maths teacher who likes motorsport, NFL, cricket, film, proper music and PS3.
Like Battlestar Galactica and West Wing, Megadeth and AC/DC, New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, Essex and England cricket.

This is what my Twitter profile said originally and I didn’t update it for a long time. I have recently changed it to the following:

Geeky, sweary, skeptical maths teacher who likes NFL, motorsport, aggrotech, PlayStation, running, planes and science. Kinda fascinated by everything.

This seems more appropriate for the recent me. People and tastes change over time and this is me at the moment. I’m sure it’ll change again, slowly as I discover more about this world. I am currently an angry atheist, politically left leaning humanist. I try to live my life by the following principles:

  • Look after yourself
  • Be nice
  • Speak openly about what you believe, discuss with people
  • Try to do good [as defined by humanist principles rather than religion]
  • There are RIGHT answers and you can find them

Time to stop this particular stream of consciousness now. I will probably look back over this and try to make sense of it and maybe edit it. If this page is edited then I will use strike-through to show where that happens, apart from spelling and grammar mistakes. If I change my mind, it will be published.

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Emperor and a King

A recent trip to the Lake District prompted me to head northeast slightly and visit Carlisle Airport. After a short while there nerding over aircraft I headed to see a wall and a tower. Before regaling you with that story I want to point out that this is communication 999. Which means the next one published will be my 1000th communication. Although technically I only decided to call them communications a while after I had started publishing so the 1000 isn’t exactly accurate.

The guys at the Solway Aircraft Museum suggested visiting Lanacost Priory as there was a nice tea room there. As it wasn’t far I tootled over and had some lunch. I could have walked to the priory and had a look but to be honest I wasn’t bothered, the pictures showed it to be some ruins so I left and headed up the road to see Hadrian’s Wall. This was one of those things that is buried in the consciousness of people in this country. We hear from a young age about the wall and I’m pretty sure the Scots go on about it as though they are a proud and pure race [see the “No True Scotsman” fallacy]. I only wanted to see a little of the wall, to say I’d seen it.

Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian’s Wall

It was actually quite impressive to stand on something roughly two thousand years old. At least I can now say I’ve been there and seen it.

On Top Of The Wall
On Top Of The Wall

Not that far away was the chance of a tantalising look at RAF Spadeadam, which was also mentioned by the Solway guys. Spadeadam was where the UK based its rocket research during the 1950s and is now used as an electronic warfare centre. As you can see from the wall photo the weather was quite foggy and suitable for visiting this part of the world. I knew Spadeadam was in a forest and so I drove following Google Maps, my signal did die at some point! The fog drew in closer and I passed a sign warning of no trespassing, then finally there was this sign:

RAF Spadeadam [nearly]
RAF Spadeadam [nearly]
I chose to turn around. I decided to visit another time. I didn’t want to get arrested and explain I was just driving there for a look and a selfie at the gates. This was the only road in the area and it ends at Spadeadam. Time to head to Scotland.

Scotland
Scotland

You know you are in Scotland when there are coach loads of US tourists and a massive thistle staring at you. I snuck over to Gretna Green and luckily managed to avoid getting married [only £35]. I wandered slowly around the Blacksmiths Shop in Gretna completely aware that it was a tourist trap and nothing particularly special. It was pretty poor in all honesty. I didn’t like it. Next time I escape England and head to the land north of us I will go to the Devil’s Porridge museum and try to see a different part of the Land Of The Brave [didn’t the Scots have that before the USA?].

If you go to Gretna you will see a wedding.

Wedding, of course
Wedding, of course

After a brief invasion of Scotland where else is there to go apart from a memorial to a King who is known as the Hammer Of The Scots [although he didn’t succeed]. Also, he is the baddie in the film Braveheart, but that is mostly bullshit so not worth worrying about. Longshanks died of dysentery while encamped in the marshes of the Solway and there is a memorial to him there. This memorial is in England and perhaps, if it was in Scotland, it wouldn’t be in such good condition. It is meant to mark the exact spot he died which more than likely means it doesn’t.

Memorial to Edward I
Memorial to Edward I

It’s a bleak place, but also gorgeous. The clouds were low and the mist was covering the hills in both directions. Is it worth a visit? Not really, only to say that you’ve been there and seen it.

There we are, a day’s tour of the north west of England and a little bit further than that. I now have to go away and consider what my 1000th communication will be about.

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XJ823

This is the second communication in an occasional series about the Avro Vulcan there are other communications here and here. In January time I went inside XM655 and saw it was good. While in the Lake District recently I decided to sneak to Carlisle Airport and the Solway Aviation Museum. It was a foggy cool day, quite the opposite from the previous day when I had walked Helvellyn.

There were a couple of buildings with the usual paraphernalia nicely set out and some interesting stuff on the UK Space Programme and RAF Spadeadam. Outside the aircraft were nice but they do need to be inside, it’s a shame to see these beasts getting weathered, if only we had access to a warm dry boneyard.

Phantom
Phantom

The people running the museum were chatty and interesting. They pointed me to the Devil’s Porridge Museum which I will visit another time!

The photos would more more alive if the sun had shone a little! There were two planes which allowed access to the cockpits, the Canberra and the Sea Prince. The Sea Prince was used as a navigation trainer for the Royal Navy and that is why the seats in the cabin are set out that way.

Canberra Cockpit
Canberra Cockpit

There’s a certain smell that emanates from inside aircraft, a mix of oil, electrics and age.

Sea Prince Cabin
Sea Prince Cabin

Once I had toured these I was allowed to get inside the Vulcan which is always an enjoyable experience. I think people who make films about aircraft need to get in a real plane. They quite often make their planes with plenty of room to move around without realising the claustrophobic nature of cockpits.

Vulcan Cockpit
Vulcan Cockpit

If you are into aircraft then the Solway Aviation Museum is well worth a visit. Good value for money and the chance to get inside some of the planes.

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Doctor Strange

I sauntered out to Rochester cinema last night to see Doctor Strange. I have to admit the trailer didn’t really fill me with anticipation but it was recommended at work. Of course I rated this film on the IMDB and tweeted the result. You should probably read this communication about the rating system.

So, what did I think? It was alright. OK. Nothing special. Better than the trailer set out.

There were moments of humour.

I have some advice for film makers though. Just because your special effects can kaleidoscope a city that doesn’t mean you have to. I say that having never read any of the comics.

The fighting scenes were a little “Paul Greengrass” and could have been filmed better.

Oh, and the “mystic east” infuriates me. It just adds extra credence to those fools who peddle bullshit in the real world.

There, it was OK.

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