A Blue Ocean

Sunday afternoon is meant to mean a walk and a roast dinner. I think. I don’t really subscribe to this view as I don’t really like roast dinners but I am happy to have a walk. There’s a wood near where I live called oxymoronically Bushey Wood. Bluebells grow in there.

I’ve written about the wood before but have spelt the name wrong. See here and here. I’m not going to correct those. One of the guiding principles of this website is that it is how it is. There is very little I have altered. If I have altered stuff then I use the strike through symbol.

On the way to the wood there were lots of people dressed in high-visibility red/orange suits. They were Kent Rescue taking part in an exercise. I think I have found something extra I can do. I just need to work out if I can afford the time.

On Exercise
On Exercise

The footpath through the wood revealed a glorious covering of bluebells.

Spring Time
Spring Time

Spring time is here. Let the sun come out and warm our glorious lands [and other rubbish like that]. But, seriously, some sun would be nice, it’s cold here!

Blue Birds And All That

No, I don’t mean Bluebirds of the Clan Campbell variety, they are entirely different and not covered in this communication. This communication deals with the rare communication device of the Second World War where the country listened to a female sing propaganda about the White Cliffs. This is the sort of jingoistic bullshit we see our country faced with at the moment. All this Brexit shit. Anyway, here are some photographs of a recent trip to Dover to see the port.

Handbrake Turn
Handbrake Turn

It was foggy and so a wonderfully bad day to visit the cliffs. I was hoping to see France but, at times, I couldn’t see my hand!

HM Coastguard
HM Coastguard

Now for a view of some calcium carbonate.

White Cliffs
White Cliffs

While in the area I also went to see the Louis Blériot Memorial. I didn’t get a photo of it, but I did take this one of the castle in the mist.

Dover Castle and Bora Horza Gobuchul
Dover Castle and Bora Horza Gobuchul

Finally, here’s a photo of some collected chalk pieces. It’s quite a satisfying photo but I am unsure why.

Chalk
Chalk

No, Me Neither

I’ve noticed this apparition a few times recently. I’ve been out running to the east of the village and nearly fallen over past this tree. Well, it’s a mug tree, isn’t it. Any idea why?

Mug Tree
Mug Tree

I have to say that it looks a little better in the winter and the mugs stand out more, but you get the idea. How very strange, but also, quite cool. I think that one of my mugs will end up on it soon.

Mug Tree
Mug Tree

I am sure that some people could be convinced that this is a rare form of tree. One that grows mugs. Most major china exporters have more of them. Obviously.

Carbon Footprint

I recently ordered a day-sack cover from a company using Amazon. It arrived and I was somewhat shocked.

Packaging!
Packaging!

The rest of the box had that paper-stuff in it to hold the rain cover in place. I have written about this before in this communication.

While this sort of packaging excess does seem a waste I’ve got some other ideas. Fuel use for transporting goods is largely dependent on the mass of the object. So although the box added something to the mass it was still reasonably light and so not a huge carbon drain. If the box is recycled then it doesn’t really matter about how much cardboard there was. There’s probably more carbon used in making the plastic wrapper of the item than in the box, as long as the box comes from a sustainable source.

So, upon reflection this excessive packaging may not be as bad a first thought.

I do think that eventually everything will be labelled with a “carbon factor” to make people aware of just how much carbon they emit and how well we are fucking the planet. Because we are. It is fucked. Utterly fucked. I am glad I will be dead in one hundred years. There are going to be wars over water, food and power. I am just very sorry that my children, or potential grandchildren, will be involved in that and the people to blame will all be dead. My parents’ generation and mine have screwed this planet over.

I could be calmed, I guess, by fluffy cat or dog pictures. But they don’t distract me from the bullshit. They reinforce our collective ability to ignore all that is going on.

Contrasts

Saw a lovely part of London today when I walked along the Regent’s Canal today. I was learning some maths in town and I had to walk from St Pancras to the venue and rather than walk along the main roads I took the tow path. I’m glad I did.

Part Of The Canal
Part Of The Canal

I also saw this exquisite book shop. There was music playing from loud speakers as I walked past and plenty of vinyl on display.

Bookshop
Bookshop

I also saw a lovely old industrial building that, if I had loads of money and the relevant experience I would turn this into a music venue.

It’s a shame I don’t have money, the contacts, the experience or any industry knowledge at all!

My Future Venue
My Future Venue

When I got back home I went for a run and jogged past this quality piece of Kent countryside. I think this is the second burnt out car to grace these pages!

They cut out the VIN
They cut out the VIN

But, there is good news: This lovely view over the Medway and Tonbridge and Malling Borough.

Countryside
Countryside

Infrastructure Update

It’s about time I updated the home network diagram from this communication. The original communication was written in January 2014 so three years seems a reasonable length of time for an update. It shouldn’t really be a surprise that the network has grown. There are some notable additions:

  • Raspberry Pi
  • Wireless Printer

I don’t have any “smart” kitchen appliances or anything like that, I’m not sure I see the point of them! Click the picture for a pdf file.

Secret Scotney Dark Side

I went and visited Scotney Castle today. The sun was shining and it was lovely out, a little cold but largely nice. The skies looked great, far better than all the grey we’ve had recently. The car managed 62 mpg on the way home, so I’m quite happy with that. Scotney is a lovely large house that definitely isn’t a castle. The owners deliberately ruined the old castle to create a good looking folly after the newer house was built.

Scotney
Scotney Castle

While wandering around the newer house I noticed a wooden panel in the library.

Sith Panel
Sith Panel

Now this is quite disturbing. When you focus on the words it becomes obvious that there may be secret Star Wars fans when the house was designed in the 1800s!

Sith Alert
Sith Alert

Apparently the phrase should be:

I care not for quotations of kings and queens. Also, they are quotations, not quotes.

A Smattering

This morning I went for a run through some of the Kent countryside. I would embed a map of the route from my running app but it crashed after about two miles. So, here’s a map from Google Earth.

It was a good run through a gentle fluttering of snow. I enjoyed it and listened to the Cognitive Dissonance podcast from Chicago. The paths were particularly pretty at times and I took two photos.

 

HUAW

Just had quite a jam-packed weekend. Spent a little time at three establishments while the cadet team succeeded in their competition. Here are a few photos of the sights.

SMP
SMP

This place was built for the First World War transition of troops across the channel. Don’t be impressed by the aluminium cladding, just inside are wooden framed original buildings that smell and creak with history.

Literal Brick Shit House
Literal Brick Shit House

The above is an unheated literal brick out-house that has three urinals and three proper toilets. There are a few toilets in heated buildings but too many people for them!

Guardian
Guardian

I love a nice Gate Guardian. This one is very pretty. It guards the helicopters at this base.

Elegance
Elegance

This room is part of the SNCO Annex. It’s about 10ft by 8ft with a small en-suite. Can’t grumble, it was dry and warm. The wi-fi helped make it more like home.

Mostly Bijou
Mostly Bijou

That door is an illusion, it’s a thin door to make the rest of the room look bigger!

Toy
Toy

I would to have a go in this and drive it around. It would be great fun!

Next time I’m out and about I’ll take some more photos. Sometimes I can give information about it all and sometimes I can’t, it’s just not sensible to do that.