Author Archives: Steve

About Steve

Man of leisure.

An update on Bulgaria

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We arrived back from a lovely holiday in Bulgaria, dragonfly spotting.  We travelled around the country with a small group, mainly in the South of Bulgaria staying in a new hotel each night.  The tour was operated by Nature Trek, a specialist wild life tour company using experts in the chosen subject.  There will be an update to the site when I have filtered through the thousands of pictures I have taken.  We managed 47 or so species of dragonflies, that leaves 7,000+ in the world to go.  Bird life and plant life were similarly fabulous in the country.

For a taster I have included a couple of Dragonflies, one obliging Dragon who flew around for quite a while allowing us to practice flight shots.

The final two days were spent in Sofia drinking cocktails next to the president’s offices, watching the presidential cars coming and going, the armed security guards, and the beautiful ladies in the bar.

Glastonbury Festival 2011

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Glastonbury 2011, a mixture of rain, mud and baking hot sun on the last day.  Spent my time more with DJ mix sets, and not the headline bands on the pyramid stage.  So missed out on Beyonce, Coldplay and U2.  Instead saw 2 Bad Mice, The Otway Band, Heliocentrics with Mulatu, Jimmy Cliff, chase and Status, found Pulp as a special guest at the Park Stage, Don McLean, Laura Marling, Paul Simon, Kaiser Chiefs and Queens of the Stone Age.  Plus lots of other stuff which I can’t know remember.

In the Gallery there are some pictures from Arcadia and the Tripod.   I saw a fantastic ballet show there, called the Arcadia Spectacula. I just wished I had my video camera for that.

I have some youtube videos as well as my picture gallery.   You might want to subscribe to  my youtube Chanel.

My Festival

Various scenes from Glastonbury festival including sun rise above The Park

John Otway

Aylesbury’s unfamous rock star.

Heliocentrics with Mulatu

 

 

Don McLean

 

 

Laura Marling

 

 

Paul Simon

 

 

Kaiser Chiefs

 

 

Queens of the Stone Age

 

 

Picture Gallery

 

 

Installed HL Twitter Plugin

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I have installed the HL Twitter plugin to WordPress.  It looks good, automatically sending out my postings as tweets, and also allowing me to follow several users at the same time on my own website.  Saves the tweets for ever as well.

Cambridge Society visit to the Forest of Dean

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Berkshire Cambridge Society Weekend 2011
The annual three day Berkshire Cambridge Society weekend away happened on May 13th – May 15th.  The weekend started in Gloucester where we had a tour of Gloucester Cathedral, climbing the 269 steps to the top of the tower.  On route to the top we stopped to admire the roof space and fire prevention measures and the bells.  Following the tower tour, was a tour of the cathedral, and the Harry Potter Cloisters.   I was even shown where Catherine used to climb the tower when she was a teenager living in Gloucester.

Lunch was at the New Inn Gloucester, where a hearty buffet was served with a pint of Adnams Mild.  After lunch we had a tour of the newly restored Blackfriars, a Dominican abbey dating back to 1269.  Interesting room was the library, when the monks sat next to the windows transcribing books.  The window openings were cut to maximize the amount of light illuminating their desks.

Berkshire Cambridge Society Weekend 2011
The final outing for the day was Westbury Court Water Garden, a national trust garden.  The garden was laid out to look like a series of Dutch canals.  Here there was a magnificent Holm Oak.

We then made our way to Speech House Hotel in Coleford where we were to spend two nights.  After dinner we were entertained by Christina giving as a talk about verderers in the forest.

Berkshire Cambridge Society Weekend 2011
Saturday was a lovely dry day, and started off with a walk through the nearby Sculpture Trail in the forest.  Odd and rather peculiar was the verdict of most of us.   Would not give many of the exhibits house room.  Lunch back at the hotel, and then off to see Goodrich Castle.  One of the many castles built to keep the Welsh under control.  Spent quite a time here being guided around the ruin.

The drive back passed through Symonds Yat, with a fantastic view of the River Wye, and a twitcher’s paradise.   Masses of people there with their spotting scopes and cameras trying to catch the elusive peregrine falcons.  Managed to get a picture of a boring old buzzard.

Sunday and we had a tour of Clearwell Caves, an old iron mine which has operated since prehistoric times, up until the second world war.  The caves have also been used for filming scenes from the BBC drama Merlin, and Dr Who.

Berkshire Cambridge Society Weekend 2011
The last stop was Lydney Park for lunch and a tour around their gardens.  Spectacular valley setting for rhododendrons, and a great view of the now defunct nuclear power station at Berkeley.

More pictures are available here.  I suggest you also check out the links in the posting for more details.

 

The Edfest

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I missed the Royals tying their knot.  Instead drove over to Combe Martin, Devon for the 50th birthday  celebration party of Ed, an ex Walker/Elevon contractor.  He had arranged a party in his field, BBQ, bands and drink.

Ed Fest, Ed Aldridge 50th Party at Combe Martin
I arrived in the afternoon, and was immediately spotted by other ex-Walker people, Phil Blunt and Paul Dixon.  Tent erected, bacon and egg role duly cooked and eaten, and then a few beers to tide the afternoon over before the festivities.

Ed Fest, Ed Aldridge 50th Party at Combe Martin
Met up with Ed, who was overseeing the stage and bar, had a chat with Mary and was introduced to Ed’s son, Bob who would be entertaining us later in the evening.  It was Bob’s 18th birthday celebration as well.   Now we must not confuse Bob, with the other Bob, who severed beer all night.  Bob the purveyor of beer was to me Glastonbury Bob.

Ed Fest, Ed Aldridge 50th Party at Combe Martin
A few bottles of beer later Tessa and Robin arrived to enhance the crowds.  Music was played,  the BBQ was lit, and a very dedicated villager proceeded to BBQ anything and everything presented to him.

Alas the bands stopped at midnight, and instead the phones were plugged into the PA system to entertain the stragglers around the fire until  6.30 am.  I have a question for those who regularly stay up late, why did the cockerels start crowing when it was seemingly still pitch dark.

Ed Fest, Ed Aldridge 50th Party at Combe Martin

Was left slightly annoyed with Paul Dixon.  He borrowed my camera, and I have to admit his pictures did appear rather more dynamic, atmospheric and generally better than mine.  I can’t blame the equipment.

Made it to my tent for a short sleep, and the breakfast of Bacon and Egg butty before a walk down to the sea.

More pictures from the party can be seen here on EdFest gallery, Combe Martin.  Yes rather too many, but I want everyone who was there to have an opportunity of remembering the event from their perspective.

Gorgeous weather

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The weather has been fantastic for the time of year, expected 22C on Thursday.  On the weekend we were invited over by our friends for a BBQ, roast lamb cooked in the new Weber.  Yes John had a spare Weber in the loft of his house, waiting the fateful day his trusty old Weber gave up the ghost.

While the lamb was slowly cooking, infusing the the flavour of the charcoal smoke, (something the gas machines miss on), we went out to try his lens on my camera.  I am in the market for a new lens, and wanted to compare his lens with my existing lens.  The lens in question is the Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM relatively cheap by the standards of the Canon professional lenses.  In practice I found is quite easy to use, the quality of the image was better than my Tamron 18-250mm.  There was virtually no  Chromatic aberration at the edges of the picture, which my Tamron has.  The downsides of the Canon lens is its lack of close focusing (1.8m), and range of magnification.  Damn I now see warehouse express have some in stock, and the price has risen, looks like I will be buying it with Tesco vouchers.

I will buy it, it will be great for wildlife photography, the extra magnification and image stabilization will make for some better shots.   I will though keep the Tamron for general shooting and close up photography.   Maybe keep it on the other camera.

Well, after the trial walk around the nature reserve, back for the gorgeous charcoal cooked lamb.  Thanks John and Carol.

On the Sunday fired up our own Weber for roast chicken and Mediterranean cooked vegetable stir fry.  That was the second BBQ at home this year, earlier we had eaten some pork chops BBQed and eaten at a table outside.   I know the saying, don’t cast a clout until May be out, and it was only early April.

This comparison picture was taken using the Tamron and Canon lens at 250mm, so I could expect better detail using the Canon at its full magnification.

Tamron 18-250 lens

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM

Tamron 18-250 lens

Tamron 18-250 lens

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM

Crazy Bear Hotel

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I was away in Aberdeen when it was Rosemary’s birthday.  Quick call on the Monday to tell her where her birthday present was hidden.

Back from Aberdeen, we went out for lunch at a restaurant in Stadhampton.  It is a hotel, pub, and restaurant.  Two restaurants, one English and the other Thai.  They also do Thai massage there.  Yes it was a pub, there were people drinking there, and it is called the Crazy Bear Hotel.

Rosemary and I opted for the English meal, and the express lunch from the menu.  The price of the fixed menu was very reasonable.

The decor of the place was eccentric. The bar had a huge stuffed bear, odd tables and stools, chandeliers.  The restaurant was all padded leather and looked a bit like a cross between a padded cell and a tart’s boudoir.  I should have asked if the Thai massage came with happy endings. There were pictures of the bedrooms in the advertising pack, again eccentrically furnished and decorated, but lovely touches such as being able to slide from the bed into a large tub like bath.  Definitely a place to go for an illicit or romantic liaison.

The food was good, I started with salmon pickled with beetroot and Rosemary had a goat’s cheese tart.  Main course was pork belly, yes a proper Gloucestershire Old Spots rare breed animal grown slowly unlike the Large White factory breeds.  The farm is part of the Crazy Bear group.

I  get the feeling this is how the previous landlord of our local pub, the Plough and Anchor, had wanted it to become.  The place decorated how he wanted it, in his case with pictures, and lots of nice nick nacks. Good food, good beer, good wine, a destination pub, and small hotel for guests to stay in.  Sad it never quite happened.

Since visiting the restaurant, I have heard of rumours of two show girls,, hired by the owner, writhing around in baked beans.   I can’t though see any reference to this on the internet.

Aberdeen the oil city

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A working week in Scotland.   In Aberdeen, the first time I have ever been there.  One different aspect of the Aberdeen airport was the number of helicopters landing and taking off.  I assume they were off to the rigs.

Arriving in Aberdeen with my fleece and water proofs only to be faced with sun.  Yes Aberdeen was sunny all week, though not yet warm. I was off to work at the Robert Gordon University, taxi into town with a chatty driver, who explained where the entertainment spots in the city were.  He also explained the city was called the Silver City, the mica in the Granite reflecting the sun, making the place Silver in the sun, though reverting to the drab granite in the more usual cloudy wet weather.

Made it to work in a large building on Andrew Street.  After work walked to Mint Apartments, about a mile away.  The company I work for had booked me into a hotel that was 15 minutes away.  Yes 15 minutes by taxi on a good day, 30 plus minutes during the day rush hour.  Google Street view also showed the hotel was stuck in the middle of an industrial estate with nothing around.   I cancelled this hotel and booked Mint Apartments, a serviced flat nearby.  Nice place, recently upgraded to a good standard, the place is cleaned daily and they even changed the towels and made the bed every day. Free Internet connection, a must.

I ate in the local Italian restaurant  under the apartments, friendly staff.  Should maybe have eaten there another day, but places to explore.  What else did I eat,  Chinese  down the road, large place in an office block.  Reasonable. price

Wednesday and Thursday I ate at the Monsoona on Bridge Street, a Healthy Indian Cuisine Restaurant. What is one of those  It turned out to be good.

Next day, a long day, lots of waiting around in Aberdeen airport for the  late flight home, and eventually back home just before midnight.  Drive back from Luton was fraught, no fuel, driving on empty.  The  road I was heading for was closed for night work.  This is were I found the vagaries of Sat Nav.  Took it ages to forget the route I had wanted to drive, despite the fact it did not originally want me to go that route.  Once she had decided not to take me down the closed road, she was to take me down the M1, M25 and up the A41.  Yes she, Hunni Desire was fixated on this route and would not forget it.  Luckily I knew where I was going and ignore her imploring.!!!

Plymouth

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I am in Plymouth, and have been in Plymouth for a couple of weeks now. Driving down at the start of the week, and driving back at the end. Not too bad a journey when there are no accidents. Took me 3 hours 30 minutes last time.

Tried a few different restaurants. The Eastern Eye I can recommend for Indian / Bangladeshi food.  Large menu, and what I ate was very nice, a curry for connoisseurs.

Last night I went for a Thai, I was recommended The Thai Palace by the people I work for.  Nice smiling waitress to melt my heart, and again an extensive menu.  I went fish, and had some local scallops for starters followed by a Traditional Thai Fish Curry.

Otherwise have eaten large rib eye steaks in a steak house, at the Cafe Rouge.