Saturday, October 29, 2011

Baju ConMiLeaig

DrivewayDriveA ViewViewAloesThat dam is full
Below the waterfallA bit further downThe large poolfungusriver never stopslarge shallow pool
A large poolThe swimming hole and waterfall

Baju ConMiLeaig, a set on Flickr.
A set of photos rather inexpertly taken with a point & shoot. But really well lit and capturing all that needs to be when you want to know that home is still home. I really do need to go home sometime soon.

A Man to boy chats

IMAG0017.jpg by zaphodikus
, on the question, why minors are not allowed to get an account on website ABC or somesuch.

I think there is nothing wrong with gun-dealers setting their own restrictions on who can buy, car dealers asking to see a license first, vicars asking your age before marrying you, mothers not letting Johnny out after 8pm. I mean if I was selling thermonuclear weapons I would only let someone with a million in the bank get near my compound, better yet, require them to show me proof of age. OK jokes over. If someone on a street corner will not sell to you, go to another corner instead, kicking up a fuss actually gets you noticed by ALL-THE-RIGHT people.

Google plus is not for kids (at this time, or probably never). Some people have their lives ahead of them and do not need it spoiled all in one go, I think FACEBOOK have proved your point for you. Something that happened in the last 20 years is how the amount of time between a desire in the heart and actually engaging ones brain has not shrunk as much as it should have in a time when things do really happen much faster.
(IMAG0017.jpg, a photo by zaphodikus on Flickr.)

Chat(s) says I?
I hate ruining the moment, fighting is the word I really want to chat about. Mine fight and argue a lot - a bit like their dad you could say. A lot. So how can I stop it, I mean that it means I have to change my own attitude to problem resolution. The problem is that I can never be wrong!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Monday, September 26, 2011

Geocaching fun wit the kids

Nick and I rode 12 miles and hit 5 sites
The boys did not go on the hunt for the Aldreth causeway one because that would have added 3 miles, possibly ending in really tired 7-9 year olds.
http://coord.info/GC2K9F2
http://coord.info/GC2ABCZ
http://coord.info/GC2ZK8W
http://coord.info/GC2K2WQ
http://coord.info/GC1XZFY
http://coord.info/GC2YPKJ (Lucas cache - this one is nearby and we found it the day before) I repaired it, and I see that someone has moved it to hide it from the muggles a bit better.
This was a lot of fun, and proves once again, that I am rubbish at clues, only slightly better at mapping co-ordinate conversions (I need to find an app for that). But had so much fun I am going to head out again very soon.
(little wood)
(a prickly find)
A way to get the kids out of doors that is definitely recommended, and something you can pursue all year around.

Saturday, July 09, 2011

Pink elephants only push little elephants

PEOPLE Boy2 came up with a fun spelling device based on a pachyderm family. Big elephants can't always understand small elephants. Now if I can only get them to stop making the bathroom floor wet.


Sunday, February 06, 2011

Bletchley Park, mid-term visit

Is now planned for the 25 (Friday) it's a family (boys) day out engaging with history and technology - family tickets are £22.50 http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/content/museum1/AddminssionPrices.rhtm . I have planned this for half term, for those of us not going away, and as a day off work.

Roughly driving time is 1 hour 25 (attached image), I will be leaving pretty early in the morning, they open some time after 9, and although the visit is probably more useful to "older" boys, there is plenty for the smallest boys too example - http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/content/visit/whattosee/modlerailway.rhtm (the local model rail club is based at the site, it's huge)

Everyone welcome: invite wider please - that may make lift sharing an option on the day. Can anyone going, please get back to me ASAP during the week, so we can look at sharing transport if anyone has a people-carrier, or even a coach, wow!


No photography allowed on site, I assume this excludes outdoors? Other questions may include things like whether you want to book a group ticket, the group tickets are dear, but include lunch and a guide (minimum group size unknown, but only really applicable to adults anyway). I've not looked at the canteen, but am guessing about £10 per head for munchies on the day too.

contact:
Conrad Braam +44 7747683116
Follow @zaphodikus on twitter for updates.


Sunday, September 19, 2010

Unpluged church

This Sunday will be back-to-church Sunday, basically Church, but a bit unplugged. Although it's church as normal next week, we will be expecting a good few new faces, hopefully just people who have not gone to church for some reason or other, and not just because Sundays are just too busy in your home. I suppose the holiness of a Sunday is a difficult issue for some folk, I'm one of them, because I kick against all things establishment based.
Some folk have fancy holidays, they save up an entire year of stress or just work for just a week or two in a faraway country. Personally I prefer to have 52 holidays a year, I call them Sundays, each one is different - I even have photos of some of them.
I'm tempted to come in real holiday mood this Sunday, partly because I am working with the young folk this Sunday, Cottenham Baptist call ours Supernovas. This video is not the Supernovas, Supernovas are a little shorter.


But you get this idea, we have fun on Sundays, they are rest days, but the 27th is special.
Revd Ian Bunce: “I would say to anyone thinking of coming back to church this Sunday that there is no need to wear something special, no need to pre-book, you do not need to bring anything. We would just be glad to see you and to welcome you into our community, God’s family. We hope you will feel wanted and relaxed as you experience worship with us, so come on, ‘come as you are’! We would love to see you.”  

Worldwide, participating Christian churches will be "doing church" as usual, but differently - some are dressing down, and some are dressing up. If you think Sunday is a rest day, come along in your pajamas - actually rather not, especially since you should be bringing a friend.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Fungus or Mushroom Identification


It looks pretty much like a dried out black grape at first glance.
But it has a hole which releases a black powder - which turnes out to be spores, which are more olive brown than black. Here you can see a blade of grass has pierced this one, the base is at the bottom, and just out of sight is the hole in the top from which comes the spores. The shape is not for a mushroom really since it has no visible stem.

This is what it looks like from underneath.

The inside of the fungus shown here, it has a carpet of fluffy dust - brownish in this pic, but almost black in the other one I found. It's a powdery dust that gets airborne quite easily.
For scale, that's a windscreen wiper blade.
It "looks" like these fungus are Gasteromycetes, puffballs for us non-fungii, meaning stomach. Not a family as such, so this is not an identification, puffball is more an identification aid.
Time: is late August - I'm guessing this is the mature stage.
Location: Norwich, Norfolk
Site: A school field - an unused field, which we were allowed to pitch tents on. They appear to be loose amongst the grass.

Can anyone tell me what it's called?

Friday, August 20, 2010

Political Comment

2010 is probably the stress year for european politicians. I blame them for the collapse of the economy, but I also blame individuals for job losses at home. Far too many people fly kites, some of us without knowing it, ...before I move onto August being the month of brilliant kite flying weather, I share one more criminal thought with you.
If a house brick can be used to hit someone with, does that make the makers bad people?
On the other hand, should a maker of house bricks supply them to someone who has a track record of hitting people with them?
All this does is force us to legalise making a black-list, something known to cause problems of it's own in terms of corruption. We black list weapons, oil, cryptography and even jobs, STOP!
Sunset in late July
Get some fresh air - everything is a lovely green this month with all the rain. With the days getting shorter, I shall be packing more into them than actually fits - but what can I pack into my soul?
Check out this inspiring tweeter and blogger on the soul. Lee Bezotte

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Sometimes it rains gently

It starts to rain
She opens a window
Firmly I close it again
Relenting I open the window

Not because I may get wet
But for the love I always get