Richard Mascall's Weblog

IBM Reunion

Tonight was our bi-annual IBM Croydon get-together. As usual in our Spring reunions (although see here for a counter-example), numbers were lighter than for our November ones, but the quality was as good as ever, with a couple of first-timers as a bonus.

Another New House

We met our neighbours, David and April, when we moved here a quarter of a century ago. They had built their own house and since then have built another, which they moved into before selling. Now they are building another and yesterday we popped round to see how the construction is coming along.

We had already seen the plans, which were most impressive, but seeing it in the flesh (or wood) began to bring home how attractive – and environmentally friendly - a place it is going to be.

Windermere holiday Day 8 of 8 – Travelling home

Today was spent driving home, an event free journey starting at 09:30 and finishing about 15:30. En route we stopped at a service station just south of Cannock in order to do a bit of M&S stocking up and to eat our usual picnic lunch.

The place was unusual in that we had to cross the road to reach the shop.

Windermere holiday Day 7 of 8 - Blackwell

Since this was a bit of a wet day, we decided to go to Blackwell, a house run by the Lakeland Trust just the other side of Bowness.

We were very impressed with the house, built in 1898-1900 on the shores of Lake Windermere for a brewery owner called Holt. It was designed, decorated, and furnished in the Arts and Crafts style. About 10 years ago it was acquired by the Lakeland Arts Trust who have restored the place to how it might have looked when it was built.

The printed guide was most informative, drawing our attention to details we might have missed. I find much of the Art Nouveau decoration very attractive and I understand the appeal of the individually created item over a mass-produced one. But some of the Arts and Crafts output smacks of being old-fashioned for the sake of it (for example here, the stained glass was more medieval church like rather than, say, Charles Rennie MacKintosh).

But regardless of some of the individual items, overall the house was a delight to visit, including as it did a small exhibition of modern ceramics and a café serving delicious, and slightly different, meals. On a day with better weather there would have been stunning views of the lake too.

Windermere holiday Day 6 of 8 – Coniston Walk

Today we undertook the longest walk of the whole week : walk 26 in the Jarrold book, up the Old Man of Coniston. We missed the car park we had been looking for, but as a result found a place on a side road, so we enjoyed free parking for the only time this week.

We set off at 10:00 and went up and up for two and a half hours. The route initially followed Levers Water Beck, going past lots of industrial archaeology with the remains of old slate quarries. We passed an attractive small lake called Low Water, a rather dispiriting name given we thought we had climbed quite a bit. The fact that it looked frezing cold did not dissuade a couple of lads from going for a swim in it.

Stopping for breaks gave us the chance to look at the ever more impressive views and we eventually realised that the top was not far away. Once at the 800m high summit, at 12:30, we stopped for a biscuit and a good look at the scenery.

Despite the sun, an icy wind forced us to put fleeces on for the first stage of our descent, down past Dow's Crag to Goat's Water. Since the wind had now dropped, we stopped for our usual delicious lunch.

On our next stage we saw something which we have seen many times on the box but never in real life : a shepherd controlling two sheepdogs by whistles in order to round up three escaped sheep. Later on, we saw a sheep which had apparently given birth to a lamb just a short time earlier because we saw it eating the placenta.

The final stretch of the walk was very pleasant, being flat and alongside Coniston Water. Towards the end we saw both Coniston Hall and, on the opposite side, Brantwood, the home of John Ruskin.

We arrived back at the car at 17:00, thus taking seven hours for the 14.5 km walk.

Windermere holiday Day 5 of 8 – Bowness

Following three consecutive days of serious walks, we took advantage of the lack of sun to restrict ourselves to a walk straight out from our cottage, down through Windermere to Bowness, and then along the lake briefly before returning via footpaths back to our cottage.

After passing a Millennium Memorial, an attractive slab of slate near a small clock tower, we went into a small but exciting art gallery called the Pinfold Gallery. Some of the works were just the sort of thing we liked, and which we rarely find. Although the prices were attractive too we decided we just did not have enough space in the car to transport any home.

We bought postcards and stamps in Bowness but the only place we might have been tempted into for lunch was closed.

Windermere holiday Day 4 of 8 – Place Fell Walk

Today was our third beautifully sunny day out of three. We drove 11 miles over the 450m high Kirkstone Pass to Patterdale where the car park was only £3.50, being owned by the local hotel.

We did walk 25 in the Jarrold book, which was flat at first followed by a steady ascent along the side of a slope with good view of Helvellyn and Striding Edge. At the top of this part we discovered the path went almost straight up to the summit (in fact to Round How) but then the final few metres to Place Fell itself were not so bad. This climb was very steep in places and unrelenting throughout, with the final approach to Round How a scramble. The hot sun and an almost total absence of breeze did not help.

Before the summit we saw 6-10 other walkers but after the summit our route meant we were almost on our own. There were huge views of parallel ridges on both sides as path sloped downwards mostly gradually. Nearly all of the time we could hear only skylarks, and no human generated sounds at all. A buzzard appeared briefly. We had lunch sitting on rock by path 13:50 – 14:15, overlooking Boredale, a most inappropriate name given the grandeur of the steep sided valley.

Immediately after lunch we started a steep descent along the side of Sleet Fell down to Boredale, which was a little painful for the toes. Although sheep, if not lambs, were now in view in general there was not much to see. Finally, about 15:00, we reached Ullswater for what the walks book promised would be “one of the most beautiful paths in the Lake District.” Once again, as for walk 17 yesterday, we found the claim a little exaggerated, with the lake appearing no more than pretty. The ups and downs of the path, together with its rocky uneven surface, did not help either. Indeed, the walk became a bit of a slog, with the path becoming rather more crowded. Finally we reached Side Farm where we shared a bottle of Sprite before returning to the car at 17:23 so the 13km walk took 6hr 50min.

Windermere holiday Day 3 of 8 – The Langdales Walk

Today we did walk 17 in the Jarrold book, around the two Langdale valleys.

We started at 10:45, having again been able to find parking only in a car park costing £6. After a deceptively level start, we climbed up the side of Side Pike, skirting around the summit to descend to the attractive Blea Tarn. Although the paths had loose stones and small rocks which made walking rather tricky, the compensation came in the form of blue skies and spectacular peaks all around.

Blea Tarn was followed by Blea Moss and then we found Ting Mound, a small hump where apparently back in the 9^th or 10^th century locals used to congregate in a rudimentary form of government. We saw something very similar in the Isle of Man last June, only there of course it is still in use.

We stopped for lunch on rocks overlooking Little Langdale Tarn. During the next stretch our walk directions were a little misleading so we found ourselves doing two sides of a triangle rather than the third. But then we enjoyed pleasant sections through Braysbrown and Hag Woods. Unfortunately the last stretch along Great Langdale Beck was both very rough underfoot and ever-undulating, a combination which was rather tiresome. We were back at car at 15:55 after just over 12 km, a walk time of five hours compared with the book's estimate of four.

Windermere holiday - Day 2 of 8 – Wansfell Walk

The purpose of this week is to get Pam as ready as possible for her trek later this year so we are hoping to do as many walks as possible. We are using the Jarrold book of Lake District walks and today are doing walk 20, to Wansfell and Troutbeck.

The walk starts in Ambleside where we found the car park costs £6.00, but at least we found a space. The walk ascended up to Stock Gyhll Force through a wood before going out in the open for very long and steep climb up to Wansfell Pike (484m).

Next we went down a long path, eventually arriving at Troutbeck where we turned right on a road to walk through the long thin “village” (actually more a row of cottages). Having had lunch on a seat just past the Post Office we followed a more gentle climb, which soon revealed beautiful views of Lake Windermere, frustratingly in the sun, though, so no good photos.

Then we continued to Jenkyns Ear, though the view was not as good here as it presumably once was because of trees having grown too high. Finally we did a descent through woods back down to car park, finishing at 15:20, which meant we took 40 minutes more than the estimated four hours.

Windermere holiday Day 1 of 8 – Travel Up

We drove up to Windermere today for a week's holiday. Leaving just after 10:30 we arrived at 16:40. The car told us the driving time had been 5 hours 8 minutes, the average speed had been 58 mph, the distance was 296 miles, and our fuel economy was 48.5 mpg.

The place we are staying in is a conversion of an old school, with two floors being made out of the original tall one. This means the original windows stretch up from our bedroom on the ground floor to our living room on the first.

Apart from the general attractiveness of the place, we were pleasantly surprised to find a Booth's supermarket within five minutes walk. This was a new chain for us but it seemed very well-stocked, including a large selection of “Cook!” products. What a shame we had bought a number of M&S meals at a service station on the way.

Celebrating Without the Birthday Girl

It was our friend Paula's birthday yesterday but we were unable to see her so instead we went out with her mother, Beryl, for lunch at one of her favourite haunts : Galicia's, in South Croydon. We were last there for Beryl's 80th.

Needless to say the lunch would have been enjoyable anyway because of the company but the food also was excellent. They do a fixed price offer, where one can choose two items from a long list of tapas and of course when there are several of you it is possible to share out everyone's choices. We augmented the set offer with puddings and a bottle of wine so it took us quite a time to finish.  As you can see from the photo, it was a bit windy outside but the temperature reached 21º, the hottest so far this year.

We don't know how much Paula enjoyed her birthday but we certainly did.

They Didn't Rock Me

We went to see We Will Rock You last night at the Dominion in Tottenham Court Road. Although I am a great fan of most of Queen's output, the show was a bit of a disappointment.

On the plus side, we had excellent seats, near the centre in the tenth row back, just as the rake of the auditorium starts to lift each row above the one in front. The backdrops to the sets were highly colourful animated displays, full of motion and excitement. Some of the lines were rather amusing (example : a character pulls a chair away from underneath someone called Cliff Richard, who unsurprisingly falls on the floor. "Don't worry", says the man with the chair, "He's indestructible."

But these positives were more than offset for me by the negatives. Worst of all, perhaps, was something that seemed at first to be admirable : the power and volume of the singers. After a while, though, this belting out of all the songs at top volume without any change or restraint became boring and then tiresome. Another problem was the near complete lack of characterisation. I never really got to like, dislike, or react in any way to any of the characters which meant that I ended up not caring. Finally, although some of the lines were OK, as mentioned above, mostly they were unsubtle laboured efforts which, to be fair, were just the job for the many tourists in the audience.

Since I had enjoyed Buddy, Mama Mia, and, above all, Our House, all musicals whose stories were concocted to facilitate the use of songs by a particular artist, I had expected to have a good time (almost a pun) with this Queen based vehicle. But I was sadly let down.

From Handel to Hendrix to Hind... ?

Today was the 250th anniversary of Handel's death so the Handel House Museum in Mayfair opened its doors for free. We could not pass up an opportunity like this so along we went, discovering that, unsurprisingly, we were not the only ones to feel that way. Indeed we had to queue for 60 minutes to get in but once there we felt obliged to stay. We had the crossword to do.

Once inside we discovered another world, with the rooms containing items of Handel related history including scores he had written as well as one in Mozart's writing (it was an arrangement he did of a Handel piece). There were plenty of information panels, people playing pieces of Handel music on harpsichords, and even some clothes to try. From their size it was clear they were meant for somewhat younger visitors but I had a go anyway.

There were also some photos of Jimi Hendrix because he lived next door for two or three years in the late Sixties, which has led to the building having two blue plaques. Given the pattern of names, it seems that the next musician to live there will have to have a surname beginning with Hind.

Looking for Love ... rs Lane

We made the most of the Easter Monday sunshine by going for a walk with Julie, with whom we had done another training session back last month. This time we returned to Reigate Hill where we did a walk in January.

Once again, we concentrated on lots of ascents and descents rather than length. Indeed, we took five hours to cover the 9 kilometres but it was very pleasant. We saw many daffodils that were still thriving plus lots of bluebells that were just coming out.

My route was intended to go as far as Lovers Lane, which the OS map showed as just over the M25. We did find it but it was such a small path it apparently did not warrant its own sign. Hence no photo of it.

Rather Sheepish on the Farm

We often have had dealings with the Downlands Countryside Management Project over the years, for example when we go rhododendron bashing. Yesterday they held an open day at their farm, Old Lodge Farm at Little Woodcote near Purley, and we went along to see the newly born lambs.

We saw lots of ewes in a barn, together with the lambs they had already had, including a couple which had been born that very morning. We learnt that they have already this year had almost as many lambs born as during the whole of the season last year. Currently they are being used to replace some elderly Herdwicks which soon will be too old to continue grazing.

It might sound strange to talk about sheep being too old to graze but the DCMP flocks are used to graze the project's many open spaces, such as Farthing Downs, in order to foster the optimum environment for wild flowers. This means that the grass they eat is low in nutrients and so the sheep have to eat more than an average sheep would.

One other snippet we learnt was how they have concentrated all the lambs' births into a shorter period this year. They did this by exposing a recently castrated ram into the flock of ewes. His smell stimulated the ewes into season which meant that when the real breeding ram was introduced, all the ewes became pregnant at roughly the same time.

Then we were taken out in one of the project's Land Rovers to look at the sheep in the fields around the barn. These are used by the sheep as a base in-between "assignments" to grazing duties on the projects spaces.

It was a most interesting tour, giving us an insight into the difficulties of the project's sheep ownership, breeding, and use.

Chocolate Cake for Easter

I made another cake from my cake book yesterday : a very basic chocolate cake but for me the butter icing on top and in the middle makes it rather tasty.

Badge of the Century

Last year I helped judge a competition in which local scouts designed a badge to mark their centenary. The winning entry was made into an actual badge and today I was most pleasantly surprised to be given one.

Security Gadget

Security of online accounts is a bit of a pain but perhaps it is a necessary one. For a new HBOS account I recently opened I have been sent a little gadget which display a six digit number. This changes every minute but when I logon to the associated bank account I am prompted to enter whatever it is showing at that moment. It lasts for several years before needing to be replaced.

It might be very secure but how would it work if you (a) had several financial sites requiring secure access and (b) each one had their own gadget ? Surely keeping track of which device to use for all of those sites would be a nightmare.

Through the Treetops with Jane - without Tarzan

Just over a year ago we went to Kew and saw the Henry Moore sculptures then on display there. That was with our friends Malcolm and Mandy but today we returned with Roger and Jane, together with her brother Paul whom we saw down in Devon back in June 2007.

The latest attraction is a Tree Walk, 18m high, which one can use to walk through the branches and leaves of various trees.

Remembering Rene Again

Today saw our annual Rene Memorial Lunch day, when between 30 and 40 of Pam's relatives have a get-together in memory of Pam's mother, Rene.

Last year we were at the Duke's Head in Wallington but this time we switched to another Young's pub, the Chequers at Walton-on-the-Hill. This had the advantage of a car park and easier access from the M25 plus the room itself was more atmospheric and spacious.

The food was a little disappointing, with my roast beef being rather on the tough side and my bread-and-butter pudding rather uninspiring. My soup was delicious, to be fair. In any case, the object was not to have a memorable culinary experience but to catch up with other members of the family, most of whom we had not seen since last year.

We took some display boards in on which we pinned many old photographs which stimulated lots of reminiscences.

Learning Lessons From "The Class"

After going to the Ideal Home exhibition Show (see yesterday's comment) yesterday, we went on to see "The Class". This film tells the story of a French schoolmaster teaching his class of Parisian 13 to 15 year olds over the course of a year.

It is a captivating story, engaging because the characters, including the teacher, at different times invoke our sympathy, our support, and our condemnation. I believe the adults are professional actors while the pupils are real pupils given a script too, but you would never guess it from the realistic way they deliver their lines.

The film, which has only about three or four sets, is shot in a fly-on-the-wall style, complete with hand-held camera-shake occasionally.

As for the story itself, it is best not to give too much away but suffice to say it is a reminder how difficult a job it must be to teach in a secondary environment, especially in today's world where the pupils come from so many different backgrounds.

My First Ideal Home

  Using a two-for-one offer, we visited the Ideal Home exhibition today. This was my first time but apparently I did not see it as it traditionally has been experienced. The difference ? Well, there were hardly any people there. When we stopped for a quick bite at lunchtime, the exhibitor we shared a table with told us that normally it was heaving with people. She claimed that EDF, who have taken over the main sponsorship from the Daily Mail, had failed to promote it properly - a sentiment repeated by the man who persuaded us to take part in a wine-tasting (unsuccessfully, though, in that we did not buy any wine).

The Daily Mail must still have been involved because on entering we were given a big plastic bag with a copy of the paper inside, something I quickly dumped lest anyone thought I might read such a publication.

There were many good things about the show : we sat in a cookery demonstration where a Tiffany Goodall cooked three most attractive courses in about 30 minutes. They were seared tuna steak, spiced lamb leg steak, and a rhubarb fool for pud. Ainsley Harriott had a stand and I was able to chat to him and shake his hand (see photo). He was very friendly, being especially good to all the old ladies, and one of the demonstrators confided in us later that Ainsley was just the same behind the scenes as he appears in front of the cameras.  

The demonstrator represented another of the highlights which was the chance to listen to people giving the sales patter - even if you were not interested in what they were selling it was normally a real entertainment to hear their performance. In one case, a chap was demonstrating a mandolin, something we already have. But it was a joy to hear all his jokes and, indeed, to see his techniques which we shall have to practise in the future.

There was a lot of rubbish on display, as you might expect, but also some nifty gadgets and tools. In the five hours we were there, we bought something that was heavy enough to be delivered, a couple of things that we carried in a bag, and a copy of mops which we then carted round London as if we were looking for a fancy-dress party which we were attending in the role of Neptune.

I was even able to enjoy a touch of nostalgia by having a go at Scalextric.

A Woman From The North Pole

Back in February a talk at the Purley Literary Society about a trip to the North Pole was postponed, ironically because of snow. I went along last night and heard the rearranged chat, given by Jan Meek, a woman who at 53 with no previous experience rowed across the Atlantic with her son, and at 63 took part in a race to trek across the frozen Arctic Ocean to reach the geographic North Pole. A year later she took part in another trek, this time a more leisurely expedition to the geographic North Pole.

She made a number of interesting points:

• During the race they did not take their clothes off for twenty four days. Going to the loo was tricky, with anything being used to wipe up afterwards tending to freeze in the short time taken to more it from where it was being kept to where it was to be used.

• When she was at the magnetic North Pole, a long way south of the geographic pole by the way, a load of 4 by 4s turned up part of the Jeremy Clarkson TV programme. She had hoped to meet Clarkson which might seem strange to most of us but he lives in Chipping Norton where she was once mayor. However she had to forego the "pleasure" because he was not actually in the vehicles.

• She had to get super-fit because they were walking 25 kilometres a day over very awkward terrain. At first she was pulling a sledge with 40 kg on it but her son found it was faster if he pulled hers as well as his own. Although she was very tired all the time she did not develop any aches, something she put down to her physical preparation.

• She claimed that fewer people have rowed the Atlantic and walked to the Pole than have walked on the Moon. Just in case that number might increase, she is planning to walk to the South Pole later this year.

March 2009 TV Report

See here for February's report.

Total Hours Watched : 34.5

Programmes watched :

Films :-

Casablanca (1941)

Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Dr Strangelove (1963)

Sleuth (1972)

Live Flesh (1997)

Documentaries :-

Story of "Casablanca"

Story of "Streetcar Named Desire"

Gladstone v. Disraeli

The Real Bonnie and Clyde

Chateau Margaux

Beverley Sisters

Captain Cook

Yellowstone (parts 1 and 2)

Elia Kazan

Comedy :-

Big Bang Theory Series 2 (Episodes 8, 9, and 10)

30 Rock Series 2 (Episodes 3-6)

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads (Terry being a handyman, Bob in wheelchair)

Other :-

Sky At Night (Enceladus)