Website Update: Jessie’s Album 2008

I printed off a collection of pictures for Stephen’s Mum (Jessie) and gave them to her for Christmas.

This year’s collection wasn’t quite as personal as in past years, as events have conspired this year and we haven’t managed to go to places together where we would want a photographic record, so apart from portraits of some of the cats and some flowers from her garden. most of the pictures are simply ones that I hope Jessie will enjoy looking at rather than pictures which have any greater significance.

The whole album can be viewed here: Jessie’s Album, 2008

Here are a few of the pictures that you will find in the album:

April snow

Parrots from “Pollys Rescued Parrots Road Show”, photographed at the Wrotham Steam & Vintage Classic, which was a rather waterlogged affair this year, so the vehicles weren’t at their best, but the bird displays weren’t so affected by the soggy conditions, and turned out to provide the best photo opportunities.

His Gorgeousness, Bruno the big grey cat

An oast house at a property where my wind quintet performed during the summer

There are plenty of pictures in the album which have already appeared on my website, but this one, although it appeared in my blog last February, hasn’t previously made it to my website. The sky really was red for that sunset!

The Bulls Head pub on Royal Parade, Chislehurst. We do pass this in the car, so this is a picture that Jessie will recognise.

Entry for December 07, 2008 – Marlowe Ensemble Light Music Concert

I’m only a week late in posting this: the Marlowe Ensemble did a light music concert in the Holy Redeemer Church Hall at Days Lane, Sidcup last weekend, and I was the bassoonist. I would have been welcome to show up for a few Wednesday rehearsals, but I’ve just been too occupied with my job to be able to do that, so I went along on Saturday afternoon for a rehearsal and went back in the evening for the concert.

Here was the programme:

• Folk Songs from Somerset (No.3 of English Folk Songs Suite) – Vaughan Williams
• Last Love – Eric Coates
• Water Music Suite: Bourree and Hornpipe – Handel – the bassoon part turned out to be quite important in this, so I was glad of the run-through in the afternoon to clue me in on where the important bits were!
• a) Jazz Pizzicato – Leroy Anderson
  b) A Trumpeter’s Lullaby – Leroy Anderson
• Songs sung by Arthur: a) On a Januairy Morning
  b) Boys of the Old Brigade
• Selection: The Mikado – Arthur Sullivan – I got a couple of solo bits to do in this – as with the Handel, I was glad for the afternoon run-through to know what was going to be expected of me!

INTERVAL

• Selection: The Maid of the Mountains – Harold Fraser-Simson, with additional numbers by Jas.W.Tate, who apparently wrote all the best stuff in the selection!
• a) Valse Bohemienne (No.1 of Four Characteristic Waltzes) – Coleridge-Taylor
  b) Demande et Reponse (No.2 of Petite suite de Concert) – Coleridge-Taylor
• Songs sung by Arthur: a) I’ve Got a Motter
  b) The Shark
• Selection: Fiddler on the Roof – Jerry Bock
• Tik Tak Polka – Strauss – this was surprisingly hard – it had both first and second written on the sheet music and I elected to play second, which was a bit less twiddly. I could keep up with that!

Stephen came along and sat in the audience, and I think he enjoyed the concert. He loves people-watching, and is inclined to take note of and get entertainment out of who visibly counts their bars of rests. He also mouthed a private joke at me when I just had to hitch up my bra strap while onstage!

Entry for December 05, 2008 – Red Routemaster

My picture of a brown and silver Routemaster, which I thought was unusual, and therefore worth remarking upon generated a request for a picture of a Routemaster in its traditional red livery.

So here it is. As far as I know, I had shake reduction on my cameraphone turned on, but this isn’t the best picture I’ve ever taken. However, it’s the better of the two I took this morning.

[You need to view this blog entry at Yahoo to see the picture.]

Entry for December 03, 2008 – Routemaster in unusual livery

As I was walking into the office from Cannon Street this morning, I saw some Routemaster buses. Although they have been generally phased out as they don’t comply with the latest accessibility rules, they still run on some heritage routes, and one of those is the number 15 to Trafalgar Square.

In fact, I saw two Routemasters fairly closely following one another. I won’t go into the mathematics of why this happens, but I still remember it from my university days. You can just take it from me that it does happen!

The first Routemaster was a familiar red one. I very nearly got out my cameraphone just because it was a Routemaster, but by the time I thought about it, the bus was on the move.

Then I saw the second one, and it got held up by the traffic lights outside of Monument Station, so I grabbed my opportunity, and got myself a picture of a Routemaster in brown and silver livery. The signage says 75 years of London Transport and Bow Bus Garage Centenary. I would guess that the Bow Bus Garage had brown and silver as their colours!

(If you’re reading this and you can’t see the picture, click on the link to take you to the original post in Yahoo.)