tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75556642696482504732012-02-01T17:15:06.630ZI am the grit in the gears, the missing bolt, I am the poker of sticks into spokes. I like to know how things work, but sometimes when I take them apart and rebuild them, I have a few pieces left over. I am a man, so I tend to leave reading the instructions until after it goes wrong. And like all men I have a comprehensive mental map of the world and never need to ask directions. I never get lost, only sometimes I'm late, or end up in the wrong place entirely. It's what we do.soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.comBlogger9491100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-85362904517642544572012-01-30T00:01:00.001Z2012-01-30T00:18:14.576Z

I thought we'd escape I packed a fishing line and counted on it I thought we'd escape I packed a fishing line and counted on it But dreaming is for moonrise And moonlight ails his tired eyes I treat him like a lady I treat him as I would he unto me Give Rose rose-seller a run for her money With silicone and poetry But it's the end of me I thought it could change I'd wake up one morning

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-34702787580281023992012-01-29T22:49:00.000Z2012-01-29T22:49:12.857Z

It starts a bit slow... hang in there.  Splendidly gothic.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-55378883801522144352012-01-29T20:08:00.000Z2012-01-30T17:44:29.304Z

You read the blog, Now get the book! Oh yes. I is an author. Or maybe not. The purpose of this post is not to sell the non-existent book of the blog, but to talk about the danger of losing your blog, terrifying thought. A|person very close to me has, in the past, deleted blogs and later regretted losing their content. That need not happen. There are ways to save a blog in its entirety, and a

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-28924090091505666242012-01-29T10:29:00.000Z2012-01-30T18:02:17.391Z

I should point out, for the benefit of those, the majority of my readers, I'd guess, who have not yet had the good fortune to see the aurora, that all of the clips below are significantly faster than real-time. The gunuine artice is usually gentler and lazier in its movements. Look at these as the auroral equivalent of speeded-up cloud sequences. This year's solar activity promises strong

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-52205848915381256922012-01-26T22:18:00.001Z2012-01-26T22:23:02.639Z

I'll bet you all think I'm too lazy to write a proper blogpost? Well, you're wrong, so wrong wrong wrong. Truth is I write dozens, hundreds, dozdreds even, that never get posted. "But how can that be?" I hear you ask, wonderingly. Well, it's just that I write them in my head in the shower, in the kitchen, whilst driving to work, whilst at work etc. And of course, in bed, whilst not sleeping. What

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-71781259779596047462012-01-24T19:10:00.000Z2012-01-25T02:10:53.195Z

This week, in my neck of the woods, northern england. This photograph was taken at Dunstanburgh, Northumberland, others can be seen here: (Daily Mail). The Tan Hill Inn is the highest (altitude) pub in England, a lonely moorland pub, apparently there for no reason- it has no neighbours at all. But it was once a welcome stopping place where the tracks of cattle and sheep drovers crossed,

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-79847875706902353552012-01-23T22:07:00.002Z2012-01-23T22:16:23.069Z

 Or was that "sigh"?  Hastily she wrote her home address on a scrap of paper.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-74708886176911896922012-01-21T00:10:00.001Z2012-01-21T00:10:34.220Z

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-35587554384041091162012-01-21T00:08:00.000Z2012-01-21T00:08:35.287Z

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-2786188899848334462012-01-20T17:10:00.000Z2012-01-20T17:10:37.972Z

The Allman Brothers Band, jamming at the Fillmore East, New York, March 1971, played this. The resulting live recorded album was released in July of that year. Sadly, only a couple of months later lead guitarist Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle crash near his home in Macon, Georgia. A year later, another member of the band, bassist Berry Oakley died the same way, less than a mile from the

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-71652629775121411852012-01-19T21:52:00.000Z2012-01-19T21:52:47.617Z

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-27227481707901779902012-01-19T21:20:00.001Z2012-01-19T21:20:58.719Z

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-75169604268917899102012-01-16T21:59:00.002Z2012-01-16T22:00:04.862Z

mr youse needn't be so spry concernin questions arty each has his tastes but as for i  i likes a certain party gimme the he-man's solid bliss for youse ideas i'll match youse a pretty girl who naked is is worth a million statues  e.e.cummings, 1926

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-15242811389641946052012-01-15T16:22:00.001Z2012-01-15T16:22:43.790Z

If it sounds too good to be true, it always is. I was looking for cheaper methods of flying across the atlantic, when I stumbled upon this, at Expat Mum's blog. Not what I was looking for, but it made me laugh.  here in Britain, we have a number of competing budget airlines who offer what look like unfeasibly cheap deals. There's usually a catch.... Like I can get to Barcelona for twenty

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-90081318628162981762012-01-15T00:51:00.000Z2012-01-15T11:58:57.484Z

The Corn Exchange, Leeds, was designed by Cuthbert Broderick, and completed in 1863. On our travels, RDG and I have generally shared photographic duties, and it's hard for either of us to be sure whose is which. As a system, it works well, because we notice different things, and she sees things that I'm too familiar with to notice.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-19987425547608441092012-01-15T00:10:00.000Z2012-01-15T00:10:44.982Z

Some years ago, I found this poem in a book in a library, I was not a member of that library, I could not borrow the book,  but I wanted to share that poem, so I clicked a furtive photograph. Alas, I forgot to write the name of the poet...  I can't give credit for these words. I wish I could. In fact, until I found the original picture, I'd even forgotten that I found it in a library, I'd

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-68302529047998911602012-01-14T23:38:00.001Z2012-01-14T23:44:26.717Z

Probably over who gets first rights to drop her lace hankie in Ebeneezer Soubriquet's path.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-40951730089460523162012-01-14T23:33:00.001Z2012-01-14T23:33:45.292Z

Back in the old days, before the miniaturisation of military ration sausages had been perfected, the Sausage Delivery Corps could be relied on to deliver sausages anywhere, no matter the terrain, no matter the battle raging. Here we see a medium pork with herbs being carried toward the front line. The Germans, known for their sausage technology, had nothing to match this mighty comestible.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-13082348019338644872012-01-07T15:29:00.000Z2012-01-07T15:29:52.013Z

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-57662915586342544382012-01-04T21:53:00.000Z2012-01-04T21:56:07.998Z

Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow! You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout Till you have drench’d our steeples, drown’d the cocks! (King Lear, Act III, Sc II) via    Back to work, as nature hurls chaos at us. Trees falling, roads closed, power lines down, heroic rescues at sea. Malin Head weather station recorded hurricane force winds, trucks were blown over, and I'm knackered.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-4654204630115072762012-01-01T03:33:00.000Z2012-01-01T03:36:42.302Z

A love-struck Romeo sings the streets a serenade Laying everybody low with a love song that he made. Finds a streetlight, steps out of the shade Says something like, "You and me babe, how about it?" Juliet says, "Hey, it's Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" He's underneath the window, she's singing, "Hey la, my boyfriend's back. You shouldn't come around here singing up to people

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-25171634769251169872011-12-29T19:35:00.001Z2011-12-29T19:55:34.622Z

Romeo's Tune  XXXXX!  Meet me in the middle of the day Let me hear you say everything's okay Bring me southern kisses from your room Meet me in the middle of the night Let me hear you say everything's alright Let me smell the moon in your perfume Oh, Gods and years will rise and fall And there's always something more It's lost in talk, I waste my time And it's all been said before While

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-9777707161386527242011-12-27T15:23:00.000Z2011-12-27T21:33:56.243Z

Bear with me. Look at the bosoms whilst I attempt to sort my discrepant thoughts. I found this picture a while ago, whilst trying, I think, to identify a painter of something else entirely. I kinda snagged it into a "stuff to think about later" folder. I'm very bad, however at archiving sources, so I've no idea where I found it.  Here we have a group of prosperous aristocratic ladies

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-23188242366772820282011-12-26T21:19:00.000Z2011-12-26T21:33:21.933Z

Here we see Ebeneezer,  The founder of Soub-Labs, (or, as it was originally known: "The Ebeneezer Soubriquet Laboratory Foundation for the Invention of Unnecessary Equipment and Commodities, and the Investigation of All Matters Curious and Inconsequential") trying out his tremendously aforethoughtful device, entitled "A Most Serendipitous Means for the Avoidance of Rush Hour Traffic, by

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-83041265270516754322011-12-26T14:44:00.001Z2011-12-26T14:44:41.102Z

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-79355101599195436722011-12-24T18:34:00.000Z2011-12-24T18:37:29.450Z

However.... If you have any imagination whatsoever, think how they'll love it when you say you have to leave their luggage behind.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-42034884207364285912011-12-24T17:21:00.001Z2011-12-24T17:21:06.077Z

Splice Holiday Video 2011 from Splice Here on Vimeo.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-83808300196623740192011-12-23T23:45:00.001Z2011-12-24T19:35:23.570Z

Yesterday, I was listening to the radio, and it was "Womans Hour" on the BBC. The interviewees for part of the programme were women who had worked on the recent BBC series "Frozen Planet".  Sarah Wheeler, ex writer-in-residence in Antarctica, described how, before travelling to the Mc Murdo, she'd been given a U.S. Navy Antarctic Survival Manual. One of the useful tips in there is that if you

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-73389853308404199092011-12-23T20:02:00.000Z2011-12-23T20:09:06.164Z

  A better pic than I could get, of clouds over the windfarm at Oxenhope Moor This one's not mine, it's off the BBC Leeds Weather Site, where other pics of these unusual lenticular clouds can be seen. This one's taken from my place of work. As is this.  Pretty, Huh?

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-7630745523111026962011-12-23T19:45:00.000Z2011-12-23T19:55:34.350Z

I think this style of Santa will revolutionise Christmas, the time spent dealing with firmly-wedged corpulent old men will be available for other purposes. You'll note the sinuous curves for easy negotiation of chimney bends, the self-sweeper-muff at the broadest point, and the two fur-trimmed orbs, which locate the Santa and provide balance. The only thing that troubles me is the casual way

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-27341992738804630172011-12-18T18:34:00.003Z2011-12-18T18:38:39.596Z

I saw this on "Nothing to do With Arbroath", a blog that constantly picks up things that make me laugh. No, it's not a Windmill, but it  made me think of how the brave Don, and Rocinante would have risen to the challenge. As some of my readers know, part of my life encompasses building sites, I go on courses every so often, to learn the latest wisdoms of health and safety. And you know, the

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-35339917517448208632011-12-16T21:00:00.000Z2011-12-16T21:49:12.346Z

Back in the Sixties there was a massive band, called the Rutles. They took the world by storm, spawning imitators and competitors.  In a parallel universe, it's said there was a similarish group called the Beatles. I think I've heard of them, but The Rutles. Oh man, everybody had a few Rutles albums in the attic, or the basement. Mongolian Yak-herders, Bolivian coca pickers, eskimos,

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-34278230498643705392011-12-16T15:59:00.001Z2011-12-16T20:27:39.138Z

Well, it's likely some of my U.S readers won't appreciate this, but come on guys, how do you think we feel about Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins, or every other comedy (or unintentional comedy) which portrays false stereotypes? Top gear... If you don't know the show (not the current north-american made franchise, the real one with Clarkson, Hammond, and May), then you won't know that the

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-77374922150628384182011-12-16T13:55:00.002Z2011-12-16T13:57:23.557Z

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-37221146798148997652011-12-16T12:54:00.003Z2011-12-16T13:12:50.119Z

Over at Lola's Loves,  Lola tells us of a Russian scientist, reported in Pravda, as publishing a study that says "Men become impotent because of women's low-cut dresses and bare legs", this, he says is due to his study showing that in societies where women are dressed demurely, or covered head to toe, i.e. Islamic nations, there's a much lower incidence of erectile dysfunction and prostate

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-43710572878407851602011-12-14T21:23:00.003Z2011-12-14T21:23:52.631Z

I'm messing about with the template. I liked it well enough as it was, but it didn't work with some of Blogger's new functions, such as the social media buttons and the myriad different ways to view. The background picture is very temporary, I just can't decide what to use, so this one is here to remind me of what I should be doing with my spare time. In the meantime, readers old, new, and just

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-91628950357526629572011-12-14T20:26:00.000Z2011-12-14T20:26:55.934Z

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-38307663187290642532011-12-13T19:23:00.004Z2011-12-13T19:23:57.321Z

The Scientific Editor of this blog was delighted today to hear on the BBC news that scientists at the Large Hadron Collider, near Geneva, have found "tantalising hints"of the Higgs Boson. They haven't actually seen one yet, but as I said in the title, it's elusive. It probably only comes out when it's pretty sure nobody'll be observing it. So what have they found? Soubriquet Labs once had a

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-50939408650564402172011-12-11T17:50:00.001Z2011-12-11T20:13:23.853Z

If you're allergic to Aled Jones singing "Walking in the Air", then don't click play.  I like it. From Raymond Brigg's "The Snowman"

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-5774994721812713262011-12-11T16:52:00.000Z2011-12-11T17:14:25.256Z

  Friday night's full moon as I was leaving work. Taken on a Sony-Ericsson C905 phone camera, on auto. I didn't use any of the fancy settings, it seems to do okay on its own.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-27159959343648779652011-12-10T22:58:00.000Z2011-12-11T00:09:02.784Z

Did I volunteer for this? we refurbished this space a while back, and as there was a fair bit of unsightly pipework at one end, it was decided to build a false wall to screen it. Now there's a new tenant wanting the space, and he wants a heating system with radiators. So I have to stick a boiler and pipe runs and new waste pipes for the new kitchen and toilet in there too. But: nobody measured

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-85053929918812234692011-12-10T22:50:00.001Z2011-12-10T22:54:18.289Z

  Knowing that the ever-vigilant officers of the law have successfully thwarted attempts to 'Occupy the Litter Box'.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-66245371682417407442011-12-10T15:51:00.001Z2011-12-11T00:22:31.254Z

This blogger is an old curmudgeon, and not much one for the whole christmas shtick. However, occasionally there is a grating and scraping noise, as his cast-iron armour loosens for a moment. I was reminded by another blog that it's almost time for Luciafest in the northern regions. Here, we've forgotten, mostly, that christmas is not just a christian festival, not just a major marketing

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-17149701559476284292011-12-08T00:36:00.001Z2011-12-08T00:59:03.732Z

This via a comment on Red Dirt Girl's blog, by Goatman. Goatman referenced "Don't crush that dwarf, hand me the pliers" by The Firesign Theatre Company, 1970. I had google it, which led me to this. "In 2006, 'Don't crush that dwarf, hand me the pliers' was added to the National Recording Registry, a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-31964772351900878052011-12-06T22:50:00.001Z2011-12-06T23:16:06.112Z

How Much Toilet Paper? The Telegraph has a story that schools in Catalonia, Spain, are trying to keep their operating costs down, by seeking to reduce wasteage and over-consumption. "The northeastern region has been ordered to rein in its deficit and has embarked on a series of stringent austerity cuts. The latest edict issued by the region’s ministry of education instructs state

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-17428022332300607752011-12-06T21:14:00.001Z2011-12-06T21:47:29.536Z

Yesterday, at lunchtime, I made a quick foray into the supermarket, directed shopping, vector in toward target... acquired, basket, check-out. No unnecessary aisles, in and out, like a commando raid behind enemy lines. Or so it was meant to be, but as usual, most of the checkouts were not in use, and those that were, had huge backlogs.... So, I went along to the rapid self-checkout tills. And

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-1760763893408665582011-12-06T18:25:00.001Z2011-12-06T18:25:43.669Z

Via Miss Cellania

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-62413706414689791982011-12-06T18:07:00.000Z2011-12-06T18:07:40.123Z

Hate Poem By Julie Sheehan I hate you truly. Truly I do. Everything about me hates everything about you. The flick of my wrist hates you. The way I hold my pencil hates you. The sound made by my tiniest bones were they trapped in the    jaws of a moray eel hates you. Each corpuscle singing in its capillary hates you. Look out! Fore! I hate you. The blue-green speck of sock lint I’m trying to dig

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com6Leeds, UK53.7996388 -1.549122153.649589299999995 -1.8649791 53.9496883 -1.2332651tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-86434304950385428552011-12-05T21:07:00.001Z2011-12-05T21:07:52.488Z

Pretty Words By Elinor Wylie Poets make pets of pretty, docile words: I love smooth words, like gold-enamelled fish Which circle slowly with a silken swish, And tender ones, like downy-feathered birds: Words shy and dappled, deep-eyed deer in herds, Come to my hand, and playful if I wish, Or purring softly at a silver dish, Blue Persian kittens fed on cream and curds. I love bright words, words

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-65045907598163966822011-12-05T20:37:00.001Z2011-12-05T20:37:45.505Z

The Blessing of the Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog (Alicia Ostriker)To be blessed said the old woman is to live and work so hard God's love washes right through you like milk through a cowTo be blessed said the dark red tulip is to knock their eyes out with the slug of lust implied by your up-ended skirtTo be blessed said the dog is to have a pinch of God inside you and all the

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-57270890808052129122011-12-02T18:18:00.001Z2011-12-05T20:09:53.422Z

The town is Serviceton, some 440 miles northwest of Melbourne, near the border between Victoria and South Australia. It used to BE the border until a surveying error was discovered, putting it wholly within Victoria. It was at Serviceton that two different states' respective railway systems met, and at one time, passengers would exit one train, and embark upon another. In the in-between time,

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-67260509632207777532011-11-25T22:20:00.000Z2011-11-26T00:55:57.600Z

Royal Ordnance Factory Number 9 was built at Thorp Arch, near Wetherby, in Yorkshire, opening in 1940. Its purpose was as a place where all manner of bombs, shells, cartridge casings, mines, (anything the war effort needed to go bang) were filled with various kinds of explosives. As you can see from the picture above, it was situated on flat farmland, with its own railway links.. From 1940

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-66651865081550672112011-11-23T21:55:00.000Z2011-11-24T18:06:35.572Z

"Like wow, man, I'm buzzin'! She just gave us mushroom-cookies, and now look at him, making like star-trek, man..  Hey Wow! the colours! Wow, my eyes! Wow! Oh look! The planets! Fuck! This is weird!" Oops:Apology for error, I posted this via Picasa, and  Picasa displayed an error message but the post seemed to be all present in the drafts folder.... But not quite. The pic I was seeing was

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-51873073480233400602011-11-22T19:20:00.001Z2011-11-22T22:09:45.728Z

I'm swallowing antibiotics in capsules big enough to travel in. I think I'll fit one with a seat and an intergalactic propulsion system. Over the last week, my left ear has been gradually  tuning in  to the cosmos,  registering strange popping sounds, clicks buzzes, gurgles, and general white noise. The tuning was really crummy, I never got to hear a full sentence or identifiable sound, but on

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-72061796693028607012011-11-20T23:41:00.001Z2011-11-20T23:43:53.388Z

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-30427977328607680252011-11-19T16:04:00.001Z2011-11-20T00:57:32.950Z

Sup up your beer and collect your fags, There’s a row going on down near slough, Get out your mat and pray to the west, I’ll get out mine and pray for myself. Thought you were smart when you took them on, But you didn’t take a peep in their artillery room, All that rugby puts hairs on your chest, What chance have you got against a tie and a crest. Hello-hurrah - what a nice day - for the

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-13180081015320480462011-11-16T21:45:00.001Z2011-11-16T22:17:57.513Z

Tongue and Groove, by Dave Smith. Tongue and Groove Forms a lock. But how does it begin in this world? The twig falls, snaring another, and another, a storm’s blackness gathers and sends its will scudding down and over the quiet niches of the forest, where a nest of barky remnants holds, waiting it seems, and is then lifted, swirled away. Like the afterlife. We never see where they land or in

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-20447101788501319742011-11-16T19:10:00.001Z2011-11-16T21:51:39.146Z

St Charles, Missouri is the town which  fired the Sugar-Plum Fairy.  The Sugar-Plum Fairy,  like all fairies, is a naturally upbeat and ebullient character. Or she was. Now she's a tearful little fairy, stripped of her wings. Why? because, the employers of all upbeat and ebullient fairies, who seem to mostly be mean and grumbly trolls and ogres, are extremely suspicious of effervescence and

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-54503005217732579812011-11-15T23:05:00.001Z2011-11-15T23:54:09.644Z

As I said, a few  days ago, I experienced an unscheduled outage in my computer time. Put simply, Windows Vista fell over and died. The laptop was thus brain-dead. But no worries, because Vista's got built-in repair tools, and, failing that, if all the hammering and sawing and welding are to no avail, then I can use the built in "Restore to last known good configuration" Nope. "Can not restore....

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-9325177115603433932011-11-09T21:36:00.002Z2011-11-09T21:36:37.903Z

I'll bet there are no comments on this one....

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-21483959154733802382011-11-09T17:30:00.001Z2011-11-09T20:34:01.153Z

The Blue Screen of Death. Luckily, I tend to regularly dump the contents of my laptop onto a hard drive. A couple of days ago, Windows Vista, which I've been using for a couple of years, since the big box thing died, had a little difficulty starting. Kind of like a stroke, actually. Obviously it would be churlish of me to grumble, because it's never done so before, despite the stories about

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-18689397508973105292011-11-06T22:38:00.001Z2011-11-06T22:39:00.848Z

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-60718417486725069922011-11-06T15:20:00.000Z2011-11-06T15:20:18.766Z

The Avalanches: Since I Left You. via

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-12765350772741988462011-11-06T11:53:00.000Z2011-11-06T12:18:23.952Z

"Road"  A picture by Krystzof Browko. The Rolling English Road, by G.K.Chesterton. Before the Roman came to Rye or out to Severn strode, The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road. A reeling road, a rolling road, that rambles round the shire, And after him the parson ran, the sexton and the squire; A merry road, a mazy road, and such as we did tread The night

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-53161234339195596992011-11-01T20:21:00.005Z2011-11-01T22:19:04.060Z

She'd been tiptoeing down the stairs, in her halloween costume. Yes, it was a bit... revealing, but hey, the other girls would be showing some skin too. And besides, with the body paint...... It would be a bit chilly perhaps, but she couldn't wait to see the reactions from the boys.... "Oh yeah", she thought, "tonight they're gonna notice me, tonight I won't be the nerdy girl... tonight...." But

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-37740248756432179772011-10-28T00:01:00.001+01:002011-10-28T00:06:06.695+01:00

My absolute phobia, I'll dream I'm trapped in there tonight. "Hjalp mej, I'm trapped in this 'Phluem'. " Page 23 (English subtitles) from Jeroen Houben on Vimeo.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-6356863822934779722011-10-27T19:38:00.000+01:002011-10-27T19:50:33.271+01:00

The Three Graces have long been a popular subject with artists. Lola's Loves recently showed a cheeky version of the painting by Regnault, I like the sculpture by Canova, 1817, in the V&A, However, I recently found this one, by Cranach. Lucas Cranach the Elder painted these three girls in 1531. I love it. Far from the sweet girls of Canova, we  here have three who look like young thugs.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-46332005097532203402011-10-24T23:29:00.001+01:002011-10-26T20:46:16.208+01:00

Half an hour ago, I'd never heard of a Waboba. WAterBOuncingBAll. Well, now I have, and so have you. And here's a video that shows the strange things that happen when you throw things at the surface of water. Like skimming stones, we've all done that, no? (did you know that children played that game in Roman times? "And when we came to that place where the little ships, drawn up on an oaken

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-23813531866395245252011-10-24T22:03:00.000+01:002011-10-24T22:05:25.406+01:00

The Royal Society of Arts was founded in a London coffee-house in 1754, as the "Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce". Ever since that date it has hosted a series of lectures on diverse subjects, and more recently, has published some of those lectures in a form accompanied by animated illustration. The talk here is fascinating (to me, at least), but enhanced,

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-82920345224311694342011-10-20T22:06:00.001+01:002011-10-20T22:08:45.039+01:00

I'd love to pass the pic off as mine, but it's not.  The place? Wasdale, in Britain's Lake District, as seen from Great Gable. If you were to zoom in on the green bump a bit to the left of centre, you'd see a few tiny black specks, people. Down further away in that wonderfully green valley, those filigree dark lines are stone field-walls. The white blob on the right of the green is the

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-25587131072547326322011-10-18T23:28:00.000+01:002011-10-18T23:29:42.457+01:00

....was down for three days following a major equipment failure in the U.K. "Email, Messenger and internet functions were unavailable to users in the Middle East, Africa and Europe after a crucial link in the BlackBerry network failed." "ABU DHABI // A dramatic fall in traffic accidents this week has been directly linked to the three-day disruption in BlackBerry services. In Dubai, traffic

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-90959505455647092232011-10-18T23:02:00.001+01:002011-10-18T23:05:08.015+01:00

I dreamed a little too long this morning. The framework of the skyscraper kept flexing as it grew, it had started as steel, but was becoming organic. And I was trapped on the eighty-fifth floor and there was something desperately important that I needed to get down to ground level for. All the lifts had jammed as their shafts distorted, the concrete stairs were crumbling, exploding into dust

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-81874466507906277452011-10-16T20:39:00.000+01:002011-10-16T21:02:22.123+01:00

On my american travels, I was impressed by the high quality of consumer goods, so well designed for every need, including all manner of things you will never need. Here's an item designed to cater for a need I can't imagine anybody ever having. This was on sale in August. I think Halloween is at the far end of October. Here in britain, I'm sad to report, our retailers are learning from

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-5547993477224220302011-10-13T01:02:00.000+01:002011-10-13T18:27:52.982+01:00

(Updated edit: if you came by earlier, you might have noticed the first piece of music was missing. Oops. I blame it on posting too long after bedtime.) I'm in a bluesy sort of mood, been listening to old blues, Peter Green and Danny Kirwan... Peter Green  founded Fleetwood Mac. He wanted to start his own band , and recruited Mick Fleetwood and John MacVie, who he'd come to know when he took

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-86745845349614001602011-10-13T00:00:00.001+01:002011-10-13T00:00:30.510+01:00

Curved Air were a prog-rock band of the late sixties/early seventies. Here's lead singer Sonja Kristina singing 'Melinda (More or Less)'.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-9731757191361512492011-10-12T20:57:00.000+01:002011-10-12T21:50:02.320+01:00

The ship in question, back in 1942, was the atlantic liner, SS Normandie, or by then, USS AP-53 Lafayette. When the war started, Normandie was docked in New York.  Her owners were scared of the german navy, so they just tied her up and transferred their passengers to the SS Aquitania, of the British Cunard Line, whose liners continued sailing. Eventually, when America entered the war, she

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-69899606697176530122011-10-08T12:15:00.000+01:002011-10-08T14:11:52.821+01:00

"But it says we have to go into THAT door next... or is it upside down?" The tree which shades our intrepid explorer, is Lady Anne's Yew, planted here in Conduit Court,  Skipton Castle, in 1659, to shade future visitors, and allegedly, as a symbol of Lady Anne's belief in the longevity of her castle. Yews are sacred trees, from long before christianity, they're seen as protection, of

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-5897473479051907032011-10-07T00:09:00.002+01:002011-10-07T00:09:25.152+01:00

A thought crossed my mind. Well, sometimes it happens... Then I discover I'm not the only one to be thinking it. Steve Jobs. There's a plethora of outpourings of grief, and some steps toward deification. There's no doubt he was an extraordinary man, a visionary. Amongst those who are protesting about the disproportionate distribution of wealth, in Wall St and numerous cities around the U.S,

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-36099454095435231002011-10-06T23:45:00.000+01:002011-10-06T23:45:44.184+01:00

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-30226088835417219142011-10-05T23:49:00.000+01:002011-10-05T23:49:27.969+01:00

At Skipton Castle, Yorkshire.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-1596085722883895012011-10-05T22:54:00.000+01:002011-10-05T23:12:04.349+01:00

Now when I was a kid, I was quite sure that scaly crocodilian monsters lurked under the bed and in the dark, waiting to seize the unwary child in their yellow, foetid, unbrushed teeth. So, if you needed to get out of bed in the night, you had to (quietly) roll back the sheets, gather up your knees, and leap, as fast and as far as possible, landing with a slap to the light-switch by the door,

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-1664096627450647902011-10-01T23:48:00.000+01:002011-10-02T20:17:47.201+01:00

That is, travel pictures as selected by Red Dirt Girl, over at her blog, "Through the Garden Gate" These pics, she posted, and I promised to annotate them. The easiest way, for me, is to do it in blogger's editor. I took the photos on my recent trip over to the U.S. as her guest, where we travelled from Houston, Texas, to Newnan, Georgia, and various places in between. I'd bought a new camera

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-55631346418297905362011-09-26T22:28:00.001+01:002011-09-26T22:30:18.165+01:00

"Give me six lines written by the most honorable of men, and I will find an excuse in them to hang him." —Cardinal Richelieu "We don't know enough about you." —Google CEO Eric Schmidt Greg landed at San Francisco International Airport at 8 p.m., but by the time he'd made it to the front of the customs line, it was after midnight. He'd emerged from first class, brown as a nut, unshaven, and

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-46582493473620903112011-09-26T21:53:00.000+01:002011-09-26T21:54:01.773+01:00

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-84124308536000262682011-09-24T23:07:00.001+01:002011-09-24T23:13:48.630+01:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had a weekend away, for the wedding of friends. I stayed here. The Black Swan, Helmsley, North Yorkshire. I can recommend it.(My room was the one on the top floor to the left of the swan on the sign)

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-9152955096297371452011-09-19T22:51:00.000+01:002011-09-19T22:52:06.146+01:00

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-48385036653933488422011-09-19T22:47:00.000+01:002011-09-19T22:48:49.956+01:00

And a Land-Rover ice-cream van!

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-18672585880331286302011-09-19T21:41:00.000+01:002011-09-19T22:43:44.938+01:00

Transatlantic, 3:00 AM Not awakened by fear or the infant’s hunger, the tables and systems, the compounding debt, the spasm in the leg or the headache that follows you, nor by the formula split open, the long-sought insight, the forgotten lover glimpsed in the alchemy of the dream, the dear friend called back, the rich seam the miner chances upon like a fate, but only by this trick of the hours

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-40968349293181045052011-09-19T20:53:00.003+01:002011-09-19T20:53:43.999+01:00

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-48905792644344679272011-09-19T20:03:00.001+01:002011-09-19T20:10:17.511+01:00

I wonder how many of us men are Ikea phobic? Now, I appreciate a lot of what Ikea does, yes, I confess, I could live in a totally Ikea-equipped home, quite happily.  And I'm a design-freak, I like good design, and I know a lot of people hate Ikea's style. But the stores? They are hell to a shopophobe. I hate shopping. I really do. (Unless it's for tools. I can shop for tools for hours). So, Ikea

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-83111120157003248752011-09-16T21:18:00.000+01:002011-09-16T21:18:41.256+01:00

I was just passing by, and.... I'm sure I saw the dismembered head of a Cyberman.Oooh, Scary!

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-71560766825217681752011-09-16T21:07:00.000+01:002011-09-16T21:10:36.784+01:00

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com6Helmsley, York, North Yorkshire, UK54.2463161 -1.062794754.1720926 -1.2207232 54.320539600000004 -0.9048662tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-61321347361699800302011-09-08T22:20:00.000+01:002011-09-08T22:20:50.259+01:00

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-51356848306977800732011-09-03T18:35:00.001+01:002011-09-03T19:12:51.747+01:00

"  Platanus Occidentalis I asked the Red Dirt Girl what kind of tree this was, on a Houston street, a pretty tree, with these interesting leaves, so contrastingly pale on the undersides, creamy bark, little round spiky fruits.  I knew she'd be able to tell me, she being the garden-designing woman that she is.  "Sycamore" she says.  I look at her, stunned. "Oh no it isn't!", "Yes it is!"...

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-70554069698568432392011-09-01T23:50:00.000+01:002011-09-01T23:50:50.552+01:00

 

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-56197052530797755182011-09-01T23:43:00.000+01:002011-09-01T23:44:31.488+01:00

 

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-49051112185702233862011-08-30T20:02:00.001+01:002011-08-30T20:16:49.424+01:00

Without subtitles too. The title translates as "open your eyes". There's a little story in there too.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-23448283653407615702011-08-28T21:45:00.002+01:002011-08-28T21:45:14.571+01:00

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-70656323992791434172011-08-28T21:21:00.006+01:002011-08-28T21:27:18.253+01:00

Reminds me of my student days.

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555664269648250473.post-68158123403647860592011-08-28T01:37:00.001+01:002011-08-28T01:40:49.470+01:00

This photo's not tagged with a location, (the camera I bought before my travels has a gps chip, and about a million settings, it would take a year or three to learn them all. The gps eats battery life, so as the camera doesn't recharge off a car's power socket, I kept turning the feature on and off). However, I'm moderately confident it's in Senoia, Georgia.  I like a lot about this little house

soubriquethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01151288534629885195noreply@blogger.com7