I had a photoshoot yesterday near York, so thought I would dig out an old image from Whitby one of my favourite English holiday destinations.
From the Archives: Whitby
New Years updates – a musical update
So for a new year resolution I set myself a musical goal of practicing at least 5 minutes a day, for six days a week for the whole of January. So far it’s been good. I have yet to miss a day for piano and only missed one day in the first week for banjo.
Snowy Week
This week has been cold and snowy at the beginning of the week and wet and cold towards the end.
The few times the sun came out I grabbed the camera and took a few snaps. Nothing special but you never know when a great scene may come your way.
New Year Resolutions
Its seems since COVID the last few years have been a bit of a blur with family commitments, Ill health, hospital visits.
I have managed recently to go on two wildlife shoots and have also gotten to the studio to photograph new models several times over this year.
Photography wise things are improving.
Fitness I need to do something. Just before COVID I was thinking of starting swimming again so might look into that.
Music, well, I have a new Roon server and recently updated my streamer and amp over the last few years. Next on the list is a new rack and to start looking at a new record deck and speakers.
One thing I have not been doing this last year is playing music. One of the reasons is the end room we use as our music room / library has become a dump it room. We have been decorating one of the guest bedrooms and we ripped out all the built in wardrobes. All this stuff that was in there and the bedroom contents prevented me from getting to the piano. I have a banjo in the office which I have also not touched and for that I have no excuse.
So I have given myself the task of playing for five minutes a day for six days a week for the whole of January. Lets see if we can get back into this which I do love.
Last journalling. I have a cupboard of journals but I stopped a few years ago for no real reason and I miss it, so will start up writing once a week.
What are your plans?
Holiday Road Trip – by an Electric Car
Most people with electric cars rave about them, those who do not, worry about range and battery issues. As with many things the truth is somewhere between.
If I needed a car for work, and drove long distances then whether it worked for me would depend on things like do I need to tow; am I heading north to south or south to north as most the main roads going up and down the country are well served with fast chargers.
If you are travelling around Yorkshire and many other rural counties, or some east to west routes, the charging opportunities are few and far between. Yes there are chargers but there in ones and twos, not large charging hubs. If you need to rely on getting a quick charge they could be in use or one could be faulty.
If you’re on holiday then there is no pressure. For our recently holiday the destination had little charging but the holiday cottage did advertise a charger, but would it work.
So the plan was to stop half way, get a lunch break and walk for Ted the Greyhound and during that time get a charge, so we picked a suitable stop that had eight chargers, so the odds of getting a charge was high. We would charge to a relatively high level to ensure we would arrive at are destination with 40% giving us options to get to a charger if the cottage charger did not work. There was places to walk Ted and the manager of the local Costa’s let us all in to grab something to eat and for the humans to have a comfort break as well.
The trip there starting from a 100% charge was easy, we had alternatives on route but just carried on; this particular hub was never showing more then 50% capacity so odds were good.
When we arrived two other cars were charging so plenty of room, we plugged in and started to charge; then we got Ted out of the car and took him for a brief walk to stretch his legs and have a comfort break.
Then we all went into the Costa’s after I made a quick enquiry if we could bring Ted in, which was met with an affirmative. Coffee and sandwiches were ordered and eaten, a quick trip to the toilet facilities and then a walk back to the car, by which time we had way more then enough for the trip ahead.
While in the coffee shop I had tracked the number of free stalls at the charging station, and our rate of charge. It had not taken long to get to our target charge and if the chargers had been busy I would have gone and unplugged and moved the car to the coffee shop parking to free up the space, but the eight bays never had more then five occupants.
The key for road tripping by an EV, is pick large charging hubs so your not waiting, have alternatives planned and always plan on doing something else while the car is charging so its not actually the charging your waiting for. We would have needed to stop, walk Ted and get something to eat ourselves anyway, so a perfect time to charge the car.
The charging network does need to be bigger, but with more cars coming with over two hundred miles of range, some of the higher end ones now at four hundred, charging times coming down to 16 minutes, we will get to the point that charging is easier and far more convenient then standing at a cold petrol pump waiting five minutes for the car to fill.
Remembrance Day
Last week was Remembrance Day.
On the Sunday before we had a church service in the village; unfortunately I was working. The grave yard was decorated with poppies as has become a tradition.
On the 11th of November we all stop for a two minute silence. We remember the dead from all sides for all the conflicts.
The poppy was blooming in the fields of death that marked the first world war. Many died for their countries. England still had an empire at that point and many nations; from the home countries of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all died for freedom, but also from further a field, thousands of Muslims from India came to Europe to die for their king, the old colonies sent men from Canada and Australia.
It was the First World War, the war to end all wars they said. Unfortunately not true, but on the 11th of November we fall silent and think of those who died for us in all the wars.
The Suffolk Coast – Beccles
Beccles is typical of the slightly larger town you can find in Suffolk.
In places a little run down, as many places were post COVID-19 which accelerated the death of the high street, but places are opening up.
I remember just a few years ago when all there seemed to be on the high streets was instant coffee or corporate Starbucks, there were few independent coffee roasters and few independent coffee shops selling quality, well sourced coffee.
But now coffee roasters and cafes seem to be springing up even in the most unlikely of places.
What the high street will look like in the future now on-line shopping dominates is unknown, but cafes and good coffee seems to one thing that we will be able to find.
Beccles is an old town with lovely old churches and building, well worth a walk around after you have refreshed yourself with coffee.
Reminders of its links to the larger towns and London are all around.
So if you on route to one of the larger cities try a visit, whether a quaint book shop, a delicatessen or locally roasted coffee there will be something for you.
A change to your morning routine – Local Media
My morning routine used to start with our radio alarm clock broadcasting our local commercial radio station; LINCSFM. An award winning station, with local presenters highlighting local events. It was good entertainment and fun.
Like much local media and local small independent shops, everyone is under a lot of pressure. Our local newspaper has gone from daily to once a week. And now the local radio station has gone.
Thanks to a change in legislation by the last conservative government, the local Media Act 2024 enabled larger companies to buy up local radio stations and last Friday they were able to remove all local broadcasting.
Its a sad good bye to:
- Steve and Karen (North East)
- John Harrison and Liesl Soards (and producer James Crookes) (South Yorkshire)
- Alex and Nicola (East Yorkshire)
- Elliot and Matilda (Staffordshire)
- Leanne and Joel (Lancashire and Liverpool)
- JD and Roisin (West Midlands)
- Jo and Sparky (East Midlands)
- Joseph Begley (Lincs)
- Leigh and Claire (South Wales)
- Neil and Saffy (Cornwall)
- Mylo and Rosie (West Yorkshire)
In the mean time I’ll be tuning into my local BBC station for their breakfast show, and I see a new local radio station is trying to start up. https://www.lincssound.com So I’ll be giving them a listen when they start up on the 30th June.
The Suffolk Coast – Bungay
The Suffolk coast has for a long time been a bit of a mystery. Small traditional inland towns and villages, relatively unchanged over the last fifty years, coastal towns like Aldeburgh and Southwold, often cut off in bad weather and in the past more accessible by sea than by land.
Today we find modern industrial ports like Lowestoft, the growing city of Norwich in the county to the North and sea side resorts like Great Yarmouth but these modern islands of metropolis are few and far between.
If you kept to the few main road that cross Norfolk and Suffolk, leading to these modern towns you would think the county was like any other. But you do not have to go far when you come across the old towns and villages seemly untouched by the passing of time. Traditional shops, cafes for tourists and the odd electrical car parking point and mobile phone tower give a hint of some modernity.
If your taking the scenic route to the Suffolk coast from Norfolk you will come across many small towns like Bungay.
A town you would not likely visit unless you knew of the remains of the castle. Though the lovely old churches are worth a visit. Wondering through the old graveyards in the late high contrast autumn sun, while not conducive to good photography is good for ones own well-being.
The old Norman castle was on the losing side of a number of battles but restored after Henry II confiscated the castle when the loyalty of the previous owner was called into question.
It featured in the fictional novel by Elizabeth Bonhôte, published in 1797, set during the first Barron’s war.
When one explores Suffolk, you are continually surprised by the number of traditional Italian restaurants, cafe’s and ice cream parlours.
There is a long history of Italians making homes in area, and good food and coffee is never far away.
Some of the old shops look like they could have been here for years, the modernity given away by ‘wifi here’ signs or the odd neon sign.
So whether it’s the food, the history, or to wonder the antique shops and find out the little fabric and quilting shops. There is something for all, unless you are after the busyness and noise of most places now.
Suffolk, the place of modern port cities, and tranquil towns and villages.
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1006060
And Bungay is certainly a typical small market town of the region and worth a visit.
Aurora – visible in the midlands
I was out walking the dog last night and was surprised to see the northern lights, or the Aurora Borealis was visible. From the village and naked eye a pale ghostly red glow, with an hint of green.
For a moment I wondered if it was light pollution from the near city or the local village tennis courts, but then realised with the positioning it could be none of these things. Finding a dark spot I took out my iPhone and quickly took a few snaps.
With these kind of results you can see why smartphone cameras have killed the cheap compact camera market.
Its low light performance and shake reduction for the long exposure is quite something.
A wonderful sight and something I hope to see again when I am maybe in a darker part of the country with a tripod and my more serious cameras.