Category Archives: History

Floorboards (part I)

This afternoon, I removed some floorboards. Apparently, our boiler has an incorrect width gas pipe, which is unfortunately buried in concrete.

So, the new boiler requires a larger pipe and the easiest way to fit one is to follow a path from the front of the house, upstairs and through bedrooms, before returning through the kitchen ceiling at the back of the house.

In a bad situation, there’s often a positive. It was interesting to see that joists had been connected with pegged mortise and tenon joints.

Authentic spectacles

I’m quite knowledgeable about vintage spectacles. I mean, I’ve been wearing them for a number of years.

This evening, I watched a few minutes of a Western. It was one of those films that you know is going to be terrible after just a few minutes.

Anyway, being a Western, it was set in the 1800s. Which means that glasses didn’t have nosepads. Or plastic temple tip covers.

Frankenpole

Due to a minor oversight, I had a double-booking last night. So attempted both.

Frankenstein, a Gothic Tale, a surprisingly good play, was in the fitting setting of the Great Hall, in the castle keep.

The play was pretty slow to begin with and I was really beginning to think I’d made a huge mistake, particularly since I’d persuaded my second in command and youngest daughter to come along.

But things had picked up before the intermission and, thankfully, the second half was great.

Straight after, we jumped in a cab to Gateshead Fell cricket club, to meet up with some mates at the beer festival.

Where we caught most of Ed Tudor-Pole’s set.

Then there were nightcaps in our local.

A pleasant evening.

Marley’s ghost

We also visited Kingston today. Where we went to the Bob Marley museum.

There’s just the one picture, because cameras weren’t allowed inside. But it was worth going. Essentially, it’s a Georgian house, largely as it was intended, apart from the 70s recording studio.

The shot room was a little strange, though. Best look it up.

I did learn something new about the bloke. He was a vegan. Which makes him cool. Forget the music, he was a vegan.

Coffee

We climbed a mountain today. A blue one, which didn’t look at all blue. And we learned that everything we (thought we) knew about coffee was completely wrong.

The coffee was nice though, as were the views.

The picture above was actually looking down onto a pretty scary road which zig-zagged up the mountain.

Belfast

As opposed to a day/evening in Belfast, we spent a couple of hours there yesterday morning.

A pub my second in command only saw from the outside.

So, while plans were a bit messed up, we kindof did still get to Belfast.

Rocket man

My second in command has been somewhat excited about this evening. She’d been looking forward to seeing the Rocket in the Discovery museum.

It’s been nice to do the history/culture thing, rather than spending the evening in bars.

Enough of that though, we’re now in our fourth bar.

Lost in Space III

Ok, I grew up with this stuff, so please let me run with it.

Robot B9, the robot, and Dr Smith.

And the new robot and Dr Smith.

Accepting that the second picture is in color, and Dr Smith is more than marginally less camp, (and the acting is a lot better in the new series) I still feel that the original robot is more appropriate when compared to the (second attempt at) the modern version.

I feel the need to join a club.