Blog

Random ramblings on, sometimes from the world around us...

Link:	Date
	05 Jun 24	A visit today to look at the "Time Horizon" installation by Sir Antony Gormley at Houghton Hall, Norfolk (Link Here).
	10 May 24	Today, a rare spectacle of the Northern Lights over the UK – photos and text on my page Here.
	17 Apr 24	Today, a visit to The Art of the Brick Exhibition. For information and photos taken during the visit, click on the link Here.
	04 Jan 24	On the way home after visiting relatives, a visit to Runnymede, famous for being the place where King John sealed the Magna Carta, one of the most important documents in history. Text and photos Here.
	15 May 23	Today marks 160 years since the birth of Frank Hornby, inventor of Meccano, Hornby Model Railways and Dinky Toys. It therefore seems appropriate to have a webpage about him based upon some of the Hornby-related sights I went in search of during the recent trip to Liverpool and surrounding area. Link Here.
	03 Apr 23	Following on from the previous blog posts for today, and now heading inland, a visit was made to another natural wonder of Sussex in southern England, namely Devil’s Dyke. Text and photos Here.
	03 Apr 23	Further to the previous post, next up today, a look at some of the Sussex coastline’s spectacular natural beauty, in the form of a trip to Beachy Head and to Birling Gap, for some fresh air, photos, coffee, and learning stuff from the excellent local information exhibitions available to visitors who come here. Text and photos on the link Here.
	03 Apr 23	A very busy day today. So busy, in fact, I decided to split it into three separate blog posts. First off, a fleeting visit to Brighton meant wishing to have some views of the city of Brighton and Hove in a relatively short space of time and what better way to do it, than a trip up Brighton i360, a 531 foot (162m) high moving observation tower. Photos and text on the link Here.
	31 Mar 23	On my first blog from 09 Aug 2021, I looked at a number of (mainly) rock/pop music sites I went to in London, and this included some reference to The Beatles - Abbey Road Studios in particular. This month I went to Liverpool, and as someone who likes music by the Fab Four, the inevitable happened... some text and photographs relating to the Beatles in Liverpool may be found on the link Here.
	24 Mar 23	… also today, a quick stop to look at the Preston England Temple, purely out of interest in the architecture being atypical of the area. Link Here.
	24 Mar 23	Today, a visit to one of England’s more specialised museums, namely the British Lawnmower Museum. Worth visiting, although not something that reflects the website author’s own interests. To read more about this unique place where the staff have an excellent knowledge about this aspect of modern society, alongside some photos, please click on the link Here...
	23 Mar 23	Also today, a look at some areas of Toxteth in Liverpool, which at the time of the visit are in need of renovation and/or regeneration. Some of the proposed developments have not necessarily been in-line with what the locals say the area needs. Some photos and text may be found on the link Here.
	23 Mar 23	Today, a visit to Crosby Beach, Merseyside, to see some more modern art in the form of the work “Another Place” by Sir Antony Gormley. To read more and view my photos, please click on the link Here.
	20 Mar 23	Today, a stop along the M62 motorway to see the Dream Sculpture, a public art installation located on the former site of Sutton Manor Colliery in St Helens, England. There is a carpark situated a short drive from the motorway, and a pretty walk through Sutton Manor Woodland takes visitors on well laid-out paths uphill to the base of the sculpture. More Here.
	16 Jan 23	Just a few photos taken today whilst in London (Link Here).
	15 Jan 23	Today, a look at some of the street art in Brick Lane and Shoreditch. Link Here.
	08 Jan 23	Some photos of King Charles III taken today on the link Here.
	12 Sep 22	Flowers at Sandrinham. Page Here.
	08 Sep 22	The passing of HRH Queen Elizabeth II. More Here.
	27 Apr 22	In the 10 Jun 2018 blog entry, I reported on a live performance by Norwegian pop band A-ha. Here, some of my notes from a live performance by another Norwegian pop band, Highasakite. Although much less heard of in the UK, in my opinion, they are just as worthy of listening to.
	11 Mar 22	As noted elsewhere on this website, the author is a fan of Brutalist architecture, a style which emerged in 1950’s Britain amongst the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Some photos taken from a visit to the ever impressive Barbican Centre in The City of London are shown on the webpage Here, alongside some accompanying text explaining why it was built and why it may be considered the last example of Brutalism to ever be completed in the UK.
	09 Oct 21	Today, a brief look at a few of the many styles of architecture that can be seen whilst walking around London. Link to page on the photo to the left or by clicking Here.
	09 Aug 21	Today, a visit to the Marble Arch Mound, a temporary installation in central London, England. The idea of the mound came about in an effort to boost domestic tourism and help with the return of shoppers to Oxford Street, post Covid-19 lockdown. To view my webpage about this visit, with text and photos, please click on the link Here (or on the thumbnail photo on the left.
	09 Aug 21	A trip to London to take some photographs of (mainly rock/pop) music-related locations. Of course, there are many, many more sights to see akin to these around the capital. Descriptions accompany photos on my webpage Here.
	27 May 21	Today, a trip to Hunstanton Cliffs, in northwest Norfolk. Photographs from the visit and some text about this scenic spot in the east of England may be found on the webpage Here.
	15 Dec 20	Some photographs from a visit today to Snettisham RSPB Reserve in northwest Norfolk, England. Link Here.
	28 Nov 20	Some photographs of garden wildlife taken throughout this year using an Apeman Wildlife Camera, Model: H70, which is automatically triggered by a sensor. Link Here.
	27 Nov 20	Sunspots. Solar Cycle 25 technically began last December, but is now truly underway and expected to peak with 115 sunspots in July 2025. The page on this link shows how the Sun appeared just before the Solar Cycle began (in November, 2019), followed by a couple of photographs taken today, in which sunspots are clearly visible. An explanation accompanies the images (click Here).
	20 Oct 20	Further to the blog entry of 22 Aug 20, here is another of my creations using the free building software from LEGO®. This time, an old town square. Link Here.
	20 Sep 20	Many people who have explored Great Britain, particularly on foot and with the aid of an Ordnance Survey map, will be familiar with triangulation pillars (also known as "trig pillars" or "trig points"). These were used for mapping coordinates within the National Grid. A lesser known fact, is the existence of another set of reference markers once used by the Ordnance Survey – benchmarks. These were used to determine heights above sea level. To find out more, read on Here.
	22 Aug 20	Although not a new downloadable application, the free building software from LEGO® has probably caused me to have a couple of late nights recently. The reader may think it is just for children, but whatever your age, it can provide a great form of creative outlet. To see my first “main” creation, a 19-floor Minifigure-Compatible Office Building, click Here.
	13 Jul 20	Up in the small hours of this morning to take a look at Comet NEOWISE, or C/2020 F3 as it is now officially named. It was discovered only late last March and is currently visible to the naked eye on a clear night in the northern hemisphere. Using a bridge camera mounted on a tripod and after some experimentation with the manual settings, I managed to capture some images of it. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; after this month, as it moves away, it won't be returning to our "neighbourhood" for another 6,766 years! Some text and my photographs may be found on a separate page Here.
	18 Apr 20	It's the return of the Lego minifigure featured below in the Blog post from 05 December 2018. Previously featured as a global traveller with photos of him taken in Chicago, London, Uluru (Ayers Rock) and other places, he has been stuck at home. With much of the world in lockdown / quarantine due to this horrendous COVID-19 pandemic, it was time to look closer to home for exploratory ideas. Hence some boxes of old Lego were sorted out, old sets rebuilt (with a view to selling) and a decision was made to make a video featuring yours truly (with a fresh-looking standard-grin pattern face). Link to page with video Here.
	17 Apr 20	Time-lapse video of a couple of deciduous trees throughout the year. Link Here.
	13 Feb 20	Today, a visit to Fakenham Garden Centre in the English county of Norfolk. Click on the link Here to view a slideshow of some photographs taken whilst there.
	13 Jan 20	Wandering about this morning amongst reporters from the UK, USA, Australia, Japan, Germany, France, Sweden, and who knows where else. Nothing to report from the morning, although I did watch one reporter doing a report about how many reporters were there. To find out where the reporters were, and why they were there, click on the link Here.
	11 Nov 19	A couple of photos and some text about a transit of Mercury which took place this afternoon, as the innermost planet slowly passed in front of the Sun as seen from Earth. Link Here.
	15 Sep 19	Some photos taken today from the 2019 Heritage Open Day in King's Lynn, Norfolk. A large selection of historic buildings and/or locations in the town which would normally be either closed to the public or visited for an admission fee were opened free of charge. Click on the thumbnail icon to view the webpage.
	15 Aug 19	Today, a visit to see the temporary exhibition Henry Moore at Houghton Hall: Nature and Inspiration in the English county of Norfolk. Henry Spencer Moore is one of the most significant English artists of the twentieth century and internationally renowned as a sculptor. There analogies in many of his figures to landscape forms and so his larger works shown here are thoughtfully placed in the finely landscaped grounds of Houghton Hall, with smaller pieces, models, prints and sketches indoors. A look too around the house itself, and the grounds, which include an award-winning five-acre walled garden. Link Here.
	07 Aug 19	Some photographs from a visit to Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary. Link Here.
	20 Jul 19	It is the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing today. Not surprisingly, many television programmes, newspaper features and a special Google logo have been devoted to this. Last September, I visited the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. The museum is located in Neil Armstrong’s hometown of Wapakoneta, Ohio. I have included photographs taken from the exterior of the building and of the exhibits inside, accompanied by some descriptive text on a webpage which may be found on the link Here.
	05 Jul 19	Just a few photographs of garden flowers taken this summer. Link Here.
	06 Jun 19	Today marks the 75th Anniversary of D-Day - the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord, during World War II. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history and began liberation of German-occupied France from Nazi control, creating the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front. Today and amongst others including surviving veterans, the (outgoing) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron have been attending commemorative events in Normandy marking the Anniversary. A day to think back and be grateful to those who sacrificed themselves for the values of freedom we are so fortunate to have today. During the 00’s, I was fortunate in having the opportunity to see some of the sites pertaining to the events of the Normandy Landings and these are described with photographs on my webpage Here.
	26 May 19	Flowers on display today in the village church in West Newton, Norfolk. Part of the celebrations this weekend of the Sandringham Women's Institute centenary. Click Here to view photogallery.
	20 May 19	I always find it useful to come across an opportunity to practice my computer skills in different ways and therefore was quite happy for a new challenge when recently asked to design the cover for a book. No ordinary book, I may hasten to add. To read more, click on the link Here.
	18 Apr 19	Some photos from Ringstead Downs, in northwest Norfolk in the east of England. The site is characterised by a scenic steep-sided dry chalk valley, carved out by glacial meltwaters from the last ice age and is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Link Here.
	10 Apr 19	Today, a visit to The Walks in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England. The Walks was designated by English Heritage as a grade II historic park in 1998 and was brought back to its former glory in 2007-2008. Some text and photographs on the link Here.
	06 Apr 19	Moving today, after living for several years in the coastal resort of Lowestoft, England’s most easterly town. Some photos taken a little while ago which highlight the sometimes unpredictable weather. No filters of adjustments to colour made to originals. Page Here.
	20 Mar 19	Spring has arrived. It may be the vernal equinox today, but the days are already longer than the nights - both were equal in length some days ago, when the "spring equilux" occurred. The equilux (a newer term for an isophot) happens a few days before the equinox (or after in autumn), due the angular size of the sun and atmospheric refraction. The time of it varies according to latitude and it does not occur close to the equator at all. If you have not heard of an equilux, do not worry - neither has my spellchecker.
	05 Mar 19	As a follow-up to a visit to St Nicholas’ Chapel in the town of King’s Lynn on 26th February, a visit was made today to King’s Lynn Minster (St Margaret's), a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England. The visit was made purely as taking an interest in learning more about the history of the town, to which this building is closely associated and the different architectural styles that emerged during the course of time in this part of the world. Link Here.
	26 Feb 19	The second of two places visited today, namely a trip to see Seahenge at the Lynn Museum (Norfolk, UK). During the summer of 1998, shifting sands on Holme beach on the north Norfolk coast in eastern England revealed the remains of a unique early Bronze Age timber circle. Scientific dating techniques have shown that the structure was erected in the spring of 2049 BC. The timbers were in the form of a ring 21 feet (6.6m) in diameter and comprised 55 closely-fitted oak posts, each originally up to 10 feet (3m) high. So what was it built for? To read more and view photographs click on the thumbnail, or Here.
	26 Feb 19	The first of two places visited today, namely St Nicholas’ Chapel in the town of King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England. It was originally constructed around 1200, during the expansion of Lynn by Bishop William Turbus, the third Bishop of Norwich. Due to its rise in popularity, the chapel was rebuilt between 1380 and 1410 on a much larger scale in the grand perpendicular style of the time. St Nicholas’ Chapel is England's largest chapel of ease (a chapel dependent on a church and serving part of the parish for the convenience of parishioners nearby). A page on this website about the chapel may be found Here.
	23 Feb 19	Today, a walk around Roydon Common, just east of King's Lynn in Norfolk, UK. The area is a 194.9ha (482 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Some information on the site and photographs taken from two of its rich and varied habitats, namely birch woodland and grassland, may be found on the link Here (or by clicking on the thumbnail to the left).
	21 Jan 19	A total lunar eclipse was visible in the early hours of this morning over the skies, here in eastern England. A brief explanation about what this was and some photographs may be found on a page on this website by clicking on the thumbnail to the left or by clicking Here. During the eclipse, the Moon turned a blood-red colour. Spectacular, but nowhere near as spectacular as the total solar eclipse seen from Tennessee in August 2017 - link to page on that particular spectacle Here.
	13 Jan 19	A new page on this website finally completed - devoted to the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Link Here.
	01 Jan 19	Today, a walk around the village of Castle Acre, in the English county of Norfolk. The village today contains, amongst other things, the remains of a castle, a Clunaic priory, and an original town gate. There is also a fine 15th-century parish church, still very much in active use. Some photos and text all about Castle Acre may be found on the link Here, or by clicking on the thumbnail image to the left.
	05 Dec 18	Here are some photos of my little buddy whom has been following me around lately after being born in a factory mouldshop in Denmark about five to six years ago. I do not have photographs of everywhere he has been with myself as Chernobyl presented an issue with limited time outside Reactor Number 4, got rather nervous by a Chinese Official when getting him out of my bag ready for a camera shot on Tiananmen Square and did not take the little fella out of my backpack in Dubai in case of him getting arrested for accusations of being a foreign spy. No photo from the West Bank either. Link to his little adventures Here (or click on the photo to the left).
	21 Aug 18	It is exactly one year on from the "Great American Eclipse" - a Total Solar Eclipse which went from coast-to-coast in the United States of America. The author of this website went on a very long road trip with one of his brothers to view this. Later on in 2017, I wrote a relatively long blog and put together a webpage. To view this page, click on the link Here. (or my photo to the left).
	21 Jul 18	I have spent a lot of time on the water off the coast of NE England this week and obsessively wearing a lifejacket which automatically inflates when submerged. Part of PPE for work, but whether on business or for leisure, equally important. Some photos are here on the thumbnail link to the left, which I took last August from the shores of Table Rock Lake, Missouri. This is where a "duck boat" carrying 31 people sank on Thursday evening this week, with the tragic loss of 17 lives. I am not sure if there is any irony in the fact that the nearby town of Branson has a Titanic museum, but with the deceased ranging from one to 70 years of age, it is a truly saddening event that took place and may those lost in this beautiful and otherwise serene part of the world rest in peace. News story Here.
	10 Jun 18	And now for something slightly different... a visit to the Abbey Stadium in Cambridge, UK, to see Norwegian pop band a-ha performing their greatest hits live. It said in the blurb "No Professional Cameras". What I didn't realise was this meant no cameras period. Phones were allowed in, so I am not entirely sure what will happen with such rules as the cameras on them seem to get better and better year-on-year. Anyway, with no experience of writing reviews for live performances whatsoever, the author of this website decided to hastily put together a piece on this wonderfully dry and warm evening's event. Read the article Here.
	22 Feb 18	Robert Pershing Wadlow, the tallest person ever known to have lived was born one hundred years ago today. A mention here, as the author of these web pages visited his hometown of Alton, Illinois last August. Robert Pershing Wadlow started growing abnormally when he was two years old, suffering from an overactive pituitary gland which caused him to grow to a height no other person has ever reached. Robert Wadlow was still steadily growing at the time of his death (at the young age of 22) in 1940, when he was eight feet and 11.1 inches tall and weighed 439 pounds. Due to developments in medicine, his condition is now treatable and so it is considered unlikely anybody will ever grow taller than he did. Click Here to see photos and read more about his life (or click on the thumbnail photo to the left).
	01 Jul 17	Just back from a visit to see friends in Ipswich, (Suffolk, UK). A brief look today at the Orwell Bridge. Some may question why, but as far as the East of England is concerned, it is probably one of the largest manmade structures around. Running over the bridge is the busy A14, a primary route which runs between the nearby port of Felixstowe and the M6 motorway in the West Midlands.  Built between 1979 and 1982 over the River Orwell, the 1.2km long bridge is used by over 60,000 vehicles per day. There are 19 sets of supports and there are actually two bridge tables with a gap of a few inches between them. The girders carrying the roadway are hollow and carry power and telecom cables, as well as a water main. It's main span of 190m made it the longest pre-stressed concrete span in use at the time of opening. Click on the thumbnail to the left, to see some photos.
	09 Apr 17	Sighted today, with the improvement in weather conditions, a couple of light aircraft in the sky. This was reminiscent of a trip once taken in a four seater Piper some years ago. The flight was from Norwich Airport, in the East of England and headed westwards towards King's Lynn and then up the coastline of North West Norfolk and towards Hunstanton, briefly along the North Norfolk coast, before returning to Norwich. Photos from the flight may now be found Here (or click on the thumbnail to the left).
	28 Nov 16	Today, The Daily Telegraph reports that 1 Undershaft, which will be the tallest tower in the City of London (not to be confused with Greater London), has been given the green light (Report Here). My earliest memories of visiting the City were one of wonder at the sheer height of the, then, 600ft NatWest Tower, now known as Tower 42. Despite being the tallest skyscraper in the City when completed in 1980, Tower 42 is now in third position, after the 663ft (755ft with antenna) Heron Tower (completed in 2011) and the 738ft building at 122 Leadenhall Street (completed in 2013). Tower 42 is currently the 8th tallest in Greater London. Currently under construction are two more skyscrapers nearby which will demote Tower 42's ranking - 22 Bishopsgate (912ft) and 52-54 Lime Street A.K.A. The Scalpel (630ft). Having an hour to kill at Liverpool Street Station one Sunday this year, I decided to take a wander around to take a look at some of the more recently completed buildings as it had been some years since my last visit. The main thing I found was how my perspective of building height had changed. Since my last visit I had been to Dubai and less than 48 hours earlier been wandering around downtown Singapore. Architecturally impressive as they are, the buildings in the City did not appear as imposing to myself as they used to. Perhaps it was not just the Burj Khalifa (currently the World's tallest), but seeing a skyscraper in Dubai designed to look like 'Big Ben' standing taller than London's tallest, The Shard, that changed my perspective on size the most. To see my photos taken earlier this year, click on the thumbnail to the left of this text.
	26 Apr 16	Today marks the 30th Anniversary of the worst peacetime nuclear disaster in history. I never realised until visiting Chernobyl last October and learning more about it that literally tens and tens of thousands of people were involved in limiting both the immediate and long-term damage from the catastrophic accident that had occurred and although figures will never be known exactly, many of these died or are suffering from serious ill health as a result. Click on the thumbnail picture to the left to view a detailed webpage documenting my visit to see the Nuclear Reactors, ghost settlements and Duga-3, a gigantic over-the-horizon radar system which was built as an early missile detection system during the Cold War.
	04 Oct 15	Today, a visit to Dersingham Bog National Nature Reserve in the English county of Norfolk. It is a strange matter of fact that I used to own a house nearby and would on the odd occasion go walking here, never paying much attention to it's significance as a valuable part of the ever shrinking English rural landscape. Returning, as a visitor, and learning a lot more about the three different intermingled habitat types found here makes me realise my tendency to find out and learn more about places when I am a visitor, as opposed to when I am wandering around places that are right on my own doorstep. Anyway, I have made a page all about this little corner of Norfolk which actually, in places, resembles Scotland and to view it, please click on the thumbnail to the left.
	01 Sep 15	A day out today in Norfolk, a county I have previously lived in on and off for many years. Two places visited here. First off is Binham Priory, a ruined Benedictine priory sited in a village bearing the same name. To view a page I have made on it click here, or on the thumbnail photo to the left...
	01 Sep 15	... and secondly, a visit to Baconsthorpe Castle, a moated and fortified 15th century manor house. Again, to view a page I have made on it click here, or on the thumbnail photo to the left.
	10 Mar 15	Desiderata... Always worth a read, I think: Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. Max Ehrmann, "Desiderata"
	24 Aug 14	"British Military Invasion of Washington a Success". Well, this would certainly make an interesting headline today. However, exactly two hundred years ago on 24th August, 1814, Britain did just that - they invaded America. It is a fact that in 1813, the Americans found out that there was a place next door called Canada. They decided to invade and burnt Toronto's public buildings and generally caused mayhem with burning anything else they could find. Of course, us Brits weren't too happy about this and decided to retaliate. The following year, they sent 4000 men up Chesapeake Bay towards Washington. President James Madison had cleared off from the White House; his wife then thought it was maybe a good idea to leave as well. Just afterwards, British troops decided themselves to pay a visit to the White House. They found a table inside set for a grand dinner so ate the roast, drank some fine wines, and then burned the President's pad down. In addition to the White House, the British managed to burn down the Treasury, The Capitol building and lots of other important stuff. It appears to have been a rather gentlemanly affair, with only the odd death. Throughout the history of the United States, the U.K. is the only country to have ever burned the White House down. Today's 200th anniversary appears strangely to be mentioned in the American media, but nearly not at all in the British media.
	18 Aug 14	This is rather useful. A device for scanning old negatives (borrowed briefly with very kind permission). The resolution is more than adequate for websites and the colour resolution seems better than many of the prints the photo developers of the past provided. I have scanned some negatives from past trips including a 1994 one-month railway trip around Europe plus visits to Russia, Poland, Romania, Croatia and far too many more countries to list. Lots of new-old photos from my travels and therefore plenty of work to keep me busy working on these webpages :-)
	02 Aug 14	An incredibly moving piece commemorating World War I by Brazilian sculptor Nele Azevedo.
	01 Aug 14	It seems many are fascinated when the headline reads 'Amazon Tribe Makes Contact With Outside World '. Indeed, the story may be found on the left. Meanwhile, other headlines focus on the worry that the Ebola virus may spread from West Africa to the western nations. As we worry about Ebola coming here, whilst becoming 'entertained' by film of a previously uncontacted tribe, it is easy to forget that the very real threat of foreign viral infections towards these people in Brazil is very much a reality. History has shown the impact new human contact can have on people via communicable diseases. These previously untouched people in the Amazon are running away from illegal logging and drug trafficking in their home area and apparently asking for help. As per the video footage, here are a group of 'researchers' whom a mere sneeze from could be fatal to their people's lives and ultimately their own culture's very existence.
	27 Jul 14	Here in Britain, we do like to talk about the weather and so... the last week or two has been absolutely glorious. The sun has been more than plentiful and as happens during times when the nation is gripped in the heat of a warm summer, there is the occasional storm. Thousands are heading to the UK beaches, whether it be finding solitude somewhere on the Northumbrian coast, or joining the crowds in Blackpool or Brighton. Further afield, The Daily Telegraph has put together an interesting pictorial feature on some of the World's weirdest beaches. As usual, the link is accessed by clicking on the photo left of here. Not featured, I may add, is my favourite weirdest beach visited and found by a hotel I stayed at just outside Dubrovnik in Croatia. The beach had no sand or pebbles. It was manmade and composed entirely of concrete. People were quite happily sunbathing on it.
	22 Jul 14	Usage and 'Abusage' of Statistics. [He says in a serious sarcastic tone]: So if Scotland votes for independence, according to the statistics in this report (link on left) as an Englishman, my average life expectancy would rise by 0.4 years. That's nearly another five whole months life expectancy for me. You can do a lot in five months. I quite like this referendum thing lol.
	06 Jul 14	Well, Le Tour de France is underway and the first stages this year are in the UK. Today (Stage two) finished in Sheffield, where I studied at university and tomorrow, it sets off from Cambridge, where I studied at another university. Anyway, it is nice to see Le Tour tomorrow will be passing the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Today's news reports that a year-long £430,000 project has returned the museum on Trumpington Street to its "original splendour". One of the first additions to this website in a former incarnation which was made featured the outside the front of the museum. In May, last year, I created an experimental 360° panoramic feature using photos I took (bar the one with myself in). I hope to produce some better composite panoramic images in the future. Maybe another trip to Cambridge sometime soon. Link to news item on left.
	05 Jul 14	If I didn't have a particular philosophy in life then it is at this point, I could be looking somewhat like the subject in one of Edvard Munch's four works each known as The Scream. This is because I was once the registrant of a certain robinswebsite.com. The cost of it was the standard basic rate for any dot com. Alas, a few years back, I didn't renew it and somebody else took it over and used it for a Japanese website devoted to hair restoral. Well, now, robinswebsite.com is up for sale again. My would-be investment which originally cost £35 for 3 years ownership is now available again for a mere $1500-00.
	07 Dec 13	On returning home on the 5th December, a note through the door that reads: "Resilience... Evacuation Notice... As a result of the risk to life from severe coastal flooding we advise that you evacuate your property... " [until advised to return]. One night on a sofa in a house 50 feet above sea level. The flood damaged nearby property and small local business. Hasten to add, the local McDonalds, despite flooding was open for business again 24 hours later. Fortunately, nobody locally hurt. I might have a read through one of my books picked up during my travels entitled "Prague under Water".
	08 Nov 13	One of this website's contacts is currently in Poland and has reported back from a visit to Auschwitz. A reminder of some previous travels. I went to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II–Birkenau 15 years ago and it was a day I will never forget. A point of note is that in Germany, visiting a concentration camp is a compulsory part of the education curriculum. On a visit to another concentration camp at Dachau in Germany, I saw several school parties visiting there. On the way in, the kids were just messing about as kids do. On the way out, they looked very saddened and their mood quite a somber contrast. Some people have asked me before why on Earth I would visit such places whilst travelling. Seeing them and learning a little bit soon answers that one. I feel there is not enough education around this [in UK schools]. Incredible to see the world stood only watching this sort of barbarism as recently as the first half of the 1990's when comparable acts of atrocity occurred in Bosnia. Let us also consider the Second Boer War (1899-1902), where such camps were used by the British in South Africa. I learnt none of this at school. And I could go on... those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.
	29 Oct 13	A look at some wood sculptures today in Sandringham Woods (Click on thumbnail to view).
	11 Oct 13	England are playing Montenegro in the Football World Cup Qualifiers. A few people have asked where and what Montenegro is all about. I felt compelled to put together a webpage showing some of my photos of this little gem of a nation on the Adriatic Sea, so I did. [Note: As of Nov 2014, this webpage is undergoing a revamp and will appear in the travel section of this website soon]
	09 Oct 13	The latest collection of unpublished letters to The Daily Telegraph is out. Robin's Website is proud to find the inclusion of one of the webmaster's letters in this annual Christmas Stocking filler for the fourth consecutive year. Available from all good booksellers.

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