kimbofo

A great pub to while away a summer's evening

 
Place: The Rising Sun pub, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England.
Date: June 12, 2010.
Camera: Panasonic DMC-TZ3.

We had a really lovely time in Berkhamsted on Saturday, catching up with an old friend whom we hadn't seen for more than two years. After a long relaxing lunch at The Old Mill we wandered along the canal until we came upon The Rising Sun pub. We couldn't walk past the sign declaring it to be the "Cider Pub of the Year 2010" and so in we went...

We then spent several hours in the late afternoon sunshine, sitting on the wall of the lock, sampling the wares. When most of the clientele headed indoors to watch the England vs USA World Cup match at 7.30pm, we suddenly found ourselves being handed complimentary bowls of hot salted popcorn and a plate of potatoes. Who cares about football when there's free food to be had?

Vibrant sky

 
Place: Sky outside our living room window.
Date: May 6, 2010.
Camera: Panasonic DMC-TZ3.

I took this photograph several weeks ago, but have only just downloaded it from my camera. I reckon I could take a photograph out this same window every single evening and no two would ever be the same.

Lights on the Embankment

Place: Embankment, London.
Date: October 5, 2009.
Camera: BlackBerry Curve 8900.

It's October and while the trees are still hanging onto their leaves, the nights are drawing in and the weather's turned appropriately seasonal. I left the office just before 6pm and walked out into the light, misty rain. The sky was darkening and the street lights were just twinkling into life. By the end of the month it will be pitch black at this time. *Shudder*

Rainstorms

Place: The Curtains Up pub, West Kensington
Date: September 26, 2009. 
Camera: BlackBerry Curve 8900.

This is a sign outside the newly revamped The Curtains Up pub, a short walk from Barons Court tube station. We had a rather nice lunch in the sun yesterday, until a group of loud-mouths decided to sit next to us and spoilt the pleasant atmosphere. 

Ironically, it hasn't rained here it what seems like weeks... We're having some glorious weather right now. Fresh, autumnal evenings, beautiful warm days, and then the sun sets and the temperature drops again. We're making the most of it while we can.

Wet, 17:28, Victoria Embankment

Place: Victoria Embankment, London.
Date: September 15, 2009.
Camera: BlackBerry Curve 8900.

Excuse the blur, but I fired this one off while walking in the rain. I love the leafy trees and the green tunnel they form along this route. It makes the trek so much more bearable, especially when the road is bumper to bumper with commuter traffic and the footpaths are heaving with office workers scuttling home for an evening in front of the telly.

Harvest at Jimmy's

All pictures taken: Jimmy's Farm, Suffolk.
Date: September 12, 2009.
Camera: BlackBerry Curve 8900.

Yesterday we went on a road trip with our friend, S, into the deepest, darkest countryside, two hours out of London, to attend Harvest at Jimmy's, a music come foodie festival.

It was a beautiful day, perfect for sitting in the sun and drinking Aspall's blush cyder while listing to a varied music schedule, including Badly Drawn Boy and headline act Athlete. Unfortunately, the event was poorly organised, so the queues for food and drink were ridiculously long -- up to 40 minutes in some cases -- which spoilt what would have otherwise been an excellent day out.

Aside from the music and the food and drink, there were also cooking demonstrations, though these, too, were oversubscribed and it was impossible to see any of the action because of the crowds. Fortunately, very few seemed to have cottoned on that there was a butterfly house on the property, so T and I took some time out to explore it.

 

There were loads of rare breed pigs and sheep and goats to check out, too, and a giant bouncy castle for the kids.

It was an interesting day, although the foodie element wasn't really up to scratch (not enough choice and queues way too long), and there were far too many kids there for my liking (although, it has to be said, I did not see one badly behaved child all day). The weather was perfect, but when the sun went down it got hideously cold, the kind of cold that works itself into your bones and causes you to shiver for a few hours until the event finishes and you can get into the car to turn up the heat full blast! Next time I'm taking a winter coat, a picnic and a thermos of coffee!

Weird sky

Place: West London.
Date: September 9, 2009.
Camera: BlackBerry Curve 8900.

After yesterday's gorgeous summery weather it turned cold and miserable today. I took this snap outside the bedroom window at about 7.30pm as the sky glowed a weird gold colour and the high-level clouds turned rose and violet. It seemed completely at odds with everything that had come before.

Caught in a rainstorm

Tonight, as I made my way from the office to the tube station, a 1.5km stroll that involves crossing the Thames via the Millennium Bridge, I got caught in a massive rainstorm.

When I first set out the rain was light; within 500metres it was bucketing down, turning the pavement into a temporary river. By the time I got to the river my trousers, a light grey linen, were black with rain.

There wasn't much I could do but continue on my merry way, and, indeed, it was merry. Why? Because all the rain had scared (or perhaps washed) away all the dozy, go-slow tourists that normally turn the Millennium Bridge walk into a hugely frustrating obstacle course.

So, there I was striding across the bridge, a flimsy green umbrella protecting nothing more than my hair, while everything else -- my shoes, my trousers, the arms of my summer jacket -- became wet through. It reminded me of the last drenching I endured -- when we were in Wexford last month.

It was mid-afternoon, the sun ablaze, when T and I decided to go for a walk to the beach. I expected an enjoyable stroll along the pristine white sands of Curracloe strand in the sunshine, but it didn't quite work out that way.

First, the mile long walk was a dice-with-death heart-thumping walk along a quite busy road comprising numerous blind corners. We had to walk on the tarmac and hope like hell any approaching traffic would see us and slow down. There were no verges or ditches to escape into should we find ourselves staring down a fast-moving vehicle.

Having survived the walk to the beach, we bought ice-creams and then took a stroll along the sand.

 

Beautiful isn't it?

We sat down for a little bit to admire the scenery, and before long I could see the clouds darkening in the sky.

 

"Perhaps we better get a move on," said T. "I've got to get my washing off the line."

 

The clouds were getting darker and darker with each passing minute. The temperature was dropping, too. And we still had about a mile to go. Along that damn dangerous main road.

 

See all those black clouds? That's where we were headed.

As we got closer, it got darker. Before long there was no light left in the sky. And then, five minutes from home, the heavens opened. The rain was so thick and heavy it was pointless even digging out the raincoats we'd packed in our bag. We simply let ourselves get wet. By the time we walked in the door anyone would think I'd just stepped out of the shower fully-clothed.

We laughed about it afterwards, but T wasn't impressed: his washing, on the line, was wetter than it was when it first came out the washing machine!

Which was kind of how I felt when I got on the District Line this evening: wet right through as if I'd just gone through a quick-wash rinse cycle!

Leaden sky

Place: River Thames, London.
Date: July 7, 2009.
Camera: BlackBerry Curve 8900.

Last week London sweltered in hot summery temperatures (a "heatwave" if you believe the press), but this week has been something else entirely.

A massive thunderstorm hit at about 5.15pm this evening. I was at work and our open plan office, on the 9th floor, became illuminated by constant flashes of lightening while God arranged the furniture upstairs.

I had to wait for the rain to pass before I could make the walk over the river to the tube station. As I strode across the Millennium Bridge the sky formed a deep blue-grey background to Tower Bridge. The contrast between the wash of white cloud was particularly striking, but I'm not sure this photograph does the beauty of it justice.

Thirsty koala round-up

Warning: too much cuteness ahead.

As many of you will know, the UK's being battling a snowy cold snap this past week, but it's a completely different story on the other side of the world. My home state of Victoria, Australia, has been suffering a deadly heatwave, with bushfires raging out of control and record temperatures that peaked at 46.4 degrees in Melbourne on Saturday.

Obviously, this has had an affect on the wildlife and there are photographs all over the blogosphere featuring poor scorched koalas seeking a little water to ease their suffering.



Koalas are not generally known to drink water as they get it from the leaves they eat (or from dew), so this little fella (above) must have been in a bad way.

And here's an amazing range of pictures showing a young koala who doesn't so much as want to drink the water but to clamber in it to cool down!

And I love this picture on Trevor Cook's blog.

It's weird, but I find these kinds of interactions between humans and animals strangely affecting. I guess it's nice to be reminded of human goodness every now and then.