BP’s Gulf Crisis
I’ve done a lot of interesting things in a long working life. One that might help BP is a type of reusable oil rig/platform, for which I did the calculations in about 1972. It was called a Balaena and the company was called Balaena Structures. It was based in Cambridge. I wonder what happened to the idea.
CNN
I’m spending a lot of time watching CNN. It’s got better since last time I watched it.
The Oil Spill
One of the fallouts of DMW was the ability to mix oil and wster easily. I’m sure it could hrlp.
The Third Man
I hadn’t seen this film before and as BA had a large number of films on the entertainment system, I chose to watch it. It is a marvellous story, but you’d expect that as it was written by Graham Greene, an author that is always worth reading. He’s actually a good read if you don’t like long books, as some of his best are about two hundred pages. They are just as fresh as when they were written.
The film is good and often rated as one of the best films ever made. It was shot in the ruins of Vienna and mostly at night or in the sewers, so to call it a dark film would not be an understatement.
Years ago, I met a man called Roland Landman, who was in The Guards and they were some of the soldiers who liberated Vienna from the Nazis. He said that the city was in a dire way and for example, if you wanted a woman, that would cost just two cigarettes. We don’t know what poverty is!
There was talk that Austria would end up under Russian domination and according to Rolnad it was touch and go, whether the Austrians decided to throw in their lot with the communists. But he told the story of the Major in the Irish Guards, who said that the people needed entertainment and that being Irish, they should organise a horse race meeting.
Everybody thought he was barmy, but they did.
The finery came out, everybody had a good time and Austria stayed in the West.
Whether this tale is true or not, I do not know, but after seeing The Third Man last night, I can understand it a lot more.
Let’s hope we never go through any more wars like that.
London On Fire?
These pictures were taken with my camera as we took off last night.
I think a lot of the effects were because the camera didn’t get the range right.
New River Walk
The New River is one of London’s hidden treasures. It could be argued that the growth of London owes just a bit to this early seventeenth century feat of engineering to bring clean drinking water to London.
It is still used to bring water to London and most of the route is an easy walk. But from Stoke Newington onwards the river is now not used to provide water and in some places it has been converted into walks and parks. One such is the New River Walk at Canonbury.
New River Walk
Note the bamboo!
Falcons in the Cathedral
Brussels cathedral has a nest of peregrine falcons in the tower.
They also have a viewing cabin in front of the building.
Falcon Viewing Cabin by Brussels Cathedral
You can also see the webcam from this link, so you don’t need to go to Brussels.
A Coloured Police Horse
I was walking around the City of London last week and saw a coloured police horse. Coloured in the UK and Ireland includes both piebalds and skewbalds.
A Coloured Police Horse
It’s funny, but years ago you never saw big coloured horses, except for those with perhaps a lot of Shire in them. Now there are quite a few and I suppose it wasn’t surprising that one would be used by the Police. This report in Horse and Hound says that the City of London Police horse is called Ken and is a skewbald Irish Draught.
There is a link here to another horse in the Merseyside Police. Their horse came from Ireland and is actually tri-coloured. I’ve owned a tri-coloured English Setter, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tri-coloured horse.
A Nice Old Rover 3500
This Rover 3500 was parked in a street in Den Haag.
Rover 3500 in Den Haag
What is surprising now about this car, is how small it is. It is a lot smaller than my Jaguar X-Type.
The engine is also a 3.5 litre V8. So for their day, they went very well. It should also be remembered that the structure of the car was unusual with a strong steel frame covered in aluminium panels, which gave great strength and a lot of protections in accidents.
Princess Grace of Monaco was driving one of these cars when she had the accident that killed her.
The Evil of Gravel
It seems to me that councils are increasingly setting nice gravel on paths.
Here’s some in Den Haag.
Gravel Path, Den Haag
It may look good, but try wheeling a case over it!
