No Clocks In Terminal Five
Terminal Five at Heathrow doesn’t seem to have any clocks.
There wasn’t even one in Carluccio’s in Departures.
Surely a few obvious clocks, would help people get to their plane on time.
A Horse In Heathrow Terminal Five
This horse is one of the silliest piece of art I’ve ever seen.
A Horse In Heathrow Terminal Five
It was outside British Airways Executive Club.
No Tables On The Heathrow Express
I went to Heathrow Airport by the Heathrow Express.
It is a nice train,but why are there no tables on the train? There isn’t any between seats or in the seatbacks!
Sweden’s Mammals
I have been in Sweden on an organised trip to see Sweden’s mammals. The details are here on the Naturetrek site.
I actually extended the trip by three days, by flying to Stockholm a day early and then taking the train to the tour’s start at Vasteras. I also came back via Oslo.
All of the posts will be tagged Sweden’s Mammals, although some will have nothing to do with either Sweden or mammals.
The Walkie-Scorchie
This is one of the nicknames of London’s newest skyscraper, usually called the Walkie-Talkie.
The building focussed the sun and melted parts of a car parked in the street. Note the cones to stop it happening again. There’s a report of the incident here in the Independent.
Will It Be Engineers And Scientists Who Cure Back Pain?
BBC Radio 5 had a discussion this lunchtime about back pain. The most amazing part was a statement by Brian Saunders of the School of Materials at Manchester University. He talked of how they were developing a jelly-like polymer, which could be injected into the body. Things are apparently going well!
Couple this with work, I know of at Liverpool University, where engineers have been analysing the gait of humans, dogs and horses, to get greater insight into problems and I get the feeling that over the next decades engineers and physical scientists will make great process in helping us to live longer and better. These two examples are probably just two of many similar ones.
How Many Good Paintings Have Gone In Skips?
This story about how Robin Darvell found a painting by John Constable in a job lot in an auction, is in The Telegraph.
The painting, bought at an auction in Canterbury ten years ago, has remained in a drawer ever since after the canny buyer spotted a faint signature on the corner.
It has now been revealed as a Constable painting, believed to have been completed near to his home in Suffolk, after being examined by experts on television programme Treasure Detectives.
It now looks like it’s worth about £250,000.
On my wall I have a painting by Arthur Perigal. He wasn’t in Constable’s class, but he is a well-known Scottish artist.
Villa Albani by Arthur Perigal
The painting of the Villa Albani, nearly went in the skip when I moved back to London, as it was in a broken frame and just thrown in the loft. It is signed Arthur Perigal RSA and dated 1872.
It’s not worth a lot, but then it would be worth nothing, if it was in the skip.
How my mother-in-law acquired the painting, can’t be determined now. But she did work for his son, Walter, who was the local doctor in New Barnet. The doctor was an amateur painter and she was given some of his paintings, when she left his employment. Or that’s the story C told. But knowing C’s father, I suspect he got them for perhaps doing a favour for the doctor.
Anybody, who knows the truth, died many years ago.
Upgrading Alexandra Palace Station
I have very early memories of Alexandra Palace station and probably first used it to get to Kings Cross with my father. But now it’s being upgraded.
This is very much needed, as there are quite a few suburban stations on that line, that need improving from a new coat of paint upwards. But it’s coming, according to this post on the First Capital Connect web site.
Chorizo Hash
This is a recipe based closely on Lindsey Bareham’s recipe of the same name, but for one person. i.e. me!
I started by assembling the ingredients.
Chorizo Hash – Ingredients
Note the small 200 g pack of Waitrose potatoes and the 120g double pack of chorizo.
I chopped the potatoes and then boiled them for five minutes, before draining them.
The onion was then softened in about a tablespoon of olive oil over a medium heat, ater which the potatoes and the chorizo was added and heated until the potatoes and sausage were nicely crusty.
Chorizo Hash – Cooking The Onion, Potatoes And Sausage
The mixture was then turned out on a plate, the tomatoes were then added and everything was topped with a fried egg and some herbs. Lindsey used chopped parsley, but I just sprinkled marjoram on the top.
Chorizo Hash
I enjoyed it and will cook it again.
The Anonymous Widower 