Archive | October, 2012

DAVID HOCKNEY – ENGLISH MASTER ARTIST, ON SHOW AT SALTS MILL, YORKSHIRE

By on October 30, 2012 in 1853 Gallery, Bradford, David Hockney, Jonathan Silver, Saltaire, Salts Mill, Titus Salt, UNESCO, Yorkshire

If you’re an art fan, a trip to Yorkshire has to include the vast Salts Mill, a rambling Victorian pile near Bradford, opened on local industrialist Titus Salt’s 50th birthday in 1853. I’ll be looking closer at Titus and his works soon, but right now I’m concentrating on the mill’s 1853 Gallery, where you can see [...]

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THE ENGLISH EYE VISITS SCOTLAND TO HUNT ‘THE REAL LOCH NESS MONSTER’

By on October 26, 2012 in Amazon, Loch Ness, Nessie, Scotland, The REAL Loch Ness Monster

I journeyed to Scotland recently with a team to investigate a famous legend, Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. We explored all around Loch Ness, visited the tourist sites, went to the museums, cruised out onto the water, and theorised late into the night. As for Loch Ness itself, I hadn’t realised quite how much water [...]

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MALHAM COVE – A YORKSHIRE BEAUTY MADE BY A HORSE WITH EIGHT LEGS

By on October 25, 2012 in Dales, Ice Age, J.M.W.Turner, Malham, Malham Cove, National Trust, Odin, Sleipnir, Tate Britain, Turner Contemporary, Yorkshire

Well, that’s one legend anyway – apparently the Norse god Odin was riding his horse Sleipnir, when one of the giant beast’s hooves caught on the rocks, creating the horseshoe-shaped cove that’s the pride of Malham village . A more scientific explanation is that Malham Cove was formed at the end of the last Ice [...]

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PIERS AND POSTCARDS – REMINDERS OF AN ENGLAND PAST

By on October 24, 2012 in 617 squadron, Barnes Wallis, Birnbeck Pier, bouncing bomb, Burford, Cardiff, Clevedon, Dambusters, Somerset, Victorian, Wales, Weston-super-Mare

Browsing in a Burford antique shop recently, I ran across this postcard showing Birnbeck Pier in the early 1900s. I never knew that Weston-super-Mare had two piers, let alone this splendid example, the only pier in England that links the mainland to an island, even if Birnbeck Island is just a rocky outcrop jutting above [...]

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CHIPPY 2012 AUTUMN FAIR – ABOUT THE TRANSITION NETWORK

By on October 17, 2012 in Autumn fair, Chipping Norton, Chippy, Transition Network

I finally had a chance to learn a little about the Transition Network (TN), inspiration for the hard work that went into Chippy’s Autumn Fair on October 6, 2012. The Giant Pumpkins were quite a sight there, as were other activities, shown in the pictures below. It was interesting to see that TN started in [...]

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LAST GASP OF THE BERRY SEASON – AND A RECIPE FOR BLACKBERRY COMPOTE

By on October 14, 2012 in Autumn, Blackberry and Apple Compote, Chipping Norton, Chippy, compote recipe, cotswolds, elder

A beautiful Autumn day means it’s time to raid the hedgerows for their berries. Now, this indifferent English summer has meant that 2012 has not been a bumper year for blackberries, though it’s been another story for elderberries, with my ‘secret’ hedge positively groaning with them However, it’s blackberries that take my fancy today, so [...]

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COMING SOON – ‘PORTRAIT OF CHIPPING NORTON’

By on October 12, 2012 in Uncategorized

‘Portrait of Chipping Norton’ is being produced as an ebook for your computer, laptop, or ereader – and will also be available as a beautiful hardcopy printed book. Here are four pictures from ‘Portrait’, which I’ve taken this year exclusively for the book. More details soon, but ‘Portrait of Chipping Norton’ will be available in [...]

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CLASSIC CARS MINI-MOVIE

By on October 9, 2012 in Chippy Jazz and Music, Churchill Vintage and Classic Car Show, CJAM

Here’s an ultra-short video clip of the Churchill Vintage and Classic Car Show held back in the summer. It’s really just a teaser-taster, but it’s fun.  Car shows like this really make me take my hat off to the many classic car enthusiasts for keeping these fine old machines in working order, and sparkling clean [...]

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TRANSITION CHIPPING NORTON 2012 AUTUMN FAIR

By on October 7, 2012 in Autumn fair, blackberry compote, Chipping Norton, cotswolds, england, Food Faire, Giant Pumpkin, Transition

Yesterday’s Transition Chipping Norton 2012 Autumn Fair opened to gentle autumnal sunshine, which stayed all day, making for a relaxed event for traders and visitors alike. The Town Hall was packed with specialist stalls, ranging from wine and cheese to ceramics and animal illustrations. Outside, the Town Square featured singers, chickens, hand-woven cushions, and a [...]

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THE CHURCHILL VINTAGE AND CLASSIC CAR SHOW

By on October 5, 2012 in Austin, Austin of England, Avro Lancaster, Birmingham, CAIC, Chipping Norton, Churchill, Cotswold, David Cameron, Jeremy Clarkson, Longbridge, MG, Shanghai, Vintage and Classic Car Show

If you like classic cars, then the biennial Churchill Vintage and Classic Car Show is a must-see event, held on the wide sweep of Churchill’s village green. This pretty Cotswold community is just a 15-minute cycle ride from the TEE base in Chipping Norton, and is a near-neighbour of the Top Gear TV show presenter [...]

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