andrew on October 31st, 2008

I’ve been enjoying playing capoeira recently.  I’m looking forward to the autumn Cordao de Ouro event in Nottingham this weekend.  Hopefully, I’ll get some good pictures.  In the meantime, check out this video from one of our regular training classes.

Edit: Molly said that I should mention that I’m in the video about half-way through.

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andrew on October 30th, 2008

Yesterday, I went to Stanage Edge, a gritstone escarpment that forms that border between the High Peak District and Sheffield in South Yorkshire.  Gritstone is a coarse version of sandstone laid down when the area was a delta during the Carboniferous period.  It was once quarried to be used as grindstones for milling flour.  Apparently, [...]

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andrew on October 28th, 2008

The Scottish Highlands are truly a magical place.  After leaving Loch Ness, we drove along Loch Cluanie.  The mountains here are increasingly rugged and there is a grandeur to the landscape.

The effects of glaciation are apparent in the sculpted glens, but even more striking to me is the influence of what I’ve decided to call [...]

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andrew on October 27th, 2008

We saw more rainbows during the few days that we were in Scotland than I’ve seen in ages elsewhere.  I guess the continually changing British weather has some advantages!  Here are some of the more spectacular ones:

Our friend, Gudrun, has also been visiting Scotland recently and took another amazing rainbow photograph.

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andrew on October 26th, 2008

From Edinburgh, we drove north.  Many of the hills were forested and the autumn leaves reminded us of New England.  The landscape became increasing dramatic as we entered the Cairngorm mountains.

We spent the night in a Victorian era hotel in Strathpeffer, just north of Inverness.  Apparently, it was one of the first locations to have [...]

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andrew on October 23rd, 2008

Last week, we began a whirlwind tour of Scotland in Edinburgh.  We arrived late on Thursday night, staying in a recently built apartment on the waterfront in Leith.  It was right near the the Royal Yacht Britannia, the boat used by Queen Elizabeth II and other royal folk, so we stopped by for a quick [...]

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andrew on October 15th, 2008

We have been rearranging the house here a bit.  One of the changes is that I now have my own office instead of a pseudo-desk in the corner of the lounge.  The morning light from this room is terrific and there is a nice view of the horse pasture and the wheat fields.

I’ve been enjoying [...]

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andrew on October 13th, 2008

The Great Plague
Hi, my name is Katie. I am eight years old. This is a story about when my sister got the plague.
It is London 1665. The plague is raging. I can hear carts on the cobble stones which are taking the dead people away. The air smells horrible! My family has not got the [...]

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andrew on October 13th, 2008

Yesterday, the kids and I went to an Apple Day at Calke Abbey.  The National Trust has been restoring the gardens and orchards at Calke for a number of years now and the orchards are now producing a wide assortment of locally developed apple varieties.  Their apple event showcased these heirloom fruits.

We had slices of [...]

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andrew on October 9th, 2008

The weather was so nice while I was exploring Hardwick Hall that I spent most of my time exploring the gardens.  I wandered down this path, just to see where it would go.

I found many wonderful flowers lingering among the garden beds.

I’m planning to return sometime to spent some more time inside the house and [...]

Continue reading about The Gardens of Hardwick Hall