I've never been to Delaware, but I always associate that state with one of my favorite blues/rock performers, George Thorogood and his band, the Delaware Destroyers. He's got "snake skin shoes, baby, put them on your feet, got the goodtime music and the Bo Diddley beat". In fact, I even bought the t-shirt. One of my favorites--the word "Destroyer" like a baseball team logo in red, across a black background. They included the outline of the state of Delaware, too; but it lacks the graphic "umphf" of a state like, say, Texas. They could've left that lame map off.

But George, well, I don't usually think of the New England states as a hotbed of rowdies, but he could be persuading me differently. The state motto--"Live free or die" (oh, that's New Hampshire?, oops--okay). Delaware's is "Liberty and Independence". Well, that works too--not quite as heartfelt, but still worthy.

Ol' George sticks to the 1-4-5 Blues, simple songs that I can play, too! And some of the lyrics are quotable lines from my own life, particularly now that I'm a nautical slumlord: "changed the locks on my front door, and now my key, it won't fit no more..."

Or, from "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer":

"She said that don't concern me,

long as I get my money next Friday.

Now next Friday come. I didn't get the rent,

and out the door I went..."

Who Do You Love?

~Albert Einstein

Valentine's Day is just around the corner... I can't wait! Any day where I get to tell people I love them and bake cupcakes is fine by me :)

If you haven't already heard, "Tiny Treasures" has been nominated on "The Lovelies!"

Can you believe it!?

Please go vote by leaving a comment or twittering the feed...

Voting is open through February 28th. Thank you to everyone who has already voted... it means so much to me :)

One of the miracles is the existence of this book. It is written by the author of one of my senior physics textbooks (c. 1961) and is undoubtedly a result of his collaborative effort with Larry LeShan on Einstein's Space and Van Gogh's Sky, a book I will take from my library to re-read shortly.

The Miracle of Existence covers a territory well-traveled by metaphysical and theological explorers but seldom by a physicist, especially in public, and Margenau does it without LeShan as a guide this time. The first chapter on the connections between the mind and physical reality is a big help for the novice explorers. In it Margenau establishes operational definitions for discussing the real world: how to separate perceptions, objects, and mental constructs from each other.

He discusses evolution and the existence of morphogenetic-like fields without specifically referring to Rupert Sheldrake's term, which seems a little strange. This is an oversight that the good physicist would never make when writing about physics. It would be like his trying to talk about the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle without using either Heisenberg or Uncertainty. For example, in this book he points out the usefulness of "rules of correspondence" which are, in fact, operational definitions, the introduction of which concept he attributes to the philosopher-physicist Bridgmann.

Overall the book promised meat and delivered menu. The menu offered a visual splash of perennial philosophy stuffed into scientific pastry shells covered with toppings of Eastern metaphysics to create the effect of a Mondrian painting. Pretty as a picture, but who can eat it or explain what it means.

One repugnant tendency of modern science over the centuries has been to thrash someone's ideas in one century and a century or so later, suddenly find a way finally to make sense of the same ideas. The creatio ex nihilo tenet of Thomas Aquinas was regarded as absurd by the modern scientists of his time, and modern scientists of our time find it plausible that matter is created out of nothing in the theory of the Universe known as the Big Bang.

One quotable quote:

[page 131, For Insomnia] As far as I know the best remedy is a psychic one: convince the patient that the sleep he gets is all he needs.

Perhaps that is the message of this book for me: "The knowledge I have of this subject is all I need" and that I can safely avoid such books in the future.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Margenau

According to Lincoln, "B*tches love the D." An immensely quotable President if there ever was one.

GST Eastern Voles Christmas gathering at Flitton Moor

19/12/2017

Hi All & Tim

May I add my thanks to you all and wish you a happy Christmas and lots of good Voling together in 2018. I cannot wait. All those bonfires, cakes and sarcastic humour.

I thought I would be clever and write a piece about Tuesday incorporating some relevant quotes but the effort has quite overtaken me. So here instead are a few lines from a very wise & quotable Englishman .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.

I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

There are loads more to choose from and I have to say I was very surprised, perhaps I should read some of his books instead of relying on BBC Childrens Dramas from my earlier years when, hard to believe I was a sprog with hopes and the occasional dream, many of which have been far exceeded in life.

My snaps from Flitton are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Cheers JP

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your hard work at Flitton Moor on Tuesday. We were slightly down on the usual numbers but it didn’t stop you getting a whole lot done! I know David was pleased with the result and in his own words:

Thanks to all those who turned out on Tuesday at Flitton Moor - you did an amazing job as always.

Re fencing: I was expecting at the very most that half of the fence would be completed - and you did 2 thirds of it. Well done. The FoFM will finish it shortly in the new year.

Thanks also to those who manned the fire - and dragged brash to it. Almost all the was cut down was burnt.

And a special mention to the 6 hardy souls who spent the morning digging nettles.

A Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy 2018,

David

Thank you also to Lucinda, Sue and Erika for helping out with refreshments at lunchtime and to Malcolm and Jackie for such a lovely cake.

The next Tuesday task will be at Sandy Smith on the 2nd January and will be doing a bit more thinning/coppicing in the plantation near the bridge over the Flit plus maybe a few other jobs.

But there will also be a task at Maulden Heath next Thursday (28th) if anyone wishes to come along. The task will be clearing brash and regeneration in the Adder Field and, of course, having a fire; meet at the Picnic Area at 10am.

Thanks for all your hard work this year and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tim Spencer Countryside Ranger The Greensand Trust

GST Eastern Voles Christmas gathering at Flitton Moor

19/12/2017

Hi All & Tim

May I add my thanks to you all and wish you a happy Christmas and lots of good Voling together in 2018. I cannot wait. All those bonfires, cakes and sarcastic humour.

I thought I would be clever and write a piece about Tuesday incorporating some relevant quotes but the effort has quite overtaken me. So here instead are a few lines from a very wise & quotable Englishman .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.

I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

There are loads more to choose from and I have to say I was very surprised, perhaps I should read some of his books instead of relying on BBC Childrens Dramas from my earlier years when, hard to believe I was a sprog with hopes and the occasional dream, many of which have been far exceeded in life.

My snaps from Flitton are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Cheers JP

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your hard work at Flitton Moor on Tuesday. We were slightly down on the usual numbers but it didn’t stop you getting a whole lot done! I know David was pleased with the result and in his own words:

Thanks to all those who turned out on Tuesday at Flitton Moor - you did an amazing job as always.

Re fencing: I was expecting at the very most that half of the fence would be completed - and you did 2 thirds of it. Well done. The FoFM will finish it shortly in the new year.

Thanks also to those who manned the fire - and dragged brash to it. Almost all the was cut down was burnt.

And a special mention to the 6 hardy souls who spent the morning digging nettles.

A Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy 2018,

David

Thank you also to Lucinda, Sue and Erika for helping out with refreshments at lunchtime and to Malcolm and Jackie for such a lovely cake.

The next Tuesday task will be at Sandy Smith on the 2nd January and will be doing a bit more thinning/coppicing in the plantation near the bridge over the Flit plus maybe a few other jobs.

But there will also be a task at Maulden Heath next Thursday (28th) if anyone wishes to come along. The task will be clearing brash and regeneration in the Adder Field and, of course, having a fire; meet at the Picnic Area at 10am.

Thanks for all your hard work this year and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tim Spencer Countryside Ranger The Greensand Trust

Volvo FH (3rd Gen) (2012-on) Engine 12777cc

Fleet Haslington Haulage Ltd, Clay Lane, Haslington, Crewe

Registration Number PK 69 FLJ (Preston)

VOLVO TRUCKS SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157625222431370...

The Volvo FH and FH16 is a heavy truck range introduced in 1993, replacing the F cabover series. FH stands for Forward control High entry, where numbers denominate engine capacity in litres. The FH range is one of the most successful truck series ever having sold more than 400,000 units worldwide having regular upgrades.

In September 2012 Volvo Trucks re-launched the 3rd generation Volvo FH with major technology upgrades and new design. The company also introduced the first of its Euro VI engines, the D13K which is available as an option on the new Volvo FH and compulsory for new trucks in Europe from January 2014 Other quotable new features are the I-torque driveline and the I-see fuel-saving technology. With the new thirteen-litre engine, the name has changed to FH13.

The truck received a facelift in 2020, with most notably a new headlight design, an updated interior, new safety features, and efficiency improvements, with pre-facelift models remaining available in certain markets as the Volvo FH Classic.

The FH received a minor update in 2024, featuring new LED roof lights, revised logo and badging, updated I-See, updated aerodynamics,

Diolch am 93,373,870 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

Thanks for 93,373,870 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

Shot 24.04.2022 at the Sandbach Festival of Transport 159-118

“You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather.” ― Pema Chödrön

GST Eastern Voles Christmas gathering at Flitton Moor

19/12/2017

Hi All & Tim

May I add my thanks to you all and wish you a happy Christmas and lots of good Voling together in 2018. I cannot wait. All those bonfires, cakes and sarcastic humour.

I thought I would be clever and write a piece about Tuesday incorporating some relevant quotes but the effort has quite overtaken me. So here instead are a few lines from a very wise & quotable Englishman .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.

I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

There are loads more to choose from and I have to say I was very surprised, perhaps I should read some of his books instead of relying on BBC Childrens Dramas from my earlier years when, hard to believe I was a sprog with hopes and the occasional dream, many of which have been far exceeded in life.

My snaps from Flitton are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Cheers JP

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your hard work at Flitton Moor on Tuesday. We were slightly down on the usual numbers but it didn’t stop you getting a whole lot done! I know David was pleased with the result and in his own words:

Thanks to all those who turned out on Tuesday at Flitton Moor - you did an amazing job as always.

Re fencing: I was expecting at the very most that half of the fence would be completed - and you did 2 thirds of it. Well done. The FoFM will finish it shortly in the new year.

Thanks also to those who manned the fire - and dragged brash to it. Almost all the was cut down was burnt.

And a special mention to the 6 hardy souls who spent the morning digging nettles.

A Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy 2018,

David

Thank you also to Lucinda, Sue and Erika for helping out with refreshments at lunchtime and to Malcolm and Jackie for such a lovely cake.

The next Tuesday task will be at Sandy Smith on the 2nd January and will be doing a bit more thinning/coppicing in the plantation near the bridge over the Flit plus maybe a few other jobs.

But there will also be a task at Maulden Heath next Thursday (28th) if anyone wishes to come along. The task will be clearing brash and regeneration in the Adder Field and, of course, having a fire; meet at the Picnic Area at 10am.

Thanks for all your hard work this year and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tim Spencer Countryside Ranger The Greensand Trust

GST Eastern Voles Christmas gathering at Flitton Moor

19/12/2017

Hi All & Tim

May I add my thanks to you all and wish you a happy Christmas and lots of good Voling together in 2018. I cannot wait. All those bonfires, cakes and sarcastic humour.

I thought I would be clever and write a piece about Tuesday incorporating some relevant quotes but the effort has quite overtaken me. So here instead are a few lines from a very wise & quotable Englishman .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.

I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

There are loads more to choose from and I have to say I was very surprised, perhaps I should read some of his books instead of relying on BBC Childrens Dramas from my earlier years when, hard to believe I was a sprog with hopes and the occasional dream, many of which have been far exceeded in life.

My snaps from Flitton are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Cheers JP

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your hard work at Flitton Moor on Tuesday. We were slightly down on the usual numbers but it didn’t stop you getting a whole lot done! I know David was pleased with the result and in his own words:

Thanks to all those who turned out on Tuesday at Flitton Moor - you did an amazing job as always.

Re fencing: I was expecting at the very most that half of the fence would be completed - and you did 2 thirds of it. Well done. The FoFM will finish it shortly in the new year.

Thanks also to those who manned the fire - and dragged brash to it. Almost all the was cut down was burnt.

And a special mention to the 6 hardy souls who spent the morning digging nettles.

A Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy 2018,

David

Thank you also to Lucinda, Sue and Erika for helping out with refreshments at lunchtime and to Malcolm and Jackie for such a lovely cake.

The next Tuesday task will be at Sandy Smith on the 2nd January and will be doing a bit more thinning/coppicing in the plantation near the bridge over the Flit plus maybe a few other jobs.

But there will also be a task at Maulden Heath next Thursday (28th) if anyone wishes to come along. The task will be clearing brash and regeneration in the Adder Field and, of course, having a fire; meet at the Picnic Area at 10am.

Thanks for all your hard work this year and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tim Spencer Countryside Ranger The Greensand Trust

via Instagram ift.tt/1TRUsB6

7 Days of Shooting/Week #10 - Quotable Quotes/Black and White Wednesday

This quote, in the pavement at the Writers' Museum, Edinburgh, is from the poem "Hamnavoe." Hamnavoe is the Viking name for the town of Stromness, Orkney, where George Mackay Brown spent most of his life. The poem is a memorial to his father, a postman, describing his postman's round in Stromness and the people he meets on his way. You can read the whole poem here: www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/sharedList.do?id=8LrzWU

Volvo FH (3rd Gen) (2012-on) Engine 12777cc

Fleet Haslington Arclid Transport, Sandbach

Name Samantha Ann

Registration Number PK 71 OCV (Preston)

VOLVO TRUCKS SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157625222431370...

The Volvo FH and FH16 is a heavy truck range introduced in 1993, replacing the F cabover series. FH stands for Forward control High entry, where numbers denominate engine capacity in litres. The FH range is one of the most successful truck series ever having sold more than 400,000 units worldwide having regular upgrades.

In September 2012 Volvo Trucks re-launched the 3rd generation Volvo FH with major technology upgrades and new design. The company also introduced the first of its Euro VI engines, the D13K which is available as an option on the new Volvo FH and compulsory for new trucks in Europe from January 2014 Other quotable new features are the I-torque driveline and the I-see fuel-saving technology. With the new thirteen-litre engine, the name has changed to FH13.

The truck received a facelift in 2020, with most notably a new headlight design, an updated interior, new safety features, and efficiency improvements, with pre-facelift models remaining available in certain markets as the Volvo FH Classic.

The FH received a minor update in 2024, featuring new LED roof lights, revised logo and badging, updated I-See, updated aerodynamics,

Diolch am 93,374,620 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

Thanks for 93,374,620 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

Shot 24.04.2022 at the Sandbach Festival of Transport 159-120

The Vulcan Mold & Iron Company's office headquarters, with the sign displaying Danou Technologies. The sign used to display inspirational & quotable messages when Vulcan was still in operation. (Katie Bashlor collection)

Stitched as part of a new thermal insulator (i.e. hot pad!) for the kitchen, to celebrate Carl Sagan Day on 9 November. Central motif is the Rutherford-Bohr model of a lithium atom, with the electrons represented by half-apples and the nucleus by a whole apple. The quote is one of (the very quotable) Sagan's more famous, from his Cosmos series: "if you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." Apropos of the kitchen, no?

More straight-on shot to illustrate design here. Pattern here.

GST Eastern Voles Christmas gathering at Flitton Moor

19/12/2017

Hi All & Tim

May I add my thanks to you all and wish you a happy Christmas and lots of good Voling together in 2018. I cannot wait. All those bonfires, cakes and sarcastic humour.

I thought I would be clever and write a piece about Tuesday incorporating some relevant quotes but the effort has quite overtaken me. So here instead are a few lines from a very wise & quotable Englishman .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.

I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

There are loads more to choose from and I have to say I was very surprised, perhaps I should read some of his books instead of relying on BBC Childrens Dramas from my earlier years when, hard to believe I was a sprog with hopes and the occasional dream, many of which have been far exceeded in life.

My snaps from Flitton are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Cheers JP

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your hard work at Flitton Moor on Tuesday. We were slightly down on the usual numbers but it didn’t stop you getting a whole lot done! I know David was pleased with the result and in his own words:

Thanks to all those who turned out on Tuesday at Flitton Moor - you did an amazing job as always.

Re fencing: I was expecting at the very most that half of the fence would be completed - and you did 2 thirds of it. Well done. The FoFM will finish it shortly in the new year.

Thanks also to those who manned the fire - and dragged brash to it. Almost all the was cut down was burnt.

And a special mention to the 6 hardy souls who spent the morning digging nettles.

A Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy 2018,

David

Thank you also to Lucinda, Sue and Erika for helping out with refreshments at lunchtime and to Malcolm and Jackie for such a lovely cake.

The next Tuesday task will be at Sandy Smith on the 2nd January and will be doing a bit more thinning/coppicing in the plantation near the bridge over the Flit plus maybe a few other jobs.

But there will also be a task at Maulden Heath next Thursday (28th) if anyone wishes to come along. The task will be clearing brash and regeneration in the Adder Field and, of course, having a fire; meet at the Picnic Area at 10am.

Thanks for all your hard work this year and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tim Spencer Countryside Ranger The Greensand Trust

Lois and Patrick watching the Bay to Breakers race, May 2003

* *

The blankrebels.com website is going dark soon - moving some content over to Flickr.

* * *

Lois and Patrick were work pals at ITVS for many years. She spoke of their friendship at his memorial service on February 21, 2004. Her comments below:

"The third word that Patrick learned-- after "mommy" and "daddy" -- was "shit." Soon he went off to school. His teacher reported that Patrick was very bright, an inquisitive child who loved to learn. And he had great creativity. She did have one concern: Patrick would only color with the black crayon.

Last August, when Patrick was diagnosed with cancer, the doctor's basically had to build him a new stomach because "stomach #1" (as he liked to call it) wasn't doing its job anymore. The surgeons engineered "stomach #2" to do the work. It was about 48 hours after the surgery, and I was visiting Patrick in the hospital. He started to talk about coming back to work in a week or two. "Buddy, we'd love to have you back in the office but you've got some vacation days saved up. Are you sure you don't want to take a trip with Kristi, or just stay home and read some books?" He shot me that look, eyes gazing over the top rim of his glasses, "what's the matter Lo? You don't think I have the stomach for the job anymore? Don't think I have the guts to do what it takes?"

We meet people and if we're lucky, over time we discover how special they are. Not so with Mr. Wickham. I always felt that a blind, deaf, mute could spend five minutes with him and would know he was utterly unique. Pretty much everyone saw that. Dee Davis, president of the ITVS board for many years said of Patrick: "I was impressed to see the other ITVS staff go to this 'junior' member of the club with most everything. He was quotable. He had a caustic wit that separated pretense from endeavor. And those that worked with him trusted his radar. Patrick had little time for phonies. What he did have was a sense of fair play and an undisguisable Midwestern earnestness. He believed in things: friendship, art, fighting a good fight. He showed up. He put in the effort. In an ethereal enterprise he gave good weight. Each day he strove to make the world mean something."

It is safe to say that one of the major reasons my time at ITVS has been so enjoyable, even memorable, is because of Mr. Wickham. His remarkable intelligence. His humor. His wit. And best of all, his friendship. He had a heart the size of a prize-winning sow. He was one of a kind. You knew it the minute you met him--even if he didn't show you the photograph of his and Kristi's wedding in their matching leopard print outfits. Kristi, he showed that photograph to everyone. He was so proud of it.

Patrick and I shared a kind of love-hate relationship with San Francisco. Yes, it is beautiful city but who can afford to live here? In the months since his diagnosis, Patrick talked about how pleased he was that he and Kristi moved west and had this adventure. It is a special city and we both acknowledged that. But I knew the secret. The best way to discover this city was from the back of Patrick's motorcycle. Whether we were heading down Hwy. 1, or he was dropping me off at the bus depot on the way home from C Bobby's Owl Tree or a late night at the office. Or just tooling around the city, with Kristi next to him on her scooter. This city had a special charm from the back of Patrick's Yamaha VStar.

One December, Patrick decided to give Kristi a Theremin for Christmas. We both tended to get to the office early. He arrived extra early that month and built the Theremin. When it was done, he began practicing songs. This was in our old, tiny office at 51 Federal Street which was the size of a glove compartment, so the Theremin was literally next to my cubicle. Imagine beginning your work day with a Theremin serenade of "Silent Night." That's what it was like to work every day with Patrick.

When the news went out that Patrick had cancer, many producers wrote with wonderful stories about him. This note from producer Heather Lyons stuck with me: "Patrick walked me through one of the scariest times in my life when a production company erased six of my master tapes when I was about 80% completed with editing my ITVS project. Maybe that's why Halloween is his favorite holiday. He makes the really scary not scary at all!"

No situation was beyond his wonderful black humor, a humor that defined his contagious view of the world. So I want to thank his mom Virginia for bringing him into the world. And thank you Patrick for the motorcycle rides. The pop tarts for lunch. The Theremin concerts. Your ability to quote episodes of Dr. Katz. For keeping me company at ITVS board meetings. For being the best person I ever knew at keeping a secret.

When Kristi would go out of town without Patrick he couldn't wait for his girl to get back. "That Kristi," he'd say, "I miss her." Patrick, we miss you already. But I know that you're still with us, helping us through the really scary things."

- Lois Vossen 2/21/04

GST Eastern Voles Christmas gathering at Flitton Moor

19/12/2017

Hi All & Tim

May I add my thanks to you all and wish you a happy Christmas and lots of good Voling together in 2018. I cannot wait. All those bonfires, cakes and sarcastic humour.

I thought I would be clever and write a piece about Tuesday incorporating some relevant quotes but the effort has quite overtaken me. So here instead are a few lines from a very wise & quotable Englishman .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.

I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

There are loads more to choose from and I have to say I was very surprised, perhaps I should read some of his books instead of relying on BBC Childrens Dramas from my earlier years when, hard to believe I was a sprog with hopes and the occasional dream, many of which have been far exceeded in life.

My snaps from Flitton are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Cheers JP

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your hard work at Flitton Moor on Tuesday. We were slightly down on the usual numbers but it didn’t stop you getting a whole lot done! I know David was pleased with the result and in his own words:

Thanks to all those who turned out on Tuesday at Flitton Moor - you did an amazing job as always.

Re fencing: I was expecting at the very most that half of the fence would be completed - and you did 2 thirds of it. Well done. The FoFM will finish it shortly in the new year.

Thanks also to those who manned the fire - and dragged brash to it. Almost all the was cut down was burnt.

And a special mention to the 6 hardy souls who spent the morning digging nettles.

A Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy 2018,

David

Thank you also to Lucinda, Sue and Erika for helping out with refreshments at lunchtime and to Malcolm and Jackie for such a lovely cake.

The next Tuesday task will be at Sandy Smith on the 2nd January and will be doing a bit more thinning/coppicing in the plantation near the bridge over the Flit plus maybe a few other jobs.

But there will also be a task at Maulden Heath next Thursday (28th) if anyone wishes to come along. The task will be clearing brash and regeneration in the Adder Field and, of course, having a fire; meet at the Picnic Area at 10am.

Thanks for all your hard work this year and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tim Spencer Countryside Ranger The Greensand Trust

Today is the birthday of my favorite writer, and influence beyond measure, Kurt Vonnegut. While infinitely quotable, here is one (sort of) brief passage that makes me love the man:

When Channing began preaching a new sort of sermon in this town, a sort of sermon we now perceive as Unitarian, he was urging his parishioners to credit with human dignity as great as their own persons not at all like their friends and relatives. The time to acknowledge the dignity of strangers, even black ones, had come. Couldn't strangers, even black ones, have human dignity without the acquiescence of Channing's congregation? No. Human dignity must be given by people to people. If you stand before me, and I do not credit you with dignity, then you have none. If I stand before you, and you do not credit me with dignity, then I have none. If Channing's parishioners felt that illiterate black slaves in the American South had negligible amounts of dignity, then those slaves would in fact be negligibly dignified—like chimpanzees, perhaps.

It is easy to see dignity in relatives and friends. It is inevitable that we see it in relatives and friends. What is human dignity, then? It is the favorable opinion, respectful and uncritical, which we hold of those most familiar to us. It has been found that we can hold that same good opinion of strangers, if those who teach us and otherwise lead us tell us to. What could be more essential in a pluralistic society like ours than that every citizen see dignity in every other human being everywhere?

Let us consider for a moment a society which was the exact opposite of what ours is supposed to be—which was Hitler's Germany. He trained a generation of warriors and police to be blind to human dignity, to never see it anywhere. So wherever he sent his warriors and police, there was no dignity. If he had conquered the world, there would have been no dignity anywhere. The penalty for crediting anyone with dignity in such a society? Death. And that, too, since there would be nobody to see dignity in it, would be undignified.

Doesn't God give dignity to everybody? No—not in my opinion. Giving dignity, the sort of dignity that is of some earthly use, anyway, is something that only people do. Or fail to do. What happens if you credit a bum with human dignity —a drunken bum with his pants full of shit and snot dangling from his nose? At least you haven't made yourself poorer in a financial sense. And he can't take whatever it is that you have given him and spend it on Thunderbird wine.

There is this drawback, though: If you give to that sort of a stranger the uncritical respect that you give to friends and relatives, you will also want to understand and help him. There is no way to avoid this.

Be warned: If you allow yourself to see dignity in someone, you have doomed yourself to wanting to understand and help whoever it is. If you see dignity in anything, in fact—it doesn't have to be human—you will still want to understand it and help it. Many people are now seeing dignity in the lower animals and the plant world and waterfalls and deserts—and even in the entire planet and its atmosphere. And now they are helpless not to want to understand and to help those things.

Poor souls!

The faith of my ancestors, going back at least four generations, has been the most corrosive sort of agnosticism— or worse. When I was a child, all my relatives, male and female, agreed with H. L. Mencken when he said that he thought religious people were comical. Mencken said that he had been widely misunderstood as hating religious people. He did not hate them, he said. He merely found them comical. What is so comical about religious people in modern times? They believe so many things which science has proved to be unknowable or absolutely wrong. How on earth can religious people believe in so much arbitrary, clearly invented balderdash? For one thing, I guess, the balderdash is usually beautiful—and therefore echoes excitingly in the more primitive lobes of our brains, where knowledge counts for nothing.

More important, though: the acceptance of a creed, any creed, entitles the acceptor to membership in the sort of artificial extended family we call a congregation. It is a way to fight loneliness. Any time I see a person fleeing from reason and into religion, I think to myself, 'There goes a person who simply cannot stand being so goddamned lonely anymore.' I read an essay by Harvey Cox recently, in which he quoted an early Church father as having said, 'One Christian is no Christian.' Mr. Cox said that one of the most distinctive and attractive features of Christianity for him was its insistence on forming congregations. We might also say that one human being is no human being.

Many people have found a solution to loneliness by joining the paratroops. Membership in that particular family is gained and maintained by jumping out of airplanes and shouting 'Geronimo!' Not even the commanding general knows why everybody is supposed to shout 'Geronimo!' It does not matter. In a lonely society, the main thing is not to make sense. The main thing is to get rid of loneliness. I certainly sympathize.

I have spoken of the long tradition of religious skepticism in my family. One of my two daughters has recently turned her back on all that. Living alone and far from home, she has memorized an arbitrary Christian creed, Trinitarianism, by chance. She now has her human dignity regularly confirmed by the friendly nods of a congregation. I am glad that she is not so lonely anymore. This is more than all right with me.

She believes that Jesus was the Son of God, or perhaps God Himself—or however that goes. I have had even more trouble with the Trinity than I had with college algebra. I refer those who are curious about it to what is known about the Council of Nicea, which took place in anno Domini 325. It was there that the Trinity was hammered into its present shape. Unfortunately, the minutes have been lost. It is known that the emperor Constantine was there, and probably spoke a good deal. He gave us the first Christian army. He may have given us the Holy Ghost as well.

No matter. I do not argue with my Christian daughter about religion at all. Why should I? I have, however, begun to write a passion play for her which leaves God out entirely, but which manages to be spiritual anyway. It is still about Jesus Christ. I will tell you only about the last scene:

The Roman soldiers, using ancient police methods, have done all they can to prove to Jesus that he has absolutely no dignity, so far as they can see. They have stripped him and whipped him. They have crowned him with thorns. They have made him drag his heavy cross through the streets. They have nailed his hands and feet to the cross. They have set the cross upright, so that he dangles in air.

A group of ordinary people, who out of pity would like to take him from the cross and lay him down somewhere, and bandage his wounds and give him food and water and so on, approach the cross. The Roman soldiers stop them, tell them that they can go to the foot of the cross if they like but that they must not touch Jesus in any way, lest they give him comfort of some kind. That is the law.

So the ordinary people—men, women, and children-gather beneath Jesus. They talk to him, sing to him, in the hopes that some of it will help a little. They say how sorry for him they are. They try to feel some of his pain—as though whatever they could feel of it he would not have to feel. They go down on their knees after a while. They are exhausted.

Now a rich Roman tourist, a man, a successful speculator in Mesopotamian millet futures, comes upon the scene. I make him rich, because everybody hates rich people so much. He is blasé about crucifixions, since he has seen so many strangers crucified all over the Roman Empire. Crosses then were as common as lampposts are today.

It seems to the tourist that the people on their knees, sighing and moaning, are worshiping this particular man on a cross. He says to them jocularly: 'My goodness! The way you are worshiping him, you would think he was the Son of your God.'

A spokesperson for the kneelers, perhaps Mary Magdalene, says to him, 'Oh no, sir. If he were the Son of our God, he would not need us. It is because he is a common human being exactly like us that we are here—doing, as common people must, what little we can.

Thanks, Kurt. Here's hoping everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt.

You fuckin' genious. Heres an idea. To find sources to cite in essays, find the suitable quotables in books from the reading list, WRITE THEM DOWN, and then consult as you write. THEY SHOULD TEACH THIS IN SCHOOLS.

~ Alice Freeman Palmer

We were both under the weather this Easter, but we made the best of things and enjoyed the holiday the best we could... we hope you did too :)

Cory and I have decided to start a tradition of taking a shot like this for every holiday we celebrate together. You can see our Christmas shot here.

This is a visual re-interpretation of Einstein's famous quote. (Quote in title from Albert Einstein - ^ Calaprice, Alice (2005), The new quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press, p. 173, ISBN 0-691-12075-7 Other versions of the quote exist.)

Cairns, ahus, stone stacking, rock balancing, inuksuk (also spelled "inukshuk") creating stacked rock temples, natural markers of beauty using the primary found object - rock, stone or pebbles, etc.

Similar to Japanese Ishidoro stone monuments, such as Gorinto, and Hokyo-into this set is in celebration of the lovely mature Cherry Tree Colonnade at the University of Washington, in a procession from the twin Art and Music buildings.

These have a commonly included feature of space, distance and time -- structures such as relationships shown marked out by the concrete grid, which brings us to the topic of human interactions. Interactions with nature, with each other, and with ourselves.

GST Eastern Voles Christmas gathering at Flitton Moor

19/12/2017

Hi All & Tim

May I add my thanks to you all and wish you a happy Christmas and lots of good Voling together in 2018. I cannot wait. All those bonfires, cakes and sarcastic humour.

I thought I would be clever and write a piece about Tuesday incorporating some relevant quotes but the effort has quite overtaken me. So here instead are a few lines from a very wise & quotable Englishman .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.

I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

There are loads more to choose from and I have to say I was very surprised, perhaps I should read some of his books instead of relying on BBC Childrens Dramas from my earlier years when, hard to believe I was a sprog with hopes and the occasional dream, many of which have been far exceeded in life.

My snaps from Flitton are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Cheers JP

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your hard work at Flitton Moor on Tuesday. We were slightly down on the usual numbers but it didn’t stop you getting a whole lot done! I know David was pleased with the result and in his own words:

Thanks to all those who turned out on Tuesday at Flitton Moor - you did an amazing job as always.

Re fencing: I was expecting at the very most that half of the fence would be completed - and you did 2 thirds of it. Well done. The FoFM will finish it shortly in the new year.

Thanks also to those who manned the fire - and dragged brash to it. Almost all the was cut down was burnt.

And a special mention to the 6 hardy souls who spent the morning digging nettles.

A Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy 2018,

David

Thank you also to Lucinda, Sue and Erika for helping out with refreshments at lunchtime and to Malcolm and Jackie for such a lovely cake.

The next Tuesday task will be at Sandy Smith on the 2nd January and will be doing a bit more thinning/coppicing in the plantation near the bridge over the Flit plus maybe a few other jobs.

But there will also be a task at Maulden Heath next Thursday (28th) if anyone wishes to come along. The task will be clearing brash and regeneration in the Adder Field and, of course, having a fire; meet at the Picnic Area at 10am.

Thanks for all your hard work this year and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tim Spencer Countryside Ranger The Greensand Trust

GST Eastern Voles Christmas gathering at Flitton Moor

19/12/2017

Hi All & Tim

May I add my thanks to you all and wish you a happy Christmas and lots of good Voling together in 2018. I cannot wait. All those bonfires, cakes and sarcastic humour.

I thought I would be clever and write a piece about Tuesday incorporating some relevant quotes but the effort has quite overtaken me. So here instead are a few lines from a very wise & quotable Englishman .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.

I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

There are loads more to choose from and I have to say I was very surprised, perhaps I should read some of his books instead of relying on BBC Childrens Dramas from my earlier years when, hard to believe I was a sprog with hopes and the occasional dream, many of which have been far exceeded in life.

My snaps from Flitton are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Cheers JP

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your hard work at Flitton Moor on Tuesday. We were slightly down on the usual numbers but it didn’t stop you getting a whole lot done! I know David was pleased with the result and in his own words:

Thanks to all those who turned out on Tuesday at Flitton Moor - you did an amazing job as always.

Re fencing: I was expecting at the very most that half of the fence would be completed - and you did 2 thirds of it. Well done. The FoFM will finish it shortly in the new year.

Thanks also to those who manned the fire - and dragged brash to it. Almost all the was cut down was burnt.

And a special mention to the 6 hardy souls who spent the morning digging nettles.

A Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy 2018,

David

Thank you also to Lucinda, Sue and Erika for helping out with refreshments at lunchtime and to Malcolm and Jackie for such a lovely cake.

The next Tuesday task will be at Sandy Smith on the 2nd January and will be doing a bit more thinning/coppicing in the plantation near the bridge over the Flit plus maybe a few other jobs.

But there will also be a task at Maulden Heath next Thursday (28th) if anyone wishes to come along. The task will be clearing brash and regeneration in the Adder Field and, of course, having a fire; meet at the Picnic Area at 10am.

Thanks for all your hard work this year and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tim Spencer Countryside Ranger The Greensand Trust

“My mind is a neighborhood I try not to go into alone.”

― Anne Lamott

Typefaces: Monster Fiesta & Vincent Regular

Chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen holds her first news conference since undertaking her new role.

March 19, 2014 2:30 PM EDT

Previously, she was Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve October 4, 2010 – February 3, 2014, and was sworn into office by then-Chairman Ben Bernanke on February 3, 2014.

A 'quotable quote' from her press conference:

"There are a lot of kids shacking up with their families..."

It was made in response to a question about the housing market.

Here's her official biography on the Federal Reserve website:

www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/bios/board/yellen.htm

---

She is the first female to hold the position, and is highly respected among her her peers.

Noting as well, she is a good forecaster. The Fed must forecast growth, inflation and unemployment to make policy decisions. Ms. Yellen has produced the most accurate forecasts of all the current Fed officials from 2009 through 2013, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.

The financial crisis made her a believer in tougher financial regulations: Ms. Yellen has said that the 2008 financial crisis, which occurred when she was president of the San Francisco Fed, transformed her from a somewhat “docile” regional bank regulator to a believer that firm rules are more effective than leaving it up to regulators to react when trouble appears on the horizon.

“This experience has strongly inclined me toward tougher standards and built-in rules that will kick into effect automatically when things like this happen that make tightening up a less discretionary matter,” she told the congressionally-created Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in a 2010 interview in which she expressed frustration at how long it took the Fed and other regulators to negotiate and issue new rules.

In a June speech, she said the Fed might need to require the nation’s largest, most complex banks to carry even fatter capital cushions against losses than required by new rules set out by international regulators, a prospect hotly contested by big U.S. banks.

She believes in transparency, and the markets thinks she’s a good communicator. In 2010, Mr. Bernanke asked Ms. Yellen to lead an internal communications committee that has produced several innovations in the way the central bank articulates its goals and policy plans to the public. These include so-called forward-guidance in which the Fed makes statements about the likely future course of policy, which has evolved to employ specific unemployment and inflation thresholds; the regular press conferences Mr. Bernanke holds; and a longer-run goals and strategy document released in January 2012 that laid out, for the first time, the rates of inflation and joblessness the Fed finds to be consistent with its mandate from Congress.

“The effects of monetary policy depend critically on the public getting the message about what policy will do months or years in the future,” she said in a speech to a gathering of reporters and editors in April. “I hope and trust that the days of ‘never explain, never excuse’ are gone for good,” she said.

Market participants think she does a good job of explaining the central bank’s thinking. In two separate surveys last year, officials at primary dealers — banks that do business directly with the Fed — responded to general questions about the Fed’s communications by saying Ms. Yellen’s speeches were particularly helpful.

She has pushed the Fed to use aggressive new policies to boost the economy. Ms. Yellen, who focused much of her academic research on the costs and causes of unemployment, has consistently called for the Fed to respond forcefully to high joblessness. She argues that inflation isn’t likely to emerge with the economy in such a debilitated state – a point on which so far she has been right. “These are not just statistics to me. We know that long-term unemployment is devastating to workers and their families,” she said in a speech to the AFL-CIO labor union in February.

All black background.

Vert on water in base barry wavy proper a lymphad argent on a chief gules a cannon between two millrinds or(Widgery).

Baron`s coronet.

Supporters: Dexter, An owl proper. Sinister: A widgeon proper.

Crest: Rising from a rocky mount a widgeon proper in the beak a pair of scales or.

Mantling: Vert and argent.

Motto: God my guide.

For John, Baron Widgery of South Molton, Lord Chief Justice.

Died: 26 July 1981.

John Passmore Widgery, Baron Widgery, OBE, TD, QC, PC (24 July 1911 – 26 July 1981) was an English judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of England from 1971 to 1980. He is principally noted for presiding over the now discredited and superseded Widgery Tribunal on the events of Bloody Sunday

Widgery came from a North Devon family which had been living in South Molton for many generations. An ancestor had been a gaoler and his mother served as a magistrate. He attended Queen's College, Taunton, where he became head prefect.

He was admitted a solicitor in 1933 after serving as an articled clerk, but instead of going into practice, he joined Gibson and Welldon, a well-known firm of law tutors. He was an effective lecturer in the years leading up to World War II while he was also commissioned into the Royal Engineers (Territorial Army) in 1938, having joined as a sapper. As a searchlight officer, in 1940 he transferred to the Royal Artillery. Widgery participated in the Normandy landings. By the end of the war he had an OBE, the Croix de Guerre (France), and the Order of Leopold (Belgium), and had reached the rank of brigadier.

After demobilization Widgery changed to another branch of the legal profession as he was called to the bar by Lincoln's Inn in 1946. He gathered a reputation for being a fast talker, and eventually came to specialise in disputes over rating and town planning, where his methodical approach and self-control were useful attributes. In 1958 he was made a Queen's Counsel, the first such award given to a post-war barrister.

Widgery became a High Court judge in 1961. As a judge he did not draw attention to himself and his judgments tended not to include any comments which were pithy, memorable or quotable. However, his calmness produced judgments which were generally regarded as fair and humane. One example cited in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography was his justification for limiting damages for economic loss in Weller v Foot and Mouth Disease Research Institute, a judgment handed down in 1966. Widgery headed several inquiries during his term.

He received promotion to the Court of Appeal in 1968, but had barely got used to his new position when Lord Parker of Waddington (who had been Lord Chief Justice since 1958) announced his retirement. There was no obvious successor and Widgery was the most junior of the possible appointees. The Lord Chancellor, Lord Hailsham, chose Widgery largely on the basis of his administrative abilities. On 20 April 1971 he received a life peerage as Baron Widgery, of South Molton in the County of Devon.

Shortly after taking over, Widgery was handed the politically sensitive job of conducting an inquiry into the events of 30 January 1972 in Derry, where troops from the Parachute Regiment had killed 13 civil rights marchers, commonly referred to as Bloody Sunday (a 14th person died shortly after Widgery's appointment). Widgery was faced with testimony from the soldiers, who claimed they had been shot at, while the marchers insisted that no one from the march was armed. Widgery produced a report that took the army's side. Widgery put the main blame for the deaths on the march organisers for creating a dangerous situation where a confrontation was inevitable. His fiercest criticism of the Army was that the "firing bordered on the reckless"

The Widgery Report was accepted by the British government and Northern Irish Unionists but was immediately denounced by Nationalist politicians, and people in the Bogside and Creggan areas were reported to be disgusted by his findings. The British Government had acquired some goodwill because of its suspension of the Stormont Parliament, but that was said to have disappeared when Widgery's conclusions were published.[6] The grievance with Widgery's findings lingered and the issue remained live as the peace process advanced in the 1990s.

In January 1998, on the eve of the 26th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, Tony Blair announced a new inquiry, criticising the rushed process in which Widgery failed to take evidence from those wounded and did not personally read eyewitness accounts. The resulting Bloody Sunday Inquiry lasted 12 years before the Saville Report was published on 15 June 2010. It demolished the Widgery report, finding that soldiers lied about their actions and falsely claimed to have been attacked.

Prime Minister David Cameron, on behalf of the United Kingdom, formally apologised for the "unjustified and unjustifiable" events of Bloody Sunday. As a result of the Saville report, even observers who are natural supporters of the Army now regard Widgery as discredited: the conservative historian and commentator Max Hastings has described the Widgery report as "a shameless cover-up".Lord Chief Justice

Widgery also ruled on the Crossman diaries case when the government attempted to suppress the publication on the grounds of confidentiality. He made it clear during the case that he felt Crossman had "broken the rules," but ultimately refused to grant an injunction preventing publication. In criminal cases, Widgery became concerned by an increasing number of cases resting on weak identification evidence. He declared in 1974 that misidentification was "the most serious chink in our armour when we say British justice is the best in the world." In March 1976 Widgery dismissed the first appeal by the Birmingham Six in respect of the Birmingham pub bombings.

His later years in office were marred by persistent ill health and mental decline. In Private Eye it was claimed that "he sits hunched and scowling, squinting into his books from a range of three inches, his wig awry. He keeps up a muttered commentary of bad-tempered and irrelevant questions – 'What d'you say?', 'Speak up', 'Don't shout', 'Whipper-snapper', etc.". He resisted attempts to get him to resign until the last moment, in 1980. For at least 18 months previously he had not been in control of either his administrative work or his legal pronouncements, he would fall asleep in court, and it soon became apparent that he was suffering from dementia. He died two days after his 70th birthday, in 1981.

The hatchment was painted by Mr Peter Spurrier, then Portcullis Pursuivant Herald of Arms.

- George Colman 95/366

GST Eastern Voles Christmas gathering at Flitton Moor

19/12/2017

Hi All & Tim

May I add my thanks to you all and wish you a happy Christmas and lots of good Voling together in 2018. I cannot wait. All those bonfires, cakes and sarcastic humour.

I thought I would be clever and write a piece about Tuesday incorporating some relevant quotes but the effort has quite overtaken me. So here instead are a few lines from a very wise & quotable Englishman .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.

I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

There are loads more to choose from and I have to say I was very surprised, perhaps I should read some of his books instead of relying on BBC Childrens Dramas from my earlier years when, hard to believe I was a sprog with hopes and the occasional dream, many of which have been far exceeded in life.

My snaps from Flitton are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Cheers JP

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your hard work at Flitton Moor on Tuesday. We were slightly down on the usual numbers but it didn’t stop you getting a whole lot done! I know David was pleased with the result and in his own words:

Thanks to all those who turned out on Tuesday at Flitton Moor - you did an amazing job as always.

Re fencing: I was expecting at the very most that half of the fence would be completed - and you did 2 thirds of it. Well done. The FoFM will finish it shortly in the new year.

Thanks also to those who manned the fire - and dragged brash to it. Almost all the was cut down was burnt.

And a special mention to the 6 hardy souls who spent the morning digging nettles.

A Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy 2018,

David

Thank you also to Lucinda, Sue and Erika for helping out with refreshments at lunchtime and to Malcolm and Jackie for such a lovely cake.

The next Tuesday task will be at Sandy Smith on the 2nd January and will be doing a bit more thinning/coppicing in the plantation near the bridge over the Flit plus maybe a few other jobs.

But there will also be a task at Maulden Heath next Thursday (28th) if anyone wishes to come along. The task will be clearing brash and regeneration in the Adder Field and, of course, having a fire; meet at the Picnic Area at 10am.

Thanks for all your hard work this year and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tim Spencer Countryside Ranger The Greensand Trust

GST Eastern Voles Christmas gathering at Flitton Moor

19/12/2017

Hi All & Tim

May I add my thanks to you all and wish you a happy Christmas and lots of good Voling together in 2018. I cannot wait. All those bonfires, cakes and sarcastic humour.

I thought I would be clever and write a piece about Tuesday incorporating some relevant quotes but the effort has quite overtaken me. So here instead are a few lines from a very wise & quotable Englishman .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.

I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

There are loads more to choose from and I have to say I was very surprised, perhaps I should read some of his books instead of relying on BBC Childrens Dramas from my earlier years when, hard to believe I was a sprog with hopes and the occasional dream, many of which have been far exceeded in life.

My snaps from Flitton are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Cheers JP

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your hard work at Flitton Moor on Tuesday. We were slightly down on the usual numbers but it didn’t stop you getting a whole lot done! I know David was pleased with the result and in his own words:

Thanks to all those who turned out on Tuesday at Flitton Moor - you did an amazing job as always.

Re fencing: I was expecting at the very most that half of the fence would be completed - and you did 2 thirds of it. Well done. The FoFM will finish it shortly in the new year.

Thanks also to those who manned the fire - and dragged brash to it. Almost all the was cut down was burnt.

And a special mention to the 6 hardy souls who spent the morning digging nettles.

A Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy 2018,

David

Thank you also to Lucinda, Sue and Erika for helping out with refreshments at lunchtime and to Malcolm and Jackie for such a lovely cake.

The next Tuesday task will be at Sandy Smith on the 2nd January and will be doing a bit more thinning/coppicing in the plantation near the bridge over the Flit plus maybe a few other jobs.

But there will also be a task at Maulden Heath next Thursday (28th) if anyone wishes to come along. The task will be clearing brash and regeneration in the Adder Field and, of course, having a fire; meet at the Picnic Area at 10am.

Thanks for all your hard work this year and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tim Spencer Countryside Ranger The Greensand Trust

I haven't seen Pat in ages. Not that I was worried he'd change, but he hasn't. He showed up this night in socks and thongs with this beanie on looking just like I'd left him.

Pat is the third (excluding MC Blocko) part of the Forrest st house puzzle along with Hayden and Vince. When I first met Pat he didn't like music, couldn't stand spicy food (pepper included) and worked at Coles while doing his teaching degree. He's got this hilarious child-like wonder about him and to see the genuine excitement he sometimes displays is a real pure joy. You know when he's being genuine about being excited.

Pat, while being an absolute joker, can be extremely serious at times. While he was at uni and working, he didn't have much money and his sole possession was pretty much his bed. I'm not sure how it started, but Hayden found this weakness and kicked Pat's bed one time when he was annoying him. Pat took the bait and from then on, 'kicking Pat's bed' became a thing. Pat would often rant for weeks about how Hayden was really annoying him after a bed-kicking incident and would constantly have a phrase to describe his feelings. The one that really sticks in my mind it "Nah Jake, it's not the act, it's the principle of the matter." Even now, sitting in the library, I'm hearing myself type that sentence in Pat's voice, complete with furrowed brow, overbite and hand gestures, and it's cracking me up.

Once, during the busiest week of my working life ever, Pat, in a drunken stupor patrolled my house on a Monday night trying to coax me into drinking with him. On three seperate occasions I had to send him home, the last of these being at about 1am. I yelled at him in a very Dad manner and I don't think I've ever seen him look so scared. He hid from me at cricket and social turns for about a week, I'd let it go by then but I don't think he knew I had. Besides that time, we've had a great run.

I remember taking Pat to one of the Karova birthdays and he came and watched a few bands and made a comment along the lines of "Jake, I don't usually like bands, but these guys aren't bad I reckon". He has a rather matter-of-fact manner of speech and quite often starts with "Jake. Nah, listen" etc and it cracks me up. I love impersonating him. Nearly everything he says is quotable - sometimes when he's trying to be funny, other times not. One time after eating a roast I'd cooked he stopped the whole tables conversation and said something along the lines of "Jake, this is the best meat I think I've ever eaten, and this gravy... this gravy is so good, but gee it wouldn't want to be any spicier!" - The gravy had pepper and mustard in it, I can only assume that's what he was referring to.

Since then he's come a long way and when I saw him the other night he was quick to tell me about a few bands that he'd gone to see since living back in Melbourne and also how he could handle a little spice now, pepper and cajun seasoning etc were readily on the menu and maybe even the equivalent of Nando's 'Mild' soon. It was such a pleasure after a tough week, feeling alone in a new city to have these two drop by and just get on like old times.

- Arnold Newman

View On Black

The last time I was at my parents' house, I raided their camera cabinet. I'm not sure exactly why, but my family (myself included) apparently cannot bear to get rid of any camera, no matter how old. That cabinet is literally like a crypt for old cameras. Some are pretty awesome, like this instamatic camera that has been lovingly labeled with my mother's full maiden name using one of those super cool label-makers, or this ridiculously old polaroid.

Anyway, I stole these two, thinking they'd make for some cool photos. I'm not really all that happy with how either of these turned out, but post-processing does wonders, so I'll deal. Not every day can be perfect, right?

FGR: Quotably Suitable for Framing

totw: Accessorize - this uber-cool headband is actually an old strand of my mom's hippie beads.

The New Republic - October 2013 - Special Books Issue + iPad Version

Flowers in the Desert

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The Quotable Eleanor Roosevelt

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The Quotable Henry Ford

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The Reluctant Republican

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Selling Guantánamo

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Cuban Revelations

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Sleigh Rides, Jingle Bells, and Silent Nights

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Fringe Florida

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Skyway

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Miami

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This canvas is for this week's Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge. This week's challenge theme is 'Hey girl'. I hope you can play along with us! I made this canvas about my memories of my grandmother. This turned out to be one of my all-time favorite projects, especially since it represents my memories of my grandmother very well. Among other things, she wore stylish clothing, created artsy ceramic pieces and loved dogs and birds. According to my mom, her favourite colours were turquoise and blue. I also decided to add a bit of gold. All the stamps, papers and details I used relates to memories of my grandmother.

I used fragments as the main embellishments. They were coloured a bit with alcohol inks (Stream and gold) and glued to patterned papers and stamped images which fitted with the theme. I also placed one on top of a photo of my mom and grandmother.

The mini dress form was die-cut from grungeboard, and the dress part was coated with layers of clear UTEE (at least four), and finishing off with one layer of Stream embossing powder, and then a little bit of gold. It was meant to look a bit like faux-ceramics since my grandmother did ceramic pieces and I remember some of them to look a bit like this. I glued a paper with a dress pattern to grungeboard and cut the dress form one more time, layering the pieces together. A pearl necklace, wire belt and a little wooden bird finished the dress form. TFL!!

There are more photos, and a step-by-step on the background, on my blog, if you want to have a look:

layersofink.blogspot.com/2012/07/grandmother-canvas-hey-g...

Supplies:

Stamps: Stamper’s Anonymous: Mini Muse, At the Movies, Curiosities, Attic Treasures, Tiny Textures; Hero Arts: Painted People CG402, Variety and Quality CG190, Lattice Background, Untitled Love AC004; Artistic Outpost: Quotes & Quotables, Typography; Prima: Songbirds

Dies: Sizzix: Vintage Market Sizzlits, Mini Sewing Room Movers & Shapers, Fancy Square Frames Framelits, Hearts set Movers & Shapers, On the edge Mini Scallops.

Paint and ink: Adirondack paint dabber Pool, Pitch Black, Gold; Jenni Bowlin paint dabber Speckled Egg; Alcohol Ink: gold mixative, Stream; Distress Ink: Antique Linen; Distress Stain: Antique Linen; Archival Ink Coffee; Stazon Jet Black; Versamark

Embossing powder: Ranger clear UTEE, Adirondack Stream; gold

Paper: Tim Holtz idea-ology: Lost and Found, Crowded Attic

Embellishments: Tim Holtz idea-ology: square fragments, Hanger Clips, Film Strip ribbon, Trimmings, Pen Nibs, Adornments; Studio Calico wood veneer birds; lace trim; pearls; Swarovski crystal

Other: idea-ology grungeboard; Ranger natural sticky-back canvas; Perfect Pearls; Glossy Accents; wire

My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.

~ Maya Angelou

Volvo (3rd Gen) FH13 500 6x2 (2012-on) Engine 12777cc S6 503hp

Fleet N J Docksey, Leebrook, Leek, Staffordshire

Registration Number V 5 NJD (Fleet based, cherished number)

VOLVO TRUCKS ALBUM

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/albums/72157625222431370

The FH Series, is a series of heavy trucks, first introduced by Volvo in 1993 which has remained in production through several generation changes and updates. The FH range is one of the most successful truck series ever having sold more than 400,000 units worldwide

First unveiled in September 1993 as a replacement for the F Series as the FH12 and FH16. FH stands for Forward control High entry, where numbers denominate engine capacity in litres. which shared common cabs. The FH12 won Truck of the Year award in 1994

The third generation FH was launched in 2012 with major technology upgrades, and a new design. The company also introduced the first of its Euro VI engines, the D13K which became compulsory for new trucks from 2014. Other quotable new features are the I-torque driveline and the I-see fuel-saving technology. Volvo Trucks has demonstrated the new Autonomous Emergency Braking system that combines radar and a camera that works together to identify and monitor vehicles in front. The system is designed to deal with both stationary and moving vehicles and can prevent a collision with a moving target at relative speeds of up to 70 km/h. When the system detects a vehicle that the truck will hit at its current speed, the warning system activates a constant red light in the windscreen in order to bring the driver's attention back to the road.

Diolch am 94,825,457 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

Thanks for 94,825,427 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

Shot 28.05.2022 at Smallwood Steam Rally. Cheshire REF 160-353

GST Eastern Voles Christmas gathering at Flitton Moor

19/12/2017

Hi All & Tim

May I add my thanks to you all and wish you a happy Christmas and lots of good Voling together in 2018. I cannot wait. All those bonfires, cakes and sarcastic humour.

I thought I would be clever and write a piece about Tuesday incorporating some relevant quotes but the effort has quite overtaken me. So here instead are a few lines from a very wise & quotable Englishman .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.

I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

There are loads more to choose from and I have to say I was very surprised, perhaps I should read some of his books instead of relying on BBC Childrens Dramas from my earlier years when, hard to believe I was a sprog with hopes and the occasional dream, many of which have been far exceeded in life.

My snaps from Flitton are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Cheers JP

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your hard work at Flitton Moor on Tuesday. We were slightly down on the usual numbers but it didn’t stop you getting a whole lot done! I know David was pleased with the result and in his own words:

Thanks to all those who turned out on Tuesday at Flitton Moor - you did an amazing job as always.

Re fencing: I was expecting at the very most that half of the fence would be completed - and you did 2 thirds of it. Well done. The FoFM will finish it shortly in the new year.

Thanks also to those who manned the fire - and dragged brash to it. Almost all the was cut down was burnt.

And a special mention to the 6 hardy souls who spent the morning digging nettles.

A Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy 2018,

David

Thank you also to Lucinda, Sue and Erika for helping out with refreshments at lunchtime and to Malcolm and Jackie for such a lovely cake.

The next Tuesday task will be at Sandy Smith on the 2nd January and will be doing a bit more thinning/coppicing in the plantation near the bridge over the Flit plus maybe a few other jobs.

But there will also be a task at Maulden Heath next Thursday (28th) if anyone wishes to come along. The task will be clearing brash and regeneration in the Adder Field and, of course, having a fire; meet at the Picnic Area at 10am.

Thanks for all your hard work this year and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tim Spencer Countryside Ranger The Greensand Trust

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we only tune in. ~ George Washington Carver

"Indeed the tears live in an onion that should water this sorrow."

Shakespeare

7 Days of Shooting/Week #10 - Quotable Quotes/Macro Monday

Notable and Quotable American Women from the World of Philately

My favourite urban griot, Gil Scott-Heron, is sorely missed. Here we find him in peak satire mode in the Deadwood saloon in the company of the embodiment of nostalgic myth-making, John Wayne, and the pale imitation of B-movie lore that America settled for, Ronald Reagan (or the Hollyweird Ronald the Ray-Gun as Gil would so quotably put it).

Dig The B movie theory:

"The idea concerns the fact that this country wants nostalgia.

They want to go back as far as they can – even if it’s only as far as last week. Not to face now or tomorrow, but to face backwards. And yesterday was the day of our cinema heroes riding to the rescue at the last possible moment. The day of the man in the white hat or the man on the white horse - or the man who always came to save America at the last moment – someone always came to save America at the last moment – especially in "B" movies. And when America found itself having a hard time facing the future, they looked for people like John Wayne. But since John Wayne was no longer available, they settled for Ronald Reagan – and it has placed us in a situation that we can only look at – like a "B" movie..."

I put it this way four years ago at the height of the George W. Bush years:

We are living in a moment where nostalgia is key, we're anesthetizing ourselves with cowboy politics, selective amnesia and worse, when we'd rather have John Wayne. And Baghdad and New Orleans are not the only ones who can testify to that insight.

Gil Scott-Heron is one the great satirists, punctuating his critique with a melodious line and a soulful groove. It's uncanny how he does it, that you can't help but nod your head, tap your feet and laugh out loud even as you want to cry at what he is saying. His body of work is heroic, his prescience altogether scary.

But it is hard living as a canary in a mineshaft, if no one is listening and home is where the hatred is, can it be a surprise if there only remain fractured pieces of a man? Dig: I too might drown myself in fugitive spirits.

Anyway let's kick some urban griot poetry around this joint. Or should we call it soul food?

Rik Bond, DMWR Business Manager of Ruggles Golf Course, and Dave Correll, a PGA professional, gave hands-on instruction on the art of playing golf to approximately 15 members of the APG community on Saturday, May 12. Topics covered during the free clinic included proper club grip, stance and position, and many quotable quotes for golfers such as "You have to learn to swing the club before you hit the ball!" For more information on Ruggles and Exton golf courses, clinics, and lessons, contact Bond at 410-278-5486.

Alan Outen

18:03 (24 minutes ago)

probably Stereum subtomentosum but would need chewing to confirm! It stains yellow when bruised and mixed with saliva

GST Eastern Voles Christmas gathering at Flitton Moor

19/12/2017

Hi All & Tim

May I add my thanks to you all and wish you a happy Christmas and lots of good Voling together in 2018. I cannot wait. All those bonfires, cakes and sarcastic humour.

I thought I would be clever and write a piece about Tuesday incorporating some relevant quotes but the effort has quite overtaken me. So here instead are a few lines from a very wise & quotable Englishman .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.

I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

There are loads more to choose from and I have to say I was very surprised, perhaps I should read some of his books instead of relying on BBC Childrens Dramas from my earlier years when, hard to believe I was a sprog with hopes and the occasional dream, many of which have been far exceeded in life.

My snaps from Flitton are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Cheers JP

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your hard work at Flitton Moor on Tuesday. We were slightly down on the usual numbers but it didn’t stop you getting a whole lot done! I know David was pleased with the result and in his own words:

Thanks to all those who turned out on Tuesday at Flitton Moor - you did an amazing job as always.

Re fencing: I was expecting at the very most that half of the fence would be completed - and you did 2 thirds of it. Well done. The FoFM will finish it shortly in the new year.

Thanks also to those who manned the fire - and dragged brash to it. Almost all the was cut down was burnt.

And a special mention to the 6 hardy souls who spent the morning digging nettles.

A Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy 2018,

David

Thank you also to Lucinda, Sue and Erika for helping out with refreshments at lunchtime and to Malcolm and Jackie for such a lovely cake.

The next Tuesday task will be at Sandy Smith on the 2nd January and will be doing a bit more thinning/coppicing in the plantation near the bridge over the Flit plus maybe a few other jobs.

But there will also be a task at Maulden Heath next Thursday (28th) if anyone wishes to come along. The task will be clearing brash and regeneration in the Adder Field and, of course, having a fire; meet at the Picnic Area at 10am.

Thanks for all your hard work this year and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tim Spencer Countryside Ranger The Greensand Trust

GST Eastern Voles Christmas gathering at Flitton Moor

19/12/2017

Hi All & Tim

May I add my thanks to you all and wish you a happy Christmas and lots of good Voling together in 2018. I cannot wait. All those bonfires, cakes and sarcastic humour.

I thought I would be clever and write a piece about Tuesday incorporating some relevant quotes but the effort has quite overtaken me. So here instead are a few lines from a very wise & quotable Englishman .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.

I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

There are loads more to choose from and I have to say I was very surprised, perhaps I should read some of his books instead of relying on BBC Childrens Dramas from my earlier years when, hard to believe I was a sprog with hopes and the occasional dream, many of which have been far exceeded in life.

My snaps from Flitton are as usual at www.flickr.com/photos/pitzys_pyx/

Cheers JP

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your hard work at Flitton Moor on Tuesday. We were slightly down on the usual numbers but it didn’t stop you getting a whole lot done! I know David was pleased with the result and in his own words:

Thanks to all those who turned out on Tuesday at Flitton Moor - you did an amazing job as always.

Re fencing: I was expecting at the very most that half of the fence would be completed - and you did 2 thirds of it. Well done. The FoFM will finish it shortly in the new year.

Thanks also to those who manned the fire - and dragged brash to it. Almost all the was cut down was burnt.

And a special mention to the 6 hardy souls who spent the morning digging nettles.

A Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy 2018,

David

Thank you also to Lucinda, Sue and Erika for helping out with refreshments at lunchtime and to Malcolm and Jackie for such a lovely cake.

The next Tuesday task will be at Sandy Smith on the 2nd January and will be doing a bit more thinning/coppicing in the plantation near the bridge over the Flit plus maybe a few other jobs.

But there will also be a task at Maulden Heath next Thursday (28th) if anyone wishes to come along. The task will be clearing brash and regeneration in the Adder Field and, of course, having a fire; meet at the Picnic Area at 10am.

Thanks for all your hard work this year and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tim Spencer Countryside Ranger The Greensand Trust

Rik Bond, DMWR Business Manager of Ruggles Golf Course, and Dave Correll, a PGA professional, gave hands-on instruction on the art of playing golf to approximately 15 members of the APG community on Saturday, May 12. Topics covered during the free clinic included proper club grip, stance and position, and many quotable quotes for golfers such as "You have to learn to swing the club before you hit the ball!" For more information on Ruggles and Exton golf courses, clinics, and lessons, contact Bond at 410-278-5486.

Elstone Park was an early-20th-century residential development here in Bayswater. As far as I can tell, its first houses were summer cottages that were rented out starting in 1906. Sales began in 1908, when the "substantially and artistically constructed" furnished cottages were put up for auction, along with "large villa plots" for buyers who wanted to build their own homes.

The Elstone Park Realty Company also thoroughly remodeled the nearby Bayswater Hotel, which had been closed for some time, and reopened it as the Elstone Park Hotel in 1908. According to some newspaper ads from 1912, the new and improved hotel had much to offer its guests, including unsurpassed cuisine, high-class cabaret, bridge whist, and Japanese servants.

The hotel seems to have been a social hub for the community as well, hosting such events as an "old-fashioned country dance", a "fancy dress dance" at which prizes were awarded for "the prettiest, most original and most grotesque costumes", and weekly Friday-evening "amateur nights" that "opened a new field for the young genius[es] who desire to acquire fame in the footlight world".

One unusual remnant of Elstone Park exists in the form of an odd midblock traffic circle on Granada Place, just down the street from where I took this photo. Today the circle is home to a modest assortment of grasses, trees, and shrubs, but it was once the site of an elaborate fountain, reportedly lit up in the evening by colored electric lights, that was built as a centerpiece of the development. You can see an old postcard image of the fountain here. And this postcard features a view down Granada Place (then known as Summit Drive) from around the same location as my photo above. You can see the fountain in the background, and you can also see the stone pillars that are still standing today, the taller of which were apparently once topped by ornate lamps.

In 1912, William S. "Big Bill" Devery, a former NYC chief of police (from 1898 to 1901) and an owner of several Elstone Park houses, took the head of the Elstone Park Realty Company to court for removing four statues of goddesses from the fountain. I was surprised to find such a seemingly mundane dispute covered in a number of different newspapers, and, in a couple of cases, in such an enthusiastic and over-the-top fashion that I couldn't even tell for sure which parts were meant literally and which were jokes.

It turns out that Big Bill had long been a favorite subject of the press. He was a juicy target during his days with the police department, a brazenly corrupt chief growing wealthy off of graft money. At the same time, his colorful, quotable, "picturesque" personality endeared him to the very reporters trying to take him down. As the crusading journalist Lincoln Steffens once put it: Devery was "no more fit to be a chief of police than the fish man was to be director of the Aquarium, but as a character, as a work of art, he was a masterpiece."

Devery was also an original co-owner of the New York Highlanders, the baseball team now known as the Yankees. He and his partner owned the franchise from 1903 to 1915, and legend, if not established fact, has it that he gave the team its famous N-superimposed-on-a-Y insignia, borrowing the design from an old police medal of honor (photo) created by Tiffany & Company.