The town of Amiens is in the north of France, half way between Paris and Calais on the A16 Autoroute.
I took this shot on my last visit to the cathedral there. A beautiful large gothic cathedral, not unlike the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. I take great pride in the fact that the blokes from the Australian army defended Amiens from the Germans in world war 1.
The extreme sport of fridge running as demonstrated at the Lincoln 10k race. Fridge running is a latter day phenomenon, largely because the refrigerator is a relative new invention in the timeline of the modern era. One hundred years ago, or less, the only means of maintaining food at low temperatures was the simple pantry. This was at least the case for the majority of the population whose gardens were too small to accommodate an ice house.
Whilst the pantry had some benefits, not the least of which was that it was a large walk in store that would be pretty cool (pun intended) in a modern kitchen where space is often at a premium it was totally impractical to carry around on one’s back.
This is where the modern fridge excels. As well as keeping food colder for longer than the pantry, provided the seal is not compromised, it is easier to strap onto your back for the purpose of fridge running. In this scenario the running performance is not compromised by the state of the seal though a mouldy seal is undesirable for cosmetic purposes. The problem is easily overcome by the light application of a proprietary cleansing cream that is easily wiped off leaving the rubber seal as new.
Fridge running is an elite sport with few exponents. To some extent this is due to the immense physical strength and endurance required of its participants but also because it does demand an element of eccentricity that characterised the mad dogs and Englishmen of midday sun fame you have to be a nutter.
There is considerable strategy involved in fridge running. It isn’t just a question of hoiking the fridge on your back and running. The strategy adopted will vary by length of race. Long races conducted in hotter than ideal conditions offer the opportunity to stock the fridge with supplies of chilled liquids (not beer – beer is not recommended for fridge running unless it is for the benefit of supporters positioned along the route or for resale to spectators as part of the commercial opportunity generated by the growing interest in the sport).
Clearly a balance has to be struck between the problems associated with carrying a heavier fridge and the benefits brought to the runner by it’s contents. This is very much an individual judgement and no attempt is made here to define the optimum load set.
I hope you enjoy the video. Please take the opportunity to watch other random Lincoln 10k snippets on my YouTube channel. None are as interesting as this but you might see someone you know:)
Ciao baby…
Sounds like a racehorse doesn’t it? Alcatraz by Plumb-it. Actually this is part of a small parade of shops in Bromborough. When you need a hair cut or some plumbing tape (or a spanner) you can kill two birds with one stone.
Ironically we talk about escaping from Alcatraz. In Bromborough blokes escape to Alcatraz. They pop out with a parting shout over the shoulder saying “just nipping out for a hair cut loov (or plumbing tape or spanner)”. When there they sit in a line waiting for their turn in the chair. Short back and sides and a bit of a trim off the top please. Or number one all over. Whatever suits. Off to the match this afternoon?
Something for the weekend sir?
No birds were killed during the making of this post and no mention was made of holidays.
There is something practical yet sinister about a jobslist. It’s all about control. String-pulling from afar. Whilst I say that it is also true that I won’t do anything if it isn’t written down. This stems from a time where jobs would be fired at me as if from a verbal machine gun. I couldn’t cope. Having finished one job another would appear. It was very dispiriting. A bit like climbing a mountain. You reach one rise only to find there is another ahead of you.
To avoid this scenario I began to insist that the jobs be written down on a list. That way I could gauge the scope of it all and apportion time as appropriate. This worked but I quickly found that having crossed one or two off the list, more jobs would appear. This was no different to the old way when nothing was written down. It was in effect an endless list.
I put a stop to that. No new jobs could be added until every one on the existing list was crossed off. That way a sense of satisfaction could be reached when all the jobs were done. New jobs could go on a new list after a suitable period of recovery. This intermission would also allow me to bask in the glow albeit short that came from completing all the jobs.
So whilst in one sense a jobslist is about one person controlling another it is also a means of control for the person doing the jobs.
Paused at the window of Reader’s Rest on Steep Hill in Lincoln. A poignant moment. Used to love browsing the shelves of this shop. It sold second hand books and it was a real treat spending some kid free time there. When I first heard it was closing I nipped in and picked up a set of Gibbon’s Decline and Fall for forty quid. Bargain. I had meant to pop back and hoover up some editions of the History of England but now it is too late. Ah well. It was worth a moment of quiet reflection. It had been there for thirty one years. Life moves on…
This one is from a trip I made to the japanese gardens in Toowoomba, QLD, Australia.
The botanical gardens there have a few themed areas, my favourite is definitely the Japanese section, I hope this image illustrates why.
Toowoomba is a more regional town in the drier parts of Queensland, they must have a very good watering system as it always looks lovely and green.
As I have mentioned before I visit France regularly. When I do, my destination is usually Sancerre.
My best friend, who as since passed away, moved there from Australia when we were both teenagers and became a winemaker.
I still visit his family there and always have a good time.
This is my favourite photograph of Sancerre, It makes a good wallpaper for my computer to remind me of the good times.
Imagine this to be a ten million piece jigsaw, the work of a lifetime. You get to the end and find that one piece is missing.You would want to count all the pieces before starting just to avoid that eventuality.
On a further practical note this lawn must be a nightmare to mow.
Photo taken at the caff at Eastham Ferry on Easter Sunday.
Another one from my recent holiday.
I’m not a religious man by any means, but I’ve never been one to let a visit to an old chapel, church or cathedral pass me by.
Today’s entry is from the small chapel on St. Michael’s Mount. It’s a relatively new sculpture, but still a timeless and powerful image. St. Michael himself defeating Lucifer.
It would be rude of me not to credit the sculptress, Lyn Maxwell.
Historic number though not logical sitting as it does next to seventy six. Question raiser. Shiny brass on a black satin background.
Is it true that all they serve at the Tate Cafe at the Albert Dock is potatoes or have I been living in Lincolnshire too long?
Wonderful view of part of Liverpool from the Maritime Museum. It’s a great blend of the historic and the modern.
Latest in a series of surreal photos not taken by Salvador Dali. A fusion of food and art. click on the photo to find out where we were.
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