Saturday 10 February 2024

Cold Weather and Storms Dampen Enthusiasm!

Cold Weather and Storms Dampen Enthusiasm!

I read somewhere that since the beginning of the year, we have had the dubious joy of enduring 10 named storms - since the habit started of naming swathes of bad weather, their numbers seemed to have increased exponentially!

We all know heavy rain - falling on ground waterlogged by previous storms - will not be able to soak away, or run into already swollen rivers, and there will be areas of flooding, causing so much misery to thousands of people.

Apart from the danger of travelling during heavy weather with flooded roads becoming impassable, and railway lines washed away, power lines also come down, so electricity will not be available in homes; water damage will be extensive, and some people have not been able to obtain insurance, increasing their misery. We've seen the news reports where people being rescued by dinghies, along with their pets - the poor dogs and cats and other small animals can't know what is going on, only that there is a lot of disruption in their lives. 

I know global warming is the reason brought forward as causing all these calamities, but we have known about these problems long before the global warming lobby was in vogue. We are an island, and a small island at that - the furthest you can get from the sea is only about 70 miles - and with high tides and surges, the danger of flooding from the sea is high. You can end up feeling the government agencies responsible for trying to keep people and buildings safe during these times are behaving like King Canute, standing on the beach, and ordering the incoming tide to recede.

We've always known of the dangers. In January 1928, a storm caused record levels of water up the tidal area of the Thames from Greenwich to Woolwich in the east, and as far as Hammersmith in the west. London is built on a flood plain, protected only by embankments, and these were soon breached, with flood water pouring into Whitehall and Westminster, rushing through crowded slum areas, and flooding basement dwellngs. Fourteen people died, and thousands were left homeless. 

Another North Sea surge occurred in 1953,  which was even more catastrophic, causing floods all along the east coast of England. Three hundred and seven people died, including 59 at Canvey Island, on the Thames estuary.

At last, discussions began about ways to protect London from such devastation in the future, and in 1983, the Thames Barrier was completed. It was a huge engineering project, spanning 1,700 feet (520 meters) of the river near Woolwich, which can be raised to close off the flood waters.

When the Barrier is open, the ten 20 metre-high gates lie flat, allowing water to flow freely, and for shipping to pass. When a storm surge is forecast, hydraulic cylinders rotate the gates to close them, creating a solid wall of steel to prevent water flowing upstream; each gate can hold back 9,000 tonnes of water. 

So far, it has protected 1.4 million Londoners, and about £320 billion worth of properties, from more than 100 tidal floods. However, the Barrier is expected to protect London only until 2070; it is now felt that to ensure the capital remains safe, the existing Barrier should be either upgraded, or replaced by a new one. The current feeling is that this decision can wait until 2040, but many people feel this will be too late to set the plans in motion; with the expectation of sea levels rising more quickly, the increased capability may need to be operational by 2050; will ten years give a long enough lead time?

Apart from the problems specific to London, we also need reassurance that other major rivers will be dredged regularly, to keep them free-flowing, giving them a chance to contain extra rainwater without breaking their banks. 

Another disquieting thought it that with the drive to build even greater number of houses to help the ever-increasing population find a home of their own, we are still seeing a lot of properties being built on flood plains. This is simply asking for trouble, and waiting for disaster to strike; perhaps in future the answer lies in building modern properties on stilts!  

In the meantime, with all this disquieting weather - and the cold wintery spells as well! - we just snuggle in, keep warm and wait patiently for spring to be sprung. We have already had the shortest day/longest night and now - if almost imperceptibly - the nights are shortening and the days are lengthening. It won't be long before we put the clocks forward an hour, and British Summer Time will begin, and we can look forward to some summer sunshine, and long summer evenings. 

And  no-one - especially not keen gardeners - should forget, that should we have a period of three days with no rain at all, a hosepipe ban with be introduced!

We are still hoping for a lovely English spring and summer - unless Mother Nature has more storms brewing, in which case I am sure the Met Office will be primed to announce gleefully the next one: weather events get named alphabetically, so let's hope we don't get as far as Storm Zebedee!

 

 






 

 

 

Sunday 31 December 2023

You May Have Wondered Where I Had Got To...!

You May Have Wondered Where I Had Got To...!

Well - nowhere, really. I have been here all along, pootling, writing, visiting folks, cooking, washing up, mending, washing and ironing - all of the things I actually enjoy doing! but just not writing an entry for my blog. 

This does not mean I have not been creative. In October, we had a really successful meeting of The Redbridge Rhymesters - the poetry group I run in Wanstead - and we were joined by children from Snaresbrook Primary School. 

Having just celebrated King Charles III's Coronation in May, the theme was "Coronations" - and it was inspiring and encouraging to read the wonderful poetry written by everyone, especially the children.

I read one poem I had written about Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation; we were in Kampala, and even though we were so far away, we felt very much a part of it, and it was a memorable day.

CORONATION DAY IN KAMPALA 1953

 It was a sweltering June in Kampala

With the African sun shining down;

Whilst in a city four thousand and more miles away

The skies opened in grey London town. 

 

There was no television where we lived -

Short-wave radio was all that we heard;

Through crackles and static interference

Richard Dimbleby painted pictures in words.

 

He reported the pageant and colour,

The coaches, the horses; the crowds

Of her jubilant subjects lining the streets

To glimpse the Queen on her way to be crowned.

 

At the Great West Door of the Abbey,

Archbishop Fisher greeted the Queen;

On this day of faith and tradition

Our young Monarch was calm and serene.

 

And when the ceremony arrived at that moment

Of crowning, the congregation responded with cheers:

“Vivat! Vivat! Regina! “

The prayer has echoed down through the years.

 

As a child, I was given a gold model coach,

With a toy Queen and Prince Phillip inside;

Then I just imagined I was there on that day

And joined the celebrations with pride.

 

And later, when newsreels were shown on the screens

In cinemas, all over the world,

In glorious techniclour, we watched: so entranced

As that momentous day unfurled.

 

It was a day when spirits could not be dampened

No matter how heavy the rain;

There was joy, there was pride, renewed hope in all hearts

For this second Elizabeth reign!

Alexandra Wilde

 

The best news came after our poetry session, when their teacher later told me the children were now so enthusiastic about writing and performing poetry, they had set up - of the own accord - their own poetry group. 

That is such encouraging news! and long may it continue. We've set the date for the next session: Tuesday, 26 March 2024; we have not yet got a theme, so it is a case of "Watch this space!"

Then I set to really nice and early, writing Christmas cards, writing letters and e-mails and wrapping Christmas presents for dear friends and loved ones. It was a truly good idea to get started so early, because I finished everything in really good time, and had everything away in the post well ahead of the official last posting dates for Christmas. 

One disappointing note is that one parcel I have sent to a dear friend in Vienna has still not arrived. I paid the extra fee for Track and Trace; to my dismay, I saw that although it had arrived at the office in Heathrow Airport, it did not budge for weeks. Eventually, I rang up a number (I found this with great difficulty - clearly Royal Mail doesn't want to be disturbed!) and spoke to someone about it. He checked the contents I'd packed in the parcel were all legal and valid, there was nothing prohibited included in it, so there should be no reason for it to be delayed. When I last checked, a couple of days ago, it advised the parcel should be on its way to Austria, but there was no further information about its progress. 

I was told if it hadn't been delivered by 29 December, it should be considered lost! and I could make a claim on it; I suppose that is what I shall have to do, unless by some amazing chance it turns up in the next day or so. I am not too hopeful! 

And now we are in the countdown to midnight, and the chimes of Big Ben, heralding the start of a new day and a New Year. We all hope and pray for peace in the world, and that we shall all have happiness, peace and prosperity throughout 2024.

I hope everyone who reads my blog will have a happy time; and watch out for more articles and news and travel in the New Year!

 

 

 







 

 

Saturday 21 October 2023

Where Have The Days Gone?!

Where Have The Days Gone?!

Yes, well; where have they gone? I haven't been lazy, gone into early hibernation, or decided to stop writing... (how could I ever do that?) ... so this is a brief resume of what I have been working on, over the past few weeks.

Visiting Barbara on her 86th Birthday in August was a highlight, and I was also working on a second piece for Welsh Country Life magazine, "The Mountain Spirit That Delights All Who Ride With Her." This has now been published, and has gone down extremely well; as a result, I've been asked to write more articles featuring interesting aspects of Wales.

I'm working on a piece about Welsh slate, with emphasis on Blaenau Ffestiniog, also known as "The Town that Roofed the World" - and I've discovered that is no idle boast. 

I'm not a geologist, so my research about how slate deposits belong to three geological series - Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian - has been very slow! but I am learning a lot. 

Slate production in Wales has been known since the Roman period. The industry grew slowly until the early part of the 18th century, but during the Industrial Revolution it expanded rapidly; by then, northwest Wales was the most important slate producing area.

The Cambrian deposits run south-west from Conwy to near Criccieth, and were quarried in Penrhyn and Dinorwig and the Nantile Valley.  

The Ordovician deposits run south-west from Betws-y-Coed to Porthmadog, and these were the deposits mined, rather than quarried, at Blaenau Ffestinog.

I have also read about a devastating fire in Hamburg, that broke out in a cigar factory on 5 May 1842. Fifty-one people died; it destroyed 1,700 houses and several important public buildings, and about 70,000 people fled for their lives. The fire was finally extinguished on 8th May, and almost 7 million marks were raised to help survivors of the fire, donations coming from Royal houses of Russia and France, and funds being raised by the cities of London, Antwerp, Rotterdam and St Petersburg, as well as donations from German writers. 

A Technical Commission was established, with a British Engineer, William Lindley, proposing a reconstruction plan for the city, and Hamburg was rebuilt quickly; building with wood was no longer allowed, and brick and stone were used for new buildings. These new regulations also led to a great demand for slate, and Germany became an important market, especially for Ffestiniog slate.

I don't want to give away too much detail about my current "work in progress," but I hope this will have whetted my readers' appetite to read more about the slate industry in Wales, Blaenau Ffestiniog's rise to great production over almost 2 centuries of operation, and its diminishing production and closure in 1955. 



Tuesday 19 September 2023

We Celebrate Barbara's Birthday

We Celebrate Barbara's Birthday

It was such a joyful day when at long last, back in April, we met up again with my dear friend, Barbara.  She is now living in a care home, and she is clearly very well looked after; the staff made us so welcome, and we promised it wouldn't be long before we came back to visit her again. 

Barbara celebrates her birthday on 21 August, and I knew this year would be her 86th, so I wanted to make something special just for her alone, and hopefully a really personal gift, that would perhaps help to bring back some happy memories.  

The lady who lives in the house next door to where Barbara used to live had very kindly retrieved some photographs for me. There were three framed studio portraits of Barbara and and her Mum and Dad; whenever I visited Barbara in her house, I remembered seeing them displayed on the mantelpiece, so I was delighted to have those. The frames were in sore need of refurbishment and repair, so Bob got on with making them look like new, and ensuring the back support was good a strong and would stand up properly again. 

Her neighbour had also collected over 130 loose photos as well, so I decided to create a traditional photo album for Barbara's birthday present.

 Barbara's birthday photo album

There followed an interesting 7 or 8 weeks; very few photos had anything written on them to say who the people were, or where the snaps had been taken, so I just had to do my best, and try to get them into some sort of chronological order. I know the family went to Portland Bill in Dorset, because there were several pics of them in front of the lighthouse, sporting a large signpost saying "Portland Bill" - with more arms indicating distances and directions to other places! 

There were also a couple of press prints from the Burton Observer, showing a bridge that had been washed away - presumably in a flood or storm. I wondered if there would be archive information available, so I rang the newspaper, but it's all mobile phone numbers for journalists now, and although I left several messages, no-one came back to me. Sometimes I think they don't want the past to exist. 

Another professional print showed a beautiful wedding group, taken on 16 October 1943; it had been hand tinted as well. The name of the studio - J S Simnett - was printed on the card frame, so I Googled the address of the studio, and to my delight, it is still in business; I found a phone number, and called them. I had a lovely conversation with a lady who was continuing to run it; she was so pleased I had pursued the link, but the sad news was that many years ago, someone in charge of the studio had decided to have "a clear out," and had thrown away many old negatives, appointment books and information. 

What a dreadful thing to do; J S Simnett go back to 1863, so there must have been so much history destroyed by someone who considered it just "junk," with no sense of the importance of ephemera, and primary source material, and how such memories and information are very precious. Thus we shall never know who the happy couple were who wed on 16 October 1943. 

So, I persevered with what I had. There were a couple of pictures of a very strange sea creature; I have no idea what it is! but I have made scans of them and in due course I will try and find out what it is.

 
Does anyone have any ideas? Please let me know if you do!

I wrote a poem for Barbara as well; Bob took a photograph of the lobelia in our garden, and set the poem against the background of flowers. The writing in this picture is a bit small to read the poem easily, so I have included a plain text version at the end of this blog.

A Ballade for Barbara

I also asked another dear friend if she could prepare a family tree for Barbara; My reasoning was, if there is someone at the home where she lives now, and who has the time to go through it with her, it might help Barbara to remember more about her family, and reminisce about happy times she has had, especially if they can be linked to the holiday photos and other people in the album.  

Barbara's birthday dawned a beautiful day, and we set off in good time to get to the home; it's rather a long and difficult drive, and we didn't want to have to rush, or be caught up in heavy traffic.

We arrived just as lunch was ending, and had a cup of tea until Barbara was sitting back in her chair in the lounge; the staff had gone to a lot of trouble to mark Barbara's special day, putting up a "Happy Birthday" banner over her chair. 


Happy Barbara on her 86th Birthday

Opening birthday cards

Barbara and Bob

Barbara had already opened the little gift I had brought for her - a pretty scarf, which she put round her neck - and then we helped her to unwrap the photograph album - it was quite heavy! - and I went through every page, talking about Barbara's family: her Mum and Dad, and the photos that had obviously been taken on happy family holidays. 

Barbara was able to respond occasionally, especially when I could point out the pictures that I knew had been taken, for example, in the west country, like Lynton and Watchet; she would say, "Oh, yes, that's right!" Of course I can't be sure, but I truly hope happy memories came into her mind at those moments.

The staff also thought the Family Tree I had brought for Barbara was a brilliant idea, and they will spend time going through it with her, and help her to recall her family; it will also help them to understand Barbara better, her life and her background.

I also read the special poem I had written for her - emphasising the final line, "....How much we all love you!" 


Barbara with her cards and flowers

Presently, the lovely lady who was in charge that afternoon came in bearing a beautiful chocolate birthday cake, with "Happy Birthday" on it, and the candle lit.

Is that cake for me?!

We tried to encourage Barbara to blow the candle out by herself, but it proved a bit much for her to manage that, so we all helped, and sang Happy Birthday with great gusto; I also recited my poem for Barbara:

A Birthday Ballade for Barbara

 

Every picture tells a story

Either covert or plain view:

How I wish I knew these people

And could share their point of view.

 

There are snaps of family holidays

Of people having fun;

Or lying on some springy grass

Soaking up the sun

 

There are tiny photos, black and white

Some sepia, stiffly posed;

A few hand-tinted specials,

All beautifully composed.

 

The colour prints are fading

Yet what stands out so clear

Is the way that all were cherished;

These loved ones, held so dear.

 

And so it’s been a privilege

A task performed with love and care

To tenderly place these precious prints

In an album for you to share

 

Your memories of times gone by:

Yet still they’re fresh and new;

And never forget, though years may fly,

How much we all love you.

 

Alexandra Wilde

21 August 2023

 

We all clapped our hands to applaud Barbara, and encouraged her to join in the applause - and she did, for a little while; we shared a slice of birthday cake but then, all too soon, it was time for us to leave and start the drive home, as we wanted to avoid the worst of the rush hour. 

We've been invited back whenever we can manage to make the trip, and Bob has promised to bring his guitar again the next time we come, and we will sing and play for Barbara and all the residents. 

We told Barbara we love her, and that we will be back as soon as we can; and I will continue to write to her. I think getting a proper letter in the post is really important, as she will know it is for her alone; there will always be someone available to help her to open it, and read it to her, and let her know we are all thinking of her. 

What a good day; and how lovely to see how caring all the staff in Alexander House are, with all the residents.  

 


 

 

 




 



Thursday 31 August 2023

The Mountain Spirit That Delights All Who Ride With Her

The Mountain Spirit That Delights All Who Ride With Her  

A glorious summery Saturday at Porthmadog; tickets booked for seats in the observation coach on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway’s Highland Spirit service – what a wonderful prospect lay before us, and what a memorable trip it turned out to be. 

 

 

The Highland Spirit service runs the full length of the Ffestiniog Railway, from Porthmadog to Bleanau Ffestiniog, where the famous slate was quarried, becoming known as “The Town that Roofed the World.” 

Wendy on the footplate, getting her fix of steam

 We had reserved seats in the Observation Coach, Gwynedd; in celebration of the 150th anniversary of passenger services on the Ffestiniog Railway, the carriage is numbered 150, in deep purple-brown Victorian livery, lined in gold, with Pullman crests. Inside, it is a luxurious cocoon in which to travel, with beautifully comfortable individual seats covered in deep blue upholstery, and tables crafted from Utile hardwood, related to mahogany, edged with a veneer. The panoramic windows afford the best unobstructed views for the journey.

 

The Observation Coach 150, "Gwynneth"

Happy passenger Bob - in reflection!


The train was coupled up behind the loco Merddin Emrys; she was hauling a total of 10 coaches, and we set off from the Station, chuffing along the Cob (sea wall) causeway, past the River Glaswyn. 

 

 On the Cob

 

The Cob was the brainchild of William Alexander Maddocks, who arranged for the Traeth Marshes, the estuary of the River Glaswyn, to be drained, and a new harbour, Porthmadog, was built in the 1820s. It developed into a busy shipping port, serving the international slate industry. 

 

 

For nearly 200 years, the Cob had been a toll road; until 29 March 2003,  travellers paid 1/= (one shilling – 5 pence) to use it. From 1978, for the last 25 years as its existence as a toll road, the fee was collected by the Rebecca Trust, and the money paid distributed among local charities. In March 2003, the Welsh Assembley Government bought the Cob from the Trust; it became part of the A487 route, linking north and southwest Wales, and the toll was abolished. 

The Toll House is now known as Bridge Cottage, and is still standing. It was adapted as an office for the Parc and Croesor slate quarries and clad in slate to show off their products; a fine example of the beauty of slate and the patterns they can create, it is a fine show house.  

Once across the Cob, our excursion to Blaenau Ffestiniog continued through ever-changing scenery, and during the journey, we were treated to a whole orchestra of sounds from the engine, as it had to increase its efforts climbing the various uphill gradients along the line. 

We were so fortunate to see a slate train passing by us, on the down line to Porthmadog; as it is gravity driven, there is no loco, but runs freely down the hill. There is a brakeman on each wagon to ensure nothing runs away too quickly; all the riders on the wagons smiled and waved as they clattered past – and we happy passengers on the Mountain Spirit service returned their greetings equally enthusiastically! 

The slate train

 

Happy passengers on the slate train!


Our engine was coal fired, using some Welsh coal, but as this is not as abundant as it used to be, it is mixed with other synthetic material, formed into ovoids.

Unfortunately, on this trip, our engine was not entirely happy with the fuel, and it was difficult to keep the steam pressure up; the driver had to keep stopping for a “blow-up” – to get enough pressure to be able to steam to the next station.

  

Trees along the track

 

A glimpse of the lake from the railway track

 

It was then decided that at the next station, Tan-Y-Blwch, our loco would be replaced by another engine, David Lloyd George, which very fortunately was already in steam - this spare loco had been due to go down to Porthmadog and pick up the slate train we had already seen earlier, on its way downhill; instead, it came to our rescue!  

When we reached the station, the change-over was accomplished with the minimum of fuss, and soon we were on our way once more. 

 

 The loco that came to our rescue, David Lloyd George

Travelling round the Deviation Spiral, built between 1965 and 1978, we could see so clearly the ingenuity of those mid-twentieth century railway engineers, allowing the line to traverse Llyn Ystradau (Tanygrisiau Reservoir), created as a lower water storage area for the Tanygrisiau power station. The hydro-electric scheme was proposed by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB), which, from 1958 until privatisation, was responsible for the generation, transmission and sales of electricity in Wales and England.   

We arrived at Bleanau Ffestiniog a little behind schedule; but no-one complained at having had the chance to enjoy extra time on board the Mountain Spirit service.  

Alexandra's turn for a whiff of steam!

All too soon we had to take our seats again in the wonderful observation coach, for the return journey downhill, back to Porthmadog; but how we wished we had had the opportunity to stay longer in Bleanau Ffestiniog, and learn much more about the slate quarrying and how the slates were transported round the world – truly earning the title of “The town the roofed the world!” It has whetted our appetites for an early return visit.

 


Wednesday 9 August 2023

Sunset on the longest day of the year - 21 June, 2023 - Meols Beach, Wirral

Sunset On The Longest Day Of The Year - the Summer Solstice: 

21 June, 2023 - Meols Beach, Wirral

We know the Wirral Peninsular well. When Wendy was little, we lived in Birkenhead, and it was lovely to find the area warmer (thanks to being surrounded by water!) than other areas of England. 

When Wendy's Dad was the Naval Engineer Overseer at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead, we first rented a house in Prenton, and then moved to Raby Mere, but we also got to know the other areas too, and that included Meols (pronounced "MELS") and the beach. 

If the weather is clear, the sunsets can be spectacular; this year found us in the area on the longest day of the year, so Wendy suggested we drive to Meols and watch the sunset, and what a beautiful sight it was. 

We parked up on Meols Parade, by the Sandhey Slipway for boats to get on to the water, and settled down to watch the sun sinking down, slipping towards the horizon.

It was such a balmy evening; the sun sank lower and lower, and then - almost suddenly - at 21.45, it was gone.  

Even though we couldn't see the sun anymore, that didn't mean it was completely dark; as the moon appeared, the sky remained "dusky light," and the harshness of the wind farm was softened by the ambient illumination.

Then the moon shone clearly, and we managed to get a photograph of it, with Venus, the Early Evening Star, visible in the sky a little way away. 

(O du, mein holder Abendstern...)  *

Everything was so still, so quiet; it seemed the hubbub of cities, all the rush and tear, either didn't exist or else were a long way away, and we just enjoyed the quiet peace of the day and the evening.

Afterwards, driving home, we felt really blessed to have been able to see such gentle magnificence - so easily enjoyed, no tickets to buy for the show: just sit still, watch, and appreciate the natural splendour. 

 

* I was reminded of the aria from Tannhauser, paean to the Evening Star. Once, years ago, I went to the Planetarium in Johannesburg, and took my seat in the auditorium. As the lights went down, and the theatre went dark, the seats began to tilt backwards, and O du, mein holder Abendstern started to play. It was very gradual, but soon you were left gazing up at the ceiling of the theatre; I remember being told they had a Zeiss projector, and slowly, very slowly, the stars began show and twinkle in the dusk above us. It was magical! and we mustn't forget the name Evening Star has also been immortalised as a famous steam engine as well...! 

After the show, one of the astronomers invited me to view the stars through one of the largest telescopes I had ever seen. As I searched the night sky, I found Saturn; its rings were almost fully open, and one of the scientists said, "Isn't that pretty!"  

Pretty! I thought that didn't even get close to describe well enough how enchanting I found the planet; it was 887 million miles away, and I was viewing it, from here on earth. It was the first time I had seen it, and it was sailing through the sky in all its elegant splendour. That was a night to remember.

 

 

 

   


Sunday 23 July 2023

Lessons From A Cat: How To Achieve Total Relaxation

Lessons From A Cat: How To Achieve Total Relaxation

 

 

So you think you should learn to relax more

To ease the stresses and strains of the day;

To cast off your cares and your worries,

And not care what people might say?  

You think you might like to try yoga,

Or to a little tai chi you could sway?

There are other new-fangled methods

Waiting for you on the way.

 

But my method is well-tried and simple:

Just put your back legs up in the air;

Lie down and relax, with your arms at full stretch

And then turn your head upside down on the chair!

This exercise is perfect - there's no doubt of that;

The best way to relax, is be more like a cat!


When you are a little more practised, try this:

Not only flat out on my back, but almost upside down as well!