10th Feb 2010
We
went
to
see
the
snowdrops
at
Anglesey
Abbey
again.
2nd May 2010
Down
in
Devon
seeing
Agatha
Christie's
place
in
Torquay,
and
where
giant
bears
hibernated
in
Kent's
Caverns
among
other
places.
3rd Jul 2010
A
live
action
adaptation
of
an
earlier
cartoon
series.
The
film
features
the
son
of
a
toy
store
and
his
girlfriend
who
spend
their
time
building
giant
robots,
but
transform
into
Yatterman
1
and
Yatterman
2
when
it's
time
to
go
fighting
evil.
Evil
in
this
film
comes
in
the
attractive
form
of
Lady
Doronjo
who
with
her
evil
sidekicks
are
seeking
some
skulls.
"Yatterman"
isn't
as
artistic
as
some
of
Miike's
films
which
is
say
it
is
quite
watchable.
Besides
the
special
effects
and
costumes
and
sets
he
does
add
a
certain
amount
of
risqueness.
It
is
all
quite
lunatic
and
oddball.
The
film
is
both
a
celebration
of
the
original
"Yatterman"
(and
one
guesses
other
similar
shows,)
but
also
a
critique
of
it.
So
Lady
Doronjo
openly
admits
that
the
'evil'
guys
always
lose,
in
fact
they
normally
lose
because
of
what
they
do
rather
than
the
good
guys
defeating
them.
The
heroes
sing
silly
songs
when
they
win
because
that
is
what
they
do.
11th Jul 2010
In
Cambridge
we
live
on
the
outskirts
of
Fenland.
Originally
marshland
this
was
drained
by
first
wind-driven
pumps
and
then
steam
pumps
(and
then
diesel
and
then
electric
but
they're
less
romantic.)
Stretham
Old
Engine
is
a
surviving
example
of
the
convoluted
steam
pumps
that
bled
the
Fens
dry.
It's
open
for
a
few
days
each
year,
and
I
took
my
father
on
July
11th
as
he
wanted
to
photograph
the
beam
for
one
of
his
slideshows.
The
machinery
itself
is
a
marvellous
puzzle
of
shafts
and
bearings
and
cranks
and
gears
and
things
that
spin
round.
The
massive
main
beam
at
the
top
of
treacherous
staircases
rises
and
falls
very
slowly.
It
is
almost
alive,
a
dinosaur
in
wood
coloured
metal.
Very
inefficient,
the
boiler
relied
on
atmospheric
pressure
to
move
anything.
It
took
a
day
or
two
to
get
steam
up
to
start
the
engine,
and
persuading
the
engine
to
start
pulsating
was
hit
or
miss.
The
electric
motors
which
now
do
the
same
job
are
about
the
same
size
as
a
postbox.
20th Jul 2010
Virginia
and
I
try
to
see
some
open
air
Shakespeare
each
year.
One
feels
for
the
actors
and
actresses
who
perform
in
the
variable
English
weather.
Happily
July
20th
was
a
fine
day
when
we
went
and
saw
"Love's
Labours
Lost"
in
the
gardens
of
Downing
College.
They
hammed
it
up,
but
perhaps
in
Shakespeare's
day
they
hammed
it
up
too.
The
Bard's
plays
should
not
be
treated
as
sacred
texts?
Some
of
the
hamming
up
was
quite
funny
as
when
the
King
of
Navarre
and
his
companions
pretended
to
be
Cossacks.
The
play
itself
has
elements
you
will
find
in
other
Shakespeare
plays
-
bawdy
humour,
feisty
heroines
not
at
a
loss
for
biting
dialogue,
love
befuddled
fools.
It
did
feel
unfinished
because
it
doesn't
all
end
in
the
leads
getting
paired
off.
6th Aug 2010
This
Friday
evening
I
did
something
different.
Rather
than
sleep
in
a
cosy
bed
I
went
out
to
wander
in
the
dark
and
wetness
of
a
rainy
fen.
Welney
WWT
centre
were
having
a
bat
and
barn
owl
evening
where
you
wander
round
with
a
guide
learning
about
bats
and
barn
owls.
The
closest
we
got
to
owls
were
their
pellets,
impressively
sized.
On
bats
we
had
more
luck.
Pipistrelles
were
darting
around
the
centre
as
we
arrived.
In
one
of
the
lookout
points
they
had
an
infrared
camera
set
up
and
you
could
see
Daubentons
flitting
over
the
surface
of
the
pond,
and
pipistrelles
higher
up.
Pipistrelles
need
to
eat
their
own
body
weight
each
night
in
insects,
3000
worth
-
rather
them
than
me.
To
help
us
detect
bats
the
guides
handed
out
bat
detectors
which
turn
the
bat
ultrasonics
into
more
audible
frequencies
-
though
it
seemed
we
were
hearing
insects
more
than
flying
mammals.
The
centre
also
had
a
number
of
moth
traps
around
-
light
traps
and
scent
traps
(the
scent
was
red
wine
mixed
with
sugar.)
There
are
zillions
of
kinds
of
moths,
so
much
so
the
names
lack
a
little
imagination.
Buff
ermine,
poplar
hawk
moth,
lesser
red
underwing,
etc.
The
evening
wasn't
a
complete
success.
The
rain
didn't
help,
and
no
newts
were
visible
in
the
ponds.
But
it
was
something
different
and
there
quite
a
range
of
people
on
it.
Chatted
with
one
guy
who
came
fully
prepared
in
long
waterproofs,
infrared
camcorder,
and
fancy
torch.
The
centre
is
out
in
the
Fens,
and
it
was
a
long
drive
to
get
there,
particularly
as
it
was
dark
and
I
was
unsure
of
the
way,
and
the
roads
were
half-hearted.
At
one
stage
I
found
myself
pursued
by
a
farm
vehicle
in
the
night
-
its
lights
were
like
a
dragon's
breath
hot
on
my
neck!
15th Oct 2010
Virginia
and
I
had
a
long
weekend
in
Stratford-on-Avon.
We
booked
Tabitha
and
Amelia
into
the
Jobil
Cattery
in
Histon
so
not
far
from
us,
and
booked
ourselves
into
"Brook
Lodge",
a
slightly
more
comfortable
Bed
and
Breakfast
place
in
Stratford.
Jobil
Cattery
was
adequate,
perhaps
a
bit
bare
bones,
but
did
for
the
weekend.
True
we
didn't
ask
the
cats
their
opinion!
The
journey
didn't
take
long
to
get
there,
partly
because
all
the
service
stations
we
tried
to
stop
at
for
a
bite
to
eat,
and
a
comfort
break,
were
closed
as
regards
eateries.
In
the
end
we
checked
into
the
guest
house,
then
had
oversize
plates
of
sandwiches
at
the
Bell
Inn
in
Shottery.
15th Nov 2010
A
second
trip
to
New
Zealand
overdoing
it
on
the
Tongariro
Alpine
Crossing,
and
seeing
the
volcanic
White
Island.