A Day in Doncaster...

My Birthday present to me

This is the home of XH558

It is really at Doncaster Airport - but that does not sound so good so they renamed it...

Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield - of course everyone knows that Robin Hood is a Yorkshire-man and not from Nottingham at all and with Sheffield airport now closed...

XH558 is in the hanger for some TLC

What a very big wing

Now that is a #proper# tailpipe

Andy Marson planned the navigation for the Black Buck missions - and for his pains was secretly moved out to Goose Bay - beyond the reach of both spies and media

The book is on Amazon - here.  What the book does not mention is that, what with aircrew earning less than bus drivers in them mid 1970s round the world Vulcan trips became major trading and import exercises - it is a VERY big bomb bay.

Sum total of the on-board conveniences* - oh and a can heater that, after an hour would just about get to luke warm

*the flight to Moscow was only going to take a few hours - and no one expected to be coming back - so no toilet or galley facilities were included in the design.  There would not have been room anyway as the Vulcan cockpit is an Anti-Tardis - amazingly smaller on the inside given how large it is on the outside.

"RED END POINTS NORTH" Escape and Evasion kit contains a Silva Compass

The Vulcan won many navigation and bombing exercises - beating the best of the B52 fleet - when seeking the secrets of the RAF astro-navigation computer one US crew were directed to the bar where they would find "a fat Welshman" - it was all done by sextant and brainpower - no automatic long distance navigation system was every fitted "if you can win using eye and chart then why go to all that expense..."  It is reported that one B52 mock-bombed the west coast of Ireland instead of Scotland - too much trust in automated technology.

Really - I was very happy just had an awful head cold, recovering from migraine and bruised ribs

A final glimpse - next time XH558 should be airborne- make a date this summer as it might be the last time

Send your money to http://www.vulcantothesky.org/

Lickey Hills - still the same after 36 years

If your shirt is not this mucky - then you were not trying hard enough

I first orienteered on the Lickey Hills back in 1977.  We came in the Cheshire Schools OA coach all the way from Chester.  The cloud base was below the summits, it was cold, raining and blowing a gale - we all thought we were on the side of a mountain in North Wales.  When the mist cleared it was a bit of a surprise to see the Longbridge car plant and all of Birmingham...

Anyway - apart from some felling and regrowth not a lot has changed in the interim 36 years - except that parts of the woodland are now extremely wet and boggy.

Start team are ready - but where are all the punters?

Blue course in 45 minutes - considerably faster than I managed in 1985

Rumour has it I am leading Blue by 5 minutes

Wake up and smell the... what?

"Madagascan wing-fruited coffee".  "What?" "Yes, Madagascan wing-fruited coffee..."

Mostly today I have (helped) save Coffee.

There has been a lot in the news lately about coffee - it is the second most valuable internationally traded commodity - after oil and especially how the most widely planted varieties have very little genetic variability - and associated with this little adaptability when it comes to disease resistance and especially climate change (http://www.channel4.com/news/coffee-dregs-world-supplies-threatened-by-climate-change)

To add to this the wild relative of our commercial coffees are fast heading for extinction so, today I have adopted Madagascan wing-fruited coffee through the Kew Millennium Seed bank - this cost me £25 which seems a bargain.

The Coffea pterocarpa is just one of over 20 Madagascan Coffea species new to science discovered by Kew.

"Help us save Madagascan wing-fruited coffee

Discovered on a Kew expedition on the island of  Madagascar, Coffea pterocarpa, the Madagascan wing-fruited coffee, is one of the most bizarre-looking of all coffee species. You can help Kew safeguard this plant for our future by adopting a seed for yourself, or as a gift for £25.

The Coffea pterocarpa is just one of over 20 Madagascan Coffea species new to science discovered by Kew.

Madagascan wing-fruited coffee (Coffea pterocarpa) was discovered on a Kew expedition to Madagascar in 2000 and is one of the most bizarre-looking species of coffee,"

Read more here


While out and about I am a Costa man, while in the office it is Kenco (we make it, we have machines in the office that grind and infuse the real stuff direct from beans - proper espresso and latte - dangerous).  I can't get excited about Starbucks

Best coffee I have had so far was direct from the estate - I helped with the harvest - in Costa Rica where my guide's family owned and ran the farm.

From Silver to Blue - once more just another pleb

From Silver to Blue - once more just another pleb

My Lufthansa Silver card expires and it is replaced with Blue - all my miles will start to evaporate - and when there is a queue an hour long for the bag drop - I will no longer have the option of using the business check-in, nor when there are delays and cancellations will I get automatically booked on the next flight.

And the embarrassment of presenting a blue card at check-in - hang my head in shame

It was nice while it lasted - and if I was still travelling 80 flights a year I would pay the €500 necessary to keep the card.

1001...

For lunch today I intended to eat - one Aldi pizza - this is 940Kcal plus ~60Kcal for the mayonnaise that I will be adding and nothing for the bag of salad leaves.

I have been told (but don't believe) that pizza is "just empty calories" it is off to the gym @ work for 1000kcal of exercise

It took 58 minutes on the Cybex Arctrainer and the pizza was very nice

 

 

(Snow) parkrunner of the month..

They awarded me (Cannon Hill) parkrunner of the month - for my solo effort last week I think...

I get a free pair of shoes from "The Sweatshop" - where my first orienteering suit and shoes came from back in ~1976.  That was in the days when Nokia did rubber boots and orienteering shoes.

I think I got the award because I was the only runner to record a time last week (the parkrun was abandoned because of ice - but I ran the course in my dobb spikes - recording a personal worst of 23:55

Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner?

It's a poem, short story and film and song (warning - Iron Maiden)



There were lots folks the week before - when it was just snow on the ground:

This is the Cannon Hill parkrun main organiser - having a run for a change.

All photos are copyright: Ed Barlow - EdBarlow888 on Flickr

Update:

Here are my new Adidas shoes - courtesy of The SweatShop

Back in the 1970's the Sweatshop was run by Chris Brasher - and, for orienteering, there were agents around the country selling out of vans and front rooms - my first purchase from Malcom McIver (DEE/NWOA) would have been an orienteering suit and then probably some shoes - that was in the days when Nokia made rubber boots and orienteering gear

London (again) with Miss Dunbar

"Bus driver: gurkha, pax on bus: gurkha, pax getting on bus: gurkha  bus inspector: gurkha.  Only two not-ghurka folks on the bus - me and  Ok so where am I?"

Here we are at Farnborough Station - where the Aldershot bus dropped us off - Qualcomm make my email client of choice: Eudora - fully portable - just copy the directory/folder, works in Linux and Windows and stores everything in plain text - great.

It is going to be another fun day in the capital spending Uncle David's money

Strangely quiet in central London...

From Oslo with thanks: Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree

Oops - I blame the sat nav.  "Look out for yellow bags - when we see ladies with yellow bags we are getting close to Selfridges...

Nice but no price "if you have to ask the price you can't afford it"

(Harrods: Lost deep in the Hello Kitty section with Anna, this feels like expensive... A decides kitty is so last year but a John Galliano top would do nicely, we will take the price tag off before mummy sees it...)

We checked - sadly the rule for school is black and only 50mm heels max - these will just have to wait.

Cheese and ham roll at Selfridges - Uncle David had something is Wasabi in it - a mistake.

Hyde Park - still not recovered from the Olympics.  The Cadbury Treat Hut was close to the little yellow sign.

Oh yes - I do approve

Anna decides that it will be Sushi for supper after all - trusty Nokia to the rescue

A couple of tube journeys were necessary

We did try the proper grown-up chops sticks - not a success

I love conveyor sushi bars - and this was a pretty good one.

Nearly home - We are Exhausted

New Year @ Andersson's

Stunning fireworks but I think the ladies are after something else...

Erik or Chocolate?  Erik & Chocolate?

...and what do you get in the bag?

Travelling First Class with Swiss is great fun - and on certain flights you can do it for just "taxes and charges" plus Lufthansa Miles (135,000 in my case).

Swiss First - BHX to MUSCAT

On my return flight from Muscat (30th December) I was the only passenger in First - so I got the choice of any seat/bed and a welcome greeting provided by the steward's 9 year old daughter, who had come along for a special Xmas trip - three languages spoken and still not 10 years old.

As well as lots of legroom and all you get pyjamas, slippers and a little bag - what does it contain?

SWISS First - Travel Comfort Kit Contents (2012)

• Kleenex
• Throat Sweets
• Hairbrush
• Sleep mask
• Ear plugs
• Socks
• Tooth brush
• Tooth paste
• Hand cream
• Eye contour cream (whatever that is)
• Time release moisturizer (intensive)
• Lip Balm
• Welcome note