Mutterings - May 25

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Anxiety :: Complex
2. Yellow :: River
3. Compulsive :: Tic
4. Nobody :: Knows (.. the trouble..)
5. Irritation :: Sand
6. Heartache :: Insomnia
7. Noise :: Phones (either head or mobile!)
8. Lock :: Head
9. Untimely :: Demise (Belloc?)
10. Disappointment :: Angst

Mutterings - May 8

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Reference :: Dictionary
2. Sleepy :: Dozey
3. Deprived :: Sleep!
4. TNT :: Arabic (numerals - via this incredible (stupid) Petition
5. Complaint :: Back
6. Monthly :: Bill
7. Sarah :: Rachel (Old Testament..)
8. Records :: LPs
9. Butter :: Melt .. Mouth (and wouldn't!)
10. Shone :: Moon

Mutterings - May 5

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Freelance :: Contractor
2. Bottle :: Courage
3. Links :: Missing
4. Choice :: Free
5. Materialistic :: Grasping
6. Case :: Attache
7. Fancy :: Takes (your)
8. Protection :: Climbing
9. Toast :: Burnt
10. Extravagant :: Show-off

Mutterings - Apr 25

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Advice :: Line
2. Volume :: Button
3. Link :: Hyper
4. Learn :: Listen!
5. Save :: Screen
6. Upcoming :: Releases
7. Summer :: 1993 (film..)
8. Always :: Cline (Patsy)
9. 2019 :: Now!
10. Response :: Time

and last week's

1. Boardwalk :: Plank
2. Son :: Prodigal
3. Trampled :: Underfoot
4. 30 :: below
5. Speak :: Easy
6. Fun :: Games
7. Best friend :: Companion
8. Memories :: Cats (oh dear - Lloyd Webber...)
9. Shallow :: Rapids
10. Sun :: Reaction - the way the sun is powered..)

Two Op 1s!

An interesting day musically - piano meetup at z-arts - 4 Rachmaninov preludes by different players, a stunning Berg sonata (Op 1) I've never heard it live before and this was I assume an amateur playing it! Someone else played the first movement of the Beethoven Op 111 sonata- I played some Bach (fugue from WTC in G min we had a lot of that key from various people!) and then in the evening to the Northern chamber orchestra chamber evening with the Mozart clarinet quintet (played with the contrabass clarinet version) some Schubert songs for baritone acc by string quartet - including the Erlkönig (another Op 1!) and then the Schubert string quintet a wonderful performance. The string quintet was interrupted when the second violin's bow broke at the end of the scherzo, but a performance of intensity throughout. The baritone Matthew Sharp doubled as the second cello in the Schubert!

Here's Glenn Gould playing the Berg Sonata

Mutterings - Apr 14

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Economy :: Urban
2. Podcast :: Music
3. Go to :: Unstructured (programming!)
4. Radio :: Gaga
5. Modern :: Harmony
6. Pleasure :: Music for (and old LP label)
7. Everyday :: Interaction (I resisted pleasure!)
8. Last month :: March!
9. Fundamental :: Tone (music again!)
10. 100% :: Give

Mutterings - Apr 5

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Expectation :: Great (Dickens!)
2. Corner :: Case
3. Hesitation :: Deviation (Just a Minute)
4. Buzzing :: Discussion
5. Headache :: Sinus
6. Social :: Circle
7. Insurance :: Home
8. Foolish :: Things
9. Tiara :: Diamond
10. Senator :: Roman

Mutterings - Mar 21

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Combination :: Lock
2. Frustration :: Weep (with)
3. Whatever :: Shrug
4. Backtrack :: Search
5. Shut :: It (Vince!)
6. Beautiful :: Laundrette
7. Mindful ::
8. Master :: Roger (Delgado
9. Contribute ::
10. Idiotic :: Babble

My mind appears to be trawling through film and TV! Rather late to come to this set of words...

Mutterings - Mar 11

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Impatient :: Driver
2. Unplug :: USB
3. Spot on :: Vet treatment
4. Matter :: Mind (over)
5. Grouped :: Isolated
6. Frequently :: Absent
7. Scratching :: Pork!
8. Birthday :: Present
9. Quake :: California
10. Squeak :: Bubble

Mutterings - Feb 28

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Stupid :: Boy! (Dad's Army?)
2. Delete :: This (C++ or hiding traces?)
3. Morning :: has Broken
4. Disassemble :: Decode (as in disassemble a program)
5. Schedule :: Tight
6. Required :: Field (too much form filling)
7. Denied :: Access
8. Calendar :: Julian
9. Wind :: Up!
10. Eyeliner :: Pencil

Mutterings - Feb 18

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Cancellation :: Penalty
2. Suspect :: Interview
3. Fireplace :: Dogs
4. Spring :: Zebedee (magic roundabout strikes...)
5. Commute :: Retire
6. Places :: Recalls (to recognise..)
7. Fraud :: Electoral
8. Adoption :: Meeting (probably political)
9. Election :: Vote
10. Moving day :: Packing cases

Mutterings - Feb 8

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Hurry! :: Late!
2. Dumb :: -o
3. Fudge :: Nut
4. Sturdy :: Theology (I had supervisions with John Sturdy from Gonville and Caius when reading theology)
5. Printing :: Press
6. Itch :: Scratch
7. Creaks :: Bow
8. Paste :: Cut
9. Waste of time :: Country Walk (well according to some - not me!)
10. Let down :: Betray

Mutterings - Jan 30

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Doubled :: Fugue (well double really!)
2. Choreography :: a points!
3. Surprising :: Result
4. Punched :: Card (ancient IT..)
5. Followers :: Twitter
6. Stunts :: Fall
7. Comics :: Daily
8. Elaborate :: Deceit
9. Fumbling :: Climbing
10. Period :: .

Mutterings - Jan 8

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Bias :: Die (a single cube with numbers ;))
2. Boxing :: Day
3. Kennedy :: Dead (occasional pop culture references here..)
4. Podcast :: Music
5. Myth :: Greek
6. Movie :: Star
7. Building :: Empire State (don't think I'd seen the next line?)
8. State :: Galleon - a Joyce Grenfell connection
9. Hotel :: 3 star
10. Book :: Lyrics

1. Scrabble :: Domino (at one point we had cats called Domino and Scrabble)
2. Gin :: Forest
3. Problems :: Emotional (Maths..)
4. Agreement :: (Hand) Shake
5. Superior :: Lake
6. Cough :: Syrup
7. Resolved :: Cadence
8. Joy :: Peace
9. Beginning :: End (of the)
10. Plan :: Map

Retired!

Oh, have I retired! That stage of life was completed at the end of last month ending two and a half years of happy employment at Codethink.

There was bread and cheese followed by a trip to Beatnitz - which had recently opened under Codethink's office. Once I get past Christmas I will (I hope) have a better idea of where things will go next!

Mutterings - Dec 23

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Planned :: Attack
2. Constant :: Gradient
3. Solution :: Clear (chemistry rather than mathematics!)
4. Whine :: Cat
5. Everything :: Meaning of ...42
6. Stick :: Brown (what's brown and sticky...)
7. Measured :: Response
8. Faith :: Constant!
9. People :: Responses
10. Restaurant :: Menu

Mutterings - Dec 21

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Podcast :: Feed
2. Newspaper :: Column
3. Standing :: Room (only!)
4. I don’t know :: Gnosis
5. Hooked :: Angling
6. Height :: Bar
7. Comical :: Situation
8. Couple :: Odd
9. River :: Bank
10. Surprising :: Result

Mutterings - Dec 13

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Podcast :: Music
2. Literally :: Misuse
3. Scratch :: Buffer ( the default emacs situation)
4. Voltage :: High
5. Intense :: Spark
6. Chapped :: Lips
7. Attention :: Seeking
8. Morning :: Glory
9. Exhaustion :: Collapse
10. Mentor :: Software

Mutterings - Dec 7

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Notification :: Emailed
2. Promise :: Keeper
3. Tailor :: Spy (leaping a few in the le Carre sequence)
4. Laughter :: Hysterical
5. Sneeze :: Gesundheit!
6. Forgotten :: (they fly forgotten..) Dream
7. Job :: Employment
8. Shift :: Night (or maybe Red - thinking of the Alan Garner novel set near here..)
9. Criticism :: Just
10. Holiday :: Long

Mutterings - Nov 25

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Hack :: Space
2. Unimpressed :: Sniffy
3. Garden :: Shed
4. Saliva :: Drool
5. Ache :: Back
6. Elect :: Gevernment
7. Format :: A4
8. Temper :: Iron
9. Snail :: Horns
10. Holidays :: Walks!

Tiles

I wanted to have a photo of the new Codethink work offices before I retire at the end of this month to link with this posting back from 2009 of TNEI's offices in Newcastle. Here's the Dale St offices

Green and white used to be very much the fashion, I think I remember similar tiling being present in the Cussons offices in North Manchester where I worked on a project back in 1977?

Mutterings - Nov 17

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Notification :: Email
2. Vote :: early, vote often!
3. Simmer :: Rage
4. Biology :: Textbook
5. Constant :: Planck
6. Nail :: Hammer (I wonder if my previous answer was the mental link of the compiler to 'nail'!?)
7. Filter :: Coffee
8. Curls :: Innocent
9. Sensation :: Pop
10. Strap :: -On (errrmm!)

Mutterings - Nov 4

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Persistence :: Dogged
2. Access :: all areas
3. Pulp :: Fiction
4. Sincere :: Greetings
5. Dog :: Follow
6. Restriction :: Choke
7. Drilling :: Quake ( contentious fracking has recently started in the North west)
8. Pony :: Red (Copland..)
9. Monday morning :: Feeling
10. Retirement :: Nearly there!!! - see the announcement here!

Non-disclosure agreements

As non-disclosure agreements are in the news I thought posting one might add a little information to the discussion. This is an extract from one I was pressured into signing in 2009.

4. The terms of this Agreement are confidential and shall not be disclosed by either party to any third party except:-
4.1 in the case of the Employee his immediate family, provided such person agrees to maintain confidentiality; or
4.2 in either case for the purposes of taking professional advice in relation to this Agreement provided the professional adviser is bound by a duty of confidence; or
4.3 in compliance with any legal obligation to disclose, for example to HM Revenue and Customs or the Compensation Recovery Unit.
5. The parties agree and undertake (in consideration of their mutual promises to that effect) that neither will make or publish any derogatory or disparaging statement or do anything in relation to the other, which is intended to or which might be expected to damage or lower their respective reputations.

You'll see that I shouldn't be posting this (clearly!) but as the other party broke the terms of this (para 5 above) in a private briefing to ex-colleagues the day after it was signed I'm not unduly bothered!

Mutterings - Oct 23

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Bitter :: Herbs (Passover)
2. Sister :: Brother
3. Health :: Service
4. Weekly :: Timesheet (not going to be many more of these for me?!)
5. Theory :: Relativity
6. Innocent :: Pope
7. Bar :: Barrister
8. Conditional :: if () ...
9. Basement :: Department store
10. Rehab :: Drugs

catching up again...

1. Peaceful :: Vista
2. Halloween :: nearly birthday!
3. Wave :: o/ (IRC..)
4. Always :: Present
5. Blow out :: Straw
6. Rumors :: Nasty
7. Family :: Commit
8. Unwanted :: Approach
9. Love :: Actually
10. Cubicle :: Work (but never had one inflicted on me)

Mutterings - Oct 10

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Unexpected :: Arrival
2. Register :: Fast (a computing connection)
3. Argument :: Parameter (ditto!)
4. Calendar :: Mayan
5. Breakfast :: Croissant
6. Crossed :: Purposes
7. Sticker :: Laptop (my work one has a few!)
8. Simplistic :: Wrong (but what do I know!)
9. Jingle :: Bells! (a bit early..but advertising is prob not UK common parlance)
10. Cornerstone :: Faith (1 Peter in New Testament)

Granada and Málaga

My line manager is Spanish and I've had a standing invite to go and work at his house in Málaga for a few days and this year once the hot weather had mostly receded, Beth and I took up the kind offer. We flew initially to Granada and had a couple of days with a trip round the Alhambra and then a bus ride to Málaga and some work. Though it wasn't without enjoying the beach side location and the chiringuitos (restaurants along the shore). Some warm weather away from the rain that week - and some serious unrushed conversations. The photo album is here and there were the sardines..

- lots of great memories from both parts of the trip.

Mutterings - Sep 30

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Secure :: https
2. Untamed :: Lion
3. Private :: Parts (I'm hoping this is C++!!)
4. Blue :: Bottle
5. Total :: Crash
6. Scrunch :: Biscuit (biting into?)
7. Supply :: Power
8. Ill-fitting :: Trousers (mine are a lot better these days!)
9. Aches :: Shoulder (and various other places I threw myself out of bed a few days ago - in a nightmare)
10. Warranty :: Time limited (money trap..)

Mutterings - Sep 23

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Frustration :: Scream
2. Lame :: Limp (also audio converter!)
3. Hungry :: Scavenge
4. Activity :: Monitor
5. Miss :: Hit (I fear that's Juke Box Jury..)
6. Butter :: Ram (too much crossword solving)
7. Creative :: Mind
8. Edited :: Second chance
9. Heat :: Seal
10. Insistent :: Ache

Mutterings - Sep 20

Last week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Flood :: Spam!
2. Enjoyable :: Trip (just had one!)
3. Fan :: Spanish (saw them!)
4. Dart :: Feathers
5. Idiotic :: Ove (saw the film 'A Man called Ove' last night)
6. Smell :: Ripe
7. Mistake :: Backspace
8. Grumble :: Stomach
9. Fear :: Freeze
10. Burn :: Barbeque

Chetham's Piano Summer School

I've recently returned from a week at the Chetham's Summer School for Pianists. I've not been before and was treated as a unseasonal Christmas/birthday present from Beth.
It takes the form of a number of lessons with an assigned teacher - I was on the amateur course though I don't think there's a hard and fast division between that and the more skilled course. There are 2 or more (piano!) concerts every night and possibly a talk. There's workshops in the afternoons and you are assigned a practice room which I shared with 2 others though we never saw one of the people and clashes were not a problem. The practice piano was a little bright and I often found a teaching room that wasn't being used.

I booked late and being local I decided to attend as a non residential. This involved a lot of early morning travel and as the course was over the bank holiday and I was trying to use the train things were a little disruptive, also concerts often went on after the last train, so I missed some of these, though the days were very intensive so an early night was welcomed! My lessons were with Marta Karbownicka. I brought along a number of pieces that were in various stages and found the lessons of benefit in all cases - well apart from one where my playing and understanding of the piece just fell apart (the Fauré 11th Nocturne) but the Mompou, Scriabin, Ravel and even the Rachmaninov Etude that I've been given by my teacher - maybe as summer work - so was at an early stage - went well. There were also workshops with Marta. All the lessons and workshops are open so you can benefit from teaching from a whole range of very experienced, and in some cases, very well known pianists.

Frances Wilson gives some useful advice on preparing and attending. There are a huge number of attendees, maybe it's more useful to be residential so you get to know people more quickly especially over meals! I spent the last night with a room I requested during the course so I could hear all the last nights events - including the cabaret - which in some years has gone on until 1am - thankfully not this year!

I found that a lot of the larger workshops on the amateur course clashed with my lessons/teacher workshops so I missed on some of the experience on playing to larger groups but I was kept very busy. Before I went I thought that asking for a 2 hour use of a practice room was hopelessly ambitious. But lots of practice was done - with an absence of most other distractions and my playing improved. I also had useful discussions with Marta over repertoire for the ARSM diploma I'm hoping to take.

Maybe more reflections to be added - work in progress!

Mutterings - Sep 1

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Mayor :: Casterbridge (never read it!)
2. Caller :: Hello..
3. Escape :: Great
4. College :: Days (the Tom Lehrer song!)
5. Nice job! :: Stand back!
6. Game over :: Collapse
7. Hesitate :: Lost
8. Land :: Rover
9. Roommate :: Compatible (ah college 'marriages'!)
10. Major :: Domo (Strauss Rosenkavalier)

Mutterings - Aug 29

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Disappointment :: Valley (I thought this was Bunyan but it appears to be a recent film!)
2. Resources :: Library
3. Steady :: Turn (as she goes..)
4. Team :: Building
5. Barge :: Horse (to pull one)
6. Issues :: Nit-picking
7. Engagement :: Calendar
8. Folks :: Museum (probably bastardised German?)
9. Supervision :: Weekly (college days..)
10. Stream :: Live

I've been very busy - still catching up! Hopefully a post will appear on the past week

CADES

I don't think I'd seen this wikipedia page on CADES before. I'd nearly forgotten the project name - I worked on this back in the early days of it in 1971 as a pre-university trainee and then in the summer vacs. I'd started off at ICL helping with simulation programs written in Beta/S1 - S1 was the forerunner of S3, I don't think there was an S2? Ostech was a small department of around 16 so working there was a great experience! In the summer vacs once we were back in Kidsgrove (we'd moved at one stage to Coptall house in Newcastle) I looked after the submission of jobs by developers into the CADES database. I see the wikipedia page labels it as a version control system and a means of validating the design

The CADES design approach, called Structural Modelling, was rigidly data-driven and hierarchical, and expressed in a formal design language, SDL. Design specifications written in SDL were processed by the Design Analyser, before being input to the CADES Product Database

. I think I once had the Computer Weekly articles referenced in that article but I suspect they've long since been lost.
Whilst there I also had an early computer keyboard/monitor on my desk, I've searched for pictures but so far failed, it had 3(?) big white push transmit buttons beneath the screen as well as a conventional keyboard. There were also the delights of using an acoustic modem and hand card punches! One of these!

Mutterings - Aug 21

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Dating :: App
2. Path :: Executable (computing as ever..)
3. Scorn :: Laugh
4. Gel :: Hair
5. Simple :: Simon
6. You :: Toi
7. Climb :: Route (rock climbing..)
8. Number :: Four (but was tempted by anaesthetic!)
9. Short :: Fzzt! (electrical!)
10. Hell :: Handbasket

Mutterings - Aug 13

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Original :: Release
2. Vent :: Fume
3. Screw :: Brass
4. Type :: Face
5. Odor :: Body
6. Lazy :: Bastard
7. Release :: Open (some gates)
8. Status :: Return (computing..)
9. Architect :: System
10. Management :: Dilbert

Mutterings - Aug 4

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. 2 weeks :: Holiday - I've just been calculating the holiday days left from work after taking Christmas into account!
2. Accrued :: Credit
3. Delighted :: Expression
4. Facilitate :: Scheme (possibly in a bad sense!)
5. Boredom :: Ennui - and reminded of France s'est ennui (grammar?) in early '68
6. Scarce :: Make (oneself)
7. Poised :: to leap
8. Family :: History
9. Backtrack :: Think twice
10. Retirement :: Imminent!

Mutterings - Jul 29

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Rude :: Gesture
2. Banana :: Palma (Canaries where we saw lots on trees!) I also wonder at the conjunction of rude and banana..
3. Crunch :: Breakfast
4. Unappealing :: Mixture (of food)
5. Pink :: Hippopotamus (disney I think..)
6. Saliva :: Spit
7. Like :: Simile
8. Lunar :: Module
9. Pine :: Long (as in pine for..)
10. Slippery :: Customer

Mutterings - July 15

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Submit :: Job (ancient terminology for having programs run on mainframes?)
2. Legal :: Verbiage (sorry!)
3. Ball :: Chain
4. Nurse :: Nurse!
5. Flags :: Paving
6. Depart :: Le (last movement of Britten's Les Illuminations - though I see there's no definite article!)
7. Memorized :: Difficult
8. Bullying :: Cyber
9. Empowered :: Affirmed
10. Construct :: Mental

Around the Riviera

On our last day - a day in Menton where we were staying at the Prince de Galles - good, modern but a bit of a long walk to the centre - we took the train to Monaco and spent the morning looking around the old town - see the album for the trip for a few photos. Back to Menton and I had an afternoon around the old town enjoying the architecture and colours before enjoying a lavender and mango ice-cream outside the Jean Cocteau museum - camp? never! - alas I didn't get inside.


I waited for Beth to get from the hotel and we then looked around the Basilique St Michel - it has a long lunchbreak.. not opening until 3:30 - and then made plans for an early evening (well 7pm) meal at Martin et fils restaurant next to the Menton market. This place isn't mentioned in the InnTravel notes but we'd recommend it! Good veggie menus and the main meateater enjoyed a whole Dorade!

Down to Menton

The next day was the final long walk from Sospel to Menton (or at least from where the taxi dropped us at the Col de Castillon -giving us a helping hand).

From there we walked up to the Baisse de Scuvion:



we then had a route finding discussion where - fortunately - I was overruled - there were 5 of us at this point so lots of comparing notes! There was then a gentle descent to the Col St Bernard. Not gentle enough , and the notes said Careful I wasn't and tripped over my walking poles and ended up full length on the ground! - the 'careful' was on route finding rather than any tricky underfoot stages! I was very grateful that I'd been walking along with another party as I would have been otherwise on my own. I was rather bruised but managed to continue on the steeper downward section to the coast. And it was a steep descent and a dodgy walk through an underpass under a motorway. But then the Menton seafront and cafes restored us. That evening we ate at A Braijade Meridiounale flaming skewers in the old town. Definitely worth the experience, we were given too many digestifs and made our way unsteadily back to the hotel.

Here's the street containing the restaurant:

alas my phone focussing...

To Italy

On the day in Sopel I ended up doing a walk I didn't intend - or most of it! There's an easier walk but I ended up on the Piène Haute walk and followed it as far as the Italian border when I returned by the way I came. The day before we'd commented that we hadn't done a walking trip in Italy so this walk nearly changed that!

Border posts are a little less active than they were post Schengen:

1943 was when Italy changed sides and supported the Allies. The walk was pleasant and shady with views over the river canyons. It appears that I made the right decision to turn around at the border as another party found the rest of walk was difficult route finding.

Afternoon was spent at the hotel admiring the views of the mountains and Sospel. We had mixed views about the hotel, beautifully situated, food was good but the management was a little off-hand (at least to us!). There were now 4 Inntravel parties all heading to Menton the next day so the evening was spent finding each other and deciding who was going in what order!

The GR52A over to Saorge

So the next day was the longest walk of the holiday, an early breakfast and then repeating the ascent I'd done the day before - I did wonder whether I should have taken a tent and camped out the day before!



The ascent was successfully negotiated and half way through the morning I was overtaken by other (younger!) Inntravellers, though we kept more or less together for the rest of the walk - it helped to pace me. The picture above is from the Baisse d'Anan at 1555m - another steep uphill scramble before these wonderful views. We found golden retrievers up there with bells on their collars - clearly sheep herders though a border collie appeared to be doing most of the work! We stopped for lunch further down. Alas there weren't the flower filled Alpine pastures that we'd seen on Saturday. We carried down to the small town of Saorge and I was pleased to have made the walk in just over 6 hours - when the walk notes suggested 8 hours. This gave us more time for a look around the very scenic Saorge.



Not only houses like the above but being nestled in a high valley, if you do this route try to take the time - even if tired!! - to walk around the village. You'll get views like this from just below:



There was then drinks at the Cafe Heinz and a taxi transfer to the Auberge Provencale in Sospel. A hotel just out of the town but with excellent views over it.

Two Walks

The next day I decided upon 2 walks - the first was of the InnTravel suggested walks around La Brigue to Notre Dames des Fontaines - linked to the French wikipedia page the English version has far less information. This was an amazing place with 15th/16th C frescoes. My pictures weren't good so here's a documentary (in french) off youtube - even if your French is not good the pictures are amazing!



It's a relatively short walk from La Brigue - the church is open at 10am and there's an entrance charge of 4€. I then walked back to the village for lunch - there's a Sunday market.

After lunch I wanted to check out the steep section of the GR52A that was the (longer) walk for the next day. As I would be on my own I wanted to be comfortable with the initial challenge without having to be concerned about the time. I almost gave up there's some very punishing climbing - I'd decided I'd had enough and with the phone checked out google maps and discovered I was 200m from the first Baisse (col) and the Inntravel walking instructions said the last 150m were level so I staggered round the corner and it was true! I returned fortunately getting off the exposed bit before rain and a thunderstorm arrived!



It was a useful reconnoitre to also make sure of the route-finding!

Vallée des Merveilles

The next day - as an extra - paid for at the hotel, we set off early for a trip to the Vallée des Merveilles where we were led - very well and knowledgeably by Sebastien the son of the hotelier - a photographer and guide. We weren't certain what we were going to see but a spectacular day was much enjoyed with the high mountains, the wildlife - ibex, chamois and marmots, alpine flowers, the Bronze Age carvings and the walks.



you can just see a marmot relaxing with a mountain view in the picture.

The Vallée was around a 30 minute drive from our hotel - a 4x4 being essential - the tour started with walks in the meadows viewing flowers and wildlife then up to the higher area to see the carvings (and lunch) and finally a tricky descent through snow back to the vehicle - it was early in the season hence still some snow. We heard a lot about the history - both of the groups who carved the images and of their discovery and preservation from our guide. We'd recommend the trip! You can see more images of the day if you visit the picture and click the 'Vallée des Merveilles' tag.

Mutterings - Jun 25

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Spring :: Zebedee!! - The Magic Roundabout - 441 episodes!
2. Glasses :: Case (usually misplaced)
3. Temporary :: Block (must be some internet thing..)
4. Event :: Book
5. Contract :: Employment
6. Memory :: Lapse
7. Tape :: Cassette
8. Cage :: 4' 33" (John Cage inevitably)
9. Inspire :: Concentrate (slow breathing)
10. Corrupt :: Hierarchy

La Brigue

Another year, another holiday and again an InnTravel walking tour, the Maritime Alps walking to the coast.


The holiday - after a flight to Nice - started in La Brigue - unfortunately Beth had twisted her ankle in a practice walk before we left - so I did much of the walking alone while she indulged in gentler occupations. I spent a pleasant in a short walk around La Brigue while we both considered the next day's excursion to the Vallée des Merveilles. The album for the holiday is here - a little more tagging needs doing but I think it's all there.

We stayed at the Hotel Mirval for 3 nights (taking an extra night to get our bearings). Some hotel facilities were a bit basic but the food and the welcome was good. And then there were the views from our room...

Mutterings - June 14

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Late :: Dead
2. Encourage :: Befriend
3. Patience :: Spider (the card connection)
4. Loss :: First (piano piece by Schumann)
5. Favor :: Curry
6. Annoying :: Whine (must be the air conditioning in the new offices!)
7. Dealbreaker :: Betrayal
8. Staple :: Diet
9. Consume :: Soup (and there's a first read of that as consommé!)
10. Validation :: Support

Beyond Inclusion: Part One - Lizzie Lowe's Story - Growth but at a price

An interview with the vicar of St James and Emmanuel Didsbury about their response and growth towards inclusion following the death of Lizzie Lowe. Their church's silence on difficult matters of sexuality led Lizzie to believe that she coud not be loved by them or by God as a young gay person. They realised they needed to change. This is worth the watch and consideration. Read more on the church's acions and her story at st james and emmanuel

Mutterings - June 9

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Fanatic :: Wild-eyed
2. Rise :: Sun
3. Ache :: Heart
4. Oh oh oh :: how good is the Lord (very 60s-ish chorus)
5. Chips :: with everything
6. Best of :: Luck
7. Lost :: Souls (Gogol)
8. Gamble :: Dostoyevsky (obviously on a russian novel track!)
9. Longing :: for home
10. Crowd :: Threatening (resists Madding!)

Fosdem 2018

This is going back a bit but earlier this year I went to FOSDEM in Brussels and this is my report for work on what I saw and heard.

I spent Saturday in the community dev room some interesting thoughts on building and supporting open source communities.
- Talk by Riccardo Iaconelli on Italy as hacker friendly, he described the policy all municipality projects are open source
https://developers.italia.it/ some discussion on how to encourage small municipalities to make source open
when those who are 'not our electors' get it for free
- An entertaining talk by Brian Proffitt of Redhat on Media 101 for communities - how to get the
message across to more than just the echo chamber.
- Then Kevin Fleming of Bloomberg on Software philanthropy for all - a talk about how they engage their
staff in volunteer community projects. Running a git event in New York they found that it helped their volunteers' cross project communications. `Pick what you're good at not what's shiny`
SeeKevin on Twitter
- A talk by Jeremy Garcia not so interesting but a nice demo of MeasuerOSS
> don't consider what you want to measure but what you want to accomplish
- Draws veil over the community karaoke and dancing (relieved to see this wasn't recorded) - but there was an advert for [FrOSCon](https://www.froscon.de/) which they emphasised takes place in warmer weather!
- Finally a talk by Vicky Brasseur on `Passing the baton' on planning for succession
Wikipedia page on succession planning implies only leaders need this - not true - described 'bus factor', How frequent interchange of roles prevents ruts, reduces load (by more knowing)
increases motivation. She moved rather quickly. Limit tenure for role (because you then have backup if you move on)
Slides (and notes) at succession planning

Sunday I was in the Distros devroom, far too much light coming from the back to see many slides.
- A talk from Andrej Shadura of Collabora (he wanted to do a LAVA talk but it wasn't accepted)
Talked about [apertis.org](apertis.org) a weird mix of Ubuntu and Debian
- Richard Brown on Distributions are not democracies. Beneficiaries of an open project are not the users but the contributors/maintainers
Differentiated between projects which reinforce the status quo (eg Apache, Ubuntu) and those having technical
committees which are less 'controlled' by the organisation. Usually the motivated rather than the better solutions win?
'democracy is the art & science of running the circus from the monkey cage' HL Mencken. Appeared to want democracy and yet..
- Others with more background have commented on Tristan's talk.

Touristy photos
Ate more waffles than last year.

Adding some culinary comments later.. ah yes at last - the first evening we ate Chez Leon - - mussels! Then asagain as the previous year it was to the Sushi train at Kabuki and the last evening we ate somewhere Brazilian near the Codethink hotel - I stayed elsewhere this year, slightly quieter and breakfast was included!

Flaky rocks

Here's my latest terragen render

rather too flaky the rocks? maybe I should calm down that shader a bit?

Wonders why the picture doesn't show - if you click on the image it will download!

Mutterings - May 22

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Justice :: (like a ) Rolling Stream - old testament - I see I've conflated the justice and righteousness bits.
2. Fireball :: Comet
3. Hip :: Surgery
4. Click :: Billiards
5. Leak :: Government (sometimes deliberately...)
6. Weekly :: Time Sheet
7. Instagram :: Photo
8. Massage :: Stretch
9. Reference :: Employment (I'm getting beyond some of these links soon..)
10. Wedding :: Royal - of course - though I didn't watch any of it live, I had a dental appointment!

Mutterings - May 15

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Concentrated :: Acid
2. Move ahead :: Police (instruction)
3. Weird :: Nights (misremembering the Wild Nights movement of Adams Harmonium!)
4. August :: birthdays (my mother and my daughter)
5. Fresh :: Lemons
6. Actually :: Present
7. Program :: (args) a faulty syntax piece of pascal programming language!
8. Finder :: Keeper
9. Disclaimer :: Legal
10. May :: Night - not quite nights but more music - this time a Rimsky-Korsakov opera!

Teaser Tuesday - May 15

The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

Shelley and Stanley passed a joint between them and we all drank tea and talked and then went out and stood crowded on their tiny balcony to watch the muted sunrise through columns of blown rain. It was a good night.

from Gwendoline Riley's Cold Water our book group book of March, I selected this having been asked for a book of local interest. This book of a worker in a Manchester Northern Quarter bar with an ex-boyfriend in Macclesfield appeared to fit the bill! I was though one of the few who enjoyed the book - a bit dank and dismal but wonderful observations!

Mutterings - May 10

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Capsule :: Gemini (age!)
2. ZZZs :: Snores
3. Reprimand :: Disciplinary
4. Democratic :: Oath
5. Wrist :: Slap
6. Spiked :: Drink
7. Sick :: Cat
8. Lipstick :: Purple
9. Surround :: Sound
10. Census :: Bethlehem

Mutterings - Apr 29

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Kitchen :: Sink
2. Luck :: Beginner's (Rabbit?)
3. Ball :: Cock (sorry - but I'm sure mine is linked to sinks and plumbing!)
4. Master :: Draughtsman (or in IT git master - version control..)
5. Chocolate :: Bunny
6. Avoid :: Skid
7. Tired :: and emotional (George Brown I think?)
8. Sleepy :: Dopey (we're considering meeting room names in the new work offices and there's 7 rooms so one submitted suggestion was..)
9. Diet :: Calorie
10. Top :: MOnitor system (top is a Linux command for displaying machine hogs)

Mutterings - Apr 18

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Frustration :: Bang (the table)
2. Mistaken :: Identity
3. Twirl :: Give us a ...
4. Constipation :: Bloat
5. Purple :: Haze
6. Phone :: Message
7. Frizz :: Hair
8. Sequel :: Suspense
9. Ache :: Tooth (muttered with feeling)
10. Fat :: Subcutaneous

Mutterings - Apr 3

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Error :: Message
2. Kitty :: Malone (web searches...)
3. Delay :: Timing
4. Scale :: Model
5. Calculation :: Geometric
6. System :: Failure
7. Innovation :: Brilliant
8. April :: Shower
9. Comforter :: Spirit (Holy)
10. Frustrating :: Lost

Glacial Firefox

Recently my firefox installation here on the desktop has started behaving very oddle. It's running very slowly and even going to one tab and then returning to the previous one at that point refreshing the webpage happens (apparently) very slowly - this occurs even for the 'blank' tab. I'm running the beta and am on 60.0b8. The menus are fine it's just displaying content. I've restarted several times and the beta has also upgraded - also involving a restart. This is with Ubuntu 17.10 and I see I'm not the only one with this problem seeing a discussion on the mozilla.support.firefox newsgroup - and in the other case the problem is with a Windows installation. It takes over 10 seconds to display the 'blank' page- weird, about to try a restart without addons. Even posting this blog firefox sits down for a rest every few words.
PostScript..I've restarted without addons which makes a little difference but still c 10 sec to display an already opened 'New Tab' tab.

Mutterings - Apr 2

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Food :: Hall
2. Storm :: Warning
3. Install :: Screen
4. Report :: School
5. Dream :: Wet
6. Analysis :: Structural
7. Redirect :: Browser
8. 78 :: No idea (oh
9. Weather :: Balloon
10. Protect :: Trade

Mutterings - Mar 26

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Impose :: Mountain
2. Surreal :: Fish
3. March :: 4:4
4. Optimism :: Blind
5. Conference :: Call
6. Matter :: Mind
7. Believing :: Faith
8. I :: am.
9. Brace :: Teeth (impending trips to the dentist but not for one of these!)
10. Fortune :: Cookie

(catching up!)

Teaser Tuesday - Mar 18

The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

I've not done one of these for a bit, but am enjoying this book!

She changed tack. "This watch is for Anna's own good, to disentangle her from her web of deceit

From The Wonder Emma's Donoghue's novel of moral complexity in 19th century Ireland.

Mutterings - Mar 18

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Prestigious :: tateur (completing the magician word in french!)
2. Guilt :: Shame
3. Booth :: Peanuts (the psychiatrist is IN)
4. Ambiance :: Soothing
5. Import :: Package (python language idiom)
6. Crisp :: Quentin
7. Show :: Light
8. Warm :: Fuzzies (I see it's in various web dictionaries)
9. Flapping :: Tent
10. Surge :: Tidal

Dawn on the way to the station

I'm still doing some early mornings, usually catching the 7:30 train into work and sometimes the dawn is worth a picture!

I seem to have missed out on pictures during the cold spell!

Mutterings - Mar 6

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Favorite book :: Well thumbed (evading challenge - though for me an impossible request)
2. Every day :: Prayers
3. Believe it :: See it
4. Up :: Down
5. Life :: Lesson
6. Exercise :: 108 steps
7. Week 1 :: January!
8. Country :: Walking
9. Quality :: Street (sorry!)
10. Favorite movie :: Classic (these words sound like a means of extracting password recovery questions :-))

Mutterings - Mar 4

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Awesome :: Experience
2. Race :: (not always to the ) Swift
3. Pear :: Sorbet
4. Unintentional :: Accident
5. Cough :: Wheeze
6. Repeat :: Mark (in music)
7. Aching :: Void
8. Vibrate :: Sympathetic
9. Tooth :: Ache
10. Insult :: Rage

Mutterings - Feb 25

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Blood :: Libel
2. Tip :: a Wink
3. Sign :: Road
4. Necklace :: Pearl
5. Freaking :: Out
6. Jelly :: Donut
7. Rubber band :: Snap!
8. Coast :: West (train line...)
9. Wait :: Stand (those who stand and wait..)
10. Pressure :: Point

Mutterings - Feb 18

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Foundation :: Church's (one)
2. Clues :: Trail
3. Jump :: Ski
4. Matter :: Anti-
5. Happening :: 60's
6. Addiction :: Cocaine
7. Acronym :: TLA
8. Falter :: Horse
9. Concussion :: Fall
10. Historic :: (Sexual) Abuse

FOSDEM

Last weekend I was at the FOSDEM (the Free and Open Source Software Developers European Meeting - the FOSDEM website appears not to explain the acronym?) conference in Brussels with rather a lot (42!) of work colleagues.

I went to lots of talks, enjoyed the atmosphere, ate waffles, beer and had good meals in various Brussels eateries. I hope a report will appear here as an expansion of the summary I wrote on the company wiki!

I was there last year as well but a report doesn't appear to have reached this blog, maybe if I do that other entry that'll make up for the omission?

Mutterings - Feb 11

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Tradition :: History
2. Download :: Cache (avoids history again!)
3. Heroic :: Sacrifice (I'm sure I didn't see the next line!)
4. Sacrifice :: Fire
5. Forever :: Young
6. Backtrack :: Search
7. Release :: Beta
8. Pay :: Pal
9. Fear :: Outstare
10. Jingle :: Bells

Mutterings - Jan 30

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Adopt :: Kitten
2. Summary :: Execution
3. Intuition :: Feminine
4. Tears :: Drop (slow-ly) - I see it's a Gibbons' madrigal
5. Folly :: Castle
6. Advanced :: Course
7. Debt :: Prison
8. Sorrow :: Loss
9. Early :: One Morning
10. Flaw :: Diamond

Water surface and terragen

A recent terragen render - this took a couple of days to complete. I'm still on terragen 3 and intending an upgrade when I can get around to adding some extra memory to the desktop! Maybe it needs a few more textures that rock is a little too uniform?
Terragen is a Windows application but it runs happily under Wine.

Mutterings - Jan 28

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Transparency :: 35mm
2. Dream :: Live (the)
3. Delayed :: Train
4. Spit :: Polish
5. 1984 :: (Winston) Smith
6. Suitcases :: Wheeled
7. Polish :: Mazurka (resists Spit!)
8. Medical :: Emergency
9. Martial :: Arts
10. Parents :: Memories

Mutterings - 17 Jan

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Train :: of thought
2. Anxiety :: High
3. Wasted :: Starved
4. Bread :: Olives
5. Open face :: sandwich
6. Cheese :: Straws
7. Booth :: Supermarket (oh ok Booth's)
8. Line :: Hold
9. Weird :: Sister
10. Mattress :: Sleep

I see that with the increase in tweet size, this complete list could be tweeted!

Mutterings - Jan 14

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Prompt :: Payment
2. Thanks :: a million
3. Play :: School
4. Long lasting :: Relief (was it from cold germs?)
5. Enter :: Friend (actually 'Speak Friend and Enter')
6. Contract :: Arctic (Ice)
7. Substantial :: Downpayment
8. Alert :: Flashing
9. Swipe :: Left
10. Resist :: Yes!

Mutterings - Jan 2

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Stubborn :: Argument
2. Resolve :: Firm
3. Pain :: Back
4. Winnings :: Claim
5. House :: Ownership
6. Joints :: Embrocation
7. Slide :: Trombone
8. Phone :: Flip-top
9. Dream :: Perchance (to)
10. Tip :: per-cent

Mutterings - Dec 26

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Cheap :: ..at half the price
2. Brace :: Pheasants
3. Delicate :: Flower
4. Era :: Classical
5. Naked :: Embrace
6. Bad TV :: Cliche
7. Gift :: Tree
8. Forgive :: Letting go
9. Staple :: Diet
10. Last :: some film ( was thinking of something other than Jedi and failing to remember but the web is not helpful)

Mutterings - Dec 26 - part 1

This week's (well last week's actually!) free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Giving :: Loving
2. Incredible :: Twosome (not sure, but it's not a good combination to websearch!)
3. Backing :: Group
4. Verb :: Passive
5. Turning :: World (at the still point of the ... (Eliot))
6. Escalator :: Up
7. Itchy :: Feet
8. Glass :: Hydrometer
9. Hydrate :: (umm see previous) Emergency
10. Solution :: Alkali

Mutterings - Dec 17

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Timing :: Bomb
2. Anxiety :: High
3. Experience :: Insight
4. Polka :: Dots
5. Wax :: Ruby
6. Wired :: Sound
7. Broke :: Fracture
8. Salt :: Wound
9. Crocodile :: Tears
10. Navigator :: Henry

Discovery Day

Last weekend I made the trip down to Cheltenham for Inntravel's discovery day. I wanted to see a wider range of what they had to offer - readers of this blog will know we've used them for holidays quite a few times in the past 10 years. Also they were offering discounts for holidays booked on the day!

I saw this which looked very much like somewhere we stayed when on La Palma - though maybe lots of houses on that island are similar. I've since also discovered that my ex project manager's sister knows the person responsible for tourism on La Palma..

Mutterings - Dec 10

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Waning :: Moon
2. Constant :: Craving (kd lang)
3. Beginning :: Genesis
4. Boyfriend :: Young love!
5. Gain :: Loss (and St Paul..)
6. Unsure :: Danger
7. Fly :: Fishing
8. Remove :: Bunter!
9. Cancelled :: Cheque
10. Interest :: Bank

Mutterings - Dec 3

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Run out :: Cricket
2. Whisperer :: Horse
3. Collide :: Dynamics (remembering O level courses!)
4. Worth :: Jobs
5. Fuck :: Hell
6. Mild :: Bitter
7. Chapped :: Lips
8. Hope :: Centre (a local Christian initiative)
9. Itch :: 7 year (never seen it!)
10. Face :: Emacs font

Mutterings - Nov 26

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Sprain :: Ankle
2. Hesitation :: Deviation (the Just a Minute programme)
3. Navigator :: Compass
4. Supplied :: Generosity
5. Wow! :: Open-mouthed
6. Breaking :: the Silence
7. sigh :: IRC (I seem to attract these)
8. Justice :: Integrity
9. Everything :: Belongs (a Richard Rohr book)
10. Chapped :: Lips

Mutterings - Nov19

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Prayer :: Lord's
2. Rerun :: Peanuts (a character in the cartoon)
3. Blue :: Joni (Mitchell!) - not that song but another from the album in an early version with interestingly different words!
4. Chat :: Chad
5. Boycott :: Geoff
6. Design :: Broken (by)
7. Paste :: Cut (and)
8. Backspace :: Key
9. Connections :: Long term (I met someone this week I'd been in contact with for 40 years but had never -as far as I remember - met)
10. Reality :: Light

Mutterings - Nov 12

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Deleted :: Expletive (that's going back a bit!!)
2. Fire! :: Works!
3. Sirens :: Blest pair (not sure I know the Parry work!)
4. Review :: Peer
5. Stutter :: Fault (machinery does this too!)
6. Prevention :: Cure
7. Omit :: Details
8. Building :: Land
9. Formatted :: Email
10. Undisclosed :: Truth

Mutterings - Nov 5

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Daddy :: Bear
2. Today :: Newspaper (a few years ago!)
3. Make up :: Bag
4. Squeezing :: Toothpaste
5. Incredible :: String Band
6. Bare hands :: Strangle
7. Memory :: Checking
8. News :: Desk
9. Instrument :: Piano
10. Slide :: Trombone (going with the previous!)

Prague and ELCE

I wrote something for work about my recent trip to Prague for a Linux Embedded conference. Here's a slightly augmented version with more pictures and restaurant locations!



A number of us have returned from ELCE last week in Prague, some of my
thoughts follow:

Most of my time was devoted to participation at the CIP booth and demos
of the board-at-desk software. Sunday was mainly occupied setting up
those demos, Agustin & I did a talk through of b@d to CIP folk with a demo of
the software. We'd intended to run a tutorial of installation of the
application but - in view of networking issues on the conference wifi -
it was just as well that this was cancelled. It was good to meet some
of the cip folk who had only previously been IRC nicks. I expect the
tutorial will eventually be presented here as well as being made
available to a wider non-Codethink audience. We had lunch at a Veggie restaurant Mlsná kavka close to the Hilton where the conference took place. The restaurant's 'about' page is worth a read on their social concern. In the evening we ate at Zlaty Dvur in the old town, live jazz but the food was ok but not great.

Monday was spent making sure the demo worked at the booth - fortunately
my accommodation was close to the conference so I could return & use
that wifi and rule out any unhelpful things that the venue was doing to
the network. In the end I had to use my phone as a wifi hotspot in order
to demo successfully. In the evening I ate at La Boca a Spanish/Argentinian eaterie where I also had a couple of breakfasts as I wasn't staying at a hotel.

On Tuesday a CIP talk where it was good to see our afternoon's demos
advertised on a slide - someone was obviously paying attention to my
emails that morning!
Then heard 'Introducing the “Lab in a Box” Concept with Patrick Titiano & Kevin Hilman
a different approach to the work on board
at desk - I could see that both are useful.

At lunchtime there was a CIP developers meeting - a rather undersized
room for those that wished to attend. Discussion of the 4.4 kernel not
going beyond 2038 and a general introduction of the developers to each
other.

I attended the 2 Codethink talks - Ben Dooks Open Source Neuroimaging
and Ben Hutchings & Agustin on long term maintenance of Linux kernels
both of which got good numbers and seemed to be appreciated.



The rest of the
afternoon was spent demo'ing, the software behaved itself and I had a
fairly steady stream of small groups to talk to.

If in Prague, beware of restaurants which don't take cards - Ben D and I
ate at one that evening - we paid in a mix of euros and Cz krone! This was U Bronců I ate here twice so I enjoyed the food despite the paying arrangements.

On Wednesday I got to 2 Keynotes: Challenges in Industrializing OSS and
How Siemens Tackles Them - Jan Kiszka some interesting commitments of
Siemens to Open Source - having worked elsewhere in Siemens a few years
ago this was good to hear publicly though I suppose it's not really news.
Then Dirk Hohndel interviewed Linus Torvalds - a pg presentation so he didn't
get to give his views on c++.

I appreciated the paper copies of the conference schedule in place of
the dreadful e-timetable the web provided.

Eventually I saw bits of Prague in daylight and finally assisted Daniel Wagner
with a partial installation of b@d on his laptop.
The conference buffet was in a strange rabbit warren of a historic Prague building
but it soon became far too noisy and a group of us retreated to a coffee
house / book display Ouky Douky on the other side of the Vltava.

(not a good photo apologies!)

The full photo album for the trip is on flickr.

Next year's ELCE will be in Edinburgh - I expect there'll be even more of a Codethink presence!

Returning home

On the last day in France we had a taxi ride back to Azay le Rideau, unfortunately the wine shop there wasn't yet open so we settled for a supermarket shop in Angers after another trip along quiet roads and a picnic next to the Loire - at St Martin de la Place? Then back to the coast and a drive to Mont St Michel:

We'd never been before and didn't manage it this time either - too little time before the ferry left - and it's a long walk from the car park but we got good views! Maybe another year?

All in all an enjoyable and not too testing trip!

Mutterings - Oct 29

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Needless :: Pain
2. Adoption :: Care
3. Chart :: Pie
4. Strings :: Attached
5. Anatomy :: Bone-structure
6. Sail :: Wind
7. Reference :: Employment
8. Depressed :: Sleepless
9. Focused :: There
10. Stolen :: Kisses

Mutterings - Oct 17

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. I’m sorry! :: trod on toe..
2. Weather :: Tempest (Ophelia)
3. Marketing :: Empty
4. Planning :: Meeting
5. Anxiety :: Stress
6. Ringing :: Peal
7. Kim :: Kipling (or maybe Regan)
8. Details :: Explicit
9. Backspace :: C-d
10. Period :: Free (the power of memory of education!)

A final walk to the Loire

There were 2 suggested walks for the final day - we took the longer one - we were clearly feeling fit for this holiday - though it was a walk at Inntravel's easiest level.

A walk through Candes St Martin - we passed through here but didn't stop on our scenic route on the way to the walk start from St Malo - after a panoramic view from the hill above the village of the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne. A trip around the church and then on to Montsoreau - we took the simpler route along the river and found the château.



After a lunch at La Dentellière a creperie - I have a photo of the menu somewhere..
Then a walk back to Fontevraud with a view of a windmill



and then another wonderful meal at La Croix Blanche - a fitting climax to the last walking day!

Mutterings - Oct 15

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Stock :: Car
2. Village :: Hotel
3. Show :: Fete
4. Heartbreak :: Hotel
5. Ding! :: Dinner (bell!)
6. Had to :: Blackmail
7. Henry :: II (see other blogging!)
8. Pasta :: Pesto
9. Theft :: Shock
10. River :: Weeds

Fields and Vineyards to Fontevraud

Today was another long walk but again easy following the GR3 - this was the refreshment stop - we only had a coffee.


We got to Fontevraud early afternoon and after a brief rest a look around the château - the tombs of Richard and Henry II and some spooky art exhibits. We were staying the Hostellerie la Croix Blanche right opposite the château - we had a warm welcome and enjoyed a wonderful meal there that evening. The meal included in the stay was great but we wished we'd paid extra for the meal with matching wines as it wasn't available the next evening. If you're staying there and fancy that alternative don't delay!

Around Chinon

In Chinon we stayed at the Hotel de France a bit anonymous but very comfortable and friendly - and very close to the castle. We spent the morning on a trip around the castle - far older and more mediaevalthan the rest of the Loire. We saw it from a distance on various trips past over the years so it was good to have a look around. Jeanne d'Arc met Charles VII here and it's also much associated with Henry II and Richard (of England).



For lunch we had sausage, cheese and wine(!) at La Cabane à Vin a very pleasant pavement cafe close to the main square had a restful afternoon and then ate at Le Gandoyau again much enjoyed.

to Chinon

The next day was the longest walk of the holiday from Ussé to Chinon, by mainly forested paths. We had the wettest weather of the holiday but only gentle drizzle. At Parenterie there's supposed to be a cafe but it was closed and from the notice it looked as if when the building work finished it was going to open as something else! There's - at around 90 minutes before you get to the hotel in Chinon a sign telling you you're entering the town. We got lost after this point - we think we mistakenly kept to the edge of the vineyard - a strong temptation - rather than leaving it behind! You then pass the Chapel of Ste Radegonde - but we were unfortunately too late in the season and it was closed. In the evening we ate at La Table de Jeanne and greatly enjoyed it, we were well fed - only a few staff but we were well served.


Here's a view from near the Chapel of Ste Radegonde looking towards the Forteresse with a cat getting itself into the picture!

From a Curtain to the Sleeping Beauty!

..or walking from Azay le Rideau to Ussé (the castle that was the inspiration - probably - of the the sleeping beauty story)!

A short taxi ride after a farewell to Azay (and our car!) heralded the start of a delightful walk by the side of the Indre. The notes warned us of mosquitos but we must have been too late in the season as we didn't notice any.

The route finding looked tricky on the map but was in fact fairly easy - the notes reference Pissarro paintings and our lunch spot - see the picture - reinforced the impression.



This spot was just off the path and had some lovely treestumps for sitting on - there aren't many other obvious places for a picnic. Then the walk into Ussé and a stay at the Clos d'Ussé - simple but comfortable and a visit in the remainder of the afternoon to the château, see the album for photos.

Azay le Rideau

There were other parties at the Hotel de Biencourt so breakfast was busy - but very good and after an inspection of the local market for fruit for lunch we headed to the château. We had a first conversation at the market with 3 Canadian women who we'd seen at Les Grottes the previous evening and were doing the same walk as us.

We'd visited this château in the 1990s but then had children in accompaniment! A gentle trip around the château was much enjoyed.
Then the first walk - a short circular one - with a visit to the Troglodytique les Goupillières - an outdoor museum of mediaeval (and up to 19th century) agriculture - lots of interesting old implements, I was reminded of the quirky Milhaud song cycle Machines Agricoles. Back in Azay we enjoyed eating at La Credence just a few yards from the hotel.

Saumur

We've recently returned from a walking holiday in the Loire - Châteaux and Vineyards! arranged by Inntravel (again!). We travelled to France by car taking the ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo and taking a more leisurely route to our first night in Azay le Rideau we stopped for lunch in Saumur and saw these umbrellas -
After a lunch of crepes and cider we reached Azay and enjoyed an afternoon inspecting restaurants for the evening - quite a few of the recommended ones seemd to be closed on that Tuesday - though it was heading out of season - but we much enjoyed Les Grottes, I had the duck the alcoholic sorbet and a fishy(?) starter, and there was wine...before thinking about the local château and walk for the first full day. The album of photos is on flickr here but still needs a few adding/tagging.

Mutterings - Oct 7

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Biography :: Ghosted (though that's probably an 'autobiography')
2. Twitter :: Thread
3. Circumstance :: Pomp (Elgar)
4. Welcome :: Mat
5. Partner :: Sleeping
6. Trick :: Sleeve (nothing up my...)
7. Disease :: Noxious
8. Inform :: Police
9. Weekly :: Post!
10. Shred :: Confidential