The Transit of Venus

The Transit of Venus on June  8th. 2004 

In 2004, I took these two photographs of the transit of Venus using a one-shot compact digital camera attached to my old ETX 90RA telescope with a white light filter and a 12mm eyepiece (afocal method). It was a wonderful sunny day with just a little wispy high level cloud. The next transit will be visible from England as the sun rises on the morning of June 6th. 2012. Weather permitting, I hope to capture this event as there will not be further occurrences of this fascinating astronomical phenomenon until December 2117 and December 2125. Unless there is an unprecedented improvement in medical sciences, I'm unlikely to be in any fit state to photograph the next two transits.

Venus transiting the face of the Sun
(ie. you can see the silhouette of the planet Venus which
appears black against the bright surface of the Sun)
with an Image of Earth added to provide scale

Evidence of light being diffracted by the Venusian atmosphere

WARNING: Under no circumstances should anyone use binoculars or a telescope or a camera view finder to look at the sun as this will result in severe damage to the eyes and probable blindness. Just staring at the sun with or without sunglasses can cause damage to your eyes. If you wish to observe this event contact your local amateur astronomy group or club who will be more than happy to advise on how to do this safely.

More details can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_of_Venus,_2012

Huff and Puff

'The Three Pigs' by Pixie Boon aged 5 years

I was much impressed by my grand-daughter's re-interpretation of the children's story the 'The Three Little Pigs'. Clearly Mr Wolf has discovered an alternative and more unusual method for "blowing their house down". Pixie pointed out to her mother that "the gas is going up the pig's noses". That should do it then!

Nice to see that a love of art and a bizarre sense of humour are shared with my grand-children. Its all in the genes Mr. Dawkins!

Southwold Estuary

I found this old water-colour sketch in the Cabine today. I had quite forgotten painting it. It did however, remind me that I hadn't been for lunch at the Harbour Inn for some time and that I should really redress this situation. The Harbour Inn is the little red-roofed building before and to the right of the house with three chimney-stacks shown on the horizon. If you are in Southwold I can highly recommend visiting the Harbour Inn and ordering the "potted shrimps" from their starter menu. Absolutely delicious!

George Swinbourne at the Rochester Casino

George Swinbourne professional boxer (1907-1993)

George Swinbourne, my grand-dad, and his three brothers, Alec (aka-Alan), Fred and Charlie, were professional boxers who fought in Great Britain in the 1920s and 1930s. I have been told that on one occasion all four brothers fought on the same bill at the Rochester Casino. (The one and only time four brothers have been known to have appeared on the same professional bill in the UK).

Alec Swinbourne from Maidstone boxed between 1924 and 1933 100 professional contests 
Charlie Swinbourne from Maidstone boxed between 1929 and 1933 8 professional contests 
Fred Swinbourne from Maidstone boxed between 1925 and 1935 47 professional contests 
George Swinbourne from Maidstone boxed between 1924 and 1932 121 professional contests

George and Alec were the best of the Swinbourne boxers and fought all over the country at many venues including: The Ring - Blackfriars, York Hall, and the National Sporting Club (originally in Covent Garden). My grand-dad liked fighting at the National Sporting Club because if he put on a good show, the crowd of "Toffs" watching would often throw in more money, 'nobbins', than he otherwise received from his share of the purse. Fred was never as focused in the ring as George or Alan. My grand-dad said that Fred used to 'clown' for the crowd and that albeit popular, it often resulted in beatings that were detrimental to Fred's health. 

The Ring Blackfriars London at the time my Grandfather appeared there.

Rochester Casino was the 'Swinbourne Boys' local venue. Maidstone and the Medway Towns represented home and where they had a strong local following. Before one of my grand-dad's bigger fights, Maidstone buses carried posters "George Swinbourne Maidstone' s Own Son". He was very proud to represent his town and win the South Eastern Championship at his weight.

As well as the professional fights, George made many appearances on boxing booths which were very popular at fairs in England between the wars.  He also sparred and fought exhibition bouts with a number of famous boxers, including a young and heavier Len Harvey. 

Bombardier Billy Wells (the second of the well-oiled strong-man seen to strike the gong at the start of Arthur J Rank Films) was the referee for one of my grand-dad's fights. He never forgave Mr Wells for stopping the fight, apparently in his opinion neither fighter was trying hard enough!

George appeared and trained in London at a Gym in Bethnal Green and I remember him telling me that after 'hard fights' he would use the Turkish baths there to help recover. Fights of 10 and fifteen rounds were common and on at least one occasion, when a boxer didn't turn up, George fought two opponents on one night - thus guaranteeing two purses.

After he retired from the ring, he had a successful career as a fishmonger, greengrocer and property owner. He remained close to his brother Alan and half-sister Rose and Fred would occasionally appear for family visits.  

As a result of being blown up in WW2, uncle Fred's behaviour and demeanor could change suddenly and I suspect this is partly why he relocated from Kent to Camberwell where he had a shop and let rooms.  As a child I was fascinated by his ability to do magic tricks including: making coins disappear and reappear, manipulating playing-cards and 'eating' razor blades and light-bulbs. I am told that he had a 'beautiful athletic body' and at one time in his life he had been an artists model. Allegedly, he once sat for the painter Augustus John. Together with my grandfather, he made money for awhile as a 'card sharp' working the trains from London Euston to Manchester Piccadiliy.  I still know how to cheat at 'three-card brag', a trick I was taught as a child by my grand-dad George!

Sadly in his latter years, George's health deteriorated and he suffered dementia before his death. My grand-dad never regretted his life in the ring as being 'tough' defined him. He did have a more gentle side, he liked children and was a very kind grand-dad who never once raised his hand or voice to me.

I remember my grand-dad George , uncle Alan, uncle Fred and aunt Rose with lots of love and affection.

For more information on the Boxing at Bethnal Green go to 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Hall

For more information on the National Sporting Club go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Sporting_Club

For more information on boxing booths go to
http://www.londonexboxers.org.uk/archive_detail.php?upload_ID=254

For more information on Len Harvey go to  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Len_Harvey

For more information on the Swinbourne brothers at Rochester Casino go to
http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk: Nights at Rochester Casino: By Bill Pullum This article is reproduced with the kind permission of Derek O’Dell, Editor and Producer of ‘The Southern Ex-Boxer’, in w...

For film clip of The Rank Gong-man see
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8ccsg_general-film-distributors-ltd-1930_shortfilms?ralg=meta2-only#from=embed-playreloff-1

Suffolk Pink

The Pink Lighthouse

I have been having fun and experimenting again with digital painting in the Cabine.

Many vernacular buildings in Suffolk, particularly thatched cottages, are rendered and colour-washed. The locally preferred hue for colour-washing is pink and is therefore known as 'Suffolk Pink', My painting The Pink Lighthouse is a celebration of this local architectural style and the maritime history of the Heritage Coast.

I created The Pink Lighthouse using a combination of software packages and techniques. I hope the imagery, light, colours and textures in the painting reflect life in our Suffolk-coastal towns and villages.
This summer, why not visit Suffolk and the Heritage Coast?  There is much to do, great places to stay, excellent local food and you might get to see a lighthouse or two!

The following famous sailors 'Like' - The Pink Lighthouse

Hyannis, Cape Cod and Windsurfing in October

Wind and surf  "sunny-side up"

Some of the photographs taken on holiday last October in Hyannis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA.

The weather was extremely good for this time of the year, so we were able to walk miles around the coast, see the cranberry bogs and eat lots of delicious seafood.

Sunset over the water

Lunch at Spanky's Clam Shack Hyannis Harbour

Toot and I would highly recommend a seafood lunch at Spanky's Clam Shack. Great food at competitive prices. Excellent location next to the harbour quay and on a sunny day you can eat outside.  The 'steamers' dipped in melted butter, the deep fried oysters and scallops, and the lobster roll were our favourites and should not be missed on any visit to the harbour. The local red beer is also very good and worth sampling in the sunshine.

Harbour Lighthouse

The Kennedy Museum, Hyannis
(photo courtesy of Museum website)

Any visit to Hyannis would be incomplete without going to the John F Kennedy Museum in the High Street. It was particularly interesting as we were able to talk to one of the ladies who worked at the Museum and knew various members of the Kennedy Family. There were also references around the town to various American Celebrities:  Kenny Rogers, Tony Bennett, Frank Zapper and Jimi Hendrix, who presumably had property in or around Hyannis.

All in all, if the weather is good, a great place to visit!

Bluebell Wood

Bluebell Wood Oxford-shire in May

My son Andy took the above photograph at the weekend and I thought it show-cased the beauty of  an English deciduous wood in May. The weather in England may still be wet and cold but the countryside can provide wonderful visual treats for those willing to don 'Welly boots' and take their children out for fresh air and fun in the woods.

Hyacinthoides non-scripta (formerly Endymion non-scriptus or Scilla non-scripta) is a bulbous perennial plant, found in the British Isles, that is also frequently used as a garden plant. It is known in English as the common bluebell or simply bluebell, a name which is used in Scotland to refer to the harebell, Campanula rotundifolia.

 In spring, H. non-scripta produces a nodding, one-sided inflorescence of 5–12 tubular, sweet-scented violet–blue flowers, with strongly recurved tepals, and 3–6 long, linear, basal leaves.

H. non-scripta is particularly associated with ancient woodland where it may dominate the understorey to produce carpets of violet–blue flowers in "bluebell woods".

The Bay of Tunis

Sidi Bou Said

At the end of the day, whilst tidying up my portfolio in the Cabine, I came across this water-colour sketch that I must have painted nearly ten years ago, when we last visited Tunisia.

Bearing in mind my previous rant against the miserable English weather, it has quite cheered me up to find this sunny memory from our past.

I remember that the buildings in the town were faced with white stucco and the doors and shutters were painted blue and white.  The sky, without a single cloud, was the very deepest shade of blue.  All along the narrow twisting  alleyways of the town, shadows punctuated the sunlight and appeared to glow, a rich ochre in the heat of the afternoon.

 

 

Tunisia: The blue and white village of Sidi Bou Said

"Bees are murmuring in the honeysuckle and butterflies flit through a tangle of trumpet vine. Behind me is an enormous palm tree, its trunk as chunky and squat as a pineapple. Ahead, the wide blue sea is flecked with white arrow-heads – the sails of small craft returning to the marina below.

The bay is a huge, flat disc of aquamarine, disturbed only by the mauve shadows cast by the twin peaks of Mount Bou Kornine in the distance. According to legend, the peaks are the petrified heads of two pilgrims returning from Mecca. They turned to stone as they stopped to marvel at the very cliff-top site where I am now – the beautiful medieval village of Sidi Bou Said".   The Independent

Hot desires and Cambria Orchids in a cold climate.

"Baby its cold outside"

Cambria is a commercial name for intergeneric hybrids among the following genera of orchids, belonging to the Orchidaceae family,Epidendroideae subfamily, Cymbidieaetribe, Oncidiinae subtribe.


Today, I have been beavering away in the Cabine preparing paintings and prints for our good friends in Kent and New York.  I have had to dodge the frequent downpours by dashing between the house and the Cabine. "It's meant to be Spring for heavens sake! - Where's the sun"?  Last night we could hear and see the thunder and lightning as it moved along the coastline. This morning it's very very grey, cold and wet.


As a consequence of this extended  period of exceptionally inclement weather, nothing much is growing in the garden. It looks very drab indeed!  Good job Toot has 'green fingers' and with the help of our overworked condensing gas-boiler, she has provided our own 'pots on the windowsill' of 'tropical rain-forest'. 


Some of her orchids are now several years old and bloom two or three times a year.  On a dull day like today, we are both cheered by the beauty of these flowers and the many wild birds that visit our garden bird table foraging for food; but we are really looking forward to some desiccating sunshine and a sizzling summer sitting on our Suffolk seashore!

Cromer Crab

Chilli Crab Linguine

I was interested and pleased to note that increasingly more people from around the world are choosing to read my blog (or at least look at the pictures).  As a consequence, I shall in future, add a bit more explanatory information when I am describing customs, objects or locations that are typically local to the UK or the region, East Anglia, where I live.

There is a small town 30 miles from our home called Cromer which is famous for the quality of  brown edible crabs which are caught in the sea nearby. Catching Cromer crabs should not be confused with 'Catching Crabs at Walberswick' (Walberswick is a picturesque village by the sea even closer to our home) where the crabs concerned are inedible and caught for fun and then returned to the water unharmed by the children of holidaymakers.

For those that like seafood, pasta and chilli peppers, I can fully recommend "Chilli Crab Linguine", a recipe Toot has developed on an iterative basis and has, now in my opinion, reached a state of near perfection. It is also a lunch or supper dish that is easy and quick to prepare.

First cook in boiling salted water sufficient linguine for the number of people to be fed. When just cooked plunge in cold water, leave to go cold, drain and then put to one side.

To make the sauce put in a bowl and blend with an electrical blender; -  a little balsamic vinegar, tomato puree, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, a little olive oil, sugar, chilli powder, fresh sliced chilli pepper,  lemon juice and zest, and salt and pepper. The sauce should be of a thin paste like consistency.  It is important to get the right balance between the basil, lemon, chilli and sugar and this does involve a little trial and error and personal taste.

Next and to serve one person, put the cold but cooked linguine in a microwave safe bowl, add the uncooked sauce and carefully fold in. Take the  brown and white meat from half a brown crab (pre-cooked from the fishmonger) and  stir into the contents of the bowl. Add a little sliced fresh chilli pepper as a garnish, place some cling film over the top of the bowl and microwave for two minutes on full power.  It is as simple as that and quite delicious!

"Guess what we are having for supper tonight"?