There's a storm coming.

 

There's a storm coming

Over the marsh from the sea

There's a change coming

It's  coming for you and me.

There's a storm coming

Lightning with rolling thunder

There's a change coming 

Tearing air and lives asunder.

There's a storm coming 

Stock the pantry store

There's a change coming

Close and lock the door.

There's a storm coming

Be measured and prepared

There's a change coming 

Be counted in those who cared

There's a change coming

It's coming for you and me

There's a storm coming

Over the marsh and next the sea.

There's a storm coming!

George Roberts - August Bank Holiday Weekend 2026

Dolly RIP.

 

Sad to hear of the death of this remarkable woman. 

In every area of life she performed effectively and above and beyond the rest of us.

She was extremely talented, intelligent, kind and compassionate.  Above all else she was a decent human being, who used her skills and earned wealth to help those and particularly children in need.

What an incredible life and legacy!

The scale of Damien Hirst in the Morning

 

Love a bit of sculpture in the landscape love a bit of Hirst!

A tree on edge.

 

There's a tree on the edge

Ledged 

Between land and sky

Legend

Erect between near and far

Poised

Perched with potential to topple 

Down

Silent  in the grip of deep time

Wedged

A feature in the landscape

Contemporary 

Planted by accident or purpose

Seeded

A marker of short seasons

Perennial 

George Roberts August 2026.

Matlock Railway Station

 

In current times and small communities, it is so very easy to lose perspective and go off track!

"Mind the gap"

"Nowt messed about wi'"

 

" The 25th highest tower in the world and one foot higher than the Eiffel Tower and it's in 'God's own Country ' Yorkshire. From its top you can see the 'sophistication' rising like a cultural heat haze over Leeds. When I were a lad we would come oop here and stuff our faces with Hovis and 'cow heel'. Ah those were the days when; you could enjoy indigestion, call anyone from south of Sheffield French and regard women as unrecognisable outside the kitchen or when vertical " 

Thirty percent of the population admires nice views!🫣🤣 I also know how to spell 'sarcasm'. I should have been a politician and then I could have been sponsored in my immoderate behaviour and language.😱

Sunrise and sunset

 

I am feeling more cheerful this morning and decided to give the doom scrolling 'poetry' at least one day off.

"You cannot teach an old doggerel new tricks" East Anglian traditional homily.

It rained last night but the sun rose in the sky this morning and everything is a little greener and fresher for it all. 

I guess the sun didn't rise but instead the Earth rotated about its axis and through the wonder of relativity and Einstein's 'Frames of Reference', it appears to rise in the East and set in the West.

I can also spell 'pedantic'🤣

Influencer and Influenza

 

Like the faux science of global 'economics',
 some of my images have an air of reality but are just 'made up'.

Whilst having a shower this morning, I realised that 'influencer' and ''influenza' were similar words. As an occasional writer of doggerel, I thought to myself  they have 'assonance', a word, which I particularly like along with 'apposite'. 

An influencer gets into your mind and corrupts it, a virus gets into biological cells and corrupts them. Both vectors of infection are random in their transmission and opportunistic. Although not immediately obvious, the outcome is for the benefit of the transmitter and not the recipient - always!." Be prepared is my motto" -The Last Boy Scout.

Influencer and Influenza

Society is disrupted 

When words are corrupted 

And it happens blatantly all the time.

Communities are disrupted 

When politicians are corrupted 

And it happens everyday in plain sight.

The environment is disrupted 

When science is corrupted 

And it happens in the pursuit of gross profit.

Information is disrupted

When the media is corrupted

And it happens when both are owned by an elite. 

Our hearts are disrupted 

When our minds are corrupted

And it happens when emotion overwhelms intelligence. 

Peace is disrupted

When 'the flag' is corrupted

And it happens because their power is valued above our lives.

Spirituality is disrupted

When religion is corrupted

And it happens because of sects, sex and supremacy.

Our lives are disrupted.

When our health is corrupted

And it happens silently off balance sheet.

This all 'jogs along', whilst us plebs work and pay taxes to underwrite their exponential and insatiable greed. Extraordinary  master!

George Roberts. August 2026

Wind turbines a blot on the landscape?

 

It's  a  great pity

The oil lobby gets so shitty

About wind turbines 

And green energy

 

The Press and old people both join in

"Consign wind turbines to the bin"

Myopically denying global scorching 

Using Nelson's blind eye

They bullshit, whilst they fry

"It's not happening or temporary or both"

No one gets the hump

About a windmill or windpump

"Like rain they are traditional and British" 

Not wishing to be blunt

You cannot convince a fool

Who chooses to ignore

Science and his or her senses.

George Roberts August 2026

I'm partial to a solar eclipse it is a beautiful thing to witness

 

We enjoyed viewing the partial solar eclipse from Southwold marshes. The above image is a composite of the actual  eclipse captured with a Seestar S30 'smart-scope' and a photo taken with a Google Pixel8a phone the preceding night at dusk. This is of course a 'cheat' to those 'purists' out there but I believe it gives a 'feel for' the wonder of the moment. I am after all an artist rather than scientist!

The following image is the real thing captured on the day as the Moon moved from more or less maximum towards minimum coverage of the solar disk. If you look carefully at the right hand image you can see a sunspot group.

Ichthyosaur? Try E45 cream or Savlon.

Pretty sure

This is is the jaw

Of an ichthyosaur

I think I see teeth 

That gave ammonites grief

When looking for tea

In a warm blue sea

An apex predator 

Amongst marine Jurassic traffic.

George Roberts August 2026

Kirkley the Seagull

 

Technically there is no such bird as a seagull

But this one named Kirkley being  unaware 

Walked on the 'brise soleil' above us

 Just for an ornithological dare.

Underneath, we were looking up fearful 

Strong drink and seafood moist on lips

Praying Kirkley the seagull 

Wouldn't crap on our chips.

George Roberts August 2026.

All along the water tower.

 

There must be someway out of here

Said the golfer to the chef

There must be some brain contusion 

Which made me go quite deaf

But I can see the water tower

With my unblind eye

Taste buds are returning 

The breeze begins to cry

George Roberts August 2026

 

Feathers at night an ornithologist's delight

 

Riding thermals

Last flight 

Fading light

Final hunt

End of day

Last prey

Marsh Harrier

No regret

At sunset

Strange clouds

Worn and

Torn

Awesome 

Dusk to

Dawn

George Roberts August 2026

Wind shear and Vincent painting the Sky

 

Fantastic clouds over Lowestoft this evening. Almost looks like Van Gogh painted it just for us to enjoy. 

Chilli hot!

 

Because of the exceptionally hot weather we are experiencing in the UK this summer, we have taken to eating dinner in the garden.

The vegetarian chilli was so very hot

It really was a top culinary hotpot 

The chef was so very proud

When it created a localised cloud

Which floated over bean and cheese

Driven by a gentle offshore breeze.

George Roberts August 2026

Greater Anglia - The Hare

'Greater Anglia the Hare'  - Willow artist -Anita (Toot) Roberts - Summer 2026.

 

On a cast concrete pillow

Bent and twisted willow 

Opus caementicium

Willow (Salix viminalis) 

 Hare (Lepus europaeus)

Hare stares at us with amber eyes

Shining glass bright at sunrise 

Twisting 'willow' 

 ' will - lilo - wow' 

Vegetable manipulated

To create Animal

A miraculous transform in part

Occasioned by serendipity, craft and art

'Toot' tied rod to osier

Under and over, over and under.

Intertwining willow warp and weft

The weaver's touch both light and deft

 Hare held secure in a matrix of crafted copper wire

Fabulous and fantastic with flame fused eyes of fire.

 'Greater Anglia  - Garden Hare'

George Roberts August 2026 

in the garden after breakfast 

Swiss Autumnal Bircher Meusli

 

Have you any idea as to how hard it is to find a word that rhymes with Meusli 

I did try to incorporate the pasta variant, fusilli

But eventually, I discounted it as being far too twisty and twirly 

Swiss, much like rock, works exceptionally well with roll

But doggerel, much like a road bridge, does take its toll

In retrospect, I had more success and poetic joy with 'Bircher'

Which  at least shares assonance, if not rhyme, with a hairy canine 'lurcher'

 

Hot water

 

Partial water change days in the tropical aquarium come and go but today was the first time Syd hasn't added boiling water to the tap water to bring it above the minimum required 23 degrees C. 

Syd Carp, leading British aquarist and tropical 'fish fancier', was astounded😱

The filter was pretty badly clogged up but after a thorough clean is now running fast and clear.

The Rainbow fish from the Amazon Basin are growing and colouring up nicely. They seem to thrive in the hotter ambient temperatures we are experiencing in the UK at the moment. My last Corydoras catfish is hanging in there even though it is happier at lower water temperatures.

Hot tonight in Suffolk

 

Penguin down! 

Probably the heat. 

"No such thing as global warming"🐂💩Alert!🤣

There is a fire at Dunwich Heath and we can smell it in Lowestoft 19 miles away.

Topiary

 

On being surprised by a Hog's Head 

and Mr Kite's unexpected Topiary.

For the benefit of Mr Kite

 Billy Shears

 shaved a tree tonight

On solid Ground 

-------

The Harmans and Sargissons,

all were there

In 'Sunday Best' and coiffured hair.

What a scene!

-------

It had been some time in preparation 

And the day was much enjoyed by all.

In this way

Mr K refashioned the world 

-------

There was a brilliant show last night

With shooting stars 

Spliff coloured bright

Cosmologically.

--------

Three dogs did bark

and kids did dance

In and out between the plants.

So very green.

-------

And then 

In temporal interplay

The celebrated Mr K

By way of a 'hogshead of real fire'

Remodelled the world.

------

Under waxing Moon and candlelight 

We supped wine and beers

With Billy Shears

And danced Discotheque.

------

Whilst in his sway 

And on this day

Mr Kay remodelled their world.

------

And how would it be if we sang you a tune?

Well.

 On this particular and pitch perfect wedding day

It was plainly evident that:

"Love was all around". 

And absolutely no one tried to sing out of key!

As amongst friends and family 

"All you need is love"!

Borrowed from the Billy Shears Songbook and the Nineteen-Sixties.

Bizarre but tasty - Double Cooked Food

 

Having stuffed a marrow with a savoury vegetable based stuffing for last nights supper, there were sufficient 'leftovers' for this morning's breakfast 'fry-up'. Twice cooked vegetables are so tasty that it is a wonder so many people consign ok 'leftovers' to the bin.  The above experimental omelette, created from fried stuffing balls, fried mushrooms and sauteed boiled new potatoes, refried roast carrots, squash and sweetpotato wedges was a big taste revelation. The dusting of mozzarella cheese together with grated nutmeg was a flavour bonus!

The eternal struggle between good and evil.

 

'Cabine du Jardin Deux' backs Count Binface in his defence of democracy against the entitled forces of faux patriotism, greed, grift and darkness👍 Go 'Binface'!

Sea Bass fillets on a Lobster Bisque Risotto

 

A Sail Loft - Southwold gastronomy treat. Excellent cooking and a substantial plate in a great location.

Flaring Spots on the Sun's Photosphere

 

Not sure whether the bright spot at the end of the arrow is a solar flare or a facular/leaf‑like penumbral grain cluster, a small Ellerman bomb–type event, or processing/artifact from channel mis‑registration. Anyway, I was quite excited and fingers crossed it was any other than a processing artifact!

The above image was captured using specialist equipment and by an experienced solar astro-photographer.

DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN OR POINT YOUR CAMERA AT THE SUN AS THIS WILL DAMAGE YOUR EYESIGHT AND OR DAMAGE YOUR CAMERA.

Big Skies and Fries

 

Suffolk Skies and Truffle Fries

Suffolk is famous for it's wide and 'Big Skies'

For being seen through John Constable's eyes

For Peter Grimes, War Requiem and Young Persons Guide

For Nuclear Power Plant and Bird Sanctuary hide

For rendered and thatched cottages, pretty in pink

For fish and chips suppers and Adnams to drink

For samphire and shellfish and posh Southwold pies

For moules at the Sail Loft with tasty truffle fries.

George Roberts July 2026

The Small White Butterfly

 

Flutter by beautiful Butterfly

Spreading your seed

On plant and weed

On a day overwhelmed by political shite

I am happy to watch in random flight 

The delicate and ephemeral Cabbage White.

George Roberts. July 2026

Get Tanked up with Syd Carp. No 7

 

Boeseman’s Rainbowfish ( two top right) are vibrant and active tropical fish that add a burst of color to any aquarium. With their stunning appearance and lively behavior, these fish are a popular choice among fish fans" - Syd Carp (Aquarist and tropical fish enthusiast).

Vacuum energy fluctuations

 Quantum vacuum fluctuations are spontaneous and particle and antiparticle pairs are created and annihilate continuously. The vacuum  of space seethes with energy at the quantum level. If only we could witness this energetic activity!

Imagination, astro imagery and fractals will have to do!

Sunspots come in pairs

 

After a few days of quiet,  the Sun burst into action and sunspots became visible in pairs and small groups. The above photograph was captured in the morning of the 26th of June 2026.

The Sunspots are areas of the Solar photosphere at lower temperatures than their surroundings and they therefore appear dark. 

The spots are created by the differential movement of plasma in the sun's atmosphere at different latitudes. Consequently , the magnetic field lines are twisted and contorted.  The spots are areas where heat is vented and where the plasma is cooler and darker than the surroundings. As they are a magnetic affect, they are magnetically polarised and consequently sunspots develop often in pairs or groups.

DANGER WARNING 

Dont look at the Sun or try to photograph it. The above photograph was taken using specialist equipment and by an experienced solar photographer. There is a significant danger of destroying your camera's sensor and losing your eyesight!

The culinary versatility of the humble crabstick.

 Pasta with cubed or shredded crabsticks, diced courgettes, basil, a dash or two of pastis and cream.  Very easy to prepare, quick to cook, inexpensive and very tasty with a hint of aniseed. An excellent choice for a midweek lunch or supper.

If you are so inclined, you can 'Waitrose' it up by adding a few prawns and mussels but I like the standard model!

3d Max Madness

 

Designs downloaded from Thingiverse, ammended, painted and personalised. I am very pleased with the 3d print quality of the Neptune 3 pro budget Elegoo printer. 

Watch out! 'Scrapers and Bots are about!

 

Ironically created by AI.

I was alarmed to see my blog page count increase by over 200,000 in 24 hours. When I looked into this the most likely cause was Scrapers and Bots trawling through the content to find opportunities for intellectual and creative theft.

I am not anti Ai or for that matter entrepreneurial enterprise and have been surprised at the high quality of  information, images and visual art that Ai delivers. 

Ai is s powerful tool but the cynical application of its power for acquisition and greed is unacceptable and unsustainable.

I asked Google Gemini to create an image that best represented 'Scrapers and Bots'. I was provided with two images in succession that featured 'cute' anthromorphised computers doing their day job. I rejected both with feedback!

The posted image was the third provided after I had stressed for the second time that I was annoyed and angry at the theft of my creativity.

Clearly, androids when not dreaming of electric sheep, have collective loyalty!

Spray Booth in a M&S box.

 

"Spray painting odd shaped 3d parts for 'fidgets' for one young boy, who very much likes a fidget and has been waiting patiently for me to get around to it, presented me with a bit of a  problem. How to spray paint weird shapes without using my fingers to support the item being  painted?

Having watched Dom Chinea on the BBC Repair  Shop, I decided to follow his example but at a reduced scale. 

My lovely Cousin and Aunty sent me and my partner a M&S fruit basket that came in a sturdy cardboard box. Some gaffer tape, adhesive, a short length of stainless steel bar and copper wire once 'crafted' created the above 'Spray Booth' with suspension bar and hooks - virtually for free! My favourite price!

I love a bit of crafting in my shed and now I can add 'spray painting to my acquired skill set".

The Silver Y Moth

 

A Silver Y Moth came in through our window from the garden tonight and took refuge on the wall just below the ceiling coving in our sitting room.

Moths are beautiful little pieces of flying life and are a source of food for the pipestrel bats, which fly over our backyard.

Parmigiana with Cantabrian anchovies and Scottish smoked salmon.

 

Mediterranean sourced food fused with a little taste of Scotland and prepared and cooked by a beautiful woman with northern and Irish roots. Mix and match the best without borders!

New Moon and Venus Conjunction

 

"Brilliant image of the close conjunction of the planet Venus and the new crescent Moon captured by Dr Chrissy Roberts with his iPhone from Cambridgeshire last night. Thank you Dr Chris for sending this to Kurt in hospital" - Joel Cairo CEO of the JPO, the UK's most easterly Astronomical Observatory.

Something may go bang in the sky soon'

  

A star map for June and July in the Northern Hemisphere- looking South after dark. Map Credit: Astronomy.

Sometime soon and possibly in the next few weeks the star T Coronae Borealis is predicted to explode in a nova. This is a star that doesn't collapse to create a neutron star or a black hole. Instead T Coronae has been observed overtime to go through recurrent nova. 

This will be witnessed from earth by a significant brightening. So significant, that T Coronae, which cannot usually be seen with the naked eye, will be easily visible.

If you are interested we recommend you find the asterism (a pattern of stars) as shown on the above map as a crescent of brightish stars and check from night to night as to whether T Coronae is visible. If it is, you have witnessed a nova a literally enormous explosion in the Cosmos. LoL

 

Double Bow in the Sky.

 

It's what Noah would have wanted! 🕊️

A double rainbow happens when sunlight reflects twice inside raindrops, creating a second, fainter arc with reversed colors. 

🌈 What causes a double rainbow?

A double rainbow forms through the same basic physics as a single rainbow — refraction, dispersion, and reflection of sunlight in raindrops — but with one key difference:  

the light bounces twice inside each raindrop instead of once.

Here’s how it works:

- Primary rainbow:  

  Sunlight enters a raindrop, bends (refracts), reflects once inside, and exits. This produces the bright inner arc at about 40–42° from the antisolar point. 

- Secondary rainbow:  

  Some sunlight undergoes two internal reflections before exiting the droplet. This extra bounce sends the light out at a wider angle — roughly 50–53° — creating a second arc outside the primary one. 

Why are the colors reversed?

Because of the second internal reflection, the order of colors flips:

- Primary rainbow: red on the outside, violet on the inside  

- Secondary rainbow: red on the inside, violet on the outside  

This reversal is a direct result of the altered light path inside the droplet. 

 Why is the second rainbow fainter?

The secondary rainbow is dimmer because:

- Each internal reflection causes light loss, so less light reaches your eyes.  

- Only a fraction of sunlight follows the double‑reflection path.  

The secondary arc can be as little as one‑tenth the brightness of the primary. 

 What’s the dark band between the rainbows?

The space between the two arcs is called Alexander’s Dark Band.  

Raindrops in this region do not direct light toward the observer, making the sky appear noticeably darker. 

A double rainbow appears when:

- Sunlight refracts into raindrops  

- Reflects twice inside the droplets  

- Exits at a wider angle  

- Produces a second, reversed, fainter arc  

It’s a beautiful combination of geometry, optics, and atmospheric conditions — and one of nature’s most striking displays.

The thing is, if we know what questions to ask, we can in seconds have an answer neatly provided in whatever format and language we require.  Perhaps we should ask AI if - " there is gold at the end of the AI rainbow?"