Gratuitous Mosaics - Part II

It's twenty to eight, the Tour de France is on.  They're passing that fateful corner where Joseba Beloki crashed and pretty much ended his career.  For a former ONCE fan, this isn't an auspicious place.  For a US Postal fan, it probably is, as it's the spot where Lance Armstrong did a neat bit of impromptu mountain-biking, which probably won him the Tour that year.

I've had a hard day.  So here are some pretty pictures - I'm going back to the 13th century ambo at the cathedral in Ravello, for the second time.  Some exquisite geometric patterns first of all, with some equally exquisite birds making an appearance, too:-

 

More birds now, and a few beasts for good measure.  With an inscription - this is no doubt the part of the pulpit which records the members of the Rufolo family that donated the item, and the workmanship:-

 

And finally, my favourite - the gryphon:-

 

Farewell to the 13th century ambo now, but the cathedral itself had yet more treasures to uncover!  More about this tomorrow...

Gratuitous Mosaics - Part II

It's twenty to eight, the Tour de France is on.  They're passing that fateful corner where Joseba Beloki crashed and pretty much ended his career.  For a former ONCE fan, this isn't an auspicious place.  For a US Postal fan, it probably is, as it's the spot where Lance Armstrong did a neat bit of impromptu mountain-biking, which probably won him the Tour that year.

I've had a hard day.  So here are some pretty pictures - I'm going back to the 13th century ambo at the cathedral in Ravello, for the second time.  Some exquisite geometric patterns first of all, with some equally exquisite birds making an appearance, too:-

 

More birds now, and a few beasts for good measure.  With an inscription - this is no doubt the part of the pulpit which records the members of the Rufolo family that donated the item, and the workmanship:-

 

And finally, my favourite - the gryphon:-

 

Farewell to the 13th century ambo now, but the cathedral itself had yet more treasures to uncover!  More about this tomorrow...

Sorry Mate, I Didn't See You...

Today was a bike/train commute.  And this morning it didn't pass without incident.

Picture the scene:   a standard road through a standard suburb.  There are cars parked all the way up one side - the other side has a smattering of respectable potholes (I nearly wrote 'postholes...')

I left the house, set off past the parked vehicles (my right of way - my side of the road was clear) when - lo and behold!- a Ford Transit comes charging straight for me.  Did the driver slow down?  No.  Did he so much as acknowledge my existence?  Not likely.

He just overtook those parked cars like I wasn't even there.

There must've been three inches between me and his wing mirror.

To add insult to injury, he was being drafted by a second transit van which was driving far too fast and far too close.  I reached a pothole at just the wrong time, had to swerve to avoid it, and nearly got taken out by the second van.  I yelled, I cursed, I told them they were imbeciles.

But, hey, ho.  Getting harassed and victimised by arrogant a***holes in vans just goes with the territory when you take a bike onto the road these days.  J said I should have gone for the pothole ('that's what mountain bikes are for', said he), but to be honest it was such a crater that I think I'd have been off and right under the wheels of van #2.

I've seen these guys before.  They habitually drive along my street too fast, and without sufficent care.  They work for a firm called 'Alter Designed Landscapes'.  My advice?  If you live in the west of Scotland and you need some garden landscaping or maintenance work done, don't ask them.  If their standard of workmanship matches their driving ability, I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.  Why, I wouldn't even trust them to weed my herbaceous borders...  And if their customer care is anything like their courtesy to the general public in general and vulnerable road users in particular, I'd be equally reluctant to hire them.

There, rant over.  I made it in one piece.  And I'm in a lot better shape than Johnny Hoogerland, bless his little cotton socks.

There.  Rant over.  Normal service resumed.  Thank you!!

Sorry Mate, I Didn't See You...

Today was a bike/train commute.  And this morning it didn't pass without incident.

Picture the scene:   a standard road through a standard suburb.  There are cars parked all the way up one side - the other side has a smattering of respectable potholes (I nearly wrote 'postholes...')

I left the house, set off past the parked vehicles (my right of way - my side of the road was clear) when - lo and behold!- a Ford Transit comes charging straight for me.  Did the driver slow down?  No.  Did he so much as acknowledge my existence?  Not likely.

He just overtook those parked cars like I wasn't even there.

There must've been three inches between me and his wing mirror.

To add insult to injury, he was being drafted by a second transit van which was driving far too fast and far too close.  I reached a pothole at just the wrong time, had to swerve to avoid it, and nearly got taken out by the second van.  I yelled, I cursed, I told them they were imbeciles.

But, hey, ho.  Getting harassed and victimised by arrogant a***holes in vans just goes with the territory when you take a bike onto the road these days.  J said I should have gone for the pothole ('that's what mountain bikes are for', said he), but to be honest it was such a crater that I think I'd have been off and right under the wheels of van #2.

I've seen these guys before.  They habitually drive along my street too fast, and without sufficent care.  They work for a firm called 'Alter Designed Landscapes'.  My advice?  If you live in the west of Scotland and you need some garden landscaping or maintenance work done, don't ask them.  If their standard of workmanship matches their driving ability, I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.  Why, I wouldn't even trust them to weed my herbaceous borders...  And if their customer care is anything like their courtesy to the general public in general and vulnerable road users in particular, I'd be equally reluctant to hire them.

There, rant over.  I made it in one piece.  And I'm in a lot better shape than Johnny Hoogerland, bless his little cotton socks.

There.  Rant over.  Normal service resumed.  Thank you!!

Restoration Home

Eeek!  How can such a normal couple have managed to transform a Grade 2* Georgian House into something that screams of modern naff design????

I'm sorry.  Sleek modern minimalist bathrooms and kitchens in a 19th century setting just don't work.

In short.  YUK!!!!

Restoration Home

Eeek!  How can such a normal couple have managed to transform a Grade 2* Georgian House into something that screams of modern naff design????

I'm sorry.  Sleek modern minimalist bathrooms and kitchens in a 19th century setting just don't work.

In short.  YUK!!!!