What's Grandad got to talk about?

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FABlux
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by FABlux »

Lovely pictures Grandad, you seem to have much the same weather as us at the moment. Lovely & sunny & warm (but without the heat of Egypt!) Intrigued by the giant head sculpture, do you know who it is?


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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by Grandad »

@FABlux
FAB the sculpture is by local artist Rick Kirby. He only works in metal and this is in mild steel with the intention that it should go red with rust. He called it 'Face' but when it was sited at the Marlowe theatre it was renamed 'Bulkhead'
Here is a picture of the front of the old Marlowe (formally Odeon cinema) where Bulkhead was originally located
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The theatre was completely rebuilt 2009 to 2011 and Bulkhead is now located at the right hand side just out of view in this picture
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Here is a better view of its present location
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I really love seeing sculptures and things place around and about the community. Really adds to a walk. Unfortunately the problem here is with theft and vandalism.

Lovely photos! I love seeing your city. It really has such a rich history.
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by FABlux »

@ Grandad

Thank you for the info about the sculpture. I had never heard of Rick Kirby but have looked at his website and he certainly does make some spectacular sculptures. I do think Bulkhead is a very unkind name for it, Face is far better.

http://www.rickkirby.com/

The new theatre is certainly a big change from the previous one isn't it?

LLL we are lucky here, there seem to be lots of sculptures in France. A lot of the roundabouts have modern ones & there are old artefacts on display in the towns. We have an old hand pump outside our window & Montmorillon has an old printing machine in the middle of the bridge, luckily we do not seem to see vandalism here.
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by Grandad »

Much cooler indoors than outside today so time for a bit more of my Sunday blog.
My repeat prescriptions are made up by Boots at the top of the town. Well every body says 'the top of the town' but it is actually at the southern end. I would normally take the bus but with such good weather I went by scooter.
Our main street is only about 700 yards long from city wall to city wall. It is however made up of four distinct sections. I live at the north end of town and I join the main street at St Peters Street (in the parish of St Peter) This is St Peters Street looking back to where I joined it.
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The next section is High Street. This is looking back towards St Peters Street.
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Then a short section is called The Parade. Again looking back to the north.
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Finally the 'top' or most southerly end is another parish, St Georges Street. This is also looking north.
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At this time of year the city is full of visitors so you can imagine I had to proceed with care. It amazes me but people will walk straight at you. :?:

I had mentioned that for the first time in my life I have three tomato plants and I already have tomatoes forming on the trusses. I am finding that great fun.

I took a few snaps around 'Chez Grandad' including my little patio oasis.
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End of Sunday blog ;) :lol:
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by Horus »

Nice pictures Grandad and for once we have also been basking in record high temperatures, far too hot to do much outside. A couple of tips with your tomatoes, make sure that you pinch out the small leafy growth that will appear between the flower truss and the stem (in the crook so to speak) as these will just sap the strength from the main trusses and create multiple stems. Also when a stem is of sufficient height, nip out the growing (leading) stem to stop it growing any higher, often the temptation is to get as many tomatoes as possible which is not a good idea. You may also find that once you see the fruit starting to form small green toms that the dead flowers are still surrounding the fruit, gently pull them away with your fingers as this avoids them scarring or marking the fruit if the dry petal sticks to it. :up
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by Mad Dilys »

Wow Grandad your oasis looks so inviting I couldn't resist that as long as it wasn't actually raining I'd be there. 8)
Smile! It confuses people
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by Grandad »

Thamks for the tips H :up I did know about the suckers growing where branches leave the main stem but I am sure I would have been tempted to just let the plants grow skywards but for your tip :lol:
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Great photos. Can't believe how crowded your city streets are ;) and the variety of shops and stores on them. Would love to see the flowers of that flower seller. They look pretty neat.

Your yard is also looking extremely tempting too! Love the looks of that chair and have been thinking of getting something like that. I have 4 chairs but somehow going outside to sit in a chair isn't as appealing as going out to RECLINE :up :up Your spot truly has a touch of tropical flare to it.
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by FABlux »

That garden looks lovely Grandad. :)

The town centre is lovely. Most of it looks like a pedestrian precinct but I see there are yellow lines in one bit, is that just closed some of the time?
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by Grandad »

FABlux wrote:That garden looks lovely Grandad. :)

The town centre is lovely. Most of it looks like a pedestrian precinct but I see there are yellow lines in one bit, is that just closed some of the time?
Thanks all for your nice comments..
You have sharp eyes FAB. All the centre of the city is block paved and any vehicles must be gone by 10am, not even any ridden cycles. The yellow lines you spotted are because vehicles are allowed for about 50 yards to an access road on the right, otherwise I can scoot around to my hearts content :lol: :lol:

@LovelyLadyLux
Yes LLL the streets get very crowded but it is very good with all the foreign visitors and there are loads of coffee shops and bistro restaurants. I know you would enjoy a visit. I love living here and have done all my life. ;)
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by Grandad »

A bit more to my Sunday blog and this time more about my home city. On Friday morning I went out on the scooter intent on checking out some of the old streets for their suitability for a small pavement scooter.
Tucked away in a corner of a street in the old part of the city is what I have always known as 'The Old Synagogue'. I have always been intrigued with the lotus style capitals of the columns at the front of the building.
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I know that a local public school 'Kings' uses it as a recital hall but I had to go to Wiki to find about its history: Here are a few extracts from the Wiki page about the Synagogue.
The Old Synagogue in Canterbury is considered to be the best example of an Egyptian Revival synagogue. Its presence is commemorated in the street name, Jewry Lane. There are records of Jewish communities in the city from 1160. The present building was constructed in 1846–48. Although several synagogues and churches were built in the Egyptian revival style in the early nineteenth century, only a few are known to survive, they include the Hobart Synagogue in Tasmania, the Downtown Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee and the First Presbyterian Church (Sag Harbor), New York.
The Egyptian style capitals are clearly visible in my picture.

Last time I mentioned that our main street is made up of four separate street sections. At the nothern end is St Peters Street. This is St Peters chuch just off the main street with the Cricketers pub conveniently situated on the opposite corner.
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I think I also mentioned that work is in progress to extend the pedestrianisation of the city centre. Three streets are included in the present phase at a cost of £600,000. Best Lane is the first to be finished and it was a pleasure to ride along after the old potholed tar-mac'd surface had been replaced. They have now started on the next street, 'The Friars'.
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LLL was intrigued by a picture I posted with bars at the windows of a building. That was at the rear of the old police station and city pound. This is the front of that old building which is now a museum with access to the cells and by the bridge, top left in the picture, to the nuseum in the Norman Westgate Towers.
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I don't know if this is the thing to do but yesterday morning I took a very soft make up brush and polinated the flowers on my tomato plants. I have some good green tomatoes developing but I wanted to make sure the flowers on all three plants are polinated. I sort of went 'Bzzzz. Bzzzzz' as I was doing it to fool the plants. :lol:
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And remember that I said I had never grown any fruit or veg in my life so this is a new and exciting experience for me........ :lol:

And as a PS: Our occasional visitor is becoming more at home even when we may not see her for two or three days.
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PPS: It is coming even more difficult for me to read text on the computer screen. I have an eye appointment two weeks today when I hope to persuade the doc to agree to cataract surgery in my only 'good' left eye. Fingers crossed. :)
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by Horus »

More excellent photos Grandad and lots of info to go with it :up
Your tomatoes are doing well and just to say that my father always aided the polination with a rabbits tail ;)
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by FABlux »

More lovely photos Grandad. Glad you are able to get around with your wheels :)

Lovely tomatoes, I'm sure they appreciate the sound effects as they are pollinated :lol: Must admit we haven't done that with ours but we seem to have so many bees, butterflies & wasps around they don't seem to need it. They all come down to the "bird bath" (actually a dustbin lid) :oops: but the wasps haven't shown any aggression or interest in stinging us so as long as they continue to behave they are welcome to the water. I did actually have to rescue a wet bee earlier today, it fell off a floating leaf & was trying to swim so I fished it out with the secateurs I had in my hand & put it on to a flower where it sat and dried itself off :)
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Great photos Grandad and your tomatoes reminded me that I have to go out and tie up my own tomatoes a bit higher up. Everything is growing great guns in my garden and I see lots of bees so am hoping they do the pollination for me but I might give them the BZZZ BZZZ BZZZZ song to encourage pollination :)

Appreciate the front photo of the Jail. Sure doesn't overall look big so can only imagine the size of the cells way back when.
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by Ruby Slippers »

We have 4 tomato plants, loaded with tomatoes, but they're all still green which was puzzling me because we've had plenty of sun to ripen them! That seems to be the problem however. If the temperature rises to above 85F, they won't ripen! :(

P.S. Edited to add that an almighty breeze has just blown up and we no longer have hundreds of tomatoes - green or otherwise! :cry:
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

@RS - What? A windstorm that is now damaging your tomato plants??
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by Ruby Slippers »

DH had balanced them on square boxes because they're container grown, and suddenly an almighty breeze blew through and tipped the most fruitful one over! Handfuls of tomatoes on the ground! :cry: Mind you, the breeze was lovely! :up
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Ohhhhhhh I see......and now I understand. Still early in the season. I think if you get them in the ground or back upright you'll get lots more tomatoes. I think there is still time for them to grow and come on.
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Re: What's Grandad got to talk about?

Post by Ruby Slippers »

We didn't lose them all, LLL, but some - which grieved DH!
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