Time Time.


Today I thought it was time we visited Queens' College - heh. Here in the Old Court you'll see my favourite sundial. There are loads in Cambridge but this is one of the best I feel. It's not instantly obvious how you use it so, luckily, the college website gives instructions on how to read it here.

22 Fitzwilliam Street

Cambridge, CB2 1QH

“Man with all his noble qualities, with sympathy which feels for the most debased, with benevolence which extends not only to other men but to the humblest living creature, with his god-like intellect which has penetrated into the movements and constitution of the solar system- with all these exalted powers- Man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin”.

Choices, choices...


At the junction of Lensfield and Trumpington is placed this monument to Thomas Hobson - a carrier delivering mail between London and Cambridge, operating a livery stable outside the gates of St Catharine's College. When they were not needed to deliver mail, Hobson's horses were rented to students and faculty from the university. "Hobson's Choice" as we all know is a phrase meaning no choice at all and it's gratifying to know that the story of its derivation is not proverbial but true:

The Spectator, No. 509, 1712, shows clearly how the phrase came into being:

"He lived in Cambridge, and observing that the Scholars rid hard, his manner was to keep a large Stable of Horses, ... when a Man came for a Horse, he was led into the Stable, where there was great Choice, but he obliged him to take the Horse which stood next to the Stable-Door; so that every Customer was alike well served according."

The monument stands over Hobson's Conduit which he had built to convey springwater from Nine Wells, near Shelford, into the city centre.

Going Stag


Came across this chap in the unlikely setting of the Grafton Centre yesterday. An empty retail space in the mall has been co-opted by a student, Russell Cuthbert, of the Cambridge School of Art for a mini exhibition of his art - "Looking for Nature". He says that "any reverie that my images create, I have likewise intended to destroy through the tatty and difficult nature of the material, and the juxtapositioning of unlikely objects."

I just think it looks great. (A better pic here on frontroom.)

Shazbat


Spent hours the other day being a rock nerd and compiling my favourite 100 tracks of the Rock Era. How lame is that? So having done that and put them all on the mp3 player I had to get out of the house. I put it on the car stereo and drove, singing loudly and with great vocal prowess, a few miles outside Cambridge to a non-village called Lord's Bridge (near Haslingfield) where the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory is based. I'm always fascinated by the arrays they have there and today I stopped and took this shot of one of the antennae. Here's the google satellite of them all. Although interesting, astronomy's way over this commentator's head but it is reassuring to know that these silent sentinels are scanning the skies (overdoing the alliteration a tad) for alien activity...

Nanu nanu.

A River Runs Through It.


Was just up the road from Cambridge yesterday in Ely, home of the cathedral from which Cambridge draws its city status. A gorgeous day it was and there were office folk, tourists, boating types and swans, all soaking up a few rays. This is just along from the Cutter; not a bad place to sit and unwind, reflect and contemplate the error of one's ways :)

Asparagus Day...


Longest Day, Summer Solstice, End of Asparagus Season... Yeah, forget all that; the most important aspect of today is that it's my birthday. I really want to treat myself with the above. Who said mid-life crisis...?

Smoke Up Johnny!


A man after my own heart wrote this. Sadly, whilst he joyously continued smoking to the end I have bowed to leperdom, fear and a hideous cough to quit my most demanding mistress, Nicotine. Six years now but I'll always be a smoker. From the first drag at fourteen I followed the gloriously cool and sophisticated pilgrimage to emphesema like so many others (hopefully I stopped in time but only time will tell how much damage I did). I'm jealous of anyone I see smugly sucking that satisfyingly illicit poison into their lungs, even in the movies. I want to tell youngsters not to succumb to such guilty pleasure but hideous hypocrisy gags me. In fact I think I'll take it up again when I turn 70 (if...). Pathetic indeed.

Anyway, this plaque (the poem is easier to read on this page) is to found at the foot of Rose Crescent on the wall of what used to be Bacon's Tobacconist until 1983. It's now a French Connection. Cookie-cutter chain clothing stores selling exactly the same clothes to everyone in the land; not as frequently fatal, true, but one misses choice...

Up Above


The Fitzwilliam Museum (founded in 1816 but not built until 1837-45) is one of Cambridge's treasures and is worth spending half the day on. It has an eclectic collection of exhibits - a lot of which have been bequeathed to it by university alumni. If you look up as you enter this is what you'll see. The detail is mind-boggling.

Tapering off...


An American tourist once asked a college porter "Gee, your grass sure looks great. How d'ya get it looking so perfect?' 'Mow it and roll it for six hundred years sir,' came the deadpan reply.

I was told that by a guy whose cousin's girlfriend's cat's vet's son was actually there so it has to be true. But true or not, the grass in Cambridge colleges is generally billiard-table quality. This is Corpus Christi College's effort - and you have to agree, that's a sweet bit of turf.

Just the other day in 1382, the college was the cause of an uprising by townspeople like myself. A mob led by the city's mayor stormed it in protest against its rigid exaction of "candle rents" or rent charges assessed upon houses in its ownership, according to the number of wax-tapers found. Personally I keep only three, small, wax tapers about my accommodation - but I swear I saw my neighbour flagrantly playing his PS3 by the light of at least 5 of the scented variety no less!

Bullets over Doorway


This shows the wall of Trinity College's Whewell's Court built 1859 - 1869 facing you as you walk up to the end of Jesus Lane. Or scream along it in a German fighter plane releasing a hail of bullets before pulling up and heading off back home - as one frustrated Luftwaffe pilot did in WWII. The results are still visible as you can see. The bicycle's injuries weren't fatal I understand...

Into the Gloaming


Eventide spent driving the roads of my youth out in the Fens, just a little north-east of Cambridge. Big skies...

Cloistered Away

The greatest thing in the world is to know how to live to yourself.

- M. De Montaigne

St. John's New Court cloister. It's definitely one of my favourite colleges. I can't help but think of Hogwarts whenever I'm wandering its corridors and cloisters...

Honoured, I'm sure



This rather fantastic entrance is the Gate of Honour in Gonville and Caius College. It's one of three: students pass through the Gate of Humility when they enter the college, whilst studying they frequently pass through the Gate of Virtue (dedicated to Wisdom) and then finally, on their way to their graduation ceremony they pass through this one. I, of course, possess all of these qualities without the need for keys...

Ready and Waiting



Scudamore's Boatyard, first thing in the morning. Empty, tranquil, awaiting the tourists. Within hours they'll all be out on the river, gliding along the backs, heading out to the Orchard Tea Rooms at Grantchester, or just moored whilst the occupants have long lazy picnics in the meadows. Ahh, halcyon days in the making.

Mill Road Cemetery is a peaceful space just minutes from the centre of town and adjacent to one of the most interesting and diverse shopping streets in the city. You'll get away from the noise and tourist throngs here and, although it's not manicured showpiece, the cemetery is definitely an attractive and atmospheric place to collect your thoughts and contemplate life.

I heard yesterday of the passing of a neighbour and friend of over 20 years; he was a nice guy and will be missed by many in the local community and further afield. So long Den.

Far Horizons

"That mind is at fault which never escapes from itself."

- Horace

Cambridge is fabulous but occasionally it's good to escape and one of my favourite spots to head off to is Southwold, just over an hour away. Adnams beer and fish and chips from Mrs T's down at the harbour. This is the view from the footbridge to Walberswick. Nice innit?

Sad Sack, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Thought I'd remind new visitors to the blog of this historic building. These ‘tags’ were burnt into the ceiling of one bar of The Eagle pub by members of the RAF and USAF stationed at the local airbases - of which there were many throughout East Anglia. The names are burnt into the ceiling using candles and lighters. Back in the days when smoking was good for you… There’s a little display on the wall showing an original picture of the Memphis Belle and crew above another of the Hollywood actors from the movie with the plane and the remaining crew – quite poignant. Anyway, the pub (which is not one of my favourites, truth be told) was gutted and refurbed quite well in the early 90s and is very popular with locals, students and tourists alike. The pub is also famous for being the venue in which Watson and Crick announced that they had 'found the secret of life' – DNA.

Of course, the real secret of life is Shepherd Neame's Spitfire beer obviously...

Tiled, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Sorry but this was taken with my phone as I'm snowed under at the moment. Consequently, this shot doesn't really do justice to the interior shown. It's the tiled atrium of the Lloyds Bank building that I've mentioned before. I'll go back and do it properly one day but this does give an idea of the quality and beauty of the workmanship. I may have blotted my copybook though - I'm not sure they appreciated someone taking photos inside a bank for a start but then the thing actually starts ringing in the sombre silence. And the ringtone is a song. And it's really loud. I left...

New Angles on Film

Arts Picturehouse Independent Cinema

“Forget the grand plan. Forget the master scheme. Forget control. That is the bleak but true basis of independent cinema. Inch by motherfucking inch we must, because we have no other choice.”

- Oliver Stone

Illicit Kiss, Mill Road


"Young man. Young, young, young. Did anyone ever tell you you look like a young prince out of the Arabian Nights? You do, honey lamb. Come here. Come on over here, like I told you. I want to kiss you just once, softly and sweetly."

- Blanche, Streetcar

Triset

Triset, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Sighs

Sighs, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

No Smoke Without...


Bank Holiday Monday saw us head over to Santa Pod again, just about 40 minutes from Cambridge for some more loud craziness. This time we were on VIP tickets which got us into the best viewing suites and meant I could get a fine shot of the cars on the line. The flames coming from the jet car here are actually just theatrics - when it launches it's weirdly quiet and there's just jetwash instead of flames - but it is amazingly loud when he does this; uberfun!